Weight loss There is a diet for this and a diet for that and exercise equipment of every kind, each designed to help you lose weight faster and easier then the next-each advertised as virtually ripping the fat off of you with little sacrifice of pain and suffering on your part. The reality of all this high-ticket exercise equipment is that people buy this stuff with the best of intentions to lose weight, get in shape and become that sexual magnet they only dream about- the reality is that it tends to wind-up being used as very fancy clothes hangers. People become disenchanted with the fact they actually have to labor over this equipment for it to work! And the infomercial companies know it! In fact, they sell this bulky, over priced exercise equipment with 30, 60, 90 day money back guarantees because they KNOW people will order it and get it delivered to their homes where they will assemble it and use it for a few exhausting minutes and quit Promising themselves, with every good intention, they will use it tomorrow. And that begins the argument between the fat person and the skinny person inside. The fat person promises to do all things the skinny person insides wants to do but the fat person tends to dominate-putting off until tomorrow what should have been done yesterday. And so it goes, day after day, people look at the unused exercise equipment and dread the thought of admitting defeat, not really wanting to disassemble the gear and going through the motions of stuffing all that stuff into the boxes it came in (if they still have the boxes). And lets not forget about having to mail it backwhat a hassle! So they keep the equipment with the intent to use it soonone of these daysuntil a few years pass by and, well, it ends up in a garage sale or by the curb as a throw away item. And the diets! Low carb diets, low fat dietsthe question really boils down to a few issues that wont make anybody any money but will help you to lose weight. Do you want to know how to lose weight? Do you Really? Okay, heres the keys: Work real hard and dont eat(just kidding) but in essence thats what it boils down to-burning more calories then what you take in and thats hard to do in America with all the easily obtained super-sized meals located at drive through windows EVERYWHERE. Early human kind had to work hard to hunt for meals and food was scarce. When people caught an animal, they consumed it all because the next meal was an unknown event-but one thing was for sure, they would burn more calories killing the next meal then what they consumed from the last meal. But its just a math game Did you know that a pound of fat has about 3,500 calories in it? And did you know that the average person burns about 1,500 calories a day at rest, and I mean complete restwhile sleeping. If somebody were to lay in one place and do nothing for 24 hours, that average person will burn about 1,500 calories. Figuring that you move around, work and do things, you are looking at about 2000 to 2500 calories burnt per day without heavy labor. Now this is really, really good news if you understand how to use the data. If you want to lose weight then you must have a net calorie deficit everyday. If you want to lose 1 pound of fat, then you have to lose 3500 calories (.) Think about it-if you eat 500 calories less per day then you burn-then (500 calories) times (7 days per week) = 3500 calories = 1 pound. Keep in mind that it is not healthy to eat less then 1200-1400 calories per day-you need this much for basic metabolic functioning. Do you want to lose weight? Plan on eating 500 calories less everyday. That's easy to do! And exercise! But keep in mind that exercise should be approached with caution-start by walking 30 minutes 2-3 times per week. Lift lightweights around 5-10 pounds per hand and move in an aerobic fashion with the weights in you hands-that will burn calories! It will raise your heart rate, build muscle and muscle burns calories! If you are just starting to approach the weight loss angle, by all means consider seeing a doctor to make sure you are on the right path. If that is not possible then start slowly, constantly increasing time and intensity of your workouts. You dont need expensive and novelty exercise equipment-you need action! Walk, ride bike, use lightweights and most important eat less food or at least food with less calories-I like tuna fish (in water) and green beans, its a low fat, low carbohydrate diet that doesnt require any brain power! I hate diets and I dont particularly like hard exercise-but I do ride bike, walk, run and do pushups and sit-ups through the summer because I constantly have to watch my weight. Like I say, if you (only) ate 1200 calories worth of powdered donuts everyday you would lose weight fast! Calories are a measurement of energy, like a BTU and the body sees all food as units of energy. But you can eat a whole lot more green beans then powdered donuts! If you consume more calories then you burn then you will gain weight. Eat less then you burn and you will lose weight. It's that simple. Make sense? I urge every reader of this article to seek the advice of a doctor before beginning any weigh loss or exercise program to be safe. I am not a doctor and I am not giving medical advice-I am a person who has to constantly watch my weight and I am offering you some input from my own experience and knowledge. Thanks for reading! Copyright 2006 James W. Hart, IV All Rights reserved |
