Weight
is probably one of the most common concern nowadays. People are sometimes asking how to
lose weight and be healthier. Here are some ideas that could be helpful if you're looking
for a simple but sound approach.
Psychology and weight control
Weight loss is the main concern of many people. This represents billions of dollars spent
each year. People not only want to lose weight but also to look great. Beauty is more and
more a matter of weight.
Top model and actors are fascinating for young people. Teenagers' role model are thin,
almost bi-dimensional. Syndromes like anorexia-bulimia, are more and more frequent. There
is a kind of distortion of the body image. Vitamins and other add-ons (L-carnitine,
ginseng...) are mystifying people. But now, you now the basic equation: to lose weight,
you have to limit your consumption and/or to increase your activity level.
Tips to control your weight
- Eat less: You don't need to be a doctor to know that one.
Don't be fooled by "light food", do not compensate quality for quantity. You
must feel hungry...and not eat. This is difficult, but after all, half a steak is as good
as a complete portion. Starving is also an opportunity to "burn" your calories
in excess, and to rediscover the pleasure of eating.
- Increase your activity level: no more lifts or escalators,
don't use your car for short trips, use your legs. Thirty minutes of exercise are a
minimum, so try to use your body. Fitness is good, provided that you do not compensate
with snack bars or other "complementary" nutrients. And remember, do not exceed
your capacity. It's far more clever to exercise slightly, but on a regular basis, rather
than trying to be a champion.
- Eat differently: Try to discover new flavours. Do not eat
meat at each meal. Green vegetables and fish are good for your health. Cuisine is an art,
try to be creative. There is probably something healthy and appealing for you.
- Drink water: Do you know that you don't need to drink
anything but water? This is trivial, but it seems that many people are using water only
for cleaning purposes. Soft drinks are calories, and there is no need to have so many
calories in a so poorly nutritive nutrient. A glass of Coke contains as much as 16 sugar
cubes.
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- Think: yes, thinking is an activity that burns calories. The
brain can only use glucose for its functioning. When the blood glucose (sugar) is over,
the liver compensates. In fact, some intellectual activities are consuming as much as a
tennis match...this is something to consider.
- Do not eat without any reason: eating should always be
linked to a physical need. To eat something, just for the pleasure of having something in
the mouth has nothing to do with nutrition. It's more or less a return to what Freud used
to call the oral stage. This behaviour has more to do with a kind of affective disorder.
Food is a kind of a reward for the ego. So, be proud, do not eat over and over again. Just
try to control your impulses.
Be rigorous: Limit your food intake to predefined periods. Eat reasonable quantities.
Limit your alcohol consumption. We tend to under-evaluate our alcohol dependence. Try this
test: No alcohol during two weeks...and gauge your resistance.
- Try to analyse your eating pattern: obesity is becoming an
epidemic disease, and the first step for a cure is to know your food habits. There is an
alimentary culture, and some behaviours are so 'natural' that we don't pay attention
anymore.
Consult a doctor: if your obesity is very important, try to consult a physician. Some
diets could help. The famous Slimfast could be useful, as well as the Weight Watcher
(behavioural therapy) regime. Drugs are not very useful, although some drugs currently
being tested (sibutramine ,Knoll Pharmaceuticals Co), could be interesting. - Last but not least: do not be obsessive, otherwise your
weight will change too fast and you could possibly gain weight afterwards. It's very bad
to have an unstable weight. This is a long-term issue, do not expect immediate results.
Molière, a classic French writer said: "you should eat to live, not live to
eat!"...something to consider.
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