As we balloon with each passing year, thanks to our benevolent friends at Kill-you Fried Chicken, Burger Kill and Pizza Butt, more and more people are waking up and realizing they have been trapped in today’s greatest, most dangerous social and medical ill – FAT. I could take the high road and talk about the health risks that accompany our ever-increasing waistlines, but the bottom line is that being fat is seldom a good thing. Spare me the soliloquy about how unhappy your childhood might have been, or the cellulite-rich excuse that this is how “you really are” because of your genetic make up, or, worse still, you became fat when your parent or spouse passed on. Certainly, experts affirm that fat is not merely a question of will power as the “fat gene” has been isolated in the genetic analysis of rodents. But, do any of these explanations justify some of our fellow humans weighing more than many prize-winning livestock? I mean seriously: do you really expect us to believe that you didn’t notice feel yourself becoming trapped in your own body – straining to walk on your own too feet, barely managing to maintain proper hygiene because some parts have become virtually impossible to reach ? Well, lest I appear to be cruel, let us make one thing clear – minus being strapped down to a table and force fed like French geese to make foie gras with a funnel down your throat, there really is no excuse for becoming morbidly obese. If you are, then those around you (your partner, your family, your friends) failed to love you enough to keep you on a path of good health and positive self-perception. If you are fat and have always been fat, understand that under no circumstances is that the way you “naturally” are. There’s nothing natural about obesity. The human body is one of the most beautiful, most efficient working systems ever to evolve on this planet of ours. It is rightly considered by many to be a demonstration of the divine and should be respected and treated as such. EVERY TIME you STUFF your face with excess and self-pity, your deny yourself the chance to enjoy and share the beauty that your parents were kind enough give you. So, in short, stop making excuses for being fat and stop using noble declarations of self-acceptance to make you feel better about your massive size. There’s nothing pretty about it my fat friend. Instead, start turning your digestive energies to figuring out how to lose the luggage you’re currently dragging around.
BOTH ENDS OF THE SCALE
The good news is, the human body responds to positive life changes and will thank you for protecting it by giving you the results you have always wanted. The bad news is, contrary to popular belief, diets, pills, and all the great gimmicks we see on TV never work. Ask any poor soul who has become a casualty of yo yo diets and he or she will tell you: weight easily lost is just as easily regained…and then some! So, to begin your new journey to a slimmer, efficient, sexier you, the first crucial step is to consider the process you are about to undertake as a life change, not just a body change. What does this mean? It means that if you’re not seeing the big picture , you’ll never achieve your fitness goal. Everything you undertake should improve your health and your self-perception.
HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT
We all know there are a gazillion diets out there ranging from eating only certain foods, avoiding only certain foods to paying for some special “fat free” nutritional plan that supposedly allows you to lose weight while eating whatever you want…without exercise. Well, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Manage and reverse your weight gain by analyzing your life on two fronts: How much you take in (your nutrition) and how much you burn (your physical activity).
ESSENTIAL NUTRITIONAL QUESTIONS
1) Am I eating the right foods?
Certainly, nutritional requirements vary from person to person based on a complex equation of factors including gender, age, and environmental influences. However, you don’t need to be a surgeon-general to know that fatty, sugary foods (though yummy) are to be avoided as they’re calorically too rich and often nutritionally too poor to justify stuffing your face with them day after day after day. Your body will not run like a luxury sedan if you treat it like a busted lemon. Pamper your body with healthy, vitamin and mineral-rich foods. Ensure that every meal incorporates natural sources of fiber and protein, and drink lots of fluid (and by fluid I don’t mean happy hour!). Also, prioritize slow-burning or complex carbs instead of simple or fast burning carb sources. Red meat should be a minimal part of any long term dietary change. You can replace granny’s ribs or your mom’s lasagna with meats that are grilled or flame-broiled – NOT fried or drowning in gravy. These small adjustments will make a huge difference in the success of your weight loss plan.
2) Am I eating at the right times?
Some people might find this crazy, but numerous studies have shown that the reason why some cultures are predominantly svelte while others are more or less chubby or heavy (minus unhealthy appetite curtailing habits like smoking as well as circumstantial constraints like famine) is a matter of not just what you eat, but when! Your body is an engine and burns food to sustain your everyday activities. This means that, depending on the time you go to bed, and what you do throughout the day, you will need to sensibly adjust your portion size so that you allow your digestive system the time to process and burn the calories you take in. Picture it: if you put 5 gallons of gas in your car every day even though you only drive a gallon or two per day, eventually your tank will be overflowing and you’ll probably blow up if anybody has a match in spitting distance. The same principle goes for your insides. NEVER eat more than you have time and energy to burn. An easy adage to guide you is what a colleague of mine often says at work: Eat like a king in the morning; eat like a prince in the afternoon; eat like a pauper in the evening. So, in simple terms, your heaviest meal (if you have a weight gain problem) should be earlier in the day and your lightest meal should be the last one you have in the evening. Some people call this the “flipped” diet , as you don’t necessarily change what you eat that much. You simply adjust the portions so that breakfast is dinner-sized, lunch remains lunch (moderate mind you, not 6 pounds of beef screaming on a plate), and dinner is “breakfast”, meaning you have a light meal of cereal or some other fibre-rich, low calorie dish. As unbelievably simple as this might seem, most people in the western world never really think about the correlation between when they eat and how much of it stays on their thighs, abdomen and buttocks. Time adjustment just might make all the difference for you. Now, I know some people will say, “I can’t get through the night on just a bowl of cereal.” Well, yes you can if you want to stop carrying the fat equivalent of a 7 year-old on your butt all day long. It’s all about habit. Give yourself a chance to adopt new eating habits and you’ll be amazed how quickly your body makes the adjustment and starts to burn more efficiently. If all else fails and you feel you’re going to go insane or regress into the binges, eat a “healthy snack” – not a fancy nutritional bar or any of those deceptive friends (some of them can appear to be low-fat but are high in sugar or salt, both of which are no-nos). Instead, have a tasty vegetable like a carrot or a low-sugar fruit. Remember, just because fruits are natural doesn’t mean they can’t help to make you fat when had in excess. Fruits are generally sweet and sweet means they are high in sugar (albeit a healthy sugar – not something refined or synthetic). But in excess, even these sugars can stretch your waistline when unused.
3) Am I eating the right amounts?
If you’re ready to lose weight, then you must have the drive to retrain your palate. Post-baby boomers today are so accustomed to synthetic flavors, cheap sweeteners and heavy intake that they can hardly remember what its like to actually eat a real, normal, moderate slice of cake, or a serving of meat. EVERYTHING is so supersized that people feel very “empty” when they haven’t had their normal leviathan portions. To combat this “Mcculinary” brainwashing, start your transformation by reducing your portions by a third. If you generally eat three potatoes, have two instead. If you used to have 6 cookies, eat 4. Reduce your overall intake in terms of volume and prioritize quality foods like fresh veggies, fruits and grilled meat instead of frying your life away. Even without breaking your back doing crazy cardio, you WILL lose weight. All the jumping and dancing in the world won’t go very far without a significant, but healthy adjustment in your food intake. By the way, you should NEVER eat until your stuffed. That wonderful feeling of fullness that eventually results in you looking comatose (like a python after swallowing a small farmer) will eventually haunt you when you notice that your body is continuing to grow in every direction, except up! At the end of a meal you should feel satisfied, never so full that you can’t move. LETHARGY after a meal is not a sign of bliss. Rethink what it means to be full. While adjusting to your new portion sizes, drink a lot of water. Adequate amounts of water not only help you feel full, but also help in the weight-loss process. Water is your friend. Soda is your enemy.
TO MOVE OR NOT TO MOVE…
Physical exercise is what most overweight people dread the most. Who wants to go to the gym and risk looking silly while all those Malibu bodies flex and tone to the tune of Lady Gaga and house music? Who has the time to go to the gym when you have deadlines to meet at work and appointments with important clients? Well…ask yourself this instead: whoever said you needed to be in a gym to exercise? You can engage in meaningful physical activity without ever leaving your home (and no, I’m not talking about those ridiculous fat-burning gadgets and pills). Start by undertaking simple activities like walking. If it’s cold outside or you live in the projects and could end up being shot, walk around your house. Your fat cells won’t know the difference. But the more you move around (dance, play, walk, or jog…depending on what is comfortable), the more your body will burn and, consequently, the less fat you will store. In addition, increased physical activity can help to burn off the excess fat you already have. So, don’t look for excuses. Just step outside and commit, for starters, to a 30-minute walk every day. You’ll be impressed at the huge difference this will make in a modern, busy schedule. And remember, no matter how gorgeous your trainer is and no matter how much you spend on gym membership fees, if you’re not motivated and if the physical activity is not readily accessible to you and easy to do consistently (regardless of whether or not you’re traveling on business, for example), you’ll never really exercise anyway. Exercise, especially for beginners, should be fun, easy to do (no crazy positions or moves that might throw out your back) and “mobile”. Convenient exercise is a psychological necessity and your most lethal anti-fat weapon when battling the bulge.
ALSO REMEMBER…
NO MAN (OR WOMAN) IS AN ISLAND
These lifestyle changes are difficult to do alone. Not only can you easily feel discouraged at first, but also, if surrounded by people who continue to stuff their faces and sit on the couch while you’re sweating and eating small portions, you will be very frustrated. Make sure that those closest to you (friends and family) are aware of what your fitness goals are and will help you to achieve them.
NO TWO BODIES ARE ALIKE
Everyone loses weight differently and at different speeds. Don’t start getting jealous if your exercise partner starts to burn more than you. Stay focused on yourself and your goals. Nothing else matters. Fast losers are also fast gainers so take your time and do it right. When you’ve lost the weight and kept it off, you’ll be glad you didn’t rush things.
LOVE YOURSELF
While I may be pretty harsh when joking with my plumper friends, understand one thing – weight loss, in and of itself, will never make you more attractive. Why? Because real beauty has little to do with your waistline alone and everything to do with your aura – the way you move, the way you carry yourself and the way you interact with the world around you. Whether you’re a size 2 or a size 20, your essence and the beauty therein will depend first and foremost on how you connect with your world. More people may find you attractive in a basic sense since, by shedding excess pounds, the features that are glorified in modern western culture will show more easily (waist, bust, chest etc), but that doesn’t mean you weren’t attractive in the first place. Lose weight for your own physical and emotional well-being. You must love yourself at the start to want to do what is right for your body. Self-love precedes successful weight loss, not the other way around.
WITH THIS IN MIND…
If you’re wondering if you’re not just supposed to be chubby or obese, ask yourself this: Does my excess weight prevent me from getting the most out of life? If the answer is a resounding no, then I say stay as you are. BUT, if your fat prevents you from doing recreational activities, playing most sports or games, holding your head up in a boardroom, makes you dread going to your next high school reunion, makeS you lie about your physique on a networking site, predisposes you to developing a number of preventable medical conditions (diabetes, some cancers and hypertension to name a few) or leaves you unable to even attempt half of the best sexual and cuddle positions life has to offer, then I think we both know it’s time for you to shed the dead weight and reclaim your life! Fat is not how you are. Fat is how you became and how you can cease to be. Nothing can oblige you to remain fat. Find what works best for you at the pace that ensures healthy*, lasting fitness gains and remain consistent. It will not be easy, but modifying your worldview and adjusting a few habits just might change your life.
*Before making any changes to your diet or undertaking any form of physical activity, always speak with your physician, particularly if you are overweight or suffer from any health problems whatsoever.
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