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by
DurLlwyd - version 1.0
This is a difficult subject to write on, not because of the
complexity of the subject itself, but rather because of the sheer volume
of material already written about it. There are more weight loss and
fitness books than one could read in a lifetime. So, when I was asked to
write this, I had to ask myself, "What can I possibly contribute that
folks have not already heard 10 times before?" After, mulling the
question over, I decided to put down a few "truths" that can be
used to judge the rest of the information one comes across. I will follow
that up with a couple of tips and tricks that seem to work for most
people.
Truths
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Energy Balance -
Here is the deal: eat fewer calories than you burn over any
significant period of time (two weeks or more) and you will lose
weight. That is all there is to it. If you ignore every single other
rule about dieting and follow this one, you will lose weight. It
doesn't make a bit of difference if you eat carbohydrates, fat,
protein or whatever. This is the "Golden Rule". Even if you
have special circumstances that you feel have kept you from losing
weight in the past; if you eat less than you burn, the weight will
come off. If you bring up renal failure to debate the point, then you
already understand the issue and don't need to be reading this.
Now, I am not saying you can ignore
all the other rules and lose weight in a healthy manner. But healthy
or not, if you follow this rule, you will lose weight. The take-home
lesson here is that if you are strictly following a diet plan for a
couple weeks and it isn't working, then you would benefit from
reducing your calorie intake or increasing your exercise level. This
might mean you have to spend a week carefully tracking your calories
to figure out where you are going wrong, but the effort is worth it if
you are serious about losing weight.
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Hunger - Go to the
bookstore and you will find hundreds of books on how to lose weight
without getting hungry. They all lie. There are ways to reduce your
hunger, there are tricks that make it more tolerable, but to some degree
you are going to feel hungry. If you are restricting your intake of food
to the point that your body is burning fat stores, your body is going to
tell you about it. Now, if you feel like developing a 'speed' addiction,
you might be able to lose weight while avoiding hunger (although I still
have my doubts). Hopefully, a bit farther than any of us are willing to
go. There are some medications that will help curb hunger, but they do
just that-- curb hunger, not eliminate it. Honestly, hunger isn't that
bad. Yes it will drive you a little nuts at first; but trust me, if you
carefully manage it for the first two weeks you will start to adjust to
it.
-
Weight Fluctuations -
Get used to them. Those of you who weigh yourself constantly will
notice your weight will change somewhat from hour to hour. You are not
gaining or losing fat. One pound of fat contains roughly 3500 Kcal
(calories). This means that to gain one pound of fat, you would have
to eat about 15 candy bars and then eat what you normally eat. So,
don't worry about it. The reason your weight changes over the course
of the day is because of things like hydration. If you go drink a
half-gallon of water, you will suddenly appear 4 pounds heavier
because you have a tummy full of water. However, in about 30 minutes.
you will be in the bathroom getting rid of it. Also, if you eat a lot
of salt one day you may find the next day you are heavier; again you
haven't gained any fat, your body is just holding a bit of water until
it can flush the salt out of your system. For women, your monthly
cycle will cause you to hold water at certain times of the month, this
has nothing to do with adipose tissue (fat). Dieting won't have any
effect on it. Remember that dieting is a long-term project.
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Exercise - Do some.
Yes, I know what I said about 'energy balance' and if you lower your
caloric intake enough, you will lose weight without having to exercise.
But you will also lose a heck of a lot of muscle tissue along with the
fat. If you don't exercise, your metabolism will also slow to a crawl,
and that will make losing weight much harder. If all the exercise you
can stand is a daily walk, well then take a walk. However, if you are at
all serious about losing the weight and keeping off, get thee to a gym
and pick up some weights. Don't worry, you won't 'bulk up'. That's
just a myth. However, there is a downside: if you start working out you
will find you will be slightly more hungry. Your body knows that you are
burning more calories and it figures you are going to do it again later
so it tries to stock up now. But, if you are serious about keeping the
weight off, you can't beat lifting.
Tricks and Tips
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Drink water -
Water is your friend. It has zero calories, it fills up your tummy,
and it's just plain good for you. Keep a water bottle with you while
you are dieting. It will help keep you away from soda and other high
sugar drinks. It will also help curb your hunger.
-
Protein - Keep
your protein intake up. Protein is not something your body can
quickly digest. In essence, it is a slow burning fuel. It will keep
hunger to a manageable level for much longer than simple
carbohydrates. It will also help encourage your body to conserve
muscle tissue. The best types of proteins (in my opinion) are those
from lean meats or fish. They seem to keep the hunger at bay the
longest. If you don't eat meat, do some experimenting and find out
what works best for you.
-
Fats - Keep your
fat intake to a reasonable level. Yes, there are many diets that
tell you to eat lots of fat; personally, I don't find this very
effective for one simple reason-- calorie density. Although fats are
very satisfying foods, they are also very dense in calories. Often
dieters will eat more calories than they realize when trying high
fat diets. Now, don't go trying to cut all fats out of your diet;
that is not good for you and can even be dangerous. However, I would
keep the saturated fats to under the USDA recommended limits. Good
siti (unsaturated), such as olive oil and fish oils, you don't have
to worry about. Everyone is different and finding your personal
balance may take a bit of research and experimentation. However,
keep in mind that fats are very high in calories.
-
Carbohydrates -
These are the current 'bad guy' in a lot of people's minds.
Honestly, they aren't that bad. Just stick to natural carbs like
fruits and veggies and actual whole grain breads. The real issue
with carbs is how quickly they raise your blood sugar, and that is
generally more a function of how heavily they are processed. Eating
a bunch of candy is not a good way to get carbohydrates into your
system, nor is eating a bunch of over-processed white bread.
Research on something called 'Glycemic Index'. The glycemic index of
a food is basically a measure of how quickly a food raises your
blood sugar. In simple terms, the lower the number, the better.
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Long Haul -
Settle in for the long haul. Assuming you want to keep the weight
off, don't think of dieting as a short-term project. The idea is
that you need to change the habits that caused you to gain the
weight in the first place. Think of it as a long-term change in how
you eat.
I hope this proves helpful to
folks. This is only a primer. If you want to lose weight there are lots
and lots of free sources of information. Don't get suckered into paying
for the newest fad diet book or the newest 'miracle' diet food. Start out
with a commitment to learn a bit about nutrition and exercise. Work out a
long-term plan to accomplish your goals. Talk to folks who have been
successful in their attempts to lose weight and pick out the details you
find useful. Everyone has a slightly different approach, and since this is
a lifestyle change, everyone to some degree needs to find his or her own
comfort zone. Best of luck.
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