Are you serious about losing fat? Weight?

Journey10

I am! I decided on Easter Sunday that I am tired of getting fatter and fatter as the days, weeks, and months of my life tick away. I had been on fitness kicks in the past, but they were short-lived. I decided that day to take drastic steps to change my life forever. No more excuses. No more roadblocks. No more giving in to friends telling me, "come on, one little piece of (insert your special treat here) won't hurt you."

In 2002 I lost 75 pounds by eating a 'diet' of no sugar, no flour. No, not Atkins, not really South Beach. I really didn't have a name for it. I just didn't eat anything that had either sugar of flour in it. Period. I read labels and learned about proper nutrition. The weight melted off me like hot butter. A year later my wife and I adopted a bunch of kids (I really do mean a bunch, but I am not seeking any glory for it. It was crazy). Anyway, I started eating crap and eventually I put every pound back on. I blame no one but me. I chose to eat bad. I went back to bad habits. It was my fault.

This go 'round, I decided, has to different. It has to be permanent. It has to expose me to new experiences and opportunities that I've never attempted or thought possible to help seal the deal. Every day I learn something new. Every day I enjoy my life more and more. My wife opted in. She's excited about what we're doing. Her buy-in makes this thing we're doing so much easier and much more enjoyable.

This fall we're running our first 5K together. We're training for a 3.8 miles adventure race in September. In addition to our rigorous daily workouts my wife and I run with our 12 year old daughter who is training for her first half-marathon.

Aside from working out and eating right we invest hours each week training our minds to become as amazing as our bodies are becoming.

So what have we learned?

Food is fuel. Your car needs fuel or it'll quit working. You body needs fuel at regular intervals or it will run out of energy. What happens when you car runs out of fuel? Nothing! Our bodies are similar in that way. You wouldn't starve your car and expect it to take you to work tomorrow would you? Of course not!

Losing weight and shedding excess fat is best accomplished by frequent fueling. It is best not to go longer than 4 or 5 hours without fuel.

The battle with fat and weight loss is won in the kitchen, not the gym. Strict control of your fueling is the best means to win the war.

Stay off the scale. Most people who are trying to lose weight step on the scale a lot. Try weighing weekly if you have to see how you're progressing. Weigh in first thing in the morning before you eat. Really though, relax and don't worry about the scale. Pay close attention to how you feel and how your clothes fit.

Your clothes. As they become too big get rid of them. By doing so you're opening up opportunities for you to acquire new clothes. How exciting?

Set aside a predetermined cheat meal once a week. For example, my cheat day is Saturdays. That means I plan my cheating and limit it to one meal on cheat day. It is not a one day free-for-all gorge-fest.

Exercise 4-5 times a week. Research the exercises that interest you and make it a priority to stick with your workout schedule. I won't call it a routine because I believe exercises should not be routine or repeated often (that's a whole different topic, so I won't get in to that here). Push yourself. You body is stronger than your mind. Workout with a friend or someone who will push you past what you believe you're capable of. It bears repeating....your body is stronger than your mind.

Keep a log of what you eat, how much you eat and when you eat it (if you're reading this then hopefully you're using the myfitnesspal.com tools). Be honest! No one will know but you. There's no point in lying to yourself.

Keep a log of your workouts. Document what you have done, when you did it, how long you did it, how you felt before, during and afterward.

Take rest days at least 1-2 a week. Honor thy rest day! Your body will benefit more if you honor thy rest day than if you don't. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Tune out friends and family who are not supportive. Anyone that does not support you is against you. This is often jealousy. It's just plain disrespectful on their part. Do not allow people to discourage or disrespect you like that. You're better than that. Find supportive people and band together.

I have learned so much more, but it's getting late and I really just wanted to share some really simple, basic stuff with you.

I offer my warmest wishes to each of you who are working to change your lives as I am. It is not easy, but it is oh so worth it. Hang in there and achieve your goals. Feel free to drop me a line. I'd love to hear about your success as it motivates and inspires me.

Note: I did not disclose my eating habits (diet) as everyone has their own idea of what works for them. I also did not disclose what workouts I do for the very same reason. If you really want to know, ask and I'll tell you! I will tell you this.....I've lost 4 inches off my waist, 5% of my body fat and 33 lbs. since Easter Sunday. My goal is 95 lbs. by next Easter. I've done some serious planning and I am on track to nearly meet my goal by Christmas 2010 instead. Yea!

HealthyChanges2010

Very inspiring post! Good deal your wife and you are on board together, makes the journey so much more enjoyable to have one another to be accountable to!:drinker:

Sounds like you're very determined so I see nothing but success coming your way!

Becca:flowerforyou:

Ryhenblue

Thanks for sharing all the great things you've learned. It's great advice to becoming a healthier person for life.