This make-believe story can help you next time you hit a plateau…
Otis wants to lose weight. He can't see his feet past his large gut. Otis eats roughly 3,000 calories a day, and his weight is steady at 300 pounds. He sets his goal weight at 180 pounds.
First, Otis decides to stop eating second helpings. He makes no other changes to his diet or to the number of days he goes to the gym. His daily calorie intake goes from 3,000 to 2,000. And because of that, Otis starts to lose weight.
Otis’s body starts emptying out its fat and carbohydrate stores to make up for the calorie shortage. As the weeks go by, Otis continues to eat 2,000 calories a day, and the weight loss goes on.
Until the day when the weight loss stops. Otis has plateaued.
Elizabeth asked... Is it necessary or desirable to have my vitamin B12 levels checked?
Yes, and YES!
We don’t need a lot of vitamin B12 to stay healthy, but we do need a steady supply. Most adults need 2.4 mcg (micrograms) a day. To get an idea of what that means… 3 ounces of pan-fried beef liver has more than 70 mcg. BLAH! Beef, salmon, and tuna have about 2.5 mcg in each 3 oz. serving. But these aren’t such great options either.
Read more...Jim W. commented... Talk to me about losing my gut size. It appears that I have a lot of fatty tissue there. And, yes my diet now includes meat, eggs, etc. Not much plant food.
Jim, I’m glad that you’re paying attention to the size of your waistline. Your growing “gut,” as you put it, is a sign that you’re accumulating visceral abdominal fat. And that needs your attention. BIG TIME!
Read more...I get this question more times than I can count.
We have been hood-winked into believing that we need to eat animal protein for good health. We are obsessed with thoughts about getting enough protein.
STOP THAT! Nothing could be further from the truth.
Eating meat is NOT necessary for good health. People all over the world thrive on meatless diets. In fact, vegans and vegetarians, people who DON'T eat meat, live longer and better than people who do eat it.
