Losing Weight for the Long Run

Its been drilled into our heads for so long that in order to lose weight we need to burn more calories than we take in. This is fact, there is no disputing that. Recently it has become more common knowledge that there are many things that we do every day that may be making our job losing all that weight significantly harder. We see everyday news stories addressing the obesity epidemic, and linking being overweight to any number of health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, joint and bone problems. In short, basically every health problem is exacerbated by being overweight.

According to the CDC, in 2004 33% of American adults were obese - this is up from 15% in 1980. So what is to blame for this epidemic? Some blame technology and modern conveniences for the obesity epidemic, others blame everything being prepackaged and super-sized. Recently there is talk that some of the un-natural ingredients that appear in everything we eat may be having more of an effect than we think.

Overcoming this problem involves a multi faceted approach. There is no magic diet or crunch that will allow you to be healthy for life. If you are anything like me, you will basically need to reform your entire lifestyle and create new habits. My life before consisted of eating fast food 5 days a week, smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, using the elevator to go up 2 stories, and well, you get the idea. I was 5'9 and 220 pounds of sedentary unhappiness. At 26 years old, I saw the beginnings of high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. When I looked in the mirror I didn't like what I saw, so I decided it was time to make a change.

It's not a diet!

The first change I had to make was to convince myself that I am not on a diet. Whatever changes I happen to make are for life. All good plans have room for change, but the changes I'm making now are to create a new lifestyle, not just to lose weight and forget about it, only to gain it back six months later. I'm trying to break that vicious cycle. So, like everything else in my life, I spent weeks researching, planning, and implementing changes that I felt I could live with.

What is a healthy diet like? Well rounded. Nothing is cut completely out of a healthy diet because when you deprive yourself you're setting yourself up for failure. If you say "I cannot eat that Snickers bar" then you will obsess about the Snickers bar until you break down and eat it. Then you feel like a failure and you lose your motivation. When I made this change I decided that rather than cut things out completely, I'm going to replace things I love that are bad for me with things I love that are good for me. And of course, since I'm not actually on a diet, if I eat something that isn't good for me, I don't feel like a failure, I just eat it and move on to make a better choice next time.

The biggest change I made was in my buying habits. Here are the key points that work for me:

• Buy natural. There are so many chemically enhanced ingredients in prepackaged foods these days, and no one can honestly say that any of them are completely safe and side-effect free, so I try to avoid anything that I can't easily pronounce. If it contains any hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup it goes right back on the shelf.
• Always read the labels on the back of the package. Don't trust the big words on the front. "No transfats per serving" is MUCH different than no transfats. The only way you can know it truly has no transfats is to read the ingredient label on the back and check for hydrogenated oils.
• Plan ahead. Buy enough food for the week so you don't have to worry about running out of something and being forced to eat something less than healthy.
• Spend more time in the produce section. Don't be afraid to experiment with fruits or vegetables that you've never tried before. There are lots of amazing flavors that can be found in the produce section if you are willing to step outside your comfort zone.
• Don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry or in a hurry. You'll be more likely to buy junk and too much of it.

Lastly, I try to avoid ever letting myself get ravenously hungry. When you get that hungry you eat faster and you eat more. Eat several times a day, and always be aware of what you're eating. Don't just eat because you're bored, eat because you want to keep your body healthy. I love food and my experience with my healthy revolution has not stopped my love of food. If anything I am branching out and experiencing all kinds of new flavors. Once you stop tasting all the chemically enhanced flavors, you'll realize that the natural flavors taste so much better anyway!

Billy Blanks, Watch Out!

Working out was much harder for me to get into than the changes in my eating habits. It takes a lot to force myself to get up off the couch and do what needs to be done. One thing that I've found works to get me motivated is internal dialogue. Sounds funny, I know. I convince myself that I have something to prove, even if there's no one around to see it.

One of my favorite workouts is Tae Bo (cardio kickboxing), and I try to do that at least once a week. Also, on my list of favorites are yoga, pilates, riding a bike, and taking a walk with my daughter. It doesn't take much because the goal should not be to become "ripped", the goal should be to trim down and be more healthy. Once you reach the healthy point, then you can think about becoming "ripped" if that's the direction you want to go in.

I try to really work out 3 days a week for an hour. But the most important lifestyle change that I made was that I walk as often as its safe and practical to walk.

A 12-Step Smoker.

The final step in my healthy existance was to quit smoking. We all know the health effects of being a smoker - cancer, high blood pressure, emphysema, etc. So, I got help to quit in the form of a prescription for Chantix, which was extremely helpful. There were side-effects - it was a mood depressant, I had a lot of stomach cramping and some nausea - but in my personal opinion, the benefits outweighed the cost. The cravings were gone from just about the first day, so the biggest hurdle was getting past the "habit" of it. I have now been smoke free for almost 6 months and I really feel like a non-smoker, even the cravings are gone.

I call myself a 12-Step Smoker because smoking is an addiction just like any other, and needs to be treated as such. Every time I'd tried to quit smoking in the past, I always started again because I thought I could just have one, then one turned into one pack, and one pack turned into a pack a day again. I now realize that is bunk. I know that if I have even one cigarette, I'll be a smoker and have to quit smoking all over again. Not worth it if you ask me.

So what did I get from all this. Well, so far I am down about 35 pounds, at a healthy 185 pounds. I'm happier, I feel better, I have more energy. Overall, I'd have to say these changes are the best changes I've ever made for myself. I have gained an awareness of myself that I never had before. I constantly pay attention to what I'm putting into my body. Not to deprive myself, but just to be aware.

Going forward, the sky's the limit. I've recently discovered that I can do almost anything I put my mind to. I'm going skydiving in a few weeks for the first time, and that is something I never would have considered at my former level of unhealthiness. I just feel better about me, and that is something that is invaluable.