In this part . . .
**IN a DROPCAP** Chapter 1
Living a Low-Calorie Lifestyle
In This Chapter
Making initial decisions about how much weight to lose
Experiencing a new low-calorie way of life
Winning at losing weight with great tools and techniques
Sticking with the plan through trials and tribulations
O n any given day, one out of four Americans is doing something to try to lose weight. They change their diets, join gyms, swallow pills, and even undergo elective surgery in a never-ending attempt to shed those excess pounds. In spite of all these efforts, relatively few people are successful at losing weight and keeping it off. Most diets and weight-loss gimmicks are, at best, short-term solutions for weight control, and short-term means itās only for now, not forever.
By definition, your diet is simply the food you eat from day to day. With or without a plan, you could be following a vegetarian diet, a low-fat diet, a high-fiber diet, or a low-carbohydrate diet. Whatever it is, your current diet is how you choose to eat. A low-calorie diet is another story, though, with an altogether different meaning. To some people, it implies deprivation, suffering, and hunger. Iām here to change that point of view.
To say youāre going on a diet implies that, at some point, youāll come off that diet and eat differently. Itās temporary, and a temporary way of eating only has temporary effects. Look at it this way: If you have heart disease, your doctor or dietitian will probably recommend a low-fat diet. You canāt follow that diet for just six months and expect it to keep your arteries clear forever. You must cut calories to lose weight and, at the same time, develop healthier eating habits. You canāt turn back to your old habits if you expect to maintain a healthier weight for the rest of your life.
This chapter introduces the idea that the key to successful weight control is developing a low-calorie lifestyle plan. This chapter also explores the many facets of living a life devoted to lighter eating and better health. In this chapter you can find an overview of the tools you need, the planās details, and the resources available to help you lose weight without fear of gaining it back. I discuss everything in greater detail throughout the book.
Deciding How Much Weight to Lose
Think about a time when you were at a comfortable weight. Now, think about how much you weigh right now. The difference between the two is probably the number of pounds youāre aiming to lose. Thatās probably your long-term goal (which means you donāt expect it to happen tomorrow, this week, or even this month, but you do expect it to happen eventually). Of course, you can rely on much more scientific ways to determine how much weight you can or need to lose. In fact, government health experts have established standards for healthy weights that you can use to gauge your own weight.
Check with your doctor before you start any weight-loss program to be sure that your weight-loss goals and strategies are appropriate for your age and state of health.
In this book, you can find six easy steps to help you figure out how much weight you need to lose, whether or not your weight is putting you at risk for serious health problems, and how to calculate a safe and effective calorie range within which you can lose excess weight. You can find more info on the first three steps in Chapter 2 and the last three steps in Chapter 3.
1. Consult the healthy weight range chart in Chapter 2 to figure out how far you are from a healthy weight for your height.
Using charts and formulas for figuring out how much weight you need to lose, or how much you need to weigh after you lose the weight, helps keep your expectations within realistic limits. Your healthiest weight isnāt necessarily the same as someone elseās, even if that person is the same height. You may be built differently. Thatās why, when you look at a healthy weight range chart, you can see a range of acceptable weights for each height listed.
2. Figure out your Body Mass Index (BMI) from the chart and formula.
This step helps you figure out whether or not your weight puts you at risk of developing or worsening chronic medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
3. Determine your waist-to-hip ratio.
This ratio tells you if the way your weight is distributed on your body puts you at higher risk of developing chronic medical conditions.
4. Figure out your basic calorie needs.
Knowing this information can help you figure out the minimum number of calories you need in your diet every day.
5. Calculate the number of calories you can eat and still lose weight.
This information is vital because it tells you the maximum number of calories you can allow in your diet every day.
6. Give yourself a range of calories within which you can eat and still lose weight.
If you know this information, you can try to stick to the bottom of the calorie range and on days when you feel you need to eat more food, you can go as high as the top of the calorie range.
Many dieters aim for an unrealistic weight. If you have a tendency to compare your weight and shape to other people, you may find yourself wanting to lose more weight than is reasonable. Donāt compare your size and shape to others. The combined effect of your age, rate of metabolism, body type, genetic predispositions, exercise habits, dieting habits, and the number of fat cells you carry in your body ultimately determine how much weight you can lose and what your body will look like at any weight. That package of factors belongs to you and nobody else and thatās what makes everyoneās body different. You canāt stretch yourself any taller, change your bone structure, or borrow someone elseās genes. Be realistic in your expectations and goal setting and spend your time planning to get into your own best possible shape.
If youāre a control freak, youāre not going to like the fact that even though you can control the amount of food you eat, ...
