This is not a Diet...This is a Live-It!

Holidays. Birthdays. Vacations. Baby showers. Anniversaries. All of these and many more things will present a challenge for any weight-loss focused dieter, but for the person who is living a healthy lifestyle, they do not present such a grand issue. The reason for this is that the dieter sees all foods found at events like this as "off limits," and therefore covets them even more. This person will likely dive head first into the vanilla cake and not come up until completely over-indulged. For the person who is focused on living a healthy lifestyle, they realize that there will be special occasions where less than ideal food choices will be available, so they will opt to eat as best as possible with what is given, allowing for their special item of desire, and enjoying every bite! They do not feel any need to over-indulge in this item because it is nothing off-limit or coveted. It is an accepted and enjoyed food choice, so who wants to end something savored with a stomach ache from overeating?! This person will not get burnt out from bland and redundant meal or food options, because everything is acceptable, but in moderation and portions. This person learns to love and yearn for their fruits and vegetables, because they know the immense nutritional value they hold and how great they feel when their foods are encompassed by them. The dieting, weight-loss guru learns to despise and resent their fruits and veggies because they are "forced" to have them to "keep the calories down." This person eventually gives up and loses control, gaining right back whatever weight was lost, if not more. No mindsets have been changed. No lessons have been learned, so nothing sticks. The perspective is wrong.

If we want to make changes that will last a lifetime we must always be focused on creating a lifestyle that allows us to ENJOY life, NOT let it pass us by! If that means incorporating sweets, fried foods, etc. into the mix, let's do it, but knowing that this will be an allowed food option to be enjoyed within reason! Having a pile of fried chicken every day of the week would not be a wise idea, but enjoying one fried chicken breast with dinner one night a week would be great! Eating a tub of Cold Stone each week would likely not be the smartest idea, but enjoying 1/2 cup of low fat ice cream each day would be an acceptable treat! Substituting healthy alternatives for the foods that are not that important and enjoying the delicacies that we truly enjoy and savor are a wise and balanced approach to allow the concept "everything is permissible- but not everything is beneficial," (1 Corinthians 10:23).

In addition to making wise food choices with special allowances for special food items, we should be engaged in daily physical activity to keep our bodies strong and healthy. Though eating well may get the body to a certain level of fitness, physical exercise is the other part of the equation that must be met to truly offer optimal health. 1 Corinthians 9:27 says, "I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should...." It is in both our and God's best interest for us to maintain physically healthy bodies, and our physiology dictates the immense benefits to doing so. God designed us for just such a thing! I mean, who has not heard that exercise releases endorphins, which make us happy? God wants to bless us, but when we are getting in our own way through laziness and lack of control or discipline, we cannot experience the true freedom He wants for us. Take control! Discipline your body and your life to reflect your commitment to achieve a healthy and fit lifestyle! Work at it daily, and get back up on the horse when you fall! Never give up! Stop making excuses, start doing...the results will follow.

How much do I eat?!?!

So, you've started moving, but your diet is for crap; McDonald's, Taco Bell, or Burger King ring any bells? If this describes you and your life, let me make some observations for you.

First off, the "secret" recipe for weight loss is a decrease in calories with an increase in calories burned becomes weight loss. We decrease our caloric intake by restricting our bodies total daily calories eaten through portion control and stopping when calories are achieved. We achieve an increase in calories burned through cardio and weight training, each which burn loads of calories and work with the body to burn fat.

Now, if you have no idea how many calories you should be taking in, go to http://www.nutritiondata.com/tools/calories-burned and input your data for an assessment of what your body burns each day at your current weight and activity level. Now, this is the total your body currently uses, but if you want to lose weight, you need to reduce the calories put into your body. One pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories, so if you wanted to lose 1 lb per week, you would need to reduce your total caloric intake by 500 calories per day. If you wanted to lose 2 lbs per week, 1000 calories per day. Understand? In addition to this, you can add your daily workouts to boost your calorie burn, meaning that if you reduce your daily intake by 1000 calories, and burn an additional 500 calories each day, you have now bumped your weekly weight loss to 3 lbs per week. Make sense?

The type of calories you consume are just as important as the amount of calories, especially for satiety purposes. Think volume! If a Big Mac has 540 Calories and 29 g Fat, you have just eaten a good portion of your daily amount of food, and you will be hungry again in short duration. This is not in addition to the likely fries and Coke that accompany the meal. But, if you exchanged the Big Mac meal with a Subway 6-inch Oven Roasted Chicken Breast with loaded veggies, which has only 310 calories and 5 g fat, you will have added an amount of calories that your body can effectively handle without adding to your waist line, not eaten so much of your daily amount of food that you will be starving later, AND seriously eliminated the grease, oil, and fried gunk that comes with the McD's option. For the person on the go, Subway is a GREAT option!

The goal is to expand your calories throughout the day instead of blowing through them in one sitting. You will get hungry again later, and it is important for your metabolism to be fed every 2-3 hrs for maximum efficiency! If you eat a high calorie meal every 2-3 hours, your calories will be through the roof! Or, if you get so full with these high calorie meals that you only eat once or twice a day, your metabolism will be horrible and your body will not know what to do with the excess calories...so they turn to fat! Our body can only process so much at any given time, so it is wise to have meals within a 300-500 calories range, depending on your calorie intake, so that the body can effectively process the meal without it turning to fat.

Move more and eat less is a great method to lose weight, but it is always great to do it with a friend or a team of friends. I highly recommend joining with some other people who are like-minded in their goals so you can motivate one another through the difficult times and temptations of life! No matter what, making good choices one day at a time will have awesome benefits in the long-term! I wish you the best on your weight loss journey!