Saturday, January 29, 2005

Excuse #1: "The BMI must be wrong."

When I first calculated my BMI (Body Mass Index) it was over 25, which basically meant I was fat. I didn't believe it. I was active and ate relatively healthy - I couldn't understand how I could be considered fat. I rationalized it by thinking that I was naturally thicker than whatever scale was used for the BMI.

Over time; however, I learned more about the BMI. I learned that it didn't necessarily mean I was fat. Rather it meant that my chances of suffering from a weight-related illness was much higher than someone with a BMI less than 25.

I also learned that men should probably be on the medium to high-range of the BMI, or 23.5 - 25 and women should be closer to the medium range of 22 - 23.

I decided to start losing weight as I was approaching a BMI of 30 (the low end limit of obesity). My initial goal was to get back to 25. I thought that would be about all I could do. Once I figured out how to take off the pounds, I made it down to 25 in about 3-4 months and kept going. I bottomed out around 22 and now keep it at around 23.2 - 23.5.

Now I'm a big believer in using the BMI to target your ideal weight range. But, I also think it's important to fully understand the BMI. To learn more about BMI and how I used it in my weight loss you can buy my book by clicking the link on the right hand side or Google BMI or Body Mass Index to read what others on the web have to say about it.

Calculate your BMI:
Weight (lbs) / Height (in.) / Height (in.) x 703

If your above 25, then you should definitely learn more about the BMI and make it a goal to lower your BMI to 25 or lower.

Sunday, January 16, 2005

Excuses Excuses

Excuses are a main obstacle that stands in the way of people achieving their target weight. I know. I had them too.

"The BMI (body-mass index) must be wrong." "I'll start eating right tomorrow (or next week, or next year)." "I'll just run twice as far to burn those extra calories." "I'm just naturally filling in." "Everyone has a 'natural' weight they become." "Everyone else is overweight." "I burn 1,000 calories per work out, so it's okay to eat this." "Life's too short to count calories." Any of these sound familiar? Have any more of your own? If so, please share with me in the comment section.

Over the next few weeks, I'll address these excuses. In the meantime, consider your weight loss goals and target weight (if you don't know your target weight you can do a search for Body Mass Index on the web or buy my book from Amazon.com). Have you achieved those goals?


Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Nut snacks

Most of my friends know that for my afternoon snacks I usually eat some nuts. Typically, to reduce the oil intake, I'd eat some roasted peanuts along with some cashews or party nuts, which contain a lot of oil.

Now I found a way to get rid of the oil and cut some costs. I buy big bags of baking nuts like pecans or almonds at Costco and throw a couple cups of nuts at a time into the oven at 350 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes to toast them.

They taste great and I get a premium, healthier nut for much less money.

Enjoy...

Calorie Terminator

I love the Special K commercial on the air now where a woman is joining her friends for breakfast at a restaurant and she sizes up each plate with an internal computer readout that calculates the calories. She looks from entree to entree, sizing up the calories on each, until she sees the 100 calorie cereal.

That's me. It was easy to train myself to estimate calories. I just carried a calorie book around for awhile and looked up everything I ate and also looked at the nutritional panel the food packages. Within a few short weeks I found that I could estimate a calorie count to within 25 - 50 calories.

Not perfect, but good enough to keep me from eating those "few bites a day" that can add up to weight gain over the course of months or years.

Holidays are over

I made it through the holidays again without gaining a pound, but I still enjoyed great food.

The biggest misconception I run into is that others think I must only eat "rabbit" food to control my weight. And, I don't think they believe me when I tell them that's far from the case. I control my calorie intake using a variety of methods that include controlling my blood sugar, smart snacking and simply being aware of how much I'm eating and whether I'm full or not.

What the others are too busy to notice is that while they are shoveling their second or third helpings into their faces, I'm sitting there watching them. I've already finished and I'm waiting for the "full" feeling to come before I stuff any more food in there.

But, they still can't figure out why they just can't lose those stubborn pounds. Hmmm....