Dec
Every year, I determined that I want to get down to a reasonable weight. I’d buy diet foods, avoid things that tasted good, and often heroically went on a minimal calorie diet. It never lasted past January 31st.
You can probably see the mistakes I made by the paragraph above. That sort of diet *can’t* last. It’s too difficult, plus it’s extremely unhealthy. You can develop a lot of problems following those rules.
Why do I have the first sentence in past tense? I don’t do that anymore, and on top of it, I’ve lost weight. I’m not down to my goal yet, but I’m getting there.
There are several rules that aren’t always well known when it comes to this resolution. Forget the fad diets, get rid of the tasteless junk and come out swinging. Here’s what I do:
Avoid Scales: Getting on the scales daily can be a subconscious negative. Weight varies from week to week and day to day. Pick one day a week and one specific time of day for weighing yourself. If you are doing it correctly, you will lose one to three pounds a week.
Counting Calories, Eat Enough: Count what you eat and what you do. Don’t forget sleep, as you still burn them then. Keep the difference at no more than fifteen percent, or you could find yourself in starvation mode.
Exercise: It’s hard to lose weight if you don’t do something that gets the blood pumping. Find something you like, then do it regularly. You’ll be surprised at how well this fits into your life.
Food Diary: This will help keep you honest. It’s hard to cheat on your diet when you have to write down everything you put in your mouth.
New Comfort Foods: You may be surprised, if you look hard enough. There are many recipes that provide the “comfort food” feeling without the fat, salt and sugar in your current favorites.
Prevent Boredom: This is both for what you consume and how you exercise. Boredom is one of the most insidious enemies of a healthy lifestyle. Find three different things you like to do. As an example, say you hike one day, do weights next and follow it by some sort of aquatic program. You’ll see new things and work different muscle groups. So the same with your food. One can only stomach so much chicken…
Taste is Important: Bland is not necessarily the only flavor you can have. Find healthy alternatives and try new things. One that we have been experimenting with lately is aged balsamic vinegar. The cheap stuff just does not compare, and it is part of a very healthy salad dressing when mixed with olive oil. As the commercial says, “Think outside of the bun.”
You may want to have a talk with your doctor before following these suggestions. This will help you avoid injuries and get the most out of what you put into your new lifestyle.
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