Putting it all Together to Find Your Ideal Weight

Summary of Everything Needed

If you have tried everything else, this may be the system that finally works for you. Please recall that I am not a doctor, nor a psychologist, and I'm certainly not a nutritionist. My system worked for me. If you have any doubts about what I propose, don't do it, and talk to your doctor.

The Most Basic Secret of Weight Loss

To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn. To be healthy, you should only be worried about excess fat on your body, and should take every precaution to maintain or increase your muscle mass. As I've discussed in the previous articles, that ain't easy. But to sum up...

My Mantra

I use the following one-liner to explain my system:

Eat Less, Live Hungry, Lose Weight

I'm having bumper stickers made.

You may notice that I mention nothing about exercise, as it is more important to figure out how to limit the calories than to burn them off. Nevertheless, exercise was a big part of the program, and I now regard it as essential to me as is food or sleep, and try to get some every day.

The Meals

My meals are assembled from a short list of lean, healthy choices.

My breakfast list is:

• Steel cut oats
• Bananas
• Whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter
• Egg beaters

I'm not into measuring or counting, so I assemble those into what seems to be a reasonable amount (I take swags on the calories from the package listings).

For lunch, I go to a restuarant most days, and choose carefully from the menu. What I try to do is pick just a sandwich, or just a salad, and limit the calories that way. My former self would have eaten that, plus the fries that accompanied the meal and something else on the side. Oh, and I would have had a cookie or other sweet thing afterwards with coffee. I don't do that anymore.

For dinner I choose from:

• salad with tuna or fake crab flakes
• bran cereal if I'm in such a mood
• Steamed cauliflower, broccoli, or carrots
• small serving of whatever my wife has prepared

For snacks I look for:

• banana
• apple
• raw vegetables
• grapefruit

Drink Fluids

I once read an article about an average guy in Cuba who was discussing the lack of food and necessities because of their economy. He said that going around hungry was not a problem because they could drink coffee all the time to deaden the pain, but that it annoyed him not always having soap for bathing. What I took out of that is that coffee can be a hunger suppressant, and I have used that recently.

When I get hungry between meals, I think first of having a cup of coffee. You could certainly substitute tea or decaf coffee. Just don't drink hot chocolate between meals and think you're doing yourself any good. Important: Coffee is a well-known diuretic; always ensure you drink enough water to compensate.

I used to drink a lot of diet pop, but I've gotten out of that habit. You'll have to experiment for yourself to decide what works for you.

Drinking water should be a given, but I have to remind myself to keep it handy. I drink so much coffee that I frequently forget about water. What I do now is to try to chug a glass of water every time I reach for coffee, and then drink water with every meal. That seems to work out pretty well for me.

Exercise

I try to work out every day, alternating between cardiovascular and weight training. I think this helps keep it fresh for me. This is also directly from the Fit or Fat and Body For Life programs.

I was athletic in my youth, and was fortunate enough to stay with it, on and off, all my life. I truly believe I am the strongest I've ever been in my life, and I run more (although I could run a six minute mile at one point, I may never get back to that speed).

For years I deluded myself with thinking that if I went for a jog, I had earned the privilege to eat ice cream or candy. Tit for tat. So all those years I was exercising, I squandered the benefit almost immediately.

I've reached the point in my exercise that I enjoy it for its own sake, and I don't try to reward myself beyond that. It really is a necessary part of life.

I even supplement that with walks at lunch and using the stairs at work. I use pedometers from time to time to check how I'm doing. On the days I do cardiovascular work, I often reach the mythical 10,000 steps recommended. Other days, not so much.

Attitude

Controlling the urges, as described in The Secret Revealed, was key to achieving results. I no longer think of food as a fun hobby, or an entitlement to being American, but instead it is the fuel and nutrition I need on a daily basis. I used to eat just because.

It's never as simple as just deciding something. We are tempted at every turn to overeat, and to eat unhealthy food. It wasn't easy for me, as evidenced by my 30 year struggle. Even this system has gimmicks. I list them out here.