How I Lost 30 pounds

In September 2008 I received a "wake up call."  I woke up one morning unable to walk.  My ankle was "locked up" and the pain was very intense.  I could only walk with the aid of a cane.  In the previous year, my knee locked up for a week with the same pain.  I diagnosed myself by searching on the internet and by talking to people.  I had gout and I went to the hospital and it was confirmed by a blood test.  My acid level in my blood was extremely high.  I suspected it was due to the large amount of sugar drinks that I drank one after the other.  This was also the reason for my inability to lose weight.

STEP 1:  I decided to get off the sugar.  It's addictive.  I can swear to it.  Over the next few weeks I drank only water with the intent to flush the poisons from my body.  My weight had ballooned to 213 pounds and that's a lot for a small framed guy like me to carry.  I couldn't see my feet when I was standing.

STEP 2:  I had to stop eating fast food.  For weeks I got off the fast food and cooked for myself.  Then one day I decided to give myself a break and eat at McDonalds.  After coming home I got sick.  It seemed that my body rejected that bad food after I was away from it for a while.  I discovered that I lost all desire for that bad food.

STEP 3:  I had to slowly adjust my diet for what works for me.  In fact, I don't call it a diet.  It was more of a lifestyle change.  Since I had difficulty and still do getting off all the sugar.  I gradually eliminated most of it from my diet.  But I still had a problem with ice cream.  So, I gradually decreased the ice cream.

As I mentioned my weight was 213 pounds which was an all-time personal high.  My goal was to get down to 185 pounds and I thought it would take years for me to accomplish that goal.  In the past I used treadmills and jogged, but I only found that exercise made my appetite even worse.  So, this time, no exericse for me!  My intent was to be patient.  It took me years to put it on and I was willing to paitently take off a tenth of a pound a day.  No more getting discouraged by not getting immediate results.  At one time I was stuck on 194 lbs for a month or so.  The weight didn't move down until I eliminated more bad things from my diet.

STEP 4:  I decided to become more active.  No more sitting around for hours at a time.  Every two hours or so, I will walk for 10 minutes or so either around the apartment or down the street.  It worked very well for me.

STEP 5:  Don't go crazy with the diet.  Eat whatever you want (with the exception of fast food)--basically just keep everything in balance.  Also, don't eat late.  If the food is very bad then don't bring it home.  You can't eat what you don't have.  We all have the munchies at times and I have either Yogurt, pretzels or apple sauce to satisify that urge.  My problem is I have to eat when the TV is on.  I don't know why, and I wonder if anybody else struggles with it.

STEP 6:  I usually eat a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, but every now and then I will have a big breakfast.  If my body needs it, you can tell the difference between a need and a craving I believe.  I'll eat a hamburger or two for lunch.  See I'm still eating some bad foods.  If I drop this I'm sure my results will improve, but we are being patient.  Over time I will find something else more healthy than hamburgers.  For the evening meal, I eat grilled chicken and vegetables.  I almost always eat the same meal every day and I vary the taste with sauce and spices.  Also, I eat as early as possible.

I have almost no discipline and for years I failed with diets.  However, I believe it begins within ourselves.  Being patient is very important.  If you are having problems with weight, then give it a try.  What works with me might not work with you and you might have different problems than I have; however, I believe you can use what I did as a start.

Let me know if you have any questions.

cheers

Paul