79T/A |
09-28-2010 01:44 PM |
First, I am NOT any type of athletic trainer. In fact, if you saw me, you'd probably say I'm overweight. Strike that, you'd definitely say I'm overweight. I have heard that there is a three day-long diet from the people who make P-90X (Beach Body?) that involves eating nothing but apples and drinking water and taking their supplements. A coworker said he lost seven pounds in three days, but needed to be close to a toilet for all three days. I decided to skip that one.
Having said that, over the past year, I finally saw the light and the extreme need to stop being the REALLY fat f*** that I was. A bunch of circumstances came into play and at 36 years old and 313 pounds, it was time for a serious change in my lifestyle. I started exercising and eating better back in the beginning of April, and I'm really happy to be down thirty pounds now.
What it came down to for me was a lifestyle change. I LOVE junk food. Burgers, pizza and anything you can throw in a fryer, and of course bacon were pretty much my four food groups. That had to change. I found that one of the best things to do was to cut out as much sugar as possible. That would include soda. The only beverages I allow myself these days is coffee and water (And, of course, the OCCASIONAL adult beverage). I wasn't strong enough to give up coffee, but I did give up using artificial sweeteners and switched to a spoonful of Sugar in the Raw (No aspartame or other harmful nasty ethyl methyl bad s***). I eat a lot of chicken and turkey based dishes with the occasional very lean red meat thrown in for good measure. I limit the harmful carbs; any bread I eat is whole wheat and in moderation, same with pasta (Which I eat very rarely) and any other bread product (Like pancakes and waffles, both of which I love). And sadly, I now find myself reading labels and looking for things like carbs and sugars. And, while I've been slacking on it lately, I eat more than three times a day. Maybe a granola bar or yogurt between meals, with a banana or other fruit for good measure.
And, of course, I exercise way more than I probably should. I work out five days a week, alternating cardio and light cardio/weight training. My workouts correspond with my work days as the powers that be let us put in a gym at work. Mainly, I run (No good for you, obviously) and it's probably put years back onto my life. I'm sure you already know that the cardio is what's going to take off the weight.
I came to this by taking advice from people in the know (I work with a lot of folks who are very physically fit, some of them are even trainers and nutritionists). I have a lot of support from my family and friends, so surrounding yourself with people who encourage you rather than bust your onions is extremely helpful. I've found that it's unrealistic to swear off the food you love forever; rather, I limit myself to one day a week to eat the good stuff and use moderation so I don't destroy all the work I put in during the week.
I say all of this because it seems that if you're serious about weight loss, it takes a lifestyle change and you really have to be ready, willing and able to take on the challenge. You also have to accept that it's not going to happen overnight (Which you know), although in the beginning, you may drop a decent amount of weight quickly and then plateau for awhile. At this point, it's important to not get discouraged and push through that plateau. Some of my motivators are seeing my kids and eventually, grandkids grow up. I also want to live more than twenty-five years AFTER retirement and get something out of the pension I put money into.
Whatever you do and however you do it, I wish you the best and to be strong. Hope your injuries recover quickly, too.
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