For me the following tips keep my body weight stable. I could lose more weight through moderate calorie reduction or increased activities. I choose not to. Instead, I’ve set my weight where I’m comfortable and wake up every day energized and excited about my daily activities and never worry about my food choices.
“Lose weight and/or manage your weight after you’ve lost the fat”
1) Find a daily activity that increases your metabolism 15-60minutes a day that you can get excited about and have fun. Walking works best for me. Think of other interests and mix it up, e.g., biking, hiking, camping, fishing, shopping, walk the dog, dance, yoga, exercise class, swimming, fitness center, home aerobic exercise equipment purchase, etc. Any activity that increases heart rate will benefit your weight management program and is essential to good health. Visit our home site health repository and read “Weight Management and Super Food Ideals, etc.”
2) If you can’t get 3-4 fruits and vegetable servings per day because of cost or inconvenience, you must supplement your diet, or consume more concentrated quality super foods. I use a high quality “natural” supplement daily with super food ingredients to boost metabolism, weight management and increased antioxidant protection for healthier longer living. Visit my home site health repository to read our article, “Why we Need Super Foods.”
3) Fad Diets – Stay away from any diet plan that restricts your food groups, such as carbohydrate, protein or high fat diet only. These types of diets to include pharmaceuticals to achieve quick weight loss results will only harm your body’s metabolism. Eventually these types of diets add on more weight with increased health risks. Go to my home site within the health repository and read “Diet Pills, What’s The Deal?”
4) Eat sensible meals. I eat pretty much what I want to including snacks and other items I know are not in my best interest. However, I love certain foods just like you. The key here is to know when to stop. Moderation and balance of food choice selection is important. In order to eat sensible meals without going overboard, you must learn to incorporate healthy snacks in-between eating the main meals. You will actually eat less for lunch and dinner if you do this because you won’t be as hungry. Make sure you eat breakfast “This is the most important meal of the day.” Your metabolisms health and stable weight management program requires this discipline.
5) Don’t eat after 7:30pm. Your metabolism slows down too much after this time. If you feel hungry after this point, build an addiction around oranges, grapes, apples or fiber drink-bar in the evening. You will become addicted to them… I guarantee you will not crave other deserts after about a week. This is not to say you can’t have cake, pie, ice cream… You just don’t want to eat these things after 7:30pm and a day-to-day basis.
6) Give up alcohol – Alcohol is responsible for much weight gain, weight loss failures and known alcohol induced illnesses that can create chronic body conditions. If you can’t quit consuming beverages, or don’t want to, consider red wine (1-2 8oz glasses, proven health benefits). Do not consume more than 2 drinks on any one day if you must drink alcohol. Visit our home site health repository and read “Alcohol Consumption.”
7) Drink water in the evening – Always have a glass of water at your side in the evening. A lot of hunger feelings are not because your body requires more food. Your brain really is telling your stomach you need more water but you perceive it as food. This is because food has water in it where the brain signals the body to eat more for hydration purposes if you don’t drink enough water! That can add up to a lot of calories and ultimately body weight!
8) If going to a social function always ensure you eat a small meal not less than 2 hours before the main meal, especially when you know there will be a lot of rich foods served. You will not be as hungry and you will indulge less because you will not be as hungry. Visit our home site health repository and read “Holiday Weight Management.”
9) Try to only eat fast foods once a week if you must do so. There are so many chemical additives and preservatives in these foods. These chemicals can make you ill, cause chronic health problems e.g., diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, etc. I don’t tell you to give up these foods; I only suggest you look for more organic alternatives. Visit our home site health repository and read “Restaurant Foods Healthy? Or any of our articles written on Super Foods for weight management and antioxidant boost.”
10.) Give up diet sodas and deserts that contain aspartame, splendid, spoonful, etc. Aspartame as a sugar replacement goes by many brand names. Read my health article on “Aspartame the Silent Killer” located at our main site health repository. Diet soda has the opposite effect on your body weight. The aspartame industry is responsible for poisoning our families and creating obesity within our children at an alarming rate.
Although weight loss is not exactly simple, weight maintenance once the desired weight is achieved only requires modest will power and discipline. If you want to lose weight, I recommend you apply all my principles above. Once you achieve your desired body weight goal, then you only need to maintain the weight by using in variations from the list above that works best for you.
Author: Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, USA Medical Services Officer, CPT, RET. 2008 Copyright, All rights reserved. Mirror Athlete Enterprises Publishing @: www.mirrorathlete.com, Sign up for your free monthly eNewsletter.
