Thoughts on Losing Weight (Part 2)

In my many successful weight loss attempts, I have learned a few things. I will be using these strategies to reach my goal to lose 65 pounds and reverse my diabetes, reverse my hypertension, and reverse my high cholesterol.

1) Track ALL of your food. It is a proven fact that tracking every bite of food that you eat will have an effect on the amount of food you eat. You are less likely to take a bite or two of something unhealthy if you have to write it down or log it in a phone app.

2) Get daily moderate exercise. My go to moderate exercise is walking. I prefer to walk outside, but I have a treadmill to get my steps in if the weather outside is cold, rainy, icy, etc. For me, more vigorous exercise is less effective. I get shin splints, plantar faciitis, and sore muscles that i use as an excuse to skip a day. When I work out harder when trying to lose weight, it also makes me much hungrier and makes it harder to stay near my calorie goal.

3) Reward yourself. Rewarding yourself for reaching your small or medium weight loss goals with a non-food reward can be very effective. I like to get the reward before I have earned it and look at the thing I want until I get to the goal. I like to use new athletic shoes as a goal. I currently have a nice pair of Nike running shoes in a box; waiting to be worn for the first time. I am 2 pounds away from the goal that will get me those shoes. Waiting for that reward is motivation for me to get to the goal.

4) Have an accountability buddy. Having a friend, family member, or co-worker to go through the weight loss journey with you is very helpful. Most weight loss plans assign you a coach. The reason for this is the same. You are much more likely to be honest with your efforts if you are accountable to another person. It's easier to lie to yourself than it is to lie to another person who cares about your progress. I know that lying to myself is one way that I sabotage my progress.

5) Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and beans, chickpeas, and lentils. Fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that will help you body to get healthy. These foods also are loaded with water and will help you feel full. These foods, especially the beans, chickpeas and lentils, are loaded with fiber and protein. Eating high fiber foods will send needed nutrition to your gut biome. This is a sneaky way to feel full longer and get healthy. You can't digest the fiber in the plants and beans that you eat, but the bacteria in your gut can digest it. It will reward you with beneficial chemicals that will help your weight loss and your immune system. It will also help you to feel full longer. Fiber supplements like Metamucil do not provide this benefit. You need to eat the food.