Well, Lisa and I have decided we both need to try to get to a healthy weight and try to do so in as healthy a manner as possible. I'm sick and tired of one or both of us always being sick and tired.
So, I've been doing some research into healthy weight loss and what I'm finding is surprising. For one thing, I've learned that "low-fat" and "fat-free" foods can actually cause your body to produce MORE fat, the sticky saturated fats that like to settle on hips and bellies. I've learned that some fats are absolutely essential for your body to perform properly, especially the brain and heart. And eating the right kinds of fats (such as in nuts - yum, almonds!) can make your body feel full and you won't feel like snacking as much.
Ice cold water actually helps burn calories. And since a person should drink as many ounces as half their body weight (for example, I weigh 180 lbs, so I should drink 90 ounces of water a day), drinking ice water is a big plus towards losing weight.
Drinking or eating diet foods (especially diet soda) can lead to diabetes and other metabolic diseases. One diet soda a day brings you 30% closer to a dibilating disease each day. Sugar substitutes, such as saccharin and aspartame, have been proven to cause cancer, yet the FDA won't outlaw them (hmmm, wonder who the producers of these chemicals have in their pockets?) and Splenda is a by-product of MSG and can and will cause the same health problems MSG does. (MSG is mono-sodium-glutamate for those who don't already know.)
There is no such thing as a successful DIET. A person has to be willing to change their lifestyle for life - eating healthier and in the right proportions and becoming involved in a regular exercise regimen - in order to lose weight and stay healthy while doing so. The word DIET has "DIE" in it; I would rather live!
A wonderful website for more information about healthy weight loss, good fats, and state of mind is www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_weight_loss.htm.
I am in the process now of looking for positive affirmations to use while we are on the journey back to health. In the meantime, I'm training myself to look myself in the eye every morning and say "You have the perfect body just as you are right now. Today you are meeting your calorie and exercise goals. You are healthy and happy," and actually believing it!
One of my goals is to be at my best weight since 1995 by June 15, 2009. To do so, I need to lose 40 pounds in 56 weeks. I think that is a realistic and doable goal.
The other goal is to take part in a ten-mile race in Charleston, SC, on the first weekend of April, 2010. The race starts in Mount Pleasant, crosses the Cooper Street bridge, and ends at Charleston College in historic Charleston. I first read about this race in September of 2005 and thought then how much I would love to walk that race. It crosses one of my favorite rivers and ends in the town I will someday reside in. Back then, I thought it was impossible. Now, I know it is not only possible, but I will do it and I will do it in under 5 hours! (Remember, I'm walking, not running. Five hours means I would be doing a 30-minute mile. I can almost do a 20-minute mile now, so under five hours is quite reasonable!)
1 comment:
Excellent. You are learning what skinny people already know. Let me give you a few more nuggets.
Muscle weighs more than fat but takes up far less space. Therefore as you take on a good exercise regime, you may find you are not losing as much weight as you want but you are losing inches. This is a GOOD thing.
The Law of Inertia - Rapid change is resisted. Rapidly lost weight is usually regained just as rapidly because of the body's resistance to change. Slow loss is more likely to stay off.
Monitoring I monitor my size/weight by my clothing. Right now it is getting tight, time to up my exercise and cut back some on my food intake. One excellent plan I saw recommended a really good digital scale and weighing before breakfast every morning. They went for 1 pound a week and then used the same idea for maintenance. On any morning that the scale read above that week's perfect weight (never more than a pound less than the week before), they had a day of fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, water. Days when the scale was perfect or low they could eat what they wanted, remembering that tomorrow they would have to check in with the scale again. Because the scale was there to keep them honest, they tended to eat sensibly on the "all you want" days. This plan also allowed for the occasional splurge on birthday cake because the next day you could have a "lean" day and be back on track.
Diet foods make you fat and unhealthy Duh!! Just look at the people who eat them. But you already found this one.
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