Losing Weight the Right Way?

Deciding to try and lose weight can be a scary and intimidating thing. Searching Google or Bing won't help much, as it seems that everybody has a weight loss diet or fad.There are a lot of people trying to make a LOT of money from people who need help

Is there a way of loosing weight without expensive Gym memberships, unnecessary supplements and costly ready made meals and shakes?

There is a way to lose weight healthily, without any of the above. It is not easy, and it is not quick, but I can promise you that I lost nearly 2 stone, or nearly 13 Kg using this method.

What do I have to gain? Nothing in particular apart from a sense of satisfaction knowing that if one person reads this and finds it useful, then it was worth writing it. I promise you now that I am talking straight and am not here to mislead you,

WARNING The following article has disturbing images of me during my "Chunky Monkey" phase, you have been warned...

So, where's the catch Zakkers me old chum? Does this mean I need to cut out all the nice and tasty things I like to eat? Of course, any diet needs willpower, commitment and common sense, and this method may not work for everyone. But you can still have your cake, and eat it. More on that later.

Living in Greater London was taking it's toll. I was overweight and overstressed. Not talking a massive amount, but enough for it to affect my health. I had developed a beer gut, and a couple of extra chins. I ate far too much junk food almost everyday, drank far too much and did no exercise whatsoever. I was a total Chunky Monkey.I was heading for a heart attack.

If you are lucky there comes a moment in your life when you say to yourself, "I have to change my life." It happened to me. I ruptured a disc in my lower lumbar region resulting in surgery and 18 months of pain.

About the same time my dad went into hospital for a triple heart bypass procedure. OK Zakkers, time to shed a few pounds / kilos. But how? I was skint, and refused point blank to pay for someone else to take responsibility for my weight loss and well being.

Through my investigation, the first thing I wanted to tackle was portion size. It was clear that although my plate was no bigger than anyone else's, the proportions between the meat, potatoes and veggies were all out of kilter. Mounds of creamy mash covering pounds of meat, with a runner bean and slice of cabbage.

Now here comes the common sense part. I reduced the Carbs (mash) and protein (meat) and upped the veggies. The rule of thirds, one portion of each of the food groups. Not a massive change I grant you, but it seemed obvious that by reducing the not so healthy parts and upping the green stuff (or occasionally orange!) I would get more vitamins and less fat.

So, just how big is a portion? About the size of your fist.That's got to be one of the simplest calorific counting methods around! As a biggish man my fist is bigger than my wife's dainty ham-hock, so that's the size of my portion compared to hers. I promise you that I have never felt hungry after one of these naturally proportioned meals.

Turn off the damn TV, sit to a table and eat with your family. Have a talk over dinner and discuss your day. This is not meant to be judgemental, but I feel it helps set the tone for the the next part of the plan.

Slow your eating down. This is perhaps the most important aspect. We have a built in safety cut off when it comes to food, It tells us to STOP when you have eaten enough and cannot take any more. Only problem is, it ONLY works if you eat at a reasonable pace. If you eat too quickly, as we all often do due to modern life and its stresses, you override this built-in cut off.

It's something I am sure we have all done. You eat too much too fast and then feel like total crap afterwards wondering why you suddenly feel sick and too full to move.

Go for a walk every single day, outside in the real world for 30-45 minutes. A treadmill in a gym does not count. Get some air. Fresh air is a healer, so use it for all you cant. A bit of gentle stretching doesn't go amiss either, it really helped make my back stronger and more supple.

Saved the best rule for last!!

You cannot expect to suddenly stop eating all the things you liked before (told you we would come back to cake). Your body will rebel, and you will crave all the sweet sugary stuff you are not supposed to allow yourself. The you will binge and feel like crap, or worse still, a failure. I know, I did it with alarming regularity.

These are the things make life worth living, and to deny them to yourself is bad for your well-being. I still ate bacon and drank the odd bear. I refused to completely cut out anything from the new me. I just reduced the frequency and really enjoyed it when I did treat myself.

Conclusions

1. You already know everything I have written here

2. There are no banned foods

3. When you eat something "naughty" it does not make you a failure, ever

4. Eat slowly slowly slowly

5. Reduce your portion size and increase the veggies

6. Walk every single day and stretch

7. Bin those old bathroom scales, and measure how much better you feel after a couple of months, which is a much better indication of your well-being

8. Nothing is impossible, but it will take time

It did take me just over a year to lose the weight, which I think is a nice, slow reduction.

I feel fitter, healthier, and I love the fact that I did it, and it didn't cost me a penny more than my normal diet.

DISCLAIMER

If you are going to try to lose a little weight, always consult your Doctor 1st, don't follow trends or fads and be safe. Lose weight the right way.

Most of all, be comfortable in your own skin, and don't give a damn what the rest of the world thinks, be happy within yourself.

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