The Secret to Losing Weight (Well...not really)

I step on the scale every Friday morning, before I've consumed of any food or beverages and eh, without anything attached to me which may add to my weight... As of yesterday morning, I was down to 156.5 lbs. I've officially lost 29.5 lbs. since March of 2009. I had lost 24-25 by that next year, but it's been slow treading since then, until ::laughs:: I got the flu three weeks ago. As is typical, I didn't have the biggest of appetites. My diet usually consisted of water and chicken noodle soup. After a couple weeks, I was hungrier, but noticed not as hungry as I had been prior to the flu's onset. This has prevented me from eating more than I should. I've also been able to workout every day since then and have lost 5 lbs. in the past 3 weeks due to that. I'm still not QUITE where I want to be, but am definitely getting there and should reach my goal before too long.

I remember 3 years ago or so, I was out walking my dogs about three times a day, was walking on the treadmill and became frustrated that I wasn't losing any weight. At best, I'd maintain my weight at end's week, but more often than not, I'd gain weight. As I came to learn as of March, 2009, it takes a lot more than just exercise to lose weight. Some people depend on drugs, thinking it'll be a quick fix. Some people watch infomercials and buy into them, thinking they have found the answer. Most people just look for the simple solution, because they don't want to spend the time or make the sacrifices necessary to lose weight. That was me 3+ years ago. How did I lose all this weight? I call it common sense.

For a while, I went through phases with beverages. Back in elementary school, I was obsessed with Kool-Aid. In middle school, I was all about Hawaiian Punch. I switched to Dr. Pepper in high school and then Gatorade in college. The repercussions of consuming any and all of these drinks were cavities and weight gain. I figured Gatorade was safe. It's just flavored water, right? Wrong! I remember looking on the label and sure, it says 50 calories. That's not bad, right? Well, if one were to look closer, it'll also say there are four servings, which means if one downs the entire bottle, they will have added 200 calories to their daily total. If one, like I did, drinks several bottles in a single day, that will accumulate to 800-1,000 calories. This doesn't even include the food I ate. So, as of March, 2009, I switched to water. That's all I drank. I left the soda pop, fruit punches and flavored water by the wayside and just drank water. Even when just making this change, I noticed that I was losing weight. Water has no calories and when consumes of mostly this, it will benefit them in the short- and the long-term.

Next, I decided to alter my diet. This was the big problem for me 3+ years ago. I ate fast food quite regularly, wasn't afraid to munch on some chips, pretzels, fruit snacks and the like. I rarely passed on ice cream or milkshakes. I wasn't shy about eating fried food. While I didn't eat too much, what I did eat added calories and plenty of them. So, no matter how much exercise I got in a certain day, it wasn't going to offset the number of calories I totaled for the day and would, at best, keep my weight level. So, I made some changes as of March, 2009. I stopped eating red meat (Although, I do miss having a steak at times. I may make an exception if I go to a steakhouse in Nebraska. Nebraska beef is the best!). I stopped eating fast food for the most part. I may eat it once every 3-4 months. I rarely consume of junk food. Once in a while, I may have a few pretzels or some candy, but that's a rarity. I haven't had ice cream for 3 years now. Also, I switched from fried to grilled. I rarely ever eat fried chicken anymore. Once in a great while, I'll kind of crave it and give in to temptation, but again, those times are very few and far between.

Finally, I've worked out more than I ever have before. If I were to only do this, I wouldn't lose much weight, but in addition to altering my diet, it can pay big dividends. It's tough in the winter here, but during the other three seasons, I will take my dogs on about two walks per day. I also do a 30- or 60-minute cardiovascular workout 6-7 days a week, lift weights and do sit-ups and push-ups as well.

This has resulted in my losing close to 30 lbs. in the past couple years, 25 of which I lost within a single year. It is more difficult for some to lose weight than others, largely due to their metabolism, but I truly believe that if I can have the focus and determination to make some changes in my life to better my health and my body, so can most people. It's all about moderation. It's okay to have fried food once in a while, but not regularly. It's okay to eat fast food here and there, but not on a regular basis. It's okay to have a soda pop, a bowl of ice cream or a hamburger, but only moderation. So, that's my advice: Water, grilled meat, exercise and moderating the good-tasting, but calorie-inducing foods and beverages.