Copyright by James Carlson
Ever wonder why you gain more weight than when you began trying to lose weight? Ever ask the question if weight loss is healthy or not? Ever stop to think that diet supplements, substitutes, and fad solutions may not be healthy for you? What if what you’re doing to your body isn’t what is good for you? Are you ready to change to a natural diet that makes sense and could possibly improve your health while losing weight? I recommend the Equilibrium Diet.
First let’s ask the question, ‘Why do you want to lose weight?’ Is it to impress your girlfriend, wife, or co-workers? Bad idea. You should not be trying to impress others as that matters little. If you want to lose weight it should be to improve your health. Therefore, why the rush? The best plan to lose weight will take time – a life time. Don’t be in a hurry.
My mother was a Weight Watchers counsellor for 33 years. She helped many people lose weight slowly. She said that the word ‘diet’ has the word ‘die’ in it. Don’t kill yourself with your diet. Make it a part of your ‘life-style.’ Living means more than body size and shape. It means eating healthy, in moderation. It also means moderate exercises.
Face it. We are fat because we eat too much. We wouldn’t have this problem if we lived on a farm and worked our tails off to put food on the table. We have a weight problem because we underwork and overeat. Nothing more is needed to understand the problem. But artificial diets and workout programs are not the solution. A healthy diet and genuine work activity are.
My mom also taught that we should not eat isolated food groups to the exclusion of others. Veggie only, carbs only, and protein only diets are not healthy. Every single meal you eat should include all the food groups so you have all the nutrition you need. So make sure you eat a balanced diet and practice portion control.
My mother, who practiced what she preached, also said that what you eat doesn't matter. It’s how much of it you eat and how often you eat that much that much. Portion control is what Weight Watchers is all about. Granted, I don’t have time to weigh my food or count calories. I try to put small portions on my plate and then if I’m still hungry, I'll take half portions on my second helping. So be sure to limit the portions and spread out the items that make you fat over a week instead of eating them daily. Portion control is a key element to losing and keeping your weight off.
And you have to enjoy what you eat. How far can you go if you hate your diet? Eating what you don't like until you lose weight means you will reject your diet when you lose some weight. Please don't seek temporary relief only to reject it when you find you have no long-term plan to keep the weight off. You must enjoy your meals, get full, and be satisfied with what you eat or you won’t stay on the plan. Again, it must be a part of your lifestyle if you are to succeed.
So let's get real about our weight loss. 85% to 95% of the people who try to lose weight with a weight loss diet gain it back and often gain more than when they began. Why is that? It is simple, people are busy losing and not maintaining their weight.
If you gain or lose weight you are practicing disequilibrium in your weight management. Most people who lose weight fast gain it back fast because they never practiced equilibrium in their diet. Maintaining your weight should be your first goal in losing weight. Spend more time maintaining your weight than you spend losing it or it will come back and possibly worse. Be sure you practice staying at one weight on the scale for months before you try losing weight. Taking small steps to lose weight is a must if you want to keep it off.
Again, if you only practice disequilibrium in your diet to lose weight, once you achieve your target goal you will have no experience with equilibrium to maintain your weight. Most people who rapidly lose weight, gain it back quickly; and they gain more than before because they only practiced disequilibrium. It is a must that you practice equilibrium while slowing changing your eating habits. If you are not concerned with how people see you and a healthy body is your goal, practice equilibrium 90% of the time. That way you can keep the weight off once you achieve your target goal.
A simpler way of saying this is that you should work on your lifestyle by focusing more on weight management, keeping your weight where it is, than trying to lose weight. You should spend all your time maintaining your weight and only try to lose a small amount of weight each year. By changing your eating habits (life-style) you could lose 5 to 10 pounds a year by knocking out some (not all) candy, adding a few salads a week, drinking more water each day, etc. Small changes and portion control his how you can both lose weight and practice weight maintenance at the same time. This is the Equilibrium Diet.
Another thing you shouldn’t do if you’re trying to lose weight is over do an exercise program. Instead of going to the gym, where you pay them to do work with their equipment (a workout; we’re supposed to get paid to do work), you should be working in some way that is more natural. Gardening, working on your house or yard, going for walks with a loved one; these are ways to exercise that are less artificial and more rewarding.
I’m not kicking gyms. I even have my own home gym. Granted, I buy equipment when I think I need to lose weight, only to watch that equipment sit idle. But I feel better if I buy something that says I’m exercising. And like eating, you need to enjoy your exercise routine if you are going to make it a part of your lifestyle. Start small and built gradually. This is a long distance race, not a sprint.
Once again, it is not about what people think about you that matters. It’s all about your health. A healthy diet that includes moderate exercise should be your goal. This is not a program for the beauty conscious or buff minded. This is a genuine program for the 99% of us who are in it for the long haul. Your diet and exercise should be a part of your lifestyle, not a fad. You should only make small changes and not big ones. Little changes have the longest lasting effect on your life.
Finally, be sure you know that we as human beings are weak in our natural state; but in Christ Jesus, we are strong in our spirit man. If you seek to maintain your weight in the ‘flesh’ (natural ability) you are guaranteed to fail. Pray and ask God for the leadership of His Holy Spirit and the strength He gives to make right decisions. In the end, we should not be living to ourselves but to God. God should be the center of our lives, not our appearance. God is not so concerned about your appearance as you are. Your soul is much more important to God. And God is concerned about your health. Be sure to add prayer to your daily diet for your spiritual health. You’ll be surprised with what God can do.
So, pray asking God to help you put it all into balance. A simple balanced diet, with portion control, tasty foods, moderate changes in eating habits, smaller annual weight loss goals, and moderate exercise. All of these thing combine to bring you into a healthier lifestyle. Welcome to the beginning of your Equilibrium Diet.
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