I'll just exercise to lose weight...

ummmm... no, I'm sorry, but I don't think you will. Before you react, tell me: how many people do you know who:

1. went on a weight loss program, and
2. reached their goal or target weight, and
3. did so primarily or exclusively through exercise?

Exercise is vitally important, for numerous reasons. Of course! :) Walk, dance, go for a bike ride, mow the lawn, play with the kids, swim, clean the garage, make love (not in that order!) Just get moving! It's good for you, and the right exercise can be a lot of fun! But exercising your way skinny? It won't happen. Not for normal folks who have a life outside the gym or exercise track.

Weight loss is "simple" science: consume less energy (fewer calories) than you burn each day, and you will lose weight. We all use energy / burn calories even while sleeping. Breathing, pumping blood, digesting food, rolling over -- all burn energy. Increase your energy usage (burn more calories) without increasing your energy intake (consuming additional calories), and you will lose weight.

If exercise = increasing your energy usage = burning more calories, why can't you exercise your way skinny?

A physician recently told me that the average person would need to exercise vigorously for at least 90 minutes per day in order to experience a significant weight loss. Do you have that much time to dedicate to exercise? Every day?

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a "180-pound man riding 10 miles will burn 400 calories, and a 130-pound woman riding the same distance will burn 300 calories." That would be a very good thing, and most of us could probably benefit by increasing the amount we exercise.

The CDC also informs us "To lose weight, you must use up more calories than you take in. Since one pound equals 3,500 calories, you need to reduce your caloric intake by 500—1000 calories per day to lose about 1 to 2 pounds per week."

Our 10 mile a day bike riders are only burning 300-400 calories per day, not the 500+ required to burn a pound or more per week. Here's the math: a 180 pound man burns 400 calories per day / 2,800 calories per week if he bikes 10 miles every day. If he doesn't also reduce his energy intake by consuming fewer calories, he's still not burning enough calories/week to stop gaining weight.

"I'll just exercise to lose weight"? Sorry, but I don't think you will.

88 lb lost—4 lb past your goal!

In my last blog post two weeks ago, I wrote about reaching my goal weight of 142 pounds. As of this morning, I'm at 138—88 pounds lighter than when I started!

To put that in perspective: see this woman's big jugs? Full of water, they would weigh about 40 pounds. Each. Think she could stand there holding them like that if they were full?

Imagine anyone (even a body builder) trying to carry them both around, all day, every day. For years.

If full, those two jugs—all 80+ pounds—represent slightly less than the weight I no longer carry around all day.

Is it any wonder that being over weight can lead to health problems like swollen feet and ankles? Back aches? Fatigue? Shortness of breath? Inability to climb stairs? A general condition of only feeling so-so (and not great) a lot of the time? Some obese people even have problems getting out of a chair. Remember watching—or being—a woman about eight months pregnant? And most woman don't gain 80-90 pounds during their pregnancy...

Is it any wonder that once they've lost some weight, most people report having much more energy and generally feeling much better? We're not expending all that energy lugging around all that extra weight.

First major goal

Yesterday, eight months since I began this journey, the scale said 142. i.e.: the "target weight" I set back in January. 84 pounds less than I weighed earlier this year. It's odd... working so long to reach this point, I'm not sure exactly how I feel about actually getting here...

As my post about the last ten pounds points out, for weeks now my progress has been painfully slow. Still progressing, albeit very slowly.

Today the scale's back up 1/2 pound. But tomorrow or the next day, I'm sure it will move back down again. Within a week or so, I'll end this weight loss phase and begin my transition to a life of healthy eating. And that's very exciting to me!

Once I decided it was time to take charge of my own health, I researched a number of well known weight loss programs. I eventually settled on a comprehensive program which

1. Begins with weight loss, using medically formulated, low-calorie portion-controlled meal replacements;
2. Teaches key Habits of Health--including how to eat healthy for life;
3. Propels you on the path to permanent optimal health for life!

I've not been hungry during the weight loss phase. Mainly because I eat every 2-3 hours! Six small meals each day.

Although I haven't missed them, certain foods have been "off limits" during this first phase. I'm on what's considered a "medium" carb nutrition program. Not low carb, but definitely fewer carbs per day than most people normally eat. Accomplishing that requires restricting your intake of certain higher carb veggies, fruit, grains and dairy. All things I love!

For months, I've been intent upon accomplishing my weight loss goal. Knew these food restrictions aren't permanent,  I never really missed any of those foods. This close to beginning the transition to "regular" healthful eating for life, I'm starting to think about things like corn. Brown rice. Fruit yogurt. And really looking forward to eating them all again!

So let's get together. I'll show you what I've been learning, and cook you a healthy, tasty meal!

John

Those last 10 pounds

Wow - the end of a large weight loss seems to be MUCH tougher than the beginning! Here's my original weight loss tracker, from the start of my journey. And below is the short term one for the final weight loss. Up and down, up and down. sheesh!

I have no explanation for the big drop and increase around August 15... 

Handling the heat - weight loss benefit #6

I live in Baltimore, MD. Our typical summer weather reports are often "the three Hs: Hazy, hot and humid." In the last six weeks, we've had three days of 100+ temps, and 26 in the 90s!

When I was carrying around 70+ extra pounds, summer's heat was often unbearable. Without all that extra insulation, I am actually ENJOYING the summer weather.

Enjoying these temperatures may be extreme for some folks. But at least being able to tolerate months of very warm weather is a huge personal benefit of my weight loss.

My weight loss "ticker"

I would be done with the weight loss phase and onto transition and life long maintenance if I hadn't cheated while on a couple vacations...

Who has time to exercise?!

Finding it difficult to fit “traditional” exercise into your busy life? By incorporating a handful of quick and simple “lifestyle exercises” into your daily routine, you will burn some additional calories without even thinking about it! To improve overall health, the current exercise/daily physical activity recommendations are at least 30 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise, most days of the week.

There's probably nothing new or surprising in this list. But -- how many of these principles do you regularly practice?

• Park further away from you destination, so you walk a little bit more than you do when you nab the rock star parking space.
• Use a rest room further away. Use a rest room on another floor instead of the one that is closest to your desk. And take the stairs. Both ways!
• Take a power walk at lunch to fit a mini aerobic workout into the middle of the day.
• Take the stairs instead of elevators and escalators to burn more calories.
• Take the time to play games that include movement of the body. Not only can this become quality time spent with loved ones, but it teaches the importance of body movement to family members and helps everybody burn more calories. Games like tag, jump rope, computer/television-based fitness games, and sports such as baseball, basketball, and tennis are great activities to enjoy with family members.
• Tidying up can burn more calories. Daily household activities such as sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, mowing the lawn with a push mower, gardening, and raking leaves all require caloric expenditure.