New Year Resolution| Weight Loss for Good Health
I have known and worked with many women weight watchers but very few men who have considered that carrying too much fat is bad for your health.From my point of view it seemed that everyone else put on weight but not me. Well, that is what I thought! Of course my weight had increased over the years but not to an extent that I felt or thought that I was overweight. Being tall helped. Whenever I had a medical check up and the practitioner took my weight and looked up what it should be compared with my height I was always within limits, sometimes towards the top end but never anything to worry about. However, within the space of a few months I put on over fourteen pounds and I could see and feel the difference.
Why? Good question.
Are you sitting reading this and so far feeling as smug as I used to do when reading about people with weight problems? Well let me tell you it could easily happen to you so don’t feel so self-satisfied. The reason it happened to me was a change of lifestyle. For seven months I worked away from home each week. Lots of people do it and so had I but this was different I was flying to and from a different country and eating different foods. Not only that I was changing planes both ways and you know what that means, food served on both airlines. Granted the portions were not that big but especially on the return journey that was on top of two good meals already that day. Yes, I could have refused the meal but I was bored and stressed; I readily confess that I am not the world’s best flyer suffering mainly from claustrophobia. When they shut that door, need I say more?
Now let me explain the main reasons for the weight gain. I met and worked with some great people and many of us were in the same hotel. Once back to the hotel we stopped off at the bar for a relaxing beer or two. It didn’t help that it was excellent beer that was hard to refuse. A couple of litre glasses never did anyone any harm and when I was in my early twenties I used to have a couple of beers a night. But I was younger then and more active. Next move was up to the hotel room for a quick freshen up, relax and telephone call home. Then off into the city to find a restaurant to feed the hungry inner man. It became the norm to have two or three courses and a shared bottle of wine. Suitably satisfied it was back to the hotel in time for a nightcap.
The worst thing about this to my mind was the fact that I was eating late and heading for bed on a full stomach where my usual regime had me eating earlier in the evening, giving my system time to start digesting what it had been fed. Add to that the alcohol intake which was not excessive (I know what you are thinking but no it was not) and you have a recipe for adding weight.
Did I notice what was happening? Eventually yes I did but it crept up on me slowly. The first real sign was the neck of my shirt becoming too tight and uncomfortable. I have never been one to jump on the bathroom scales every morning but when I did I had a shock when I saw how my weight, for me, had ballooned. Luckily in a way this was right at the end of my contract so temptation was removed and it made me realise that for many of you out there it is not that easy, the temptations are with you constantly. For that reason for me it must have been relatively easy to do something about my imminent obesity.
The big temptation was to go and buy pills or potions, let’s face it there are plenty on offer everywhere we look; adverts on the internet, newspapers, magazines, periodical and those terrible spam emails. Instead I cut down on my alcohol intake which was not hard to do. It had become a habit to have those couple of beers and just like any habit I had to have some willpower to break the pattern but I did it. I did not cut out alcohol all together; I am human and enjoy a glass of something now and again. Part of my personal belief is that if I cut something out completely I will start to yearn for it and it will become an obsession resulting in, well do I need to say any more. That might just be me who feels strong enough to control my intake; I accept that you may be one of the unlucky people who do not find it quite so easy. Don’t feel bad or guilty about it, we are all different and we have to recognise and understand our own minds and bodies.
The next thing I did was to cut down on the portions I ate, not drastically and quickly but gradually reduced them and ate at a more sensible time of the evening. The result was that I did lose weight. Even though it was not my intention to lose a lot of weight quickly I did lose a few pounds quite quickly, the rest disappearing at a slower rate.
My weight stills fluctuates by a few pounds but is no problem. It happens to everyone.
There are many reasons why we may put on weight. I recognised that with me it was my lifestyle that was to blame. With you it may be a different reason but the good news is, if you are reading this you probably have recognised that you have a weight problem that needs addressing. The next step is to find the best regime for you that hopefully does not entail taking pills and potions. Always seek medical advice if you are intending to lose a lot of weight or starting a drastic fitness regime that you are not used to. Preferably start a diet regime that is portion controlled and try to lose weight slowly as gradual weight loss is easier to achieve and maintain in the long term. Choose a program that includes support. I was and am lucky enough to have a strong enough will to see it through but I am not Mr Perfect, I have lapses. It is called being human.
William (Bill) White of Start to Diet writes on subjects relating to weight loss, healthy diet and healthy lifestyle.
