That's a pretty "in your face" statement, but really it's frustrating for me to see and hear all the different admonitions coming at me from sources I am not absolutely convinced have this whole thing nailed down tight.

For example, when I'm in the dressing room at the pool, I'll hear discussed all kinds of complicated systems involving a myriad of vitamins and health foods. Well, I guess some do have merit but, from what I hear, you'd need to be walking around with a calculator and a calorie counter; it's just so time consuming and so fussy, who can sustain that kind of diligence in checking everything they eat? And then I get to the checkout at the supermarket and just about every magazine front page shouts out the answer to all your diet problems. Somebody very good is taking those Oprah cover shots and picking the clothes "oh so carefully"!!

Anyway, that's my rant over; so what do I have to offer that's so much better? Well you can "chuck" the calorie counter and forget the calculator and get back to just applying some common sense. Now let's be honest here, do you really think you are going to benefit from eating French fries, potato chips, nachos, cakes, cookies, doughnuts, cheese burgers, etc.? (and what does "etc." mean, well just about any of the processed foods that are fried in their production).

In fact if we avoided pretty much ALL the processed foods, you wouldn't be far off a very good start to an effective diet plan that would yield lasting results.

But, and here's the bad news, you have to put in some exercise. It can be any activity that gets your body moving and your system turning over, but you have to do something more than just watch what you eat. So find something you will probably like doing because you want to feel inclined to do it more and more, not dread, or have to drag yourself to whatever it is. For example, if you like the golf idea go for that, and bear in mind that it seems to be true that when we get better at something we like to do it more, so if you fancy golf but are not yet very good, be patient and keep at it because as soon as you get better, it gets awfully easy to show up and play.

Naturally, for me, swimming is a great choice and just getting in there and swimming laps sets the slimming and slenderizing process in motion. I don't know anyone who has "thickened-up" by swimming. Ladies, want slimmer ankles? Get on down to the pool and do a little legs-only with the kickboard. It works!

So, as I said, try to find an activity that is going to lead to an increase in your participation. Heaven forbid, you might actually enjoy it!

About the Author

Gordon Black is a world-ranked Master swimmer and Canadian national record holder. A member of the British swim team in the late '60s, after thirty years out of the pool, last year Gordon returned to competitive swimming in the Masters forum. He offers an online weight loss, fitness and motivational coaching service through his web site http://www.gordonblack.com where his competitive comeback is chronicled. He is currently working on a book based on his own weight management and fitness system.
gordon@gordonblack.com