Weight Loss Is Simple: There Is NO Miracle
WARNING:
this is going to bust a lot of peoples bubble; the truth hurts.
There is no magic weight loss miracle out there—none, not one. Anything you read or hear about or see on TV regarding simple and fast weight loss is a scam. Sorry, it’s just the truth. Pills, shakes, weight loss clinics, diet foods, hypnotism and everything else are just magic and barely more than placebo. Americans spend $60 billion every year trying to lose weight, and there are many people looking to cash in on all those desperate for weight loss. It’s a BIG business and most of it is worthless.
So, now what?
Well, it’s not hopeless!
Many people lose significant weight every year and keep it off (and keeping it off is the point, right?). First, you have to see weight loss as a LIFESTYLE change. It has to be something that you must be dead set on both in heart and mind. Most people who lost weight and kept it off will tell you they got “fed up” or “reached bottom” and made a determined DECISION—I MUST change my life.
Are you there yet? Is your heart ready? Is your brain ready? Are you willing to do what ever it takes to lose weight?
Next, you have to understand, weight loss is simple. You have to burn more calories than you take in. How do those severely overweight people on the “Biggest Loser” show lose weight? They eat very little and spend all day exercising. How does weight loss surgery work? They cut out part of your stomach and sew it back together so small it can barely hold any food. Thus, it forces you to limit calories. But guess what? Many of those “Biggest Losers” contestants and those getting weight loss surgery, just a few years later, have gained much of their weight right back because they did NOT keep the lifestyle change. To succeed you must make a permanent lifestyle change and burn more calories than you take in.
Simple, right?
The concept is simple, but doing it is hard and time consuming. There are programs like Weight Watchers that can help but it must be sustainable. Fad diets that can’t be sustained won’t work. Once you realize that 80% of weight loss is diet related you can see the importance of proper diet to get you there. There are many diets out there but you need one that works for you, one that you can live with forever. I tell my patients many times to keep a log of everything you eat or drink for 2 weeks, write it all down. Don’t forget any sauces or alcohol you consume (ketchup is almost pure sugar). Then, search on-line or use a calorie count book to find out how many calories you consume everyday. Most likely it’s a lot more than you think. Then, start cutting those calories in half if you can. Drink only water or un-sweet tea, which could be 500 to 1000 calories a day for some people. Eat less, but more frequently (like 6 small meals a day), if you can and don’t skip meals. Avoid carbohydrate foods like bread, pasta and potatoes that make your sugar shoot up and then fall making you crave more food. Consider a LOW CARB style diet if you can see yourself doing it long term. Most people see more sustained and significant weight loss with a low carb, high fat diet, which also improves blood sugar and cholesterol as well.
The final step is to consider the other 25% of weight loss, exercise. You have to move your body. I know, I know....but my knee hurts. My foot hurts. My back hurts.
Get up!
Mind and heart I told you--get them right.
The easiest, cheapest exercise is walking. Get up and go everyday. You need to schedule exercise in your day just like lunch or work or meetings. This is for you; schedule it. Walk for 30 minutes everyday. Break it up into two 15-minute segments if you must. You can do any other exercise you like as long as your physician is good with it—jogging, biking, elliptical, boxing, swimming, jazzercise.
The truth is exercise is the number one thing you can do for your health. It benefits weight loss but also your heart, lungs, joints, back muscles, and mental health.
Make it a habit!
So, you see weight loss is simple: eat less and move more. At Direct Access MD, we love to help our patients take on this challenge of weight loss. This service is included for our regular patients at no extra cost.
Come on, let’s lose some pounds people!
That's What Doc Says…