I have a bit of a weight problem, what is the best and fastest way to lose weight?

Question

someone told me to stay away from all white food. eg, white rice, white bread etc. Is this true?

Answer 1

Hi Josie,

My first advice is not to follow any fad diets that prescribe "this" or forbid "that". There may be some logical reasoning behind them - as there is behind the claim to stay away from white rice and bread, for example - but there's a more straightforward way to take control of your weight.

In certain scientific circles, obesity (and being overweight in general) is considered a Disease of the Civilizations. Take that name with a pinch of salt - it's not meant to be sensational but it can be if you don't look at it from an educated and informed perspective. It refers to the fact that humans live today in a which which is dramatically different from how they originally lived.

Long ago, humans were hunter-gatherers, a life-style in which individuals cycled through periods of bounty and scarcity of food. Thus, our bodies learned to save as much energy as possible whenever we, say, killed a mastodon (or whatever animal early humans killed and ate) just in case we didn't kill another one for a long time. We also spent a lot of time outside, hunting and migrating to areas where there were better hunting opportunities. Overall, this means we burned a lot of energy being active and saved it whenever we could in the form of fat.

This was our lifestyle for many thousands of years, long enough for these kinds of practices to become ingrained in the way our body operates. Today, we spend much more time sitting around (perhaps on Yahoo!Answers ;) ) and enjoy food security (the ability to reasonably expect food in sufficient quantities on a regular basis) even though our physiology is optimized for high activity and low food security. Thus, we don't burn enough energy and store as much of it as possible resulting in obesity and weight gain. We have spent many more hundreds of thousands of years living as hunter-gatherers than we have as "modern" humans, and so our body is still tuned to that "older" way of life.

What does this tell us about white rice and bread?

Our diet during this early period in human history, although it included plants and berries, certainly did not include bleached rice and bread. Rice would not have been consumed till, at the earliest, 10 000 years ago (the Agricultural Revolution) and probably much later (bread would have been MUCH MUCH later). Both products are very high in calories and, combined with a sedentary lifestyle, are quite the opposite to what our bodies are accustomed to. WHITE rich and bread are even worse, as they have been bleached, a process which also causes them to lose many of their nutrients. Thus, there IS merit in staying away from these products a) it isn't enough to lose a lot of weight, and b) you CAN have some of it and still lose a lot of weight.

So, you ask, how do you lose weight?

I recommend a few easy-to-understand (though not necessarily to follow) principles.

1) Portion control. Essentially, this means eating enough so that you're satisfied. When you eat a meal, ask yourself whether you are hungry or whether you are eating simply because you like the taste. Every time you reach for another helping, ask yourself: Do I need another helping, or do I want another helping? I have several friends who lost significant amounts of weight by adopting that policy alone.

2) Diversity. Eat a variety of foods and don't forget fruits and vegetables. You can still eat rice, but eat it with some vegetables and prepare it with some sort of meat. Having a variety of foods provides a variety of nutrients in every meal and allows you to enjoy foods that may be less healthy with others that are more healthy.

3) Spread out your meals. Eat, by all means, but many smaller meals will sustain you better and keep your food metabolism consistently high. Also, avoid eating too late - just think about all the energy that your body will gain before you settle down for several hours of physical inactivity (sleeping). Where's all that energy going to go if you're not staying active? To your love handles.

4) Physical activity. Many people take this to mean going to the gym, and while that's one possibility it's certainly not the only one. The gym is great, and you may benefit by seeing other motivated people (and you can get their advice on exercises and hear their weight loss stories) but you can also go shopping for an hour or two ... do some gardening ... play sports with some friends. All of these are activities that get you away from your television/computer and on your feet out of the house.

If you follow these principles in a disciplined manner, you will be well on your way towards shedding pounds and living a healthier lifestyle. Take control of your life and your food and one day you'll be sharing this advice with someone else. I wish you the best of luck!

Answer 2

Whether losing a little or a lot I think it's the same program. Limiting or excluding any food group will put your system out of balance. Besides eventually you will have to go back to those foods. The best way I have found is to exercise daily, walking and swimming are great! I lost a whole size walking last fall.
Eat healthy. Lots of prepared foods are high in stuff we just don't need so take the time to prepare your own meals from scratch. Groan! I thought it would be a challenge and extra work but it became a fun adventure choosing and trying new foods. You want crunch. The crunchy vegs satisfy our oral needs and can taste as good as a potato chip. really! (I gave up chips 4 yrs ago-I was an addict for sure-and am glad)
When you just HAVE to have something to eat drink a glass of water first. Somethings we are just thirsty and not hungry at all!
Lastly, set small goals that you can accomplish and reset as you go along. I had to lose almost 100 pounds! I set my goals in 20 pound increments and am succeeding bit by bit. I have about 40 pounds to go. Does it happen over night? No. But working slowly helps keep it off, lets your body and mind adjust to the new you and is healthier. Good luck!

Answer 3

The best way is not necessarily the fastest way to lose weight. Try eating nutritious foods, organic if you can; lots of fruits and vegetables. Drink plenty of water. Have three meals a day. Stay away from sugar, white bread, and white rice. Try using whole grain bread and brown rice. These are much healthier for your body. Avoid junk food and fast food places. They are not healthy for your body. Have one plate of food at each meal. No seconds. If you are still hungry after a meal, have a piece of fruit. I hope this helps. Good luck.

Answer 4

You have to lower your calorie intake and exercise or add more activity to your life.Its that simple. Its just mind set. Mind over matter. I know I've been there and its difficult but you can do it.I started out just dropping the worst things in my diet . The fried foods that I love so much and later cut out most of the bread. I began to just walk around the block everyday and later it went to a health club membership. I also found that cleansing my colon was the best thing I ever did. I think I lost 8 lbs in month just from an iternal cleansing program (www.DrNatura.com). It helped me be regular and I felt a big boost of energy from having a healthy colon. I think my body actually burns the calories faster now. Well anyway good luck.

Answer 5

You won't find the best and fastest ways to lose weight to be the same thing. Go slow. Eat a better diet and exercise more. It sounds generic, but it't the only healthy way to go. Trying to lose weight quickly will only tempt you to lose it in unhealthy ways. And if you start exercising more, you might lose weight right away, and then stop. Don't get discouraged. That's usually just water weight. Once past that, you can gradually lose the bulk.

Answer 6

Try eating foods high in fiber. Oatmeal for breakfast every morning...I actually mix flaxseed in with it. I lost 8 lbs. in a month that way. Also, stay away from sweets. I don't eat white bread. Just whole wheat. Don't drink any pop. Not even diet. Lots of water and juice. Yogurt is good too.

Answer 7

Homeopathic Treatment to Loose Excessive Fat and Weight :-
The safest and sure fire way to loose weight and excessive fat is PHYTOLACCA BERRY Q(Mother Tincture) 20 drops thrice a day in a sip of warm water half hour before or after meals.
Starts showing results in 30 to 45 days of regular use.
It will cure flabby or sagging tummy and make your skin look fresher and tighter and it has no side effects and no complications whatsoever !
Avoid taking Chocolates Coffee Mints and Red Meat while taking homeopathic medicine.
You can get homeopathic medicines from Major Herbal Shops and Homeopathic Stores and they are quite inexpensive.
Take Care and God Bless !

Answer 8

too fast is bad.

Gradual life changes are the way to go. practice makes permanent.

the white food theory has some ligtimacy but thats because bread rice are carbs....

your body will react like a chemstry lab when exposed to sugars in carbs. it sounds alittle like the low carb diet craze.

Your brain and body need carbs not the removal of them.


I can tell you that out of all the commerical diets the south beach one sounds the most reasonable.

if you can afford it the Nutrisystem will control your daily calorie intake for you. that works as well.
http://www.nutrisystem.com/


but of course.....exercise for 20min a day or try pilaties....slow and steady of course...

Answer 9

I just saw a weight Dr. he told me if I do not stick to anything else remember one thing each day, treat your food intake like money the more you take in the more you save the less you take in the less you save so if you are gonna eat, eat the healthiest thing possible with the least calories and most nutrients if you do not have the food calories to spend you have to use the ones you have stored..hence weight loss..

Answer 10

Stop eating so many chips and snacks. Start eating more fruits and vegetables. Drink a lot of juice. You can tell if something is healthy for you or not by how it makes you feel when you eat it. Also you will never be able to keep up that kind of lifestyle if you don't get outside more and get more active. Good Luck!!

Answer 11

Eat several (5-6) small meals a day...your body will burn calories faster and build your metabolism in a short period of time.
(eat about every 2 hours)
The first 8-10 pounds you shed is water.
Meal suggestions:
1st: piece of fruit
2nd: string cheese, summer sausage, cottage cheese/yogurt
3rd: bowl of cereal
4th: soup/sandwich
5th: a good dinner-meat, potatoes/pasta/rice, veggie...your body needs carbs, protein and vitamins to stay healthy
6th: salad/raw veggies
Drink plenty of water
Drink milk or juice/water with every meal (no soda pop)
Stay away from munchies, fried & fatty foods.
Do simple exercise like walking/hiking...swimming and biking are low impact, playing games like basketball, baseball, volleyball will tone your body and you'll have fun doing it.