Dear Santa,
You know how much we love you. We would like to have you around for a long time. As you may know, part of my medical practice is to help people lose weight. I hope you don?t mind if I take the liberty to mention a few weight loss tips that may help you, should you wish to shed a few pounds in 2014.
Santa Claus, being overweight increases your risk for diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Please make sure you get checked for these. On a positive note, I love your jolly attitude. Being of good cheer is absolutely beneficial for your health. But as you know, a little weight loss would be very good for you as well, my friend.
Having helped people lose weight for over 8 years, I am going to share with you a my #1 weight loss tip. If you have a problem doing this on your own, Santa, call my office to make an appointment. I would be happy to help you.
1. The Trick:?This is the most important habit by far. It works nearly every time: write down what you are eating. Trust me on this one, Santa. Just try it for 3 months. Here is what to do:
- Record everything you eat.
- Next to each food you intake, record the number of calories.
- Total your calories at the end of the day.
2. How many calories? How many calories should you eat each day? Santa, I?m guessing you probably weigh about 250 lbs or so (sorry if I overestimated). Based on your weight, I recommend to daily eat:
- 1200 calories if you weigh under 200 lbs
- 1500 calories if you weight 200 to 300 lbs
- 2000 calories if you weight from 300 to 400 lbs
3. Where can you write it??You can record your progress on a regular notebook or a tabulation type paper. If you would like to use your smart phone, there are several apps available. The one that my patients like the most is called My Fitness Pal.
4.?Have a routine. One trick that helps minimize temptations is to have a plan which incorporates routines. Since you are so busy traveling the world, when you get hungry you will likely not have the will to ?be good.? This is especially important if you stop along the way to eat out. So make a list in advance of everything you will allow yourself to eat at each meal and stick to it.
5. Be accountable. Be accountable to someone. I like to see my patients who are trying to lose weight every four weeks. Part of the reason for the visit is to help them be accountable. If you don?t have time to come to see me, ask someone else you know at the North Pole to hold you accountable.
6. Nice and steady…?A good rate for weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds per week. So in a year, you will lose 50 to 100 pounds ? which may put you right on target. I would love to see photos of a fit Santa for Christmas of 2014.
7. Weigh yourself.?Weigh yourself regularly (preferably daily or at least weekly). This will help you remember to pay close attention to what you are eating ? especially given your busy schedule. It?s another way to have self-accountability. Remember that weight may fluctuate from day-to-day, but overall you should see steady weight loss.
8. What about exercise? It would be ideal if you could get some exercise. You can?t just sit on the sleigh and let the reindeer do all the work. I recommend that you do some walking daily for at least 30 minutes. This is good for your heart health. Remember, you cannot lose weight with exercise alone. So while exercise is very important for your health, I want you to remain focused on limiting your food while you are trying to lose weight.
Santa Claus, you can do this! Just trust me, do #1 above and I promise you will see results! If you get too hungry, there are some appetite suppressants out there. Some can be prescribed by a doctor like me.
On another note, Santa, while I have your attention – My mentor and friend, Peter Rahme,?just published his newest book about Jesus. So when people ask you about the reason for Christmas, would you consider passing the word about Peter?s excellent new book? It is called Y-Jesus.
Stay Warm,
PS: I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays. I will resume with normal blogs on leadership and personal development on Friday. Thanks for allowing me to send Santa this timely message. Feel free to give these tips a try if weight loss is one of your goals for 2014. 
?this article.
For Further Reading:
An Overweight Leader’s Transformation: From 450 to 235 lbs
Podcast: How to Have Optimum Physical Health
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