The Secret to Weight Loss

Eat less: exercise more.

I'm an overeater who leads a sedentary lifestyle. However, I had great success dropping from 270lbs to 210lbs in four months about ten years ago using Weight Watchers. I have studied nutrition and fitness during and since. This is what I found.

Depending on the size of our bodies and our activity levels, we burn between 1200 and 3000 calories per day. Thirty to 60 minutes per day of elevated heart rate is moderate. These need not be consecutive.

Wait, what was that last thing?

Exercise More
We benefit as much from 60 one minute workouts as an hour in the gym. Simple things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking farther from the building, and playing in the yard add up. Add activities you enjoy, like: ping pong, shooting hoops, dancing, jogging (some people like it *shrug*), biking, swimming, playing tennis, hiking, skipping up and down the driveway, etc. Drop and give me 20.

Eat Less (Fewer calories, that is)
I firmly recommend against eliminating foods from your diet. Learn how many calories you burn daily (Google is your friend). Twelve hundred calories is more than covered by a single trip to the drive thru. Keep a journal of what and how many calories you eat. Do the math.

One pitfall is what we eat between meals: a spoonful of peanut butter, a handful of chips, a cookie or candy from the jar as we walk by, tasting everything we cook, gnashing on bread while we wait for our dinner, or picking at the fries little Tommy left while we're clearing the table. These add up fast, and we can do without.

Not just what you eat
You'll be surprised how many calories you consume in what you drink. Set a goal to drink at least one glass of clear water per day, and increase until you drink at least 2 liters (1/2 Gal) per day. A gallon is better, if you can do it.

What Now?
Add vegetables (How'd I know you weren't eating vegetables? ;), to each sitting until at least half your plate is full. Your energy will increase. You'll be healthier. I also urge you to consider nutritional supplements, because we simply can't eat enough store bought vegetables to fulfill our requirements.


I can do that for a couple weeks, but I always get off track
Once you know what you're eating, you'll make better choices. So what if you overeat? Just keep going: it doesn't matter. Every day is a good day to start a good habit. You have unlimited do overs. Give yourself a break and a pat on the back. You're doing what everyone knows how to do, but others are unwilling.

Taking Back(ground) What's Ours (Well, Theirs Really)

Dear close, personal friend:

Launch http://www.google.com

At the bottom left of the page click, "Change background image." Pick something and click Select. Admire the image briefly, realize that it's slowing down your searches, then click, "Remove background image."

You're welcome.

Love,
Bob

Necromancy

I'm bringing this blog back from the dead. Herein my thoughts which are longer than 140 characters or too permanent for the time line will be logged. Welcome back.