New Year New You

Last May, I made the decision to get back in shape and start eating healthier.  Over the years, with works, kids, less physical activity, etc, I had slowly put on a little more weight each year.  It's easy to do but losing weight is hard.  I mean, in a world where in 15 seconds, you can grab one pastry and add 400 calories to your diet, there isn't really a quick 15 second way to lose those same 400 calories.  It takes about 45 minutes of continuous cardio at the gym to subtract that back out.  Fast forward eight months later to today and now I'm down 50 lbs.  It's quite a noticeable difference.  Naturally, I get the question, "How'd you do it?",  "What exercises are you doing?" or "What diet are you on?"

The truth of the matter is moderation.  I didn't do anything drastically different.  In fact, I didn't even go to the gym the first three months.  I downloaded a calorie tracking app to set a daily goal but even more so, to see how much what I was eating was costing me and then made some changes.

1.  I learned what foods were high in calories that were not worth the calories to me.  Fries, why was I eating fries?  Mainly, b/c of marketing.  They came in my value meal so I ate them.  That was the first thing I cut way back on.  I still get them occasionally or every time I go to Pal's, but for the most part, that's a food I don't really care for that much that was costing me 400 calories.

2.  Soda/sugary coffee - I switched out sugary drinks and coffee with water,  black coffee and unsweetened tea.  I either like coffee and tea really really sweet or bold with no sugar at all.  Maybe that's weird, but its what worked for me.

3.  More fruits-  I have a pretty bad sweet tooth.  Reese's peanut butter cups are a crutch of mine.  The thing is, though, fruit is amazing.  It comes with fiber and sugar, doesn't spike your blood sugar nearly as much, and you can eat quite a bit of it before you equate it to eating a king size Reese's big cup.

4.  More Vegetables - I like vegetables in general and my wife is a good cook, so we started buying more vegetables and anytime I had a weak moment where I grabbed a piece of cake at lunch or maybe had a little bit bigger meal for breakfast than normal, I would eat more vegetables in the evening.  Vegetables are amazing at helping to fill you up and are a great snack with tons of vitamins and minerals when you are running low on available calories.  You can even throw spinach leaves on a layer of pizza to help fill you up quicker so you don't eat as much.

5.  More meat from local farms - Grilled chicken, hamburger, steak, cheesesteak, etc.  I'm a big fan of meat.  Grilling out is a great high protein, low calorie way to end the day....especially if you've set a calorie goal and are approaching it.  Also, the next time you go through a drive-thru, type into an app what you are getting....subtract fries and a drink.  It's not nearly as bad eating a delicious 700 calorie philly cheesesteak as opposed to the 1,350 value meal they want to sell you.  Would you rather have that fries and drink now or a plate full of fruits and berries later?

Looking back, I mostly eliminated processed sugars, got out of the middle of the grocery store, bought more from the outside walls and when I really wanted something, I ate it.  Once I got my eating habits and portion control down, I got back in the gym.  The funny thing was, for whatever reason, I lost less weight going to the gym.  I was getting more fit, stronger, leaner and healthier but I lost less weight.  The other thing I noticed is that due to the increased metabolism and burning of more calories, I was more hungry throughout the day and especially at the end of the day.  I had to adjust to needing more calories and that took a few weeks.

Overall, don't get frustrated.  Realize the process is meant to take time.  You don't gain a ton of weight overnight so don't expect to lose it overnight.  Every person has to kind of find what's right for them.  Set manageable goals and when you have a meal or day where you just blow it, just realize that one bad day was most likely better than any day you had before your new goal to lose weight and look great.  Good luck!