Everything I wish someone had told me 100 pounds ago...

Woke up this morning, feeling oddly refreshed and invigorated and thought I would write a blog or post to help some of you newer folks along your path. Allow me to introduce myself, I have been around these parts for over a year and done some rather incredible things since I started my journey. I started out about 5 years ago at 325ish pounds and was a heart attack waitng to happen. Since then I have run numerous 5K, 10K, Half, and Full Marathons, gone rock climbing, scuba diving, kayaking, driven a stock car... basically I've whitled down my bucket list. Not bad for a guy who weighed 325, had 2 herniated discs in my lower back, sleep apnea, and chronic migraines.

Honestly, I was embarassed by my weight and humiliated publicly by others (including the staff at Disney World). But I digress...Life is cruel and sometimes we hit rock bottom. I know how it feels and wanted to share some info with many of you. The title of this post I think sums up a lot of this... it is things I learned along the way that helped me lose 100 pounds. Please digest it, accept that it would work for most (but probably not all... sigh) and that some people will dispute some of what I have to say. I'm not a Doctor, or Nutritionist... I do now coach running thru the Running Room. If this reaches you and helps you, I will be happy to say that I met my goal this morning to help ONE person with what I have to say. If it misses the mark, please don't flame or disparage me or anyone else... that is not what this is all about. Stay positive and do well unto your fellow human being.

So without further ado... Here are 12 tips\concepts or thoughts that helped me achieve my weight loss;

1.Log everything… how can you hope to reduce your consumption and manage your intake without understanding it? People who log their eating habits are up to 50% more likely to lose weight and keep it off.

2.A rolling stone gathers grows no moss, a body at rest tends to stay at rest. Fire up your metabolism and strive to exercise for 30 minutes per day. The Health Canada recommends 30 minutes of physical activity per day five days a week. More is better.

3.Drink the water. Sure you get enough water from your food to sustain you…but what about cleanse and flush out your system? Does your body know the difference between hunger and thirst? The electrical impulses in the brain often confuse the two. If you are allowing yourself to get thirsty… how often are you eating in lieu of drinking?

4.Strive to be active. While logging your meals is great, adjusting your activity level is even better. What worked for me was taking my lowest calorie meal of the day, and trying to burn it off with exercise. If breakfast is 400 calories… wouldn’t you benefit from 400 calories worth of exercise? It’s not a goal, or a guideline… but not so oddly it works. It doesn’t take long to burn 400 calories and gives you a daily target.

5.Examine why you eat… break the habit. I call myself a sedentary eater. I eat when I sit still and am bored. If you are a nervous eater, examine why you are nervous. Try to break from those routines.

6.Find snack substitutes… much like number five; we have preferences in our eating. People tend towards a particular type or texture of food (i.e. crunchy, salty, sweet) Find a reasonable snack substitute… i.e. carrots or celery instead of potato chips, raisins\cranberries etc. instead of candy. Look for a healthier alternative.

7.Read the labels. Just because something is low fat, doesn’t make it low calorie. Fat is often replaced with carbs to make up the taste. Look for low fat\low calorie alternatives. One of my favorites is Salsa instead of Salad dressing. One quarter cup of salsa often has less fat and calories than 1 Tablespoon of Ranch dressing.

8.Balance and vary your exercise… it helps keep you motivated and is easier on your system. Do Cardio one day and weights the next. Remember that muscle is your fat burning engine.

9.Put your fork down between bites. It will take you longer to eat; you will better chew your food and allow you to feel satisfied more quickly.

10.Drink a glass of water before meals. It volumnizes your food allowing you to feel full sooner.

11. Use a smaller dinner plate.

12. Check your portions -> If you are like me, your dinner plate used to be meat and potatoes. My meat portion used to be the size of a greeting card, it really should be the size of a playing card. My dinner plate is now 50% vegetables, 30% starches (potatoes/rice etc) and 20% meat. I also tend to bypass the toppings (i.e. the potatoe wheel is no longer welcome at my table)

Bonus tip: Here is one I hadn't thought of in a long time, it's called 5:30. It works like this Five servings of Vegetables and 30 minutes of Excercise a day. Its a simple goal. But it helps ensure you have consumed an adequate quantity of Vegetables and done an adequate amount of exercise.

Hope this helps! If you have tips... feel free to tack them on!