Simple Weight Loss
By Michael Sharma
One of the first things we hear when the New Year rolls around is “I want to lose weight this year!” Most people with normally hectic lifestyles would rather pop a pill, and be done with this whole weight loss thing, but I believe you are different (after all…that’s why you are reading this article)!
Anyhow, the fact remains that weight loss is one of the things that bothers us most. And just why does it bother us so much? Simply because when we do get up to start on this ‘weight loss thang’, it’s not too long before we get stumped!
We are faced with a barrage of information ranging from the latest ‘thermogenics’ and ‘lipotropics’ (fat burners), to the constant barrage of articles in the magazines promising us MIRACLE CURES! And the bummer is that every single article / ad is accompanied by its very own ‘before and after’ photos that promise us the moon!
The fact is that weight loss, and it’s more important cousin, fat loss, are not such a complicated matter at all. Think about it…what makes us fat? For most of us, it’s simply that we take in more food than we require! So let’s get cracking with what will finally help us to lose achieve that simple weight loss that we have been trying so hard to do!
It’s that easy!!!
Most people, when asked about their food intake, would say, “Well I really don’t eat that much, but I still can’t lose weight. Maybe it’s just my body type.” The fact is, we all have a really skewed idea about how much we really eat, and I daresay this applies straight across the board to both thin as well as fat people. So let’s find out how much we really eat.
We will need to find a way to measure our food intake. How can we do that? Does that mean that you have to carry a scale everywhere you go? That would be kinda hard eh! No, we need something that is portable, and can give us consistent measurements at all times.
Ladies and gentlemen…..I give you….the palm!!!!! (Not the coconut palm 
…the palm of your hand!!!)
Shocked?! Worried? Have I gone nuts???
Nope. Think about it. Your palm is something that is always with you (I hope J). So all you need to do is to use it the right way when it is time to eat. You see, one of the secrets to simple, effective weight loss is to know how much food you’re eating, so when you dish your food out, quickly compare it with your palm (1 palm full of pasta / rice / pancakes etc). Store that information away somewhere, preferably in a book (you thought you could get away with not doing anything at all eh?!)
The next time you are eating that meal, try to eat a lesser portion, regardless of how much hunger you ‘feel’. That’s all, really!!!
Well actually, for best results, I would like you to monitor your food intake for at least a week. Now this stage actually is quite critical, as you need to make sure you are eating EXACTLY the same as you have been for the past few months. At the end of the week, sit down and see exactly how much you have eaten that week. Needless to say, you must also record your snacks and soft drinks (cups full) in the same way.
So where does that take us? My old school motto said something like “In Scientia Fortitudo” (In knowledge lies strength). You see, now you are ready to actually make some sound decisions about your food intake. See what meals / snacks you could have avoided, and resolve to cut them out from here on. Also endeavor to decrease your food intake by around a tenth, and then weight yourself after 2 weeks.
If weight loss has occurred, you are on track. If not, you know you can actually afford to cut more food out, and you will also realize how much excess food you had in fact been consuming.
The fact is, at the end of that first 3 week period (1 week of measuring and 2 weeks of reduced intake), you will be armed with a new sense of what it will take to get you that new look that you were after.
Keep going on, and don’t ever look back. When the craving for those pies and cakes hit you, remind yourself that those were what made you what you were. But you are now different – a newer, better you, and that’s what PowerUp is all about!!!
Michael Sharma, the brains behind PowerUp FIJI, Fiji’s finest new health, fitness and lifestyle improvement blog, has been a muscle and fitness enthusiast for the past 17 years, starting out with the usual Weider magazine nonsense before realizing the fallacy of the information provided in the mainstream muscle, fitness, health and beauty magazines. Today he specializes in helping people achieve their goals with tried and true methods, and with a minimum of fuss and loads of common sense and logic. No hype, no fuss, just common sense tips to PowerUp your life in every way!!!
