My 40 lb. weight loss has been maintained for 2.5 years.
I lost my weight and have maintained the loss by first and foremost counting calories, strictly. I count what I burn in the gym, and count every morsel I eat, and keep meticulous records. I also factor in my baseline level of daily physical activity.
I’ve noticed that it is easier to maintain my program if I eat big piles of low-calorie vegetables and lean meat.
My working assumption is that when eating simple sugars and white stuff, like flour and sugar, it is quickly packed away into fat, like a miser quickly depositing money into a bank account, who then says, “OK, I socked that away in the bank account as fat for future use — so how about some some ‘spending money’ to get through the day?” (i.e., I become hungry for more food).
Whether or not, and to what extent, these working assumptions are true scientifically, I cannot say for sure. All I know is that this “model” works for me. I
By eating slow-burning stuff such as lean meat and veggies, my body seems to have more “spending money” longer, presumably from not “banking” the calories as fat.
Placebo effect? Who knows?
Regardless of what I eat however, as far as I am concerned, the “business end” of my diet is regulating net caloric intake. That is far and away the number one thing I monitor. Having done that, I can then choose which calories will make it harder or easier for me to stick to my diet. (As mentioned, lean meat and lo-cal veggies make it easier to stick to the diet.) However, I never presume that eating protein and veggies will somehow entitle me to eat more calories. For my money, never ever take your eye off the ball of calories.
One more very important thing, in my view: Do not underestimate the significance of gentle physical activity all day long. In my job, there are days where I am on my feet all day, reaching up into cupboards, and doing gentle lifting of objects. I estimate this burns at least 75-100 calories an hour. In an 8-hour day, that’s 600-800 calories. That’s a lot! It doesn’t feel like I worked out, but I truly did work out — just slowly. On the other hand, there are days where I sit all day long, and I factor that into my net caloric intake calculation.
I think many overrate the significance of eating lean protein and lo-cal veggies, thinking that calories are not that big of deal if that menu is followed. For my money, however, calories are always and forever the biggest deal, and should never be given a backseat when dieting. Calories are the ultimate coin of the realm. Some calories make it easier to diet, and some make it harder by making you more hungry, but the bottom line, always, is caloric intake.
One last thing: I have noticed that some of the aerobic machines at the gym are too generous on their digital readouts of calories burned. I correct for this noting which machines are too lenient. I don’t do real vigorous aerobic workouts, so if a machine is saying I am burning more than 500-600 calories an hour, I discount that number. My favorite machine I discount by 25%. If it says I burned 400 calories, I assume I burned 300 calories.
My anecdotal two cents, humbly submitted.
Thank you for your great work, Dr. Blogmaster :0)
No comments:
Post a Comment