WAYS YOU MIGHT BE SABOTAGING YOUR DIET AND WEIGHT LOSS PLANS (PART 1)


Your Obsession with the Scale


Weighing scales are good but some dieters seem to have developed an obsession for it. Day in, day out, you are on the scale, measuring your weight with anticipation and trying hard not to freak out.  The next day, guess where you are, back on the scale. If you insist on keeping up with this, you are bound to feel emotionally drained, discouraged and even, impatient. This could lead to frustration and cause you to lapse or quit.

My advice : Focus on eating a balanced diet and on doing a physical activity you love and not on the scale. It is okay to have both long and short term personal fitness goals to keep you on track.

The Sitting Syndrome 


Majority of us, for the most part, spend at least 70% of our day sitting. You don't agree? Let's analyse it then. We spend so many hours sitting in traffic, then we arrive at our eight(8) hours desk job and stare at the computer screen all day. We take full advantage of the luxury of ordering our lunch at our desk and making use of the simplicity and sheer genius of technology to get things done. Then, at the end of an exhausting day, we are back again in traffic and by the time we get home, we are too exhausted to do anything else but eat, relax in front of the TV, then sleep, in order to begin the circle all over again the next day. The downside of this form of physical inactivity is that even if you hit the gym regularly for at least 30-45 minutes every day or every weekend, it is sadly not enough to counteract all those hours and days of immobility. As humans, we are designed to move and living a sedentary lifestyle will directly hinder your efforts to keep the pound off.

My advice: As tempting as that chair or sofa or couch might be, give your rear end a rest. The 10,000 steps prescribed by most health and medical professionals might seem too ridiculously impossible for most of us to attain daily but we must admit, it is a step in the right direction. So, do put in the effort. Take up every excuse or opportunity to move and stretch. Stand up (and I obviously mean that literally) and take a stand against physical inactivity and its direct and negative consequences. 

The Food Fast

Many of us erroneously believe we have to starve ourselves to lose weight. We skip breakfast, turn away lunch and pick at our supper like a bird or a worm. We comfort ourselves with the adage "No pain, No gain" and keep ourselves for the most part of the day, desperately hungry. To top it all, without a medical check and go ahead,  we exercise too hard, joining High Intensity Exercise classes we have no energy for. When you food fast, your body goes into a starvation mode, slowing down your metabolism and storing up all the fat it could get as reserve and this seriously, interferes with weight loss. At the end of your self imposed food fast, you 'descend' on the food; there is the tendency to overeat and overindulge, thus, increasing your risk of putting on all the weight lost plus extra. 

My advice: Don't deny yourself of food. Eat in small portions, as often as you choose, as long as you are eating healthy. A healthy diet is a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes and seeds. 

Too Hard on Yourself? 


My advice: Don't be. The key to losing weight right is having a positive attitude, a positive body image and a positive self esteem. Cut yourself some slack. If you have curves, appreciate it. If you don't, celebrate your 'non-curves.'  Either way, you still look good. Don't compare yourself with other body types, it is an exercise in futility. Accept and make peace with your present weight before taking steps to achieve a healthy weight and a healthier you.

Wait! There's more! Read on HERE

                 Body Mass Index (BMI) 


Body Mass Index (BMI) helps you know your weight category and calculate your ideal weight, using the information of your height and weight.  It shows you whether you are underweight, overweight, obese or have a healthy weight. A person should belong to one of the following weight categories:

Underweight (BMI below 18.5)
Ideal weight (BMI between 18.5 and 24.9)
Overweight (BMI between 25.0 and 29.9)
Obese (BMI 30.0 and above)

If you know your height in metres. Calculate thus;

BMI= (weight in kilograms) ÷ (height in metres squared) 

If you have your height in centimeters, calculate thus;

BMI=  (weight in kilograms) ÷ (height in centimeters ÷100)

If your math is a little rusty, not to worry, there's an app for everything. Just download one on your phone and you are good to go. Also, find out more about BMI and other weight measurements calculations by clicking here.


Do avoid these pitfalls even as you embark on your weight loss journey. GOOD LUCK!!


           




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