My weight-gain and weight-loss has been an interesting ride to say the least:
In August 1998 I weighed a paltry 150 lb (and possibly less than that).
By August 2000 I weighed 190 lb.
In August 2007 at the beginning of my true life I weighed in at 210 lb.
By August 2009 after 2 years of carousing, partying and eating only processed/high-fat foods I was pushing the boundaries of 230 lb.
August 2011: 178 lb.
So, this little blog entry is a bit of a list of the changes I have made over the past few years in order to drop that ugly weight-gain by the wayside.
Really, my girlfriend is the weight-loss guru. She has lost over 120 lb. She hates fad diets and weight-loss systems like Jenny Craig and such. She says that nothing but hard work and calorie-counting works for her...and it's a life-time commitment.
For me, it's ultimately about self-control, moderation-in-all-things, balance, need-vs-want, etc. Whatever you want to call it.
So, here is what works for me:
I portion control mostly. Limit my meals to 1-2 cups of food or fist-sized portions - for fruits and veggies, this doesn't totally apply. I'm a carb-junkie - breads and pastas - so smaller portions are really important. I rarely to never calorie-count; my internal estimation seems to work fairly well.
I finally killed my fast-food addiction in June 2011. I was jumping between 188 and 195 lb before I did this. Could never hit my original weight-loss goal of 185 lb. Got rid of the fast food entirely and those extra pounds started shedding.
(By the way, most frozen dinners have more fat and calories than small fast-food meals)
REGULAR exercise...even shorts walks a couple of times a day. I HATE exercising. Most of the time it is boring as hell, but I finally discovered that I love biking and the more I bike the more I have the bug to exercise and if I exercise with someone it is better still. Find an exercise you love, find an exercise buddy and just do it.
More sun and more sleep. Don't know why it works, but it works.
From Jan. 2010 to June 2011, I cooked and ate 90% vegetarian. The last 10% was fast food and only Burger King has a decent veggie burger and the only Burger King around is no where near my workplace. So, DQ was always my poison of choice.
No dairy except for cheese on pizza since Jan. 2010. I fell in love with Silk brand dairy alternatives. I now have a cheese alternative as well.
Decided that if I want a chocolate-bar/snack I would make it myself. It really determines just how badly I want a sweets "fix". This cuts down the snacking huge and now all of my "treats" are homemade with controlled ingredients.
I did a 3-week "fast" off of sweets and salts to "re-train" my tastebuds. Our society is way over-salted, over-sugared, and over-fatted. Our bodies really didn't evolve on these kinds of foods. "Bland" is really not so bland when you are genuinely tasting what the food is supposed to taste like.
Since July 2011 I have been cooking and eating vegan, but remain vegetarian outside the house. If someone graciously prepares a meal for me and it contains dairy or eggs, I will graciously accept it.
Ultimately, I'm not certain if going vegan/vegetarian will help you lose weight, but it does make you a lot more conscious about WHAT you are ingesting overall.
Finally, I try not to eat unless I genuinely do feel hungry. If this means holding off lunch or dinner for an hour, so be it.
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