It's The Calories Stupid!

By Tracye Prewitt

I hear a lot of talk about which diet is best. Which diet yields the best results, the fastest; is all the folks at the copier are talking about these days. Coming off of a two week Christmas eating binge has everyone a bit on edge. I listen and what to shout… IT’S THE CALORIES STUPID! I am not one of these people who can deny myself anything and when a diet says you can have a hamburger but you can’t eat the bun I just say PLUHEASE! I have friends who have done The Adkins diet and The South Beach diet and had great results with them but once they go off program the weight magically returns. The one thing I do not like about the Adkins and The South Beach plans is if you ever “cheat” with a roll or a biscuit you have to start all over again. You have to start over from the last rung on that proverbial ladder you are so desperately trying to climb. This seems to me to be a built in FAILURE mechanism. I would think well if I cheat it is all over and I am not going to go through all that again yadda yadda yadda. The newest diet rage with all the diet centers is Glycemic Index Of Foods. Pardon me but what the heck is the Glycemic Index Of Foods and if it is so important why isn’t it on the nutritional labels of food? What is on the nutritional labels of food is Calories.… If you can count, add, and subtract you can count or add up calories eaten in a day and subtract them from a Daily Caloric Goal. This is a simple plan that is easy and effective. Trust me I have gone on a lot of diets before and this one, the low calorie one, has worked the best for me. I have also maintained the weight loss for over a year now. A couple of past diets I have been on were 1) the low fat diet and nothing (well maybe ten pounds) and 2) The Dolly Parton Diet (The Cabbage Diet) and lost a good deal of weight, but the food and the soup EWWWW! I finally wound up on my knees and asked God what do I do and how do I do it… He pointed me to the internet where I found information on low calorie diets. And so the counting began…. The low calorie lifestyle seems to be gaining popularity in medical and fitness circles as well. One benefit of a low calorie diet, besides weight loss, is that it seems to slow the aging process. I lowered my caloric intake from God only knows how many a calories a day to 1000 a day. I chose this number after doing a great deal of research on the web about low calorie diets. I have since found ways to calculate BMI and calories needed to keep the body running at a desired weight (these calculators can be found online; just google BMI and Calorie Calculators). I learned that making myself accountable by keeping a calorie and exercise journal helped a great deal. Write how many calories for each meal per day and chart your miles or reps. I also write poetry, prayers, quotes, scripture, and song lyrics in mine… inspiration is priceless. I also got my rear in off the coach and started walking everyday. On a good day I walk anywhere from 7 to 10 miles and on a normal day I walk around 2 miles. IT’S THE EXERCISE TOO STUPID! You want to lose you HAVE to do the WORK! When you start walking particularly if you are walking in a hilly terrain like I do; start off with around 2 or 3 miles a day and build up from there. Don’t push your body to do things that it simply can not do... listen to your body if you hurt take a day (only one day) off …. Be careful to contact your doctor before you begin a new lifestyle such as a low caloric lifestyle and any strenuous exercise. I am happy to report that with will power that could only come from God himself; I have lost 65 pounds in a year! I recently upped my caloric daily intake to 1200 calories a day because I have reached a desired weight. I know that this is not just a diet but it is a lifestyle change! I will have to control or monitor my calories and my weight for the rest of my life! But with God at my side, like he has been since the beginning, and a loving and supportive family I know I will continue living a healthier lifestyle! If you decide to take a journey like mine; I wish you blessings beyond your greatest expectations! Godspeed!