Ten Points of Moderate Weightloss

Wasn't feeling well today. I got up with body aches, feeling a little light headed, and queasy. After a shower, the thought of breakfast made me sick, so I took it with me to work. I took a couple Ibuprofen at work and felt better, but when it wore off, I came home.



After a two hour nap.... yeah I feel much better, but not good enough to work out. Still a little light headed. Boo.



I thought today that I'd share what I'm calling my "Ten Points of Moderate Weightloss." These are at the core of my new weightloss philosophy.



1) Throw out the fad diets and the extreme diets.

I'm tired of all these diets that promise quick and dirty weightloss. There's a reason they come into... then out of vogue. The Atkins diet, the South Beach diet, The Zone diet, and - the newest abomination - the HCG diet all have or had huge followings until people realize that while it makes you thin, it also makes you CRAZY. Some of these diets have a good premise, but can even be damaging to your body.



Thinking of starting a new diet? Just one question: How's that Atkins diet working out for you five years after? Did you gain the weight back (I'm guessing you did!)?



2) Know Your Body Composition Numbers.

You need to know your numbers. This isn't college calculus or differential equations, and there's no mystery here. Find a physician that can help you figure out what your lean body mass is, and what is a realistic and healthy weight for you.



An example of this is that at 6'0", this website tells me a healthy weight for me is 136-184lbs. A snowball has a better chance of staying frozen in hell than I have at getting down to even 184lbs. I had a body composition done by a professional and found I had 210lbs of lean body mass. So even at the healthy - albeit really low - percentage of 10% body fat, I'd be 231lbs. That's a 47lb discrepancy, and makes a huge difference.



3) Know Your Calorie Burn/Intake Numbers.

There's no magic to losing weight. There's no wieght loss cure, pill, or voodoo hex that can substitute for this. At the end of every day you will lose weight if you've consumed fewer calories than you've burned. Shazaam!



For this there are many avenues of help, including a Body Bugg, or GoWearFit. But being really conscious of your activity level and intake of calories can be just as effective. There are a multitude of websites (this is a good one) to help.



4) Make Sustainable Choices and Changes.

Everything you do should be something you can do for the rest of your life. Again, no fads. These changes should be implemented slowly - one at a time - or you'll burn out. Sustainability is key to your success. Find healthy alternatives to facets of your life. If you're burning out, you might be changing things too fast, or too extreme. Slow down, take a breath, become an expert of living the changes you make before implementing more. A healthy body is not a race.



5) Don't Deprive Yourself, Control Yourself.

I'm not going to spend too much time on this. Simply - if you want something, have it. If somene brings cake and ice cream into work for an event, and you really want it, then have cake and ice cream. But control yourself and have a single portion, or even just a taste. Just today I had half a donut that someone brought in.



6) Food Should be Fuel, Not Recreation.

Look for a new hobby! Food is not a hobby anymore. At least not your hobby. In our culture we've made it impossible to have a gathering without some kind of goodies. Our holidays can be described by the food we eat.



Learn to cook, love to cook, and learn to make healthy food. Cooking is a healthy activity. If this is your new hobby, that's fine. Just make sure you're learning healthy cooking techniques and using whole foods and healthy ingredients.



Ditch the processed food. That means when eating out and at home. I recommend the Eat Clean Diet for a good education on food. It's not a diet so much as a good resource for healthy eating.

7) Anyone Can Exercise.

This means you. There's a ton of different ways to work out, and plenty of guides out there. Set a fitness goal, and work towards it. Just do something. You should be getting at least 10,000 steps in per day, but make that a minimum level. If you're tenative about starting, try the stationary bike. It's low impact, and you can set the resistance and time. Get up, get out, get on your way!

8) Overcome Mental Barriers.

Everyone has at least one thing that really sets them back. Sometimes that's the thought of going to the gym. Sometimes it's eating less or eating right. No matter what it is, you have to take a good hard look into your life, your heart, and your mind, and figure out why you're overweight. You have to open up and be honest with yourself.

This is absolutely the hardest aspect of weightloss. Now is the time to overcome your mental barriers! You can do it. You'll find a new strength as you begin to leave your old stumbling blocks in the dust.

9) Set Realistic Goals and Expectations.

The whole premise that you can lose weight fast and furiously is false. You didn't get fat overnight, don't expect to get thin overnight. Don't expect it in a month. Set your goals based on conservative estimates. 1-3lbs per week. If you've got a lot to lose, your time goal might be a year or more. This takes patience!

Most people set goals wherein they must lose 6-10lbs a week for two months. Yeah right. Maybe you do it... good luck keeping it off. Get real!

10) Figure Out What Works for You.

Every person is different, and everyone has different body chemistry, body composition, etc. The same things won't work for everyone. Figure out what motivates and keeps you going. Find your own routine.


In general, do your own thing. Ditch the fads and the extreme diets. Learn how your body works, and what works for you. Keep at it. If you blow it one week, get back at it the next. Press forward, move ahead. The worst thing you can do is put this off! A year from now you can be proud of yourself or filled with regret. It's up to you to decide every day.