It’s Simple
Me laughing at Bloom County. Or doing a poor job of grimacing musically.
This particular Bloom County comic strip week has always stuck with me. (Also the one about “grimacing musically”, but that’s beside the point.)
“Eat less and exercise.”
If you want to lose weight, it really boils down to that. Expend more calories than you take in.
We’ve cracked the code!
Right. That is, however, much harder to do than it is to say. Eating (and eating non-healthily) is easy. Moving and exercising are not.
That is why fad diets exist. Someone is always looking for a way to beat the system and make it easy to lose weight without exercise. Remember Adkins? Cut out carbs and you’ll shed weight! And I saw it work for many people. Then there was paleo, and keto, and intermittent fasting and now everyone seems to be doing Optavia. They come in waves and they all actually work, and pretty much work the same way.
They all make you eat less.
Adkins (and paleo and keto) cut out calories from carbs. In intermittent fasting you just eat less times during the day. Optivia cuts your caloric load. But they all do it in a new way that is easy to latch onto. Trying something new, especially when you see results, is much easier than making a change to your usual routine.
By that I mean, if some fancy diet tells you to cut out carbs and you know it is working for people you know, then you feel more compelled to cut out carbs. On our own we are far less likely to get rid of the chips and bread and junk, but if a diet tells us to, then it becomes easier.
The problem comes when you “finish” the diet. Then it’s usually back to the old habits and eating patterns. I did keto for several months a few years back. Lost fifteen pounds in just a couple months. But honestly, it wasn’t much fun. Once I hit my target, I went back to what I was doing before and gained it all back.
The goal for all of us is to find what works and can be sustainable. I borrow from several diets: I try not to eat after 8pm and before 10am (intermittent fasting); I try to keep my carb intake low (keto); and try to eat healthy protein and lots of vegetables (most diets). I eat less on days when my workouts aren’t too taxing, and more on days they are. But here’s the thing: I also try not to beat myself up if I don’t always follow those guidelines.
I like to be in shape and enjoy playing ultimate and working out and walking Finn and feeling good. Eating healthily is part of that, as is exercise. But it is most important that I stick to what I know I will do, and be open to adapting as I need to.
In other words, I do my best to eat less and exercise.
