There’s an old joke about an extremely obese person that is explaining their weight to a very cynical friend, and I’m using the term friend loosely.¬† ¬†”I’ve been dieting and lost 20 pounds” says our overweight character.¬† ¬†And without missing a beat the cynic says “Turn around, I think I found it.”¬† I remember this joke because I stepped on a scale recently and there seems to be an extra 20 pounds now hanging off of me that wasn’t there the last time.¬†¬† As I look down and see the numbers I can’t believe what I’m reading and feel that some cruel joke is being played on me.

You see last November I started a diet and exercise program and was very happy when spring rolled around and I felt and looked better than I had for some time. However, when I take stock of myself and go back over those last few summer months I begin to faintly remember those extra hot dogs that didn’t seem like a big deal during those backyard cookouts.¬† ¬†The new desert that was taken from a magazine just showed up on my plate.¬† Barbecue ribs happened to be a meal more times that it should have and they are really just little things.¬† Tater tots, potato chips, salsa with cilantro, hamburgers, pulled pork sandwiches and pecan pie and ice cream all happened to be at places that I was from May to September. ¬†Because of all this temptation and foolishness I packed on extra weight that I worked really hard to take off during the winter.

Do you see a trend here, or more to the point do you see anything healthy here? ¬†My answer is a resounding no.¬† How could I just relax and take the summer off when I was doing so well?¬† This is a really what happens when you get comfortable with yourself and forget that it’s hard work for many people (including myself) to control their weight.¬† ¬†No portion control eating and little or no movement adds the pounds on really fast, especially when we get older and our metabolism slows down.

Now what I need to do is to get back to the basics and find the correct balance between food for living and exercise for health.  I made a small list of how I propose to attack this problem and maybe this can help you too.

1.¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬† I’ll start my day with a good breakfast.¬† A bowl of cereal or oatmeal will help me stay satisfied throughout the day. ¬†Fruit or eggs are good too, but I need to stay away from hard roles, doughnuts, sweet pastries egg sandwiches with fried meat as these are just calories upon calories.

2.        Set meal time portion size so that the main course is no bigger than the size of a pack of playing cards.  And I mean stacked neatly not all strewn about like 52 pickup. J  This is for fish, chicken, beef, pork, or any vegetarian item.

3.¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬† Make sure I have a salad each day.¬† I can have this as a meal or with the entree.¬† The vegetables are good for me and will fill me up so that I’m not tempted to eat. ¬†I won’t ¬†pile on the Thousand Island dressing.¬† I just need enough to get a small bit of flavor.¬† A light vinaigrette is good.

4.¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬† Don’t drink soda or fruit juices as these are just foolish calories.¬† Try to drink water instead.

5.¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬† Exercise at least an hour a day 5 days a week. Don’t take my off days together.

This is what I need to start myself back on track to a healthier and lighter me.  I was dumb for getting myself into a problem like this, but with some self motivation and record keeping (I also forgot that I need to write down all foods eaten and exercise) I should be able to succeed again.
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