FOOD KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

The following is a great quote:

"It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows."

Epictetus

Let's stop an apply this quote to losing weight or maintaining a goal weight for life. Approximately 68% of our nation is presently either overweight or obese. If you ask many of these people if they know how to lose weight and keep it off permanently, many would probably emphatically answer "yes".

This would mean one of two things:

1) They really do know but don't want to lose weight and keep it off permanently.

2) They really don't possess the key knowledge in order to take the weight off and keep it off permanently.

I happen to feel most of us fall into the area of not having the right type of knowledge to lose weight in the most effective manner in order to keep it off for life.

I know because I was one of those people who felt they knew but really didn't know how to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together in order to lose weight and keep it off permanently for life. I only began to be able to put the puzzle together through a great deal of research. I then implemented all that I had learned into my lifestyle and only then did I meet great success through personal experience. Trust me, you can do this too.

Knowledge is power. I know that more than ever now that I have gained the knowledge I needed to make these tremendous changes in my lifestyle as it pertained to my eating and overall fitness patterns.

Realizing that I didn't know what I needed to know in order to reach success was the first issue I had to grasp. For 18 years I was in "limbo land". This is an area where I too thought I knew everything but really didn't know most of the basic numbers that I needed to know. Looking back I now realize I, like many, knew bits and pieces but I had no idea of how to go about setting up a healthy eating and fitness pattern for life.

Knowledge is power and food knowledge is critical when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off permanently yet so many of us want the quick or easy way out. Losing weight and keeping it off permanently is not about searching for the latest or greatest diet. It's not about taking a "magic" pill.

It's about coming to the realization that we must take "time out" in order to make it a "priority" in our lives to reach the weight and fitness levels that we wish for on a permanent basis.

If you've been reading my blog, as a woman, you will know the answers to the following four questions.

1) How many calories does the average woman need to ingest each day?

2) How many calories should the average woman consider cutting back to each day in order to create a deficit.

3) How many calories does it take to lose one pound?

4) How many pounds do most experts suggest we aim to lose on a weekly basis?

The answers to these questions are four of the most critical parts of losing weight and keeping it off permanently. This is the starting point. This is where the first areas of the "key" knowledge comes into play. Here are the answers.

1) Approximately 1,800 calories.

2) Around 1,400 but no lower than 1,200.

3) A deficit of 3,500 calories.

4) 1/4 to 2 pounds weekly.

Sounds simple doesn't it? It is, but the next step and we'll discuss this in depth, is learning how to parse out 1,400 calories throughout the course of a day in order to lose the extra weight while fueling our bodies with the best foods possible. Once we reach our goal weight, we can then up our intake to the area of 1,800 calories in order to maintain.

We'll discuss ways to incorporate great foods and exercising into your daily life in upcoming posts.

Of course, always check with your Dr. before starting any new eating or exercising program.

Have a great day!