Losing weight and keeping it off has become a major goal for almost everyone in the industrialized West, and increasingly, in many parts of Asia where this was, until very recently, not a problem. Studies suggest that the combination of unhealthy diet, relying heavily on processed foods, not to mention junk food, along with a more sedentary lifestyle, have unbalanced our metabolism. Overabundance of extremely inexpensive and always available "happy meals" have resulted in an obesity epidemic attacking people at younger and younger ages.
Many will have seen the First Lady's efforts to change school lunches and push more nutritious and healthier alternatives onto our children, with very mixed results so far. The fact of the matter is, these habits start at home, and mandating what we can or cannot eat within a democratic nation such as ours is doomed to failure. On top of that, the economy is forcing people to cut corners in all aspects of their lives, food being one of them. With dollar menus becoming the norm at all fast food outlets, healthy alternatives are unable to compete for the average consumer's dollar.
But we aren't talking about society in general, we are talking about you. And the fact that you are here reading this tells me you have the motivation to make a change, the intelligence to do your homework, and the savvy to research how best to go about putting your plan into action.
And you do want to transform your body into a healthy, strong, fit one and be all you can be, right? Of course you do!
5 powerful weight loss steps
So in this article I'm going to break down something I've been saying for years into 5 manageable steps. Then I'm going to add a bonus step or two for you, too.
Here we go:
Step 1 - Set your goals - The first step in any voyage is to know what your destination is. Otherwise, you may end up somewhere, but that may not be where you wanted to go. It may even be precisely where you did not want to end up. So take a deep breath and decide exactly what your ideal body is going to look like. Do you have a target weight? Is it body sculpture you're looking for? Maybe you just want to fit into that bikini you have in the closet, or you're preparing to be the centerpiece of your wedding and not be outshone by your bridesmaids. Are you looking to be the bodybuilder type and be the envy of your gym? Write your goals down, and if you can, find a picture that shows someone who has the body you're aiming for, and pin it up where you can see it every day.
Step 2 - Cut the junk food out - Those jumbo sized meals aren't helping anyone, other than the owner of your local fast food franchise, and don't worry about him. He'll still have more than enough customers. You can eat healthy without breaking the bank, though it may take some effort to adjust your habits. There are multiple online tools, many of them free, that offer tasty, economic menu choices that aren't hard to prepare. There are even weight watcher type, ready to eat meals in the freezer section of your neighborhood supermarket. You will not only stop accumulating fat, you will also feel much better very soon, once you cut the junk out of your diet.
Step 3 - Exercise - You do not have to hit the gym twice a day, every day, and three times on Sundays. Start slow, maybe just walking a mile or two in your neighborhood. Walk to the Post Office instead of driving. Park at the far end of the parking lot. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Then step it up. Again, you don't have to join a gym, there are so many exercises you can do at home, with no equipment. It's beyond the scope of this article to give you actual exercises, but there are multiple books available that will offer you more exercises than you can fit into a year, and of different difficulties so you can gradually increase the pace.
Step 4 - Change your routine - This is a tough one, and it is where many people fail. You need to change your habits, daily routine, and sad to say, perhaps even who you hang out with. You can only change yourself. If your crowd of friends routinely hits the burger place every Saturday, and then the ice cream parlor to compete on who can eat the biggest sundae, you will undo in a few hours everything you achieved during the past week. Peer pressure has foiled the best laid plans and dreams of many a serious and dedicated person. Allowing yourself a well earned treat now and then needn't be out of the question, but it cannot be the norm. If your friends support the new you, fantastic, but if they don't, be prepared to seek different friends; at least until you've reached your goals and have the discipline to stay the course.
Step 5 - Patience - Don't be one of those people who get on the scale after a few days and get discouraged. You cannot undo a lifetime's accumulation of bad eating habits and sedentary behavior in a week, not even a month. But you will see results. Better yet, you will feel the results way before the scale shows them to you. But be aware from the start that to reach your destination you must take a seemingly endless number of steps, and that at first the destination will seem to be as far away as it was when you took the first. Just continue putting one foot in front of the other, and don't get off the path, and you'll arrive.
Bonus Tip - Cheating - Well, it's not really cheating, it's using every weapon at your disposal. There is an ever growing marketplace dealing with supplements and vitamins to assist you in reaching your goals. Most recently a study done at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania highlighted the benefits of green (unroasted) coffee beans for weight loss. The study suggested that a component in unroasted coffee beans, chlorogenic acid, promotes weight loss and prevents fat retention even without dieting. If good diet and exercise are mixed in, the results are even better. Do NOT start taking a hundred different products. Use one or two, make sure they are safe and vouched for by reputable studies, and follow the manufacturer's instructions and contraindications.
Bonus Tip - Upping the ante - As you start exercising regularly, your body will become accustomed and you will "plateau". This is when just doing the same exercises will no longer result in extra weight loss or build more muscle. You should be increasing the intensity of your exercises and varying them as you advance. You will naturally find that exercises you couldn't even contemplate without fainting back when you started, are now doable. So start "doing" once you reach this point, and continue to do so as your abilities increase.
Good luck, and drop me a note as you head towards your destination! It's always good to get postcards...
Andy Pedraza is a firm believer in the use of natural products to bolster our health. Click on the links for more information on Skinny Green Coffee, as well as some of the possible side effects.
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