Fighting the Fat
Many people are overweight, and amongst
the many reasons for this is that they are simply not conscious
enough about their general lifestyle.
Too much of what they are doing wrong is done
by habit. Too high a calorie intake, the wrong type of food,
eating too much, too fast, too often, or at the wrong time;
it is probably not noticed. Then again, too much effort might
be put into work and not enough - or none at all into exercise.
Being overweight means you are not getting
the best out of life. You feel tired. You start to feel unattractive.
You become listless. You eat more because you are bored. You
eat as a compensation for rejection, or as a comfort. It is
all a vicious circle.
Of course, we all know that being overweight
can lead to health problems. The body is heavy, the heart has
to work harder, cholesterol levels build up because the wrong
kind of food is eaten, the arteries become narrower, blood vessels
lose their flexibility and start to crack plus the body joints
as well as internal organs start to age faster.
However, we can all lose weight no matter
how difficult it may appear; and the first step is to be aware
of your lifestyle, along with to break those bad habits. Remember,
consciousness fights fatness. Being conscious means being aware
of what you are doing, letting your mind know what you are eating
and how you are eating it.
For example, if you eat consciously by slowly
chewing your food, you will find you do not eat as much as you
would by simply swallowing down your meal without thinking about
it.
Chewing slowly in fact has two effects. Firstly, it ensures
that part of the food is pre-digested prior to reaching your
stomach and that your stomach is already geared up for it to
arrive because the gastric juices have already been activated.
Secondly, well-chewed food is easier and faster to digest than
food which lands in the stomach in big chunks.
Importantly, knowing how to eat is just a
part of the solution – remember to be aware of what you eat
too. It is not a good idea to have a rich meal in the late evening
as you would not be able to burn off all those calories before
you go to bed and the banking system of your body goes on to
work, converting them into fat cells. The same rules apply to
too much alcohol, soft drinks and snacks such as sweets, ice
cream and potato chips.
Watch your calorie intake. Avoid fried foods – switch if you
can to steamed food without fatty sauces and with low amounts
of salt. Eat more often and in smaller portions rather than
having three big meals a day. You will not feel so tired after
your meal plus your body will get just enough calories to burn
until the next meal.
Choose your food carefully! Concentrate on
the balanced diet (carbohydrates 60%, protein 25%, fat 15%)
as well as be sure to get enough vitamins and minerals.
Fiber will also help to lower the cholesterol
levels in your blood, these are most easily found in muesli
and whole wheat products. Garlic on the other hand is very healthy
too and aids to increase the flexibility of the blood vessels,
therefore reducing the risk of heart disease. (If you cannot
take the smell, have it in a tablet form instead).
Choose low fat products and diet products
such as Diet Coke and diet sweeteners. Avoid food which contains
a lot of sugar, such as sweets, alcohol and soft drinks. Watch
the calories. Choose food that is filling not fattening.
Do not go for food with “empty carbohydrates”
i.e. fast food like hamburgers and French fries, as it does
not contain much fiber, vitamins or minerals. Moreover, you
will have noticed that after a fast food meal you soon feel
hungry again.
“Separated food intake” can also help to reduce
your weight. That means eating carbohydrates, proteins and fat
at different times. For instance, have plain rice and steamed
vegetables during the day then in the evening have a salad with
egg (no yolk) and fish.
Be very careful with salt and use as little
as possible. One reason for being overweight could be water
retainment in your cells caused by salty food. Too much salt
will also increase your blood pressure and lead to heart disease,
liver or kidney problems.
Also, do not go for crash diets! You may lose
weight quickly, however, once you start to eat as normal your
body will gain weight faster than before. This is because the
body has been storing energy during the time food was not available
to it.
No weight-loss drugs too! These again may
enable you to lose weight, however, they can make you psychologically
dependent on them. They will also cause stress to your body;
it is not a natural, healthy way to diet.
Go for a healthy lifestyle! Be aware of what
you are going for and set yourself realistic, reachable goals.
Remember, it took a long time to gain that weight and it will
take longer to lose it.
But do not give up – you can succeed!
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