The whole question of body weight is a balancing act – and that’s not on the bathroom scales. Ignore all those fad suggestions you should count those carbs or eat small mountains of grapefruit or cabbage. The simple reality is it all comes down to those pesky calories. You have to burn more than you eat. This means either seriously cutting down the number of calories you eat or significantly increasing the amount of exercise you take (or both). Once you accept this, you can start making sensible plans. First, remember you don’t have to do this alone. There’s your family, all those friends and, if you’re really desperate, your regular doctor who may recommend a dietician or nutritionist to give you the basics of healthy eating. There’s also the possibility your excess weight may be due to a more serious health problem, or be causing a disease. You should discuss treatment options for the underlying cause, and may have to consider the possibility of weight loss surgery. You also need to include your emotions in this plan. Looking ahead, there are bound to be situations in which you feel your diet challenged – as in when your friends invite you out for a meal in one of those restaurants where you don’t get to see the plate underneath the food until you’ve been eating ten minutes, or you’re suddenly tempted to binge from the fridge.
So what should go into your diet plan? Well, the answer depends on you. These are the food choices you have to live with for the next few years, so whatever you decide has to fit your tastes and lifestyle. It should have variety with plenty of fruit, vegetables, grains, lean protein and low-fat products. There’s no point in picking things hard to find or too expensive to fit comfortably into your family budget. The diet must be easy to manage, avoid boredom and keep your healthy. When it comes to exercise, never worry about the word. There’s no need to spend money on a gym membership or equipment to be used at home. An exercise program simply means being more active. There’s a strong piece of research from Scotland in which people were encouraged to maintain their yards. That meant digging and planting, hoeing and weeding and, of course, mowing. The plan was not less than 30 minutes at least three times a week. Their weight loss was impressive. The rule is a simple one. Whatever you do should be reasonably vigorous and you should do it regularly. more…