Green Light Pharmacy Blog
Obesity is the new smoking
Obesity has hit the headlines on the TV and in the newspapers in the last month, being compared with health risks of smoking.
The human body is like a bank account - if you earn more than you spend then your bank balance increases, conversely if you spend more than you earn your bank balance decreases. So if you eat more calories then you expend through exercise then your weight increases.
Losing weight is a matter of eating less calories and burning more calories through exercise - easier said than done for some people. To be successful it has to be a lifestyle change, i.e. you are not on a diet but have decided to eat more fruit and vegetabkes, cut back on cakes and fatty take-aways, and taking a little more exercise eg walking instead of the car, stairs instead of the lift.
With a diet you may be on a strict eating regimen, denying yourself "evil" food and only eating salads - but you could be setting yourself up for failure because:
By denying yourself , you are more likely to relapse, and probably relapsing big time eg eating a whole block of chocolate, after being miserable eating nothing but salads for the last week;
A diet implys a period of time eg "I'm on a diet this winter", "I'm on a diet until I lose 20 pounds" etc, what happens when the diet finishes - you probably go back to your old ways - hence "yo-yo dieting".
So don't go on a diet - change your lifestyle. Educate yourself about what you should eat lots of (Fruit, Vegetables, Cereals, Pasta and Rice), what you should eat in moderate amounts (diary, meat and nut products), and what you should eat infrequently (sugars and fats). Don't forget lots of water, but avoid fruit drinks, soft drinks and alcohol. Read the nutritional information on what you eat eg ready-made supermarket meals and avoid those high in fats and sugar. Also start to increase your exercise like getting off the bus a few stops before work, walking into town instead of taking the car, going for a walk in the park in the weekends, take up swimming or yoga etc.
Further Links
See also New and Events
