There is always an extreme to either side of a good argument. Today’s culture sees weight, especially women’s weight, in a skewed and dangerous way. Billboards showcase skinny women and ripped men who look realistic enough that they doesn’t appear disfigured, but that would be considered unhealthy to an educated eye. While this problem is becoming more noticed and prominent, some people take the counterargument too far. It is not uncommon for someone to defend another who is overweight, or for the overweight individual to deny their unhealthy lifestyle. That said, losing weight is sometimes necessary in order to be healthy, but saying “I am going to lose weight” is much easier than actually doing it. To be healthy is not to diet until the goal weight is reached; it is a lifestyle. A long-term weight-loss goal is much healthier, long lasting, and has quite a lot more health benefits. Nutrition.gov, a website run by the National Agricultural Library, says that:
“A healthy weight loss program consists of:
• A reasonable, realistic weight loss goal
• A reduced calorie, nutritionally-balanced eating plan
• Regular physical activity
• A behavior change plan to help you stay on track with your goals”
(“Interested in Losing Weight?”). The best way to lose weight, according to many different scientific studies, is slowly. Reducing calories and increasing activity has proven to be the healthiest and most efficient strategy.
Increasing activity and working out is rather straightforward. Things as easy as stretching, or doing as many sit-ups as possible, first thing in the morning can help in losing weight. To get faster results, running is always a good option. A quick ten or fifteen minute run, or even walk, once a day yields surprising results. Working out does not even have to be the typical “work-out”. Joining a sport would work just as well, and add the fun aspect to it if running or weight lifting is not enjoyable. There are a multitude of sports, and almost anyone can find one that they like. Everything from swimming, to martial arts, to tennis is a sport. Many people take classes in dance, or even acrobatics. As soon as one is committed to a group of other people, like their team, it is much easier to make a routine of working out.
Reducing calories is a little more difficult, because there are so many different ways commercials tell people to do it. Diets are found all over; different people are always coming up with new ways to lose weight, but the best diet is having a notebook, or log, and taking down all calories eaten throughout the day. It is very easy to find out about how many calories one should be eating every day. Just typing “Calorie calculator” into Google will get a lot results. Different websites will vary in the exact number of calories one should be taking in, but using this method can give anyone a general idea of about how many calories they should be eating. Calculator.net, for example, says that a 19 year old female who is five feet and four inches, weighs 160 pounds, and gets little to no exercise needs “1,783 Calories/day to maintain [her] weight” and that she would need “1,283 Calories/day to lose 1 lb per week” (“Calorie Calculator.”). So a girl that fits these criteria should be eating about 1,200 to 1,700 calories every day. Getting into the habit of recording all calories is very difficult, but pays off in the long run.
While all of this may sound taxing and like it requires a lot of effort, or is no fun, it is not always like that. The process will take time, and effort, but it is also not necessary to be insanely strict. Eating a piece of pie in addition to the day’s normal meals is not going to mean instantly gaining weight, and skipping a single day of exercise will not nullify all of the previous work-outs, or make the next day just as difficult as the first. That is why it is a lifestyle rather than a diet. It will last a very long time and create a multitude of benefits. The best part is that the lifestyle of being healthy is fun. It is relaxed, and feels good. Getting into it is difficult, but once it is habit, it is all worth it.

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Works Cited

“Calorie Calculator.” Calorie Calculator. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014.
“Interested in Losing Weight?” Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014.