Feb
"Lose weight without dieting!"
"Eat all you want and lose five pounds a week!"
"Drop the weight while you sleep!"
Ads for losing weight are everywhere. Everyone seems to have a plan…but most of them cost you something. Here’s the real (and inexpensive) secret to maintaining a healthy weight: Don’t take in more calories than you use! If you want to lose weight, reduce the calories you take in and increase the energy you use.
There are no shortcuts to making long-term changes in the way you eat and exercise. The good news is that once you make these changes, eating healthful foods and getting regular exercise will become part of your life; you won’t think twice about them. They’ll become as automatic as brushing your teeth.
Now for the scary statistics: Sixty percent of adult Americans are either overweight or obese. The statistics are no better for kids: Obesity in kids has risen nearly 200 percent in the past 20 years. And overweight kids are likely to become overweight adults.
Excess weight has many effects on your health. Among other things, it increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, arthritis, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and some cancers.
Yuck Factor: Can be high, if you feel bad about yourself due to extra weight or weight gain.
Ouch Factor: Usually low, but extra weight increases your risk of many conditions, some of which are serious health threats.
Making It Better Energy In: Eating Well
Food is a wonderful thing…in moderation. One problem with weight control is that it’s so easy to consume 500 extra calories a day (and therefore gain about one pound a week, or 52 pounds a year!) and barely realize it. If you grab a candy bar as a snack, you’re consuming at least 250 calories. Drink a can of soda, and there’s another 250 calories or so. And there you go.
But, you say, I’m hungry! I need something to sustain me at 3 p.m. so I can make it through the day! Try these tips:
Eat five or six small meals a day instead of two or three large ones.
Americans tend to eat a small (or no) breakfast and a large dinner, which encourages weight gain. See how far a large, healthy breakfast will take you. It really is the most important meal of the day!
Make dietary changes gradually. Don’t cut out all those "bad" foods at once! Instead, make one small change each week. For example, if you currently use whole milk, switch to 2-percent milk, then 1 percent and then skim milk.
If there’s a food or food group you want to cut out of your diet, make it unavailable. Keep it out of the house, and avoid it when you go to the grocery store.
Bring healthy snacks with you to work or class, to help you avoid vending machines.
Drink water; it fills you up and has no calories. Try adding a slice of lime or lemon, some crushed ice or drinking club soda instead. Or try one of the no- or low-calorie flavored waters.
Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. Sounds silly, but many of us eat because "it’s time" or because we are bored or unhappy. Some of us were taught to clean our plates and not waste food, so we finish what’s in front of us even if we’re no longer hungry.
When you dine out, send back half (or more) of your food as soon as it arrives to be boxed up to take home. With the mammoth portion sizes available in some restaurants these days, you can wind up eating three or four dinners in one sitting!
Energy Out: Exercise For Life
First, let’s air out most of the major excuses for not exercising:
I don’t have time.
It’s boring.
It depresses me to exercise because I’m out of shape.
I don’t have time.
It’s too hot.
It’s too cold.
My workout clothes are in the wash.
The car’s in the shop so I can’t drive to the gym.
I don’t have time.
As you’ve probably guessed, "I don’t have time" is the main reason people don’t exercise. And yes, we’re all busy. But finding the time is really more about prioritizing. If you really think you don’t have time to exercise, keep track of how much daily time you spend lying in bed after the alarm goes off, watching television, surfing the Internet and playing computer solitaire.
Include exercise as part of your life, rather than a separate "thing" that has to be done. Get up early and go for a run or a walk. Get off the subway a stop early and walk home. Take three or four short "walk breaks" at work. Walk with a friend at lunch or with your family after dinner. Work in exercise as a family activity.
Any time you spend exercising will be worth it. Not only does exercise help you lose or control your weight, but it makes you stronger, lowers blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, reduces body fat, helps you to sleep better and suppresses your appetite. Yep, that’s right: Move more and you’ll want to eat less (up to a point, anyway).
Many people say that exercise improves mood; in fact, exercise is often recommended for people with depression and seasonal affective disorder. Think about this: If exercise was a pill, you’d probably take it!
When To See The Doc
If you just want to lose a few pounds, you can choose healthful foods and incorporate moderate exercise into your life without speaking with a health-care professional. However, if you are over 50 or have an existing health condition, talk with your doctor first.
If you are severely overweight, talk with your health-care provider about working exercise and dietary changes into your life. There are prescription medications available to help with weight loss, but they should be used only in conjunction with an established exercise and eating plan.
Pregnant women usually can continue some form of their pre-pregnancy exercise regimen (if you were mountain climbing before, though, you might want to consider holding off). Talk with your health-care provider about what will work for you.
Don’t Let It Happen Again!
Making small, incremental changes in what you eat and how you exercise will change your life. Many people keep a log or journal of their journey to chart their progress and remind them what works best for them.
Here are some resources to help you: