Weight Management
If weight loss is your goal, you have a virtual smorgasbord of options to choose from . Pills, shakes, creams, patches and commercial diet programs are all out there, just to name a few . Wading through what works, how much it costs and what is right for you can leave just about anyone dizzy . What diet should you choose? Well, here’s the bottom line on diets . An estimated 95% of people regain their lost weight after going on a diet . That’s hardly an impressive record by anyone’s standards . But you do have another option—eat well and exercise . Sound like too much work? Too little work? And what about results?
Eating right and being active sounds so simple, but it really does work if you give it a chance . And best of all, it’s a realistic plan that will work for a lifetime . Before we start looking at keys to managing your weight, the problem of food and weight obsession demands attention first .
Fat Obsession
Today’s society is obsessed about fat—on bodies and in food . And it is this obsession that has raised the concerns of many health professionals as they see the rise in abnormal eating patterns and eating disorders . If you’re making the decision to improve your lifestyle, take a bow . But if that resolve turns into an obsession, it can do more harm than good . A person who is preoccupied with these changes, who wastes precious energy filling their mind with thoughts of food, weight and exercise, isn’t living a healthy lifestyle at all . They’re trapped in an endless cycle of unhappiness and denial . Other important areas of their life such as friends, family and work can suddenly take a back seat to their priority of exercise and eating . Healthy ways of living complement a full life . They don’t control it .Think you may be preoccupied with food and exercise?
Take the quiz below:
✍ Is food often on your mind?
✍ Do you avoid going out for social dinners in fear that you will overeat?
✍ Do you often feel guilty if you eat foods that are high in fat or calories?
✍ Do you think about how many calories or fat grams are in everything you eat?
✍ If you do not exercise one day, do you feel you don’t deserve to eat very much?
✍ If you miss a workout does it ruin your mood for the rest of the day?
✍ Does your workout schedule interfere with your ability to have a social life?
✍ Do you continue to push yourself even if you’re injured in fear of gaining weight?
✍ Is it hard to imagine a day without exercise each week to give your body a rest?
Healthy eaters try to make nutritious food choices but don’t agonize over them . They allow themselves to enjoy their favourite high-fat foods in moderation without feeling guilty . How often have you seen a fit and healthy-looking person enjoying a slice of pizza or an ice cream cone and thought, “How can she eat that and still look so healthy?” But that’s precisely why she looks the way she does . She eats an occasional higher fat selection within a framework of healthy eating . And smart, healthy people fit in regular physical activity, but don’t let it overtake other important areas of their