If you want to lose weight then 75 per cent of your effort should be spent on eating less and eating right. Twenty five per cent of your effort should be spent on physical exercise. If you made a New Year’s resolution on losing weight then this is a good time to take stock of your achievement. We are into April. Have you lost at least four pounds?
If yes, then keep it up. Slow and steady wins the race. If you haven’t then you should know that there are 37,000 books in the market on how to eat right and lose weight. According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ March 17, 2015), dieting programs and books are a $66-billion industry. Now you know where all your money goes.
We all have different ideas on what is right and what is wrong. When it comes to eating, it will be hard to find two people following the same dietary regimen to lose weight. If you want to be a permanent loser (I mean losing weight) then eat less.
Obesity has been officially recognized as a disease by the American Medical Association. Obesity gives you grief with multiple medical problems. In Western countries, people are considered obese when their body mass index (BMI) exceeds 30 kg/m2. They are considered overweight if the BMI is 25-30 kg/m2. In simple terms you are either of normal weight, overweight (25-30 kg/m2) or obese (over 30 kg/m2).
It is no secret that most methods of treating obesity have failed. Some are good for a short duration but most people revert to their old habits. Habits are hard to get rid off.
There are many nutritional guidelines, official and unofficial, and yet, despite all of this evidence, we have failed to make a real impact on the problem at the population level. There is no simple solution. It is determination and hard work.
So the secret is out – to lose weight you have to eat smart and eat less for life.
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