How I lost weight
As I mentioned several times in the past, I am not a doctor or an expert on nutrition. This article is the witness of one ordinary man. I had a weight challenge for several years earlier in my life. I tried several plans but did not maintain significant weight loss over an extended period. None of the weight loss plans worked consistently over several months.
During my annual physical, I asked my doctor about ideas. He gave me several suggestions. First, he said I needed to sleep well during the night. He explained the clinical reasons sleep was important. He also mentioned to avoid sugar, fat, beef, and pork. Of course, I knew about the foods to avoid; I just needed to find the discipline to avoid them. Then he talked about exercise. That was not an issue for me because I ran every morning and did a workout every evening. However, I noticed over the years that the exercise did not have a major impact on my weight, the exercise help me lose fat, breath better, and feel healthier.
The last point made by the doctor was to eat more times a day but reduce the amount of food and do not eat after 6 pm. This advice was probably the most effective of all his points. I changed my eating habits for over 30 years. Of course, on a few occasions, when I went out to dinner with friends or family, I would eat after 6 pm.
Weight Loss Plan
I created a plan to lose weight. I created a daily checklist with both exercise and food. I assigned points for achieving each item. An example is not eating between meals was worth two points, not eating after 6 pm was worth three points, and avoiding sugar/fat was worth three points. It was much easier not to each between meals because I was eating five times a day instead of three times a day.
Checklists allowed me to measure my progress. The challenge was that I did not have the discipline to earn enough points per day. I thought about my situation for a long time. My weight was a major problem for me. I prayed about it. After several prayers and serious thought, I realized that my challenge was that I was using food as a form of entertainment instead of a source of nourishment.
I also made sure I went to bed earlier, and I avoided any naps during the day. Sleeping better at night had a major impact on my health. I noticed the positive change almost immediately.
Success
After I selected different forms of entertainment that did not increase my weight, I began losing weight. It still took discipline, and there were times when I craved something sweet or wanted food after 6 pm. During those times, when I wanted to divert from the plan, I prayed to find the discipline.
After advice from my doctor, answered prayers, and the desire to improve my health, I became satisfied.