Last Updated on May 15, 2016 by Michael Brockbank
Losing weight is relatively simple. Losing weight in a healthy way takes a bit more effort. This is especially true if you’re quite large. A lot of the things experts want you to do may be impractical or could put other aspects of your life at great risk. However, you can lose some of your body mass quite quickly as long as you have determination to do so. As I and my wife are considered obese, we know of what we speak.
Easy Ways to Start Losing Weight
When you’re obese, it’s not like you can immediately jump into a 5K marathon to burn off the weight. Hell, I walked it last time and wound up with metatarsal fractures in both feet. This was partly due to wearing bad shoes…but my weight played a big role in it. Over the months, I have discovered the easiest ways for someone larger than myself to quickly shed the pounds. Here are some of the best that we have put into practice.
Increasing Your Movement
Increasing your movement is what burns the most fat. You need to get on your feet and get more out of the day. This doesn’t mean that you should push yourself until your heart feels like it’s going to explode. In fact, it’s very dangerous on your system if you try to do too much without preparing the body. People have been known to suffer heart attacks by physically pushing themselves too hard. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
- Set daily goals for a certain amount of steps or distance in walking:
It’s not a marathon, don’t try to do too much too quickly. Start with a reasonable daily goal for a week or two. Once you’ve grow accustomed to the distance, increase the goal. Keep in mind that being on your feet puts pressure on your joints because of your body weight. Your knees may ache for a while, but you’ll notice the pain going away as your weight diminishes. As my wife loses weight, she’s noticed a significant difference in her knees. - Start with basic and beginner exercises:
When you’re obese, there are going to be some advanced exercises that will be unrealistic for you to accomplish. Start off with the easier routines and work your way up. For example, the lying leg raise is one of the easiest exercises for ab work. Essentially, you’re lying on your back and lifting your feet up. It’s these kinds of easy exercises that will prepare you for the more difficult routines. And yes, the beginning workout routines are worth the effort – especially when you’re as large as we are. I’m working on putting these exercises together on this website to help others. - Avoid using the chair at grocery stores:
I personally know a few people who have let themselves go to the point where they require the use of automated chairs in Walmart. If you are serious about losing the weight, avoid using it. Depending on your size, you may only be able to go so long before the pain in your joints is too great. However, this needs to be done unless you’re happy with your size. While some obese people need help to get around, it doesn’t mean it has to be a requirement. Trust me, you’ll feel better about yourself as a person if you do more things for yourself rather than getting help from chairs or people.
Curbing Your Food Intake
One of the most important things to consider when you’re obese is the food you’re putting into your body. Being more physically active means nothing if you can’t burn off the junk you’re eating. However, there is a right way and a wrong way for curbing your food intake. For starters, you should never starve yourself. Even the largest of people still need food in order to survive. I’ve mentioned this in an earlier post, the human body cannot store certain vitamins and minerals that are necessary for health. So, what can you do to help reduce your body mass?
- Using a food monitoring system:
Personally, I use MyFitnessPal to monitor the amount of food I’m consuming in any given day. It lets me know when I’ve had too many carbs and sodium while providing a running record of nutritional values. When you track everything you eat in such a manner, you can see just how even the smallest of amounts could greatly impact your overall health. You don’t necessarily have to starve yourself, but you do need to cut back on unhealthy items and increase vegetables and fruits if you want to be healthy while losing weight. Systems like this can guide you to make better choices. - Changing your snacking habits:
Snacking used to be a big problem for me throughout the day. However, I’ve found that changing some of the sugary goods to more fruits and cheeses has made a significant impact on my health. Not only has it contributed to burning off the weight, but I feel better on an emotional level. This is because my brain is getting more of the nutrients it needs for proper function. You may not have to cut snacking out all together as long as you focus on something that is more conducive to fitness. - Eat in proper portion sizes:
This is one of the biggest failings here in the United States. In society, we are grossly overfed. Proper portions sizes are incredibly smaller than what restaurants want you to believe. For example, three ounces of grilled chicken is all you really need in any one meal. But, what can you do to make sure the stomach is full at the end of the night? Incorporate a salad. I know, not everyone enjoys a bowl of lettuce the same. However, it can act as a filler to help curb the appetite. For example, I made a salad the other night that filled me up beyond what I really needed. I used two cups of lettuce, two cups of raw spinach and three ounces of cubed chicken. This whole mean was roughly 200 calories and was quite tasty – at least for me it was. I definitely should use less lettuce and spinach next time though. If you want to get more health out of the salad, you can add a few other things to give it flavor and value.
Getting Past Being Obese
I see way too many people who are comfortable in their size. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. If you’re happy with your current body mass, then who am I to say that you’re doing it wrong? I can just attest to how it has made a difference in my life. So far, these are the things I’ve noticed since I’ve been losing weight and getting into shape.
Rotten Egg Burps
I used to have a severe problem when it came to burps that smelled like rotten eggs. These were the quality that could easily clear a room. In my case, this happened to me every time I overate. If I consumed more than 1,000 calories beyond my goal in any given day, I could guarantee a rancid odor coming from my body the next day. Once I curbed my intake, the rotten eggs simply went away…much to the delight of my wife. There were times where the smell would wake her up from a dead sleep.
Less Diarrhea
Diarrhea is another thing that has come with far less frequency while being obese. This would happen if I continued to overeat after the rotten egg burps came. This was usually accompanied by extremely painful gas. By reducing my food intake, I haven’t experienced it as often.
Physical and Mental Feeling
As I’ve been losing weight, it’s also apparent that I don’t ache as much and I am generally in a better mood. I just feel better overall now than I did when I weighed 280+ pounds. For me, being obese was not a jovial experience. My belly didn’t shake with joy like Santa, it grumbled like an evil spirit fueling me with anger and frustration.
Living a healthy lifestyle allows you to get more out of life. Don’t dwell on the idea of looking like a super model. It’s not all centered around what society believes is attractive. It’s more akin to preventing yourself from suffering greater damage later on. Diabetes is only one of many complications that could impact your life. Remember, being happy with your size doesn’t mean you’re healthy with your size. There could be far more out there waiting for you, as long as you’re willing to take those first few steps to a better way of living.
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