Successful Weight Loss

When confronted by a life threatening disease, it is easy to feel sorry for yourself. "Get some exercise" is easier said than done, how about "cut down on your food intake"? The reality of all this is that you have to change your lifestyle, you have to be positive and you have to stay motivated.

My Story

Over the years, I have been lucky not to have had to worry too much about my weight. I have played a lot of sport, and kept myself healthy. At the age of 40, I was still actively involved in squash, tennis and golf, although the latter 2 were not as strenuous as squash. At the age of 41, I gave up competitive squash, and over the next 6 months put on over 5 kg's (11 pounds). By my early 50's, I was about 84kg (185lb), diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, depressed, and wondering where my life was going. At only 170cm (5'8"), my BMI was much too high. I had to find a way to slim down.

After getting the doctors advice on my diabetes, I started to try to do the right thing and lose weight. I ate a diet of cardboard and grass, or if you will, crackers and salad. I tried to starve, ate just protein, all the usual fads, and lost a bit. Christmas came around and I was back to top weight and again feeling depressed. After trying all sorts of diets, I would always fail. I then began to understand that losing weight was not an easy thing to do. I have subsequently read how many people embark on diets, and how many fail to lose weight, or simply stack the weight back on after the diet is over. I was one of them.

It became apparent that the only way I was going to succeed was to change my mindset. I began to see that there was no miracle diet. I had to reduce my calorie intake or burn more calories through work or exercise. I began to read as much as I could on the subject, and the internet was a fabulous tool. A great resource is http://www.o-weightloss.com where there are over 1400 pages of information. I became a bit of an expert, especially as I began to lose more weight. I found that providing I cut out the saturated fats, and cut down (not out) desserts, and ate smaller meals I continued to lose weight. I cut down beer, and drank mostly wine. In essence, I continued to enjoy all the foods I had previously enjoyed, but with the motto, everything in moderation.

A simple exercise regime was begun; I walked for just 40 minutes a day, 4 days per week. I play golf at least once per week, and during the warmer months, tennis once a week. This is not body breaking stuff. The reality of all this is that with serious diabetes or obesity, you can lie around all day and night in a cemetery if you do not confront your weight problems.

Now at the age of 55, I am down to 75kg (165lbs), the last blood test showed I was no longer diabetic, and I feel better in myself. While I know diabetes cannot be cured, I firmly believe that it can be controlled by controlling your weight, and in particular, your fat percentages.

I also firmly believe that information is king and you can never have too much information. Sites like http://www.o-weightloss.com can be of great use. Obesity is a health hazard, so let's beat it.

 
 

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