Emma Jackson 
One of the biggest health problems facing America and many other countries today is obesity. According to studies, approximately 40% of the adults and 20 % of the adolescents in America are struggling with obesity.
This has mainly been caused by poor eating habits and lifestyle choices. Obesity can lead to many health problems; plus if you weigh 200 lbs or more you can be sure no one wants to go out with you.
Most obese people want to lose weight more than anything else in the world but don’t know how to go about it. Below are 10 proven ways to lose weight if you weigh 200 lbs or more.
1. Make your own food
You need to stop relying on takeout and processed foods. Granted, making your own meals from scratch can be a daunting task that is sometimes time-consuming. But, relying on frozen dinners, packaged dinners, pizza or a Big Mac for dinner will only cause problems in the long run.
Cooking your own meals puts you in control of everything you eat which means you can stay away from the unhealthy foods and max out on the healthy foods. This helps decrease your calorie intake since we burn 50% more calories when metabolizing whole foods than processed foods.
2. Avoid Beer
A bottle of your favorite beer or five can be a great way to bond and catch up with friends but can end up causing more harm than good. Have you noticed how people who love drinking beer generally have pot bellies? Or beer belly, as they are commonly referred to.
Beer is made up of rapidly digested carbs that stop fat burning. Also, a single serving of beer has about 125 calories which pile up as you open more bottles. You can have a glass of wine, vodka, whiskey, or any other drink that does not have sugar or carbohydrates in it.
3. Eat more veggies
For most people, veggies are the least fun to eat. Most foods that we enjoy eating have the worst effect on our health. However, if you weigh 200 lbs or more, your priority should be weight loss first then taste second.
The great thing about veggies is that they will fill you up without providing many calories that will add to your weight. Veggies are also packed with essential nutrients that boost your metabolism which also helps with weight loss. You can borrow some good recipes from your vegan friends.
4. Exercise
This is the most effective, and to most people, the hardest way to lose weight. However, you need to be careful before you start exercising. A lot of people will jump straight into exercise and drop out after the first session.
First, you need to find the right training program or fitness expert to guide you. There are thousands of training programs floating around the internet. Pick the one that is best suited for your unique body and always consult a professional before you start.
5. Eat only when you are hungry
Let’s face it; if you are always eating, the chances of losing weight are close to zero. Nothing slows down your weight loss journey more than frequently eating food that you don’t need.
Get rid of any unnecessary snacks that are easy to eat, particularly the tasty ones like nuts, cookies, cakes, cheese, among others.
A trick that works is having a glass of water every time you feel hungry. If you still feel hungry after having the glass of water, you can proceed and have your meal.
6. Measure your progress
One of the best sources of motivation to keep working out is when you start seeing the fruits of your hard labor. There is nothing more encouraging for a person that used to weigh 200 lbs than seeing the scale read 195 lbs. This encourages them to keep doing what they are doing since there is proof it is working. However, don’t rely only on the weighing scale.
Losing fat and gaining muscles is a sign of great progress but it can be missed by a weighing scale. You can measure your progress using other methods such as the weight circumference measurement, blood pressure check, blood sugar check, among others.
7. Get rid of unhealthy foods
It is almost impossible to fight the urge to have that slice of leftover pizza if you know you only need to go downstairs to get it. A lot of people fill their homes with junk that they know will only make them fat.
You need to get rid of everything that does not help your weight loss goals starting with your favorites. Instead, stack your fridge with all sorts of healthy foods that give you a big nutritional boost. Having a fridge full of healthy veggies makes healthy eating easier and reduces your chances of ordering a pizza.
8. Up your Fiber Intake
When it comes to weight loss, eating more fiber can have a lot more impact than most of the other methods combined. A recent study found out that adding more fiber to the diet without changing anything else helps people lose almost as much weight as people who were on a healthy, low fat recommended diet. High fiber foods work like a sponge; they absorb water and make you feel full which helps reduce food intake. The recommended fiber intake is 30 to 38 grams daily.
9. Watch out for disguised sugar
Sugar comes in many forms, all of which do not help your weight loss journey. Some food labels may not have the word sugar’ on them, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Invert sugar, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, and sucrose are just sneaky names for sugar.
10. Daily jogging
This should be among the first things to start. If it’s too hard at first, you can start by walking then pick up the pace as your body gets used to it. Daily jogging will also make it easier to start doing other forms of exercise aimed at weight loss.
