In theory, weight loss is pretty simple and easy to do. You simply just eat a bit less calories than you body 'needs' in a day to maintain weight. You don't need to cut drastically, just a little bit and adding in exercise makes it easier as it burns even more calories (and usually suppresses hunger for awhile). And, if you learn to eat more filling foods that give a lot nutritional punch for a little calories, then it gets even easier. Like what will keep you fuller longer - a 400 calorie brownie or a meal of of 4 ozs piece of chicken, 1-2 cups of veggies (your pick even) over a cup of flax/protein (and tasty) pasta in a very light sauce?
It really is simple and easy to do. Then why is weight loss so difficult for people to keep at it? It's so easy, right? Well, it's mostly easy, but...
Yesterday I was at the mall to walk around and explore what was there. I was beginning to get hungry. First, I bought a water, that helped. Then, in my purse I always keep a nutrition bar. I ate that (130 calories and full of protein and fiber - so it SHOULD hold me for awhile). I made it home to where I made three eggs and mung beans (bean sprouts common in Chinese dishes) for about 460 calorie lunch from the eggs and nutrition bar. If I would have stopped and grabbed a slice of pizza (plain cheese is 459 calories) or a butterless and saltless pretzel (310 calories), I would have gotten less nutritionally and would have still been hungry. One slice of thin crust pizza for lunch? My 3 year old could (and did) eat that slice.
And see, that's where it gets hard and that's where most Americans gain weight. I gather, most people make good choices much of the time. They eat breakfast, they pack their own lunch, they make their own food at home. But, every time they go out to eat, they eat more calories out than they would at home. When someone brings cake or cookies to the office, when it's a birthday, or a holiday, we overeat. Therefore, we tend to gain 5-10 lbs a year, from those simple little extras we just couldn't pass up.
That is where weight loss is difficult. It's not difficult to choose a good breakfast or a good lunch. It's consistently choosing every meal to count, every meal to be a little less than your caloric needs. It's learning to pass up, every time, the snack table. It's learning to not stop at a food court while shopping and so on.
Yes, OK, to lose weight you can have days you have more - life would be horrible if you couldn't have a piece of cake on your birthday. Or enjoy a few goodies over the holidays, but those temptations aren't around just then, they're always around. And saying no almost every time can be very difficult at times. Sometimes, no, it's easy. Sometimes you are feeling good in where you are with your weight loss that you aren't even tempted, but those days aren't every day. On a day with less sleep... you're more tempted. On a day with higher stress... you're more tempted. And on a day you have already allowed yourself to get too hungry, you get tempted to eat more than you need and to eat more calorie rich foods than you need. And, even how your scale is behaving can make you weaker or stronger to passing up temptations. if the scale is cooperating and going down like it should with all the great choices, it's easier to pass up temptations. On days that the scale seems stuck or goes up, it's easier to get in the mindset of "Who cares. I just want to eat!"
Yesterday it was very hard for me to make good choices. I did, but I also could have easily fallen prey to the tantilizing smells of the food court and then would have been angry with myself later for making such a bad choice.
Because I was good, my scale was a bit more agreeable. Still up from where I was, but it is at least going back down and I got a good workout in too.
Stats for 3/4/11:
Beginning weight: 255.6 Now: 240.2
Exercise totals in 2011: 56 hours
Walking totals in 2011: 183/1000 miles
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