A Belt-Tightening Diet and Exercise Plan - The Lazy Man's Way to Diet and Exercise

It's a National disgrace - 1/3 of the U.S. population is OBESE.

The National Institutes of Health reports that Obesity means having too much body fat. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. The weight may come from muscle, bone, fat and/or body water. Both terms mean that a person's weight is greater than what's considered healthy for his or her height.

HOSPITAL DIET

Research indicates that there are two probable causes for obesity:

1. It is a genetic problem inherited from someone residing up in the family tree, or

2. It is the result of a high carbohydrate, low nutrition diet. ("Do you want fries wid dat?")

I once had a doctor describe me on my hospital chart as, "an obese white male." Now that really ticked me off because according to the height/weight scale published by the US Air Force, I was 20 pounds under the weight I could be in order to wear an Air Force uniform!

Admittedly, I did have a big gut. The rest of me was OK.

It seems that the real villain here is that we in the Western World have adopted a high carb diet-too many sugars, starches and other carbs that mostly get converted (metabolized) in the body into glucose.

The body needs glucose. It is carried by the blood stream to the cells throughout the body. The cells convert glucose into energy. If we lack glucose in the proper amount, we will lack energy.

Oh but if it was only that simple!

High blood sugar (glucose) leads to a variety of illnesses-heart problems, stroke, some cancers and diabetes. The people in the under-developed countries do not share our problem. They consume fewer carbs because they are just not as readily available to them. And as a result, they have much lower rates of those diseases I just mentioned.

"Diet and exercise is the key to a healthy life," a good friend once told me. Medical science agrees!

But the Internet is awash with fad diets and super-sweat-producing, aerobic and cardio-vascular exercise plans. At my age, I'm not willing to give up all my favorite foods. Nor can I take much in the way of strenuous exercise. I guess you might say I needed a "Lazy Man's Diet and Exercise Program."

Well I found it, and here is what I learned:

1. Low carb, low sugar diet would begin to flatten my big gut. Problem is that many if not most prepared, packaged foods have high sugar contents-and not just sugar but a health crushing substitute called "High Fructose Corn Syrup." Eliminating this one scourge already resulted in me having to tighten my belt 1-2 notches

2. Exercise for me amounts to a brisk walk. Since I have to walk my dog 3-4 times a day, which suffices for my daily exercise requirement.

A Belt-Tightening Diet and Exercise Plan - The Lazy Man's Way to Diet and Exercise

HOSPITAL DIET