To help you lose weight, your doctor might have said things like, “Get more exercise,” “Cut back on calories,” or “Eat less junk.” It’s all good advice — but what exactly does it mean? How much exercise should you do? How many calories do you need to stop eating in order to shed pounds? Remember that your doctor is also running a business and him or her wants to keep you for a customer, so how “frank” can your doctor be without hurting your feelings or making you mad.
In some respects some of what the doctor doesn't tell you is because you didn't ask him. Sometimes you need to be blunt and just ask him for a diet that you can follow to lose weight. Just ask "how much should I weigh?" If your blunt about it they will give you an honest answer. "How much body fat should I lose?" These are questions you should be asking. Too many of us depend on a trainer at the gym for advice. Your doctor is impartial, a dietitian is impartial, but anyone who can sell you on diet pills or a gym membership want to convince you that you need what they're selling.
Learn how to turn your doctor’s well-meaning, yet sometimes vague, strategies into real steps you can start taking today.
You weight 220 pounds and your 5 ft. 8 inches. Your waist is a 40 us and your doctor tells you that you should exercise more. “What does that Mean?” “I try not to walk, my feet are killing me.” “Then he tells me I should eat better. I eat healthy food.” You might think you do but why are you gaining weight? How did you get so big? Ask yourself the tough questions and be honest with yourself. Remember you put on the weight. You have to be the detective. If you can’t be honest with your answers you won’t learn how you gained the weight and you won't lose the weight.
Let’s face it, unless your 7 feet tall a 40 inch waist is too big.
The Advice: ‘Get Down to a Healthy Weight’
What It Means: For you, gauging a healthy weight might be about how your clothes fit (like whether you can still squeeze into your favorite pair of jeans). For your doctor, getting to a healthy weight has more to do with lowering your odds of getting conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Keeping an eye on your weight is important. Although some studies have found you can be both overweight and healthy, other researchers say that if the numbers on the scale are high, your health is at risk. Personally, I don’t believe in healthy obesity. Our friend in the last paragraph, who has a 40-inch waist, is classified “Obese”, but did his doctor tell him, no. Being a doctor is still a business and no one wants to lose customers. Doctors know when you’re overweight and that you should do something about it. Why can’t they be honest about your condition and refer you to a weight loss specialist.
The way I look at it, the patient needs to know that being overweight or just having too much body fat can cause serious health problems unless he wants to take insulin for the rest of his life. That kind of talk may be a little strong but sometimes a person needs that Strong language before they understand your serious.
Surprising Reasons You’re Gaining Weight
Yet stepping on your bathroom scale alone won’t tell you if you’re at a healthy weight since it doesn’t take your height into account. At 150 pounds, you’re overweight if you measure 5 feet 2 inches tall, but just right if you’re 6 feet 2 inches.
A more accurate measure is your body mass index (BMI), which calculates your weight in relation to your height. A BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 is healthy. My doctor actually has a record of my BMI each time I get a checkup.
BMI isn’t perfect. It doesn’t consider how muscular you are, or where your fat is located. So also check your waist circumference. A woman of average height should have a waist measuring less than 35 inches, and a man should be 40 inches or less around the was it at the navel. Together, your waist size and BMI can give you a good guide to how much you need to trim.
The Advice: ‘Lose 1 to 2 Pounds a Week’
What It Means: Not sure how to get to those numbers? Well, think of it this way; we all consume too many calories. On average we consume twice the calories we require. We sometimes forget that the calories we drink are just like the calories we eat. The average North American will consume about 3500 calories a day. Half of those calories come from liquids.
Some people are pretty active without exercise. Not everyone sits behind a desk all day. But even the active people can be too heavy because of the food they eat. You don’t have to starve to cut calories. Stop eating out. Make the food you eat. Know what you’re eating and how it’s made.
If you trade your usual bag of chips for an apple, swap your grande blended coffee drink for a small iced coffee with skim milk, and hold the cheese on your sandwich at lunch, you could cut 400 calories from your diet. Toss in a 25-minute walk to burn the other 100, and you’ve skimmed 500 calories for the day.
You have to take responsibility for your weight problem and your health. Your doctor is looking at you as another customer. You’re the only one that cares about you.
The Advice: ‘Cut Back on Junk’
What It Means: You’re probably thinking of sodas, chips, and candy. Reframe that idea. Any food that’s low in nutrition and high in calories — including jams and jellies, sauces and gravies — isn’t doing your body any favors.
You don’t have to stop all splurges. Just cut back on empty calories. Eat smaller portions, less often.
Make simple, smart swaps. Bake chicken instead of frying, drink sparkling water instead of soda and top your pizza with vegetables instead of meat. Finish your meals with a piece of fruit.
This author never tried to lose 100 pounds, I can tell. Small changes in your diet usually don’t work. I had to give away almost all the food in my house and all the alcohol and soda, beer and wine. I had to eat white meat chicken, wild salmon, green vegetables, black beans and Oatmeal for breakfast. I worked out on a stationary bike every day because my knees were so bad I couldn’t walk around the mall for 20 minutes.
After a few months, I had dropped about 40 pounds and felt much better. I could finally walk a couple miles without stopping. I stayed on a strict diet for several more months and now that I lost my body fat I can eat other things but I still avoid meat and that means hamburger, and I eat very little dairy. I do eat seafood, poultry, all the fruits, and vegetables, rye or whole grain bread and a beer or wine a few times a week. Life is good and I feel good. I’m 6 foot tall and weight 155 and have more energy than ever before.
What It Means: To lose weight, you need to burn off more calories than you take in each day. Part of the formula involves diet. The rest requires exercise.
When you need to trim off a few pounds, aim for 60 minutes a day, or 300 minutes a week, of moderate aerobic activity. You don’t have to do all 60 minutes at once. Break them up into 10- or 15-minute bursts. If you can ramp up to a higher intensity during those short periods, you may burn fat even more efficiently.
Lift weights at the gym or do exercises like sit-ups and pushups at least twice a week to build muscle strength. Stronger muscles boost your metabolism and torch a lot more calories than fat, even when you’re not moving.
Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.
If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.
There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.
My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.
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