Last night, I was bemoaning the fact that my waistline was regaining its mid-winter form. The new year was coming up, and I was wondering what I could resolve to do to keep from gaining some extra insulation this winter.
Different options raced through my head; I had just interviewed a baseball player who switched to a paleo diet – maybe I should try that, throwing out all refined carbs from my house. Or maybe I should get up every weekday morning and go running. Each option came with its logistical challenges, and I soon lost momentum for creating a plan.
Going through the day in my head, I realized that maybe, just maybe, the four slices of pizza AND garlic bread AND some M&Ms on top of it had something to do with it. Yes, it was a company party, but still…..maybe I could have done without at least one of those things in my diet and still have felt well fed. The next morning, I got up, and skipped the cream cheese on my morning sandwich. Nothing radical, but it felt good to make a conscious choice to eat a bit differently.
The calendar is right about to flip again, and so many of us will be searching for the one big thing….or THE ONE BIG THING…that we can do to get or stay healthy. Facebook and the news will help, filling our heads with the secret fruit that helps you shed weight, a single exercise trick that will change your workout forever, and the new all-brown-food diet sweeping the nation. Never has it been so easy to learn so much about diet and nutrition.
Of course, some of that advice will be contradictory, or difficult to follow, or require very expensive equipment that can be bought for three monthly installments of $209. It can be hard to decide what path to go down to start a journey towards weight loss, and easier to read more about the subject…at least until one is completely sure that three cups of coffee, or walking twice a day, or jazzercise will truly help shed pounds.
Here’s the thing, though: reading isn’t a great weight loss tool. Harvard Medical School researchers have estimated that the act of reading will burn, on average, between 34 and 50 calories an hour – that’s not going to help significantly with your waistline. I say this even though my job is to help you gain information about weight loss and healthy living as editor of Type 2 Nation. Sorry, just reading our site won’t make you lose weight.
What will help even more is doing something.
“Yes, but what? What is this one great thing you can do to lose weight that you eluded to in your clickable title?” one asks.
Something different.
If my daily routine, and a healthy amount of genetics, helped get me into the shape I’m in, I can’t do the same thing each day and expect anything to change about my weight. I will not wait for the one big answer or system to start that process of change. Instead, in 2016, I will be a mad scientist and tinker (safely) with my daily routine and see if these changes help me get back to the weight I want to be. After all, it was my lifestyle that got me to this weight; only a change in lifestyle will help me lose that weight.
At Type 2 Nation, we will help provide info on weight loss, treatment, and diet, but I suggest we all not wait for the one big answer to start doing something. Here’s to the chance for a healthier new year for all!
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