losing weight properly...

Question
Hello,
I am a 37 yr old white male 5'11" and 247 lbs. Daily meds are Lisinopril HCTZ 20/12.5mg(high blood pressure) and Lipitor 10mg(high cholesterol). As of yesterday, bp was slightly high 130/94 and cholesterol has been maintained  around 150-175 in the last year. I have gained 20 lbs in the last year when I had been about 230 for some years. I attribute it to beer and food. I would like to lose 20 lbs in 6 months, my next DR appt. What is the single most important thing I can do to lose weight properly and effectively? Do you have any hints for me to try?
Thank you for your time.

Answer
Hi Mike,
I hope you enjoyed a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!  I just got back from Thanksgiving dinner with family, so I apologize for the delay in answering your question.
Nowhere in your letter do you mention exercise!   You mention that you are on meds, have some health issues with blood pressure and cholesterol, and have a weight problem, which is not improving and only getting worse with time.  I am glad that you are reaching out for help, and you are interested in getting your health in check, but taking daily meds is only controlling your health issues to some degree---in other words, it isn't a cure, and it will not maintain your current health status.   In time, you will have to increase the dosage, or add more drugs to your current regimen, and will probably develop more health issues if you don't control the weight issue.  There really is no single most important thing to lose weight--it is a combination of several things:   diet, exercise, motivation, education (about food, exercise, etc).  Mike, you really need to adopt a lifestyle change if you want to take control of your health and your life.   A really good quote that comes to mind is this:  "A lot of people don't seem to have the time for exercise & health, but they will certainly have plenty of time to deal with their impending illnesses"- author unknown.
What I'm telling you Mike, is that there is no "magic pill" or special exercise that will allow you to lose weight.  It requires the desire and motivation to make that change in your life, and once you decide to do it, you need to educate yourself as to how to go about doing this.   This doesn't require a doctorate degree, and in fact, most people can educate themselves on the general concepts of weight loss and exercise in as little as a day, or up to 1 week (if you research a little each day as time allows).   After 1 week, you will definitely have enough knowledge to get your new exercise program up and running at a beginner to intermediate level.   I would recommend a great site that is both informative and entertaining:   www.bodybuilding.com     Try this site--they have a lot of great articles that aren't lengthy or boring, and it doesn't take a degree to try to figure out the terms (like some publications in the past).   There are other great fitness sites out there, but start with this one, and read up on the articles about exercises, diet, protein,etc and get yourself familiar with the lifestyle.   You will begin to catch on to the basics after a few articles, as things will start repeating themselves.   Try this and I wish you the best of luck in your quest!
Crystal

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