What We Cover at Our Orlando Weight Loss Center

Throughout the United States, you will find people who desperately want to lose weight. At our Orlando weight loss center, this is no exception. Weight gain and weight loss are such personal things for so many people. When you ask people why they want to lose weight or what it is that encouraged them to learn about a weight loss center, it is surprising to hear the answers that they give.

Many people want to lose weight because they are concerned about their health. They know that if they are obese, they increase their risk of developing life-threatening diseases. When you hear about people suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, you immediately think about their weight. There are other diseases, such as breast cancer, that are connected to being obese. The higher a person’s BMI, the higher chance they have of developing breast cancer.

Sleep apnea has been related to being overweight. Sleep apnea can range from being a frustrating disease that makes it difficult for a person to get the sleep that they need to being a disease that is potentially life-threatening. Many people who are looking to lose weight because of health concerns have had friends or family members who suffer through diseases that were connected to being obese.

Some are looking to lose weight because they are dealing with joint problems that might improve once they lose weight. When you are overweight, you put a lot of stress on your joints and knees. This increases their wear and tear, which may make a person more prone to developing arthritis. Joint pain can be debilitating. It is only exacerbated by being overweight.

Health concerns are more than just wanting to avoid a disease. Living healthy means living longer and potentially enjoying a higher quality of life. Very few things can be as frustrating for a person as not being able to enjoy the time they spend with friends and family members because of weight related health issues. Just think of how disheartening it is for a parent or a grandparent to not be able to play with their children or grandchildren because they are just too heavy. For many, losing weight is a way of experiencing the wonderful things that life has to offer.

Some people want to lose weight because they want more energy. When you are carrying around less weight, your body needs less energy to function properly. This means that you are able to do a lot more with a lot less. It can be surprising for many to realize just how much energy they were wasting when they were overweight.

Weight Loss and Improving Your Mental Health

Unquestionably, there exists a link between a person’s weight and their mental health. Many people define their self image by how much they weigh. When a person is overweight, they experience shame and embarrassment. Society throws shame at overweight individuals, and this has a detrimental impact on a person’s feeling of self-worth and self-confidence.

When a person is unhappy with their weight, they begin to develop insecurities that have a direct impact on their self-esteem. They want to be more social and they want to be less self-conscious, but their weight is a constant concern that makes it difficult for them to accomplish these goals. Being overweight can cause a person to develop depression and anxiety.

This anxiety associated with being overweight affects every aspect of their life. An individual who is overweight may feel afraid to pursue a romantic relationship with someone out of fear of rejection. Or if they are able to begin a relationship with someone, they may feel insecure and worried that their partner will leave them for someone who is in shape. The situation is even worse when one individual in the relationship is in good shape and the other one is not.

Being overweight can cause a person anxiety at work. They may lack the confidence to pursue employment opportunities available to them. And, quite frankly, since we live in a society where success for many is predicated by appearance, many employers will overlook overweight individuals for promotions because of a conscious or subconscious bias based on the individual’s weight.

All of this has a detrimental impact on the overweight individual’s mental health. Losing weight at a weight loss center can provide a huge sense of emotional and mental relief to a person, especially if they have been dealing with being overweight for some time.

How to Stay Committed to Weight Loss

When you see a weight loss commercial or you read an advertisement online, many of them lead you to believe that losing weight is simple. Just take this pill, use this machine, or follow this diet and your weight will disappear magically. The truth is that the weight loss industry is a billion industry that is predicated on the ability to sell pills, diet plans, and machines. Some of them work, and some of them don’t.

The reason why many of the gimmick weight loss systems fail is because they try to sell the idea of a weight loss shortcut. When it comes to losing weight, there is no shortcut. The idea of losing weight seems simple. You need to burn more calories every day than you eat. On paper that idea sounds amazing. However, it is a lot more complicated than it sounds.

It’s not simply a matter of exercising more or eating a carrot as opposed to eating a piece of cake. It is about making a genuine commitment to changing your life and living healthy everyday, regardless of the ups and downs you may experience.

Your attitude is going to be key to whether you lose weight and keep it off or not. If you are on a health kick or if you are looking to lose a few pounds to look good for a special event, it is going to be difficult for you to lose weight and keep the weight off permanently. Weight loss in and of itself is a laudable goal. But it’s not sufficient to keep you on the road you need to be on. There has to be something bigger that’s motivating you.

It takes time to lose weight. And you need to keep yourself going throughout the entire process. You need a good reason to be healthy. Think about the benefits of weight loss. Think about how much better you are going to feel in the future when you have more energy, you are able to sleep better at night, and you will have a more positive mood. And these are just a few of the benefits that you can ponder on.

It’s a good idea to write down an exercise journal. Keep track of your successes. But don’t measure success by whether the scale is budging or not. Measure success by your ability to stay committed. You are not going to stick to something that makes you feel miserable. So think about how you can view exercise and diet from a different vantage point. Don’t focus on what you may be depriving yourself of. Focus on what you are working toward.

The importance of working out cannot be overstated. As we have already mentioned, weight loss is a matter of burning more calories than you eat. If you diet and you are strict about watching your calories, you are going to lose weight. However, your body is also going to be adjusting to your calorie restricted diet. So there is a point when you will likely hit a plateau. Exercise is what’s going to get you over that plateau.

You don’t need to spend hours every day going to the gym. If you have the time and the desire to do so, good on you, but what you need to do is set up a reasonable workout schedule. A weight loss clinic can help you with this. Find something you like and something that you will continue with for the long-term.

You need to get rid of activities that you don’t like to do and create your exercise program around activities that you do enjoy. The idea is to learn to be active on a regular basis. You will not have success if you see exercise as a hit and miss thing that you do one week but then skip the next.

What Type of Diet Should You Follow?

A pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. If you were to reduce your caloric intake by 500 calories a day, preferably via diet and exercise, you would lose a pound a week. Some weeks you would lose more, some weeks less.

You need to find an eating style that works right for you. That means learning to skip the unhealthy foods and replacing those with healthier choices. This is not something that you do once or twice. It is something that you need to do most of the time.

All of this has a lot to do with personal accountability. You need to keep a food journal. When you are in the grocery store, read labels. Instead of eating food out, prepare meals at home. It is good for you to understand portion sizes. Be conscientious about what you eat rather than just mindlessly nibbling at what comes your way.

You need to make good choices more often than you make bad choices. Structured diets usually come to an end, but the healthy eating choices that you have developed never stop. This means that you should be eating healthy for the rest of your life.

Dieting does not mean getting rid of the foods you love. You can still eat your favorite foods. You just will not be able to eat them every single day. It all comes down to moderation. You need to be honest with yourself and look at your diet. You may need to just make one change at a time. Over time, those small changes will result in long-term benefits that you will see and appreciate.

Changing Your Lifestyle for the Better

Clearly, losing weight is not just a matter of changing what you eat. If you want a healthier life, you have to change the way that you live. You are not going to be able to change everything overnight. But you have to open your mind to the possibility of changing the way that you have always done things.

If you have unhealthy daily routines, such as going by the doughnut shop every morning or always ordering that desert at night, you need to change these routines. Replace them with healthy ones. Get up earlier and make your lunch at home. Instead of hitting the fast food joint at lunch, go to the gym. Instead of driving those four or five blocks to your destination, get out and walk. It does not matter how busy you are. You are never too busy to exercise and get healthy.

Changing your lifestyle for the better means a lot more than simply watching what you eat. You may have to make serious adjustments to how you are spending your free time. What percentage of the day are you sitting in front of your computer? How long do you sit watching TV or engaging in other things that do not allow you to be active?

It is true that you may be able to get healthy on your own. However, it is beneficial to have a support system. Your support system could include friends and family who know what you are doing and who want to help you reach your goal. At our Orlando weight loss center, we are here to help you live a healthier life.

Get in Touch with Us for More Information

To learn more about what we offer at our Orlando weight loss center, we warmly encourage you to reach out and make an appointment with The Center for Metabolic and Obesity Surgery. At our convenient location in Maitland, our caring and devoted team of professionals will be pleased to explain your options in greater detail and answer any questions you may have. Contact us today to set up your consultation – we look forward to speaking with you!