Significant Dietary and Lifestyle Changes

Since February 1st, 2011 I have embarked on a journey of health and wellness.   Today I'd like to very briefly share the kind of lifestyle and dietary changes I made and the significant impact it's had on me.

For the past four and a half months I have gone from being an obese individual to a healthy weight.  People who have not seen me in several months are amazed at the transformation.  I am amazed myself.  The question they all predictably ask is, "how did you do it?"  The answer is surprisingly common knowledge, but not commonly practiced. and when it is practiced, it is a struggle for most to maintain the practice.  Even though many people are aware of this knowledge, they fail to take those corrective actions in their life.  I know because I was one of those people who ignored the facts and statistics and didn't know who or where to turn to for help because I really didn't think or believe that I had a problem.

 
We all need food to survive.  Food is instinctively a necessity to maintain and support life.  The moment we are born, we instinctively eat.  Nutrition to a newborn is critical for growth and development.  It should come as no surprise then that nutrition is continuously needed to maintain growth and development of the human body.  Without nutrition, the body begins to show signs and symptoms of weakness and failure.  The body can only withstand so much abuse before it starts to misfire and shutdown.

Eventually I reached the point in my life at the age of 48 where I began to misfire. Thankfully my body wasn't so far gone that it was shutting down.  A 47 inch belly, a 46 inch chest and hips were the result of years of bad habits and a mostly sedentary lifestyle.  Among the bad habits was a dietary plan, not really a plan, but a diet that consisted pretty much of whatever flavors and pleasures appealed to my taste buds and filled what seemed like a bottomless pit in my stomach.  I loved to eat red meat.  I loved to eat fatty foods, french fry's, greasy burgers, milk shakes, sausages, and the list goes on!  I'd come home from a full day of work and want to watch TV or play video games while filling up on pop and chips. When we would go out for dinner, I'd binge at buffet's eating as much as possible to the point where I would literally have to loosen the belt a notch to take the pressure off the belly!  Full to the stomach but still a hunger that went unsatisfied. 

The so-called magic pill does not exist!  There is no magic remedy.  Starvation does not fuel your body with the nutrition it needs.  Over feeding your body with less than nutritious food does not fuel your body to prevent it from misfiring and shutting down.  You reap what you sow!  Bad fuel in equals no power out.  Good fuel in equals high performance.  If you keep on doing what you've been doing, you'll keep on getting the results you've been getting.  Only will a significant dietary and lifestyle change bring results for growth and development.  So at the age of 48, my mind and my heart where ready to decide and commit to such a change.  The rest you could say is history, but history is written in the past and I am writing my future, so this is to my success and lifelong journey with health and wellness!

At the recommendation of a coworker, I was introduced to a training program called P90X.  The periodizational training changes with three training blocks over the course of 90 days and does not require a gym or club membership or any specialized equipment.  The strategy of P90X helped me to stay focused as I exercised right at home in my living room.  Here is the mother of all workouts called Plyometrics, or jump training!

I am now into my second round and 19th week of P90X and I feel great!  My belly has gone down to 36 inches and both my chest and hips are down to 40 inches.  I've lost a total of 57 pounds todate!

No magic pills, no magic cures, no special blend of herbs or spices.  By eating less red meat and more fruits and vegetables together with rigorous daily exercise I have been able to restore my body to peak performance!  No misfires and have significantly reduced my chances of a premature shutdown.  If you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me.  I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts.  I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes.  So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!