In November of 2005 I was almost twice the size I am now. At my heaviest I weighed close to 450 lbs. I did not set out to lose over 200 pounds beginning that November. I was busy researching products, strategies and theories to help my wife battle her fibromyalgia, IBS, depression, brain fog and anxiety. I was busy in my career as a buyer for a large Fortune 1000 company and was through trying to help myself. Yo-yo dieting over two decades pushed me to almost 450 pounds. And as you can imagine, I had high blood pressure, heart palpitations, diabetes, severe sleep apnea and terrible arthritis. Fortunately, I did not have high cholesterol or high triglycerides. Looking back today, I can clearly see I was a few feet from the edge of a cliff that represented my very fast spiral to early death if my life style changed had not happened. I give God all the praise for my health revival. He presented an opportunity and I had no choice but to say show me the way. I am no longer diabetic, I no longer have high blood pressure and heart palpitations, my sleep apnea is gone and my arthritis is seldom noticed.
If you think you can’t do it, you can. You must believe it is possible. I f I can do anyone can. I am hear to tell you, have hope, you can do this. If I can do it, so can you! Think healthy, envision yourself at the weight and level of health you want. Healthy thoughts lead to healthy actions.
This story is entirely to long for this blog, you can read in its entirety in a few weeks on our website. However I want to tell you enough so you can see that if I changed my health by making small simple changes, well, you can too. Improving one’s health does not require you to have a masters in nutrition. It requires a desire for change, some knowledge in nutrition,( seek guidance from those qualified in the area of health you wish to improve) the patience and fortitude to reach your goals regardless of the obstacles. You must become a health warrior!
I would lose 30 pounds and gain 40 pounds back once the diet was over and I resumed my old behavior. I repeated this process many times and tried every popular diet you can name. Diets do not work if you want to keep the weight off. Why change back to the behavior that took you to the problems you are trying to change? For health to become a constant in our lives, we must adopt healthy lifestyle practices.
I can tell you with certainty that small changes made to your lifestyle over several months will lead to permanent lifestyle changes if you have a desire for change. If you make the changes too quickly it can sabotage your success.
Enough of my rambling, let’s get down to real information you can put to work. I am going to give you an abbreviated list today. I highly urge you to see a nutritionist or dietitian to educate you in nutrition so you can do your own meal planning. You will be much more successful learning how to plan for yourself or other family members. You should see a personal trainer to learn how to exercise properly. Get education from those qualified in their respective fields. As a nutritionist I am not going to give you specific instruction for working out. Personal trainers should not give specific nutritional information unless they qualified to do so. I say this because the Biggest Loser has set the stage for rapid weight loss. To lose more than 2 pounds per week can be unsafe and not effective for long-term healthy weight loss. I see this a lot. People want the quick fix just like I did. It seldom works for long term weight loss. What ever healthy lifestyle routine you develop, it should be one you can do forever. Even if you think you know nutrition,( I hear this all he time) it is best to seek guidance. Things are not always as they seem.
Later this week in the next blog I will give more details for weight loss and healthy living. Lets get you started with this for today.
- Eat 6 times per day, 3 meals and 3 snacks. This helps keep blood sugar balanced, which is critical for the control of cravings.
- Try to trade a few unhealthy food choices for healthier ones this week. Do not attempt to make a lot of changes this week.
- Stay away from breads, cereals, crackers and pastries made with enriched flours and added sugars, they turn to blood sugar quickly creating cravings.
- Drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water daily, more if you sweat profusely. You can’t metabolize fat and create energy effectively without adequate water stores in your body. If you are 150 lbs. you would drink 75 ounces of fluids daily.
- Eat breakfast, it is very important to eat something at least 45 minutes after waking. Regardless what you eat, it should contain protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats.
- Never deprive yourself of food if you really want it. Deprivation leads to failure. Just ask yourself, is this choice good for me or bad for me.
- Walk or do some form of aerobic exercise at least 30 minute every day, longer if you can. Exercise should include strength straining. If you have not exercised in a long time or are in poor health, start slowly, get professional advice from a personal trainer and clearance from you doctor.
Always tell your doctor before making diet and lifestyle changes. Get your doctors approval before doing any strenuous exercise if you have health issues. Never stop taking medications unless directed to do so by your doctor.
If you do nothing but these 7 suggestions, you are well on your way to a healthier life.
Wally’s Daily Dose