Weight Loss - Musings About Food, Nutrition, Dieting, and Exercise

Over the years, before, during, and after my own attempts at dieting, watching others diet, and just listening to others talk about eating habits and the best way lose weight I'd like to present a small listing of wisdoms or tidbits that come into play almost daily. I'm presenting them in no particular order and more-or-less as they occur to me.

The Best - The answer to the question "What's the best exercise to improve fitness" or in this case "What's the best weight loss regimen" can be argued, like politics and religion, Ad Infinitum, however, I have found the answer to be very simple indeed, and the answer is "The one you do". In other words arguing vehemently, for example, over the superiority of swimming for conditioning when all you do is argue about it, is, in fact, inferior to drinking ice water; drinking ice water is likely more effective than arguing for weight loss. Naturally the vigor and severity of the argument must also be kept in mind.

Nutrition - The thoughtful consumption of food should, where and when possible, be guided by what we need for healthy sustenance and growth, if it's delicious all the better. This, as we all know, is not always easy or possible or delicious. I think education and habit reformation can help a great deal here. You don't have to look very hard to see marketers everywhere, be it online, newspapers, newsletters, supermarket publications, not to mention the Food Network and the FLN (Fine Living Network) pitching or more courteously; enlightening us to the need for and ease with which we can all eat more wisely with nutrition in mind.

Preservatives - I've always mistrusted listed active and inert ingredients that are multi-syllabic and often unpronounceable. I have a strong suspicion that as time passes many of these miracle chemicals will prove to be the source of countless lawsuits and attendant pain.

Preparation - The classic excuse of a busy life, too busy to cook a meal lovingly, like most excuses, is in large part due to poor preparation rather than execution. The sheer joy of entering a house (home) fragrant with the smell of a meal being prepared should for its own sake be given more attention. This sensory image alone could launch a thousand memories in my mind and no doubt a few others among us.

Worth Eating - Rather than appearing elitist and close minded there are food items out there that we just shouldn't eat. It could be instinct or just a single bad experience, regardless if you don't think you should eat it, don't. What's the big loss, I only wish the biggest mistakes I've ever made had to do with selecting or not selecting a meal to eat. I do not mean that we should make this decision without thought or for that matter a taste.

Shopping - If you don't buy it you can't eat it. Simply put, never shop for food when you're hungry.

My wife accumulated a few tidbits of her own over the years and she used every opportunity to ingrain them in myself and our son.

Portion Control - Everything all the time is not what she was talking about rather everything in little portions, of course she also used to say substitute your desire for whatever with water.

French Eating Habits - One of the coolest things she'd mention was that the French eat in reverse order to what we here in the US are used to. Specifically dessert first and salad last. To the best of my knowledge this was partially a mind game where sugars consumed in different order fooled the stomach through the head that less was more. I'm not sure, but I also, think that salad at the end may well aid digestion and the movement of food through the digestive system. Eating slowly allows the stomach and the head to synchronize so that when you are, in fact (adequately full) you feel (think) full.

Bob Newhart - When interviewed he once explained that his secret to weight control was to chew every bite of food thirty times. Now I don't know for sure if this was part of his stand-up routine or whether this is a genuine "how celebrities lose weight" story, but thirty chews per bite will definitely accomplish two things 1) pre-digestion is taken care of, streamlining the course of food through the rest of the system and 2) you get tired of chewing and therefore eating, end of meal.

Last, but not least - 15 to 20 years ago I personally witnessed a remarkable "lose weight for free fast" weight loss regimen and I like to refer to it as the "Parts Guy at the Volvo Dealership Diet" - So significant, quick, and enduring was this obvious weight loss that it caused me to hesitate asking him how it happened for fear that he was suffering from a dread disease and wasting away, not so. He explained that he was tired of being heavy and now never ate anything past 6 pm, that's it, more than 70 pounds over a period of a year. Since then I've hypothesized (never tested, however) that meal quantities should be reversed, where Breakfast is the heaviest meal, Lunch medium, and Supper is the lightest of all, who knows?

Guy M. Hoelen has worked in a variety of professions over the years, including adult education within the technical and personal/management development areas and mental health counseling including crisis intervention. His consulting company, Austech Enterprises will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year. His current website http://www.liveyourlifelighter.com focuses upon weight loss, nutrition, and the sharing of accumulated wisdom. By the way, do you want to learn more about losing weight and the inspiration and motivation to do so?

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