Goals


June 28, 2010

NO MORE GIMMICKS!

Recently I posted about the gimmicks of weight loss and how much they aren’t focused on making a long term affect on your body. Many people I know are using a gimmick to lose weight quick to achieve certain goals and run faster on the road of their journeys. I can’t stress more about how life needs to be slowed down, enjoyed, and analyzed on a regular basis. For those of you who are faithful Christians I want you to think about the walk you are on with God. God gives you the strength and the ability to be able to conquer all the challenges that arise during your stay on earth. But, we all know that short cuts are not part of this walk, and when we take these short cuts and do not spend the necessary time on the changes and growth we are to make in ourselves then we do not become mature in our faith, in ourselves, and in our weight loss success.

MetaFast is one of these gimmick weight loss plans that I see as one of the shortcuts of weight loss. This program is a portion-controlled diet plan. This is the quote from their website. “Medifast is a portion-controlled, nutritionally balanced, low-fat, and clinically proven program that helps people lose weight faster and more effectively than traditional diet plans. Medifast Meals come in individual packets that you mix with water and microwave or refrigerate, and are available in a wide variety of foods and flavors, including shakes, soups, stew, chili, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, fruit drinks, iced teas, hot beverages, bars, puddings, pretzel sticks, and cheese puffs. Quick and easy to prepare, they offer a healthy fast food alternative to a busy lifestyle!”

Medifast meals are not “real” food, but a processed bag of food. But, their web site says this “Almost all Medifast products are "meals" since they contain protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients.” These meals that they say you have only give you 800-1000 calories A DAY! This is not a healthy plan, especially if you are doing any type of exercise. You will need more energy for your body to build muscle instead of store what little energy you are getting. Medifast also says to decrease your exercise level until your body becomes accustomed to the decrease in calories.

Now, don’t get me wrong I read all about how safe this is for your body and all the research that shows that it is a proven weight loss program. I can understand that our body will lose weight when we limit our calories and carbohydrates. And I understand that if you continue to follow this plan you will meet your goals faster, and then when you meet your goals you will enter a maintenance stage. Something I keep remembering from former Biggest Loser contestants who gain the weight back is that maintaining the weight lose isn’t something you are taught when you lose weight at a quick rate. Once you enter a maintenance state your body begins to remember the state you were in before the weight loss. You find it harder to eat less food because now your body is craving it, and when you up your exercise levels to continue to maintain your weight loss you find you need more energy, which equals more calories, which equals weight gain if you’re not careful.

So, what should you do? Get off that short cut path you are on, follow the correct road God has put you on, and count your calories with real, fresh foods, and exercise. I know this sounds hard, time consuming, and even at times expensive. But, it’s so worth it. You are showing your children how to eat and be active; you are proving to others around you that you are strong and determined in what you go after.

• Exercise at least 4-5 times a week, if not 6 times. Burn 500 calories each day!

• If you need to lose 50-100 (or more) pounds then eat 1,400 – 1,600 calories a day!

• If you need to lose less then 50 pounds, then eat 1,200 – 1,500 calories a day!

• Eat fresh fruits & vegetables instead of breads and pastas.

• When eating breads & pastas eat whole grain

• Eat lean meats, and only eat red meat 1-2 times a week.

2 comments:

  1. Sorry comment lady... guess what I lost 1 pound... I know it is not much but the darn scale has not moved in weeks so I am pretty happy about it.

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  2. 1 pound is so awsome - you rock!

    ReplyDelete