When I got married 31 years ago, I weighed 188 lbs. But gradually over the years, my weight crept up to an average of about 218. (Hey, I'm 6' 3" tall, so I carry it well. No one ever called me hefty.) I think it is probably normal for men to gradually gain weight as they assume desk jobs and go home at night to have a big supper. At least that's my justification for having gained thirty pounds over the course of my marriage.
It didn't help that my wife has always told me that I look good, and that she likes "men with some meat on their bones." So, I guess my attention was elsewhere for the last decade or two, and as long as I was healthy and getting good physical checkups every year, the extra weight didn't bother me.
But in my recent physical, the doctor suggested that my borderline high-normal blood pressure might go away if I could lose a few pounds. I've never had to take regular pharmaceutical medicines so that was strong motivation -- the last thing I wanted in my life was blood pressure medication.
Six or seven weeks ago, I took a close look at my habits and found that there were indeed some things I did to excess, and I began to cut back on those. I read as much as I could about diets that work, and those that don't, and opted to go with my own program. In one publication, I read that the people who live on the Japanese island of Okinawa practice a type of eating they call hara hachi bu, which means "eat till you are 80% full." I instantly liked the sound of that and I put it into practice right away. I also added an Adapt 232 tablet to my daily supplement regimen to provide energy due to my missing intake of calories.
The other advice I took to heart was to get up from the desk and start walking. And you know what? Between the "80% full" and the appx. 30-45 minutes I walk each day, something worked. This morning I dropped below 200 for the first time in 31 years. I'm now on my way to matching my "fighting weight" of 188 lbs.
Of course, I'm not there yet. I'll let you know when I make it!
Dave
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Congratulations with "below 200" success. It seems that all of us should change our lives, move to healthy eating and exercise instead of just weight loss. Just as you do.
Welcome to visit Ideal Weight Blog to find some recipes and great articles! Thanks!
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