Five Lazy Ways to Lose Weight

Let’s face it.  We’re all lazy, or at least would like to be.  But don’t feel guilty.  It’s human nature to expend as little energy as possible.  We also naturally seek pleasure, and avoid discomfort. If changing behavior to lose weight means giving up things we like to do, causes discomfort, or takes much effort, then it’s very likely we’re just not going to do it.

So let’s minimize the pain.  Here’s a list of 5 ways you can be lazy, enjoy good food, lose weight, and not suffer while doing it:

1.       Make your first meal of the day the biggest, whatever time that may be.  Not only is it nutritionally important for you to fuel up at the beginning of your day, it is also one of the best ways to get your metabolism geared up.  This helps you lose.

2.       Eat low-fat, whole fiber food at the beginning of every meal, then wait 5 or 10 minutes before eating the rest.  Fiber causes certain gut hormones to be released into the blood stream.  These hormones make you feel full and satisfied earlier, so you eat less of the high calorie foods you may otherwise crave.  A cup of beans, a bowl of berries, an apple or a pear, or a green salad will all work.

3.       Go to bed early.  When you lose sleep, hormones influencing hunger will cause you to eat more.  So to lose weight, get more rest.

4.       Get more NEAT.  What is NEAT?  It’s physical activity you do that you probably don’t even think about.  For example, twirling in your office swivel chair will burn 50 calories for every 60 twists.  Chewing gum burns 11 calories per hour.  Other activities like tapping your foot, pacing while you talk on the phone, singing with the radio – they all burn calories and they all add up.  So get NEATer.

5.       Eat nothing but low-fat, whole fiber foods for supper.  You won’t feel deprived or hungry all night long, and you won’t eat many calories.  The best thing is that you will burn fat when you won’t even know it – while you are asleep.

There you have it.  Five easy ways to be lazy, get slim, feel great, and restore your health all at the same time.  Give it a try!

The author submits this blog posting as a health educator and not in any other capacity. You should seek the advice of your physician regarding a personal health condition or before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.

Fiber - It Even Works for Dogs

Last evening my wife, step-daughter, and I attended a holiday party at a good friend’s home. As we arrived we were greeted by Molika, his Rhodesian Ridgeback hound. I hadn’t seen Molika in some time, but she was noticeably more fit, agile, and sleek appearing than I remembered from before. In talking to her master, I discovered that Molika had lost about 20 pounds. How did she do it? By eating green beans! That’s right – green beans. At every meal, Molika gets her usual dog food, but in smaller amounts, because the rest of her portion is comprised of green beans. She likes how they taste, and they fill her up, not out. I kept this in mind as I went through the serving line at the party. I filled up on fiber foods by eating a green salad, tabouli, carrots, and a dish made from cauliflower and broccoli. Because of this, I didn’t feel deprived when I split a piece of baklava with my wife for dessert. What worked for Molika worked for me. And it will for you too.

Remember Molika, the green-bean-eating Rhodesian Ridgeback, every time you eat. Fill yourself up on fiber foods like beans, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. When you do this, you will naturally eat less of the foods that caused you to gain weight. You won’t feel deprived, and before long, you will be fit, agile, and sleek – just like Molika!

The author submits this blog posting as a health educator and not in any other capacity. You should seek the advice of your physician regarding a personal health condition or before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.

Set the Right Goal to Lose Weight

I talk to a lot of patients who don’t set the right goal as they try to lose weight. They get side-tracked and focus only on the amount of fiber they eat, instead of what they really need to be concerned about – getting thinner.

If you focus only on how much fiber you eat, there is a possibility that you may succeed in achieving your fiber goal, but fail at dropping pounds. This is because the benefit of eating fiber foods can be overcome be overeating, or by eating too much of fiber foods that also are high fat. I’ve heard stories about people eating a meal that had over 40 grams of fiber – a giant burrito, for example. But the real issue is whether or not they needed to eat that much food at one meal because they were still hungry, or if they did so just because they thought stuffing themselves with that much fiber would in and of itself cause weight loss.

Your goal should be to lose weight. Eating more fiber is just a tool you use to achieve the goal. Fiber satisfies those hunger pangs and helps stop the need for snacking between meals. Eating more fiber is the roadmap that helps you get there. So don’t lose your direction. Eat more fiber foods as a means to an end – but don’t let it be the only tool you use.

To reach your weight loss goal you also need to stop eating when you aren’t hungry. You may only need to eat half of that 40-gram burrito to feel satisfied, for example. Just because it is lunchtime, you don’t have to eat lunch if you aren’t hungry. Try to skip a meal or put it off for hours, and wait until you are truly hungry – just remember to stop eating as soon as the hunger pangs disappear, and to eat slowly. Also, keep in mind that feeling hunger is not a state of emergency. Look forward to the feeling—it means you are reaching your goal by burning body fat.

Getting thinner is your destination. Put fiber foods to work, and then the pounds will melt away.



The author submits this blog posting as a health educator and not in any other capacity. You should seek the advice of your physician regarding a personal health condition or before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.