|
Losing Weight and Keeping it Off
I am a 59 year old female, 5'9" tall, and at age 40 I weighed something
over 200 lb. At age 41 I went on a 33 week diet, losing a a bit over a
pound a week, and got down to my proper weight of 159. I've since then
crept up a few pounds, lost it, and crept up again - small swings. I
can live with that. (check out
http://www.WasFat.org for my husband's slightly different perspective on
weight loss.)
The "before" picture is me in 1988 at about my peak weight - around 210
lb. I don't have a really good "before" because fat people avoid
cameras. The "after" photo was taken in 2004 during the annual Home
Show. I was billed as "Grandma takes on all challengers" in ping pong
at the show. KHTR even did a play-by-play commentary for one game.
I had a great time!
I am not trying to sell you anything. I don't sell any of the
supplements, exercise equipment, or other items mentioned here. I'm
not selling a booklet or a method - it's all here on this web site, or will
be if I ever finish writing.
There's no single trick which worked for me. I had to stack them up
to get results. Check the menu for details on each item, but here is
the overview:
Eating Right
The diet plans which say you can lose weight without changing the way you
eat must have been talking about somebody else. I can (usually)
maintain my weight without counting calories, but I can't lose. And if
I eat too many carbohydrates, my weight creeps up no matter what I do.
For me, Dr. Atkins was right. Cream and butter and real salad
dressings are everyday fare, but potatoes are a rare treat. And
although I'm never actually hungry while dieting (unless it's time to eat),
I don't eat as much as I'd like.
Exercise
I do 25 minutes of calisthenics, weight lifting and stretches three times
a week. And I do 30 minutes on the Nordic Track 3 days a week.
Hormone Balancing
When I was young (twenties) and on the pill, my weight was normal.
Then, at age 35 after the birth of my fourth child, I could not lose the
extra weight I had gained. I suspect my body had quit ovulating every
month, and without ovulation and the progesterone it brings with it, I could
not lose weight. Add to that the estrogens from the pill, and it was a
steady creep upward.
This was the time in my life when I tried multiple diets and got really,
really frustrated. Then, when I had my tubes tied and went off the
pill at about age 41, I was able to lose slowly with a program of strict
calorie counting and exercise. It was pure grit. I know now that
if I had limited carbs as well as calories, and if I had balanced my
hormones, it would have been a lot easier and I wouldn't have lost half my
hair, nor acquired that greyish skin tone (both of which went away,
thankfully).
Tips and Tricks
There are lots of little things which make counting calories easier, and
which make exercise easier.
Supplements
I take a LOT of vitamins, minerals and other food supplements. None
of them are directed solely toward losing weight, but some of them
definitely help. I'll tell you about them, and why I take each one.
Anti-Aging
There are two goals we reach for in losing weight - looking better and
living a longer, healthier life.
Background
This is mostly things I've tried which did not work. Diet books,
fad diets, etc. are mostly an attempt to inject magic into weight loss.
|