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: 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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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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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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Fitness Report — April 2015

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In some ways March may well have been my most successful “getting fit at last” month to date. Every aspect of my fitness program showed substantial progress. I have even passed a couple of milestones that mean a lot to me.

So far I have not decided on a way to celebrate reaching these progress points. Surely something will pop into mind soon—something other than going out to eat!

Weight Loss Progress

During March I reduced my weight more than in any other month since beginning my fitness program just one year ago. A couple of times I managed to lose 6 pounds but this is the first time to lose as much as 7 pounds.

April 2015 weight loss chart

The month began with my weight at 206 pounds. It ended at 199 pounds. These numbers are remarkable in that they reached two milestones. First, I passed the 50 pounds of overall weight loss, and second, I got below that unwelcome 200 pound mark.

There are a number of factors at play in this improvement in the number of pounds lost in one month. Two are notable and will significantly affect my long term thinking and overall progress.

First, about a month ago I did some…

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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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Fitness Report — February 2015

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two aprins in hand

Like much of America, our area was hit hard by the flu in January. Several in our household caught the bug. Personally, although I never experienced full blown flu symptoms, I was definitely under the weather for a couple of weeks.

For that reason I look at this last month as being somewhat on hold regarding my overall health goals. But because it remained a period of steady progress as far as my weight loss program in concerned (which is my primary focus for now) I count it as another good month.

January Weight Loss Progress

My steady weight loss has been continuing for long enough now that I am beginning to feel really good about the plan I am following. While I have never had (or attempted to achieve) dramatic weight loss in any month, I have consistently lost a few pounds every month. That has been my goal and I am happy to know I am finding success in achieving it.

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