Until I sat down and did a little research, my weight loss goal was to reach the same weight I was in high school. To be honest, that was unrealistic. Your ideal range changes as you get older, and becoming the skinny, supermodel look may not be practical...or safe.
While it is important to have a goal, you need to find out what it should be, not what you want it to be. There are some good calculators on-line that can give you this information, or you could ask your doctor. It will be in a range of numbers, not one particular one. It will be based on your age, gender and height. All three are vital.
If you are as over weight as I was when I started this process, you may find the numbers a little disconcerting. I found I needed to lose about eighty-five pounds...that's a big number. Thus far, I've lost sixty, so it feels like I'm almost to the home stretch.
This leads to the second question, what you do when you hit your ideal range. Here is something I have discovered the hard way. If you are on a diet, it means there is an end and you can go back to eating what you had before. Unfortunately, if you do that, you will wind up right back where you started and have to do it over again. There are a lot of bad things that can happen if you do that.
The best bet is to go about it as a change in your overall lifestyle. Make it something you can do permanently and still enjoy your food. That is what I've had to do, and it's not as odious as you may think. It's even easier than it was when I started, as food manufacturers are beginning to notice we want healthier products.
One of the most significant changes has been in the fats and oils I use when I'm preparing food. I grew up in the South, so most savory dishes start with a couple of tablespoons of bacon grease. That's not on my diet anymore, but you can get around it. While it will change the flavor a bit, I use olive oil, and not a lot of that.
I also love to cook with butter. That, too is not a frequenter of my refrigerator any longer. Instead, I use trans fat free margarine, or once in a while I'll use whipped butter mixed with olive oil. That is a treat, and usually only three or four times a year. I have learned what a serving size is, and try to stick to it. All of these changes will continue after I have reached my goal.
If you are on a diet or are considering one, your doctor and a nutritionist are good allies. Your doctor can make sure you are healthy and recommend exercises that can help in your efforts. The nutritionist can help you find foods that fit your family but are still healthy.
I've lost 60 pounds using the principals found in my new Win the Weight Loss War Win the Weight Loss War, Win the Battle of the Weight Loss War. If you are struggling to lose the pounds and have tried every diet that ever came out, this book is for you. It covers: Diet Types.......................Page 8 Understanding Calories.......Page 10 Supplements....................Page 17 Childhood Obesity.............Page 19 If you want to lose the pounds, this book can help. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Bodel |
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