What do I mean by that? It has nothing to do with BMI, weight, body type, body fat percentage or any other number you might want to use to define fat. Here is what I mean by fat:
If I gave into my desire for food, I would be at least 350 pounds or more in a heart beat. I would start eating and not stop until I died.
I could have a BMI of 20 and a body fat percentage of 12% and I would still be a fat guy. Certain traits just ain't gonna change. I love to eat and I love food and the sweeter the better.
Those basic facts needed to be stated to fully understand the rest of the post.
Over the last 14 months, I've been trying to figure out what works for me in regards to diet and exercise with a basic endpoint of getting to a healthy weight.
Over the last 14 months, I've been trying to figure out what works for me in regards to diet and exercise with a basic endpoint of getting to a healthy weight.
By the way, everything beyond this point needs to be prefaced by saying "This is what works for me". Will it work for you? I don't know. I'm not you and you are not me.
As a review, in the last 14 months I've lost about 20 lbs. Since 2005, I've lost about 35 lbs total. There has been no one steady plan during that time. My weight has fluctuated pretty significantly, rollercoasting up and down.
The last 14 months have easily been my longest steady effort at bringing my weight under control. When I started last January, I had no real goal except to lose weight. I couldn't even have said there was a number I was shooting for. I probably would have told you that I was trying to find a lifestyle that would lead to weight loss, whatever that looked like. Without blathering on further, here is what I've discerned so far...
- Eat less food - that one is not exactly rocket science.
- Be able to recognize what you eat - if you don't know what the ingredients are then you probably shouldn't eat it. This particular policy gets you away from a lot of processed food.
- Eat more veggies. Actually, eat a lot of veggies - eating veggies plays into #2 and #4.
- Eat less sugar. Eat a lot less sugar - when people say 'eat more fruits and veggies', it's easy to eat lots of fruits and a few veggies. Fruit is good but it has a lot of sugar in it. Now, if it is the choice between an apple and some Twizzlers, the apple needs to win. It does have a decent bit of redeeming value in it.
- Exercise is necessary but it is not how you will lose weight - losing weight through increased exercise alone has never, ever worked for me. In the last year, there have been weeks where I've lost a decent amount of weight without much, if any, exercise. There have also been weeks where I've been quite physically active and have not lost any weight or actually gained weight.
- On the other hand, exercise can help you lose weight - a lot of my aerobic workouts last year fell under the umbrella of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). The gist of this type of workout is that you break up periods of all-out effort with brief periods of relative rest. A HIIT workout might not last more than 20 minutes but you cram a whole truckload of training into that time period. They accomplish two things: they fit a good workout into a smaller amount of time and HIIT workouts are supposed to more effectively raise your metabolism than steady-state, long duration aerobic workouts, thereby burning extra calories even once the workout is done.
- Nuts won't make you fat - I hope that's true because I've eaten a lot of nuts in the last 14 months. Low in carbs, high in good fats and high in protein.
- Weekends have often been my downfall - the overall trend has been to lose weight Monday through Friday when controlling diet is easier and to gain weight over the weekend when splurging and snacking is easier. The last few weekends, I've been able to control my self more and have actually lost weight from Friday to Monday. This tells me that consistency is key.
- Splurges are a necessary evil - If I were to say to myself that 'You're not going to eat anything sweet or tasty every again for any reason', I can guarantee failure. In fact, I can guarantee you catastrophic failure. I have ice cream about once per week although less than I used to. If there is a birthday, I have cake and ice cream, although less than I used to. If a special day comes around, I'll eat some of the sweets and snacks associated. Complete deprivation seems to lead to monstrous, over-the-top gorgings of cakes and sweets. Better to let off the steam occasionally.
- Changes have to be gradual and livable - a lot of the changes I have made have been done one at a time. None of them have been groundbreaking. Looking back, all of those changes have added up to quite a lot but it was one small step at a time. If I had tried to make all the changes at once, my guess is I would have had less success. I wouldn't know what was really helping, what was hurting, and what made no difference.
- Possibly the biggest reason for success? - I decided that there had to be a change and that I needed to make that change. Going back was not an option.
Could I keep going with this list? Yeah, probably but what I've listed covers most of what I've figured out. What should be interesting is if I look back a year from now at this post, will I still agree with what I've written? Will I still be doing well with maintaining a healthy weight? Who knows, right! Time will tell.
January 2016 - An update
It has now been almost 2 years since I published this post. At the time, I weighed about 201 lbs. Currently, I weigh 190 lbs. People who have not seem me for a while consistently comment on my weight loss. It feels pretty good, to be honest.
As I read through my original list, what struck me was how little I would change. Diet is easily the #1 factor. I would not be where I am without dietary change. Small and gradual changes also stands out. There are few, if any, changes I have tried that were so drastic that anyone would notice.
The only comment I would add is that I have been trying to maintain a focus on being healthy now and being healthy as I age. By the time my youngest graduates high school, I will be about 55 years old. There is a lot of life after that and I want to be able to enjoy it. A few less cookies now seems like a pretty fair trade for better health later.
January 2016 - An update
It has now been almost 2 years since I published this post. At the time, I weighed about 201 lbs. Currently, I weigh 190 lbs. People who have not seem me for a while consistently comment on my weight loss. It feels pretty good, to be honest.
As I read through my original list, what struck me was how little I would change. Diet is easily the #1 factor. I would not be where I am without dietary change. Small and gradual changes also stands out. There are few, if any, changes I have tried that were so drastic that anyone would notice.
The only comment I would add is that I have been trying to maintain a focus on being healthy now and being healthy as I age. By the time my youngest graduates high school, I will be about 55 years old. There is a lot of life after that and I want to be able to enjoy it. A few less cookies now seems like a pretty fair trade for better health later.
