I often get emails from readers asking advice how to start losing
weight. If you're someone who's truly interested in shedding that extra
weight in a natural, healthy manner, then one of the first items of
business you need to focus on is your nutrition.
Now before you roll your eyes and scoff at the notion of eating healthy, let's look at what healthy nutrition truly entails.
One
way to think of nutrition is just like the fuel you put in your car.
Each gas tank only needs a certain amount to be filled to capacity. What
do you think would happen if you continued to put gas in a tank that is
already full? Yep you guessed it, the gasoline will start overflowing
spilling out of the tank getting the side of the car all wet until it
starts splashing on the floor.
This is exactly how our daily intake of food should be viewed. Our body (car) only needs a certain amount of food (fuel) each day. If you put too little, it sputters and won't function at its peak performance, put too much and it overflows. But in this case the overflow is what unfortunately becomes excess weight in the form of fat on the body.
You want to avoid this at all possible especially if you're trying to lose weight. It all comes down to numbers, like it does with your gas tank. As your tank holds for example 13.4 gallons of gas, your body only needs a certain number of calories per day.
Since each one of us is different, we each have a calorie amount that will provide an appropriate amount of fuel for the body to function in a healthy manner. Knowing this daily calorie amount is key since this will be the number you will strive to hit each and every day whenever possible.
However, you may be wondering how you are actually supposed to figure out how many calories are in each item of food you plan on eating. In all honesty, attempting to figure this out on your own can be a monumental undertaking likely taking far too much time and energy.
Who wants to be burdened with that?
Thankfully there are digital tools to make all this simple to set up and use regularly. If you haven't had the opportunity to use one of the many calorie counting websites or applications for smartphones, there are some really great ones out there most of which are free! These helpful tools take the mystery out of calorie counting and make the entire process a breeze.
When you focus on the amount of food you are consuming on a regular basis you will be far less likely to overfill your gas tank and instead stick with a calorie amount that will promote weight loss.
Naturally this will take some time getting used to while you are breaking some of your current eating habits, however you'll find the more you consciously focus on making healthy choices in regards to your nutrition, new habits will slowly emerge over time.
Once
you get a pretty good handle on your nutrition, and tie in a bit of
exercise (if your doctor gives you to green light) a few times per week
whether it be walking, jogging, biking, playing a sport, or taking an
exercise class, then you will really see the weight come off.
Be patient yet diligent with the process. Remember you won't lose all that weight overnight, but if you're willing to stick with it and continually monitor how much sustenance you're putting into your gas tank on a regular basis, you will eventually reach your goal.
Now before you roll your eyes and scoff at the notion of eating healthy, let's look at what healthy nutrition truly entails.
This is exactly how our daily intake of food should be viewed. Our body (car) only needs a certain amount of food (fuel) each day. If you put too little, it sputters and won't function at its peak performance, put too much and it overflows. But in this case the overflow is what unfortunately becomes excess weight in the form of fat on the body.
You want to avoid this at all possible especially if you're trying to lose weight. It all comes down to numbers, like it does with your gas tank. As your tank holds for example 13.4 gallons of gas, your body only needs a certain number of calories per day.
Since each one of us is different, we each have a calorie amount that will provide an appropriate amount of fuel for the body to function in a healthy manner. Knowing this daily calorie amount is key since this will be the number you will strive to hit each and every day whenever possible.
However, you may be wondering how you are actually supposed to figure out how many calories are in each item of food you plan on eating. In all honesty, attempting to figure this out on your own can be a monumental undertaking likely taking far too much time and energy.
Who wants to be burdened with that?
Thankfully there are digital tools to make all this simple to set up and use regularly. If you haven't had the opportunity to use one of the many calorie counting websites or applications for smartphones, there are some really great ones out there most of which are free! These helpful tools take the mystery out of calorie counting and make the entire process a breeze.
When you focus on the amount of food you are consuming on a regular basis you will be far less likely to overfill your gas tank and instead stick with a calorie amount that will promote weight loss.
Naturally this will take some time getting used to while you are breaking some of your current eating habits, however you'll find the more you consciously focus on making healthy choices in regards to your nutrition, new habits will slowly emerge over time.
Be patient yet diligent with the process. Remember you won't lose all that weight overnight, but if you're willing to stick with it and continually monitor how much sustenance you're putting into your gas tank on a regular basis, you will eventually reach your goal.
Gregory L. Gomez, a LAUSD teacher who's also on journey to
develop a healthy life in an effort to lose weight and get in shape.
Follow his progress on http://HealthyChoicesInLife.com
as he strives to lose nearly 100 pounds by eating healthy and
maintaining a consistent exercise routine. Get a FREE monthly Healthy
Choices Newsletter along with a Healthy Eating eBook just for stopping
by at http://healthychoicesinlife.com/healthy-eating.
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