Get a Grip on Your Weight

Many of us are fat and, many of the rest are too darn thin. This causes a world of health problems and health problems create a loss in quality (and often quantity) of life. They are also expensive. So, the practical thing to do is get a grip on your weight.

We all do not have to look like super models or Olympic swimmers, but we all should strive to have a reasonable weight. If you are too fat, you are going to feel sluggish, stress your circulatory system and, especially as you age, have a bunch of aches and pains. I can certainly testify to the latter. I am, now a bit heavy. In the past, I have lapsed into obese and spent many years wavering between fat and chunky. I have arthritis and I am sure that my weight has contributed and, in recent years has caused unnecessary pain. I am now, slowly, getting rid of excess baggage. I stress slowly because losing weigh too fast is not a good idea and, even if it works, the results will be temporary. You cannot stay on a diet  your whole life, nor should you. You also, should stay away from any fad diet, all quick loss weight loss pills (they're usually mostly caffeine) and there is no need to send away for pre-packaged meals (they are expensive).

The answer is simple; eat less and exercise more. You lose weight when you burn more calories than you eat. It is that simple. You do not need to count calories; if you eat less and are still not losing weight, you need to eat even less or exercise more or both. You do not have to hire a personal trainer or head to the gym; walk more, ride a bike, do some old fashioned calisthenics, work in the garden, chase the family dog around the back yard, anything that gets you moving.

You will lose weight. It will be slow. You need to eat a balanced diet, with small amounts of each food group. Do not eliminate fats, carbs, or proteins. You need some of each, just cut the amounts. If you get a little hungry between meals, a small snack, very small, of nuts, crackers, cheese, fruit, yogurt are good ideas; just a bite or two. Note: if, during these hunger spell, you feel faint, shaky and mentally weird, you may be a bit hypoglycemic. Eat a high protein snack and get to a doctor as this may cause serious problems and may have underlying causes. If you go out to  dinner are a party and overdo things, do not beat yourself up. Just start back the next day and move on.

As for being underweight, I have no experience with that, but, everyday, I see people, usually young women, who are so thin they look sickly. Obviously, they should eat more but, I am told that they have body image difficulties and see themselves as fat. In those cases, there needs to be some sort of counselling available. If there is none, or, as is often the case, it is not affordable, I suppose the best thing is for family and friends to be supportive and loving and try to reason, gently, with the individual. I mention girls here because I see this extreme thinness most often in them and hear it mentioned more often as a female problem. I imagine there are males with the same problem and I would think they should be treated the same. In any case, the individual should see a doctor and make sure there are no underlying conditions.

We are a culture bombarded with images, in advertising and entertainment, of slender, athletic young men and women. You do not have to look like that but, for your own health and well being, neither should you look like Homer Simpson.