New Years Resolutions - Weight Loss & Dieting
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Its that time again. It is a time when we grab the bull by the horns and decide to change our lives for the better. What time? Well of course I am talking about New Years Resolutions.
What are the top resolutions? Well I know that in the past I have resolved to lose weight. From my teens, and most of my adult life I resolved nearly every year to take off those unwanted pounds only to give up in misery days or weeks later.
Resolving to lose weight: Success or failure?
Disclaimer: It is important that you first consult with your family doctor before starting on any new program to make sure you are able to do what is required.
Setting our goals too high can be one reason we fail. I resolve to lose 50 lbs in 3 months. Although this goal seems attainable, it is likely that without strict(and I mean STRICT) adherence to a routine, this resolution is doomed for failure. That is why the first 3 letters in DIET is DIE!
Lets do the math. One pound is equal to 3,500 calories. If you eat 3,500 calories, you gain 1 lb. If you exercise and burn 3,500 calories, your body sheds a whole pound.
Any way you slice it, (pun intended) a pound is a pound. Either by eating less or exercising more, we have to move 3,500 calories per pound to effect change.
Lets look at my example to lose 50 lbs in 90 days. That is 1 lb roughly every 2 days or eating 1750 calories less per day. It isn’t likely that I am going to cut my food intake that drastically so I would have to incorporate exercise into the equation to make it a viable goal. Even then, I would most certainly find it extremely difficult to stay on target splitting 1750 into diet and exercise would still be 875 calories each.
A better, safer resolution.
A better resolution would be to lose 5 lbs per month. That would be 60 lbs in one year. These numbers I can live with. 5 lbs would be 17,500 calories or 583 calories a day. I could eat one less candy bar/snack containing 280 calories and walk 1 hour a day would burn about 300, so with just a little change I can do it and not feel like my whole world is turned against me. By losing weight slower, you are not stressing your body as much either.
There are many tools, programs websites that deal with weight loss. You have to find one that fits your needs and go with it. There is no need to spend hundreds of dollars per month when you can do the same thing at home with little change in your budget.
Local support groups are a wonderful way to begin. Look for TOPS(Take Off Pounds Sensibly) or Weight Watchers or even church groups. If you have a family, make it a family project. No one likes to workout alone. Find a friend, neighbor, or spouse and be accountable. Go online and create a food diary. There are many sites that can assist you in successfully shedding those unwanted pounds. I have listed just a few below.
There are so many advertisements on TV. Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem are a few plans. Where do you begin. It can be so confusing. I’ve tried Medifast, and Optifast. They do work, but soon I found that I was craving real food. You really miss texture on this type of plan. That is one reason I’ve failed so many times on liquid diets. High Protein-Low Carb is a little easier to stomach, but it is costly to eat mostly meat, and you can end up with bigger health problems and even gall stones. Remember my disclaimer?
I can talk about weight loss first hand since I at one time I tipped the scales at nearly 750 lbs. Thankfully those days are way behind me now. I have lost over 400 lbs through changes in the way I eat, as well as surgical measures. I no longer use food as a crutch. It doesn’t do me any good to turn to food to cope. I know that ‘now’. This was the first step in healing my food addiction. Knowing that eating wasn’t fixing anything. It was actually making things worse. After I got my head on straight. Things were so much easier.
That’s all I have time for right now.
Websites that help you count calories:
www.foodcount.com is one that I like the best.
http://calorielab.com/index.html
Have a serious weight problem? I started to get help at:
Have some of your own? Post them in the comment section below.
Happy 2008 and I wish you success, health and happiness in the year ahead.