Getting Fit At Last

It’s Never Too Late to Get Fit!

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Little Known Secret to
Maintaining Weight Loss

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There is, I have discovered, a little known secret to maintaining weight loss. It is not inherently obvious to most people so few ever think of it. But once you do think about it, its value is clear.

Poster - Hobbies

Take up a new hobby! Not just any hobby but a certain one. Cooking. It may not be a necessity, but it can be a definite help.

Even if you never considered it before or thought it to be enjoyable, get into it. You do not need to spend an inordinate amount of time on it, but make cooking one of your enjoyable hobbies and it will do wonders to help you maintain your weight at its proper level.

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Target Weight Loss Achieved!

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Celebrate!

Today I am putting a new day on my holiday calendar, August 16th—a day in 2015 that will live down in history, my personal history that is, as the day I reached a major goal—seeing my weight drop below 175 pounds for the first time in decades!

Now to celebrate!

My Long Weight Loss Journey

In April of last year I made a decision that dramatically changed the course of my life. After years of neglecting my health in general, and living with a lot of excess weight most obviously, I came to the point of making a serious commitment to get fit.

The most pressing part of that effort was to shed at least 80 pounds. Losing weight was only one part of what I recognized would be essential, but it stood out as a priority beginning point because it affected and in many cases limited my potential for achieving others.

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Fitness Report: August 2015

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August 2015

Years ago (when I was much younger of course) I used to run a good bit. There is a lot you can learn from running in addition to its obvious health benefits. One thing I remember well was the great satisfaction that came from finishing well.

Taking the Last Lap with Style!

When I ran, no matter how far I ran (typically about five miles but some days ten or more) the best part was that last 100 yards. No matter how exhausted I was, when the finish line came in site there would inevitably be an adrenaline rush that enabled me to speed up and finish the run with a flourish.

That is somewhat how I feel this month about my weight loss effort. I began a year ago last April. Now some sixteen months later I see the goal I originally set out on in site…

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Fitness Report: July 2015

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Month: July 2015

Because June proved to be one of the busiest months I have experienced in years I did not have a lot of time to think about my fitness program or write for the site. Yet it proved to be one of the more enjoyable and productive ones yet as far as progress on my fitness journey is involved.

Not only did I make good progress toward my weight loss goal, I was able to learn how to cook some great new foods and drop down in clothing sizes as well. What more could I ask for?

Continuing Weight Loss

For two reasons I fully expected to end the month of June showing little if any weight loss for the record. Primarily I knew that my scale reading at the first of the month was unexpectedly low with the days before and immediately after registering a little higher—it is common to have days like that due to salty foods on the one hand or extra protein on the other artificially raising or lowering the scale reading. Of course they balance out.

Weight loss chart through July 2015

In addition, I had already planned to start increasing my food input a bit more and eat more meals with less accurate calorie count as I migrated more and more toward a permanent maintenance diet. While I have a real desire to reach my ultimate weight goal I have even a stronger commitment to establishing a healthy permanent eating pattern to maintain it once I do.

During the first ten days or so of the month I hit a real plateau and began to think I would do well to end the month as well off as I started it. But then…

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How to Modify Frozen Diet Meals

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One secret I have found to migrating from a low calorie weight loss plan to a long term maintenance plan is learning how to use frozen meals like those from Weight Watchers (Smart Ones) and Lean Cuisine as a base, making a few improvements to suit your needs. Here are a few of my thoughts and suggestions—ideas that work for me.

Frozen diet dinner collage

Start With the Right Attitude

A lot of success in any area is learning how to think about what you are doing, and that is true in this case as well. Any change or adaptation should be done for a reason.

These meals are often fine just as they are, and I appreciate the way they help make weight loss easier by offering good meals with sometimes a very limited number of calories. You do not need to “fix” anything unless there is a legitimate reason to do so.

Often, however, there are good reasons for improving dishes as far as enabling them to better meet your personal needs as you transition to a long term healthy eating pattern. My intentions here are to share some of my goals and how I try to reach them.

Adding More Size to the Meal

While working hard to lose weight, it is obviously necessary to eat a good number of meals that we think of as just a way to get by until we can eat a snack or another meal. We discipline ourselves to do it because we are committed to our weight loss goal. But this is not a good long term permanent approach to eating.

There are a number of ways to add to a meal designed to assist with weight loss and make it a fully satisfying one for a long term regular healthy eating. I have been experimenting with these ideas for some time, to some extent even before I thought about allowing myself to increase my daily calorie intake much.

The easiest way is…

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Fitness Report: June 2015

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Month-June-2015

The month of May was a very exciting one for me personally as far as my Getting Fit At Last program is concerned. Not only have I lost additional weight as hoped, I have also developed some new and positive eating habits that should have long term value for my good health.

Obviously, I enjoy eating, all too much perhaps, which is certainly one contributing factor to my initial weight problem. The good news for me now is that I am finding new joy in eating some great foods that I enjoy just as much as the fattening foods I ate before, but which add nutrition and good taste without the high calorie count.

Continuing Weight Loss

In the world of music it is not uncommon for a singer to have a remarkable hit and then have to sing that same hit over and over, perhaps for years. Now I may not be going on for years, but just as the musician may appreciate the fact of having a hit become successful enough to never get tired of singing the song, I am happy to sing my song of “four more pounds!”

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A Life Under Construction

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sign: under construction

On my desk I have a sign that reads, “The road to success is always under construction”. When it comes to weight loss and getting fit this is certainly true.

It is important to keep this in mind and acknowledge it as an acceptable if not desirable part of the process if we want our journey to be a happy one.

Getting Fit Under Construction

There are three aspects of a fitness program that are clearly affected by the basic nature of the process, each of which is parallel to the idea of being “under construction.” Think of yourself driving down the road and running into a sign reading “Construction Ahead.” When you do you know these three things are true.

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Fitness Report: May 2015

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Month-May, 2015

As the old adage puts it, you have to roll with the punches. That saying appropriately points to my experience in April as far as my getting fit program is concerned. Or perhaps the one about our best laid plans would be better because my experience in April was more of a change in plans than a setback.

Overall I am once again reasonably happy with my progress this month but I definitely ended up with a different experience than expected. I will share some of it in this report because I think in the end this is a positive move that will only improve my long term chances for success at getting fit.

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Little Things Mean a Lot

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Small things can sometimes make a big difference. It is fun to find them and put them to work for our advantage.

Small But Powerful Way to Cut Calories

This week I discovered a small help to my dieting work that will serve me well and help me save lots of calories over time. This discovery came altogether by accident, but no matter, it works just as well.

salad-on-plate

For some time I have been eating a large salad for supper, not every day but often. For my salad I use a shallow bowel about the size of a small dinner plate and an inch deep. Until now I cut up my salad on the plate, put on my salad dressing (lite of course) and tossed it as best as I could with my fork.

Finding the tossing difficult, often spilling over the edge and not mixing the dressing very well, today I got hold of a large, deep bowl to help. I cut my salad into the bowel, added dressing and stirred vigorously. To my amazement the salad looked drenched in dressing!

Here is the discovery. By using a better tossing method I found I needed no more than half the amount of dressing as when my tossing was poor. Half the dressing means…

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Count Calories by Ingredients

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Popped Popcorn

This week I have been working on a article about calorie counting focusing on two of the essential practices that make calorie counting practical for long term success. Check out About Counting Calories to learn more.

In the process I have been made aware of a secondary but important fact that is often overlooked in discussions about calories, the value of thinking about ingredients rather than average results for dishes we prepare.

Why Ingredient Calories Count More

This may seem like a technical clarification that adds more confusion and makes calorie counting more difficult than ever. However, it is in fact useful information enabling you make adjustments in some cases that can make a real difference.

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