http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/ en Copyright 2009 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:58:08 +1000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss If your having a hard time losing weight it could be caused by lost muscle tone. As we age most people put on weight, we slow down and lose muscle mass. It stands to reason really, once we are not as active as we once were we stop using those muscles, we put on some weight and slow down even more. This slows our metabolism and what we should do is eat less to allow for less exercise, but alas what most people do is actually eat more, thereby putting on weight. Because our metabolism has slowed to compensate for lost muscle tone, what goes in our mouths is stored as fat, instead of being burned as energy. The good news is that we can reverse that situation with some simple weight training. Toning up and restoring your muscle mass can be done simply by exercising with dumbells for 20 to 30 minutes, two or three times per week. It doesn't matter what age you are or what gender you are, toning those muscles will lead to an invigorated body and a invigorated life. When we say weight training we don't mean strenuously pumping iron and ending up with muscles as huge as Charles Atlas or Swartzenneger. Simple push-ups, arm lifts and knee bends can give those fading muscles new life and kick start the metabolism, burning those unwanted kilos. Couple a little weight training with a walking routine and you will look fitter and younger in no time at all. It is a fact that weight training will burn more calories than normal exercise because muscles need more energy. That's why a man's daily calorie allowance is higher than a woman's because men do have more muscle mass than females. But women do have muscles too and while they may not bulge, they can be toned. The other benefits to toning your muscles and losing weight is your health will improve out of sight. Moderate exercise and healthy eating will improve your circulation delivering oxygen to all parts of your body. By looking after yourself now, you will take huge steps in avoiding old age diseases such as diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, various cancers, stroke and heart disease. You owe to yourself to be the best you can be. To live as long as you can. Kick start your metabolism by toning those tired and flabby muscles. It's not hard to lose weight once you put your brain into gear. http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/kick_start_your_metabolism.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/kick_start_your_metabolism.html Weight Loss Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:58:08 +1000 The other night we had a phone call in the middle of the night to advise us that a dear friend was gravely ill and about to be taken to hospital. It was feared that he wouldn't last the night. The problem was our friend couldn't breathe properly. Having been diagnosed some time back with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD for short, this wasn't an actual shock to hear he was having problems with breathing. Luckily the ambulance staff are well trained to handle this type of emergency and stablized him in readiness for the hospital doctors. We went to the hospital and were allowed to see him an hour after he was admitted. The thing that really rammed home the dangers of smoking was the amount of older patients that were seeking help on that night for breathing difficulties. Half the people that came through the hospital doors while we were waiting to see our friend had breathing diffficulties and you don't have to be an Einstein to be able to work out that smoking is the cause. Once you have been diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, your life expectancy is no more than 10 years. You will slowly deteriorate and finally need oxygen all the time just to be able to breathe. Almost always the main cause of COPD is smoking. If you don't think that smoking kills, go to the emergency ward of your local hospital and watch the older people shuffling through the doors, gasping for every breath of air. If you smoke, quit now, as this is how you will finish your life if you don't die of lung cancer first. Smoking kills! http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/smoking_kills.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/smoking_kills.html Weight Loss Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:59:18 +1000 I hope everybody enjoyed Christmas and the New Year will bring you joy and peace. Unfortunately for us weight watchers, Christmas can spell trouble and with all the yummy food there is to tempt even the most hardened dieter, a few extra kilos can easily be gained at this time of the year. I really don't think anyone should worry about their weight at this time of the year. It is "the season to be jolly" as the Christmas carol goes, so why spoil that time worrying what to eat,or more to the point, what not to eat. Just enjoy yourself, without making an absolute pig of yourself, and worry about an extra kilo or so after the season is over. Putting on one or two extra kilos at this time of the year should be expected and a few brisk walks should get rid of those extra pounds in no time at all. It is when you keep eating like the festive season has no end that your problems begin again, and all that weight that you have work hard to shed and been so proud to lose, piles back on and once again you face a long road to recover. If you remember to have a good time without going overboard, you will stay in control. You certainly can have a piece of chocolate or that serving of sweets; just don't go back for second helpings. Remember to go for a walk and above all remember that losing weight is a life style change, so don't fall back into all those bad habits that got you into trouble in the first place. You can enjoy Christmas as much as anybody else, because Christmas is about the joy of sharing experiences with friends and family, it doesn't mean eating as much junk food as you can fit in your stomach. Have a great Christmas and a healthy and slim New Year. http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/bad_time_for_weight_watchers.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/bad_time_for_weight_watchers.html Weight Loss Sun, 28 Dec 2008 09:42:02 +1000 Losing weight can be a long hard slog with rich rewards at the end of the road. It may not always be a ton of fun to count calories and shun those bad foods, but I just came across a fun online game that actually sums up the weight loss battle well. Kalorie King is a calorie counting game where you throw away the bad food and only eat good food in a fun way that can only make you smile. You have a bowl and such down some junk food from the game platform above your head and then throw it up making matches of 3 or more similar types, they then dislodge from the board and cascade to the floor, eliminating them from the screen. But of course there is a catch. As they fall if bad food goes into your bowl, you gain the foods equivalent calories and put on weight. If you catch only good food, you lose weight. Kalorie King is really just simulation real life for weight watchers. Eat the bad food put on weight. No difference in the real world or in an online game. Play Kalorie King Online! Toddle on over to itexpressions.com and play the calorie counting weight loss game online and see if you can become the Biggest Loser. ]]> http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/weight_loss_game.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/weight_loss_game.html Weight Loss Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:08:25 +1000 It's been roughly a year since starting this blog and making a statement that I would lose weight. This time last year I had come home from a holiday and was totally disgusted with myself for being so obese. I have just returned from our yearly holiday to see friends and family some 2000 kilometers away, and this time I am proud of the weight that I am carying. I did put on 2 kilos while away but believe me, this really is nothing on the scale of things and will be shed in no time at all now we are back and doing the things that we have learned. It really has been a learning adventure this past year and it really is something we can stay with for the rest of our lives. There were many temptations while on holiday and to be honest, we did take those temptations quite often. Our families are excellent cooks and we tasted all their favorite foods. We were also lucky enough to stay in fine hotels at times where 3 course meals were provided. Yes we didn't watch the calories but always made sure we kept active, walking, skiing and doing our best to keep fit. I was amazed on our return flight when my carry on bag was weighed and I was told that as it weighed 7 kilos it was too heavy to place in the overhead lockers on the plane. This time last year I caried 3 of those bags as excess weight around my body. That's exactly how much weight I lost. 21 kilos or 3 carry bags full. It feels good to be slim and even better to feel healthy. This will be a life style that I will stick to for the rest of my life, which incidentally will be a little longer now that I am no longer obese. http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/one_year_on.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/one_year_on.html Weight Loss Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:51:40 +1000 I haven't made a blog post since I reached my goal weight, but I want to let you all know I haven't slackened off and reverted back to the old bad habits. Believe me, I will never go down that fat path again. What I did learn from losing those 20 odd kilos is what I can and can't eat. It is good to kinow that you can go out for that restaurant meal, or have that odd take away meal without it hurting your overall plan. You just have to realise what you have eaten and watch your calories again for the next day or 2 to balance the excess. Things that I eliminated from my diet completely, such as potato crisps and chocolate cookies, were no good for my health anyway. I will never eat them in any quantity ever again, if at all. They are full of calories and full of fat. These are the type of foods that is labeled as junk foods and that is precisely what it is for the body, total junk. But the biggest single thing that I learnt losing all that weight was the fact that I knew all along precisely how I got fat in the first place and how I could lose it all again. Yes, I knew exactly why and how and always knew what to do, but I never had the motivation to get off my butt and do what I had to do to lose weight. Looking back now, I can only shake my head and feel sad I didn't try to keep my weight under control in the first place. Is it a loss of self esteem and self image why we allow ourselves to get fat? Or is the reason why we make ourselves fat just pure laziness. Some may say it is genetics, some may blame health problems, but really deep down it is purely just a matter of eating too much, plus eating junk. I will never again eat so much that I feel bloated. I will never again eat foods that are absolutely so full of fat you can't help but put on weight. I will never again stop watching what I weigh and weigh myself at least once a month and do something straight away if I have gained a pound or two. It feels good to be normal. It feels so good not to be fat. I knew exactly how I got fat and also knew deep down how I could lose weight. I simply had to decide to do it. You can do it too. Why not decide today to "just do it". http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/continuing_the_battle.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/continuing_the_battle.html Weight Loss Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:20:20 +1000 Warning Now both images are not exactly pretty and could scare children, but if they put some people off their food for a few days, it may be good for them, especially if they need to lose weight. The first image was taken with my weight at 97.2 kilos. This is the typical before shot with a great fat belly protruding out like a pregnant bull frog. This is not a beer belly because I haven't drank beer for many years. The big fat belly was caused solely through bad eating habits, too much of the wrong food and little to no exercise. The bottom image was taken today. Monday, May 12, 2008. Weight is 75 kilos. As you can see there is still a few kilos that can be taken off yet, but the result is so much better than before I'm sure you will agree. I have now reset my weight goal at 73 kilos and to maintain my weight between 70 and 75 kilos for the rest of my life, which will probably be a little longer and more enjoyable now without that great fat belly sticking out in front of me. ]]> http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/before_and_after.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/before_and_after.html Weight Loss Mon, 12 May 2008 11:08:10 +1000 Drum Roll Please! Let the Fireworks begin! Start the Celebrations! Today I hit the weight goal that I set last August. I have got down to 75 kilos on my scales, which are the ones that I have used here for this blog. It's a rather good feeling to get the weight under control and reach this milestone. I am actually 2 months in front of the time limit I placed back in August, but what are a few weeks or months for that matter. The main point is that I have shed that 20 something kilos and learned a lot about eating to be healthy in the time that it took. Yesterday morning, at the end of my daily walk, I decided to do something that I have only dreamt of doing for a long time. I took the short walking track through the dunes to the beach and then ran, yes the word is ran, from the waters edge, up the sand dune, up the track through the dunes and up through the picnic park to where the car was parked. Perhaps 200 meters, all uphill. Now this may not be something exciting for most people, but for me it was one of those real major achievements. Not just the fact you can run that far when your sixty odd years of age, the fact that when I started, the first morning I went for a walk it was to this very spot and walking back I was absolutely breathless halfway from the water to the car and had to stop for a rest. And I only was walking. Sad isn't it that you can't walk maybe 200 meters without huffing and puffing. It is not as exciting today making the goal weight as it was yesterday running up those sand dunes because yesterday showed that not only had I lost a lot of fat from my body, the body is now healthy and I can look forward to many years of fun and enjoyment doing things that many others sadly cannot experience. To me the main reason for attempting to lose weight was health wise. I didn't want to be old and not able to go where I wanted to go. I didn't want to have a hard time squeezing into an airplane seat. I didn't want to visit places which meant avoiding walking up and down stairs. I wanted to live longer and enjoy every day. I knew if I didn't do something about my weight soon, my life would end a lot earlier than I wanted. Today I set a goal to lose another 3 kilos and then maintain my weight around 73 kilos for the rest of my life. ]]> http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/break_out_the_champagne.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/break_out_the_champagne.html Weight Loss Thu, 01 May 2008 10:58:04 +1000 It was time for the 6 month cholesterol check and yesterday the results were back and I visited the doctor. My cholesterol level is down to 3.2 and the doctor stated that it can't get much better than that. This is a very pleasing result. Blood pressure is really good, prostate level good and according to the doctors scales I am down to 74 kilos. Now I am not going to claim that I have reached my goal of being under 75 kilos just yet. The images I show here are my home scales and that is what I used when posting to this blog. Until my home scales show my weight under 75, and I can post an image to prove it, I won't break out the champagne and order the fireworks yet. One thing of interest was my doctor told me that I had lost enough weight and now just to maintain it for the rest of my life. I was going to reset a goal so that I would go down to 70 kilos. I will have to rethink that and perhaps aim for maintaining my weight around the 73 kilo mark. Whatever weight I choose to maintain, the process will be fairly easy now after learning how to eat to lose weight. It has been a lesson in eating portion controlled meals, counting calories and cutting out fatty foods such as chocolates and chips, especially those potato chips that are not just full of fat, have a huge salt content as well. Hopefully my next post will have all the bells clanging and fireworks to celebrate the major goal of officially being under 75 kilos. When ever it does officially happen, one thing remains and that is the fact that losing weight has increased my ability to live life to the max. http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/lower_cholesterol.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/lower_cholesterol.html Weight Loss Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:29:51 +1000 Firstly, this week’s weight is the same as last week. No loss and no gain, but man I am feeling goooood. It is a little frustrating being just half a kilo away from my overall goal weight, but hey, next week will be just as good. What I would like to talk about this week is what good food is and what good exercise is. During the week it was pointed out to me that there really is no secret to losing weight. Everybody who is overweight knows exactly how that weight got there; they either over ate or ate the wrong things, probably a combination of both. Bit like a smoker, they know it's like taking a spoonful of poison, but they keep smoking anyway. The person who is obese knows the foods that are no good for them but they keep shoveling it in their mouth anyway. I know I did and that is why I had to re-educate myself about what is good food and what is good exercise. Good food is fresh vegetables and the greener the better. Make salads and steamed vegetables the main thing that goes on your plate with chicken and fish as accompanies. If you think it’s yuck then have a good look in the mirror. Bet it wasn’t vegetables that gave you that fat gut or big behind. If you have red meat, ensure the fat has been trimmed and it will be good for you because red meat full of iron. Just make sure you have a portion size. 100 grams is the ideal portion size which is about the size of a woman’s hand. Now we all know that chips are made from potatoes, but when fried in fatty oil they don't count as vegetables, okay! So don't even try going down that road! Good exercise is walking. If walking is an effort, which it is when you are overweight and haven't exercised for some time, start with just 15 minutes a day and build up from there. Regularity is the key. No good walking 3 times this week and then skipping all together next week. Make it an everyday part of your life. No excuses just get off your butt and start walking. (Walking to the cupboard to get another bag of chips doesn't count either.) It probably took you years to get to the weight that you are now, so it may take awhile to get down to your goal weight, if you throw away the bad food that is making you fat, and you know what it is, and start eating good food, plus do some regular walking, there's one thing I can say that makes it all worthwhile and that is you will feel better and be able to do things so much easier. Sometimes you just need to take a look in the mirror and think what you will be like a year from now if you don't start eating better and getting some exercise. It's a pretty frightening thought really. What would you be like this time next year if you put on another 10 kilos? Could you go shopping without being completely tired out? It would be terrible to end up like some obese people do and not even get out of bed, so come on and make a start today to really become the person you would like to be. It can be done, but you are the only one who can decide to do it! http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/good_food_good_exercise.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/good_food_good_exercise.html Weight Loss Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:58:00 +1000 One way to get yourself excited is to be so close to your weight loss goal that you can smell it. This week sees the scales just half a kilo or one pound away from that 75 kilos goal I set back last august. The excitement I feel is more for the fact that when I look back, it is not just the weight loss that is important, it is also about how I have learnt to eat and exercise so that quality of life is so much better than before. I am excited as I feel so healthy. I can walk for more than an hour without feeling the least bit tired. I can jog for a few hundred yards and not have to lay down for the rest of the day. My blood pressure is normal, cholesterol levels great and every aspect of my life is so much more enjoyable. So how can you get yourself excited? Deeply look at yourself and then set a goal. Write that goal down and then start working toward it. Little changes in your lifestyle will make a huge difference and with each positive step you make toward that goal, the excitement inside of you will grow and grow. The best way to get excited is to lose weight and feel great! ]]> http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/how_to_get_yourself_excited.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/how_to_get_yourself_excited.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:49:25 +1000 Believing in what you are doing eventually brings results and I have moved in the right direction again after seeming to plateau for 3 weeks. This week I weigh in at 75.75 kilos or 166.65 pounds. Down from last weeks weight of 77 kilos. A weight loss of 1.25 kilos and just .75 of a kilo from away my goal. The unfortunate thing is that many people give in when they get stuck on a certain weight, saying to themselves that "this isn't working" and take on old habits that caused their weight problems in the first place. Reaching a plateau is perfectly normal in the weight loss regime, you must expect it will happen somewhere during your program and believe in what you are doing to keep moving forward. What it does prove to me is that I can cope for the rest of my life and maintain good healthy eating habits. After all, it must be a life change that is made, not just a quick weight loss and then revert back to old bad habits. Another thing that is so important is to learn what good food is and what bad food is. Usually bad food is full of fat but tastes good, that's why things like potato chips are so tempting. Yet after being on a weight watch for some time, good food is starting to taste very good. I love salads and the fresh taste of green vegetables. Chicken and fish are delicious steamed. You don't need that fat laden batter wrapped around them to make them taste good. So I will finish the post this week by noticing that good eating habits eventually become part of an everyday routine. Add that with some invigorating exercise and you will feel 20 years younger. I certainly feel younger and today was such a bonus to see a weight loss of just over 1 kilo for the week. ]]> http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/moving_forward.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/moving_forward.html Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:39:06 +1000 For the third week in a row my weight today was spot on 77 kilos, so again this week there has been no weight loss. Perhaps I have plateau and need to keep doing what I have learnt over the past 6 months and believe it will happen. Which of course is the only way to tackle the job of losing weight, you must believe that you will lose weight and I know that I can and know that by having lost 20 kilos so far. Learning how to live and maintain weight is one of the main objectives. It is so sad to see people go on a weight loss diet and lose a considerable amount only to put it all back on again and sometimes more. I met an old friend the other day that had lost over 15 kilos the last time I saw her some 6 months ago. Unfortunately all the weight plus a little more was back on again. My friend lost the weight following one of those milk shake type diets developed by a chemist. The problem with that type of diet is that you don't learn good eating habits so when you stop using their product, old eating habits return and so does the weight. My friend became quite depressed when she saw how I had lost weight without a fad diet, while she had been there and put it all back on again. I tried to reassure her that as she was able to lose weight before, it is more than possible again if she counts calories and becomes aware of the food she eats. I also emphasized the benefits of regular exercise. Counting calories and moderate exercise is a sure winning formula on a weight loss journey. http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/weight_plateau_1.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/weightloss/weight_plateau_1.html Weight Loss Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:30:55 +1000 There has been no loss again this week, perhaps 100 grams, but nothing worth reporting. I am not unhappy though as there was no weight gain and that's the real bonus. As I am nearing my weight goal, just 2 kilos to go, it is important to start living life as normal. With Easter there were many temptations, not the least those yummy chocolate Easter Eggs. If you realize the calories that they contain and adjust your eating to suit the overall calorie intake, you can indulge yourself with a treat and trade off those calories somewhere else during the day. For example, I did eat an Easter Egg that was 500 calories. For dinner that night I had a simple garden salad that would have been no more than 100 calories and cut out coffee totally for the day. The trade was made. I enjoyed the chocolate yet didn't eat any more calories than normal. To maintain weight this is the approach you must make in everyday eating decisions. Sometimes you can indulge and go over your calorie limit, but trade it off in longer and harder exercise to work those unwanted calories off. As long as you stay mindful of the total calories you consume, you can adjust your living and remain at a healthy weight range. I will never go back to being fat. I have learnt a lesson that I can now apply to the rest of my life, which will now be a lot longer and happier without all that excess baggage. http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/same_weight_again_this_week_af.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/same_weight_again_this_week_af.html Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:46:27 +1000 Not much news this week as the weight is virtually the same as it was at last week's weigh in. The only thing that has changed is our weather, which has been downright nasty, enough to keep us indoors and away from the walking track. There is absolutely nothing we can do about the weather, but we can still maintain a healthy eating diet, counting those calories so the weight is maintained at the current level without exercise. This is good in a way because it shows that the changes we have made to our diet can be life lasting changes from now on. So goodbye to that pudgy fellow that I once was. You will never return again! As I stated at the begining, not much news this week. :) http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/little_change.html http://www.positivehealthsteps.com/blog/little_change.html Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:15:44 +1000