Let's take a look at how your attitudes and perceptions affect the results you acheive and how slight modifications can achieve mighty results.
When attacking any problem, it is always best to break it into small sections that can be approached individually. Every war is made up of many battles. Stringing together a series of battles helps to win the war. If you are dealing with personal debt, credit counselors will tell you to pay off one card or account at a time; building momentum with each little victory.
In many ways, our battle of the bulge is very similar. If you have ten, or twenty, or thirty, or one hundred pounds to lose, it is self-defeating to try to lose that amount in any given time. However, anyone can lose one pound or two. Once done, you simply repeat the steps you took to win that small (but significant) battle, and you're on your way to winning the war!
According to the Wellness Letter (published by UC Berkeley), the average American gains about two pounds each year. Well, someone at the American Dietetic Association (ADA) crunched the numbers and look what they came up with. Each pound of body weight is equivalent to 3500 calories. Dividing those 3500 calories by 365 days, each pound of body weight gain comes from an extra 19 calories per day. Now this is generalized, so don't write me letters.... just hear me out.
If you can see what 19 calories a day can do over the course of a year, imagine what decreasing your diet by 100 calories per day can do. This would equate to a five-pound weight loss (roughly) over the course of a year.
How difficult would it be to leave out 100 calories each day? Well, the folks at the ADA came up with a few -- amazingly easy -- suggestions.
-- eat water packed tuna instead of oil packed tuna
-- have one cup of cereal in the morning instead of two cups
-- put tomato slices, lettuce and pepper strips on a sandwich instead of mayo
-- substitute skim milk for whole milk (two cups is all it takes...)
-- snack on a cup of low fat yogurt and fruit instead of doughnuts or cookies
-- drink a big glass of water with green tea extract, instead of a soda
Once you see how easy it is to trim some calories away, you need only diligence and will-power to stick to it. The old saying goes "if you fail to plan, it's like planning to fail."
To win the battle of the bulge, you've got to have a battle plan. That plan will involve (your number one ingredient) CHANGE. When you undertake a challenge such as this, you need to take an assessment of your attitude.
The good folks at the ADA came up with a few questions to ask yourself:
Are you willing to make regular physical activity a part of your routine? Are you committed to making small gradual changes in your eating plan? Do you have a realistic weight-loss goal in mind? Can you control your food choices and meal preparation methods? Are you losing weight to improve your health and feel better?
If you go into this with the right plan, the right attitude, and have the ability to persevere, you can't help but achieve your goals.
If you haven't started off with a plan and the right attitude, do so now! Don't go through all of the effort it takes to ATTEMPT to lose weight and fail. Instead, make the effort and LOSE weight!
References:
http://www.eatright.org American Dietetic Association,
http://www.berkeleywellness.com/index.php The Wellness Letter
Michael Callen is the author of the Weekly Weightloss Tips Newsletter (ccwebgroup.com/tips) and the Chief Technology Officer for WellnessPartners.com, an online retailer of dozens of health and wellness products such as green tea extract, green tea extract, and Green Tea Extract.
custom home cleaning Winnetka ..Any weight loss or diet plan, including low-carb plans like... Read More
I am embarrassed to admit how many different commercial weight... Read More
Diets, diets, diets... every where you go, anything you read... Read More
WOW!! Here we are on lesson #10. Hasn't it been... Read More
Fat Loss in GeneralThis morning I conducted a search engine... Read More
Have you ever dreaded the idea of pulling weeds, planting... Read More
How many calories you consume has a big impact on... Read More
Metabolism is essentially the speed at which our body's motor... Read More
As of the writing of this article, May 16, 2005,... Read More
It happens every morning when you mosey out of bed,... Read More
The diet that worked for meI have had a lot... Read More
Who'd have thought healthy eating could be so controversial? Lunching... Read More
Do you have a big event coming up? Perhaps you... Read More
Losing weight and going on a diet can be quite... Read More
Discover secrets to overcome food addictions by releasing negative thoughts... Read More
Zero Calorie Diet Sodas: Good Or Bad For Weight Loss?Calorie-free... Read More
In March 2003 our then 13 year old daughter, Helen,... Read More
Millions of people spend billions of dollars, hoping to achieve... Read More
If you've been enjoying life after gastric bypass surgery you... Read More
When it comes to weight loss, most of us would... Read More
There are tons of fad diets and weight loss schemes... Read More
You may not like what I'm about to say, but... Read More
How to Say No When You Don't Want the FoodA... Read More
Staying Toned After Weight Loss ---------------------------------------- Following significant weight loss,... Read More
Fat is fuel. That is basically what it is. A... Read More
professional home cleaners Glenview ..Even if you're not overweight, you still could have a... Read More
1. Start Exercising first thing in the morning.As soon as... Read More
With weight loss comes a lot of dedication and change... Read More
Some of you will not like what I have to... Read More
You may have read the old stories about how much... Read More
Are you often overcome with an urge to splurge on... Read More
Many people have asked me what foods they should eat... Read More
The best way to lose weight is by consuming fewer... Read More
I just finished working my quads on a weight machine.... Read More
These treadmill weight loss tips are a great way to... Read More
There are currently over 100 billion dollars sold in weight-loss... Read More
A "normal-tummy" looks at the food pyramid from the bottom... Read More
According to the American College of Surgeons, most severely obese... Read More
Losing weight and keeping it off is much more than... Read More
The importance of drinking water is mentioned in almost every... Read More
As the holidays approach, a frequent question from my clients... Read More
When I decided to lose weight I of course decided... Read More
1. Include in your diet things that contain more water... Read More
1. Drink plenty of water. Our body needs a lot... Read More
Here are some everyday, helpful hints to get you started,... Read More
There are a lot of "crash" diets out there that... Read More
Losing weight doesn't have to be boring when you focus... Read More
According to the American Obesity Association, an astounding 64.5 percent... Read More
People always ask me " how it is that your... Read More
The cost of a tummy tuck is something to consider... Read More
Weight Loss |