Fenster, I'd love to learn more about what kind of lifestyle you adopted. Your weightloss has been very successful thus far and I love hearing people's stories. Plus, I love the fact that you didn't use the word diet and you started eating healthy and exercises. What types of foods do you eat and what's your favorite exercise? Also - do you like Gov't Mule?
Sure no problem jmnewsome. Some of this is in my original diary post but here you go – I have been fat all my life, 300+ in High School. This past July my doctor diagnosed me with very high blood pressure and put me on meds to try to lower it. At that time I gave myself a reality check and really started to think about everything in my life. I really felt that I was on the verge of having more serious health problems. I was 35 years old with a great wife and a beautiful 3 year old girl and I wanted to be around for awhile. My wife and I started a low sodium diet and I started walking almost every night (just ½ mile at first). I started losing weight and fortunately I have been able to continue to lose. I continue to walk as many days as I can. I have tried to get myself going on a weight training program in an attempt to regain some muscle that I have lost over the last 15 years of relative inactivity. I have not gotten into the weight lifting as much as I would like yet though. My normal exercise is walking and I have increased my pace and distance dramatically from when I began.
As far as my diet, it is pretty basic and simple, nothing drastic. I am still maintaining a low sodium diet, I also try to keep it low fat and high fiber. I eat lots more fruits and veggies now, drink lots of water (80 – 100 oz.), no pop, no junk food, very few sweets, smaller portions, and no snacking at night. I do not count calories on a regular basis because I do not want to do that for the rest of my life. I decided right from the beginning that any changes would need to be sustainable so my focus was to learn how to eat healthier. A month or so ago I went to see a registered dietitian who said that I was doing great and that she would not change anything that I am doing. I get a lot of recipe ideas from
Recipezaar . My current favorite dinner is a great big plate of sweat and sour veggie stir-fry that my wife created. It tastes great, fills me up and no guilt. Portion control is a big thing for me too. An example of a then vs. now meal would be: an “Old Meal” consisting of 2 cheeseburgers with ketchup (high sodium), potato salad (high fat/sodium), baked beans vs. a “New Meal” of 1 hamburger (or maybe Turkey burger), no cheese, with spicy mustard (low sodium), a big slice of onion and homemade hot sauce (low sodium), a big salad with Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette (no Fat). It’s not a perfect meal but it is a heck of a lot better than before and it is one I can maintain.
The bottom line is that I have gotten to the point where I want to lose the weight and be healthier more than I want that brownie/potato chips/Mountain Dew etc. The best thing is once I got used to eating healthier I really didn’t mind nor do I miss the other stuff much. Yes, I still have cravings occasionally but I have learned to handle them. Sometimes I ignore them and they go away, other times I allow myself to indulge, in moderation.
So far I have lost over 110 pounds, I feel much better, my blood pressure is good and I am no longer taking medication for it. I have lost 10+ inches from my waist and went from being in 3XL/4XL shirts to now starting to get into XL’s. I have even started to play recreational Ice Hockey again after not skating for about 13 years. I have done all this in a relatively short amount of time but I have been very focused and have not allowed myself to slip up very often. When I do I correct quickly and continue on. For me weight loss has been 90% mental.
Yep, I’m a big fan of Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule. That quote is from the song Nothing Again off the High and Mighty album, it actually has nothing to do with weight loss but I liked it and felt it was applicable to many situations in life.
Good luck on your journey, you can do it.