created: 30.09.2004
last modified: 30.09.2004
Lack of activity and false nutrition are good for nobody. But for diabetics they can make life a lot worse…In case you're uncertain whether you weigh too much, you should check your body mass index (BMI) first. The result gives you a rough idea whether you should be satisfied with your weight or not. Why a rough idea only? Because the results will be different, depending on the test you take. An online test, for example, offers to calculate the BMI from your age, size, weight and sex. In a comparable table my "personal" BMI was one mark different from what the Internet gave me. The online test told me I was underweight with a BMI of 19 and gave me the advice to stop losing weight immediately. A medical magazine told me my ideal BMI would be between 19 and 25, of course also depending on size and weight.
One more thing from me personally: I'm not losing weight, I'm trying to keep it constant for 7 years - since the birth of my son. What helps me are "diet-days" every now and then. If I did the "Full Monty" every day (substantial breakfast, opulent lunch, late dinner and crisps and sweets in between) I'd have the same problems like those who think such a diet is "normal".
Nutrition needs to be balanced - and for me that doesn't mean to do completely without sweets. But I am able to counterbalance days: that means, an extended Friday evening dinner including red wine is no problem as long as I eat less on Saturday. I prefer my pasta without cream sauce for example, and I don't need meat every day.
There's many a reason for overweight and false eating habits. Whether it's grief, a stressful job, puberty, an accident or an operation that ties you to the bed for a long time- there's always a reason for the extra chocolate or ice cream. And this is where the spiral of frustration begins: First I'm eating my sorrow away, comfort myself with loads of calories, put on a lot of weight, see myself in the mirror, get more frustrated, eat more sorrow away…
"Tomorrow I'll start doing sports, tomorrow I'll start to diet, tomorrow I'll give up smoking" the range of excuse seems to be never ending but they all start with "tomorrow". Additionally many people consider "to diet" a negative expression, it means having to do without something without wanting to do without it.
In my opinion to diet first of all means the change of eating habits and a new attitude towards a healthy, nourishing and most of all delicious nutrition. This also means you have to train your palate and your tasting buds. You can learn that vegetable can be delicate without thick sauce; or that potatoes taste better with their skin on than chips (and have a better food value). You can practice to "eat correctly" just like you can practice how to do your sport properly. And if the "fever" for crisps gets you, it's no problem at all - as long as you know how to "come down" down again…
