Weight Loss Advice (for myself :) )

I listened to a podcast this past week that talked about how when someone gives another person advice, it helps them know what to do themselves.  Most people already know what to do, they just don't do it.  It's a matter of cognitive dissonance according to the podcast, in Christian circles it's known as hypocrisy.  The idea is that when we verbalize to someone else what to do we want our own actions to live up to our advice.  With that in mind, here's my take on weight loss advice to help myself in the process.

There are a bunch of different theories on how to lose weight, some say to cut carbs completely like keto, others say to cut meat and meat products completely like vegan.  I've read several diet books this year and there are some common threads among each of them.  First, cut way down on sugar if not eliminate it completely.  To be clear, processed sugar.  Processed foods in general seem like a bad idea.  Beyond that the books have different advice, so that's probably where I should start, just cutting out processed sugar and processed foods in general.  I wonder how far I'd get if I just simply did that.

People swear by keto and vegan both, but they're basically opposites.  Keto is almost all meat, so much meat that you'll feel like it's coming out of your nostrils.  Vegan is no meat, which can make it hard to stay full if you're used to a lot of meat in your diet.  Fiber is the key to staying full on that diet, and a lot of veggies are full of the stuff.

Some basic guidelines I think are helpful...

Eat more veggies and fruits

Drink more water

Cut out soda or at least limit it way back

Cut out processed sugar and processed food in general or at least limit it way back

Cut way back on the consumption of greasy stuff like burgers and fries

Cut back on meat intake, you don't need nearly as much meat as we've been sold in the American diet marketing machine

What worked for me before was going part time vegan, basically vegan during the week and then allow some meat on the weekend to keep it manageable.  That obviously increased my veggie intake which was a great thing.  I also lost about 25 pounds quickly which was awesome and welcomed.

The problem with short term diets though is that it's easy to lose weight and much more difficult to keep it off.  Hence all the talk about 'lifestyle' as opposed to diets.  Really though, I think a lot of people who claim to have made a 'lifestyle change' have made it for less than a year typically.  I think the part time vegan (or perhaps even veggie so it's less strict) is doable over the long term.  I'll of course have to make allotments for when we visit others but for the most part I think it's largely sustainable.  It seems healthier than some of the low carb options like keto or Atkins.  I always wonder about heart health on those diets.

Food tracking is another commonality among a lot of diets so maybe I should try that too.  Seems like most people say you can track food until you have a pretty good idea of what kind of foods you're likely to eat and what their macros are.  I don't like counting calories or anything like that but maybe that's a good strategy over the short term anyway.

Anyway, it's time for me to make a change.  I've been fitter (although I don't look it since I have my sugar gut) than I have been in years from working out a lot more.  Now it's time to add the weight loss.  A friend once told me "Weight loss happens in the kitchen.  Fitness happens on the bike."  Obviously biking was his favorite form of fitness.  I love working out which is great, I know a lot of people hate it but I usually love it.  

Now the nutrition part is what I really need to change.  Thankfully I have a beautiful wife who makes amazing and healthy dishes, just time to give up the free sodas at work and the snacking.  Easier said than done.  Consistency is so important in all areas of life and what separates those who achieve their goals from those who don't.  Here's to the eternal optimist inside me who always thinks this time I'm going to be consistent.  Don't worry about the occasional falling off the wagon but rather assess if you're moving in the right direction on a regular basis.  You've got this.

Hopefully someone else will benefit from this blog entry too, who knows?  :)