Fat vs Fit

Weight Loss Article Copyrighted by Diet Bites

Can one be both fat and fit? You betcha!

The sedate individual who becomes confined to the office chair, then moves home to reside on the comfy sofa has a health card that pales when compared to an overweight individual who leads an active life, then goes home to coach a little league team.

Then there's the tired old argument that thin people live longer than fat people - another Fat vs Fit argument. And when a hefty person ends up living into their 80's and 90's, then passes on, this argument is presented, " But think how much longer Helen would have lived if she had been thin."

The ideal situation is to engage an active lifestyle in conjunction with a lean diet. While our gene pools may equal cess pools to some, there are things that ANYONE can do - whether fat or fit can do to increase their current quality of life - to feel better, no matter what size they are.

Here are some savvy health and fitness tips to help get you there:

Cut out snacks during the day, opting instead for a three meals per day plan (breakfast, lunch, dinner). Ix-nay on grazing.

Enjoy your foods as close to their natural status as possible. The more processing involved, the unhealthier the food becomes, the more mined with fat the food becomes and in turn, the more caloric values contained in the food that at one point, wasn't so bad in calories to begin with.

Choose water and lemon (or any slice of citrus fruit) over sugary beverages. Keep away from the spirits as they are packed with empty calories. Try to drink at least 3 cups of skim milk per day as milk has been linked to faster and more effective weight loss results.

Reach for a scrambled egg or a bowl of whole grain oats for breakfast and you'll still feel full hours later.

Enjoy a favorite activity or walk each day. Just 15 minutes a day will accomplish a stronger, more efficient you - and you'll feel better, too. Your state of mind will be less foggy, and you may find yourself jumping out of bed in the morning ready to start your new day rather than pressing the snooze alarm a half-dozen times while groaning and moaning.

Choose healthy substitutes for the following foods: sugar, butter, fatty dairy products. Example: Try substituting those two morning scrambled eggs with egg substitute to cut cholesterol.

Get your eight hours of sleep in each night. Studies indicate that when people sleep less than six hours per day, their risk for obesity rises sharply. The more time a body spends awake, the more opportunity for eating - as well as temptation.

The body typically processes a meal in about four hours. After that time, it's going to let you know that the tummy is empty and needs to be refilled. But while the stomach is empty - and is telling you it needs food, the body itself may not require more energy to meet its nutritional needs.

This is where 'mind over matter' comes into play. Yes, the body is a brilliant, impressive work of art - that is so wise, so intelligent. But the body relies on its smartest component to make the final decisions where eating is concerned - and we should do such wisely.

Therefore the next time that you feel you're stomach indicating that it is empty, pause and consider the situation. How much energy have you consumed amid the day to this point? Do you really need more energy? How much energy did you expend? Are the hunger pains due to the types of foods that you consumed at your last meal? Did they have enough satiety power?

If you find that you have indeed met your energy requirements for the day - then resist with all you've got, Captain! If not, you know the consequences. Weight gain. And those higher numbers won't be pretty to look at on the bathroom scales.

Be sure to visit Diet Bites for your daily dose of Diet Motivation.

The History of Ethnic Diets

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