I’m not an expert or a dietician, but I managed to lose over 100 pounds by changing my eating habits. I wanted to share my story of what worked for me. I don’t believe it’s about dieting. I think it’s more about a having a healthy lifestyle. I probably didn’t do everything the way the experts would suggest, but it worked for me.
I was pretty fat for a number of years. In fact, I was at about 300 pounds six years ago. I’d have to say the biggest factor in my weight gain over the years was I really didn’t give a damn. I didn’t care what people thought, and I didn’t see myself as being attractive. So, I ate and didn’t exercise.
Over the years, I picked up some terrible eating habits. Why is it that the least healthy foods taste the best? I drank big Slurpees from 7-11 daily, downed a bag of Doritos in one sitting at times, three hamburgers and large fries at Burger King, a big bowl of ice cream at night. Generally speaking, I ate big helpings with seconds and thirds at dinner.
At least for me, it was bliss to eat that junk. Years after giving that stuff up, I can still taste it. It made me feel better in a way. No matter how I was feeling about life, I enjoyed eating junk food. To make matters worse, I didn’t exercise at all. I spent my time at the desk writing and didn’t really have a social life. I threw myself into my writing.
Then, my sister died almost seven years ago. I still miss her a lot. A few months later, I started feeling ill myself. I felt like it was a matter of time before I went next. I began to worry about who would be there for my father. He had always been there for me, so I needed to be there for him. Sadly, he recently passed away, but I’m happy I made the changes in my life so I could be here for him.
One of the first things I did was shut off the computer. I should write something about that sometime. It was off for over a month before I turned it back on again. You almost forget there is a world out there when you are in front of a computer all the time. We all should take time away from the computer screen and even our smartphones and interact with people. I don’t own a smartphone and don’t intend to get one.
I knew I had to change the way I ate. I tended to sleep in and skip breakfast, but that changed. I started getting up earlier and having a bowl of oatmeal, some raisin bread, some apple juice and a banana. Most of my life up to that point, I never cared for breakfast, but now I enjoy it.
Doritos, Slurpees and fast food were banished from my diet. This actually happened completely within a few months of changing my habits. I loved Slurpees too, but I found a better way to replace that. I eat fruits. That’s another thing I never really did. It wasn’t that I hated fruit, but I never ate it. Now, my night time meals consist of watermelon, grapes, cantaloupe and other fruits, a bit of orange juice and some milk and cookies for desert.
Lunch is my big meal of the day and a good walk afterwards. I tried to include a vegetable with lunch, which is something else I never did before. I try to avoid seconds and have a moderate plate of my meal, which varies from day to day, from hot dogs to spaghetti or whatever.
The walk was what made the difference. It started off slowly. A quarter mile a day, a half mile, then a mile, then two. I’ve had days where I walked for over ten miles, and I loved it. Just being outside among the people, seeing all the green and pretty colors of the plants, saying hello to people. I was feeling better too.
Within a matter of months, I had lost over 100 pounds. I wasn’t paying much attention, because I never weighed myself. I simply didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on myself. This was about feeling better, not about what I weighed. What I noticed was people I didn’t even know were stopping me and congratulating me on my weight loss. That sort of thing made me feel good, but seeing other people begin to get out and walk or jog made me feel better.
I think the secret to losing weight and keeping it off isn’t some special diet or supplement. In fact, those things fail many times in the end, even if there are success stories too. No, the secret is that it’s up to the individual. You have to want this, and you have to believe you can do it. Nobody can do it for you.
You should evaluate what it is you are eating and make note of the junk food you are eating. Cut back and eliminate it, while replacing it with healthy alternatives. If you like soft drinks, replace them with fruit and natural fruit juices. Don’t switch to diet drinks, which are even worse for you than regular soda. Aspartame and High Fructose Corn Syrup are not good for you. Look it up for yourself.
Eat slower when you eat your meal. This was something I learned. If you are eating faster, your body won’t get the message to your mind that you have had enough until it’s too late and you have over eaten. So, pacing yourself when you eat is a good thing. Eat home cooked meals over fast food. I know the commercials make it look good, but fast food is one of the causes of obesity.
I’m not saying this to take your coke and burger away from you. Moderation is the key. An occasional soda or burger may not be bad, but daily consumption is not healthy. It’s not about being on a diet, it’s about a healthy eating lifestyle. You don’t just do it until you lose so much weight. You make a commitment to eat healthy as part of who you are.
Exercise is important too. Some people keep busy schedules, but even a half an hour is better than nothing. You can walk or jog around the block, aerobics, exercise at home or the gym. If you make an effort, it might be hard at first, but you will soon look forward to it. You will definitely like the way you feel.
As for myself, changing my eating habits and exercising more was the best decision I could have made. It could be for you too if you want it to be.
