Let me start off by saying that I'm not a nutritionist, personal trainer or any other type of professional related to health and wellness; however, I have lost 65 pounds and I'm now in the best shape of my life.
I was inspired to write this after reading an article that talked about overweight being a choice. While I fully understand there are medical conditions that can lead to being overweight, my firm belief is that the majority of people are overweight as a result of the choices they're making. Moreover, like my former self, those choices are being made out of a lack of understanding on the right things to do.
There are many books and professionals out there on the topic of healthy living, fitness and losing weight, all I offer here is what worked for me. The one thing that I will caution you on is that there is no quick fix, miracle diet or secret to losing weight. It takes hard work, discipline, an ability to push yourself to do things when your body doesn't want to and many months of consistency to achieve your goal.
So, what was my secret to losing 65 pounds and counting? The answer: the 5 W's. Why, What, When, Where and Who. I didn't learn then all right away, but now I understand them and know they are the reason for where I am today.
What's the one that get's missed the most? The same W that I missed when I started my health and fitness journey? I'll save that one for the end.
Let's start with WHY. There's a reason I wanted to talk about WHY first... WHY is your purpose, WHY is the reason, WHY is the thing that will keep you going when your body is in pain from working out the day before, WHY is what drives you to lace up your shoes and go for a run despite the rain and cold, WHY will help you defeat the excuses. To find your WHY you've got to dig deep; it could be your kids and wanting to see them grow up to have kids of their own, it could be your own health crisis like diabetes, it could be in support of a loved one or any number of other things. Before you succeed in losing weight, you first need to find your WHY.
WHAT is the part that most people get. WHAT is a balanced diet and eating healthy things like whole foods, and if you don't know what whole foods are then I suggest you read up on them. Try reading E3 for Life or The Power of Food by Adam Hart. WHAT is also exercise. I workout and or run 4-5 times per week but I didn't start there. All that I would recommend is to do something, and whatever that something is you should try to make it something you enjoy because that will make the exercise easier. Start, then push a little more each time. I need to make absolutely clear that WHAT is not dieting, it's not miracle weight loss drugs and it's not easy. WHAT is hard work, it takes discipline and will get you the results you want.
You are going to need the support of the people around you, especially immediate family and friends; these people are the WHO. Remember though, WHO starts with you. If the lifestyle of your entire family is one of the sources of your current health state then you should have a family plan of action for weight loss. Working as a team is way easier than doing it on your own. My wife and I help each other.
WHERE is one of the bigger derailers to losing weight. WHERE is at work, it's out for dinner, it's at home, it's everywhere you're going to be tempted to fall off the rails. At home stay away from processed foods. At work, take a brown bag lunch that you made the night before and fill it with healthy options (you'll actually save money doing this too). At restaurants, choose the healthy options and avoid the grease. No matter WHERE you are you have a choice, remember your WHY and be strong.
I wanted to save the best for last, you guessed it, WHEN. How many times have I heard in articles, on TV and from friends, "I workout, eat healthy, but I just can seem to shed the pounds." Believe me, I was there too, but found the answer in WHEN. Assuming you've nailed the other W's, this W is the key. Your biggest meal of the day should be breakfast, followed by a medium sized lunch, then a small dinner. If you need a snack in between keep it small and healthy like an apple or yogurt. The concept is simple, your body needs time to digest, process and burn off the food you eat. If you starve yourself all day only to have a big and late dinner then your body doesn't have time to burn off what you ate, consequently the pounds don't drop no matter how healthy you think you're eating. To take this to the next level throw in a workout BEFORE breakfast and you'll be surprised how much energy you have throughout the day.
If you're serious about losing weight, try following my 5 W's for 30 days. What do you have to lose?
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