How To Lose Weight And Keep It Off

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Exercising does not work. There are good reasons to exercise. Losing weight is not one of them. It takes too much exercise to burn away the calories in just a little high-calorie-density food. To lose weight and then maintain an ideal weight you have to pay a lot of attention to what you eat and how much you eat.

Most diet plans do not work. They rely too much on will power to limit portion size. Most people do not have the will power to stop at 6 potato chips or to eat half the size of a piece of icing-covered, chocolate cake that they really want to eat. That's especially true when they have had a demanding day and need compensation; and indulgence is a way to get back a sense that life is wonderful after all.

Supplements, medications, and metabolism boosting food do not work. They just are not effective enough to be of value, especially over the long term, and isn't that what matters most?

What does work, at least for me, is eating lots of fruits and vegetables. They fill you up without adding enough calories to cause weight gain. Fullness satisfies hunger and decreases food cravings. The high fiber content of fruits and vegetables makes them digest slowly so you stay satisfied longer and do not get so hungry for snacks between meals. Fruits and vegetables are nutrient-dense, providing the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy and vigorous. And they have other important health benefits such as keeping you regular and reducing your chance of getting some types of cancer.

I am 5' 7" tall and around 120 pounds. I eat 10 ounces of fruit and vegetable at every meal and very small servings of everything else. Each meal includes a very small serving of meat (usually fish), a small serving of whole grain (or seeds or nuts), and a small serving of some kind of legume (usually beans). That combination provides good nutrition. The only supplements that you might need are a multi vitamin and a B12 pill if you eat very little meat and possibly a vitamin D supplement if the multi vitamin contains less than a few hundred IUs and you do not drink vitamin D fortified milk.

The four main rules I use are:
1.) eat mostly fruits and vegetables,
2.) eat mostly whole foods (not processed or refined),
3.) eat enough high nutrient foods to give the body the nutrients it needs,
4.) do not exceed your calorie needs when eating high-calorie foods: starchy foods like grain, seeds, nuts, root vegetables, squash; oily foods such as nuts, sausage, cheese; and protein foods such meat and eggs.

With that diet scheme I am able to fill up at every meal and eat as much as I want to be satisfied.

I limit added sugar and oil to just enough to get food to taste good. I eat practically no sweet, dessert-type food. Fruit processed with a little oil (or sunflower seeds) and a little sugar tastes about as good as traditional desserts. Yeah, I do give up the chocolate cake, candy, and such but life is like that. A person often has to give up something to get something more valuable.

It takes some time to prepare healthy and tasty meals, but for me it is worth. There is nothing more valuable than good health.

I do a fast walk 20 minutes a day for cardio vascular fitness, improved balance, maintaining endurance, and other health benefits. I do a minimal amount of isometric exercises every day to maintain good posture, strength, and bone density. A good diet and daily exercise are two basic components of maintaining the best lifelong health and vigor. Take pride in your health-maintaining efforts. They make your life better and more enjoyable.

Alan Detwiler is the author of http://www.leisureideas.com, a website presenting various ideas for leisure enjoyment and ways to live better, longer, and more enjoyably.

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