Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog
Here's Some Weight Loss Advice... Stop Focusing on Weight Loss!
If you have a lot of weight to lose, you were probably like me at one time. I would always try one diet after another and never get anywhere. If I lost weight, it wouldn't last and I would have to find another diet that worked.
So how did I finally lose over 150 pounds and keep it off for almost three years now? Well, believe it or not, I didn't focus on losing weight when I finally succeeded.
Sounds strange, doesn't it? Here I was, well over 350 pounds and knew I needed to lose weight. Once I found out I had pre-hypertension, that changed everything. I didn't want to be on medication, so I made all the necessary dietary changes to lower my blood pressure naturally with the food I ate. The result? Weight loss!
How is this possible? Simple, I cut out the sodium in foods, which meant eliminating processed foods. I researched foods that would help to lower blood pressure and started to incorporate more of those healthy foods in my diet. It worked... I didn't need blood pressure medication, but something else happened that I didn't even focus on... you guessed it, weight loss!
If you have over a hundred pounds to lose, that can be a scary and an overwhelming situation to be in. Where do you begin? My advice is ask yourself what are you fearful of. Is it diabetes, maybe you have someone in the family who has the disease? If yes, begin to research on what foods to eliminate to avoid it. Find out what foods to eat to sustain a healthy blood sugar. By only eating the healthier foods that won't spike your blood sugar, you'll achieve weight loss and hopefully avoid diabetes.
Maybe your fear is high cholesterol. Instead of going on meds, research the foods that will lower your cholesterol naturally. All obesity related diseases can be avoided by lifestyle changes, so this indirect approach to weight loss works, in my opinion. Going on a diet program is a temporary fix, lifestyle changes are the only way to provide you with results that will last. The lifestyle changes come from wanting to be healthy.
About the author
Richard Hubbard was once over 350 pounds. After a doctor's physical and finding out he was pre-hypertensive, he decided to make changes and avoid medication. Over the course of a year, Rich lost the first 120 pounds of his incredible 150 pound weight loss. He ate healthy foods based on Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book "Eat To Live". He was mostly plant based, but switched to completely plant based in September of 2016. He also became a vegan in the process as his compassion for animals increased. He credits bodybuilder Robert Cheeke for influencing his decision of going vegan. Rich aspires to be a vegan bodybuilder and is planning his first half marathon this year.
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