D'you like potato crisps? Most people do. What happens when you open a packet? Eat the lot right? Even when you know they're nearly totally fat and have virtually no value as food.
Here's an idea you can try as a discipline building exercise (because it takes self-discipline to avoid foods that aren't good for you).
Get a tin of pringles or those chips they sell in a canister - not a packet where they are all broken up and different sizes.
To start with, only do this exercise AFTER you've had a meal.
Shortly after your meal open the tube and allow yourself only ONE chip then close the canister and put it away out of sight.
Each time you do this affirm you can easily choose to stop after one chip and feel good that you were able to resist eating more. Also occasionally practice choosing NOT to eat the chip and congratulate yourself for your discipline.
Gradually increase the length of time after the meal that you open the canister. Also increase the times you choose to not actually eat the chip. Take your time as you must be successful at resisting another chip or eating one at all each time you take the lid off the container.
The idea is to build your confidence in yourself to be able to exercise self-discipline over food when you choose.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Not all calories are equal
While the number of calories in compared to the number of calories out is important, so to is the source of those calories and their ratios.
It is also important to consider what proportion of the calories you ingest come from protein, carbohydrates and fats.
The quality of the food is also a consideration. There can be plenty of calories but a serious deficiency in quality nutrients.
There's no hard and fast 'these-figures-fit-all' answer when it comes to calories. Basically though the best way to lose weight is to increase activity rather than constrict calories. The calories consumed from fats could easily be cut and replaced by calories from better sources.
Find out how many calories you need for your ideal weight and lifestyle and that's your benchmark. If you want to reduce simply exercise more. If you want to build up, exercise more (with weights) and increase your quality calories.
That's about as simple as I can make it, though when you go into it in depth it can be quite complex.
It is also important to consider what proportion of the calories you ingest come from protein, carbohydrates and fats.
The quality of the food is also a consideration. There can be plenty of calories but a serious deficiency in quality nutrients.
There's no hard and fast 'these-figures-fit-all' answer when it comes to calories. Basically though the best way to lose weight is to increase activity rather than constrict calories. The calories consumed from fats could easily be cut and replaced by calories from better sources.
Find out how many calories you need for your ideal weight and lifestyle and that's your benchmark. If you want to reduce simply exercise more. If you want to build up, exercise more (with weights) and increase your quality calories.
That's about as simple as I can make it, though when you go into it in depth it can be quite complex.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
The Low Calorie Follies
Another things to consider when it comes to counting the calories you ingest in order to lost weight is the Input-Output ratio of your energy. By this I mean your calorie intake should be based on your calorie output rather than RDA suggestions. If you want to lose weight you've simply got to burn more energy (through activity) than you consume.
Remember that calorie starvation is counter-productive.
Low calorie diets put the body into starvation mode. The metabolism slows down. To lose weight you need it to speed up (as it does through exercise) and preferably stay elevated. Restricting calories has the opposite effect. What's worse, the body catabolizes its own muscle tissue in its natural response to starvation. This means it cannibalizes muscle tissue while keeping the fat till last, making the low metabolism problem even worse.
Then when you quit the low calorie diet because you lost a bit of weight (probably mostly water and lean tissue rather than fat), or just plain gave up, with a low metabolism the fat gets stored at an even faster rate.
This is why yo-yo dieters just get fatter and fatter. So while it's important to consume slightly less than you expend as energy it's doublely important NOT to starve yourself.
Remember that calorie starvation is counter-productive.
Low calorie diets put the body into starvation mode. The metabolism slows down. To lose weight you need it to speed up (as it does through exercise) and preferably stay elevated. Restricting calories has the opposite effect. What's worse, the body catabolizes its own muscle tissue in its natural response to starvation. This means it cannibalizes muscle tissue while keeping the fat till last, making the low metabolism problem even worse.
Then when you quit the low calorie diet because you lost a bit of weight (probably mostly water and lean tissue rather than fat), or just plain gave up, with a low metabolism the fat gets stored at an even faster rate.
This is why yo-yo dieters just get fatter and fatter. So while it's important to consume slightly less than you expend as energy it's doublely important NOT to starve yourself.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Body composition
When it comes to counting the calories you ingest in order to lose weight there are a number of things to consider.
The first is body composition. Basing calorie intake purely on body weight is wrong. Your body composition, lean muscle tissue to fat ratio, is far more important.
The more lean muscle tissue you have the more energy (i.e. calories a.k.a. food intake) you use up just to maintain that tissue.
I believe the bodybuilding lifestyle is ideal for attaining ideal weight and health. Resistance training will actually build muscle (provided you get sufficient protein and nutrients) so that your body burns more calories even while resting.
So if you’ve got some scales you also need a set of body calipers to get an assessment of your body fat percentage. These can be very expensive but you can get a very simple set for about $20 which are pretty good. They are the Accu-Measure body fat calipers. Simple to use on yourself and with easy to understand instructions.
The first is body composition. Basing calorie intake purely on body weight is wrong. Your body composition, lean muscle tissue to fat ratio, is far more important.
The more lean muscle tissue you have the more energy (i.e. calories a.k.a. food intake) you use up just to maintain that tissue.
I believe the bodybuilding lifestyle is ideal for attaining ideal weight and health. Resistance training will actually build muscle (provided you get sufficient protein and nutrients) so that your body burns more calories even while resting.
So if you’ve got some scales you also need a set of body calipers to get an assessment of your body fat percentage. These can be very expensive but you can get a very simple set for about $20 which are pretty good. They are the Accu-Measure body fat calipers. Simple to use on yourself and with easy to understand instructions.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Is this your excuse?
One morning I saw a young mum with 3 children, two little girls about 4 and 5 years of age, and a baby. She had the baby in one of those trike prams as she was running along behind it. The two little girls were shooting along beside her on their scooters.
I thought that was great. Many people would use three little kids as an excuse not to exercise. This woman solved her problem in such a way that she was sharing her exercise time with her children and providing an excellent role model for healthy living as well.
I thought that was great. Many people would use three little kids as an excuse not to exercise. This woman solved her problem in such a way that she was sharing her exercise time with her children and providing an excellent role model for healthy living as well.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Accustomed taste
Y'know how crisps and creamy and fatty things always taste so good... well they're tastes we get used to the more we eat them.
Just like I got used to having very sweet tea. Then tea without sugar became not worth drinking because it wasn’t sweet enough for me.
The fats add much of the taste to those foods. Unfortunately, as you know, we acquire a taste for such food and the result is our body stores away the fat and a weight problem ensues.
The good news is, all those 'healthy' foods that seem so bland and tasteless, actually do have flavor. As you let go your craving for the fats and eat fewer of those foods, your taste sensitivities will change.
The healthy food becomes more tasteful as you grow accustomed to eating it.
Eventually you enjoy the flavors. You might still enjoy eating a little of the not-so-good-for-you food and that's fine. But the more you enjoy the good food the more you'll want to eat it and the less you'll feel like the other stuff. Use technology in this amazing tool to easily install the power of motivation to help you achieve your health goals.
Start cutting back now.
Just like I got used to having very sweet tea. Then tea without sugar became not worth drinking because it wasn’t sweet enough for me.
The fats add much of the taste to those foods. Unfortunately, as you know, we acquire a taste for such food and the result is our body stores away the fat and a weight problem ensues.
The good news is, all those 'healthy' foods that seem so bland and tasteless, actually do have flavor. As you let go your craving for the fats and eat fewer of those foods, your taste sensitivities will change.
The healthy food becomes more tasteful as you grow accustomed to eating it.
Eventually you enjoy the flavors. You might still enjoy eating a little of the not-so-good-for-you food and that's fine. But the more you enjoy the good food the more you'll want to eat it and the less you'll feel like the other stuff. Use technology in this amazing tool to easily install the power of motivation to help you achieve your health goals.
Start cutting back now.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Are you serious?
How is the weight? Are you tapping on your issues that may be underlying why you're overweight? What exercises are you doing? What are you eating? Are the calories in fewer than the calories out?
Be truthful now. Too much excess weight is a serious problem when you consider the effects on other health aspects, life enjoyment and longevity. To solve it requires a serious approach.
Most people really don’t get serious. They think they’re serious and they say they are but they’re not really. They also don’t want to hear that or admit to it. Admitting to not being serious puts the responsibility back on the individual. Then we can’t blame anyone else.
Answer those questions above really honestly and you’ll see how serious you are. I know it takes a lot of effort and you’re tired of the lack of progress but you’ve got to get serious and stick at it if you want to succeed in anything.
Where is your focus? Is it consistently on the goals you want? Or are you more consistently focusing on what you don’t want? i.e., talking about how hard it is and complaining about it.
How about your goals… are you regularly reviewing them? Do you spend any time visualizing them? Have you made up your dream board to look at every day?
Get serious with your focus and what you have to do. Just do it. You can.
Be truthful now. Too much excess weight is a serious problem when you consider the effects on other health aspects, life enjoyment and longevity. To solve it requires a serious approach.
Most people really don’t get serious. They think they’re serious and they say they are but they’re not really. They also don’t want to hear that or admit to it. Admitting to not being serious puts the responsibility back on the individual. Then we can’t blame anyone else.
Answer those questions above really honestly and you’ll see how serious you are. I know it takes a lot of effort and you’re tired of the lack of progress but you’ve got to get serious and stick at it if you want to succeed in anything.
Where is your focus? Is it consistently on the goals you want? Or are you more consistently focusing on what you don’t want? i.e., talking about how hard it is and complaining about it.
How about your goals… are you regularly reviewing them? Do you spend any time visualizing them? Have you made up your dream board to look at every day?
Get serious with your focus and what you have to do. Just do it. You can.
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