This January, like every January in our country, about 100 million people went on a diet to fulfill their new years resolution to get into shape. That is about one third of our entire population. The sad thing is that about 90% of those people are already done with their attempt to make it happen.
Why is it such a mystery for Americans to get into good shape? Why does it seem like such an impossible dream? I struggled with my weight when I was a kid and from time to time in my adult life, but for the most part; I have kept in pretty good shape. I figured out in my twenties that fast food was the enemy. Not only was it super fattening, but it also breaks down our immune systems. Eliminating fast food from my diet, made a huge impact on my fitness. I am not a fanatic about it. I still crave a whopper or Big Mac on occasion, but 99% of my food intake is not from the fast food nation.
I also made a concerted effort to reduce my intake of sweets (refined sugars) and that has also helped me stay fit over the long haul. Everything was going fine with me until about 2 years ago. I was playing some hoops with my buddies and midway through a great game my right Achilles tendon decided that it had had enough and snapped. Not good! I guess that's what I get from trying to play with a bunch of guys in their twenties. (I may look twenty...but I am actually slightly older...LOL)
Anyway, I had no idea how bad it is to rupture your Achilles, but to make a long story short; my rehab took almost two full years. I could walk again after a few months, but real recovery took two tears. During that time I became really frustrated that I could not do any cardio and slowly but surely began to eat worse and worse.
When I got to about 205 I decided enough was enough. I am 6'1", so 205 was not a disaster for me, but it was the heaviest I have ever been. I hired a great nutritionist named Kira to help get me going in the right direction. She did a great job of getting me to understand that it is best to eat the right kinds of foods/meals five times a day. That was big for me because since I am so busy, I have only eaten once or twice a day for as long as I can remember. That is REALLY bad for the metabolism.
Kira's system helped some, but what was really my breakthrough was an app for my I Phone called Lose It. It is free, but it was been worth a fortune to me. It simply allows me to log everything that I eat each day. That is hardly a revolutionary breakthrough, but being on my I Phone (which I can not believe I actually lived without for over 40 years of my life) makes it super easy to use. The real key is that the app lets you find the calories for most of what you are eating so you can accurately log it. I was SHOCKED to find out that a lot of the foods that I was eating and thought were low on calories were actually very high! Once I got that all down, it has been a piece of cake. (Pardon the pun)
Since I have been using Lose it, I have lost about 15 pounds and easily kept it off. I have developed different long term eating habits (which is the absolute key) I now find that I am eating way less red meat (which I love) and WAY less pasta (which I really love), but the results I am getting by replacing them are so great that I really don't miss them that much. I still eat what I want if I want to, but the Lose It app has been a God send for me. I have heard many people who have had the same results I have had using the app. The other day I heard Sarah Silverman telling Howard Stern, on his show, that the reason she looks so great is because of the weight she lost using Lose It.
So there you go. I am not getting a commission for promoting this app, but I really understand how frustrating losing weight can be for people and anything I can do to help them out is a pleasure for me to do.
I don't think any app can help everyone get fit because we have such horrible eating habits as a nation, but I am certain that it can help those who are ready to get serious about really getting fit in 2010.
