Hunt for Food

Weight Loss

I am by no means an expert on weight loss. In 2007, I lost 92 lbs. How? I finally realized that diets really don't work.

The picture on the left was taken in Vancouver in 2004. The picture on the right was taken when I was down a little over 70 lbs.

I learned several things. The most important is don't start anything that you cannot keep doing for the rest of your life. That's why I never went on a diet last year. I've tried diets before, and they've all failed because diets start and end. This time I changed my lifestyle. The ultimate key to losing weight is four simple words: Eat less, Exercise More

Fortunately, in this day and age there are several free resources to help. Here are some of my favorites:

Sparkpeople - A free resource to track food, exercise, and other stats. There are also user forums, articles, and a great community.
Fitday - A free resource to track food, exercise, and other stats.
BMI Calculator - Calculate Body Mass Index

My best advice to anyone trying to lose weight is to track what you eat. You may be surprised at how much you are actually eating. I was.

Here's the write up I've been sending people when asked:

I decided to type this up because I've had a lot of people ask how I'm losing weight. Understand that I am not a dietitician, personal trainer, nutritionist, etc., nor have I seen a doctor to get advice. This is just what works for me.

First, diet is just a 4 letter word. It's too hard to maintain. I finally understand that to be healthier I needed to change my lifestyle. The first thing I did is to figure out how to eat better. I joined an online website to track my daily eating habits and weight. Later, I found a better site, www.sparkpeople.com, which is free but also has a lot more resources such as forums, recipes, exercise techniques, and general motivation. So every day I enter my food. Here's a typical day:

Breakfast - a bowl of cereal, usually Special K (any flavor, there are 4), multigrain cheerios, or captain crunch and skim milk. All are low in calories and you can eat 2-3 cups and still be fine.
Snack - apple
Lunch - Sandwich, Nature's own light white bread w/ ham and cheese or tuna
Dinner - lean meat, usually grilled, and a bag of Bird's Eye Steam fresh vegetables
Snack (some nights) - Slim a bear ice cream sandwich or 100 calorie chip pack or no butter added microwave popcorn

I don't go hungry, and I usually eat around 1500 calories a day, all of which I track.

I found with food it's all about substitution, not about going without. Little changes can make a huge difference. Here are some examples of what I do:

No Mayo - Kraft Fat Free Mayo Salad Dressing
Bread - Nature's own light white (half the calories of normal white)
No butter or margarine - Promise spread, 5 calories per tablespoon
Cheese - Smart Beat Heart Healthy, 25 calories per slice
I stopped eating rice, potatoes, etc. with dinner. Instead it's vegetables

I try to work out when time permits; I use an elliptical for cardio at 30 minutes a shot and a Bowflex for strength. Both are at my house so I don't have to go to a gym.

Support system: I have three people I work with who are also trying to be healthier. I report to them every Friday how I am doing. I find that reporting each week helps keep me on track.

Motto: The best slogan I've heard and what I try to remember when I see people all around me eating junk is "eat to live, don't live to eat."

The last thing I figured out was my motivation. I'm doing this for me because I was sick of being overweight.

A few things have changed since I originally wrote this. I'm eating more calories because I am now in maintenance mode instead of trying to lose weight. Also, my support system at work has fallen through. I'm the only one still worrying about being healthy out of the group.

Disclaimer: This site is for informational use only. Any instructions on how to do something strictly show how I did it and are not intended to replace manufacturer's directions. Use them at your own risk. Not responsible for the content of external websites.