04.21.23

5 Simple Lifestyle Changes to Help You Beat Obesity

Here are 5 practical tips and strategies for making a small but impactful change to your daily routine which can help you beat obesity.

Some regular physical activity.

Now, if you are anything like me, many years of doing no exercise has made you lazy. Just the thought of sweating and breathing with difficulty on a daily basis tires me out. I have tried the weight thing. I have tried the bicycle thing. I have tried the walking thing. Do you know which one of those were successful?

Not one.

I am so tired of returning to an exercise routine I know has never worked for me.

Yoga is a word I have heard for years, but never tried it.

I came across the BetterMe app, and have signed up. I am interested in the seated yoga as this seems something I should be good at considering I have been sitting and avoiding physical exercise for years.

Watch what you eat.

It’s quite easy watching what you eat when you are eating all the time. The funny thing is when all you eat is rubbish, you just grab for it from your cupboards without even thinking. When it is the healthier alternative foods, then suddenly you are interested in what you may be eating.

Eating properly is the challenge. I really don’t know what to do.

It seems weight loss has moved entirely into the app world, as there is an app to control almost any aspect of weight loss. I will record my weight and measurements daily, and I hope the need to physically enter data into an app will motivate me to stick to a diet for once.

I want to try a liquid diet for a few weeks. This will comprise coffee, water and the odd soda.

Then I don’t need to watch anything except to remember to record everything I put into this obese body of mine.

Get enough sleep.

This is difficult for me.

I sleep when I am tired, and this isn’t a constant 8 hours a night. Sometimes, 4 to 5 hours is sufficient. I have a bout of insomnia every three months, which lasts a day or two, but when it passes, I sleep my average six hours per night.

I have been feeling lethargic during the late afternoon for some months now, but it passes, and I seem to find my second wind.

When I sleep, I sleep well, never dream and wake up, seldom during the night.

I have done everything I can to have a good night of rest.

There is no TV in my room.

I charge my phone in another room.

My room is very dark at night.

Maybe exercise will help here as well.

Everything is in place for a good night’s sleep. All that needs to happen is my body must need to want to sleep.

Manage your stress levels.

One thing I can say for certain is stress has no influence on me. I don’t think I know what stress is. Irritation, some impatience, anger and a lot of other emotions, yes, but stress, no.

I guess the way to resolve these emotions is to find something to do while I experience them. Maybe write, exercise, meditate, or find someone to talk to.

There are several things I believe I need to do to clear out my mind and keep it away from life just for a few minutes per day.

Take care of myself and my body

Connect more regularly with people in my circle

I have tried meditation, and didn’t see any benefit. I am going to try again.

Practice mindful eating.

My hunger does not have an off switch. If there is something to eat, I will do so. I have tried to see what causes this, but nothing jumps out at me. There must be a way to determine why certain emotions or feelings push me to food, but a few therapy sessions have shed no light on this yet.

Having worked in the restaurant industry for decades, I have always eaten quickly. I must slow down and see if this forces me to enjoy my food, and possibly even eat less.

I will need to serve smaller portions or use smaller plates.

I may have to walk into a supermarket with a list of healthy foods and only buy those. When I just shop, the bad things usually end up in my basket.

All I can tell myself is that lifestyle changes take time and effort, and patience is my friend during this time. I need to determine what influences my eating habits and how this information will help me lose weight.

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