The Real Secret to Losing Weight
Thursday, April 3rd, 2008In response to this great need to lose weight, there are a multitude of programs available that guarantee this and guarantee that. A whole industry has developed that sells to people wanting to lose weight. And many people go from one program to another. The end result is the obesity epidemic we have today.
Not only do we have high cholesterol and heart disease problems, but children and adults develop type 2 diabetes in record numbers. More people are overweight now than ever in history. So much medication has been prescribed by doctors that trace amounts of medications have been found in our drinking water.
So why can’t a person lose weight in this day in age? Well, one reason is that a hundred years ago people were very active - they spent a large part of the day doing work. It was more of a ’survival mode’ than today. Women washed clothes by hand. Men cut trees down with an axe. Power equipment was not available to the average person and days were long and hard.
Food was not so abundant. The thought of fast food was yet to be conceived. All natural foods were served at every house. Today we have so much food we are surrounded by food. And we have a lot of idle time to eat and most of us do.
So what can be concluded from all these statements above? Many years ago men and women had to be physically active most of the day, there was not so much food available as there is today, and fast food did not exist at all - all food was made from natural ingredients.
These conclusions are correct, but is there something else hidden in the statements above? I think yes - the real secret to losing weight. And that is we need a change of focus. With so much food available many people fall into the trap of always focusing on the eating of the food. That fixation must be changed.
If you watch the end of a marathon race - how many 250 pound runners finish in the top 10? Matter of fact - are there any 250 pound runners who finish the 26 mile race at all? Why is this so? You would probably say that somebody weighing that much could not carry that weight all that distance. And that answer is an acceptable, logical one.
I would answer by saying that a marathon runner has changed his/her focus - s/he lives to run. Eating is a necessary part of the training. This is true for a serious dancer, a swimmer, a skater, in short for a committed athlete. They change their focus to developing their performance - doing better than they did before - exceeding their personal best.
Around 1980 I was running 10 kilometer foot races. This is about 6.2 miles. My weight was just two or three pounds above what I had weighed in high school. I ran on the average 7 miles a day. I did eat sweets at every supper meal. I ate what I wanted, but there was a limit to what I could eat.
If I ate too much of something, I could develop a headache, heartburn, or some malady that would cause me to have problems running the next day. And I lived to run. So quickly my diet changed to eat those things that would help me run - not limit my running because my focus was running.
I was sidelined by a couple or injuries. Recently I have learned that most injuries are caused by muscle imbalances. Using light weights, I’ve worked my way through and around those old injuries, and I’m back to running again. I’m now coming back into shape and the old, great feelings have returned.
So the next time you watch a serious athletic competition, carefully look over the athletes and see if you see a potbelly on any one of them. See if anyone is overweight.
The real secret to losing weight is changing your focus. I think this happens quite often to someone who takes up a serious exercise activity. They start to lose weight, they feel good, they exercise more, they feel even better - it’s a continuous, healthy cycle, and it is great feeling really good.