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."



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