Do you want to lose weight? Obesity has become an epidemic in the United States.
A good percentage of the population is obese and a good percentage of obese people are considered morbidly obese. Obesity leads to the following:
- Heart disease
- Problems with joints
- Back problems
- Respiratory problems
- Stroke
- High Blood Pressure
- Diabetes
- Certain Cancers (colon and breast cancer have been linked to obesity)
It can be difficult to lose weight. For some people, food becomes somewhat of an addiction. Many people look to food for comfort as an alcoholic seeks comfort from a bottle of booze. Being addicted to food can be just as detrimental to your health as any other type of addiction. It is just that food is easier to get.
Before you begin your diet, ask yourself why you rely on food so much for pleasure. Is there anything else that you would like to do to give yourself pleasure? Pick something in the creative arts and make it your hobby. This will enable you to take your mind off of food when trying to lose weight.
Most weight loss is all a matter of mind over matter. In order to lose weight, the desire to lose weight has to overcome the desire to eat. It is that simple. The rest is just a matter of good common sense when it comes to diet and exercise.
Want to lose weight? Start by eliminating these products from your diet immediately:
Fast foods
Fried foods
Simple carbohydrates (candy, cookies, cakes and food laden with sugar)
Soda (it is important to watch what you drink as well as what you eat)
The next step is to eat a balanced meal and incorporate protein into each meal. Some foods that are abundant in protein but have no carbohydrates include meats and eggs. While you do not need a high protein diet, make sure that you eat protein in each meal as it will give you energy.
Watch your calorie intake. Limit yourself to about 1200 calories a day. This is a rough estimate. The estimate depends on your height, age, activity level and gender. There are dozens of calorie calculators on line that can tell you how many calories you can consume to lose weight based upon these facts.
Be prepared to feel hungry once in a while. Just like an alcohol craves a drink and an ex smoker craves a cigarette, you will crave food. This is where the hobby comes in - to take your mind off of eating and give you pleasure in another avenue of your life.
Exercise: Exercises will not only get your metabolism going, but it will also burn calories.
These simple weight loss tips may seem like common sense and they are. No matter how things change and how many diet books are written, the only way to lose weight is to decrease your calorie intake and exercise. And your will to lose weight has to outweigh you desire to eat. End of story.
