The Busy Person's Guide to Permanent Weight Loss

I found some great deals on health and fitness books in the clearance racks of TJ Maxx and Marshalls. When I saw this book had been marked down to $3 I snapped it up last year. It's a good read. I recently re-read it. It was broken up into 7 sections - basic principles, customizing the guide for you, meal ideas, exercise strategies, behavior tips, real-world challenges, and maintenance tips. There's appendices with protein bar chart, 5 ingredients recipes, shopping lists, and journal and worksheets.

I really enjoyed the book. She encourages each person find their unique niche following a basic framework...3 basic principles - nutrition, exercise, and behavior. The principles she gives are not set in stone but are guidelines.


Here are a few of my favorite points....


1) "Some obseity experts now believe its not the quantity of carbohydrates that should be addressed for weight loss by the quality..." She is not one of them....She believes that both quantity and quality matter. I completely agree with this thinking! 


2) Build Activity into you life - Permanently. Exercise plays its part in weight management by maintaining your muscle mass and metabolism. In addition to exercise, endeavor as much as possible to increase the number of calories burned through lifestyle activities (like the stairs instead of elevators and park at the back of the parking lot to walk into a store).


3) Ditch the all or nothing attitude. "Just try to make the best choices you can, the majority of the time, and get back on track as soon as possible if you slip up for a meal, a day, or even a week".


4) Always Have a Plan. "This means not only planning for healthy eating, but also planning for indulgences too. If you plan for them correctly, they wont' derail you..."


5) Determine Your Readiness To Lose Weight. "While you may have the time, you may not have the mental capacity or be in the right environment to lose weight. It will take a little thought, planning, and organization (not necessarily time) to figure out a system that works for you".


6) She recommends a diet balanced with whole grains, low fat dairy, lean proteins, fruits, and veggies. Her approach was very similar to what was recommended to me by my dietitian. It's practical and doable. And she has a section addressing people who may be suffering from metabolyic syndrome and need to more close watch their carb intake...on how to make more tweaks.


7) Great Travel Tips. I travel ALOT with work...She recommends not taking the airports moving sidewalks - get the extra steps in! Window shop or walk laps while waiting for a flight. Bring healthy snacks with you. If possible, ship some healthy foods/snacks to your location. Drink extra water...Indulge a little but reasonably. Continue to get physical activity in (although it be limited). Most importantly getting right back to your fitness and nutrition plan when you get home.


8) A section dedicated to weight management. I don't really read diet books - I've never tried various diet plans but I dont' think this too is common. She recommends 1) build a lifestyle that allows you to enjoy life & maintain your weight loss, 2) weigh yourself regularly, 3) get back on track if you start to gain weight, 4) be consistent, 5) don't ditch the veggies, 6) de-stress regularly, and 7) do keep paying attention to what you eat and how much you exercise.


The books full of good tips! It was a good refresher...