Have you made a New Year’s resolution to shed some of those extra pounds only to find that you were never able to get started? With seemingly endless weight loss and special diet plans to choose from has it been a challenge simply choosing which of them is right for you? Should you follow the South Beach Diet with its analysis of good and bad cholesterols and its three phases of weight loss? How about the Jenny Craig promise of delicious, pre-planned meals touted by celebrity spokespeople? Have you discovered that there are so many diet plans out there it could take months just to do the research required to find the one that is right for you? Then there is the issue of cost. How are you going afford all of this expert assistance and these carefully formulated products in this troubled economy? Does this sound like something you have been grappling with? What if you discovered a secret diet and weight maintenance plan that worked and didn’t cost you a penny more than you are spending now and could even save you some money? Well, you are in luck because such a thing exists, and it is a tried and true method that has been in existence for quite a while now. What is this secret? The name of this diet is “Eat Less/Exercise More.”
That’s right. The real secret to taking of those pounds and keeping them off is that there is no secret. All most people need to eat right and be fit are three free tools: the desire to do it, willpower, and a little common sense. Dieting is a multi-million dollar industry in the United States, so of course the so-called experts are going to try to convince you that you need whatever they have to sell. This brings up another question. Did your grandparents need Slim Fast? Did their grandparents need herbal supplements? Dieting advice has increased dramatically in modern times, but Americans have more weight issues than ever. It shouldn’t take a doctor, scientist, or a nutritionist to figure out that we need a simpler, back-to-basics approach to fitness.
So how do you know which food is healthy and how much of it to eat? Think about the foods your mother tried to push on you as a child. Meat, grains, milk, fruit, and especially those dreaded vegetables. Remember the four basic food groups? It was once common knowledge that getting a small amount of each of these at each meal provided a healthy and balanced diet. Eat foods that give your body energy and nutrients. Now for the more difficult part. Skip the chocolate cake except on special occasions.
Simply eating healthy foods naturally leads to the second component needed to stay slim and that is to limit your calorie intake. You should just eat until you feel satiated instead of stuffing yourself. Again this is a simple matter of common sense. If you take in more calories than your body needs, you are going to store excess fat. Is it difficult to tell when you are overdoing it? Here is one instance where you may have an advantage over your grandmother. Nutrition information is widely available to you. Store bought products are labeled. Many restaurants now list the caloric content of their menu items on their websites. Sites such as Calorie King allow you to look up calorie information on almost any food. The site maintained by the Centers for Disease Control is just one of several that can give you a ballpark estimate of your body mass index and roughly how many calories you should take in. This makes it a much simpler task to keep track of how much you are eating in a notebook or in any of various electronic devices.
Of course eating healthy is only half of the equation. Your grandmother’s old friend Jack La Lanne knew what he was talking about. Your body needs exercise even when your diet is well under control. Once again today’s society confronts us with questions. Which equipment is right for the job? Will the Nordic Track be sufficient or do you need the machines that a professional gym will provide? The answer is neither. There is certainly nothing wrong with these methods of exercise if you enjoy and can afford them, but all you really need to do is get up and move. It really doesn’t matter if you take a walk, run, jump a rope, chase your dog around, or take an aerobics class at your local community center. If you are getting an hour or so of moderate exercise a day that should help counteract the effects of sitting at a computer all day. If you have tried jogging but have found it difficult to do, there is a great program called Couch to 5K that starts you off very gradually, and there are even podcasts available Finally, if you have a job that allows you to incorporate physical activity into your day, take advantage of the opportunity.
So next time you find yourself staring at those endless rows of diet books or at the sports store trying to decide which treadmill you can afford in this economic downturn, allow a little common sense to take over. Simply eating healthier foods and less of them and exercising more will make all the difference. If such a simple approach does not motivate you, think of all the money you’ll save on groceries!
