I have told readers before that at my heaviest almost two years ago I weighed 207 pounds. My wife is a chef and I used to enjoy way to many helpings of her wonderful cuisine, my poor dieting and lack of exercise (Hey, I am typical IT Guy, we work sitting down) allowed me to build up 40 pounds over eight years. Most people it takes some catastrophic incident to cause them to get conviction or lose weight, either a minor heart attack, a loved one leaving them…etc. I had a minor one, I was having upper chest pains for several months causing me to vomit at least once a day. Doctor’s thought an ulcer at first, then acid reflux but nothing worked. I also had slightly elevated cholesterol levels, and more importantly, I knew I was overweight, but refused to do anything about it due to pure laziness honestly.
I thought about all the ways I could lose weight and looked at diet pill reviews, but in the end I decided to change my lifestyle and stick with it. Two years later, I am now 156 pounds and I do have more energy, I feel physically lighter than I did. My acid reflux is not nearly as bad as it was previously, but I still have upper stomach pains once and a while (this now attributed to stress).
My regimen might not work for everyone because it requires you to change your habits and mindset, which is most difficult.
I printed some of this previously, but here is what I did to achieve my weight loss. I will note that I lost an average of 2-3 pounds per month over almost 2 years. This was not dramatic weight loss and it was so slow, that my wife didn’t really notice the weight loss until I showed her before / after photo’s from two years ago. Just like your loved one may not notice how much weight you gain because it is so gradual.
#1 – If you are an over-eater, and eat emotionally like I did, you must have portion control. I used to go to Taco Bell, or Jack In The Box and order 3-4 things on the menu. I would eat until I was gorged, because my body never seemed to tell me I was full until the Tank was 100% capacity. I gradually cut down, going from 4 items to 3 items, then from 3 items to 2 items six months later. I also would get more items that were less calories. If your brain still needs “amount” then trick it out. If you had four items that added up to 1000+ calories, get 4 items that add up to only 600 calories. Cutting calories is very important, but do not cut calories too much. Keep your calories at around 2000 per day.
#2 – Start Exercising, and I don’t mean running 5 miles. I seriously am a firm believer in Nintendo’s Wii Fit and even the Wii Sports. I would play the Rhythm Boxing for 30 – 45 minutes a night and pour sweat. I would do just the Jack Knife’s and Push Up and Side Planks, and at first my flabby weak body could barely do six reps, now I can clear the highest reps in every activity with ease. These are very low impact workouts, and are great for really out of shape people. I also bought a weight bench, started with 70 pounds of weights and build up to where you can do 20 reps a couple of times, then increase the weights by 10 each few weeks until you can build back up to 20 reps. Remember building muscle is the key to losing weight. Muscle burns calories at a much higher rate than fat and therefore if you have more muscle you will burn more calories on your down time.
I never restricted what I ate, I ate whatever I wanted and still do. Cheesecake, Chocolate, Fettuccine Alfredo… anything. You just have to balance the game of calories. If I have a big lunch, I will have a small dinner. Example: Today I ate at a Mexican Restaurant for lunch, had 2 Green Corn Tamales with Rice and Chips & Salsa, I probably think it was around 1,000 calories. So for Dinner all I had was a PB & J Sandwich at about 400 calories to compensate.
Before you know it you will become really good estimating calories in dishes and items. Don’t get tricked out by Fast Food either, Have the Big Mac if you want one, they have only 100 more calories than an Asian Chicken Salad. But omit the French Fries which really have the most calories out of everything on the menu.
I would post my before and after pictures, but I am kind of embarrassed so am not so inclined.
I hope my post helps encourage anyone who wants to lose weight a place to start.
Remember, it takes time, commitment and don’t expect instant results. Patience is key and the healthiest way.
-Dragon Blogger
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Tags: calorie counting, diet pill reviews, dragon blogger, exercise, losing weight, nintendo wii fit, overeating, power training, weight loss, weight loss tips, wii fit
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:51 pm
It’s great that you decided to lose weight and to do it slowly as I reckon it’s the best way to do it. After all you didn’t put it all on in 6 weeks so why expect to lose it in a short amount of time. I’m sure that those who do it slowly have a better chance of keeping it off.
I’ve done a fair few paid posts about diet pills and I always stress that they should not be relied on and that people would be better off to take on a change of lifestyle in conjunction with health eating and exercise.
Sires last blog post..Is Chitika Better Than Google Adense?
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October 8th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Stay away from those diet pills. They’re mostly like Dumbo’s feather…in other words he could fly without it but he had to figure it out on his own. Don’t rely on the placebo effect of weight loss pills. They don’t do anything more than a couple of cans of red bull and that isn’t much when it comes to dropping pounds.
Paunchinesss last blog post..Down We Go!
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November 10th, 2008 at 11:28 am
this blog’s really great… full of information. what’s better is that, facts are based on your personal experience.
anyway, when i was in my teen years, i used to do modelling. since i love to eat, i eat whenever there’s no booked shows for me. and when i have a modelling schedule, i try to trim down a bit atleast 5 days before the show. i am not really that big and never grew up big. still, during the shows, i should not be having even baby flabs.
anyway, here’s my blog entry about how i make it in five days: http://www.healthnbeyond.com/2008/10/my-5-day-diet-program.html
but i honestly like your entry! you are right… it needs patience and time!
maxi of sweden…
maxis last blog post..Earn Through Blogging With Bloggerwave!
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October 13th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
keep up the great work here
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October 21st, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Great tips, and it’s all true. Being healthy requires dedication, but it’s worth it.
BMI Chart´s last blog ..Healthy BMI
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