Mar 9, 2008

Yes, I actually lost 56 pounds with minimal effort and you can too. I hate the words diet and exercise so much so that I don't use them anymore. I lost 56 pounds in approximately 8 months. I didn't "diet" and I didn't "exercise," but I did make some small changes.

It started a few years ago when I gained 66 pounds in 13 months. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't lose because I knew I wasn't eating junk food, or massive amounts of food. My doctor kept telling me to diet and exercise. She even sent me to a nutritionist and she couldn't figure out why I couldn't lose weight, either, because I wasn't eating "bad" foods.

I was drinking 2% milk instead of whole, I wasn't eating fried foods because I liked baked foods better, if I did fry something I used extra virgin olive oil and not butter, I don't eat candy or cookies because I don't like them, etc. Nothing stood out.

I took one day and wrote down everything I ate including the time. Most of the time I was in the range of suggested caloric intake, but I noticed that sometimes I would forget to eat. After doing some research and learning that the body thinks it is in starvation mode, it will store everything you eat as fat, if you don't eat enough.


Eating To Lose Weight



  • I ate several meals a day approximately 2 to 3 hours apart
  • I used my fist as a portion size. If my fist covered the food, I was good to go. Vegetables got a two fist portion.
  • I limited my two vices; pasta and ice cream. I did NOT completely cut them out, though.
  • I ate slower. I actually put my fork down in between bites.
  • I ate more fish instead of red meat. And I only like one fish and that is Tilapia from my store. So, I didn't eat much.
  • I didn't eat a lot after 6pm.
The point is, look at not only what you are eating, so you can limit the "bad" items, but how you are eating, as well.

Exercise To Lose Weight


  • I sat on an Exercise Ball I borrowed from my daughter while at the computer instead of a chair. Not all the time, just a few times a week.
  • While at the computer in a chair, I would do leg lifts while reading blogs or waiting for a download.
  • When I did laundry downstairs, I would stop at the bottom and do some stair stepping.
  • Walking from one room to another, I would do exaggerated steps, lifting my knee high in the air with each step.
  • Walking from one room to another, I would do a couple of lunges on the way.
  • I would do one or two sit ups before sitting up to get out of bed in the morning.
  • I would do a few leg lifts during commercial breaks. Not a lot, just 2 or 3.
  • I wore a pedometer to actually see how much I was walking and try to beat my total the next day. That rarely happened, but it was fun.
Changing a lot of small things in your lifestyle can really make a difference. You can really lose weight with minimal effort. Yes, we should exercise every day, but if you're not doing anything, a little is better than nothing at all.
Plus, the only thing I purchased was a Pedometer so I didn't shell out hundreds of dollars on diet products or gyms. This Pedometer received 5 Star Reviewsfrom over 1,000 people.
Good luck in your efforts!!!

4 comments :

  1. Some really great ideas in this post. I think I'll give a few of them a shot. I like the way you were able to incorporate exercise into your daily life with almost no effort. Although, I guess you get some strange looks as you lunge from room to room.

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  2. Yeah, I did look a bit strange, Jason, and my kids mocked me, but it was fun. LOL

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  3. Congrats on the weight loss! I dunno. I guess this is good for older folks (I'm 21, so everyone is older then me). Small changes helps, but I can't imagine a fat loss program without intense exercise. There are so many other benefits to it.

    56 lbs is a lot of weight, but do you look skinny fat or are you actually well-toned?

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  4. Skinny fat? LOL Well, I'm not toned in most areas, but this was to help the couch potatoes or the ones who just don't have the time or hate to exercise. Like I said in the post, something is better than nothing at all. Thanks for the comments, Parth. :)

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