Message for Savvy Vegetarian: I am a 68 year old male in much better than average condition; heart healthy, active all 4 seasons. I have “fought” the weight loss battle for 44 years. It seems if I’m not losing weight, I’m gaining. I’m 5'8?, weigh 165 today, and want to weigh 150 lbs.
I weighed 189 at age 22 at the beginning of 1967, so with my diet and exercise plans, I have been reasonably successful in maintaining a healthy weight range for 44 years. My problem is I’ve only been successful at weight loss with the Atkins diet or the Scarsdale diet. I choose to eat salman, trout, sardines, a little tuna and other salt water fish.
I can willingly sacrifice other forms of flesh, but tend to gain weight when I substitute meat protein with other forms, particuarly grains, such as quinoa, which I love. I make my own bread, usually whole grains and seeds, but I have abstained from bread for a month because my body gains weight easily when I eat carbs. Help! Thank you, Bill B.
Savvy Vegetarian Advice:
Everybody’s weight loss story is different, because every body is different. Congratulations on fighting the good weight loss fight, maintaining a healthy weight range, and staying heart healthy over the past 44 years.
I’ve read that weight loss diets almost always boomerang. Something like 95% of the time, people gain back all of the weight they’ve lost and more after a diet is over. That’s because it ends. The weight loss industry loves this!
The best weight loss tip I’ve heard is to establish a life long healthy diet and exercise program, that works for you, so you can maintain a healthy weight range, enjoy eating and enjoy life. Sounds like you’re on the right track.
One thing that occurred to me though - is that you might want to take a look at the serving sizes of fish and grains that you’re eating, compared to the recommended serving sizes. That’s where a lot of weight watchers trip up. E.G. One slice of bread is considered a serving! (that kills me – who ever wants to eat one slice of toast or a sandwich with one slice of bread!) Fish can be high in fat, and quinoa has more fat than most grains. Whether a healthy food is actually healthy so often depends on how much you eat, and how it’s prepared.
The current hot idea in healthy eating plans is to focus your diet primarily on vegetables and fruit, with as much raw food as is comfortable, and drink lots of plain water and herbal teas. The theory is that you get the nutrition & hydration your body needs, which satisfies you & keeps you from craving refined carbs, sugar, fats, salt and other foods which are “Bad For You”.
That approach works for me in maintaining a healthy weight range – if I don’t overdo the avocados, nuts, and coconut milk! :-). But - as you can testify – a daily and weekly exercise plan is essential for maintaining a healthy weight, no matter what healthy eating plan you follow.
Thanks for writing, Bill! All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian
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