What the FDA Has to Say About Losing Weight Safely
I never thought that the US Food and Drug Administration would have suggestions on Losing Weight Safely, but they do! The tips are actually pretty straightforward and probably solid pieces of advice. Here are the highlights and my comments afterwards.
If You’re Overweight, Slim Down for Better Health - Well, I’ve gotten that far to get motivated to do that 
Ask Your Doctor About Sensible Goals - I haven’t declared a famliy doctor yet to go for a check-up (I’m trying to space out our medical bills a little bit and I’m still waiting for all of our bills from my miscarriage to arrive). When I do go, I will discuss what I am doing with my doctor.
Exercise 30 Minutes - Hmm…how about 5 minutes? That’s about all that I did yesterday on my Elliptical. Today I haven’t done any yet and I probably won’t. Exercising is something I am really going to have to work hard to get going.
Eat Less Fat and Sugar - I do plan on doing this, but I am trying to stay away from counting calories and fat grams. I will be aware of the nutrition content of things, but eat sensibly.
Eat a Wide Variety Of Foods - This one I will have to work on. I enjoy bland foods and that means I do not stray far from our normal foods. If I lived in a house full of strawberries, grapes and peaches…I would be a happy camper for the rest of my life. Of course, it wouldn’t be that healthy, but I would be in food heaven.
Watch Out for Promises of Quick And Easy Weight Loss - I have tons of apprehension that claims that you can have anything quickly. You know what they say if something sounds to good to be true…
What About Diet Pills? - This one I am curious about, but I’m not so sure I could take them. I don’t even like taking Tylenol when I’m hurting. I like to be in tune with what my body is telling me. Ok, ok. I confess, I did have an epidural but childbirth is a whole different story
Before Signing Up for a Weight-Loss Program, ask Questions - I probably will not do a weight-loss program because of keeping our expenses low due to our debt. My game plan is to read and learn as much as I can and that doesn’t have to cost anything.
Overall, decent advice. The hardest part for me will be the exercise part. Luckily, it will be summer soon and that means summer activities. Hiking, kayaking, swimming…all of that fun stuff. I need to get more active overall and get out of my house more.
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Got this tip (http://www.idealbite.com/tiplibrary/archives/lipo_sucks/) in my mailbox today which has a few things about losing weight. Might be interesting.
My personal experience is that losing weight is almost impossible without tracking calories. Without tracking, it’s incredibly easy for me to over eat or for me to think I’m over eating (even if I’m not) and then give up and blow my whole dieting routine. However, I can’t imagine the tedious task of calculating calories in my head or on paper all day.
Then I found a solution. There are tons of great websites where you just enter in what you eat, and they automatically calculate everything for you…calories, fat, protein, how many calories you can still eat that day to stay on your weight loss goal, etc. I belong to myfooddiary.com. There is also one called something like calorie king. And there are many others. Mine is $9 a month. I think calorie king is only $4.
One word of caution from a fairly new exercise newbie (exercising for the past 18 months now)…DO NOT OVERDO IT! Since it sounds like you’re just starting out with a regular exercise program, be careful not to guilt yourself into doing as much exercise as possible, while pushing your body WAY TOO FAR. It won’t take you long to build up strength and endurance but building a good foundation is crucial at this stage of the game! Best of luck.
A word about fat and sugar:
Fat is actually a neccessary part of the human diet (one of the three macronutrients), so it is important to keep some fat in your diet. The key is to eat more plant-derived fats (nuts, oils, avocados) and less animal-derived fats (high-fat meats or dairy products). Unsaturated fats (the majority of what you find in plant fats) actually protect your heart. In any case, though, avoid trans-fats (hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats). Keeping some fat in your diet will help you absorb the micro-nutrients in your other foods (especially your veggies), and will keep you feeling satiated. So don’t cut out all the fat.
Sugar, on the other hand, is the devil. There is absolutely no need for humans to eat it.
I started exercising again this past weekend. I used to be really active, but for the past couple years I became really inactive after some health problems.
I’ve started out with 15 minutes. And even though some days I wish I could do more, my body is saying stop.
30 minutes is something you have to build up to.
I also realized that I’d rather do simple exercises like jumping jacks and arm circles inside than going for a walk around the neighborhood. So it helps to find the exercise that is most enjoyable. Working out inside - you can do it in front of the tv! That way you’re not totally focused on the exercise, it can help it go by faster.
Another idea is to not think about time, but think about counts. I currently do 100 jumping jacks for example. But I could plan to increase that to 125 next week, 150 the week after that, etc.
So there’s alot of options. Don’t just hear people say “walk for 30 minutes” and then give up. Think outside the box!!!!!!!
I have been working on the weight issue also. There is a website here in Australia that I have found very helpful, http://www.calorieking.com.au It has a load of things, tracking diary, food planner, recipes. Anyway, good luck on the journey, the thing i have found is that trimming down is basic. Reduce portions and increase exercise. It is baby steps, you are changing a lifetime of habits. You will get there. p.s. love your debt blog,
Can I recommend an activity that you find fun for exercising instead of the elliptical. I love ellipticals, but a game of basketball or badminton (my favorite sport) really gets my competitive juices going and the notion of “exercise” is replaced by one of run. It might not work for everyone though.
Along similar lines, if you can afford a used Dance, Dance, Revolution set-up on Ebay and fit it into your budget, you may find that motivating. I’m working on getting the motivation to buy DDR, sad when you have to have to get motivated to get motivated :-(.
I would not worry too much about the elliptical right now. Get on it once or twice a week if you can, but if you aren’t motivated then don’t use it. Do something else instead, like going outside for a walk with your dog or your kids. Go for a walk on your lunch break.
The best way to start exercising is to try to work in short and easy walks, and to just move up from there. Get the habit first, and then get creative.
I also would add to this list that you should drink more water. Drinking water will do a few things for you:It will help you digest the food that you eat, so that you can process and absorb all of the nutritional elements of your food.It will keep you from getting hungry as quickly before there will be more in your stomach at any given time.It will help you stay healthy and avoid catching a cold, which can happen quite easily when you have a large calorie deficit (which seems to be the goal based on my starting to read your articles here).It will prevent you from drinking soda, coffee and juice, which can cut out a fifth, a third, or even close to a half of some people’s caloric intake.
I carry a 32 ounce water bottle with me to work, and I go through at least one every day (usually two) along with whatever else I happen to drink in the morning and evenings.
Not including the weight loss, exercising will have positive effects on your heart. Anything you can do to increase your activity will be great! Good luck!