Where Do I Begin?
So this is the first day of the rest of your life and you’ve decided to go off in a new direction?
I get calls from people all the time, asking how they can be successful at losing weight. Sue called me two days ago and she was impressed with my wife’s success using my "Nutrition-Based-Regimen." She stood in line at the local T.O.P.S. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) chapter and, out of nowhere, she introduced herself. Sue is 60-years-old and like most of us, has been up and down the scale on a roller coaster ride that ends where it started. Sue knew all about the enemy - bad foods and she had tried all the famous dieting programs until she hated the word "diet." She didn’t like the cost and she didn’t like the diet and that’s the first sign you’re in the wrong car heading down the wrong road.
If the mind doesn’t accept the change - the body won’t either. That kind of approach is only a temporary fix and usually is based on some company profiting by your gaining weight and adopting a religious addiction to their prescription for dieting.
My wife, lost 62 lbs in one year and was crowned queen of her T.O.P.S. chapter. She did it by following the simple NBR I developed through research and recommended by my rheumatologist. Her lipid profile also showed the results of healthy eating without hunger and enjoying the process. Julie is a role model for others and is determined never to allow herself to slip back into the bad habits that almost cost her a life of misery. She dances around the tennis court and does the same on the badminton court. She loves life and no longer deals with the depression and debilitation of being morbidly obese. So Sue was at her first meeting and picked my wife out of all the people at the meeting. She called my wife later that evening and ended up talking to me at length. Sue is very knowledgeable; she had learned everything she could but still needed to lose 35 pounds according to her doctor. Julie and I were thrilled to hear from her and we dedicate this article to her in hopes that she will win her battle and "Make Eating A Lifestyle Change."
So how do we start? Identify the enemy - it isn’t that difficult. Most of you know the enemy and continue to scan them into your grocery bag every week. Fried and processed foods, trans fats, foods high in sugar and sodium, excessive carbohydrates and alcohol, high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable fats, pizza, cake, cookies, potato chips and soda pop, caffeinated beverages and "fat-food" restaurants that won’t substitute good choices for bad menu items, represent some of the problems attributed to weight gain, elevated cholesterol and slipping into type II diabetes. The results of poor choices lead to high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s, cancer and replacement parts for putting too much weight on those precious joints.
Are you really determined to focus in on the problem and begin to halt the problem at the checkout in your super market? You might start by taking a picture of yourself and keeping it in you wallet. Weigh yourself and measure your waist. Meet with your doctor and determine a goal for a healthy weight. Losing 10% of your current weight is usually a reasonable place to start. Weigh yourself every day and record your weight. Keep a ledger on your intake of foods. Place it on your kitchen table and then don’t expect an "overnight miracle." Your body will resist your change in eating and try to maintain the weight you don’t like in spite of your new choices. That’s the way the body works. I warned my wife that this was to be expected. Men usually lose weight faster than women. We could write a book on that. The good news is that women are usually more likely to keep it off once they see the results. Beauty is more important to women than men and women look in the mirror more often. Women are usually more determined to stay beautiful than go back to that picture in their wallet. My wife combined the before and after pictures then reduced it to a wallet-size picture to help her and others know that it can be done and the results are breath-taking.
Buy a scale that is reliable. Some are digital and even calculate your progress and others have little markers that point to the starting weight and can be moved as you progress to your dream weight. Weigh yourself daily. You can change the results of a day gone bad, but a week of gain may depress you and cause you to want to throw in the towel. Keep an 8 ounce bottle of water next to your bed and drink it down, immediately upon rising. It slips and slides all the way down the digestive tract to make a bowel movement within the first hour of the day. It’s like water on clay and it prevents the stacking of fecal matter. Research shows that some people retain fecal matter for weeks to months and in some extreme cases - a year. That’s poison and will cause you health problems, including constipation and feeling bloated.
Drink about 8 ounces every waking hour and especially when you are hungry. A glass of water helps prepare your digestive system and curbs your appetite. Even better, buy some fresh lemons and drink your water with fresh lemon and a touch of sweetener if you prefer. Lemons help prevent formation of stones in the kidneys and some research even points to improved short term memory. The citric acid will also help deal with any digestive problem that may be the result of some contaminant in your food. All the restaurants would be well-advised to serve lemon wedges with the water at the beginning of the meal. All the other beverages are problematic. Caffeine is a drug and alcohol is toxic and soda pop is loaded with sugar (one of the enemies).
Stress is a factor in weight gain. So address your problems and learn to laugh a lot and enjoy your friends and family when you can. Play the games you like without too much emphasis on winning or losing. After all, that’s where games started - FUN! People live longer without stress and eat less because they are happy with their surroundings and the people they love. Exercise mixed in with good sports and fun- people are the basis for a long, healthy life and you even get to burn up a few calories in the process. Relaxation, meditation and even prayer can provide you with the calmness you need to function better, so remember that when people see you smile, they usually smile back and the love bounces back and forth to the benefit of all.
Old fashioned rolled oats help reduce cholesterol (without prescriptions) and you can always add fresh or frozen blueberries or strawberries, a few raisins, some walnuts and even a bit of honey. The lecithin in the oatmeal combined with the fiber provides the rotor-rooter you need to clean out your arteries. An occasional poached egg on toast with a slice of tomato can break the monotony and a cup of tea can warm you up on a cold day. For lunch you could have 4 oz of chicken/turkey/beef or fish with a light salad with red onions, a bit of crushed garlic and some extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar for the dressing. Grated carrots, raw mushrooms, asparagus or spinach are good choices for lunch. Always keep fresh apples, oranges and fresh strawberries or even frozen-thawed blueberries. Unless you have food allergies, these can be supplemented with a handful of peanuts or walnuts or roasted -unsalted almonds. Snack at night with a cup of tea and an English muffin to provide a carbohydrate to soothe you prior to a good night’s sleep.
Try to stop intake of food about two or three hours before bedtime so that you give your body a chance to get that food down into the lower tract and prevent any acid reflux. You should not eat foods that bring on acid. If your body doesn’t like it, you’ll get the message. Pizza is not a good choice for bedtime and soda pop will keep you up while the sugar lights your fire.
And most importantly, don’t forget to get your beauty sleep. Get in a full 8 hours by either getting to bed earlier or getting up later (retirement). The body is like a battery that needs to be recharged. Restorative powers help the body to heal and ready you for the next day.
Enjoy GOOD food and remember to eat well, love often and laugh a lot.
I get calls from people all the time, asking how they can be successful at losing weight. Sue called me two days ago and she was impressed with my wife’s success using my "Nutrition-Based-Regimen." She stood in line at the local T.O.P.S. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) chapter and, out of nowhere, she introduced herself. Sue is 60-years-old and like most of us, has been up and down the scale on a roller coaster ride that ends where it started. Sue knew all about the enemy - bad foods and she had tried all the famous dieting programs until she hated the word "diet." She didn’t like the cost and she didn’t like the diet and that’s the first sign you’re in the wrong car heading down the wrong road.
If the mind doesn’t accept the change - the body won’t either. That kind of approach is only a temporary fix and usually is based on some company profiting by your gaining weight and adopting a religious addiction to their prescription for dieting.
My wife, lost 62 lbs in one year and was crowned queen of her T.O.P.S. chapter. She did it by following the simple NBR I developed through research and recommended by my rheumatologist. Her lipid profile also showed the results of healthy eating without hunger and enjoying the process. Julie is a role model for others and is determined never to allow herself to slip back into the bad habits that almost cost her a life of misery. She dances around the tennis court and does the same on the badminton court. She loves life and no longer deals with the depression and debilitation of being morbidly obese. So Sue was at her first meeting and picked my wife out of all the people at the meeting. She called my wife later that evening and ended up talking to me at length. Sue is very knowledgeable; she had learned everything she could but still needed to lose 35 pounds according to her doctor. Julie and I were thrilled to hear from her and we dedicate this article to her in hopes that she will win her battle and "Make Eating A Lifestyle Change."
So how do we start? Identify the enemy - it isn’t that difficult. Most of you know the enemy and continue to scan them into your grocery bag every week. Fried and processed foods, trans fats, foods high in sugar and sodium, excessive carbohydrates and alcohol, high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable fats, pizza, cake, cookies, potato chips and soda pop, caffeinated beverages and "fat-food" restaurants that won’t substitute good choices for bad menu items, represent some of the problems attributed to weight gain, elevated cholesterol and slipping into type II diabetes. The results of poor choices lead to high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s, cancer and replacement parts for putting too much weight on those precious joints.
Are you really determined to focus in on the problem and begin to halt the problem at the checkout in your super market? You might start by taking a picture of yourself and keeping it in you wallet. Weigh yourself and measure your waist. Meet with your doctor and determine a goal for a healthy weight. Losing 10% of your current weight is usually a reasonable place to start. Weigh yourself every day and record your weight. Keep a ledger on your intake of foods. Place it on your kitchen table and then don’t expect an "overnight miracle." Your body will resist your change in eating and try to maintain the weight you don’t like in spite of your new choices. That’s the way the body works. I warned my wife that this was to be expected. Men usually lose weight faster than women. We could write a book on that. The good news is that women are usually more likely to keep it off once they see the results. Beauty is more important to women than men and women look in the mirror more often. Women are usually more determined to stay beautiful than go back to that picture in their wallet. My wife combined the before and after pictures then reduced it to a wallet-size picture to help her and others know that it can be done and the results are breath-taking.
Buy a scale that is reliable. Some are digital and even calculate your progress and others have little markers that point to the starting weight and can be moved as you progress to your dream weight. Weigh yourself daily. You can change the results of a day gone bad, but a week of gain may depress you and cause you to want to throw in the towel. Keep an 8 ounce bottle of water next to your bed and drink it down, immediately upon rising. It slips and slides all the way down the digestive tract to make a bowel movement within the first hour of the day. It’s like water on clay and it prevents the stacking of fecal matter. Research shows that some people retain fecal matter for weeks to months and in some extreme cases - a year. That’s poison and will cause you health problems, including constipation and feeling bloated.
Drink about 8 ounces every waking hour and especially when you are hungry. A glass of water helps prepare your digestive system and curbs your appetite. Even better, buy some fresh lemons and drink your water with fresh lemon and a touch of sweetener if you prefer. Lemons help prevent formation of stones in the kidneys and some research even points to improved short term memory. The citric acid will also help deal with any digestive problem that may be the result of some contaminant in your food. All the restaurants would be well-advised to serve lemon wedges with the water at the beginning of the meal. All the other beverages are problematic. Caffeine is a drug and alcohol is toxic and soda pop is loaded with sugar (one of the enemies).
Stress is a factor in weight gain. So address your problems and learn to laugh a lot and enjoy your friends and family when you can. Play the games you like without too much emphasis on winning or losing. After all, that’s where games started - FUN! People live longer without stress and eat less because they are happy with their surroundings and the people they love. Exercise mixed in with good sports and fun- people are the basis for a long, healthy life and you even get to burn up a few calories in the process. Relaxation, meditation and even prayer can provide you with the calmness you need to function better, so remember that when people see you smile, they usually smile back and the love bounces back and forth to the benefit of all.
Old fashioned rolled oats help reduce cholesterol (without prescriptions) and you can always add fresh or frozen blueberries or strawberries, a few raisins, some walnuts and even a bit of honey. The lecithin in the oatmeal combined with the fiber provides the rotor-rooter you need to clean out your arteries. An occasional poached egg on toast with a slice of tomato can break the monotony and a cup of tea can warm you up on a cold day. For lunch you could have 4 oz of chicken/turkey/beef or fish with a light salad with red onions, a bit of crushed garlic and some extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar for the dressing. Grated carrots, raw mushrooms, asparagus or spinach are good choices for lunch. Always keep fresh apples, oranges and fresh strawberries or even frozen-thawed blueberries. Unless you have food allergies, these can be supplemented with a handful of peanuts or walnuts or roasted -unsalted almonds. Snack at night with a cup of tea and an English muffin to provide a carbohydrate to soothe you prior to a good night’s sleep.
Try to stop intake of food about two or three hours before bedtime so that you give your body a chance to get that food down into the lower tract and prevent any acid reflux. You should not eat foods that bring on acid. If your body doesn’t like it, you’ll get the message. Pizza is not a good choice for bedtime and soda pop will keep you up while the sugar lights your fire.
And most importantly, don’t forget to get your beauty sleep. Get in a full 8 hours by either getting to bed earlier or getting up later (retirement). The body is like a battery that needs to be recharged. Restorative powers help the body to heal and ready you for the next day.
Enjoy GOOD food and remember to eat well, love often and laugh a lot.
posted by Stan Kent at
7:33 PM
|
0 comments
