Today is a rest day, and therefore, I usually don’t have much to write, but an email that came to me last night really struck a chord, and so I’m sharing it with you all today.  One of my great friends of nearly 20 years wrote:

“Your weight loss looks great and it would seem you are just trimming more and more down. You no longer drinking eight full glasses of gravy a day? How? What advice do you have? Lie to me if it’s eating Subway everyday ….I can’t hear that. “

As you may know, at one point I weighed 308 pounds.  Today I am down to 237. It has been a long struggle for me, physically and emotionally. So I thought for a while about how I would respond.  The problem is most people don’t want to know the real and simple answer, which is “eat less, exercise more.”  They want to hear that there is some magic pill or bacon diet that will magically melt away the pounds. There isn’t. So since I believe everyone knows the basic answer, the real answer is a more psychological or motivational one.  Here is how I responded:

“Well, I could probably write a book explaining, but there are really only a few key points.   The first one you know.  Eat less, exercise more.

It seems simple, but the execution is hard.   I think there are several tools you can arm yourself with that help you actually eat less and exercise more.

The biggest problem is mental, of course.  So the first lesson is to start NOW.  Not Monday or January 1, but right now.  The next meal you eat, think about making smarter choices.  You will stumble along the way.  It happens.  So when you do, start NOW.  On your next meal, make better choices.  I used to have good success for a while, mess up once, and think, “I might as well eat 2 whole pizzas now!”

Second, weigh yourself every day.  If you want to know immediately how your choices affect your body, weigh yourself every day.  I know exactly how long beer stays in my blood (2.5 days) and how long it takes to get rid of a BBQ meal (3 days).  I can tell when I get on the scale what my previous days actions have done.  It works both ways, too.  When you are tuned in, it becomes a little game.  You know that those three cookies will equal a pound, and when you don’t eat them then see weight loss on the scale the next day, the positive reinforcement keeps you going.

Third, COLD Water.  Serious, serious amounts of water.  I seriously drink between 2 and three gallons a day, easy… often more.  Two reasons.  One, water is blood’s broom.  All of the junk that gets into your bloodstream when you exercise can be reabsorbed if allowed to linger.  Your body can only hold a certain amount of water, so as soon as you reach saturation point, that water’s coming out!  I use the restroom 12 times a day.  You know you are doing well when it comes out perfectly clear.  No junk in the system.  The COLD part is simple.  Your blood is 98.6 degrees.  So is your urine.  The body actually expends energy in heating up the water so that it is not damaging to your internal organs.  So in that sense, COLD water actually has negative calories.

Four, avoid the following food types as much as possible: breads, sugars, potato, sodium.  You don’t have to be Atkins; fruits and vegetables are great.  You can have meat, you can have some fat, you can even have some high fiber breads… but I promise you, that you will know based on what you eat, what the scale will look like, and you will know very quickly what to eat and what not to eat.  Salt makes you retain water.  Keeps you from being able to flush out.

Five, be open and honest with everybody about your struggle, what you weight, and what you’re trying to do.  this serves two purposes.  First, when you lie to people about your weight, you are lying to yourself.  Second, all of your friends love you and want what’s best for you.  When you give them permission to talk about it, they will reward you with encouragement and feedback.  That REALLY helps keep the motivation going.

Six, pick a physical activity you absolutely can and will do, then do it.  So I am now running.  I hate it, and hate every moment I am out there, but I see the results on the scale and it keeps me coming back.  But I didn’t start with running.  I started doing 30 minutes a day on an elliptical machine.  And that was fine.  I lost a bunch of weight.  Eventually, when I plateaud , I needed to find something else.  But start with something.  Walk for 30 minutes, or bike, or anything.  Do it every day.  Again, you will see the payoff in big ways.

So, in Summary, the advice boils down to:

Eat Less, Exercise More

1. Start NOW

2. Weight every day

3. Drink COLD water like it’s going out of style

4. Avoid simple carbs and sugar (also manage portion size)

5. Share your struggle

6. Do some exercise

Thanks for reaching out to me, because I truly want to help others who need or want help.  I know that I was in denial for the longest time about how big I was, and when I look back at some of the pictures, I can’t believe it. “

So there you have it. I’m not a doctor, and I’m not a trainer, but I am someone who has lost 70 pounds and plans to lose more. I hope you find something of use here, and would love to hear any of your weight loss tips as well.