One of
the most important reasons to lose weight is to improve your health. There is
no better way to increase your natural lifespan than to get your body and mind
into its best possible condition. The health benefits of improving your diet,
combined with adequate exercise are too copious to ignore. Excess weight and
poor diet are linked to many serious health conditions, some of them
life-threatening.
Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis
is a disease of the bones. It happens when your body loses too much bone; makes
too little bone, or both. As a result, bones become weak and can break from a
minor fall or, in serious cases, even from simple actions. According to the
National Osteoporosis Foundation, Osteoporosis is not a normal part of aging
and can be prevented by eating a healthy, well balanced diet and by engaging in
regular exercise. What you have to remember with bones is that they are
vibrant, or full of life. They are alive! They must be nourished and stressed,
in the form of exercise, to be at optimal health. Weak, brittle bones are of
major concern to the elderly, especially women.
Heart Disease. Heart
disease is the number one cause of death and disability in the United States. Some
forms, like Coronary heart disease, can be prevented by a nutritious,
well-balanced diet and plenty of exercise. Coronary heart disease is a
narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart.
It is caused by the buildup of fatty material and other
substances which form a plaque in the arteries to your heart.
Diabetes.
Diabetes
is a disease in which your blood glucose, or sugar, levels are too high. Glucose levels are directly controlled by the
foods you eat. Diets high in sugar, fat, and cholesterol are the major causes
of Diabetes. By transforming your diet and by getting plenty of exercise,
Diabetes can be prevented. Even those who have already developed Diabetes can
keep it in control by transforming the way they eat and live.
Cancer. Eating more vegetables and fruits has been
linked to a lower risk of lung, oral, esophageal, stomach and even colon
cancer. Some findings indicate that calcium and vitamin D may reduce the risk
of colorectal cancer. Evidence also suggests that folic acid may reduce cancer
risk. You can reduce your risk of health problems by having at least 5 or more
servings of a variety of different colors of vegetables and fruits each day. A
healthy diet also includes whole grains and is low in fat, cholesterol, salt
and sugar.
Obesity. Obesity means that a person's weight is
greater than what's considered healthy for his or her height. Obesity occurs
over time when you eat more calories than you use. Factors that lead to obesity
include overeating, eating high-fat foods and not being physically active.
Being obese increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis
and some cancers. If you are obese, losing even 5 to 10 percent of your weight
can delay or prevent some of these diseases.
High Blood
Pressure. High blood pressure can cause serious problems such
as stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure.
High blood pressure can be controlled through healthy lifestyle habits. Here’s an
interesting fact about high blood pressure: every pound of body fat requires an
extra seven miles of blood vessels to nourish! Imagine how much pressure it
takes to keep seven miles of blood vessels filled with blood. The good news is
that with the Savage Diet you can safely lose a pound of body fat in two to three
days. That means every week your body can reabsorb up to 20 miles of blood
vessels! Imagine how much pressure that takes off of your heart and kidneys!
Taking
Charge by Getting Organized
Whatever your reasons
are for wanting to transform your lifestyle, there is no better day than today
to begin! There are some basic tools and techniques you will need to get
started.
Food Journal
Simply
writing down the foods you eat allows you to take an honest and critical look
at how you choose to fuel your body. By keeping a committed food journal you will
encourage yourself to consume fewer calories and to make healthier food
choices. According to Dr. Jack Hollis of the Kaiser Permanente’s Center for
Health Research, “The more food records people kept, the more weight they lost.
Those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept
no records. It seems that the simple act of writing down what you eat
encourages people to consume fewer calories.”
A simple spiral notebook will suffice for daily entries. Write down what
you eat each day, using the following guidelines:
- Record
everything you eat and drink immediately.
- Note what you're
doing while you're eating―driving, watching TV, etc.
- Describe how you
felt while you ate: angry, sad, happy, nervous, starving, or bored.
- Be honest. It's
a journal, not a newsletter, and no one has to see it but you.
- At the end of
each day, examine how your emotions affected your eating.
Eventually you will notice a parallel between the foods that
you eat and the moods that you experience. As you become more physically
active, you will notice how your diet choices affect your stamina and recovery
as well. Keeping an accurate and honest food journal is an excellent way to
track your progress and to motivate yourself to continue in your efforts to
make positive changes in your lifestyle. Here’s a great Food Journal template
from the Clinical Nutrition Center:
Calorie-Counting Guide
A
Calorie-Counting Guide will help you track how many calories you've burned, how
many calories are in your diet, and the number of calories in the food you eat.
This is a great beginner’s tool for learning how to accurately track the amount
of calories in the foods you eat. There are many resources available for free
on the internet to help you keep record of the calories in your foods. Search
for online nutrient databases with reasonably comprehensive and “user-friendly”
arrangements.
Weight Scale
You will
want to keep track of your progress with an accurate weight scale. Weigh
yourself once a week and keep a record in your food journal to keep yourself
motivated and encouraged.
Positive Mantras
Keep
yourself encouraged and motivated by saying positive mantras to yourself over
and over. It is a great idea to say any of these mantras to yourself as you
look at yourself in the mirror. A positive attitude is vital to the success of
any new endeavor! Remember that you can do anything that you dedicate yourself
to! Focus, and believe, and you are halfway there!
