How I Lost 40 Pounds

I spent my thirties being 20 to 30 to 40 pounds overweight. I am married and have two small children. I work at a desk job and have a long commute. There is not much time in the day for myself, let alone exercise.

A typical day for me would be to get up and take a train into the city. Grab a buttered bagel from a street vendor and eat it as I walked about ten blocks to the office. I would have a few cups of coffee in the morning and then enjoy a nice lunch from our well apportioned cafeteria. A typical lunch might include some grilled sandwich (burger or chicken) with fries, or a deli sandwich with cheese, mayo, and often bacon. Dinner was my time to really enjoy—eating the typical “meat and potatoes” type meal, starting with a generous helping of the “meat” and “potatoes” and a token sampling of vegetables. Seconds would include more “meat and potatoes” only as my vegetable obligation was considered met. The night was concluded by a yummy dessert and some snacks for television viewing. Throw in a few beers here and there, and you have a typical weekday. The weekends were even worse. Please note the lack of fruits, vegetables, fiber, and exercise from this routine. Perhaps this routine is familiar to yours?

Now in my early forties, I am back in shape, feeling good, and happy to share my secret. Many are interested in this secret and most are disappointed with the answer: Good eating habits and exercise.

People are always looking for the magic cure; some miracle weight-loss drug or a new fad diet, but the basic problem is that we don’t know how to eat or exercise anymore. I have relearned how to do both and have reduced my weight from over 200 pounds to a svelte 160, with the biggest problems now getting a wardrobe that fits properly and recognizing myself in the mirror.

I needed an exercise routine that could fit within my lifestyle, and an eating program that I could maintain. I avoid using the word “diet” because I feel that word has grown to mean some temporary sacrifice that compels us to eat and do strange things without any lasting results. So what is my secret? How did I lose over 40 pounds in six months? Very simply, the Nintendo Wii Fit and WeightWatchers Online.

The Wii Fit
Many people will say, “I gotta join a gym”, but nobody every goes. I knew I wouldn’t. Who wants to spend more time commuting and away from your family? Large exercise equipment like treadmills and elliptical machines are convenient, but just become unsightly clothes trees holding dirty and clean laundry alike. The Wii Fit is a small bathroom scale-like device that can be slid behind the television or under the couch when not in use. I now wake up every day before anyone else and exercise between 30-60 minutes using the Wii Fit and have been doing so for nearly a year. I will provide more detail about my usage of the Wii Fit in future posts, but what works for me is that it is accessible, fun, offers a variety of exercises, but most importantly tracks my weight and activity. I weigh in every morning and a chart tracks my progress. It also monitors my total exercise time and proper form.

WeightWatchers Online
I starting losing weight by just working out, but reached a plateau. I quickly realized that although exercise is important to overall health, weight-loss would not occur without reducing what was going into my mouth. You simply can’t work off that many calories. My wife, wanting to lose a few pounds before summer (she is not overweight) had used Weight Watchers® Online. She had reached her goal and stopped, and when I was ready, I signed up and got started. The “online” aspect, like the Wii Fit, appealed to my affinity for technology.

This is not your mother’s Weight Watchers. Touted as WeightWatchers Online for Men, they have done a good job adjusting to a man’s attitude. Most people think of group meetings with overweight woman stepping on scales, eating frozen dinners, dreaming of dessert cakes and counting “points”. The online version is nothing like this, except for the points. Counting “POINTS” is a simpler method of counting calories, fat, fiber, etc., and also their registered trademark. Like the Wii Fit, the most important aspect of the program is tracking what you eat. You set a limit and decide what regular foods you are going to eat. No special food to buy or prepare, you just look up what you want to eat, and quickly realize you are making the wrong choices and eating too much of it. The WeightWatchers program teaches you how to eat. Not the chewing and swallowing part, but what choices to make. Future posts will describe how my eating habits have changed.

Conclusion
No matter what programs you choose, here are the real keys to successful weight-loss:

• Recognizing the need to make a change
• The desire to make a change
• Finding a sustainable exercise program
• Permanently altering your eating habits
• Having a supportive network of family, friends and co-workers

Best of luck to you getting fit!

Wii Fit with Balance Board and Yoga Mat Bundle
Weight Watchers® Online

3 comments March 23rd, 2009

Homebrewing

Making your own beer is both relaxing and delicious. I started a few months ago when my wife gave me a beer making kit for our anniversary. I’m not really sure the significance of beer as an anniversary gift, but after 10 years of marriage, we both need to kick back a cold one now and again. I had the idea of trying to make beer for some time, and after a series of events including a visit to our local microbrewery (Captain Lawrence), and my neighbor starting to homebrew, I was determined to try it myself.

When people learn that I make my own beer, there is an immediate interest in the process as if were some mystery once know but forgotten by all save the large beer manufacturers of the world. The short answer to “how do you make beer” is so basic; it’s easy as making bread. Although it seems no one knows how to do that anymore either.

If you have ever read the side of a beer bottle, you might know that the basic ingredients for beer are: water, barley malt, hops, and yeast. Yeast is often not even listed, and for the thousands of years prior to microscopes, no one actually knew what yeast was. But like all fermented beverages (including beer and wine) it is yeast that makes the magic happen.

A good way for anyone to start is with a malt extract kit. This syrup is the result of treating whole grains with hot water to remove their natural sugars which provide the food for the yeast. The kits come with the ingredients you need and any specific instructions for that particular recipe and style of beer.
 
Here is the basic procedure:

• In the largest pot you can get your hands on, boil between 3 – 5 gallons of water.
• Add malt extract, and boil for one hour.
• Add bittering hops early and aromatic hops near the end of the hour.
• Cool the mixture, called wort (pronounced wert) to under 85 degrees.
• Put the wort into a fermentation vessel, either a glass carboy, or a specially designed food-grade plastic bucket.
• Fill water up to the 5 gallon mark.
• Add the yeast included in the kit.
• Seal the vessel.
• Put the vessel in a dark place between 60 and 70 degrees for 2-3 weeks.
• Transfer the now fermented beer into bottles with some added sugar to carbonate.
• Wait 2-3 weeks.
• Open bottle. Drink. Enjoy.

The beer comes out surprisingly good, and nothing beats the taste of fresh micro-microbrew beer. If you want to get started in homebrewing, I recommend products from both Williams Brewing and Northern Brewer and reading Homebrewing For Dummies.

Also look for future posts about my beer making adventures and related gear.

Add comment March 10th, 2009