Digging into healthy living

Whenever the most frequent question – how did you lose so much weight – is posed the same two words fly to the forefront of my mind: portion control.

That’s closely followed by a desire to expound on the need for proper expectations and a small tangent into it is not necessary to deny yourself.

The main motivation to beginning an exercise regime is, usually, a desire to shed unwanted pounds. So the focus is on changing habits of inactivity – more walking, hitting the gym or bike, attending yoga classes or whatever. And then there’s a perverse concentration on diet, one that has its main emphasis what is going into the engine and that all past consumption has been undoubtedly evil.

Diets, shmiets.

Okay, if fast-food and fried food is the daily staple there needs to be a change. But what worked in my case was a focus on portion control. And consuming, mostly, clean foods. This leads to sustainability and no yo-yoing of weight which inevitably leads to yo-yoing of emotions.

First step, embrace some technology. The app MyFitnessPal was invaluable in shedding pounds. Tell it your current weight and goal weight (set workable targets, as they can always be adjusted), it will give you a calorie intake. The old school tracking in a paper diary might have been time consuming – this is not, so park that excuse.

The best part of the app is the tracker, which can give you counts on a host of foods made at home or eaten out. Guaranteed the size of some meals will shock you. Plus, input exercise levels and it will tell you day-by-day how the goals are coming.

The other key to portion control is finding some good recipes that provide value, taste and are clear on how many servings are being created. One of the best I found was skinnytaste.com, along with the cookbook Run Fast, Eat Slow.

These combined to ensure a steady, reasonable and sustainable progress of weight loss. It sucks, at first, as the portions seem small and they are. That’s the point. But it’s also why a couple of snacks during the day, properly tracked, help assuage those hunger pangs.

And this leads to expectations.

One day I did not awaken and discover I had ballooned up to 240 pounds. It was gradual, attributable to a sedentary lifestyle, too much beer and penchant for big portions of only one food group. So it seemed reasonable to assume the loss of said weight was going to take some time.

The trick I employed was to set running targets with weight targets. For first half-marathon, achieve this time and do it at this weight. Then set a new target. When the journey began there was no goal weight; any loss was good. Then a weight was achieved that I feel comfortable at, fit at and does not require deprivation to maintain.

Now, a moment of honesty. It’s doubtful any of us can expect an Olympic medal in our future, that’s sorted. We’re doing this for ourselves and all the good that comes from that. So knowing that means there is no need to completely deny yourself.

Cookies are a favourite. So is chocolate. So rather than feel a wave of guilt by consuming them, I try to find recipes that allow me to indulge those beloved treats in the best way possible. But when I sneak a Lindt, it’s not the end of the world. Treat days (instead of cheat days) are another habit, especially as it’s nice to occasion a new restaurant and not feel compelled to look longingly at what others are consuming.

Probably should have said this at the start: I am not a nutritionist or health professional. If you have serious health issues, talk to someone with letters behind their name. But this is my story of how I lost 75 pounds and kept it off. Hopefully, it can assist you.

Hope to see you on the road.