'How I Got Healthier -- And Stayed That Way'

I spent last weekend at the Healthy Living Summit in Philadelphia along with 225 health and fitness enthusiasts. The two-day conference was a great way to meet other bloggers with similar interests and learn how to better improve our blogs and blogging practices.

Once the conference ended, I enjoyed dinner with a group of my new blog friends. Inevitably, much of our conversation focused on food and fitness (and dogs!), but one of the most interesting conversations we had was about weight loss. Each of us shared our experiences and what worked for us to lose weight and keep it off. All of our weight-loss stories were different, but it seemed that the key to successful weight loss was slow and steady progress on the scale by making lifestyle changes with regard to healthy eating and exercise. Not a single person mentioned having (long-term) success with a fad diet.

More from Health.com:
Diet Crutches: What Works, What Doesn’t
Best Superfoods for Weight Loss
25 Shocking Celebrity Weight Changes

Before I found my Feel Great Weight, I tried every fad diet out there. From South Beach to Atkins, I was all about a diet with a regimented meal plan that would help me lose weight quickly. I’d religiously follow it for a couple of weeks, and while initially I would lose weight, I was never able to keep it off. The problem? I was forcing myself to eat foods that just weren’t right for my body. Not surprisingly, I felt like I was always hungry, which led me to binge on unhealthy foods.

While I can’t say I liked restrictive diets, they did teach me something about myself. Sure, I could follow a specific eating plan for a short time, but those foods didn’t really fuel my body. If I veered off the plan, how could I possibly eat foods that I liked without gaining weight? I needed to find a way of eating that worked for me.

Of course, I questioned how healthy these diets could really be, but I didn’t know how else to lose weight and keep it off. Eventually, I looked at what I was eating on those diets and why those meals left me feeling unsatisfied. Slowly but surely, I made some tweaks to my diet -- adding protein to all my meals, filling up on fiber and enjoying smaller portions of my favorite foods. These changes didn’t happen overnight and took a lot of trial and error, but the end result was finding my Feel Great Weight and eating foods that I love and that leave me full of energy.

Comments

[overbrook7]

04:47 PM on 09/02/2011

Lacking the need for variety helps in maintaining healthy life styles. Over the last 25 years I would guess I’ve had the same breakfast at either 4AM or 6AM (depending on the day of the week) at least 350 days a year. It starts with a big chug of orange juice (I’m a mouth breather and always wake up with dry mouth) followed by a big swig of skim milk. Next comes two brazil nuts followed by about 12-15 raw almonds, While chewing the almonds I take out my cut fruit bowl from Publix and bite into a big juicy slice of watermelon or pineapple. When combined with the almonds this provides an explosion of flavor in the mouth. I continue eating the fruit: honeydew, cantaloupe and grapes. Then I take out my strawberries and blackberries and have a big serving of each. A banana rounds out the meal. Then with a glass of ice water I take my multi-vitamin, vitamin D and one aspirin. Then it’s off to the gym, work and hour walk after work. I’m 62, 5’11”, 170 lbs. 212 total cholesterol. My genes are poor with heart disease, cancer and a host of other illnesses prevalent on both sides, but nothing I can do about that. I’ve never missed a day of work due to sickness in my adult life. Also, dinner nearly always includes steamed broccoli asparagus and carrots.

[viky]

02:10 AM on 09/02/2011

For me, to keep my body shape and weight, yoga is the best. It is very relaxing and it is good for the body. Good for loosing weight is also acai berry:http://www.healthybetteru.com/

[Chuck Bluestein]

04:38 PM on 08/30/2011

When people do a diet to lose weight, it kind of backfires. Some say that being overweight is a health problem do to unhealthy lifestyle. But if you work on improving the many facotrs of lifestyle over time, it is healthier for you and you can lose excess weight. http://bit.ly/salt-free It was good to read in the article what had and had not worked for many people. Many experts say to avoid fad diets but it is good to read how they did not work. If you eat grains, the whole grains are a lot healthier than the refined grains.

[50PlusSam]

07:26 AM on 08/30/2011

I wa never in favor of a diet but lately I had to take the GI diet (glycemic index) for medical reasons, and within a month I lost 11 pounds (about 6% body weight). However I must say that this diet is not easy and not simple at all.
http://www.lifestyle-after50.com/nutrition.html

[Mayo Underwood]

08:00 PM on 08/29/2011

Strange as it may seem, the skin care products you use may be making you fat!!

Researchers have learned that phthalates, which are in all kinds of soaps, shampoos, lotions, creams, cosmetics, etc. are absorbed through the skin into the body and disrupt the body’s natural weight control system.

Here's a link to a page that talks about it. http://www.best-mens-skin-care.com/can-skin-care-make-you-fat.html

[HerrMonk]

06:04 PM on 08/29/2011

...so the point of this "article" was what?

To say "Keep on doing what you're doing Fat America, just be mindful and moderate in all things."...?

[fnygy]

02:41 PM on 08/29/2011

I find these kinds of things very misleading as they seem to be, essentially, advertisements to me. Don't like the tactic, much.

[Lindsay Rom]

12:10 PM on 08/29/2011

Fads diets don't work. And the odds-makers take a beating.

"Diets" that teach you how to eat again will always trump "crash diets". Food and nutrition are lifestyles; they're the classic "Jeans-and-tshirt", not a pair of pants that are in vogue for 1 year. That's why programs like Weight Watchers are successful-- they show you how to prepare the right foods and how to adjust your unhealthy habits to suit your new choices, including adopting a regular schedule of exercise to keep your body functioning at its peak.

Another lifestyle that restructures what and how you eat is Paleolithic, which eliminates foods that a human body is not designed to process (like grains (which naturally "defend" themselves to ensure their seeds can be spread), legumes, and dairy). Paleo encourages healthy fats, organic and grass-fed or even wild meats, organic vegetables, organic fruits, and tree nuts. In other words, Paleo is a lifestyle that mimics how humans lived before agriculture, and yet has life adapted for modern times. While some organizations are slow to catch on to the fact that this particular intake of food is how humans lived successfully for millions of years, it is becoming much more mainstream, with a lot of quality resources available to the public at large.

[fnygy]

02:44 PM on 08/29/2011

I know that Paleo works for some people. I also know people who swear by their Macrobiotic lifestyle or their raw food, vegan choice. My own belief is that people need to figure out what real, whole foods are best for them. For many people, including myself, that includes some whole grains, (very limited wheat, however) as well as raw dairy. I know this doesn't work for some people but I feel great so I know it works for me.

[PaleoWorks]

04:16 PM on 08/30/2011

I agree with what you say as even Paleo is not one size fits all, there are many variations on the core diet. Though this is mainly focused around whether to omit dairy in it's entirety or just specific elements. However I am not aware of any 'Paleo's' that are not completely against the grain due to the toxic nature and adverse affects it has upon the body. In reference to your opening comment, I cannot agree more. So much so launched our company of the same name as a result. Feel free to check out our blog - http://paleoworks.wordpress.com