The Proper Way to Lose Weight

I was always thin and energetic until I reached my early thirties. That's when I, like so many other Americans, developed a weight problem. I thought it was because of my metabolism that, as I got older, I just didn't burn energy like I used to. I also realized that my energy was easily sapped, my moods were often poor, and I was feeling pretty horrible health wise. The truth was, my metabolism was only half the problem. The biggest problem was that my lifestyle had changed dramatically. As I got older, my activity decreased. I was walking less. I spent more time at home in front of the TV, and I was still eating the same amount of food I had been eating when I was active and walking five miles a day. So after several failed diets and attempting to lose weight with 'magic' pills - I came back to reality and realized there was only one way I could lose the weight and keep it off. The old fashioned way - exercise and sensible eating. This, for me, was more about a lifestyle change. The only way to do that was to be fully aware of what I was doing to myself. So to help me change my lifestyle and become more mindful about what I was doing to myself, I bought a health journal.

How to Use a Journal:

A journal will help you keep an accurate account for everything you put into your body from prescriptions and supplements, to what food is being consumed daily. It will also help you record how much exercise you're getting and your general feelings of well-being on a day-to-day basis. Keeping a health journal can make us more conscious about what we eat, how much we exercise, and basically make us aware of foods or habits causing our bodies physical distress.

Other benefits of keeping a journal is you can note how you feel emotionally and health wise on a day-to-day basis, which in turn can help your doctor to know what you've been doing, which may help him or her with your diagnosis and treatment. It can help you identify possible food allergies or medication reactions. It can help your doctor adjust your medications.

You can use a pre-made journal or make our own out of a simple spiral bound notebook. Keep the journal for a week doing what you're doing now. Once you see, on paper, what you're eating and how little you're exercising, you can better see what you're doing to yourself.

My Thoughts on Dieting

First off, before starting any diet or exercise program - talk to your doctor. You need to make sure you're healthy enough to exercise and watch your caloric and fat intake. And your doctor may have some additional suggestions. My personal feeling about dieting is that deprivation does not work for most people. You'll end up giving in to temptation and putting the weight back on. It's okay to occasionally eat some pizza or cake. Just don't eat it every day. Eating smaller portions and being aware of your calorie and fat intake, along with an exercise program, in my experience, is the best way to lose weight. Also - don't give up even if you feel you've failed. Allow yourself room to slip up. It happens because we're only human. When you slip up and eat too much, forgive yourself and try again. Also - by adding exercise to each day, you can afford to eat a cookie now and again. Get yourself a pedometer and find out how much you're walking each day. 10,000 steps a day is the recommended distance you should be walking daily. Once you find out how much you walk, try to double it week by week and month by month. Some tips on getting in more walking include: Park further from the store, walk to places within walking distance, take the dog out, play with the kids, or take the stairs.

A healthy weight loss, according to doctors, is anywhere from 2-5 pounds a week. Don't expect the fat to come off overnight and don't be discouraged if you're only losing a few pounds a week. Remember - it took you months or even years to pack on the extra weight. If you're losing 8-10 pounds a month - you're doing great.

Food and Portion Size Tips

Fill up on vegetables and fruit. Make your vegetable servings about half your plate. You can eat more veggies and fruit and literally cut your calorie intake substantially. This means that you can eat more than you do now. It's just that you're not eating the fatty, bad-for-you foods that you might be eating now.

Use smaller plates.

A serving of meat is about the size of a stack of cards or the palm of your hand.

Eat whole grain breads and cereals.

Eat starches sparingly - but don't get rid of them completely or you'll crave them and fall off the healthy eating wagon.

If you eat a sensible breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks a day, the less likely you'll feel hungry. When we starve ourselves our body will hang onto the food we do eat and store it as fat, and we're more likely to binge eat.

Eat slowly. It takes 20 minutes for our minds to register that we're full.

When eating out, plan ahead and choose lean meats, vegetable dishes, and so on. Only eat half of what's on your plate or share one meal with another person. They often give you way too much food (enough to serve 2-3 people).

Start out by recording what you normally eat and find out how many calories you're eating every day. Then cut those calories by several hundred for a month and see how it works.

Stay away from fast food and soda pop completely. Taking sugary pop out of your diet altogether can help you lose up to 5 pounds. Most nutritionists only recommend you eat fast food once every six months if at all. Exercise

For some of us, the only reason we're overweight is not necessarily because we're overeating, but rather because we don't exercise enough. Walking is great exercise. Try to fit more of it into your schedule. Exercise is the hardest lifestyle change to make for those of us who have descended into a sedentary pattern. Don't overdo exercise. For example - don't try to walk five miles your first time out if you only walk a block every day. You'll end up straining something, giving yourself negative reinforcement through discomfort and pain, and will find yourself not wanting to walk or exercise. For those who are inactive, walking can provide cardio and gentle yoga can provide flexibility and strength. Both are gentle forms of exercise that will help you with stamina and strength building for more vigorous exercise later on.

Goal Setting

Start small and work your way up in small increments. You can't attempt to make a huge lifestyle change and immediately have it take effect. For example - get yourself a pedometer and for a week, record how many steps you take. The next week, try to double it. Start with 10-15 minutes on a treadmill or gentle yoga exercises three times a week and increase the time you do it by five minutes each week. You don't have to finish the full hour workout tape the first time out. Work your way up slowly, week by week. You can even slowly build up to working out thirty minutes every day.

Other ideas for starting out include: Choose a different room in your house that you'll thoroughly clean each weekend. Believe it or not, vacuuming, dusting, and scrubbing are great forms of exercise for the sedentary. Or choose a different section of your yard to work in each weekend when weather permits. Don't forget the sunscreen. Exercising and being outside can help people who suffer from depression, and can help your body metabolize vitamins more efficiently.

Learning to set small goals and accomplish them can help you learn to set goals in other parts of your life. If you remain steadfast in your want to lose weight, you can do it. Before you know, you'll have gradually changed your lifestyle and will be on your way to a happier, healthier life.