I just got back from the boonies, where I spent 2 days eating till I didn’t enjoy food anymore. So sick of stuffing my face that I just can’t wait to embark on the second health project of the year, which I will reveal very, very shortly. Meanwhile, let me share my personal insights on how to lose weight.

1. Minimize Sodium, Sugar and Chemical Intake

High sodium causes water retention. Chemicals from pesticides, food additives and preservatives are hormone disruptors. Sugars just send your pancreas working in overdrive to produce insulin. Try to eliminate them from your diet. Things like MSG, sodium nitrite, and maltitol are especially bad. Get rid of them. You can get all your sugar intake from moderate intake of fruit and good carbs. You don’t need those sweet drinks either.

2. Cut Out Wheat Products and Junk Food

There are several schools of thought on this, but it doesn’t matter why it’s bad, having wheat-based products is just something that has never helped me lose weight. As I told the story last year, all I did was eliminate it from my diet and I lost 6 kgs with minimal activity. It’s that powerful if you are gluten intolerant. If you’re eating wheat products and have had problems maintaining a healthy weight, cutting them out would be a good place to start.

3. Watch Your Stress Levels

Stress causes your cortisol levels to rise, which in turns makes your body think it is under attack. What the body does is try to conserve the fats you have, thinking that you’re going to need the fuel to deal with challenges to your body later. Not having enough sleep can also make cortisol levels rise, which keeps you fat. I can’t stress this enough. Get your rest! The times that I was the fattest were also the times when I have experienced the highest levels of stress at work. In the words of a friend, when there are things bothering you “let it slide off like you’re made of teflon.” It’s not worth… the fat.

4. Don’t Skip Meals

When you skip meals, you send your metabolism to the abyss to run on turtle-like speeds. Also, when you do actually eat, you are likely to overeat because you have starved yourself by skipping a meal. It’s bad and you need to eat when you need to eat. It’s not a measure of how great your willpower is when you skip a meal. You aren’t impressing anybody, just hurting your own body. Eat right, at the right times.

5. Exercise is Crucial

I know what it’s like to slip into an exercise-rut. It seems impossible to get up for a walk, but I’ll tell you this. Exercise is crucial for those with very low metabolic rates, because it is the natural way to keep your engines running warmly. If you naturally have a slow metabolism and you don’t move enough, your body can’t burn what you eat as effectively, and you guessed it… it gets stored as fat.

6. Manage Your Time Wisely

You absolutely have to learn how to manage your time well. I am not naturally great at this, and always find that I’m constantly rushing from one task to the next. The rush causes stress. Having to make a meeting and rushing through traffic is stressful, and that’s right, the anxiety releases cortisol in your system (which keeps you fat). Always work in enough time, don’t over-commit yourself, and learn to say no without remorse. After all, nobody is going to take responsibility for your health except you. Even if they do, you’re the one who has to live with the consequences of ill-management. I always find that if something is going to have a negative impact on your health, you owe yourself the kindness to say, “No I can’t.” Why torture yourself for people who aren’t paying for it with their health? It will be you, all you. Learn the art of timing, no matter how young or old you are.

7. Don’t Gamble

I’m not talking about casinos, although it can involve that too. I am sharing with you that lifestyle strategies that involve gambling with scenarios on a daily basis creates stress for you and other people. For example, when you have parked your car in a public carpark, you’re going to lock your car. Not locking it will cause you to think about how fast you can return to your car to lock it, before a thief gets in and steals the valuables in your car.

So for all situations, if you can, do what you have to do to minimize surprises and things that cause anxiety and frustration. Organize and arrange things in a very matter-of-fact way. Don’t let your ego get in the way. It’s never a good time to boast about how smart, seasoned, or in-the-know you are. Sh*t does happen independent of your smarts, other people can be stupid (which is not a reflection on your capabilities) and if you can save yourself the unwanted cortisol (which keeps you fat), get the thing sorted out right away by planning well, and don’t take any unnecessary chances. Keyword: CORTISOL.

8. Be Organized

If you’re messy, you’re going to be more frustrated than your neater neighbor. Again. Keyword: CORTISOL. Don’t be sloppy and all over the place. Notice how sloppy people are usually the most stressed out. They are also usually lazier (hence the sloppiness), and coincidentally fatter too. Lifestyle strategy is a very important aspect to health maintenance. Get organized, minimize cortisol-producing frustration, and maybe your weight might drop off from lower cortisol levels.

9. Do Not Have Meals With People Susceptible to Gluttony

It is impossible to lose weight when you hang around people who eat big, rich meals. Their habits are contagious, and this is especially true of the people you spend a lot of time with, because you derive comfort in them. If they are going to tell you to eat to feel better, you’ll eat to feel better. They’re going to influence you badly, and the more controlling they are with what gets served on the table, the more likely you are going to end up eating and inheriting their sizes and health problems. Your body is yours to care for. Don’t get sucked in to other people’s doctrines, especially if they are not showing it through example. (I.e. they are unfit and overweight)

10. Don’t Listen To Bad Advice

Some people are going to tell you things that suit what they want to believe in, like how low-fat stuff is supposedly good for you, or excessive intake of fatty meats have no effect on your waistline or health. These people are in denial, or are simply trying to make themselves feel better about their excessive choices. Don’t listen to them. Anything in excess is going to be bad for you, even if it’s something as healthy as guava (causes gastric problems). The key is to not commit yourself to one type of food, and load up on only that, but have a diverse and balanced combination of good sources of protein, fiber, carbs and fats. Stop lying to yourself. Look at the results of what you’ve been doing. If you don’t have a thyroid problem and are still a tubby after all the hard work you’ve been doing, you’ve been doing it wrong.

11. Don’t Be Afraid To Take Care of Your Health

You’re nice. You can’t imagine standing up to authority even though it is causing you the biggest amount of stress. The truth is, you’ll probably survive even if you gave the middle finger to your boss (not suggesting you do that). You’ll also survive if you said, “No. I don’t think this is worth getting a stroke over.” My point is, face life bravely, don’t let someone rob your health from you by sheer intimidation. Nothing is worth getting a stroke over. Don’t be scared to take care of yourself.

So there you have it. The 11 things I learned about how to lose weight. Next week I will be sharing a very important step in my journey toward the optimum healthy lifestyle for me. Stay tuned…