Who have I become? February 9, 2010

I seem to be averaging around 155 lbs now, and I find this to be a comfortable weight. I started off on a very restrictive low carb diet and lost 50 lbs in about 8 months. The diet proved to be so effective that I lost all the weight without any additional exercise.

Of course, changing your eating and exercise habits together is the best way to lose and keep the weight off. Still, my example proves that if you change your eating habits enough, you are well on the way to success… even if you are having trouble instituting an exercise program.

For those of you who are obese and thinking “Yeah that’s easy for him to say he only had to lose 50 lbs. What about me? 50 lbs won’t even make a dent!” You might not think so, but losing 100 lbs or more is the same as losing 50 lbs, the only difference is time. What I did in 8 months might take you one or two years, but your plan of action will be the same.

I would recommend a low carb diet to someone who finds himself or herself in an unhealthy, high-risk lifestyle. It’s amazing how fast someone can lose weight if they follow one properly. What’s the catch you ask? Well, it doesn’t work for everyone and low carb is strictly for short-term use only. Although you experience rapid progress, your food options are very limited, and there is a good chance you will lose muscle along with fat. You can have success at home but will find it very difficult to stick to your diet on the road, with friends and family, and at the restaurant.

This brings up a very valid point as far as balanced diets go. If your new eating habits are so foreign to you, how long do you think you can keep it up before returning to your old habits?

In total, I balanced a low carb diet for about 6 years and experienced big fluctuations in my weight. For example anywhere from 150 lbs to 175 lbs in very short periods of time. This was basically the result of getting on the wagon and falling off the wagon over and over again.

It all changed for the better when I took the leap into a balanced diet. I immediately experienced more freedom in food selection and found my weight to be more stable. I can honestly say that in no way do I feel restricted, or like I am missing out on anything.

*Photo provided by Microsoft Office Online Clip Art