Take a health check .. .
Before you begin a new dietary regime or exercise programme, check with your doctor that your health status allows you to do so. A health check is vital if:
- You are suffering from any ongoing health problems
- You take regular medication
- You are under 20 or over 65, because children, teenagers and the elderly have specific nutritional needs.
And a reality check ...
If you do have a problem with your weight, stop beating yourself up over it. Being fat is not a sin or a criminal offence. It is simply a consequence of careless eating and lifestyle.
Even if you have tried every diet going, this one does not have to be the same. You are going to change your lifestyle and give up a few bad dietary habits. So, unless you have a medical condition that prevents you from losing weight, this approach will help you become slimmer and, more importantly, fitter.
Being overweight can undermine your self-esteem and the way you deal with situations. Losing weight won't change the fact that you have money worries, an unsupportive partner or hate your job, but when the pounds start to fall away and you begin to feel better about yourself, you will deal with those issues very differently. Your confidence levels will rise and you will have lots more energy, which will help to make all of your problems seem more manageable.
Don't be negative even before you start. This is not the problem you think it is - it's the solution.
OBESITY AS A DISEASE - NOT A MORAL FAILING
`Obesity is a heterogeneous disease in which genetic, environmental, psychological, and other factors are involved. It occurs when energy intake exceeds the amount of energy expended over time. Only in a small minority of cases is obesity caused by such illnesses as hypothyroidism or the result of taking medications, such as steroids, that can cause weight gain.'
TAKING A HOLISTIC APPROACH
- What you weigh is the result of several factors:
- How much and what kinds of food you eat
- Whether your lifestyle includes regular physical activity
- Whether you use food to respond to stress and other situations
- Your physiological and genetic make-up
- Your age and health status.
Successful weight management should address all of these factors. That's the reason for ignoring products that promise quick and easy solutions, or permanent results without permanent changes in lifestyle. Any product that promises that you can lose weight without lowering your calorie intake and/or increasing your physical activity is trading on fantasy and false hope.
