The old saw about weight loss is that diet and exercise are the real keys to shedding unwanted pounds, and I have to say that this simplest of advice is certainly the best. Since early June when I started walking 3-4 miles a day and cutting back on carbs and fats (while keeping calories in the 2000-per-day range), my weight has dropped from 235 pounds to 213.No diet-pills, no fads, just plain old caloric reduction and an increase in exercise.
What I find most interesting about my lifestyle changes are how quickly they became ingrained into my daily routines. It is almost as though I am addicted to the miles, and I feel like I am slacking if the rain cuts me down to two miles or so. Of course, there is a link between endorphin release and exercise, so this is not a surprise, but I look forward to walking as I might have looked forward to a cheeseburger a few months ago.
So I write this post not to brag about my own modest weight loss, but to encourage anyone reading that even I - someone who used to eat like a training camp lineman - even I can lose 1-2 pounds a week with modest changes in diet and adding 45 minutes a day in exercise.
As a bonus, my stomach also gets filled up more quickly, so there is now a built-in physical barrier to overeating. A few weeks ago my wife and I went out to dinner, and an 8-ounce filet mignon left me almost stuffed. I am the kind of person, mind you, who formerly preferred beef in portions 20 ounces and above.
I am sure this post is disappointing to my manly friends, those who cheered me on as I ate prodigious amounts of food, but life is too short to lose years to heart disease, liver trouble, and diabetes.
