It has often been described as a battle; "the battle of the bulge." Sometimes likened to a struggle; "the struggle with obesity." (Just type in "struggle with obesity" in your search window.) One well known term is "the crash diet", which interestingly always results in a crash. We get the idea. Losing weight is a very, very difficult, overwhelming, and seemingly, insurmountable problem.
But the truth is, most who fall into the category of overweight or obese can succeed in losing excess body fat. It may not be easy, but it can be done. Somehow we have bought into the idea that losing weight has to be a difficult, costly process that requires huge investments of time and money. That is just not true. You have all the tools you need sitting right there in your chair as you read this. Your own human body is the best exercise machine on the planet (for humans of course), and for most, provides the most effective, simplest way to shed excess body weight; it’s called walking. We are designed to walk. Of course the latest weight loss guru, celebrity or whatever, will not highlight this simple truth, because–well, because there is no money in it. The next tool is also a "no brainer"; its your ability to choose what you eat. Humans have been eating foods for thousands of years, to think we haven’t figured out how to do it by now! Are books needed to teach us how to eat properly? This has to be one of the greatest scams of all time, billions of dollars, and millions of pages have been written in just the past few decades. The results? well just go cruise the mall or local park and observe. The books are just not working.
We have been conditioned to just accept that it is really out of our hands, and somehow, if we just find the right kind of pill, method or wonder-worker, that fat will just miraculously disappear, often with little or no effort on our part. But that never, never works. Here’s why. All promoters of weight loss products or schemes are required to tell you, always in small print, somewhere on the packaging or across the bottom of your TV screen … "results not typical." There you are, results, often demonstrated by the pictorial transformations, will not apply to most who try out their method or programme.
As mentioned, If we are able to walk and eat, we already have everything needed to become healthier. But like any piece of exercise equipment, we can’t just store it away and forget it. You have to get it out of storage and put it into service. You can’t be honest and say, "Well I bought one of those treadmills, but it just didn’t help me one bit." We should be saying, " I have the tools to be healthier but am just too lazy to use them. It’s my own fault." There, now don’t you feel better? (One thing we must acknowledge. There are individuals who, for various reasons, usually because of physical and mental health, are going to need serious help from family, friends and often medical professionals, to achieve realistic fat loss and a healthier lifestyle.) For the rest of us, we can help ourselves, but must overcome the ingrained perception, that we are somehow powerless.
So, how can we wade through all the gimmicky devices, diets and miracle weight-loss pills sold on television, in magazines and in some health clubs across the country? (Not everyone or every product falls into this category. ) One way to separate the good from the bad is to measure it up against a simple principle; "There is no, and never will be, a too-good-to -be-true method, or device, or pill for losing weight and keeping it off. If you ever run into this, …"to- good-to-be-true", whether it’s a supplement salesperson, personal trainer, some guy on the television or even a friend, you can save yourself a lot of wasted time and money by just saying , no thanks. Sadly, a few unethical persons in the medical field often promote these extreme weight loss methods, and of course will sell all the accompanying junk that goes along with it. Some even advocate severe low calorie diets, (starvation diets) and these always backfire. By burning up the body’s lean tissue, these extreme diets end up causing rebound weight gain, you then end up with more body fat than you started with. In fact there is no benefit to these diets. Especially for teenagers; they will often experience serious health problems now and later in life by using these dangerous low calorie diets. (1)
Why not try a few simple things first. It might be all you need and it won’t cost you anything; well, maybe some food and at some point exercise equipment. Be careful though; if you are seriously overweight and live a sedentary lifestyle, you should always check with your doctor before implementing any suggestions you read here. Also be patient. It takes time to get into shape. Especially if you have had this problem for a long time. Keep in mind, when compared to all the complicated information you may be accustomed too, these ideas may seem too simple to work. However they will work, if given time and sincere, earnest implementation. As mentioned before if you have a serious, underlying medical disorder, please get advice from a doctor before you start any exercise activity or implement any change to your eating patterns.
After working in a health club for 5 years I made these observations. Those who were able to lose body fat and gain muscle, usually employed one or more of the following principles in their weight loss routine:
1. Start a simple conditioning routine. I suggest walking, if you are able. (Please note: Do not make any significant changes in your eating patterns starting out. That comes later.) Although you could start cutting down on sodas, both diet and regular, eat a little less bread and make sure you are getting enough water. Basically just common sense stuff.) While you may be tempted to push yourself, take it easy in the beginning, then gradually allow a little more distance as conditioning improves. (Never wear wrist or ankle weights while walking or jogging, they are hard on your joints.)
2. After three weeks, check your progress. What do the scales say? If you have lost a few pounds, stay with it, keep challenging yourself. (Make a few simple adjustments, start noticing your portion sizes, cut out or severely limit sodas, sugar, breads and potatoes.)
Note: If you show no weight loss at this time, you must modify your food intake. You must eat to achieve long term success. Start feeding yourself at least 4 times per day. Some even advocate 6 times. Most people find that impractical. Do avoid high protein - low carb diets; high carb - no fat diets and so on. Just try to eat some carbs, protein and a little fat at each meal. Another thing to avoid is eating too little calories. To succeed, do not cut back more that 500 calories/day from what you are currently eating. Then implement weekly caloric adjustments (never more than a 500 calories/day reduction) until you reduce caloric intake to about 1200 - 2000 calories per day. Never, never go below 1200 calories per day, even this is considered inadequate for most people. Keep in mind your current size and activity level. You may need to get a food calorie guide to get an idea of how much you are actually eating each day. It may surprise you.
3. After the next three week cycle, check your weight again. Is there continuing progress? Then keep doing what you are doing. If you didn’t lose weight in the first cycle and made the proper dietary modifications, have you begun to lose some pounds? If so, continue what you are doing until the next weigh in.
If you again show no weight loss, a plateau, it might be time to add muscle building exercises to your routine. Start out using modest weights and keep your session to no more that 45 minutes and no less than 30 minutes in length. You can use exercise bands or free weights to accomplish your goals, which are to add muscle to your body. Muscle mass increase will increase your body’s ability to burn fat. One thing to remember, as you begin to add muscle you might see a slight increase in weight. This is because muscle cells are more dense that fat cells. You can test yourself at the local swimming pool. If you sink you have more muscle cells that fat cells. More fat means you will float. While a simple muscle training program is desired, it is not all that necessary to your success. Your walking routine is still the best option in terms of time, expense and overall health. To modify your walking routine to help bust through a plateau, try one or more of these techniques: Increase distance walked; pick up your pace; add hills or stairs to your route; add weight with a small backpack or inexpensive tactical vest loaded with fishing lead. Remember, do just enough to start burning fat again. (One thing you must avoid - never, except or rare occasions, reward yourself with food for successful weight loss. Think of other types of rewards like a new outfit, or doing some activity that you really like. Anything but food.)
Most of all, keep it simple and be patient. Remember to do the least amount, whether it’s exercise or calorie reduction to effect the change you are after - losing excess body fat. Never get into a routine that goes on for months at a time. Your body will adapt to it and become very efficient at conserving energy. Which is exactly the opposite of what we want. By changing things around every three weeks, or so, we are able to keep our energy consumption at the highest level possible and do it in a healthy way.
As you get more advanced here are some things to try. Say you have been concentrating on weight training for three weeks, you could change up to cardiovascular training for the next three. If you have been switching back and forth between the two, why not combine them for a three week cycle. Something like this: Odd days - weight training; Even days - cardio. Really between the two exercise options the combination of routines are endless, so you should have no trouble keeping your body guessing and burning off those excess pounds of body fat. When it comes to eating the same principle applies. Do just enough to get the desired results. Use a food diary and determine the amount of food you are currently consuming. Cut out any excess calories. This should be enough to jump start you toward your goals. A simple method to keep your body from adapting to the lower food intake is to up your caloric intake every 3 days or so. If you overtrain you will need to stop exercising for at least a week to allow your body a chance to reset, and once again be able to respond in a positive manner to exercise.
Remember there are no short cuts. Use these simple ideas and be persistent. Weigh yourself at three week intervals only. Keep your focus on your improving health and how much better your clothes are fitting. There may be times when your weight actually goes up, but your clothes are fitting better, this would indicate addition of muscle fibre and improvement in your metabolism. A good thing! Remember simple is always better, plus it’s free.
(1) Source: http://www.snac.ucla.edu/pages/Resources/Handouts/HORestrictiveDieting.pdf
