I started my journey because I was overweight. Really I was obese at 268 pounds for my 5'10"frame. I had heartburn so bad I needed meds and high blood pressure. One time people around me thought I was having a heart attack and sent me to the hospital ER. Another time I was in the Doctor's office with high blood pressure so bad he thought I was stroking out! Are you kidding me? I felt fine, what's the problem?
So I was placed on blood pressure meds but thought, I was too young at 54 to start that. I accepted my fate but wanted off the meds. My wife had been working out in the morning before work. Who gets up at 5:30 to work out and get tired before work? Not me! That spring I decided to build a deck in my back yard with a friend. Two weeks later the eck was done and I had lost some weight. YES!
I began walking in the morning, I couldn't bring myself to full out exercising at 5:30 A.M. but I could walk around the block with the dog. I lost more weight. What? One afternoon I entered our guest bedroom where the treadmill was and got on. I did 15 minutes and thought I was "FIT." The next day I did it again, only this time I was tired and sore. Okay, maybe not fit. I made a pact with myself to lose weight and get serious. By fall, I had lost 43 LBS and was hooked! Give me a routine at, you guest it, 5:30 A.M.! Everyday my wife and I climbed on either a treadmill or elliptical for 30 full minutes of hard work. It was then I discovered Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live book from a friend who was going by the book as well.
This book was radical, eat fruit and veggies all day, no meat for the first six weeks! I thought that kind of diet was for freaks! Not me! However, I read the book in one weekend and I was ready to take the six week challenged. I was going to prove whether a person could lose 20+ pounds in that time. Eat as much as you want at a meal but no snacking. WAIT... eat as much as you want? No way, I had been dieting and watching my calories and all that. Now I can eat like a horse and lose weight? I dug in at meal time. My salads looked enough food for 3 people. Guest what? Each day I lost weight. The second week my body began to detox itself. That was a rough time, it hurt and you go through a withdrawal period from food addiction. I was addicted to meat, junk food and crap like heavy duty ice cream. The third week I was cruising along with my mighty man meals and losing weight almost everyday. By week six, I had lost 23 pounds! I felt great and could exercise for longer periods, in fact I loved getting up at 5:00 to begin working out before work and then coming home and doing some weights or easy workout for kicks. I decided to keep eating this way after the six week challenged because I felt better than I had in years. Two months into this lifestyle I was off all meds! It is true!
I was not on a diet but a new way of life. I had heard of making a lifestyle change but I never really thought about what that meant or gave in to committing to changing forever. I mean, hold the presses... no meat again? No more ice cream? Why keep living? Weight lost or no weight lost. That was a sad day. But wait a minute, I was healthy and fit. Felt great and looked great, what was the problem? I decided to re-read the book again, maybe there was something I missed. Not really. Except the 90/10 rule... 90% veggies and 10% meat each week if you had to keep eating meat. By this time (8 weeks into it), I didn't care to eat meat any longer. I was a vegetarian, pretty much a vegan but called myself a Nutritarian. I ate for nutrition! Eat to feed my body, not just anything but foods that fed me in such a way that my body used the calories for nutrition. I lost 99 pounds all totaled. Went from a high BMI of 31 to 23.4. I used to buy pants online only, couldn't find my size in stores. Today, I buy all my clothes in stores and shopping is a new addiction for me.
I will post before and after pictures, recipes and secrets I've learned along the way in future blogs. I have met great people who are or was on a journey too. People support people trying to get healthy. I can help you! Give you support and insight to getting healthy and losing the addiction to bad foods. Are you ready? Interested? Curious? Let me know. I'm not in it for money, so it's FREE. I'm paying it forward to those who helped me get healthy. I'm 3 years into my journey and have a new lifestyle, a new fit body and loving life! How about you?
To your health!
Bill
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