Jackie Belo

I don’t know if I am the right person to talk about weight management. I was overweight in some episodes of my life but I wasn’t obese (I assume though one of my high school classmates told me that  I was). Perhaps, these photos below will give me some sort of little credibility. No, I don’t believe that “ Thin is in“ and I think “Fat is fab.” But your weight somehow shows how you take care of yourself.

When we talk about losing weight, we always have excuses.

“This is not the right time to lose weight (maybe after my birthday, Christmas  and all the festivities)”

When to act upon your decision to lose weight should start now. There is no better timing. Because the longer you spend on waiting, the more calories you accumulate.

“It would be nice to be on diet if  I am a good cook.”

This is a very lame excuse. I don’t buy this logic. If you are good in the kitchen, then you spend a lot of time with food. Hence, you have more chances of gaining weight.

“It’s expensive to be on diet or to enroll in a gym or weight management program.”

Another lame excuse. I know cooking shows and healthy recipes in magazines make health living sound luxurious. But if you think again, there are a lot of people who lost weight because they have no money to buy food. So where’s the logic that losing weight is expensive?

“It’s going to make me hungry.”

We all get hungry.  It’s a matter of learning to distinguish between plain appetite and hunger. It’s a  matter of quality of what you eat rather than quantity of what you eat.

But wait, let me share simple ways on how I lost weight (just a few pounds)

Determine your ideal weight

There should be a specific goal. Do you want to lose 10 pounds or you just want to be anorexic? If you can get a doctor’s advice on your ideal weight, the better.   I go for the weight that is recommended by a specialist than your self-perceived ideal weight.

Have your own weighing scale

If you don’t check your weight using a standard measurement,  everything you do seems pointless. By constantly monitoring your weight, you will know how your body works.

Evaluate your lifestyle

Ask yourself why did I gain weight? Food is not the only reason why we gain weight. Exercise, sleep , and how we eat are other variables that can have so much effect in our weight.

Avoid fried food

Why fried food? Because they are probably the easiest to avoid yet they are the ones that give a lot of excess fat. You know when you’re about to gain a pound, when your  face turns oily.

Limit your rice serving

If you cannot totally give up rice, try one cup of  rice. If you spend eight hours sitting in front of your computer, a cup of rice is enough to survive the day.

Learn to eat vegetables and bananas

I know vegetables cannot give much energy but if you increase your vegetable serving, it can help. This is the only type of food that you can eat in excess. Note: Avoid potatoes. Why bananas?  They make your stomach full.

Have a supply of tuna and eggs

Why? These kinds of food are always available and since you are going to eliminate portions of carbohydrates, you need  protein for another source of energy. If you are going to buy canned tuna, choose solid in water. Have boiled eggs, not fried or scramble eggs

Drink coffee and water only

Have a regular exercise

Some people give up on the idea of exercise because it requires time and effort. If you  start with a rigorous physical activity, it is so hard to keep it as a routine. But if you start a simple activity such as walking or climbing the stair, chances are you will continue to the very end. Consistency is the key.

Last week of October 2012

1st week of March 2013