Non-Exclusive article about losing weight.

The title of this article is "Weight Loss and Dieting Advice"
Below is a direct link to this article that I wrote way back in January of 2007.


http://voices.yahoo.com/weight-loss-dieting-advice-151488.html?cat=51


I was paid 4.00 for this article.

Below is the article, however you may still click on the link above and leave me a comment there also.


                                     Weight Loss and Dieting Advice

Well, if you are like a lot of Americans that eat the typical American diet, along with very little if any exercise you may be thinking of loosing a few pounds, more or less. And this is a good time to think about this seeing as the New Year is approaching quite rapidly.

So perhaps you have been reading a few more of the weight loss ads than normal, and wondering if perhaps you should try one or more of these diet plans. But then you wonder about the cost or the consequences of the varies diets, some diets have pills, or special shakes, or powders you mix with water or juice, some are programs where you check in with someone, like WeightWatchers, or Jenny Craig or something.

And while there maybe some benefit to some of these things I would say that the majority of these things are just a plain waste of money. (With the exception of a visit to a certified nutritionist, or maybe for some people the accountability of checking in each week is helpful.) But as for the pills, and potions, even if your doctor has prescribed it, these are more harmful than helpful, in my personal opinion.

The reason I say that is because everything you put into your body has a side effect. (Even foods) To clarify what I mean about foods, people do have varies allergies to foods, so some people have reactions to some foods, other foods some people eat too much of so again they have a reaction (they gain to much weight) so I think you can see what I meant now right?

Well what then can you do about your weight problem if you really do have a weight problem? First if you know you have a weight problem (as in to heavy) you need to find out what you should weigh for your age and height. Next you need to think about what you do each day. Third you may find it very helpful to start taking notes of what you are eating on a regular basis. And make notes on how much water you are or are not drinking.

Next do you know what a serving size really is? A lot of people don't. And that is why they are overweight.

Now barring any hormonal problems that may be causing your health problems I will tell you what you can do. (If you have certain health problems you may need the help of a doctor to get your weight under control).

Okay, let's pretend that you have gone out and bought yourself a small notebook and ink pen, to keep track of what you are eating. So now you have wrote everything down, not missed anything for at least a week or so. Have you also taken notes about how you were feeling when you ate something in between meals. Where you stressed, were you bored, was something wrong, or were you happy, maybe chatting with friends or mindlessly munching a bag of chips while you watched TV? Have you written everything down?

Okay, maybe you have started to see a pattern. Perhaps you are bored a lot, or maybe you munch when you watch TV. Or maybe it is not that you are eating. Maybe you are drinking sodas, okay so what size of glass are you using? Are you drinking a large super sized cup? And what are you drinking? Have you read the labels? Have you checked to see how many calories you are drinking?
Okay if not that could be part of the problem.

So what to do this week is buy a scale if you do not already have one. Now weigh Yourself so you will know what your weight is.

Okay for the next three weeks don't drink any soda's none at all. And do not replace with diet sodas or tea or coffee or juice, for the next three weeks drink water. And drink water like you were drinking everything else. Also try to do some walking each day for three weeks. Even if it is just parking further from the entrance to the store, or walking to the mailbox or around the block. Try to build up to walking 30 minutes a day. (If you have not been walking it may take you a little while to get up to this, but you may be able to be up to thirty minutes a day by the end of the first week.)

Now you are drinking water and walking. And you have a scale. Well you will also want to start learning about portion sizes. If you are unsure of that you can do this on your own starting out, and then do this. Buy a box of instant grits or instead oatmeal. (The kind with the individual packages) one package is a serving (not two or three) for breakfast each day have one package of oatmeal or grits, if you have oatmeal have one small piece of fruit also, and one slice of buttered toast. (Use real butter) and at this meal you can drink one 8 ounce glass of milk. If you decide on grits, have one package of grits, one egg, and one slice of toast with butter, and one 4 ounce glass of juice.

(By using these prepackaged items you will learn to see what a serving is and this will help a lot). Okay, next you want to think about lunch, for lunch a large leafy salad, with a piece of grilled meat, like chicken or fish. You want to have a large salad because this will help you feel full. Also you can have a fruit at this meal too, like maybe a small apple.

Now we are up to supper, for supper what you want is to buy one of those prepackaged dinners (like one of the South Beach Dinners, those are really pretty good) these dinners are in already prepackaged serving sizes. So you do not even have to think. So while your dinner is cooking make yourself a leafy salad to go with it. Then that is supper.

This will give you a starting place to get started loosing weight, as you learn what a serving size is and get into the practice of only eating at meal times, and not snacking, you will start to see some weight loss. Provided you do not have some sort of hormonal problem causing the weight problems.

Okay, for three weeks try eating like that I listed about using serving sizes and drinking water with the exception of breakfast that can be when you drink a glass of regular milk, or juice. (But only one glass). So after you have done this for a few days you will start to get into the routine of eating less and moving more. Also you should be drinking a lot more. You may find that you are drinking ten or more glasses of water a day, and going to the bathroom more.

This does not mean that you have diabetes if you have just recently changed your eating habits and increased your water intake. By loosing weight you may lower your risk of developing diabetes type 2.

Okay, so far I have not mentioned the scale; well remember you have used it at the start of week one, now you want to use it again at the end of week three. See if you have lost any weight. If not, maybe you need to try walking a little more and drinking a little more water.

I am thinking though that you will have lost at least a few pounds. Maybe not a massive amount, but a little bit. So you have a start on getting the weight off now. So how are you going to keep it off?
You do not want to loose weight just to regain it again and loose again to gain again, (yo yo dieting is not healthy, it is worse than just keeping the weight)

So what can you do? Well for starters plan to loose about 2 pounds per week even if you are very heavy, because when you start loosing more that this amount you start loosing muscle. And muscle does weigh more than fat. And muscle gives your body shape. You do not want to loose muscle.

So start planning to loose 2 pounds per week each week until you reach your goal weight. By loosing weight slowly (just like you put it on) you will have less saggy skin later. If you at the same time increase your activity levels each day or week you will also gradually get used to moving more, and you will increase your metabolism. By doing this you will over a period of time get to where you are more happy and content being in shape and healthy.

One reason people who have been overweight or fat for years have trouble loosing weight is because they become comfortable at that weight, and when they start loosing weight they start to feel more self conscience than they did while being fat. So they end up gaining the weight back, or just not loosing the weight like they should.

The way to diet to win is to do things one step at a time, maybe three weeks is not long enough for someone to see a change, maybe someone needs more time to get started, maybe less, but the main thing is to get started. And just keep going; if you fall down get back up. That is how most of us learned to walk, we fell down a lot before we were able to stand on our feet and walk on our own.
Remember you can diet to win, by changing your mindset slowly overtime. I guarantee you that no fat or obese person started out in life at or over two hundred pounds. It was a gradual process over a period of time to get there even if you were a large baby, and even if everyone in your family is heavy. Even if you do have a medical problem causing your weight problems you can get healthier through moderate exercise, (what you can with your doctors permission). You will also feel better by getting more active and finding new interests. And that alone may make it so that you can keep the weight off.