Commitment is the key factor
By Anup Deb Nath

MANY people who want to lose weight are often heard complaining about exercise not doing a thing for them. In their case it seems impossible to lose weight and no matter how hard they try nothing happens. This is not a problem that is restricted to a few, isolated people, but surprisingly effects a large number of us. There are many reasons for a problem such as these ones, and where there is a problem there most certainly has to be a cure.

The ability to fool oneself into, believing that we are doing everything and more that is required and that none of the ‘don’t-listed’ figure in our routines, is the basic reason for many a person’s downfall. It is very important to look at everything exactly as it is and not try to pretend, at least not to ourselves. This way we would really be able to evaluate what we should be doing and what we are doing in reality. Then remedying the situation is much easier and reaching our goals just a matter of time.

Many of us are eating far more than we really should in the day. Here a large number of people actually believe that they are existing on next-to-nothing and continue to eat more than they should. A realistic view of what we eat and a rough idea of the calories it involves will help in cutting down the extra eating and ultimately the fat.

A majority of the people who don’t lose weight easily are actually under-exercising. Here again the tendency is to tell yourself that you are exercising a lot when in fact you are not achieving as much as you should. Many of us will drop our exercise programme at the slightest excuse, a friend’s birthday, an aunt visiting etc. In order to see any positive results we need to work-out 5-6 days a week for 35-40 minutes each time. For people who are not trying to lose but simply maintain their weight, three to four times a week will also suffice.

Very drastic crash diets will actually do exactly the opposite of what you think they are going to do. Crash diets or skipping meals will actually force your body into slowing down it’s metabolic rate, which, in turn, will mean that you will burn less calories and in fact store most. It is better to eat sensibly and less than not eating at all for entire meals. Alcohol and even beer is do nothing good for those trying to lose weight. In fact it is an accepted fact that alcohol actually stimulates the appetite, and is high on calories. There are studies that show that alcohol in fact slows down the metabolic rate as well.

Eat the right food. It is better to fill up with properly cooked vegetables and fruit rather than feeding yourself all the junk food around. Burgers, colas, chips, packed and processed foods are not really going to give your body any nutritional benefits. All they will do is fill you up and give your body calories it could do without. Supplement all the bad eating with healthy food and you will see the scales tipping in your favour.

Food supplements like artificial sweeteners actually make your body react in exactly the same way that sugar does — by releasing insulin. Excess insulin is the culprit, which makes your body store fat and doesn’t let the body burn this fat. It is better to restrict sugar in all forms.

Eating meals till you are full is also not a very good idea. It is always best when you are trying to lose weight to leave the dining table a little hungry. Don’t eat till you are full but try to finish when you are three-fourths full.

It is important to weight-train along with whatever other exercise you are doing. In a number of cases where they are trying to lose weight but are not doing weight training along side, in the end they lose their muscle mass instead. Also, often your basal metabolic rate also decreases and this results in your body burning fewer calories in the day.

The last but perhaps the most important point of all is commitment. Most people who are unsuccessful in their weight loss programme are unable to stick to their routine — in other words they lack commitment. It is very important to remember that no one can pinpoint the exact number of days, weeks or even months that it will take you to lose what you need to lose. Yet the most frequently asked question by many new members is: "How long will be it before I lose weight?" The amount of weight you lose, the speed you lose it at and keeping it off all vary from person to person, from metabolism to metabolism but can be speeded up by controlling certain factors. Duration of exercise, intensity of exercise, frequency of exercise, diet followed and the commitment to exercise will all ultimately help you speed up your way to the goal you want.

This feature was published on May 9, 1999