| Look around and you will see that you are | | | | healthy.WELL, I CAN'T JUST SPEND MY DAY |
| surrounded by weight loss "secrets", diet pills that | | | | EXERCISING FROM DAWN TO DUSK!That was |
| imply they can do it all for you, drinks that will | | | | the other side of the equation, wasn't it? Well, |
| "help" you lose weight, doctors with "secret | | | | you're absolutely correct, and I would begin to |
| weight loss formulas", fad diets that promise all | | | | worry about you if you did. You don't have to go |
| kinds of wonderful weight loss effects...you can't | | | | to that extreme. There is a solution.WHAT? |
| help but wonder who's telling you the truth. Then | | | | YOU'LL SIGN ON AS MY PERSONAL |
| there's the biggest question of all. Is there such a | | | | TRAINER?Nope! I'm too lazy for that, but YOU |
| thing as a weight loss secret?Something is only a | | | | can sign on as your personal trainer. That is, you |
| "secret" as long as no one knows about it. The | | | | can do a little experimentation, find some activities |
| "truth" about weight loss has been known for a | | | | you like and begin doing one or more of them on |
| long time, so it's not really a secret.If you take a | | | | a regular basis...three or four times a week, let's |
| look at the label of most diet pills, drinks, meal | | | | say. You could garden, ride a bike, play with the |
| substitutes, diet books, and other weight loss | | | | kids or grandkids, take a walk, do some yoga, lift |
| problem, you will begin to notice that they often | | | | weights...the list goes on. You don't have to do all |
| have one thing in common. Again and again, they | | | | of them every day, and if you find one you really |
| have statements that say something to the | | | | like, you can do it several times a week if you |
| effect of "...when used with exercise and proper | | | | want. One thing to remember, of course, is that |
| nutrition."The secret is, that most, if not all of | | | | you should ease into any program and only |
| these diet products at best only ASSIST in what | | | | increase it once you are sure that you are fine at |
| nature can do almost perfectly well without their | | | | the level you are at...and then, increase it gradually. |
| help!The basic biology and physics of weight gain | | | | I've seen some champion bodybuilders who |
| and weight loss has been known for years! Even | | | | started out lifting just the barbell with no weights |
| if your math wasn't too good in school, this | | | | on it at all, and I know of runners who started |
| equation is easy. Take in more calories than you | | | | out by walking to the mailbox and back. In the |
| burn...you gain weight. Burn more calories than you | | | | army, I used to run six miles or more, but when I |
| take in...you lose weight. The problem, and it's not | | | | started running, I barely got a block down the |
| a secret, is that we are human!SO WHAT'S | | | | road before I had to drop back to walking.Start |
| WRONG WITH BEING HUMAN, BUD!There is | | | | making some small changes to your diet as well. I |
| nothing wrong with BEING human. In fact, | | | | am using the word "diet" in this case to mean the |
| sometimes I even talk to one. I have a couple of | | | | things you eat, not some particular diet. Start |
| human friends, one lives next door (I think), and I | | | | popping a multivitamin every day. You may find |
| would even let my daughter marry one. The | | | | that helps make you feel a tiny bit more |
| problem is that each human is, as Sister Mary | | | | energetic. Cut out sugar. As much as I don't like |
| Fides used to drum into our teenage human skulls, | | | | artificial sweeteners, they are probably going to |
| unique. This means that if I show you the perfect | | | | be better for you than sugar. If, like me, you |
| weight loss program and it works like a charm for | | | | worry about the effects of artificial sweeteners, |
| you, your next door neighbor might have a | | | | try stevia. My wife and I have been using it for |
| problem making that exact program work for her | | | | some time. It took a little getting used to, but I |
| or him.WHY WOULD A WEIGHT LOSS | | | | have noticed a definite decrease in heartburn and |
| PROGRAM WORK FOR ONE PERSON AND NOT | | | | carb cravings.Educate yourself about nutrition and |
| ANOTHER?As Shakespeare has Cassius say in | | | | exercise. You don't have to take a college course. |
| Julius Caesar, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our | | | | If you are reading this online, you can go to or |
| stars, but in ourselves...!"Now, I am NOT saying | | | | mayoclinic.com/ and get a lot of great health, |
| that it is YOUR FAULT, per se, but the difficulty | | | | fitness, and weight loss information.Read food |
| of making one magic thing, even the perfect | | | | labels, and start thinking about what you are |
| weight loss program, lies in the very uniqueness | | | | putting in your mouth. Most of us can look at |
| that makes us so human.One person inherits | | | | some foods and realize that they might not be |
| some genes that tend to make them fatter than | | | | good for us, at least not in large quantities, so cut |
| others. Another person would have been a lot | | | | you portion sizes. Don't know what a portion size |
| smaller, but they were raised in a home where a | | | | is? Look on the label!Stay away from |
| type of cooking or lifestyle was common that | | | | prepackaged foods, junk food, fast food, or learn |
| encouraged them to grow fatter. Someone else | | | | enough about them to make intelligent |
| experiences some severe emotional ups and | | | | choices.SET SOME GOALSThis is where I'm |
| downs that contribute to bad eating habits that | | | | supposed to tell you to decide to lose X number |
| cause them to gain weight. Nature designed some | | | | of pounds in Y number of days, right? Wrong. |
| chemical changes in our bodies to meet certain | | | | This is where I tell you to start setting some |
| needs, and we changed OUR natural surroundings | | | | performance goals about how you are going to |
| so that these changes now work against us | | | | try to live. I say "try" because you WILL slip from |
| rather than serving us. And if any one of those | | | | time to time, and there will be times you will just |
| isn't enough, most people who are overweight | | | | have to make do in a situation and eat that Big |
| actually have more than one of these things going | | | | Mac, darn it! Go ahead, make the sacrifice and eat |
| on, and some of them actually increase the affect | | | | it, but then get back on the wagon. Don't worry |
| of other contributing factors!We have other | | | | about a Big Mac or a single bowl of ice cream or |
| differences that make it difficult to create a | | | | even a binge after you catch him/her cheating on |
| one-size-fits-all weight loss program. Your | | | | you. The occasional dietary sin will not send you |
| brother-in-law loves to work out with weights, but | | | | plunging back into fat hell...unless you let it.ON |
| that bores you to tears. Your neighbor has a | | | | THAT NOTE....Grow up, take charge, and quit |
| Bowflex and you think it is great, but you travel a | | | | looking around for someone or something to |
| lot and can't figure out how to take a Bowflex | | | | blame. Oh, maybe there are a lot of reasons why |
| with you! Your cousin lost a lot of weight on a | | | | you got fat, and maybe they are reasons that |
| certain diet, but your metabolism is different, and | | | | you had no control over, but the point is that |
| you didn't really lose any weight when you tried it. | | | | losing weight is going to happen today and |
| In fact, you tried diet after diet and actually | | | | tomorrow, and it is going to depend on the future |
| GAINED weight! By the way, it is fairly common | | | | choices you make, not on what the past has |
| to gain weight when you try a lot of different | | | | done to you. My father, who was a good man |
| diets. It's slightly complicated to go into here, but | | | | otherwise, was an alcoholic. I cannot let that |
| often when you go on a diet and then come back | | | | change who I am going to be today or |
| off of it, your body has learned to get by on | | | | tomorrow, unless I use it as an incentive to be |
| fewer calories. Once you go back to eating like | | | | better because of it.The author is retired from |
| you used to, it now has extra calories to store as | | | | the Army after 21 years of service, has worked |
| fat. Remember our equations up above?There | | | | as an accountant, optical lab manager, restaurant |
| are also many people who want the "lose 30 | | | | manager, and instructor. He has been a member |
| pounds in 30 days" promise to be true. They | | | | of Mensa for several years, and has written and |
| have been so upset over their weight for so long | | | | published poetry, essays, and articles on various |
| that they want to believe that almost any claim is | | | | subjects for the last 40 years. He developed an |
| true, no matter how silly it seems, or how | | | | interest in health and fitness in the '70s after |
| dangerous to their health it actually is!CAN'T I | | | | reading numerous books, including Dr. Kenneth |
| JUST CUT WAY BACK ON CALORIES?Probably, | | | | Cooper's "Aerobics". This has led him to continue |
| you (and I) could stand to cut some of the | | | | his personal research into health and fitness for |
| calories out of our daily diet. However, there is a | | | | over 30 years, and to pursue course work on the |
| point at which the body resets some internal bells | | | | subjects of health and fitness, including yoga, |
| and whistles, and we may actually begin to gain | | | | which he practices regularly. Learn more about |
| weight. Also, cutting out food means cutting out | | | | vitamins and weight loss. |
| the nutritional elements our body needs to be | | | | |