Obesity in the United States has become the number one killer. Our society and lifestyle play a major role in this ever growing epidemic. The bottom line is we exercise less and we eat more. I remember, when I was a kid, I would go outside everyday after school and ride my bike and play with friends. Today kids and adults spend more time in front of a computer/tv, as a result, we are lazier and eat more.
This country is all about abundance. The more the better. Portion sizes are ridiculous. We are always trying to get our money's worth when we eat out. "Would you like to super size it..." "For .50 cents more you can get the combo-chips and a large drink." Big gulps-64oz soft drink. Buffets...people love them because we can eat more!
The reason I decided to write this post is because there is only one way to lose weight effectively and sensibly. Calories In-Calories Out.
This method of losing weight takes longer and it is not a quick fix (what most people want). But, it's more effective in the long term and healthier overall. It's simple! If your expenditure (calorie burn) is greater than your daily consumption you will lose weight. In theory, this is really easy to understand but difficult to do.
So, how many calories are you consuming per day?
Realistically, calorie counting is difficult to do and we are not going to do it everyday. However, there are tools on the internet and phone apps that help track your calories. I would encourage you to track your food intake for 2-3 days. You'll be surprised!
The approach I like to recommend is the opposite. Instead of tracking what your are eating focus on finding effective and simple ways to reduce your caloric intake. This method is intended to eliminate certain foods and change "bad" eating habits. What foods can you remove from your diet? Do you have any "bad" habits?
Interesting post. I agree whole-heartedly that the key to losing weight, or maintaining a healthy weight is a good balance of calories in vs. calories out. A few months ago I committed to tracking my calorie intake and the calories I burned by using an application on my iPhone. Although it's not a practice that I have continued, it gave me a good idea for what I was eating during the day that was extremely high or low in calories. I think this information was most helpful for planning what I should eat when snacking or trying to ward off hunger during a 3 hour Social Media class. It was also incredibly encouraging in a lot of ways...imagine learning that how few calories there are in spinach!
ReplyDeleteYour post could be titled acCOUNTability--each person's ability to count their calories. But one should also consider lifestyle influences that may ultimately undermined the best intention to reduce one's daily calories.
ReplyDeleteHaving recently dropped 25 pounds, I certainly reduced my calorie intake by making some key changes (see post at http://bit.ly/bzai22/). However, I also recommend an additional step for individuals who plan to track their calories intake. PAY ATTENTION to the following 3 lifestyle-related factors:
- environmental (aka stress @ home, work, etc.)
- physiological (cravings too much suger, caffeine, carbs, etc.)
- emotional (do you eat more/poorly when you're happy, sad, or bored?)
Understanding the above 3 factors may prove the key to understanding the type of lifestyle changes a person should pursue as they look to reduce their caloric intake to ensure a healthy weight long term.