Richard Simmons' 6 Weight-Busting Tips
Start To A Sexy New Summer Body
By Helen A. Lee
This article appeared
in the August/September
issue of Complete Woman
as part of a larger piece.
What inspired exercise guru Richard Simmons to help millions of people lose weight? "I once weighed 268 pounds," the fitness master shares. "When you're almost three hundred pounds, you're desperate to do anything. I began trying all types of stupid diets--eating one meal a day, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, starving. I ate lettuce and drank water for two and a half months. I lost weight, but I almost died. So I put together my own healthy program. Now, I believe in balance." Here, Simmons shares his "back-to-basics" tips for keeping fit and healthy...
- Watch your portions. "It's not the glamorous way of losing weight, but it's the only precise way," says Simmons. "If you take two hands together and form a little cup, that is the size of your stomach. Your stomach holds 16 ounces of food and beverage. Go to the grocery store and buy a measuring cup and a measuring spoon. It really makes a difference when you're measuring your food."
- Write a grocery list.. "It's little things like this that will keep you on the program," says Simmons. Use fresh foods instead of processed ones, and don't buy foods on a whim that will tempt you to go off your diet plan. A list will help keep you from putting extra foods in the shopping cart.
- Eat salads. "Most people don't eat enough of two things: fruit and vegetables," Simmons reveals. "Three nights a week, all I have is a salad and it's delicious, low-fat and satisfying. You're getting in your vitamins and minerals--and losing weight."
- Stay away from "gimmicky" diets. "Consumers are so puzzled as to what they can eat and what to do, when it's so easy," Simmons says. "But everyone is working on a quick fix, and that's a big problem. You can't lose a pound a day--that's 3,500 calories. How can you burn that much? You'd have to be on a treadmill nine hours to burn that much. A pound and a half a week is a great weight loss."
- Go back to the kitchen. Simmons notes that when you're eating at restaurants you get huge portions of everything, and most of the vegetables that are offered are actually covered in cream and butter or fried. If you do eat out, the expert suggests making substitutions of salads or vegetables instead of fries and opting for lot-fat condiments. Remember that a common restaurant portion of meat is 8-12 ounces, so don't get carried away!
- Exercise, exercise, exercise! "Every day you decide to eat is every day you need to exercise," Simmons emphasizes. "You're putting energy in your body, and if the energy stays in your body, much of it becomes fat." Exercising 20-30 minutes at a time, breaking up your workout into smaller portions, is perfectly acceptable.