Eat less, move more. Right? If it really were that simple we wouldn't have an obesity rate approaching 75%. There are a lot more factors involved. Culture, our habits and our genes play a significant role in fat loss. We don't all gain fat or lose fat for the same reasons, or at the same rate. Each person has to think about their own obstacles. Following are a few to consider:
* Not enough exercise (this is the duh one).
#1 excuse? Not enough time. If you have time to sit at the computer and play around on Facebook, you have enough time to exercise. It's all about choices. Start by making a plan and schedule exercise into your week. START SMALL!!! I think that is the one that trips up the most people. They think 'I can't go to the gym for an hour so I might as well not go at all'. Wrong. Jogging 2 miles takes approx 30 minutes. Not long at all and you don't even have to figure in the travel time. I wouldn't expect you to bench press 400 pounds the first time I worked with you. That's ridiculous, right? Then why do you expect to go to the gym and workout for an hour or two when you haven't been going at all. Another great motivator? An iPod loaded with your favorite music.
* Choosing the wrong foods.
You may be rolling your eyes and saying 'I know! I know!' but it isn't as complicated as it seems. If you have a sweet tooth, try fruit first. And two you already know - eat a better breakfast and eat slowly. Seriously. Try it. Good breakfast choices? Half a bagel with light cream cheese and some fruit. Low fat yogurt, fruit and toast. Hard boiled egg and oatmeal. If you find something that you like eat it every day. Studies find that when people stick closely to meals that they like and are healthy they maintain a leaner physique. I'm not saying that you need to eat the same thing every day, but stick close to it. Eating slowly involves putting your fork down. Talk to people if you are dining with anyone, but do it without taking bites between words. Sip some water. You really will be amazed at how little it takes to fill you up.
* Mindless eating.
This is really a mind/body disconnect. You aren't really aware of what your eating or how much. Anytime you eat when your not hungry or don't stop when your full, the food you are eating has no connection to your body. Use yoga breathing to focus. Breathe slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth. I usually use a count of four - inhale-2-3-4, exhale 2-3-4, etc. Remove distractions when you are eating. Turn off the computer, even if you need to eat at your desk. Hang up the phone. Turn off the television. This one also involves portion control. If you are eating mindlessly, you aren't aware of how much your eating. Try smaller bowls and plates. And never, ever eat straight out of the bag, carton or package. Ever.
* Stress and fatigue.
The less you take care of yourself the more likely you are to gain fat. For an example, look at the nursing population. They are notorious for devoting all their love and care to other people and never taking care of themselves. They are wonderful people in a thankless career, but when you don't care of yourself depression follows and with depression there is often fat gain. Get more sleep. Write down what is causing your stress and list ways to help alleviate it. Yoga, deep breathing and meditation are all wonderful for reducing stress but many people aren't comfortable with those methods or feel silly doing them. My suggestion is to find something that you love to do and do it regularly. It could be painting, dancing, reading, getting your nails done, thrifting/garage saling, etc. It's your life so take care of you.
My best advice for tackling a goal, any goal, is to break it down. Way down. Try to do something every single day that helps you reach your goal. Maybe your overall goal is to lose 40 pounds. That will probably seem over whelming and the majority of people will give up before you start. First, I would suggest that you change that goal to something like, running a 5K by the end of October or walking in the Breast Cancer Walk on whatever date. Those goals will get you to the fat loss just by the nature of the goal itself. So everyday you walk, or run, or ride, or whatever it is, brings you closer to your goal. Maybe it's running for 15 minutes.....or even 5 minutes. It doesn't matter because you are still moving forward, not backward. If fat loss is your goal, try changing one thing about your diet everyday as well. Exchange your morning donut for fruit. Trade in your whole milk for 2%. Pretty soon all those things become second nature and now you don't even miss what you were eating before.
That is the recipe for permanent change and that's what you have to do to be healthy. You hear it all the time. Life-style change - that's what works.
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