Five Ways to Start Losing Weight

January 19th, 2007 webmaster

Some people find it hard to stick to diets and consistently fail to lose weight. They try nearly every kind of new dieting idea that comes along hoping that one of them would finally work, but the miracle never happens. Naturally, these people tend to overlook their own mistakes and fail to understand what prevents them from losing weight. The human brain displays a remarkable ability of ignoring the things it does not want to face, so it’s not hard to understand why some people eat all manner of things and still claim they haven’t touched anything but salad for a whole week.

But there are ways of working around these problems and if you don’t want to become one of these people, then you should stick to these pointers. Their purpose is to make eating a conscious act in order to avoid giving in to compulsions and temptations. The easiest thing to do is to carry around a notebook and a pen and to write down everything you eat. And I mean every little thing. Have you finished that half a slice of pizza that your partner couldn’t eat anymore? Write it down. At the end of the day look over the list and you’ll be surprised at how many things you actually eat on a regular basis.

Since eating and drinking are, for the most part, acts that bypass rational thinking you should try to bring them out of the twilight zone. So every time you reach out for a drink or some food, stop and ask yourself “Why am I doing this?”. You may be thirsty, hungry, bored, lonely, depressed, tired or stressed, but out of this list of reasons only thirst and hunger are legitimate. Put the bottle down if you’re not thirsty. Put the food back on the shelf or on the table if you’re not hungry. Do you crave sweets because you’re tired? Get some sleep instead. Do you feel the need to eat because you’re lonely and depressed? Go to the cinema or visit a friend. Read a book, watch a movie or listen to some music. There are options.

Never starve yourself. This is one of the big mistakes in dieting. Unless you have enough willpower to qualify for Nietzsche’s Overman status you will break down sooner or later and eat the first thing that you can get your hands on. Such as snacks or fast food. Starvation also makes the body go into power save mode by limiting your energy levels and hanging on to the existing fat. The body makes no difference between dieting and actual starvation and will behave as if in danger. Therefore you must eat three meals a day, plus snacks consisting of fruit and vegetables. This is the best way to lose weight.

Don’t try to banish your favorite foods completely because you will only sap your own willingness to stick to a diet. The key to dieting is moderation, not denial. Do you like ice cream? Well, have a couple of spoonfuls of ice cream every Sunday. Take a break from whatever it is you’re doing and enjoy this special treat. Don’t feel like you’re cheating on the diet and keep any guilt pangs away. You’re just dieting, not preparing for admission to a convent or monastery. So have a bit of forbidden food every five days or so and enjoy the moment.

And, of course, you must exercise. If you’re not used to exercising and are a bit scared of all the effort and sweating, then start small. There’s no need to rush into hour-long training sessions. Five minutes per day will do for starters. Get a treadmill and a pair of dumbbells and make your own schedule. Two minutes and a half of running and two minutes and half of curls. Every week increase the time spent exercising by another five minutes and add new exercises. Your goal should be to spend at least 30 minutes every day working out your body. Sixty minutes is even better, but it will come in time. It’s OK to start small.

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Weight Loss Article - Fighting fat

January 17th, 2007 webmaster

Dealing with being overweight or obese and the consequences of these conditions is a daily nightmare for some people. Many people are overweight because of their own lifestyle choices. Others have ended up with a lot of extra weight through no fault of their own. These people have to face everyday the prejudices of others and to live in a world that doesn’t always take kindly to them. An overweight man is funny on a good day. An overweight woman is not even that. This is the sad reality some of us have to face at great personal cost.

Self-image and self-esteem depends largely on how other people see us and it takes a lot of egotism or willpower not to care about the opinions of others. And the bigger you are the harder it gets. People staring wherever you go and having to listen to all sorts of bad jokes and insults is a surefire way of lowering your self-esteem and triggering a self-destructing circle. Obese people prefer to stay in-doors and avoid moving about much, which leads to even more weight gained from lack of exercise, which leads to less exercise and so on. People whose self-esteem is low find it very hard to motivate themselves to improve their lives.

Relationships are hard to handle for overweight people. Sex becomes awkward, especially for a self-conscious person who doesn’t enjoy being naked. The extra weight makes sustained effort quite hard to perform and heavy sweating is not sexy. Unfortunately, the shape of an overweight person is not sexy either and most overweight people are hard pressed to find sex partners who don’t mind their shortcomings. The fact that overweight people don’t go out much makes finding partners even harder, which is why many simply give up and reach out for more sweets to stave off depression.

One of the best ways to deal with obesity is to help motivate yourself. Outside support is crucial because obese people are especially prone to taking the easy way and eating more than they should. A little flexibility also counts. Food addiction is next door to drug addiction and less food means less glucose triggering endorphins in the brain. This, in turn, means that a person who used to feel quite content is suddenly faced not only with depression, but also with the perspective of a lifelong depression. And that is bound to be harsh on anybody.

Getting fat is easy, shedding all that extra weight is not. Fighting fat is a struggle every step of the way and one needs to be strong and also to have the emotional support of a loving circle of relatives and friends. Being able to rely on others to help you through the worst parts of a diet is almost half the battle. Especially since after the diet comes a lifetime of less food and more exercise. This may sound a bit scary to the average overweight person, but you must remember that looking into the mirror or walking down the street won’t be a nightmare anymore.

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Weight Loss Article - Fat

January 17th, 2007 webmaster

Most of us are focused on fat. It is all that we hear about these days. Since the time we are kids we are told that fat is bad for us. Some people are more worried about calories than fat. To be honest you should be worried about both. You need to make sure that your diet isn’t full of junk food. You should be getting your calories from foods that are good for you. Who cares about not eating any fat, if all your calories come from sweets? I’m not sure how much I believe fat is the bad thing we make it out to be. I’m starting to believe that carbs are the real evil in the diet empire. I really do think this is why so many people are overweight in this world.

Think about it like this. How many cultures in the world eat bread? Most of them eat some sort of bread. Bread for some people is the focus of the meal. In the old days, women spent all day long making breads. This is also true with pasta in some regions of the world. A lot of places eat some sort of pasta with every meal. What about rice? The same thing. The Irish and potatoes? The same thing. These are all carbs.

Most people eat these every day of their lives. I think we are addicted to carbs. I know I am. I eat so much bread and other carbs that I don’t know what I would do without them. That, adds a tire around the waste line. I’m not saying that carbs are worse than fat per se. I mean, fat has its problems too. You eat too much of it, you are getting yourself ready for a heart attack. I mean, your body can only handle so much of them. We have all seen young men get heart attacks at an early age. So, we know that fat is bad.

Not all fat is the same though. Some fat is worse than others. Let’s talk about these different kinds of fat. We have items that are lower in saturated fat. These would include meats and cheeses. They don’t have as much fat as the items we will be talking about next. On the other hand, you have items that are more saturated than meats and cheese. These tend to be anything deep fried. They will include, donuts, french fries, potato chips.

The second is what you need to stay away from. These are high in calories. They also will clog your arteries. I hate to say it, but the good stuff in life has its risks. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t ever eat these items, but eat them in moderation. That is the key. Don’t eat them every day, but once per week. Don’t go hog wild on a whole bag of chips. Instead, get a small bag that is enough for one or two servings. This way, you won’t be tempted to eat the whole bag.

Oils such as olive oil are low in sat fats. You should use these when ever you can. Keep in mind though, you should only use a little of oil. Make sure to always use non stick cookware. This is a must and a great investment for your health. By using non stick cookware you won’t have to use as much oil when cooking. If you get the good stuff, you might not have to use any at all. I think that you should watch your caloric intake as well as your fat. I would say that they should go hand in hand. I would pay close attention to how much carbs you are eating each day. I know that I sound like a broken record, but I do think people are too dependant on them. They are a good source of energy, but you will feel burnt out if you eat them too much. I think you know what I am talking about. You feel like you need a nap all the time.

There are also health risks involved with a diet high in fat. You are at higher risk of having sugar problems and heart disease. Plus a whole host of cancers that most people don’t have a risk for. People who eat high fat diets also have skin problems. I think people who eat too much fat have very bad complexion. Their skin almost looks like leather.

I hope that you don’t finish reading this and think that you should cut out all of the fat in your diet. That isn’t my intent. Instead, you should look at the big picture. You can eat some fat, just don’t go licking a block of lard as a refreshing snack on a hot summer day.

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