How was it for you? Did you get through the Christmas Season eating sensibly, taking exercise and avoiding the usual seasonal excesses? Or, are you sitting at your desk reading this and wondering why all of your waistbands are tight?
In the Northern Hemisphere, Winter and Christmas time are traditional periods of social excess and comfort eating. The short days curtail the amount of exercise we would naturally take and the pounds have a horrible habit of piling on.
We make New Year Resolutions to diet and these fall by the wayside, usually within hours. We get on to the wonderful diet merry-go-round-do you remember the one? The one with horses which go up and down, just like our weight.
Our bodies and their functions are governed by a wonderfully balanced mechanism called the endocrine system which is made up of glands and hormones various. It is this system which governs our metabolic rate and it is this rate which plays a huge role in determining how efficiently we can process the calories we eat.
The balance of the endocrine system can be disrupted by many things - pollutants, artificial hormones, stress and illness. Yo-Yo dieting plays havoc with this system as the famine/feast experience is not tolerated well. During famine (diet) days our metabolic rate is reduced to conserve fuel stores and energy. Unfortunately, this rate does not then immediately increase on the feast days, causing us to put on more weight than ever.
Sometimes glands of the endocrine system cease to function as they were designed. A classic example is the thyroid gland. An underactive thyroid will cause all sorts of problems including weight gain. The ovaries can malfunction, again causing weight gain amongst other symptoms. It is worth getting any unexplained weight gain investigated by your Doctor. If you know you eat sensibly (keep a food diary to check this) and that you take regular exercise but the weight is still increasing I urge you to seek medical advice.
Experience has shown that the conventional schools of medicine are sometimes not as up to date with current thinking on endocrine problems, particularly of the thyroid, as patients would both like and expect them to be. If you suspect you have a problem but find your Doctor unsympathetic there are several excellent complementary practitioners who specialise in this field. Ask around for recommendations; look for books on the subject; do some self-initiated research on the web; do whatever you can to ensure that your knowledge is up to date and that you are in a position to make an informed choice about your medical care.
If you are carrying more than 14lbs of surplus weight it is advisable to have a routine medical check up before embarking on any weight loss programme. This will include checks for diabetes and blood pressure levels.
We know we need to weigh an appropriate amount for our height and age if we are to be healthy and active. The question is, how to achieve such an ideal?
The first thing to consider is not setting up a panic response in any of the automatic systems of your body. By introducing small changes, slowly and carefully, the body will adapt without shutting down. It is important not to make too many radical changes in one go, for two main reasons:
1. Psychologically you are going to feel deprived and will then struggle to maintain the new way of being.
2. Physiologically, if it perceives a threat, your body will alter its systems to protect itself and this will mean converting more of the calories you swallow into fat.
Once you are ready to make a start, implement just one or two changes to your diet each week. Depending on your current lifestyle you may decide on any of the following:
- Cut out all fried food
- Eat a healthy breakfast
- Eat 5 portions of fruit each day
- Incorporate appropriate exercise into your day
- Cut out the take away and ready prepared meals
- Increase the number of "grown above the surface" vegetables you eat
- Increase fibre levels by choosing wholemeal bread and pasta rather than white
- Determine the amount of chocolate it is OK for you to eat each day and have just that amount
-Drink one litre of water each day
Don't be tempted to radically change your diet overnight. It is like stretching an elastic band - as soon as you relax, even for a minute, you will snap back into old ways of being. Be gentle with yourself and your body, incorporate one new thing each week and wait until that has become comfortable before introducing anything else. Take it one step at a time and improve your chances of achieving and maintaining that perfect weight and enjoying the associated health benefits.
Know that the extra weight you carry did not appear overnight so it stands to reason that it is not going to disappear in a hurry. Be kind to yourself and your body. Take it one step at a time.
Donnie Harrison is a UK Based Coach and Business Mentor. Donnie works with clients who are facing a life transition and who do not want to face it on their own. She describes herself as a companion on the journey of change.
In addition, Donnie specialises in working with individuals who are setting up or building a Professional Private Practice, particularly in the healthcare sector - be it traditional, alternative or complementary. More information is available at http://donnieharrison.com
Lincoln Stretch rentals Alsip ..Are you wondering why you're not losing weight? If you're... Read More
Have you ever thought, "I just can not seem to... Read More
Before you even think of taking diet pills to lose... Read More
Have you ever wondered how actors stay in such great... Read More
Many celiacs lose weight before they are diagnosed; indeed it... Read More
Losing weight can make a significant and life altering change... Read More
In the early nineties doctors were beginning to see the... Read More
The answer to the title of this article is "none."... Read More
If you're serious about losing weight and getting fit, you... Read More
- Are your ideas of obesity and fat control based... Read More
Dear BMTers,Low carb this and low carb that?that's all you... Read More
"I am going to start a diet tomorrow". How many... Read More
Looking to avoid the dieting mistakes many of our weight... Read More
"The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of... Read More
Much has been written about obesity and globesity. Obesity is... Read More
Understanding the theory of adaptation (see previous article, Adaptation I)... Read More
The best way you can get rid of your pop... Read More
I don't know about you, but I absolutely love bread... Read More
Nice girls don't speak up. Nice girls take care of... Read More
I am approaching 70 years of age very quickly and... Read More
Dieters dread the plateau. You're on a roll, losing weight... Read More
One of the difficulties with dieting is the well known... Read More
In the battle to look good, there's a cosmetic treatment... Read More
When you have started a diet in the past, how... Read More
At the University of Illinois, a new research found that... Read More
Western Springs shuttle limo ..Ever wondered why some people manage to keep their weight... Read More
Lose Weight - Get A Break ---------------------------------------- The American Obesity... Read More
College weight gain is at an all time high, and... Read More
Obesity, once seen as akin to laziness and overeating, is... Read More
The holidays are definitely a special time of year. These... Read More
The Atkins low-carb diet consists of four phases: Induction, Ongoing... Read More
It is estimated that about 32 million Americans are following... Read More
Most men and women that I have trained over the... Read More
I really like Dr. Phil, so I wanted to like... Read More
Resistance training, also known as strength training, does not require... Read More
Quick, what's the first thought that pops into your head... Read More
Let's take a look at how your attitudes and perceptions... Read More
The Dr Atkins Diet has been around for ages, but... Read More
Some of you will not like what I'm going to... Read More
Yoga is wonderful for nurturing a state of mental and... Read More
Yesterday, out of the blue, without any foreboding gossip or... Read More
Getting involved in Weight Loss Program can be intimidating for... Read More
The Atkins Diet Seems To Never Go AwayFad diets come... Read More
With this key, I GUARANTEE YOU WILL LOSE ALL THE... Read More
It is a fact that about 70% Americans are overweight.... Read More
Good health is an invaluable bliss and you cannot simply... Read More
In March 2003 our then 13 year old daughter, Helen,... Read More
Body temperature is the result of your body generating and... Read More
I wrote this article back in the late fall when... Read More
Search Yahoo for "papaya" and "kirstie" and you'll find at... Read More
Weight Loss |