Managing Your Weight Through Lifestyle Changes

At some point in your life, you’ve probably felt inclined to start a new diet or try that new fitness trend you’ve seen online in an effort to lose weight. And, if you’ve found it hard to stick to these trends, you’re not alone.

While results from dieting trends are encouraging at first, you might have noticed these habits are difficult to maintain.

When it comes to a sustainable and healthy weight loss, weight management is your key to success. So, how can you manage your weight?

“Weight management is attainable through lifestyle changes, meaning in order to control your weight, you need to start changing your lifestyle,” said Kaleah Hendren, a family nurse practitioner at Family Care Center of Mocksville. “Weight management is more about learning what it takes to make positive changes that will last a lifetime, not just a temporary diet.”

“Lifestyle changes are not diets and fitness fads, as these last but for a while. A real change involves so much more than food and exercise,” she added.

Healthy lifestyle changes are crucial to your long-term wellbeing. By establishing healthier patterns, you not only manage your weight but also reap the benefits that accompany a healthier lifestyle.

“Adopting new, healthier lifestyle changes may protect you from serious health problems like obesity, heart attacks, high cholesterol, and diabetes. They can also help you manage your weight and have more energy,” said Hendren.

However, making lifestyle changes can be challenging, and it takes time, patience, and dedication.

“You may work 8-12 hours a day, have a hectic schedule, a long commute, and have little time and mind space. This can make it difficult to allocate enough time for activities and choices necessary for a healthy lifestyle,” she said.

Since we all have such busy lives, it’s important to set realistic, attainable goals. To make a lifestyle change, you must start out small and focus on one step at a time.

If losing weight is a goal of yours, it may be beneficial to switch your focus to weight management and your overall health, not the number on the scale.

“If you’re more focused on the number on the scale rather than actually changing your eating habits, it will be a set up for failure, and in return, can cause worsening conditions. The ability to lose weight is different for every person. That’s why setting realistic goals are key,” said Hendren.

In addition to setting realistic goals, you need to focus on the whole picture rather than just one aspect of your health. This includes regular sleep habits, portion control, adequate hydration, exercise, and stress management.

When Hendren meets with patients, two of the lifestyle changes she suggests are staying hydrated and choosing healthy food options.

Hydration
Since your body is mostly water, you can’t live without it. Hydration is key to flushing toxins from your body and a vital part of maintaining good health.

“Drinking water daily, and cutting out other sugary drinks, is extremely important for your body. It gives you more energy and can benefit other health conditions you may be dealing with,” said Hendren.

It’s recommended to drink around 91 ounces of water a day for women and around 125 ounces a day for men. Keep in mind this also includes water from foods such as fruits, vegetables, soups, and other beverages.

Choose Healthier Food Options
From protecting you against chronic diseases, to giving you more energy, and helping you control excess body weight, a healthy diet is essential to good health and nutrition.

If weight management is your goal, Hendren suggests eating foods that are higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates.

It’s also important to include a variety of fruits and vegetables into your diet, reduce sugar, skip the salt, and choose leaner meats, if possible.

“Your primary care provider or nutritionist can help give you ideas as to what food options are most beneficial for your specific lifestyle,” said Hendren.

Kaleah Hendren’s Weight Management Services
If you’re interested in managing your weight through lifestyle changes, Hendren offers weight management appointments to help you reach your health goals — right here in Davie County. At these appointments, Hendren will help you determine what lifestyle changes and options are beneficial for you personally.

Hendren’s weight management services focus on each patient individually and their want or need to lose weight, or make changes to benefit their health.

“Patients may want to manage their weight, or discuss choosing healthier eating habits to focus on other health conditions such as diabetes or hypertension,” she said.

At your first appointment, Hendren will thoroughly examine your health history, discuss your current lifestyle and eating habits, and perform blood tests to check for any deficiencies. She will then discuss your personal goals and establish a personalized treatment plan based off your needs. Monthly follow-ups are requested to reassess goals and answer any questions you may have.

There is no designated timeframe for Hendren’s weight management services as each individual is different. Some may reach their goals in a few months, while others may take longer.

Hendren practices at Family Care Center of Mocksville, located at 101 Wilkesboro Street in Mocksville. To schedule an appointment with Kaleah Hendren, please call 336-753-0800.