clothes fit, and after a couple of weeks on my new eating plan, and everyday exercise, my pants were already feeling looser around my waist. There is nothing like results to keep you on your path. If anything, my will to get healthy only intensified as the results became more apparent. I surprised myself by not only resisting temptation, but not even feeling it.
It’s been about six months now. As of my last doctor’s visit I had lost thirty-five pounds. I’m doing it slowly and healthily. My blood pressure is under control, my cholesterol has been cut in half and my blood sugar is close to normal. I still monitor all of these things very closely. I don’t smoke, and I exercise every day.
I know that I can’t go back to my old lifestyle. It’s not an option for me, so there’s no sense wasting time thinking about it. I feel good, and friends tell me that I look good, too. I’m not going to say that anyone can do this. In my case, it took a virtual death sentence to break me of a lifetime of bad habits. But wouldn’t it be nice if you could turn it all around now, before having to hear those dreaded words from your doctor?
The key, at least for me, is moderation. Crash diets have been proven time and again to be ineffective. I needed to create a plan for myself that I could live with. I know what’s good for me, and what’s not. I go slow. I enjoy the way a deep stretch feels in the morning. I challenge myself and then exceed my expectations.
Ken Shane
Thin! Nine Years . . . and Counting!
I ’m not overweight. I’m just nine inches too short.
ShelleyWinters
There were no fat shirts available to hide the 200-plus pounds overloading my 5’1” frame. Life had happened— pregnancy, middle age, bagels and burritos. Everyone said I carried it well, but it’s impossible to carry 100 excess pounds “well.”
I knew the weight had to go. My health was not good, and it was time for commitment. I had tried every weight-loss program known to womankind, plus a few I invented myself. Clothing-covered relics hid in my basement— workout machines promising miracles, all unfulfilled.
I had everything to lose—100 pounds, literally! A friend was losing weight on a low-carb plan, so I headed to my local bookstore, settled into one of their comfy chairs and read everything I could find about low-carb dieting. It was time for action!
At the grocery store, I became a compulsive label reader, taking notes and memorizing the carb counts of my favorite foods. I was astounded to find that I was regularly eating in excess of 300 grams of carbohydrates per day! No wonder there was too much me! Following the plan’s guidelines, I tabulated how many grams of carbohydrate I could eat in a day and made my food choices, being careful to include as many food groups as possible. The more I learned, the more food choices I included, loading up on veggies and low-carb fruits. About a month into this adventure, the comments began, “You’re losing weight! Congratulations!”
I was on the way to a much thinner, healthier and happier me, but I did not become overweight overnight and could not expect to become thin quickly. It took over two years to lose 100 pounds. However, nine years into this lifestyle, the weight has not returned. My weight varies three to five pounds, one way or the other, and I wear size 6–8–10, depending on the cut of the clothing. Size 22–24 is gone forever! At a youthful fifty-four, I look like I did in my twenties, plus a few wrinkles!
This is a lifestyle change, nothing less. Lifelong weight loss requires long-term decision making. To succeed, I had to change how, what and why I ate. I had to decide what was more important—improved long-term physical and emotional health or indulging my craving for cherry pie. Instant gratification and emotional eating were contributory factors to my largesse. I finally decided I was more important than what I ate.
I approached this life change one day at a time,
It’s been about six months now. As of my last doctor’s visit I had lost thirty-five pounds. I’m doing it slowly and healthily. My blood pressure is under control, my cholesterol has been cut in half and my blood sugar is close to normal. I still monitor all of these things very closely. I don’t smoke, and I exercise every day.
I know that I can’t go back to my old lifestyle. It’s not an option for me, so there’s no sense wasting time thinking about it. I feel good, and friends tell me that I look good, too. I’m not going to say that anyone can do this. In my case, it took a virtual death sentence to break me of a lifetime of bad habits. But wouldn’t it be nice if you could turn it all around now, before having to hear those dreaded words from your doctor?
The key, at least for me, is moderation. Crash diets have been proven time and again to be ineffective. I needed to create a plan for myself that I could live with. I know what’s good for me, and what’s not. I go slow. I enjoy the way a deep stretch feels in the morning. I challenge myself and then exceed my expectations.
Ken Shane
Thin! Nine Years . . . and Counting!
I ’m not overweight. I’m just nine inches too short.
ShelleyWinters
There were no fat shirts available to hide the 200-plus pounds overloading my 5’1” frame. Life had happened— pregnancy, middle age, bagels and burritos. Everyone said I carried it well, but it’s impossible to carry 100 excess pounds “well.”
I knew the weight had to go. My health was not good, and it was time for commitment. I had tried every weight-loss program known to womankind, plus a few I invented myself. Clothing-covered relics hid in my basement— workout machines promising miracles, all unfulfilled.
I had everything to lose—100 pounds, literally! A friend was losing weight on a low-carb plan, so I headed to my local bookstore, settled into one of their comfy chairs and read everything I could find about low-carb dieting. It was time for action!
At the grocery store, I became a compulsive label reader, taking notes and memorizing the carb counts of my favorite foods. I was astounded to find that I was regularly eating in excess of 300 grams of carbohydrates per day! No wonder there was too much me! Following the plan’s guidelines, I tabulated how many grams of carbohydrate I could eat in a day and made my food choices, being careful to include as many food groups as possible. The more I learned, the more food choices I included, loading up on veggies and low-carb fruits. About a month into this adventure, the comments began, “You’re losing weight! Congratulations!”
I was on the way to a much thinner, healthier and happier me, but I did not become overweight overnight and could not expect to become thin quickly. It took over two years to lose 100 pounds. However, nine years into this lifestyle, the weight has not returned. My weight varies three to five pounds, one way or the other, and I wear size 6–8–10, depending on the cut of the clothing. Size 22–24 is gone forever! At a youthful fifty-four, I look like I did in my twenties, plus a few wrinkles!
This is a lifestyle change, nothing less. Lifelong weight loss requires long-term decision making. To succeed, I had to change how, what and why I ate. I had to decide what was more important—improved long-term physical and emotional health or indulging my craving for cherry pie. Instant gratification and emotional eating were contributory factors to my largesse. I finally decided I was more important than what I ate.
I approached this life change one day at a time,
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