Shopping while fat

I have been overweight for the last 15 years. I sometimes get to the point that I really hate to look at myself in the mirror. It is at those times that I find great relief in going shopping. It is not that I substitute shopping for feeling guilty for being overweight, no it is that I go to Walmart and see huge obese women and say to myself I am not that fat after all.

To me shopping and looking at other people makes it a true reality check. I think I have been comparing myself to those skinny gals on TV and not to real life. Whether I am shopping for pond supplies at the local pet store or just cruising down the grocery aisle it puts my own life in a better perspective. Try it for yourself and see if you feel better about the way you look.

Advantages of losing weight

Did you know that besides the added benefits of better health there are other benefits to losing weight? Here are just a few:

• Lower life insurance rates
• Lower health insurance rates
• Lower cost of clothing (stores charge higher prices for larger sizes)
• Saving money on your food bill
• Your furniture will last longer
• Finding a job will be easier. Employers are not supposed to discriminate but they do according to what a person looks like.
  

I bet you can think of more than that small list. I did not include the social advantages like being asked out on more dates or invited to parties.

Losing weight allowed me to save money

I had no idea how much money was being spent on snack foods until we started to cut them out of our diet. Would you believe that it was an extra $40 a week just in junk food? I was totally shocked.

Hubby an I decided to put that extra money in a "rewards" savings account. The reward was to give us something for not eating junk food and losing weight. We were thinking about going on a vacation to somewhere exotic like the Bahamas, Morocco or punta cana dominican republic, just because they are not the normal places the general tourists go to. I actually like Greece but Hubby would like Japan so we are still discussing the plans.

You might try and reward yourself for losing weight like we are doing. Either a vacation or an item you have always wanted. Don't reward yourself by going out to dinner, we use to do that and it got us nowhere with our diets.

Modern technology can help you reach your diet goal

The best way to see if you are losing weight is to take photos or video of your progress. I have known people to keep pictures of themselves in tight fitting, unflattering clothes while very overweight and post those photos on their refrigerator. It acts as a visual deterrent.

One of the best inventions that has come out in the past 15 years was the invention of digital cameras and camcorders. If there was ever a way to see yourself as others see you, then those 2 tools will help you no end. Before the digital camera, people would be very embarrassed to take in photos of themselves showing their unflattering fat to be developed at the local photo finishing place.

Use your digital camera as a tool to help you lose weight. You might surprise yourself and find out it works.

Lose that belly fat

I don't think I know anyone that has a fat belly fetish. In fact most people I know will stare at obese people at Walmart even if they are overweight themselves. For those of us who are constantly battling the fat war, we want to know how to lose belly fat.

I remember when I was younger it was so easy to walk off those extra pounds. In high school I had one of those flatter than a table top tummy. I could do 90 sit-ups in under 60 seconds for those fitness tests each year. As I got older and had an office job those extra pounds started to gather at the waistline.

I found that in order to combat the bulging waistline I have to exercise more vigorously than I did when I was younger. As a person ages their metabolisum does slow down so in order to keep it elevated you should have a high percentage of your body be muscle rather than fat. Muscle will use far greater calories and carbs just at rest than fat does. The only way to get and keep muscle is with exercise.

Foods for dieters

There are some foods that you should be avoiding that are just common sense, like cookies, candy and other empty calorie laden foods. Other foods that are eaten in larger than normal portions act like a sleeping pill on your body. You get pretty sleepy after that Thanksgiving dinner don't you? Turkey is one of those foods that puts you to sleep, milk does it too.

If you wake up during the night and want to eat because you are hungry here's a tip that my dietitian told me: Eat a 1/4 cup of peanuts right before you go to bed. Your body will take all night to digest them, thus keeping you asleep. Peanuts are also full of protein and not "empty" calories so they are just fine for your diet.