If you go to the internet or even just by watching television you'll find that there is a whole different stratosphere when it comes to anything related to or regarding weight loss. Every year we spend billions of dollars on just about anything to help us shed those extra unwanted pounds. You can practically buy anything from your diet pills, weight loss tea, weight loss shakes, weight loss supplements, and even prepared weight loss foods. If you eat out at your favorite fast food joint you'll find the calories boldly listed next to your favorite burger, as if it were really meant to deter you from buying that juicy quarter pounder. The truth is most, if not all, diets do not work. Why? We'll get to that in a minute. First, some in-a-nutshell explanation on how we gain weight.
Our bodies eat foods that supply our cells with life-nourishing macro-nutrients in the form of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats as well as micro-nutrients in the form of minerals and trace elements. How much food we need to eat is dependent on many factors. These factors are:
1. How much calories our bodies need in order to perform our daily activities.
2. Our state of health. Are we recovering from a sickness or disease?
3. Our age. As we get older we need to adjust our nutritional needs to boost immunity and replenish cells.
Food consumption is the only way we can restore our bodies to their optimal health. It's simply energy ingested in the form of food equating to energy expelled in the form of work. Heat is the trade off that is why we perspire every time we exercise. Weight loss becomes our problem when we gain weight excessively. Did you know that 70% of americans are obese? Obesity is a national health problem as it leads to a lot of lifestyle diseases like Coronary Heart Disease, Diabetes, and Cancer. Since we can't burn off the excess energy we ingested we store them away in cells specialized in storing unused energy in the form of fat, our adipocytes or adipose cells. The standard by which we measure an individual to determine whether that individual is overweight or not is through the BMI or Body Mass Index. My approach to weight loss, however, is not to simply shed the pounds, but to give the patient a new outlook, a new level of confidence and self-esteem. It's not merely the whole process of losing weight that one has to consider. Just as important, if not more so, is the whole attitude towards weight loss. Instead of just saying to yourself ," I need to lose weight so I can feel better about myself.", try adding to that statement, " I need to lose weight so I can live longer and be with my family longer.".
We have to start thinking differently about how our bodies utilize the energy we consume in the form of food. My nutrition professor back in the day was fond of saying there is no such thing as junk food. All foods have nutritive values only that some have better values than others. If you were to start a weight loss regimen you would have to answer the following questions first:
1. How much activity do I get in the form of work and exercise?
2. Do I get enough sleep?
3. Do I deal with stress on a daily basis?
4. Do I have depression?
5. Do I have good eating habits?
6. How often do I eat in a day?
Before we delve further on answering these 6 questions let's deal with the most important issue regarding weight loss ( and, consequently, the whole purpose of this post). How do we change the way we think about weight loss? We have to CONDITION our minds to think on a different plane of thought when we finally decide to lose those extra pounds. There will be no more yo-yo diets and our constant battle to keep off the weight we lose when we remember this important fact- LOSING WEIGHT IS EASY, WHAT'S HARD IS COMMITTING OURSELVES. That's right. We lose our battles against obesity because we haven't conditioned ourselves enough on the way we see food. We eat compulsively and excessively and in the end feel bad about ourselves for doing so, but we can't really help ourselves. Sounds familiar?
Weight loss isn't about those weight loss programs we pay too much money for, or those weight loss shakes that gets over-endorsed by just about any athlete out there, or those supplements that's supposed to help you burn fat faster and sooner. No!!!! Losing weight is about loving yourself enough and loving your loved ones enough that you will commit to changing your life by changing your health. Lose the weight and feel good about yourself, and here is how:
1. Answer the 6 questions above. How much food you eat depends on what you do. Are you a
construction worker or a call center receptionist. You get the picture. Do you get enough sleep? Lack
of sleep induces overproduction of a hormone called Leptin which has a role in regulating how much
food we eat and how we burn it. Stress can also cause us to overeat and we tend to overlook doing it.
Depression also causes overeating. Good eating habits isn't just about eating well-roundedly from the
major food groups. It also deals with spacing, or how many times we eat during the day and around
what times. Understanding how food cycles in our bodies can help us in managing or changing our
eating habits. Did you know that decathlon athletes eat small but eat frequently?
2. Avoid foods which leave you crawling for self-control. Avoid stimuli which will break you. Give
yourself a pat on the back every time you win the struggle. It gets easier over time. That's how you
begin your weight loss program.
3. Learn this word and everything related to it- SATIETY. Learning to curb your appetite for food starts
with learning what foods give you satiety sooner. Water also helps but not for everyone.
4. Do your research. Before you try to lose weight you need to remove toxins from your body by doing
a colon cleanse. The best way to colon cleanse is by juicing. Not only is it natural, it also replenishes as
it detoxifies.
5. Stick to a workout regiment you know you will FOLLOW. Let's face it, if you are anything like me, I
don't think I can spend an hour a day in the gym making my muscles sore. I can, however, do brisk
walking for 30 minutes a day to help my heart rate and my tolerance. Once I know I can do more
then I will extend that to 45 minutes a day with short bursts of jogging. That is the way to get your
metabolism to increase gradually. i usually prepare a light meal of fruit and a quarter cup of nuts once I
am done. That way, I KNOW what I'll be having afterwards and not just mindlessly rummage through
the fridge. And yes, you need to clean out that refrigerator. When I say clean out I mean all you will
see is fruits, vegetables, yogurt, juices, water, and low fat milk.
6. Talk to people more often who are also doing the same things you are doing, who are also
campaigning their battles against obesity. Learn from their triumphs and lend a hand or an advice when
you know it can help them. Knowing you are not alone helps a LOT.
7. Don't be overzealous in buying weight loss supplements, weight loss tea, weight loss shakes, or
whatever is marketed out there veered towards making you shed unwanted pounds faster than what
is natural. Do things naturally and you will keep that fat off longer if not for good. know that losing
weight takes time and how long will be ultimately dictated by your own body. Learn to listen to what
your body tells you.
Lastly, don't give up on yourself. You have it in you to make this one count. You may not know it yet but a better, healthier, happier you awaits. Until our next post, JowelMD signing off.
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