Weight Loss and Weight Management: My Personal Story

Weight Loss and Weight Management: My Personal Story

Growing up and in to my young adult life I was always pretty thin. This was to such an extent that I was pretty self-conscious of my weight and at times embarrassed. At 6'1" tall I weighed 155 lbs. I worked hard to be in shape and like my body. I found that with enough muscle tone I could not only accept my leaner physique but also like it. When I was in my late 20's I got into doing century rides on my bicycle (100 miles in a day.) I was really toned up from all the riding I did.

In 2011 I was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. My stay was prolonged. My diet was less that good and I did almost no physical activity. As a result I went from 155 lbs to a peak weight of 193 lbs. My recommended BMI tops out at 190 lbs. I was over weight for the first time in my life. I left the hospital and didn't really think to try to lose the weight I had put on until I tipped the scale at 189 lbs. I think that on that day I weighed myself before I had any breakfast or coffee and that is the only reason I weighed in any lower than usual. I decided that day to lose 4 lbs. I wanted to get down to 185 lbs. My goal was set and I would try to meet it in two weeks time.

In those two weeks my diet changed dramatically. I started eating a great deal lower calorie vegetables and my meat consumption was much more moderate. I would often times eat just half a sandwich opting to fill myself up on salad instead. My main effort to lose weight at that time was my diet. I was still smoking cigarettes then and as a result my ability to do good calorie burning cardio exercise was very limited. I was successful in meeting my goal. I lost the 4 lbs to reach a goal weight of 185 in two weeks.

Shortly after I reached my goal weight of 185 lbs (maybe two weeks) I quit smoking and started running in addition to eating a low calorie diet that consisted of a lot of fruit and vegetables. As a result of creating a larger calorie deficit (fewer calories consumed than burned) I dropped an additional 10 lbs to reach 175 lbs. I am still at that weight now and am very happy with both my appearance and level of fitness.

The concept I was trying to get across with this story is to not stress too much about fitting yourself in to what or how someone else thinks you should eat. Your diet and exercise is a very personal matter. While I was trying to lose weight I was eating more vegetables than is recommended and less protein. This still worked for me to reach short term goals I had. After I got down to 175 lbs I shifted my nutritional intake to include more proteins and level off my weight management.

My own recommendation is to have both short term and long term goals, to experiment and find what works for you and to not worry too much of what other people think. I remember when I was trying to lose weight how many times people asked me if I thought I was getting enough protein. I couldn't stand it. To keep yourself motivated meet those short term goals and once you do make the necessary adjustments that you need to sustain results. Eventually you can reach those longer term goals as well. Good Luck.