I'm writing today to share with you a victory -- a diet and exercise victory. Let me begin with a little background.I've always been in the normal weight range for my height. I am about 5'7" and prior to each of my two pregnancies, I weighed 142. For me, that translates into size eight clothing, size six for some oddly made-garments. I've always been generally happy with my weight, and I've never obsessed about the numbers on the scale. Yet there's been one area that's bothered me ever since my first baby was born -- my tummy. Now I like to use the excuse that my babies were big -- 10 pounds, nine ounces and 10 pounds, two ounces -- but clinging to this explanation did nothing to remove the loose skin from my middle. And for years, I guess I wasn't ready to work at whittling it away.
Enter cancer. Research shows many breast cancer patients gain weight during treatment -- sometimes up to 30 pounds. And while I never did gain this much, my weight has increased over the past almost three years. Perhaps it was hormones, the chemotherapy drugs, the anti-depressant I just stopped taking. Regardless, I didn't like the extra weight. So I tried to do something about it -- and about that pesky tummy too. And herein lies the victory.
Just two months ago, I weighed 150. Then I cut out soda, sweets, foods high in sugar, and foods high in fat. I began eating healthy meals, healthy snacks, and more fruit than usual. I learned how to eat to fill my stomach, not stuff it. And I continued exercising like I've always done, several times per week.
Today, I stood on the scale at my local grocery store and watched this number flash before my eyes: 142. And when I walked the aisles of the store, picking up my fruit, veggies, fish, chicken, and low-fat cheese, I noticed all the items I would have normally thrown in my cart -- potato chips, cereals, candy, junk. This stuff is loaded with sugar and fat. It feels good to be rid of it. And it feels good to be slimmer, more fit, and most important, healthier.
It may have been the breast cancer that contributed to my extra pounds. But I suspect it was also my diet. This suspicion leads me to encourage you to make a few healthy changes in your own eating habits. And then witness the victory of positive change.
1. Exercise Secrets
For every pound you want to lose, you have to cut back 3500 calories or expend 3500 calories worth of energy above your normal activity. Exercising is the answer. You can lose weight minus the deprivation and research has proven those who exercised peeled an average of six pounds a year. So get active!
When you exercise make sure you always eat 3-4 hours before. Your best choice is a high-carbohydrate, low-fat meal, with foods like breakfast cereal, fruit, yogurt, fruit juice, bread, pasta and rice. Doing both aerobics and weight training is the optimal way to lose more fat and gain more muscle. Be creative with your exercise routine. You can use exercise equipment in combination with you own body for the best results. Here are two wonder works for a sculpted body. The squat is an excellent compound exercise and it really works the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. The bench press works multiple muscles at once. It works the chest, the shoulders and the triceps. Oh yeah, smile; it does the facial muscles wonders as well as your attitude while exercising.
Click link below for secret additional exercises for a body that will turn heads.
http://naturalsupply.blogspot.com/2007/06/exercise-to-lose-weight.html
Posted at 11:47PM on Jun 12th 2007 by Susana