Melting the Fat, Techniques that Work!

I am happy to report that my weight loss is on track again after a couple month period of a plateau! Yes plateaus happen when one is trying to lose the weight. When you find yourself wondering what is going on and if it is not going to work – I’m going down the block to get my double meat Whopper that I really like (yes, I have been there), consider this.

• You did not gain the weight overnight so why do you expect to take it off overnight? Really?
• Whatever way to lose the fat you decide to try – probably has some merit (assuming you have done some research) so why not give it a chance?
• If one way does not work for you – step back and evaluate the pros and cons. Then start researching a diet and exercise plan that works and you like.

In this post I will share what is working for me and how I have got to this point. Before I start I want you to know there is no secret or path to enlightenment that I have discovered but after trying a bunch of diets (read my diet book entitled, “Slimmer Zimmer” available free on this site) but finding out what can work for you! Everyone will have something. I am doing a combination of a diet (I will go into) and walking. Yes the exercise portion is walking. I have found a site, “in motion” from the city of Saskatoon, that gives some walking tips.

Isn’t this refreshing to see people that have added regular exercise to their daily routine? I’m not talking about the exercise of my youth, meaning wind sprints, marathons, or any other high-effort, high-impact exercise – I’m speaking of low-impact, high-results walking! I have been carving out an hour, four times a week (I shoot for five to six times a week and actually achieve about four times a week). Walking starts to change how your body burns fat and is the perfect exercise for anyone wanting to shed unwanted pounds. 

I have changed my diet from low-fat (I had transitioned to this a couple of months ago – from moderate fat) to portion control with mostly low-fat choices! I will still eat moderate and the occasional high fat food but by controlling my portions, I am having an easier time of it.

My main issue is hunger. I hate to be hungry for too long but I have discovered (hints that have been around forever) that by (1) portioning my food, (2) eating slower, (3) eating dinner later, and (4) stopping if I start to feel full, I am now eating less and not getting overly hungry! 

Lets examine each of these concepts as this is all I have changed from my current low-fat diet and exercise plan. Take any smaller plate and put whatever kind of food you have researched that will work for your individual diet plan (make sure it makes sense from a calories and fat consumed in a day – some diets will work everything out for you) and put it on a plate. Look at your plate and note how it fits as well as the kind of foods you can eat. This is important because as humans – we don’t like to count calories forever. We need to transition to something we can ”eyeball” if we are honest with ourselves, to stay on track. This is why I control portions… it is easier than counting calories and fat (which you might have to do for a while until you are confident you are making good decisions).

I am about the fastest eater I know… I have always wolfed my food down so I could get more of the goodies after my parents went food shopping! That habit has been my constant companion to this day! I have noticed that if I eat fast – I can eat more before my body tells my brain that I am getting full. Coupled with that is the fact that I love the taste of food! Following that logic, it sounds like I can be happier if I eat more good food! Right? I mean in the USA we have the right to pursue happiness, right? WRONG (if weight-loss is your goal). I have found that if I eat slower and drink plenty of liquids with my meals – I do not eat as much before I start feeling full.

I have heard, as I am sure you have heard, that eating dinner later is bad. The rational that I hear is your body is not active overnight and the calories do not get burned – and actually end up getting saved as fat. Poppycock! (I’ve always wanted to use that word!). Your body takes a while to digest your food so this is not really correct. You can figure out your base metoblism rate based on your activity level, your height and weight (for a norm), and then eat a little less than you need to affect weight loss! You could if you wanted, eat all of our calories at 10PM, every night and still lose wieght (from a calories burned/needed point of view) but that would not really work well for other reasons (namely the body would think you were starving it and slow down your metabolisim). I found this topic from the, “Diet Channel” that supports my postion. I eat dinner around 7 PM now so after dinner, I only have a few hours to bed time. I do not feel the need to snack in the evening after dinner because I just ate. Both my wife and I have transitioned to this but sometimes waiting to eat dinner I have to eat an orange to tide me over. I love the fact I do not get hungery at night – that is when I used to lose control and eat too much.

So I am now portioning, eating slower, eating my main meal later and here is the biggie… stopping when you feel full. That is a concept that is contrary to my entire being! When I was a kid I used to hear about all the starving people in China from my mom and dad, and if I did not clean my plate – that some how would be bad. Well now, reasoning like that has kept me to this day, scraping off my toast if I burn it and having the urge to clean every last bit of food on my plate. I used to even forage (yes I said forage) through the refrigerator for leftovers, so they would not go bad.

Well let me tell you… finishing your meal at the expense of your health IS NOT WORTH IT! I have had to change the way I think. I am still frugal but I have no problems giving my leftovers to the dogs if I tried to eat too much! My wife and I went out to dinner at the Red Lobster last night and she (bless her heart) heard that I was going to order a full portion of Shrimp Linguine with Alfredo Sauce and she suggested that we split it. I agreed so we went out to nice dinner, ate slowly and ended up not eating half of the plate. We brought home the leftovers to split among the three dogs! So you see? You can still even treat yourself if you can change your perceptions!

I broke my plateau by walking consistantly, portioning, eating slower, eating later and stopping when I am full. This is not rocket science but you do have to work out a plan that will be successful for you. Try to stay away from the fad diets… even if they work – you will make them rich for something you can figure out for yourself with a little research. Now go have your well deserved snack before you go walking!