How To Lose Weight And Keep It Off

A lot of people state that their #1 New Years Resolution is to lose weight. Well, as a former fat kid that has maintained a 50+ pound weight loss for 10 years, my story may give you a kick in the pants in the right direction.

My 18th year of life had its ups and downs.  I was 700 miles from home at an all-male college I didn’t choose, away from my friends and any sort of normalcy.  Blowing straight past the freshman 15, I gained 30 pounds the first semester. Being 260 pounds at 5’9″ is not a good look.

Nevertheless, I got my act together and by the end of the 2nd semester I had lost 50 pounds. Ten years later, I’m 65 pounds lighter than my heaviest weight.

People ask me all the time: “How did you lose all that weight and keep it off?”  In the spirit of generosity, I will share my two step system for losing weight and keeping it off.

Are you ready?

Here we go.

How To Lose Weight And Keep It Off

1. Eat Healthy
2. Exercise.

Before you cyber-punch me in the junk, let’s take a look at the cold hard facts:

1. Fad diets never last long.
2. Diet pills, powders and potions can make you sick, and have killed people in the process.
3. Eating healthier and getting active are the only tried-and-true methods for dropping the pounds without chemicals, side-effects, or surgery.

How I Started

I started by walking more, drinking more water, and watching my portions.  A trick I used is to drink two glasses of water, then a salad, then whatever I wanted. This allowed me to reasonably eat what I want, mostly because I was already full of water and lettuce.

Then I started going to the gym 3-5 times a week: 20 minutes on the treadmill, 15 on the stationary bike.  I would randomly attempt push-ups when I was bored in my dorm room, take random walks around campus, and replaced miscellaneous snacks with apples, oranges and fat-free jello.

Was I constantly hungry? Of course. Did I hate exercising? Absolutely. Yet, when you really want something, you work for it.

Results & Aftermath

I lost about 50 pounds in about 14 weeks, which is just over 3 pounds a week.  Although I lost the weight with diet and exercise, the most you should lose is 2 pounds per week.  As a result, I looked like a bobble-head for about a year. In addition, I had some loose skin that never really snapped back until recently.

Have I learned to like exercise? Not really.  However, I do enjoy the feeling I get after a good hike or weight lifting session.  Of course, I go through cycles of working out and being lazy; however, I usually catch myself before I’m sedentary for too long.

Have I stayed consistent with healthy eating?  Of course I haven’t.  We’re all human.  However, I know that I can’t eat all the cookies and fries I want without gaining weight, so I try to make better choices.  Plus, if I go a while without eating fried foods, the first introduction back usually buys me a nice long trip to the bathroom.

Moral of the Story

Nothing in life worth having comes easy without stipulations.  Liposuction and diet pills have both killed people, liquid fasts aren’t sustainable unless you continue to eat rabbit food, and most people that crash diet end up binge eating the weight back on plus more.

You didn’t gain all the weight in a day and you won’t lose it that way either, so just suck it up, stock your fridge with fresh foods, and get moving.