Common Sense Weight Loss

Much has been written lately about how obesity is overtaking . Although some of it is undoubtedly media hype, there is some grain of truth to it. Since we no longer have to farm or do heavy labor to ensure our survival, many of us have taken to a very sedentary lifestyle. As long as you are fit, your weight probably isn’t an issue, but most of us who struggle with our weight also struggle with fitness. Personally, I have watched both my blood sugar and my blood pressure creep up.

I have had life-long issues with my weight. I went from 160 in high school to about 210 in college, then lost 20 pounds, gained 40, lost 50, gained 80, etc. My current weight is just perfect……for a 7-foot-8-inch tall person. I’m not sure even Manut Bol is that tall. But, I have lost 25 pounds over the past two years, so I am feeling like I am making progress. I just needed to find the trigger that would make me want to change my habits. Everyone will have their own trigger point, but I will share my story with you to help you to see that it may not be any one thing, it may be a series of events that will finally make you get serious about losing weight and keeping it off.

There were several things that happened within the space of about a year and a half that made me decide to finally lose some weight and keep it off. First, I met a couple of people who had gone through gastric bypass surgery. They had lost a lot of weight, but I saw that they still struggled with their eating and still had to undergo several other surgeries due to problems brought on by the initial surgery. Then, I read where doctors would start considering surgery when you were 100 pounds over your ideal weight. I was 95 pounds over and knew I did not want to have this surgery.

Next, I attended the funeral of my aunt. I looked around at her grandkids and realized how fortunate they were to have known her for as long as they did. She did not die of a weight-related ailment, and in fact, has been skinny as a rail all of her life. However, it made me think about the fact that I would not live to see my grandchildren grow up if I continued to gain weight at the rate I was currently gaining. I realized how grateful I was that both of my parents were still alive (at that time), even though I had recently turned 40. My youngest was only 4 years old at the time, so I knew that I had a long time to go if I wanted to see how my grandkids turned out.

The third thing that happened was that we went away for a weekend in Amish country and decided to go horseback riding. When we checked in, the clerk gave me a look and stated that they had a weight limit. Even though I was below the limit, I wasn’t far away, and I started wondering about how bad I had to look that people would assume that an animal capable of pulling a buggy filled with Amish people could not carry me on its back.

Soon after that, I checked into the hospital for surgery on my varicose veins, which are also related to being overweight. The nurse in the pre-op room made a point of telling me that she would request a bigger bed for me so I would be more comfortable. Again, one of those moments that made me really look at what I had allowed myself to become. Now, I appreciated the bigger bed, don’t get me wrong; I just didn’t want to have to think about the fact that I needed it.

Finally, the thing that really triggered it for me was a trip to the doctor’s office for blood work. My blood pressure had been just on the verge of being too high for several months, but I figured that even if it went up, all I would have to do was take some medication and I could control it. That didn’t seem like that big of a sacrifice. However, the blood work revealed that my sugar level was also rising. I have a friend who just became diabetic, and saw how she tried to eat to control her sugar. I knew that I could not succeed with that type of diet for the rest of my life. I love chocolate, pasta, potatoes, all the things you are supposed to limit when you have diabetes. If my sugar continued to go up, I knew I would have to make some life changes that I was not prepared to make.

So, I decided to address my problem now, in my own way, rather than being forced into something I would hate later. “My own way” meant that I still had to be able to eat chocolate when I wanted to, and I had to have exercise habits that fit into my busy schedule. I have a full-time job, two blogs, a small business, and three special needs children. It’s not like I could just spend hours a day cooking special meals or going to the gym.

I came back from the doctor’s office and immediately removed the candy dish from my desk. My staff complained, but I didn’t relent. It was tough for me, because I had always (for the previous 3 years) had a bowl of some kind of chocolate on my desk. Whenever I was waiting for my computer to flip to a new screen, I would grab a handful. The next day, I brought a water bottle and set it where the candy dish had been. That way, when I reached to that spot out of habit, all I would get was water. I stuck with just that for a week or so until the cravings diminished. Note that I did NOT stop eating chocolate. I just made it a little harder to get to. Now, I have to at least walk down the hall to the candy machine when I need a fix. This provides exercise, as well as forces me to think about how many trips I want to make in full view of my staff. (Yes, I had on occasion hidden candy around my house and office so no one would know how much I was eating.)

Once I was comfortable without the candy dish (sort of), I added a walking program to my day. I began parking at the farthest spot in my office parking lot, and walking around the blocks, rather than cutting across directly to the door. I came up with a route that was about �½-mile, which initially took 20 minutes for me to walk. (I am now down to 15 minutes.) Once I was comfortable with that, I began walking on my lunch. I would leave my lunch in a cooler in my car trunk, so I was forced to go out to my car to get it. Using the same route I did in the morning, I then got in a mile roundtrip just to get my lunch.

Then, I began to get up about 20 minutes early in the mornings to do some calisthenics and weight training. I don’t do it every day, but I have noticed a difference in the way I feel when I get some exercise.

Probably the hardest thing I had to change was giving up pop (or soda, for those of you in the Northeast.) I had a habit of 6 – 8 cans per day. My doctor had made me cut back on caffeine several years ago due to cysts in my breasts, and most places do not carry diet decaffeinated pop in their vending machines or restaurant fountains. At least, that was my excuse anyways. Finally, I began cutting back on the sugared pop. I started by drinking water at work, but still having pop at home or when I had emptied the water bottles I brought. (Note I carried in my own water – more exercise!) Then, I began setting a certain hour after which I would not have any more sugared pop. This was the same way I had given up caffeinated pop. So after 6 pm, I switched to diet pop or water. Then, after 3 pm, then noon, etc, until I was totally on diet pop and water for the most part. I still have a coke every once in awhile to settle my stomach, or I’ll have a sugared pop when I eat out. But, the majority of the time I just have water. That has really made a difference in my complexion as well as my weight.

The most recent change I have made is that when my kids want to eat fast food, I try to pick a restaurant that carries healthier choices, such as grilled chicken or baked potatoes. (I don’t do rabbit food.)

So, as you can see, I have made gradual changes in my lifestyle, all of which encompass the philosophy of “more sweat, fewer calories”, which is the only “secret” to weight loss. It is not fast, it is not easy, it is not a gimmick. It is just a good, common sense way to slowly and healthfully take off the pounds. And because I am not making major changes, such as eating only grapefruit, I am able to maintain the lifestyle long-term. I still have days when I don’t exercise at all. And I have days when I eat way too much. But I always figure that if I weigh less at the end of the week than I did at the beginning, it was a good week.

I will soon be expanding my blog at philley44710.blogspot.com to include a weight loss section, so be sure to check there to see what kind of progress I am making.