Losing Weight — Part 2: The Heavy Load

For people who are over the “having a belly” point, almost all activities—working, walking and almost every other aspect of life—can become determined by whether they naturally have the ability to sustain the effort required to do them, or not. The nature of the psychological load is extremely personal, with heavy and deep roots in the way the mindset operates. Looking for less physical effort in any type of activity can, most of the time, become a guiding line.

This category needs more attention than the previous one. Medical symptoms—excepting chronic illness—such as heart problems, joint problems, posture and many others can be related to the way the body functions while carrying the additional weight, as well as to the habits and condition reflected by being overweight. In day-to-day life, most times, the only comfortable parts are eating and sitting, even if that is acknowledged, neglected or dismissed. The thought of simple movement, and exercise even more so, has become associated with pain, a big effort or discomfort, carrying the heavy label "change.” For most of these cases, the physical and psychological stress has become a daily-life fact.

I was more than once almost at the over the “having a belly” point—for a very short time. That helped me learn and understand from my own experience and perspective that the psychological effort has, almost proportionally, the same weight as the rooted mindset. I also gained much more respect and understanding for the process, which involves all aspects of life, and I was surprised to discover that the path—even if not easy—was not as hard to walk as I had believed before I actually started walking it. Any transformation of any kind is demanding, and this one makes no exception, as everything related to the matter is highly subjective: the reasons, the situation and everything it involves are particular and intimately connected within oneself.

These lines are not meant to be motivational or to call for action and a big change. I merely allow myself to share what I have lived as a human, a friend, or someone preoccupied with observing and understanding. I am not trying to make any type of claim about how easy this is—it is easier than expected almost always for everyone—or how good one’s life might be. These matters are personal for each and everyone. In my case, I have found that once the thought of change has emerged, no matter how faint that thought might be, the actual process was far less demanding than I initially imagined, and most obstacles were much bigger in my own mind than the reality showed. Small and simple, practical habits or fixes, ideas or actions were always incredibly useful.

This is meant as practical advice, and even if you can apply the plunge, the steps or the climb, and one seems more fit for your own proclivity than the other two, from the outside at least, they will look a little different from those in Losing Weight — Part 1.

Whatever approach is preferred, always know what medical chronic condition might be present before starting, and take that into consideration. Once that aspect is known, a few things are worth looking at.

Joints

Joints are among the least present subjects in the marketed literature, yet their importance for the human body structure is colossal. Posture, stability, balance, coordination and every other capability are directly influenced by joints; structurally, everything depends on them.

Joints influence, and are influenced by, the rest of the structure, as the body adapts constantly to what it repeatedly does. As the whole body becomes heavier, its capabilities become more limited, adapting to the circumstances.

As muscles weaken, tighten or stop doing what they were meant to do, they can also pull the structure in a different direction. Hip, spine, limbs—the joints shift, adapt and change, and everything depending on them follows. What once felt natural in standing can gradually become harder to return to, especially when the muscles that should support the structure have become weak or poorly used in the first place.

Exercises for the joints, simple and effective, need only a few minutes to be executed and can retain a huge impact. I cannot stress enough the simple part of joint exercises. Start small, major joints first, then the smaller ones.

Movement

This does not register as what one might do for work, go for groceries, or any different activity. This needs to be specific and intentional exercise.

Exercises our bodies were created to execute naturally: lifting—at first, small and light objects—using the existing strength to stand up, sit down, and so on.

Pick a few movements and test them to see, with each one, what problems they expose and how the body responds to them. Excepting cases where medical issues are present, movement needs to be performed as naturally as possible. It will get better as form and endurance improve with time, with no need for complex machines. And yes, it requires coaching.

I would pick the simplest ones.

A ball, not even heavy—2–4 kg—lift it above the head. Sit up from the ground, from lying on the back and belly. Sit up from a low chair. While standing, lift the knees alternately as close to the chest as possible. Throw a ball against a wall and catch it. Use a cord, towel or anything you can safely grab and pull yourself up from the ground. Lift a weight that is comfortable for yourself from the ground up above your head. Carry a weight that is comfortable for yourself for half an hour, changing it from one hand to the other, and so on. Start going to an amateur team sport—any: football, basketball, volleyball, whatever you can find nearby.

Start slowly and at your own pace. Try to maintain at least 30 minutes of moving, with no exception unless an eventual medical condition requires otherwise.

For starters, never overdo it.

This accommodating period will pass sooner than one might expect.

Walking(and Losing Weight)

After a sustained effort, even if some people feel the need to sit, in most reasonable cases the body recuperates better through a simple walk.

Walking for at least an hour a day is a basic need for the body to function normally. No matter how simple it may seem, or how much some people take it for granted, walking for an hour is better than not walking for an hour. It must not be neglected.

Eating

I would say, from what I have experienced on myself, observed and tried, supplements, special drinks or tonics are not needed. I highly recommend not using any.

For some, this is the hardest part, yet it is not as hard as one might think once you start on the changing path. For me, fasting for 18 to 20 hours always worked best. Slowly taking processed food, seed oils and sugar out of my intake had a huge impact.

One thing I noticed while experimenting was that not eating a certain product for seven or eight days gave me a better idea of how my own body was able to process and function. For instance, eating without anything made from flour, and after eight days allowing that back while taking out dairy or meat, or any other product, had surprising results.

Whenever I do not have sugar at all, I feel the best, even if I do have a “sweet tooth.”

These are my own observations, not prescriptions for anyone else. The useful part is paying attention and learning what your own body tells you.

Living, eating, moving and functioning in day-to-day life does not always mean restraining yourself from the food you enjoy or being constrained by exercising every day. For me, it means being aware of all those aspects.

Being capable is a fundamental necessity, no matter if one works many hours behind a screen or behind a closed door.

In my opinion, no matter the circumstances, whatever challenges there are to face, having a capable physical body is essential.