Reasons to Diet
There are so many reasons that we want to go on a diet. Some are health related, some are image related, some are a little of both. The best reason to go on a diet is to improve your health. Weight and overall health are directly related, so in the long run, if you can keep your weight under control you have a better chance to live a healthy, active, long life.
My Situation
I'm a thirty-five year old male and for the last fifteen years I have been overweight. I didn't think about it much, but at five feet five inches and pushing two hundred and fifty pounds for most of those years, I was at serious risks for major medical complications. I used to be fairly active, but after becoming a stay at home dad, I found that with all of the house work and taking care of the baby, I didn't have the energy to make healthy choices. I was wrong. I went in for my physical earlier this year and found out that my fasting glucose put me at significant risk for diabetes. So, I figured out what I had to do and I did it. I'm not there yet, but my research into diet and exercise has put me on the path that will let me be here for my son for years to come.
I'm not a doctor or a health care professional. I'm just an average person, of average education, sharing something that worked for me. The following is meant strictly as advice that worked for me and not as professional medical advice or something that will work for everyone. A person should absolutely check with their health care professional before trying any weight loss plan, much less one off of the Internet.
Strategies
Basically there are two different strategies for achieving a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle. One, is to make a huge number of changes right away and hope some of them stick. I call this the shotgun approach and it is the one most commonly tried. Inevitably it fails. The second approach, which is the one that I advocate, is to set a specific set of goals and achieve them. I call this the targeted approach and it has worked for me. Don't try to change everything at once, it rarely succeeds.
Diet
Diet is defined as what you eat. But, it is more than that. If you look at all of the healthy diets available they share one basic element, taking in fewer calories than you burn. That's as close to a universal truth as we get these days. If you eat fewer calories than you burn you WILL lose weight. No way around it. But, I've seen people (haven't we all) eat a double cheeseburger and a large fry and top it off with a diet drink. That's better than a regular drink, but it isn't making the lifestyle changes that will help you keep off the weight.
Now, there are no carb, low carb, high protein, low protein, fish diets and every other kind of fad diet under the sun. There are also things like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and Slim Fast. Those things all have their place, but what about folks like you and me that don't have access to money and time to do all of those things? How do we get the bodies that we want?
Starting Out
First, you need to go to the doctor. That is the best place to start your weight loss plan. Go talk to him or her and find out what they think is a healthy weight for you. If your doctor doesn't think you need to lose any weight then don't. It isn't worth your health. No matter how much you want to fit into that next size down pair of pants or that next size down swim suit, if the doctor tells you that it is unwise, it almost certainly is. Having said that, there are some things you can do to shape your body in such a way as to fit into things that you haven't been able to in a while. Ask your doctor about those things too. He or she will tell you what is best for you.
Make sure that your doctor thinks you are healthy enough to start an exercise and dieting plan. Some people have medical conditions that can be exacerbated by exercise or dieting. That doesn't mean that there aren't options for you, too. Your doctor will know what to do, so ask.
If your doctor thinks that it is okay for you to lose weight and clears you for physical activity, it is time to take stock.
