Introduction

Everyone wants to lose weight. For those who are fat and are happy anyway, it’s a lie. This might seem harsh, but it’s the truth. That is why most folks who put on that happy happy happy “game face” of theirs tend to explore several diets secretively.

There are several of them, such as Leptin, Paleolithic, Vegan, Raw Food, and so on and so forth, and most folks who try this do it because they would like to get that hourglass figure of that pretty model in a fashion magazine that they spend their free time reading up on. You don’t need me to tell you that is often why people get started on a diet for all the wrong reasons.

Sadly, going on a diet isn’t the only thing one must do to lose weight, as exercise is just as important to get into shape. Sorry, but that’s the truth!

Diet and Exercise – Hand in Hand?

However, it is important to note that if one cannot control the food they eat, the exercise wouldn’t help your cause either. Another truth is that most folks who stuff themselves with foods that exceed the recommended 1200-calorie limit are the ones who are performing beginner workouts. One hardly loses 500 calories in doing so.

And there’s another thing with most diets – a lack of realism! Right from eating meat, one has to stop all kinds of food that the body has gotten used to, causing withdrawal symptoms and so on and so forth.

When did losing weight take on a hypochondriac-like approach?

Most solutions to seemingly complex problems are simple enough, and the same is true with losing weight. (The complexity lies in understanding how your body responds to different diets.)

All one has to do, in most cases, is eat a little lesser than usual… Yes, it’s as simple as that.

A Simple Weight Loss Meal Plan

Again using the word ‘diet’ here can be considered pretentious. Still, one can always consider three factors that play an important role in getting sufficient nutrition without overdoing it. This article focuses on a simple weight loss meal plan. Here is how you can do it:

1) what

What you eat can be determined by using the simple food pyramid, or if you cannot think for yourself, you can visit a dietitian for further information. And stick to it, for heaven’s sake. Losing weight is a long-term thing, and it is unrealistic to expect results within weeks (much like all those programs over the internet that promise to give you results if you follow their workout routine).

2) when and

This is another simple aspect of maintaining a good diet. It’s as simple as the phrase “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and a dinner for a pauper” uttered by one of America’s pioneering nutritionists, Adelle Davis.

I’m sorry, but you’re not on a diet if you don’t eat enough on time…

3) how much

This is the one factor that varies from person to person, and for this, hiring the services of a dietitian is not such a bad idea if you are serious about losing weight.

In Closing

A diet doesn’t help people lose weight (and stay that way). It’s only when you realize that nutrition and exercise together are an important (and daily) part of your life then it doesn’t become just a means to an end (in the form of a diet) but a standard for life. Well, most people who care for their nutritional needs are rarely the fattest.

How to Buy a Bike

One of the most inspiring books that I have read in my life is “It’s not about the bike” which is based on the time period when Lance Armstrong was battling with testicular cancer.

If you have any idea what this kind of cancer does for a man, you’ll know how heartbreaking it must have been for him to deal with a very low survival disease.

And to come back from it all, and win the Tour de France with the best time ever… that’s the mark of a man!

And of course, while the title clearly indicates that it wasn’t about his bike, there’s no doubt that for some of us for lesser capabilities, getting a good bike is definitely a priority!

Buying a Bike – A Walk down memory lane, perhaps

Let’s accept the fact that when we were kids, things were different in terms of why we wanted a bike. Of course, the budget mattered for a lot as you wouldn’t have that much money and would have to convince (even bribe or beg) your parents to buy it for you.

As time went on, and as you got older, perhaps your interest in riding a bike became irrelevant and you might have given your old bike to the younger kids. In reaching full circle in your lives, there comes a point when buying a bike might be an option to keep fit.

But how does one know which to buy as bikes have changed so much since the time you were kids, and your needs might be so radically different from then?

How do you know which is the best choice for you from the several available brands?

Perhaps in following a step-by-step process, our ignorance of bikes in this day and age can be dealt with, and so here is a list of steps that you follow that will show you how to buy a bike.

Steps in buying the right bike

Step #1: Before you even decide which brand you would like to purchase, first determine what kind of activity you want to use the bike for which could be anything from riding around the neighborhood all the way to trail riding.

Step #2: Next, you should get down to a bike shop and test ride different sizes of bikes so that you find the right fit, and which isn’t too cramped or stretched but just right.

Step #3: DON’T buy the first bike you like, though, at the first shop you visit. Go to a few more stores and try riding other branded bikes of a similar size before putting down your money.

Step #4: While you are doing this, ensure that you keep in mind the costs of each bike that you test, and in this way, you can also narrow down your choices to those that fit into your budget.

Step #5: When you have narrowed the list of bikes offered, you can also check as to whether the components they offer fall under the budget you have in mind.

NOTE: If you really want to get the best bike, doing a detailed comparison of the different models available is a good idea.

In Closing

In one sense, Lance’s book is about the bike because that was all he knew he could do with his life…

Weight Loss Surgery: A Note on its Pros & Cons

From a personal point-of-view, perhaps my understanding of what the North Node in my horoscope meant led me to give exercise a bit more seriousness.

Since my North Node is in Virgo, a sign of health and industriousness, most astrologers believe that once a man or woman turns thirty, his or her actions are influenced by his or her North Node.

The truth is, I understand obesity very well… and from a personal point of view, it damages your self-confidence while doing a lot for your image if you take care of it. And I know what it is like to be fat… oh yes, I do!

No matter whether you care about astrology or the North Node or not, the fact is that sometimes in our lives, we all have to take stock of where we’re going wrong and set out to change that…

And in true Agatha Christie fashion, the mirror cracked anytime I went near one…

Exercise & Why It’s So Important

Being preachy is something that I dislike but even though there are vices in my life, there is one thing that I’ve understood through it all – that losing weight is merely one part of the equation… and what really matters is that you remain active.

Whether it might be to keep that blood circulation going or even to lose weight through rigorous training, it is important for one to understand that maintaining a consistent routine no matter what will stand you in good stead especially if you live long enough to see your kids, and theirs too.

And since your weight has been connected with a slew of diseases, there’s no surprise that those who are normal when it comes to their weight stand a better chance of living a happier, longer and successful life.

On the other hand, there are some who are dangerously obese, and since they’ve reached the point of no turning back, weight loss surgery is increasingly becoming one of the alternatives that they will have to use as a start to climb that proverbial mountain back to levels of fitness that they have known before.

Weight Loss Surgery – A few thoughts

Almost everyone who is considering this kind of surgery would no doubt be anxious about whether it is safe or not, and so in order to put your mind at ease, there are weight loss surgery procedures that involve either reducing the size of the stomach or removing it and in some case, re-routing the small intestines to a small stomach pouch.

One might even ask if these procedures work…

Yes, but only if it is supported with lifestyle changes in dieting, exercise, pharmacotherapy, behavioral therapy and so on and so forth.

And if one is still worried about the dangers involved, only the extreme cases have actually passed away due to complications. While this is only about 0.2 % of the surgeries performed (according to a study!), there is no doubt that one can consider weight loss surgery to be safe enough.

In Closing

And all that I can think of when it comes to mirrors these days is where I can find a funhouse mirror or two, if only for a fondness for self-deprecating humor!