Back Fat Is Out

When I first started getting sick about 15 years ago, I also started becoming more and more sedentary. Inevitably, I started putting on weight, about 30 pounds. Back then, in the 1990's, leggings and big shirts were "in". That, and being 6 feet tall, helped me hide the weight. But after a while, leggings were no longer hip, and neither were wide hips and back fat. Ew.

But how does someone who is physically moving less and less lose weight? I can't exercise to burn calories. I can't do the recommended aerobic activities needed to raise my heart rate. Modified yoga (my own recipe), light stretching, and a table-mounted hand cycle are all I can do at this point.

I soon realized that the key for me was reducing calories. If I wasn't moving a lot and if I wasn't burning calories, then obviously I needed to consume less calories. Easy, right? Almost... the second key was eating the "right" calories. And the third key was making food preparation easy. I hate to cook, even when I wasn't handicapped I hated it.


Here's what I did to lose 30 lbs (and keep it off):
  • Eat only 2 meals a day. I no longer eat lunch, only breakfast and dinner.
  • Eat NO SUGAR.
  • Eat only whole foods. No pre-packaged foods, no worries about junky ingredients.
  • Eat no red meats. Only turkey, chicken, fish, pork (rarely).
  • Eat whole, uncooked veggies. Carrots, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes (stuff you can cut into "finger foods").
  • I use Hellman's Lowfat Mayo to dip my veggies in. Yummy!

Sample menu:
  • BREAKFAST: Oatmeal (made with soy milk), one egg, fruit
  • SNACK: fruit
  • DINNER: protein (eggs, meat), two veggies with mayo dip, fruit
  • SNACK: fruit

It's worked for me. And, no, I don't feel deprived that I don't have ice cream, cookies or candy. I feel healthy, and in control of at least one area of my health (especially since most every other area of my health is totally out of my control).

Everything is easy preparation. The only hassle is shopping for fresh produce and having enough in the house. That's where the hubby's work comes in.

If I, a non-mobile person, can lose weight, anyone who can move their body can lose weight too. Figure out how many calories you really need, and only eat that much. There is no law that says we Americans have to eat 3 full meals a day.


My motto:
"I don't live to eat, I eat to live."



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Workers free dog trapped in sewer pipe

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) -- The sound of barking underneath a street Tuesday led a team of city workers to a dog trapped in a narrow culvert - and you might say they used a backward approach to rescue the mutt. The sickly, scared dog was about 50 feet from the nearest entry point, but since the culvert was just 15 inches in diameter, the workers couldn't fit into it themselves. Not even offers of food could draw out the dog. "He was exhausted," said Tony Talamantez, a public works foreman. Then Talamantez and his colleagues had an idea. They rigged up a long video camera used to inspect drain pipes, and approached the dog from the back. They used the camera to nugdge the dog forward until he reached an entry point big enough for a person to pull him out. The camera recorded the rescue, showing the dog scampering ahead in fits and starts as the camera pokes him in the rear end. The dog wore no tags, only a worn collar. But Julia Gosen, animal control officer for the city, said ...
Read more

Crested Geckos - great pet for the disabled

Image
A few weekends ago at the Austin Reptile Expo, I had the opportunity to meet a really neat woman who breeds and sells Crested Geckos. Since I have lizards as pets and have written before about how great they are as pets for disabled folks, I thought I'd write about the Crested Gecko in particular. The woman I speak of is Kati of Kati's Crested's . She's here in Austin, TX. I had never held a crested gecko before this Expo, but I had seen them in a tank at a local reptile store. They are very kewl lizards! Soft to the touch, almost like suede. The one I held jumped from one hand to the other and held on with it's prehensile tail! The crested gecko originates from New Caledonia (an island east of Australia). Adults range from 6-9" in total length. In the wild, they are nocturnal, arboreal animals living in the forests. Most wild specimens are tail-less, presumably because they dropped their tails while escaping from a predator. All of Kati's cresteds are c...
Read more

Axe Me A Question

Go ahead and ask. Ask the questions you always wanted to ask someone in a wheelchair. Nothing is too embarrassing. You might as well ask me on this blog since you are somewhat anonymous and don't have to look me in the eye. What have you always wanted to ask someone in a wheelchair? Here, I'll start: Q: "Hi, my name is LaLaundria! I wanted to know how do you take a shower?" A: Well, LaLaundria, I sit down. On a shower chair. I have grab-bars installed in my shower/tub and my commode rooms to give me extra balance. A shower chair is a hard plastic chair made to fit in showers and tubs. I have a shower massage type shower head that helps get the water closer to my hair. Howze that? Ask away, no question is off limits! (Oh Jeez, what am I getting myself into!)
Read more