Recently the study of obesity and weight loss has culminated in the HBO Documentary The Weight of the Nation. The following organizations were responsible for this series.
In addition 48 experts were part of this ground breaking project including Samuel Klein, MD from Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. Since I live in St. Louis I’m excited to see someone so close to us involved in such great work. Go online and watch! I promise you will learn a lot about yourself.
A 2011 calculation has the weight loss market valued at $60.9 BILLION. The documentary outlines many aspects of the Nation’s weight loss struggle. I think we should ban together and put the diet industry out of business. Choose to make two changes…..forever.
1. Increase your aerobic activity by 150 minutes a week. Good gosh. If you are doing nothing, that is only 21.43 minutes a day…per day…forever. Walk! Walk! 20 minutes. WALK! Now is the time to build the habit because exercise is the best way to keep the weight off. Exercise is actually a good replacement for the comfort food. Both stimulate the brain for the “feel good” feelings.
2. Drop your weight by 10%. If you weigh 200 pounds…..get at least 20 pounds off (the documentary says 7% but the math is easier if you say 10%). This is a more complicated issue, but start with making two changes.
a. Eliminate sugar sweetened drinks from your diet…forever. Fruit Juice, Soda, Energy Drinks.
b. Don’t go extreme on a diet but stop eating fast food, white flour/sugar, and processed food. Forever.
I know this sounds like what you’ve always heard about weight loss, but the next step will make the difference. Changes do not come overnight. Over time you can forget what you learned about your body. A Journal will insure your success. I’ll be so bold as to say:
The key to success is to Journal your progress.
Below are some suggestions on what you need to write as you begin and continue your journey:
- Conscious/Mindful Eating — make it a habit to take a long slow deep breath before you dig in. You might even want to offer a Blessing.
- List food: what, when, portions
- How does the food make you feel after you have finished a meal. Even up to an hour after you ate.
- Daily exercise. Length of your walk, pace, chart your lifting or other exercise.
- The Date, Weather, Your Mood
- Focus on Your Goal
- Look up nutrition of the food you eat before you eat it
- Exchange healthy food ideas with friends, write it in your Journal
- Write your Prayers and be Grateful for the progress you’re making.
- Focus on Stress! Problems you might have at work, or in your relationships — Journaling will help you examine the feelings instead of trying to handle them with food.
Begin now with the understanding that you are choosing to do this forever! If you don’t — your forever may not be too far away.
Be Well!
