By Glenn Ellis
George Curry Media Columnist
Well, it’s that time again: a time of New Year’s resolutions to lose weight. Let me share some helpful information to make this coming year the one you actually meet your weight loss goals.
Weight loss is simple; burn more calories than you consume. There are six simple steps:
1) Count how many calories you eat in a normal day. That’s right; wake up and eat like you would normally eat and count the calories in everything you eat and drink and keep track of it on a piece of paper or on the computer somewhere. You might be thinking to yourself, “Yeah right.
I’m not gonna sit around counting calories all day.” Well, if you’re thinking that, then you’re obviously not dedicated enough to losing weight. If that is the case, feel free to go waste your money on the newest useless weight loss pill. But, if you are dedicated enough to take 10 minutes out of your day and count the calories, then keep reading.
2) At the end of that day, add the number of calories you consumed. Be as exact as possible.
Once you add it all up, you now have the total number of calories you consume daily. Also, weigh yourself.
3) Starting the day after you counted calories, eat 500 calories less then you normally do. So, if you counted 2,000 calories, for the rest of the week, you would eat 1,500 calories a day.
4) Instead of eating three big meals a day or eating all day all the time, spread those calories out over five smaller meals. Eat one meal every 2 and a half to 3 hours: Doing this will speed up your metabolism.
5) Cardio is an important part of weight loss. If you’re serious about losing weight, but don’t want to do the cardio workouts, you are requiring your diet to do all of the work. Jog, walk, swim, jump rope, ride a bike, take an aerobics class, etc. Cardio combined with a proper diet is better than doing just one of the two. All it takes is 30 minutes a day, 3 – 5 days a week, depending on how much you’re looking to lose.
6) At the end of that week, weigh yourself. You’ll notice a difference just after one week.
Losing more than one or two pounds a week is unhealthy. If you lose five to eight pounds a month, that’s 60-96 pounds a year!
Now, some additional tips:
• THE BAD FAT MUST GO – Stay away from “bad” fat. Eliminate the chips and candy. No more fast food and nothing fried. No more cookies, cake or saturated fats. The only places you should be getting your daily fat intake from are lean meats (not the fried fast food kind), chicken (again, not fried), etc. as well as the foods that contain “healthy” fats, which can be found in just about every type of fish (tuna fish, salmon, fish oil supplements, etc.), nuts, olive oil and flaxseed oil.
• LOWER THE BAD CARBS – Most people think fatty food makes people fat and that just by eating less fat, they are on their way to weight loss. Wrong. Certain carbs can be just as bad as fat when it comes to losing weight. Limit foods high in bad carbs. These carbs will eventually turn into fat. Foods such as sugar, white bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc. are high in simple, bad carbs. Sure, your body needs carbs, which is why foods like these are okay to eat, but don’t go overboard. Stick to high protein/good carb/low fat foods like tuna fish and seafood, chicken breast, turkey, whole grains, fruits and vegetables etc.
• WATER – Drink water. Get rid of the soda, beer, and sports drinks. Drink at least a half-gallon of water a day. Spread it out throughout the day. Water will give you energy and speed your weight loss.
• Weigh yourself at the end of every week – If you go two weeks go by without losing a pound, it’s time to change something. Eat 250 less calories than you’ve been eating. Each time you see weight loss, stop for more than two weeks and decrease calorie intake by 250 until you get down to where you want to be. Never starve yourself.
• Sleep – This is the easiest, yet most over looked step. Get at least eight hours of sleep a night. There you have it. You now have everything you need to know about losing weight. You didn’t have to buy any weight loss pills or books on losing weight. Instead, you should use the money you just saved and go buy some good food or a gym membership. Remember, I’m not a doctor. I just sound like one.
DISCLAIMER: The information included in this column is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan.
Glenn Ellis, is a regular media contributor on Health Equity and Medical Ethics. He is the author of Which Doctor?, and Information is the Best Medicine. Listen to him every Saturday at 9 a.m. (EST) on www.900amwurd.com, and Sundays at 8:30 a.m. (EST) on www.wdasfm.com. For more good health information, visit: glennellis.com
