Review: Go Ahead - Be a Loser
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 19, 2012
I'm pretty sure that I'm not the first person to openly admit that they dislike exercising.Ever since I can remember, exercise has been a chore. I've never seen it as anything but something to be avoided at all costs. Consequently, this would help to explain my paunch that I have lovingly tended for the last several years---not to mention the aching knees and gradual weight gain that I have accumulated (such is my love of sweets). I would guesstimate that I am carrying an extra thirty pounds or so on myself, which I confess has been nagging at my conscience.Before some of you start snickering quietly to yourself and surmise my open disdain for expending unnecessary energy so that I can emulate Jillian Michaels as out-and-out laziness, I want to qualify my words by stating that I have recently been to my nutritionist/dietician and have another appointment to see her again in January. (Which gives me sufficient time to continue to enjoy my favorite generic peanut-butter cups. Sorry, that was a very passive-aggressive statement.)The truth is, I'm just not very disciplined when it comes to physical fitness. It's just not high on my list of things to do.However, upon reviewing Stephen Williams's book "Fastest Way to Lose Weight: Shed Those Extra Pounds the Fast Way," I grudgingly confess that the author does stir a slight desire within my sedentary soul to get up and get moving.I admit that I approached "Weight" with some trepidation---I was fully expecting to be figuratively browbeaten into feeling guilty for not maintaining a more active lifestyle. Nearly every form of literature that has focused upon maintaining a healthy lifestyle that I have perused in the past has been little more than a shrill lecture a la Dr. Laura Schlessinger---which promptly made me return the information to the shelf from where I had picked it up. However, what I read was quite refreshing and positive, and actually made me reassess my prejudices about having to see those impossibly fit models on the book and magazine covers with the cut abs and the toned biceps.In other words, I was persuaded to keep an open mind.Williams does emphasize the importance of staying in shape; however, he is quick to add that not everyone operates at the same pace. Some individuals are more intense than others; a few people are able to manage their daily routines well enough to incorporate some sort of physical activity, whereas others are able to squeeze in only a couple of hours a week. Acknowledging these discrepancies in "Weight" actually made me feel a bit better about myself, as opposed to unnecessarily beating myself up for not having an "ideal" body. (What exactly is the "ideal" body for a forty-ish guy, anyway?)Besides stressing the importance of being physically active on a regular basis, Williams also mentions that it is just as important to keep our emotional and sexual health at optimal peak too. While the workout for these latter two may not be as physically strenuous as the former, they are still important cogs within our collective body machine. The author asserts that stress, by assuming numerous forms, throws us off kilter (usually in the form of stress eating and/or overeating), which, in turn, causes us unwanted and unnecessary weight gain. The resulting emotional imbalance (taking the form of guilt for gaining weight, and thus contributing to a pervasive sense of no willpower) leads to more eating binges, which thus perpetuates a vicious cycle that becomes seemingly impossible to stop or to control.However, all is not lost.Williams maintains that the key to shedding excess pounds is not only to set small, easily attainable goals (such as losing a pound a week, for example) that will make you feel in control of yourself, but also to find something active that you like and do it. The rationale is reasonable: you like what you do, you are thus motivated to keep doing it over and over again. He also cautions his readers to always seek the advice of a health care professional, and to always remember that successful weight loss is an ongoing process. Once a certain weight loss goal is attained, the next thing to accomplish is to successfully apply weight management techniques so that said optimal weight is kept constant, thus avoiding the yo-yo results that are all too prevalent in our diet-crazed society."Weight" advocates maintaining a positive outlook, which may initially not be easy to achieve if someone has been battling weight gain for awhile and hasn't had much success. The author suggests taking the same fun approach towards exercise that you may have discovered and apply the same attitude towards everyday activities that make you feel good about yourself. He asserts surrounding yourself with family and friends who will support you in your drive to shed excess poundage---strength in numbers can work wonders!It is very important to remember that you will slip up. It's inevitable---we're human! We have limitations in certain areas; of course, with a bit of planning and foresight, one can always try to push their boundaries to see how far one can reasonably go, such as walking three miles rather than two, or attempting twenty sit-ups instead of, say, fifteen."Fastest Way to Lose Weight" makes for an insightful, sensible read, and Williams shines through with his empathy and understanding that, in this particular instance, it's perfectly okay to be a big loser.