Getting started

I think here is where I'm supposed to insert something like "consult your doctor before starting any exercise program." Though I'm not a doctor, I am confident enough in my knowledge to say that you will become healthier by losing weight and living an active lifestyle.

There are two components to losing weight. The first and many say easiest is by controlling your diet. Going back to the fact that a pound of fat contains 3500 calories, and as you consume fewer calories than you expend your body will use these calories, it is easy to see that by eliminating calories from your diet you will lose weight. Start off with cutting out some easy things you consume every day. They don't have to be big things, small things will add up each day, and the days will add up each month. Cutting out just 100 calories a day adds up to 3500 calories in just over a month. There goes a pound of fat! Ka-Pow! It could be switching from regular cokes to diet cokes, using an artificial sweetener in your tea or coffee instead of sugar, getting the apples with your Subway instead of the chips. Do small things now, and as you get into it, you can get radical with it. I got myself down to about 1800 calories consumed a day. Every day. No exceptions. One thing you need to know about me, I don't believe in cheat days during weight loss. They make it too easy to fall of the wagon, and only postpone you being at a healthy weight.

The second component is exercise. This is the harder part, and is not as beneficial as you might think. Don't get me wrong, you have to exercise, and there are many more benefits to exercise than weight loss. But you can cut about 300 calories from your day by cutting out 2 cokes. That is almost no effort, and takes no time. To burn the same amount of calories on the treadmill, you will have to run 2-3 miles, depending on your body size. That will take you about 20 minutes and may be a lot of effort for you. So never, never, never reward yourself for a good workout by giving yourself a treat. The calorie burn in a 2 mile run can be completely wiped out by just 3 Oreos. There goes all your hard work for about 30 seconds of pleasure. Just don't do it!

Notice the benefit of putting cutting calories and exercise together. If you cut out 100 calories from your diet, you will lose a pound of fat in just over a month. Add to that 100 extra calories burn each day through excersize, and that pound will be gone in just over 2 weeks. Sounds easy right? Just this alone could lead to a 20 pound weight loss in a year. And some of you will be okay with that. But if you are like me, 20 pounds in a year is just too slow. For you, I say get started like this, then crank it up as you settle into it. Cut more calories...excersize more. You'll have to find your own limit on the lowest amount of calories you want to eat. If you try starving yourself, you won't be helping your health, and you will find it very difficult to have enough self-discipline not to binge.


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