MY EXPERIENCE
I clearly remember being in my teens and wanting more physical strength to balance my upper body with my legs. Weight training was the obvious solution and it worked quite well. In my college days and extending into my military duty, I weighed 190-195 and was 6′ tall. Later, I gained some unwelcomed weight and was playing tennis tournaments at a weight of 230 or more. I would then gain and lose without much attention to what was going on.
I needed a workable strategy, but first I needed to set clear goals.
I concluded that being physically active was not working for me if I had no eating discipline. I seemed to crave salty foods and ice cream. When I finally developed an effective strategy, the weight fell off easily and I recently even felt the need to gain weight. My weight had stayed steadily between 180 and 184 pounds, but it unexpectedly went to 179. That seemed too light at the time, but I may set a new goal of 175 pounds. I have found that my height is no longer 6′ or even 5’10”. It is now 5’9″.
My goals have changed as needed over the years, but my strategies have always worked consistently. This is despite many unreliable and even unworkable pieces of unsolicited advice from others.
THE STRATEGIES
Positive habit formation:
I began to realize that habit formation was crucial to any plan for success. The habits needed to be positive, since habit formation can also be negative. I found that positive habits were much more effective than willpower. Willpower could lapse at times, but habits tend to override that lapse. Habits were automatic and did not even require much thinking.
One of my habits is to complete a 30-45 minute workout every morning before breakfast. I have done this for at least the last 20 years.
For actions to become habits, we must practice that activity for about 66 straight days. The habit must be feasible and as convenient as possible. It helps if the activity is practiced at the same time daily. If possible, it also helps if a partner is available, someone with similar goals.
Intermittent fasting:
I began intermittent fasting without trying to. I was often prolonging breakfast until nearly noon. This was a fast of at least 16 hours. I then read about this form of fasting and found that I was burning the calories of my most recent meal and was then beginning to burn fat.
Neuroscientist Mark Mattson, Ph.D., had done extensive study on this and he knew that our bodies were capable of withstanding long periods of fasting, even days. He also told us that this form of fasting boosted our metabolism, improved heart health and gave us a sharper mind, longer life and leaner body.
It has worked well for me and I now only eat between 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM. For newcomers to intermittent fasting, it is always wise to check with your doctor.
Record keeping:
I needed a dependable method to measure my day to day progress. Or lack thereof. I decided to keep strict daily records of :
- my weight to the tenth of a pound
- my blood pressure and pulse
- my workout sets, reps and minutes of cardio
- my calories consumed per each meal and daily totals
I have done this for years and I want the numbers staring at me to be favorable. That is the main benefit, i.e. that this becomes a mirror and I can either be pleased or see where I need to improve.
Chewing slowly:
This is a simple act of significant importance to me. Eating slowly and especially chewing slowly helps us to digest food better and to prevent overeating. We can also absorb more nutrients. Grinding food into smaller bits makes it easier for our stomachs to process the food.
I have read that it takes about 20 minutes for our brains to realize that we are full. Chewing slowly, we know when to stop eating.
AFFILIATE MARKETING AND AMAZON
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based revenue model wherein a publisher promotes a merchant’s products or services through a unique tracking link. The publisher is then able to share in the resulting sale. The merchant is able to realize receive wider and more specific promotion at little cost. Today, I am the publisher and Amazon is the merchant.
In my upper menu, please note – BECOME AN AFFILIATE MARKETER – for complete details . Also, the simple diagram below will show how this works, though we don’t need to wear a suit or have a briefcase. We work from home in front of a computer.
Amazon is certainly a desirable partner in affiliate marketing. As a customer, I know that Amazon has high standards for service. I also know that they can provide just about any item anyone may need. And they can do so with fair pricing and significant discounts during the year.
The following links will show Amazon products that are relevant to my topic of weight control strategies. Each link will provide product information, prices, pictures and links to other similar choices.
Fitness Planner and Workout Logbook
Intermittent Fasting for Seniors
Women’s Ultimate Guide to Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting (for Dummies)
Habits: How Small Changes Make a Big Difference
FINAL THOUGHTS
It must be quite obvious that my “strategies” for weight control are not difficult to understand or to implement. But I have heard many stories from others about New Year’s resolutions that didn’t last even a week. I have never understood the wisdom of making such resolutions at such a time. Why not resolve to make an improvement in our lives when we see the need, regardless of the calendar?
The more important aspect is the continuity of such a project. For me, this is when positive habit formation becomes essential. Isn’t it more productive to automatically act in our best interests? Why would we want to ponder over something and thus waste time?
Remember – positive habits are powerful, but so are the negative ones. Let’s eliminate the negatives!
