Six months ago I embarked on a small journey. It has turned into a larger one.
At the time, I decided to cut out some bad eating habits. The first one eliminated was sugar. There was no goal beyond that – remove sweets from the menu and see where that took me. I didn’t know how long the change in habit would last. I didn’t know what that would accomplish. I actually didn’t even worry about whether I would lose weight.
I knew I consumed way too much sugar, particularly mini-M&M’s and French Vanilla ice cream covered in Hershey’s Chocolate Sauce. Both were major weaknesses.
Soon after I started the new regime, I found other things clicking into place. At breakfast, I previously drank a muscle-building/replenishment drink. As my desire for sweets waned, it became quickly clear that I really had no desire to drink that each morning, as it contained sugar and probably some other things our bodies don’t need. Put that mix back in the cupboard.
Other small habits changed. On the road, for example, when we take trips, I would typically bring a huge bag of M&M’s that I would gobble to get a sugar high and help keep me awake while driving on the highway. Sure, it was bad for me, but it was easier than upping coffee intake and stopping every half hour to use the rest room. The chocolate-coated candy became my boredom killer and mood elevator to get me where I was going.
The substitute for the M&M’s became smoked almonds, dried cherries and raisins. I found they not only filled me up more quickly, but when I returned from a trip, rather than gaining 2-5 pounds, I would lose 1-2 instead. Bingo.
As the light bulb went off in my head, other things fell into place. I added a fat burner supplement to my daily routine. I continued to cut down on red meat, carbos and fat, while increasing my intake of fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts. If you follow nutrition, you read articles all the time on how it’s better to eat lower on the food totem pole (more stuff that comes right out of the ground rather than processed).
Finally, my use of the weight scale increased. Rather than checking it out once every six months (my timing when all this began), I started putting my feet on the machine Fridays (before the weekend, which was when I typically pillaged food) and Mondays. This gauged pre-gorging and post-gorging, and set the agenda for each week in terms of a goal to lose poundage.
Weighing yourself helps behavior change. The numbers don’t lie, so you react to them and adjust.
All these modifications led to long-term decline in poundage. From last July until today, I’m hovering at a 25-28 pound drop, depending on the day. The weight loss is just a number. What signifies a “success” in this quest is quirkier.
One of the ways I knew I’d turned the corner came this past weekend when my wife called me from the supermarket and asked if I wanted Girl Scout cookies (I kill for the thin mints). Without hesitation, I answered, “No.” She said okay, and hung up.
The second success marker was having to buy new pants. I waited on this one, knowing how easy it is to gain weight after you lose it. I didn’t want to buy new jeans or slacks, and have to revert back to my old ones three months later. Committing to the smaller waistline was another signal of turning the corner.
No Girl Scout cookies and new pants tell you you’ve turned the corner. Then you have to figure out how to keep from going in reverse. Find your personal goal to know when you’ve turned the corner.
At the time, I decided to cut out some bad eating habits. The first one eliminated was sugar. There was no goal beyond that – remove sweets from the menu and see where that took me. I didn’t know how long the change in habit would last. I didn’t know what that would accomplish. I actually didn’t even worry about whether I would lose weight.
I knew I consumed way too much sugar, particularly mini-M&M’s and French Vanilla ice cream covered in Hershey’s Chocolate Sauce. Both were major weaknesses.
Soon after I started the new regime, I found other things clicking into place. At breakfast, I previously drank a muscle-building/replenishment drink. As my desire for sweets waned, it became quickly clear that I really had no desire to drink that each morning, as it contained sugar and probably some other things our bodies don’t need. Put that mix back in the cupboard.
Other small habits changed. On the road, for example, when we take trips, I would typically bring a huge bag of M&M’s that I would gobble to get a sugar high and help keep me awake while driving on the highway. Sure, it was bad for me, but it was easier than upping coffee intake and stopping every half hour to use the rest room. The chocolate-coated candy became my boredom killer and mood elevator to get me where I was going.
The substitute for the M&M’s became smoked almonds, dried cherries and raisins. I found they not only filled me up more quickly, but when I returned from a trip, rather than gaining 2-5 pounds, I would lose 1-2 instead. Bingo.
As the light bulb went off in my head, other things fell into place. I added a fat burner supplement to my daily routine. I continued to cut down on red meat, carbos and fat, while increasing my intake of fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts. If you follow nutrition, you read articles all the time on how it’s better to eat lower on the food totem pole (more stuff that comes right out of the ground rather than processed).
Finally, my use of the weight scale increased. Rather than checking it out once every six months (my timing when all this began), I started putting my feet on the machine Fridays (before the weekend, which was when I typically pillaged food) and Mondays. This gauged pre-gorging and post-gorging, and set the agenda for each week in terms of a goal to lose poundage.
Weighing yourself helps behavior change. The numbers don’t lie, so you react to them and adjust.
All these modifications led to long-term decline in poundage. From last July until today, I’m hovering at a 25-28 pound drop, depending on the day. The weight loss is just a number. What signifies a “success” in this quest is quirkier.
One of the ways I knew I’d turned the corner came this past weekend when my wife called me from the supermarket and asked if I wanted Girl Scout cookies (I kill for the thin mints). Without hesitation, I answered, “No.” She said okay, and hung up.
The second success marker was having to buy new pants. I waited on this one, knowing how easy it is to gain weight after you lose it. I didn’t want to buy new jeans or slacks, and have to revert back to my old ones three months later. Committing to the smaller waistline was another signal of turning the corner.
No Girl Scout cookies and new pants tell you you’ve turned the corner. Then you have to figure out how to keep from going in reverse. Find your personal goal to know when you’ve turned the corner.
