"We first make our habits, and then our habits make us" John Dryden
"Danae" by Gustav Klimt
Everything is a question of harmony, balance, health and well-being. No matter how much we weigh, what matters is how healthy and fit we are and how we feel about our weight. What we have to find is our very personal weight balance, going with our own nature and never forget that curves also are divine, sensual, feminine and beautiful.
Losing weight is about what and how much we eat and how many calories we burn. There are no miracles and no secrets about that : Consume more calories than you burn and you'll gain weight, burn more calories than you consume and you'll lose weight!
Consider the 2 following situations :
1- You are already an active person but you need to lose from 3kg to 5kg : try to either increase your physical activity keeping the same eating habits (providing they are sensible and don't need any changes or adjustments), or keep exercising the way you do (if it is at least 45 minutes 3 times per week) but make a few adjustments in your eating habits; for instance if you use to have a glass of wine 3 times per week have only one or none, or if you used to eat severals pieces of chocolate after your meals, drop them to one piece that you will take at the time of your choice, maybe after dinner as a reward for the day.
2- You are not an active person yet, you want to get fit and need to lose from 3kg to 10kg. The first job will be to analyze what you eat and make some changes or adjustments in your habits, then gradually or simultaneously (depending on how overweight you are) you start to exercise which will make you burn more calories than you used to. The combination of these changes will see you not only lose weight, but also gain mental and physical strength.
Your success in losing weight should be ensured by :
- eating the right food cooked the right way,
- drinking lots of water (at least 8 glasses of water per day),
- tracking portions and servings
- exercising enough to burn more calories than you used to and this will also make you feel happier, stronger and of course fitter.
Losing weight is not an easy or a quick process, as it is also about identifying and controlling emotional eating. It needs a true determination and a real plan. But the reward is really worth the effort. I can assist you to go through this whole process. I'm not a nutritionist but have enough training and experience in this area to be able to help you to change or adjust your eating habits and to adapt a program to your specific needs and fitness level.
If you keep exercising regularly in association with a very simple, healthy and realistic diet (which avoids massive deprivations), you will have the key to stay in control with your weight, for instance by exercising more to compensate some food excesses you would have done, but soon you will notice that you exercise not any more to manage your weight but only by pure pleasure because exercising became your best rewarding habit (bringing you this extraordinary feeling of wellbeing and total satisfaction).
You will set yourself free from worrying about your weight because from now on you know the way your body works and you have understood and experienced that exercising often and regularly is the passport for a balanced, healthy and happy lifestyle!
And now your favorite pair of jeans should be the best indicator of where you are standing in terms of weight; the way it fits and feels will let you know as precisely as the bathroom scales everything about your weight!
The goal is not only to lose weight, it is to be fitter and healthier and to feel happier, stronger and truly satisfied!!
Important other notes :Obesity is a medical condition which must be taken very seriously and treated by specialists (doctors, nutritionists and personal trainers with a specialized qualification) and it is so for being too skinny, both are critical extremes and can have dramatic consequences on our health. Doing adapted sport in a controlled environment supervised by specialists, in addition to an adequate diet, will be one good way for people who are seriously overweight, to lose kilograms and to become healthier, fitter and stronger.
If you have, or know someone who has, a compulsive eating habit (or "eating disorder" like anorexia or bulimia) you should seek medical support. These are extremely serious illnesses that need specialist attention, and must be treated as early as possible. Ask for help : your friends, parents, GPs, psychiatrists, on line: http://www.ed.org.nz
Do not keep it quiet...
Want to know more about "weight loss and fitness"? click underneath to read about recent studies and new findings (article: "Fitness may be more important than diet and weight loss in preventing heart disease")
Sandrine Labout
Mobile Personal Trainer
Opawa, Christchurch NZ
021 08 29 10 33
