For Weight Control, Try the Forklifting Diet

If you reduce the number of times you lift your fork to your mouth, you will either lose weight or choke on too big a forkful. Eating with your hands is not allowed on this diet. If you think we are being facetious, we are. But much truth is said in jest and that is no joke.

The comical picture the above implies may help you remember the next time you eat a meal. Eat more slowly; take fewer mouthfuls. Some successful weight losers we know actually count the number of times they lift their forks to their mouths during a meal. Okay, okay, we know what you're thinking---Get a life! 

Anything that we can use, however, to help us be more mindful of what we are putting in our mouths will be a tool for helping us lose weight. Absent-minded eating puts on pounds. For example, eating in front of the refrigerator or while watching T.V. automatically makes some of us eat more. It is far better to sit at a table and concentrate on the meal and enjoy the taste of each morsel. You'll be satisfied with less.

Studies have shown that the majority of overweight people are faster eaters than their thinner counterparts. Also, it takes 20 minutes for the 'stomach' to tell the 'mind' that it's full. The next time you eat a meal, sit at a table (preferably attractively set with nice cutlery,) try forklifting fewer times and more slowly. If you think you want seconds, or heavens forbid, dessert, wait 20 minutes and see if you can outsmart your stomach!

Question of the Week

Question: I am a twenty-five year old man and weigh just over 19 stones (266 pounds) and am six feet tall. I take little to no exercise and over-eat a lot. My drinking habits are excessive on the weekends. The only thing I seem to have going for me is the fact that I'm a non- smoker. I know that if I keep this lifestyle up I will not be around by the time I'm 40. Either that or I'll be so round by that time that my quality of life will be so poor I'll keep wishing I did something about it NOW. Even with these grim facts in mind I cannot find the motivation or the determination to get fit. Can you give me any advice on how to get started on the road to better health and ultimately stay there?

Answer:  Alas, the road to fitness is fraught with obstacles. Finding and keeping the motivation to live a fit and healthy life must be an ongoing process. Frequently, you must renegotiate with yourself in order to "stick with it." 

The good news is that perseverance pays. No matter how many times you fall off that fitness plateau, you can hop on again and again to work at a fit and healthy life. If you get off for a day, a week, a month, a year, it's never too late to get back on. It's sort of like quitting cigarettes, the more times you try and fail, the more likely you are to finally stick with it. "Cold turkey" doesn't work with everyone.

Though we don't recommend frequent ups and downs on the scale, it seems to be prevalent among us imperfect human beings. We strive to be fit and healthy; we want to be thinner, fitter, more muscular, leaner, more energetic, more active and all those good things. Trouble is, we can't always make our bodies obey our minds. We know what's right; we know what's good. Why, then, do we sometimes do just the opposite?

"How to get started on the road to better health" is the easy part. To "ultimately stay there" is the hard part. But it sounds to me like you recognize what the problems are with your personal fitness regime. In your own words, you "take little to no exercise, over-eat a lot, and your "drinking habits are excessive on the weekends. 

There it is-the age-old problem of knowing what to do but not knowing how to motivate yourself to do it. Congratulations on having taken the first step, recognizing what the problem is and seeking help to do something about it.

We suggest you tackle each of the three problems one at a time. Begin by limiting yourself to two or three drinks on Friday and Saturday nights. Get checked out medically then start slowly with an exercise program such as walking 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening every day. Join a gym or get together with friends or acquaintances to form a support group for playing sports (tennis, swimming, racquetball, biking, bowling) or exercising together. Cut your calories and fat intake by avoiding processed foods, fried foods and fatty sauces and sweets. Load up on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and about six ounces of protein a day. Drink lots of water. Now it's up to you.

Check our Health & Fitness Home Page for more health tips on exercise and weight loss and just plain healthy living. And let us know how you're doing. Good luck.

The HFT Staff

NOTE: If you would like to see your question featured here, please submit to: questions@health-fitness-tips.com

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