Moderation...Eat the Food You Like

The advantage of monitoring the amount of fat you eat is that you CAN eat the foods you like. Ice cream, chocolate, pizza...you name it! The key is moderation. Since you know how much fat you're eating, you'll know just how much fat you SHOULD eat. There are no more strange and restrictive diets. You control what you eat. Sure, every once in a while you may eat too much fat or too many cookies, but that's OK. Just keep trying until you reach your goal!

Quick Tip #21: Moderation is the key to eating the fatty foods you like!

Now that we've covered what you eat, we turn to what you do. How active are you? Do you exercise? The benefits of eating correctly can be magnified greatly if you begin to exercise, even if it's a small amount per week. Most people dread the thought of exercising to lose weight. That's because most people try too much too soon. They go run five miles and then collapse, never wanting to exercise again. You need to gradually begin to exercise and build up....don't expect to become a marathon runner overnight. The goal is to complement your diet with exercise and feel good about doing it!

It's also important to note again that when you begin to exercise, your goal should be to reduce your body fat, NOT to lose weight. If you reduce your body fat, you WILL lose weight. But you want to maintain or increase your lean body weight, and at the same time reduce your body fat -- that way you can increase or maintain your current metabolism.

The best way of doing this is by "burning" more calories than you actually consume or eat. When this occurs, your body taps into the hidden energy reserve - FAT. Only when this occurs will you begin to lose body fat. But a caution again, it is not effective to starve yourself to accomplish this. You should develop a low fat lifestyle AND exercise. These are the best way to tap your hidden reserve of fat.

When to Exercise

Most people don't get excited about the thought of exercise. That's because they have memories of being forced to exercise in gym class or they associate exercise with painful concept of "losing weight." Exercise is a tough activity to continue if you don't enjoy it or you find it boring. Try to find an exercise you really enjoy.