Lets Set the Stage for Success.
Life as we know it seems to always include some sort of fad diet. Whether it’s your coworker from the office, your sister, or dad, it seems as though we always know someone who is dieting. Some of these people you know that are constantly trying new fad diets may lose the weight,
others may not lose any weight. Some people may even lose 20 pounds, but gain it all back as soon as their diet ends. So, why does this happen? The answer is that diets are often unsustainable long term. Many people look to fad diets as a way to quickly lose weight, when the reality is that there is no quick fix to weight loss or living a healthy lifestyle.
A simple diet isn’t going to magically make the pounds disappear and constantly depriving yourself of those things you enjoy most may have a more detrimental effect than a positive effect. The number one thing most people need to learn is that dieting isn’t always a good thing. What most people who are overweight need more than anything else is to incorporate positive lifestyle changes into their daily routines.
People scoff at the notion of taking the stairs or parking farther away and yet those are perfectly plausible methods of working a little more physical activity into your day. If those do not work for you how about taking up an active extracurricular activity, such as dancing? If dancing isn’t you thing, try joining a walking club or finding another hobby. You cannot lose a significant amount of weight by dieting alone. Whether you walk the dog in the evening for 20 minutes, or you go the gym 5 days a week, you must incorporate physical fitness into your daily routine in order to achieve the best possible results when it comes to weight loss or just living an overall healthier lifestyle.
When it comes to diet and fitness, the best results are achieved when diet and exercise work together rather than separately. Use your fitness routine to burn excess calories and use your diet in order to properly provide your body the nutrients and fuel it needs to build muscle. We’ve all heard many times in life that a pound of muscle weighs less than a pound of fat. While this is not true at all, a pound is a pound regardless; a pound of muscle occupies less space on the body than a pound of fat. Pound for pound, I would much rather mine be composed of muscle than fat. Dieting alone does not build muscle and that is something you will do well to remember in your efforts.
You should also realize that as you are building muscle you may be shedding inches while not showing a great deal of progress on the scale. It is very important that you keep this in mind throughout the weight loss process. Do not measure your progress by the scales alone or you will achieve misleading results. The problem is that far too many people do just this and get frustrated and give up when they are actually making progress. Do not allow yourself to be a victim of the scales. Look in the mirror, try on your tight pants, and measure your waistline. Measure your success by how you feel after climbing a flight of stairs not by how many pounds fell of the scale this week.
By incorporating fitness into your diet routine you are also enabling your body to burn off any extra calories you may have consumed during the day. This means that if you want to have a small treat during your day, you can make up for it by burning a few more calories than normal in the evening. This isn’t something that should happen every single day, but an occasional occurrence isn’t going to make or break your diet.
You should also look at dieting and fitness as a ball and glove type of relationship. While you can play ball without the glove, it seems to work so much better if you have both. Diet and fitness when combined can create fantastic weight loss results for those who take them both seriously. The thing to remember is that neither works as well alone and neither will work unless you are willing to do the work. You must make this a priority in your life in order to achieve the best possible results.
Weight loss is much more sustainable when your new, healthier habits become your lifestyle. If you struggle with working out due to low energy levels, or pain, come in for an adjustment. When your spine is aligned and the nervous system is working correctly, you will feel better overall, and having less pain to contribute to lack of exercise will make getting physical activity in easier.
If you are struggling to lose weight or just aren’t sure how to eat healthier, we can provide nutritional and lifestyle counseling to help you meet and maintain your goals.
For more information, or to see how we can bring relief to your life, call us at 816-584-0444.