I wasn't laying out my entire diet, simply mentioning that, for me, cutting out the wheat flour and sugar caused me to drop weight effortlessly with a concurrenct drop in cholesterol. I still indulge in the occasional slice of pizza and I love meat pies -- with crust.
But they're intentional deviations, not staples.
Exactly. About 12 years ago I lost about 70 pounds. I did it by using my version of the old 1980’s Weight Watchers Exchange program combined with the food pyramid at the time, measuring and portion control was key. I didn’t see it as a diet, but a life style change. I ate whatever I wanted as long as it was within the exchange plan for the day. The hardest part for me was not eating too much but eating too little and of the right foods in the right portions. I used to never eat breakfast and sometimes skipped lunch but was gaining more and more weight over the years. I didn’t cut out but greatly reduced carbs and put more emphasis on fresh vegetables and healthy whole grains and fresh fruits and leaner meats in moderation. And I put emphasis on whole foods and cut out most processed foods, lowered added salts and got more into healthy home cooking. And I planned my meals in advance and kept a food diary to keep me honest and on track.
But if I wanted to indulge in pizza or Chinese carryout or birthday cake or ice cream, fine, but I then had to offset the carbs and fats in what I ate the next day so that in any 48 hour period I was not out of balance. That way I never felt like I was depriving myself (or dieting) but understood there was a price to pay for indulging. After a time I found I learned what healthy portions looked like and didn’t need to measure and weigh foods so much. I also found that after a time, sometimes I really didn’t want the birthday cake but often did just because everyone else was eating it or when ordering Chinese carryout, steamed vegetables with brown rice was more satisfying and what I really craved more than Orange chicken and deep fried shrimp toast which made me feel sluggish and sickly the next day.
I also started walking – at first 20 minutes and eventually an hour a day. Then I joined a gym and went at least 2 times a week – a minimum of 20 -30 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of moderate weight training. And I took up golf and walked the course whenever I could. If I couldn’t work out or walk or play golf because of weather or work, I actually felt antsy.
Progress was slow at first but then the pounds melted away. My cholesterol had always been pretty good but my overall all level dropped to about 120 and my blood pressure was well within normal even a bit low for my age and no signs of diabetes that runs heavily in my family.
At 42 years old and 5’8” I weighed around 150 but I also had a lot of lean muscle and never looked or felt better; more energy, slept better, skin problems cleared up and I had better mental concentration. I felt and looked better than I had at 20.
At 50 now, I’ve gained some weight back; a lower back injury and being out of work for a time set me back but I’m getting back to more of my old routine.
I love good food and I love cooking and I love eating. I love all good things but in moderation and in balance.
Yeah, I know. I should stop drinking, but life's for living a little.