WRITE AWAY THE POUNDS

For years I have struggled with weight problems. But as I age, I realize even more I need to shed some pounds. The extra weight already presented a problem with my cholesterol levels and I have been taking medicine for years now to keep it down. Years of standing long hours at a job, has been even more uncomfortable with achy bones. The more I weigh, the more aches and pains I have. After taking off just a few pounds I noticed the difference. This gave me a bigger reason to take the weight off. Diets and exercise routines have never worked for me in the past. I knew it was not likely to work now either. I begin to think of what did work.

When I was first told I had high cholesterol, I went on low fat diet, only to fail because dairy products have always been part of my favorite things to consume. I did however cut down on how much of it to indulge in.

I had been told that eating whole grain oat cereals would help reduce cholesterol. After the first four months of eating a whole grain oat cereal, I dropped only four pounds, but my cholesterol dropped a hundred points. That was nearly ten years ago. I still eat the whole grain oat cereal with 2% milk nearly every day for breakfast.

A few years ago I started drinking a weight control milkshake for lunch every day. I noticed it was high in protein. I had energy I hadn’t seen in years. Energy gives you an active lifestyle which in return reduces weight. After a couple months I was down five pounds. When I went to buy more shakes I realized they had changed the formula in the product not to include much protein. The new product did little to help take the pounds off. I stopped using the expensive milkshake and begin to snack on peanut butter filled pretzels at lunch time at work just to have the energy value. This may have helped to reduce the weight as well had I not ate so much the rest of the day. Night time snacking in front of the television was my biggest problem.

Over a year ago I begin to get that habit under control by finding other things to occupy my mind and my hands. Having an urge to take up a writing career which had been put on hold for years, gave me something to occupy both my mind and my hands. I enrolled in another writing class just to keep me writing. I’m sure it was the key to succeeding in this regiment of writing instead of eating. After all when you pay for a class you want to finish it as well and as fast as possible. This regiment did prove to keep me from snacking at night and although I had not noticed much weight coming off I was not adding any more on either.

About the time I started the writing course I had a gall bladder attack so strong I ended up in the hospital. I had emergency surgery to remove the gall bladder which contained a large stone. It was certainly an ordeal no one would want to go through. A couple weeks later I was pretty much back to normal other than the fact I had to be very careful about what I ate. Anything the least bit gassy or spicy would give me extreme stomach pain and not much time to get to the restroom. The gall bladder holds excess bile. Without it you find yourself relieving the excess by other means. Needless to say I became very cautious about what I ate. That problem seldom occurs now but it helped control my eating habits.

About six months ago I found a chocolate drink which contained vitamins and minerals as well as calcium. It was low in fat and only had one hundred calories per serving size. It contains milk and soy. It tastes good. I only have a fifteen minute lunch break. I needed something I could either drink or consume without much time spent. This supplied me with fewer calories than the weight control milkshakes had. This product is cheap compared to the milkshakes and the results are unbelievably better. Who would have guessed it?

I’ve dropped thirty pounds in the last year. Slow but steady. An assurance of keeping it off better than a fast weight loss, I hope.

This is how I’m able to take weight off:

Breakfast: One bowl of whole grain oat cereal with 2% milk is about 150 calories and coffee.

Lunch: One 6.5 oz. Chocolate milk & soy drink is 100 calories.

Dinner: I eat whatever I want, but I avoid sugary desserts with the meal.

Snacks: Limited to popcorn or other low calorie foods when possible and never close to bedtime. I don’t snack at all if I write when I get the urge to eat. Night time snacking is still and always will be my biggest obstacle to losing weight.

Drinks: I seldom drink soda pop or sweetened drinks. Ice tea, ice water or coffee is my main drinks. And I seldom drink alcohol beverages other than a 10oz. can of light beer after work.

I don’t deprive myself if I want to indulge on pizzas or dairy products on occasion. I’ve learned the more you restrict yourself the more apt you are to fail at taking off the pounds. Will power means everything and I seldom have much. But wanting something so bad it controls you can make a difference. I want to take off more and I want to be a good writer. Practice with both efforts can go hand and hand. I don’t get enough exercise. I need to work on that aspect of weight control. Perhaps that will be a goal to work on this year for faster results.

What works for me may not work for others. I believe everyone can find something that works without upsetting their whole lifestyle. Now that I’ve found my own weapon to control weight I thought I should share my findings with my fellow writers and friends.

My new motto has become: Write. Don’t eat.