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KnightRaven -> RE: How many Dominants enforce weight control? (4/6/2008 7:03:14 AM)
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Wow, so many messages.
There are so many vectors that can have an effect on a persons physical health that is nearly impossible to give a "cure-all" method to solve this issue. But let me share some of the best advice I have recieved as part of my training in the field of motivational psychology.
First and foremost, see your doctor and have them run a blood sugar test and an endocrinology test to see if there may be any medical conditions as to why you are not in the condition you wish to be in or that could pose an issue with your attempts to reach your goal. THIS IS KEY.
A large majority of people can be helped greatly by changing the way they look at food in general. Any sort of eating that is done to provide comfort is unhealthy, regardless of your current physical condition. By replacing, not removing, this habit with another healthier habit to provide yourself comfort will go a long way towards meeting your goals.
Imo, any serious undertaker in weight reduction should throw away any and all scales that they own and avoid using others as well. A person's numerical weight will naturally fluctuate over time which can lead to over-optimism or severe chagrin. This is especially true for women as their bodies chemistry and the tendency of the menstrual cycle to flucuate water retension. Also, height/weight proportions do not take into account varying bone structures, density, bust size, and other myriad differences in the human body. Instead gauge your progress in how much better you feel on a daily basis, how much more snug your body is to it's underlying structure. Those will give you a much more realistic view of your current health and fitness.
As for diet restrictions, this is more of a lifestyle decision. There are many different paths that will lead to where you seek to go. In my experience, the most generally effective approach is in limiting carbohydrates and increasing protein intake. Ideally you will want to consume more protein than carbohydrates. This is helpfull in multiple ways, your body will consume protein for energy just as well as carbs, and the higher protein diet causes the body to retain less water. On top of of that you will want to start replacing the foods that you eat that have negligible nutrient content with ones that have a high nutrient content. If your body is not getting the right materials it will continue being hungry until it finally gets them, providing the materials it needs in a compact form will go a long ways towards portion control. And lastly, water intake. I cannot agree with the 64 oz. of water daily. I am a healthy and fit individual with a very active lifestyle and I can barely force myself to drink even three quarters that amount of anything unless I am actively sweating out the moisture in my system. What I have found to work the best is to replace what you normally drink with water, as much as you can stand, and to drink a few ounces of water whenever you feel hungry. The reason for that last is that many people are unable to differentiate the feelings of mild hunger and mild thirst. If you still feel hungry after drinking the water, then by all means eat. Your body needs the fuel.
All in all, having a "high protein" diet that is rich in nutrients and making sure that you are not eating when what your body needs is hydration, imo, is the best way to go.
Additional notes, for various reasons an avoidance of red meat should be followed, as it has many health drawbacks, allergens, environmental concerns, as well as the beef industries deplorable lack of sanitation. Secondly the high protien/low carb diet is ideal for those whose bodies have difficulty managing blood glucose levels.
Lastly, exercise. This is the point where things go into aesthetics. My personal concern is for tone, endurance, flexibility, and grace. To this effect I advise a regimen of aquatic aerobics, some form of dance, yoga, and tai chi. Depending on the persons starting level of fitness, they should start with the aquatic aerobics, and then start incorporating the tai chi, yoga, and dance, in that order, into their regimen as they are able to safely perform those actions without injury. All of these exercises, excepting dance, are low impact. They give little to no impact stresses on the joints and can be done at virtually any weight.
I hope this helps some of you, and helps others on new trains of thought.
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