The Pot Belly and me

Where did this pot belly come from? Wasn't I wearing a size 34 waist just last year? Where did these extra pounds come from?

"Please pass the cinnamon rolls" I asked at our big company breakfast outing. After breakfast it was back to the office for coffee and donuts. Then a slice of chocolate cake after dinner. Then, after supper that night we stopped at our favorite watering hole for "just one more beer". Or one more pitcher of beer!

Life is good! We all enjoy celebrating with food. Good food. Tastes great. Very little nutritional value. And, along with a more sedentary lifestyle of sitting behind that desk and far too little time exercising, the pounds just seem to pile on. It is embarrassing to even look in the mirror!

Luckily there are natural and healthy ways to lose weight fast! Getting in shape fast is a goal one can reasonably expect to reach. Just how fast is entirely up to me! I get to make the choice to eat more sensibly, exercise and lose weight fast. I don't expect to lose this pot belly in a month. But two or three months is certainly a realistic target.

How much exercise is needed to make a difference in your weight depends on the amount and type of activity, and on how much you eat. Aerobic exercise burns body fat. A medium-sized adult would have to walk more than 30 miles to burn up 3,500 calories, the equivalent of one pound of fat. Although that may seem like a lot, you don’t have to walk the 30 miles all at once. Walking a mile a day for 30 days will achieve the same result. I think I'll strive for three to five miles each day! And get in some weight training to start building muscles.

If you consume 100 calories a day more than your body needs, you will gain approximately 10 pounds in a year. You could take that weight off, or keep it off, by doing 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. The experts concur - the combination of exercise and healthy eating is the surest way to start getting in shape fast.