My Weight Loss Journey
Hi, I'm a 79 year old man who has been overweight since my mid 40's. I spent some time with weight watchers but when I reached my goal I went back to regular eating and gained it all back and more. The doctors tell me that the best way to lose weight is portion control. We all know that we lose weight when we burn more calories than we eat. We can eat less, burn more or both but we can't beat the biology. Changing what you eat results in dissatisfaction and a return to the old ways. Portion control is straightforward and allows you to eat what you like to eat, just less of it..
A year and a half ago I weighed 260 lbs. I was downright fat. I lost my breath climbing a flight of stairs. I took so many antacids that the gastro-enterologist who diagnosed my colon cancer suggested that they may have contributed. So I had all the motivation I needed to change my ways. With portion control I have gone from 260 lbs to 175 lbs and my waist has shrunk from 44 inches to 34 inches. I no longer use or need antacids. A good surgeon removed 1/3 of my colon and I went through several months of chemotherapy. But the cancer was cured.
Is it Fast? No. Free of hunger? No, List of things I can't eat. No. However my controlled portions became normal for me after the first couple of months.. I got hungry then and I still get hungry, just at a lower level of input. It takes less to make me feel full. In other words I eat what I want to eat but I eat a healthy quantity.
My goal is to reach 160 lbs so I'm still 15 lbs overweight. My plan is to get there during the next six months to produce a 100 lb. weight loss over two years. When I hit the goal I will increase my portions slightly just to stop the weight loss.
So how do I do it? It is very simple. I just cut my portions to 1/2 what they were in the fat days. I resist snacking. I switched from three meals per day to two. I eat brunch at about 10 AM and dinner at 5 pm. Brunch can be a breakfast or a lunch. If I want a fast food hamburger, I cut it in half, eat that half and take the other half home for another meal. I make my hamburgers on English muffins instead of hamburger buns. I make a great pizza but I eat only 2 slices. I love ice cream. I used to eat a bowl of it. Now I have a scoop. People refer to it as a starvation diet. It isn't. It is a properly managed diet. My hunger is no different than it was 85 lbs ago. My body has adapted to the controlled portions. I lose the weight slowly. Fast weight loss can be unhealthy if it is too fast. It is that simple.
It isn't for everyone. Overweight is a lack of discipline and controlled portions require some discipline. Those who cannot muster up the discipline to control portions won't hit their goal. That's my story. I look forward to joining the discussions and I wish everyone the best of luck with whichever weight loss method gets the job done.
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Xerai