On Diet and Exercise
I've been getting some flack for being thin lately, and to express my outrage, I'm writing this reminder to all of you: if you're from the US, you are probably overweight or obese. So, before you go blaming me for my current fitness, why don't you take a moment to consider that your probable overweight/obesity status is taxing the health care system in this country more than any other issue.
I understand that there is a lot of misinformation about weight loss and exercise out there. I sympathize that a lot of the most tempting foods available are among the worst for your health. Believe me, I feel you that it is a lot easier and more fun to sit on the couch eating ice cream than to get up and do crunches and eat vegetables. I myself choose the couch potato with ice cream bit from time to time. However, the simple truth of the matter is, I don't like the way I look or feel when I start to put on that extra weight, and I really enjoy fitting into my skinny jeans, so, instead of eating even more ice cream to achieve a temporary lift of spirits about my fat ass, I choose the more sensible route: DIET AND EXERCISE.
As a token of goodwill, I shall give you some insight as to how I maintain my leaner physique, for those who care to know.
Diet.
I don't fall for the fad diet schemes, and I don't think you should either. You don't need to buy some mystical berries from Oprah to lose weight. It might work, I've never tried it myself, but I still feel it's all bullshit. What you really need to know about dieting, in my opinion, is a close examination of the food pyramid provided by the government for your own personal information. I've heard rumors that the new food pyramid is a scheme to sell more grain or whatever, I don't buy that either. I've read enough articles on Yahoo! Shine to come to the conclusion that any sane diet is pretty much going to resemble the food pyramid no matter how you slice it, so let's give the government the benefit of the doubt just this once for the sake of all our healths, okay? Okay.
If you've never taken a gander at the food pyramid, well I'm scared for you, but go ahead and take a moment to do so. Some insight as to its contents:
-YOU NEED TO EAT WHOLE GRAINS.
-YOU NEED TO EAT FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.
-MEAT AND DAIRY SHOULD BE CONSUMED WITH CONSIDERATION TO SATURATED FAT AND CHOLESTEROL CONTENT.
-YOU DON'T NEED THAT MUCH (ANY) SUGAR OR "BAD" FAT -- AVOID IT WHEN YOU CAN.
-A DAILY MULTIVITAMIN IS A SOUND INVESTMENT IN YOUR HEALTH.
As for me, I personally choose to use olive oil instead of butter when I can. The reason for this is that olive oil, especially the virgin and extra virgin varieties, contain healthy doses of MONOUNSATURATED FAT, that is the GOOD FAT. Olive oil tastes good and you won't even realize the difference after a little adjustment: you can even add salt to taste, I promise it won't kill you. An even better seasoning to use is pepper, because most Americans consume way too much salt as it is, which leads to water retention and weight gain, if you didn't already know.
Aim for unprocessed foods when you can. Have a baked potato instead of potato chips and french fries. This isn't rocket science, folks. Let's move on.
Exercise.
The bottom line: Calories in, calories out. If you consume more calories than you burn (about 2000 daily on average), your body is going to store that extra energy as fat. Keep that in mind at all times. Thank you. You can actually eat as much as you want and not gain weight as long as you burn those extra calories throughout the day. No, you don't need a gym membership to lose weight. Will it help? Only if you use it, duh. Working out has the added benefit of heart health if you do cardio exercise--and really, you SHOULD do cardio exercise--no gym required--just take a brisk walk around the block once a day, and give yourself a shiny golden star sticker for your heart. Like cardio exercise, lifting weights will boost your metabolism. If you're afraid of getting "bulky," do more reps with lighter weights. This will help you achieve that "toned" look, instead of body-builder huge muscle mass.
If you want more advice:
-DON'T EAT BECAUSE YOU'RE BORED.
-DON'T EAT BECAUSE YOU'RE EMOTIONAL.
-CHEW SLOWLY.
-CHEW GUM.
-BRUSH YOUR TEETH AFTER MEALS.
-A CUP OF COFFEE BEFORE EXERCISE WILL HELP YOU WORK HARDER.
-TRY MEDITATION.
-PLAN NUTRITIOUS MEALS IN ADVANCE.
-BE SENSIBLE.
-DON'T DEPRIVE YOURSELF OF YOUR FAVORITE INDULGENCES--THIS WILL ONLY LEAD TO BINGE EATING AND DIET RELAPSE.
-IF YOU DO A HIGH-PROTEIN DIET THAT INCLUDES A LOT OF RED MEAT (LIKE ATKINS), YOU NEED EXTRA CALCIUM--AND WATCH THAT CHOLESTEROL.
-GOING VEGAN/VEGETARIAN MIGHT BE GOOD FOR YOUR CONSCIENCE, BUT IT IS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT AND STAY HEALTHY.
If you want more info, do a Google search or see a doctor. I'm done here.
I understand that there is a lot of misinformation about weight loss and exercise out there. I sympathize that a lot of the most tempting foods available are among the worst for your health. Believe me, I feel you that it is a lot easier and more fun to sit on the couch eating ice cream than to get up and do crunches and eat vegetables. I myself choose the couch potato with ice cream bit from time to time. However, the simple truth of the matter is, I don't like the way I look or feel when I start to put on that extra weight, and I really enjoy fitting into my skinny jeans, so, instead of eating even more ice cream to achieve a temporary lift of spirits about my fat ass, I choose the more sensible route: DIET AND EXERCISE.
As a token of goodwill, I shall give you some insight as to how I maintain my leaner physique, for those who care to know.
Diet.
I don't fall for the fad diet schemes, and I don't think you should either. You don't need to buy some mystical berries from Oprah to lose weight. It might work, I've never tried it myself, but I still feel it's all bullshit. What you really need to know about dieting, in my opinion, is a close examination of the food pyramid provided by the government for your own personal information. I've heard rumors that the new food pyramid is a scheme to sell more grain or whatever, I don't buy that either. I've read enough articles on Yahoo! Shine to come to the conclusion that any sane diet is pretty much going to resemble the food pyramid no matter how you slice it, so let's give the government the benefit of the doubt just this once for the sake of all our healths, okay? Okay.
If you've never taken a gander at the food pyramid, well I'm scared for you, but go ahead and take a moment to do so. Some insight as to its contents:
-YOU NEED TO EAT WHOLE GRAINS.
-YOU NEED TO EAT FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.
-MEAT AND DAIRY SHOULD BE CONSUMED WITH CONSIDERATION TO SATURATED FAT AND CHOLESTEROL CONTENT.
-YOU DON'T NEED THAT MUCH (ANY) SUGAR OR "BAD" FAT -- AVOID IT WHEN YOU CAN.
-A DAILY MULTIVITAMIN IS A SOUND INVESTMENT IN YOUR HEALTH.
As for me, I personally choose to use olive oil instead of butter when I can. The reason for this is that olive oil, especially the virgin and extra virgin varieties, contain healthy doses of MONOUNSATURATED FAT, that is the GOOD FAT. Olive oil tastes good and you won't even realize the difference after a little adjustment: you can even add salt to taste, I promise it won't kill you. An even better seasoning to use is pepper, because most Americans consume way too much salt as it is, which leads to water retention and weight gain, if you didn't already know.
Aim for unprocessed foods when you can. Have a baked potato instead of potato chips and french fries. This isn't rocket science, folks. Let's move on.
Exercise.
The bottom line: Calories in, calories out. If you consume more calories than you burn (about 2000 daily on average), your body is going to store that extra energy as fat. Keep that in mind at all times. Thank you. You can actually eat as much as you want and not gain weight as long as you burn those extra calories throughout the day. No, you don't need a gym membership to lose weight. Will it help? Only if you use it, duh. Working out has the added benefit of heart health if you do cardio exercise--and really, you SHOULD do cardio exercise--no gym required--just take a brisk walk around the block once a day, and give yourself a shiny golden star sticker for your heart. Like cardio exercise, lifting weights will boost your metabolism. If you're afraid of getting "bulky," do more reps with lighter weights. This will help you achieve that "toned" look, instead of body-builder huge muscle mass.
If you want more advice:
-DON'T EAT BECAUSE YOU'RE BORED.
-DON'T EAT BECAUSE YOU'RE EMOTIONAL.
-CHEW SLOWLY.
-CHEW GUM.
-BRUSH YOUR TEETH AFTER MEALS.
-A CUP OF COFFEE BEFORE EXERCISE WILL HELP YOU WORK HARDER.
-TRY MEDITATION.
-PLAN NUTRITIOUS MEALS IN ADVANCE.
-BE SENSIBLE.
-DON'T DEPRIVE YOURSELF OF YOUR FAVORITE INDULGENCES--THIS WILL ONLY LEAD TO BINGE EATING AND DIET RELAPSE.
-IF YOU DO A HIGH-PROTEIN DIET THAT INCLUDES A LOT OF RED MEAT (LIKE ATKINS), YOU NEED EXTRA CALCIUM--AND WATCH THAT CHOLESTEROL.
-GOING VEGAN/VEGETARIAN MIGHT BE GOOD FOR YOUR CONSCIENCE, BUT IT IS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT AND STAY HEALTHY.
If you want more info, do a Google search or see a doctor. I'm done here.