excerpt from an email i wrote
 

I sent this email to a friend who had asked me for some tips since I have lost 20 lbs and am still losing at a rate of about 2 lbs per week. A few things that I'd like to add to that are that I now exercise nearly everyday which I did not do before. Consequently, I am eating more calories than I was before though I don't actually count calories actively anymore. I simply added an extra snack or two based on whether or not I am actually hungry- which I am now able to recognize for the first time in years. The key thing for me is that weight has not been my primary focus.

"Basically my strategy has been multi layered since I found my cholesterol to be 250 :-o . I started by attempting to stay at or under 1800 calories a day- which is plenty for me since I don't really do anything. That in mind, I bought a $5 kitchen scale at Walmart and a couple of plastic measuring cups. I read the labels for everything I cooked and measured out exactly as much as it said a serving was after cooking- except meat which is weighed before cooking. I did this for about a month to familiarize myself with what a single serving actually looks like and trust me- it's ALOT less than I had thought, haha! I measured out snacks into individual bags so that when I wanted a snack, I already had it measured out and wouldn't grab the full bag of chips or can of nuts and gorge on them. It took maybe 20 minutes to premeasure everything and seperate it after coming home from the store. I switched to whole wheat pastas and breads and I use organic stuff as much as I can, but as you know- that gets really expensive. There are some great websites out there that list the nutritional content of veggies and fruits. Generally, if you eat more fruit and veggies and less meats, breads, and dairy, that is going to cut down on calories automatically. Nuts and beans are pretty calorie dense too so I have to be very careful with those.

It does take alot of maintainence at first. I wrote down EVERYTHING I stuck in my mouth from a stick of gum to a "cheat meal" at Taco Bell. By doing that, I was able to see exactly what I was doing wrong and fix it. Studies show that most people underestimate what they eat in their own diet journals- so I kept that in mind and told myself that no one was going to be fooled but me if I neglected to write it down accurately. I didn't chastise myself for a slipup, but I made sure to take it into account and compensate for the poor choice at my next meal. After two months, I felt confident enough to stop writing it down and now I only occasionally measure my meals just to make sure I am still doing it accurately. I am no longer "counting calories" strictly because I automatically know when I've done something I shouldn't.

As for the fat intake, my Dr says that as far as weight loss goes, that doesn't matter. It's all in the calories, BUT that by eating less fat you automatically eat fewer calories. I am supposed to keep my saturated fat below 20 grams. He didn't give me a limit on total fat though. My own belief is that I don't like eating stuff I can't actually pronounce. Do we really know what all these chemicals are doing to our bodies? Since it's impossible to cut them out completely (seriously- organic foods and health food stores barely exist in East Texas), I do my best to read labels and cut out as much as I can. It makes me feel better about myself.

But the most important advice and the most helpful thing that I have found is to stay committed to doing this to be healthier. I think the reason I have been successful at losing weight is that "looking good in a bikini" is no longer the focus for me. My 100% focus is on my health now and I must say that it has been the best motivation I have ever found. I want to be alive in 20 years and not just alive, but actually "living"!

Sorry to be so long winded, but I am just really happy to be able to share what I have found. Hopefully, it will help you as well. :-)"

Sounds like you are doing great!

Thanks! I do feel like I am doing something good for myself for a change. It's amazing the difference it makes when you actually are not pressured by losing weight and the focus is on something like strokes and heart attacks. When I started writing in the food journal, it wasn't about weight loss- it was about me wanting to actually see what I was putting in my body. It was about me being fed up with the grip that large corporations with huge advertising budgets have on me. It was all about responsibility. Then it turned into all that AND being at risk for some serious health issues. It really scared the crap out of me.

From the beginning there was a difference than the times before when I was only focused on my looks, which inevitably failed because there are a million and one excuses you can make to justify the things you eat and why you don't exercise. Actually, I was so NOT focused on the weight issue that when I went to the Dr last month and realized I had dropped over 10 pounds, I was absolutely astonished. I mean, it makes a whole lot of sense that when you start tracking everything you eat and keeping it to a reasonable amount of calories and fat intake you are going to lose weight. It was kind of my "Duh" moment. I know that probably sounds ridiculous because I think every single person here knows that- and in theory so did I, but it just wasn't something that really even crossed my mind when I was so angry that Taco Bell executives where out there spending MY MONEY (that I gave them) to add more and more chemicals to their product to keep me addicted to their sorry food that doesn't even taste good so I would keep giving them more and more of my money that I worked my butt off for. And then My Dr gave me my cholesterol info and my jaw dropped. So now I have double motivation, and while I am not perfect and I do still eat out occasionally, I have a real tangible reason to ask for "no cheese, no sauce and extra veggies" and even that is very infrequent because I am cooking at home alot more now. And you know what? It's been a wonderful experience. I enjoy cooking alot and trying out new recipes is very exciting. Learning to be responsible and accountable has given me such a sense of accomplishment I am just bursting at the seams to spread the word about it- which accounts for the fact that I just wrote a novel here.

It is my sincere hope that by writing all of this in a public place like this it will help someone else. I don't expect anyone to agree with my motives, but if the methods work for even just one other person, then it was worth it to me to sit here and potentially embarrass myself.

:-)