Diet and exercise, exercise and diet. Those are the two words we hear every day in our battle to lose weight and stay healthy.
I know many people who have started an exercise regimen or diet plan
trying hard to get in shape, only to step on the scales a few days later
and discover they haven’t shed more than a few ounces.
They look in the mirror, decide they’re a failure, and order a pizza.
So what’s the secret? What should you put your focus on in order to meet your goals? The answer is both simple and complicated…
Listen to what an expert has to say
Donald Hensrud, M.D the preventive medical specialist at the Mayo Clinic
states that cutting calories is the more effective way of losing
weight. The key is to consume less calories than you burn. 3,500
calories equals approximately 1 pound of fat. Cut 500 calories a day
from your diet and you will shed a pound of fat in a week, far more
quickly than trying to burn it off by exercising.
Don’t throw away your gym shoes yet, Dr. Hensrud also goes on to say
that exercise is important because it helps maintain weight loss.
Studies have shown that people who lose weight gradually, with a calorie
controlled diet, will be able to maintain their weight better be
getting regular exercise. Crash dieting without exercise often results
in fast weight gain after the diet is stopped.
Identify the problem and find solutions
If you and your family are overweight,
it’s time for a team meeting. If you’re going to change habits of a
lifetime it must be discussed first. It’s even more important to do
this if you and/or your partner have a family history of diabetes. Talk
about the effects of diabetes, educate yourself and your family about
the risks of being overweight. Point out how being overweight can affect
social activities, confidence, and energy. Then, just like a good
salesperson, tell them the benefits of eating healthier. Make a list of
consequences of good eating verses bad eating.
Sugar
and processed foods are probably two of the biggest roadblocks in the
effort to maintain a healthy weight. If you want to get in shape you’ve
got to quit sabotaging yourself.
So the next step is to re-educate yourself about what you should be
eating. Start in by choosing to add in more of the healthy foods you
already eat. Ask yourself and your family “what fruits and vegetables do
we like to eat?” (In the answer is none, then ask what they dislike the
least)
Cut out as much sugar and processed foods as you possibly can. If you
can get your family on board (with your sales pitch at the family
meeting), you can clean out your pantry and throw away the junk food
that is making you unhealthy. The truth is the human body responds
better to unprocessed foods that are low in fat, salt and sugar. It may
be difficult but it will pay high returns in better health and greater
happiness.
It is easier (and more permanent) if you do it gradually. If the
family gathers around the TV to watch Sunday football with chips, sodas
and greasy hamburgers, start by substituting leaner hamburgers, or
substituting soda sweetened with stevia. Gradually work your way toward
whole grain hamburger buns, chips that aren’t fried and adding a veggie
tray to the whole spread.
Also, expect some slip-ups. Don’t be upset if sometimes you give into
temptation to eat things that aren’t healthy. Realize that the real
mistake would be to give up and go back to your old unhealthy eating
habits. Just try to do a little better overall than you have the year
before.
“Consistency is important. If you can only fit in ten minutes, do ten minutes. Just be sure to move a little bit every day.”
A final key to a healthy diet is portion size. Even though
unprocessed foods tend to be lower calorie, they do still have calories.
American portion sizes are notoriously large. You will need to
re-educate yourself about what a real serving size is. It is an
excellent idea to buy a food scale and measure out your food at least
until you get a good feel of how many calories are in the portions you
are eating.
But what about exercise?
Getting regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. It
keeps your metabolism going as you seek to cut out the calories from
your diet. It may be quicker to cut calories to lose weight, but if you
are continually cutting calories without keeping your metabolism ramped
up the calories you do eat will stick around longer.
A
regular cardio workout helps to strengthen heart muscles, reduces the
risk of heart attack, increase lung capacity, lowers cholesterol and
blood pressure and can help control diabetes. Another surprising result
will be that you will sleep better.
Some other important benefits of exercise is that it will help you
stay on your diet by reducing stress that might cause you to eat things
you shouldn’t, it acts as a reminder of the connection between what you
eat and how you feel, the increase of oxygenated blood to the brain
helps you think more clearly, and exercise releases endorphins.
Consistency is important. If you can only fit in ten minutes, do ten minutes. Just be sure to move a little bit every day.
What does this all mean?
This means that if you want to lose weight it is quicker to cut
calories, but if you want to maintain your new healthy weight you need
to exercise. This is why we hear over and over diet and exercise, diet
and exercise. They are both necessary for being healthy.
What you need to focus on is making small changes every day that you
can maintain. Start somewhere, enjoy the results of your efforts and
move forward into more changes that will lead you to a new, healthy
life!
