How I Lost Nearly 50 Lbs

I lost nearly 50 lbs (from 238 to 192) in just a few months. Granted, I've regained it after an injury, but I'm working on doing it again. This article describes how I did it.

The Basic rule of weight loss is that outgo must exceed income. With money the rule is reversed. What that means is that it does not matter what "diet" program you are on, even no program at all. Basically, what I did was what worked for me.

I did lift weights; dumbbells at home every other morning before I went to work and before breakfast. But that is not all I did. My diet consisted largely of oranges, salads, and cereals. I ate several times every day on most days. I also on occasion fasted for a few days (It is highly recommended that you not do this to lose weight). My fast were for spiritual reasons, weight loss was only an added benefit. And I did indeed drink water during those fast.

My primary exercise however, was, doing things around my property. Literally building sheds and literally dragging lumber nearly 200 yards. A lot of hand sawing of lumber for various projects helped keep me in shape. If you have a hobby or chore that you particularly enjoy do it.

One thing I did was in my job, which involved a lot of walking, I increased my "intensity", the rate at which I walked. I would speed up for a few minutes, and then slow down. Because I was putting flyers on doors I had to slow down for a few seconds at every one to put the flyer there.

Continuing to walk fast for a few minutes and then slowing down the rest of day adjusted my metabolism to where I burned more calories. This practice also increased the speed at which I handed out flyers, doing my body and my boss a world of good. Not my income. Because I was paid by the hour and not the flyer so the less time it took me to do my job, the fewer hours I had clocked and therefore my income went down.

One of the most effective things I did involved nutrition: serving sizes. Portion control is hammered into our brains but when I look at the size of a serving I think there's no way that can be a serving. So, what I learned to do was to distinguish between a serving and a meal. Three or more servings make a meal. I bought compartmentalized, microwaveable, plastic plates with covers. Each plate had three compartments in which I would divide up the three different foods. I would cook whole wheat pasta, put it in one compartment, a vegetable or salad in another and a fruit or other food in the third compartment.

Another way I used portion control was something I learned from a television show called "Get Fresh With Sarah Snow". It was a practical way to divide cereal. What I did was to take a plastic sandwich bag, read the cereal label serving size, and divide one or two servings into each bag. Those servings were pretty small so it was usually two servings that I actually ate.

One thing I didn't do was go on a traditional diet. I went on what I called the "Butch" diet. That means I did what worked for me. If Weight Watchers, the Mediterranean Diet, the South Beach Diet, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem or any other organized diet plan works for you, then by all means use them and modify them to yourself, under your professional healthcare provider's supervision, of course.

My sister can not go on a high carb diet and because of my gout I (supposedly) can not go on a high protein diet , we each have to do what works for us, and that's what I did. I also studied nutrition and read articles online, along with having the benefit of working for a gym.

Oh, by the way, I also ate a candy bar nearly every day while I was losing weight. It Is not something I would recommend unless you have a very physical job lasting only a few hours each day. The candy bars were often on sale 3 for $1 at a local grocery store and I would take one or two to work with me, especially on the cooler days (On the warmer days they melted too fast). My job was physical, the walk was more than a mile and more than ten minutes. My job was also only for a few hours a day so the burst of energy did not wear off as fast.

You can do it! I will do it again.! Let's do it together trusting in God.