Weight Loss

Some people have been saying that I have lost weight recently. Well, I did, actually. They then ask me what I have been doing to lose weight: did I go to the gym, am I dieting, what diet am I on, and so on. I just smile/laugh and answer that I'm not earning much at present such that I don't have enough money to feed myself. :-p

There are a lot of ways to lose weight. There are a lot of diets and workouts that you can find in books, magazines and the internet. They all boil down to 3 basic tenets: eat less, eat right, and exercise. So how did I really lose weight?

Last year, I lost weight because I did all that at the same time. I ate lesser portions. I cut down on fat and on fried foods. I ate a lot of vegeatables to the point of being a modified vegan. I exercised regularly up to 4x a week and I even jogged for a while. During that time, I was reviewing for an exam also and I organized my schedule well. I was very disciplined then, because I was INSPIRED to lose weight. It was a conscious effort for me during that time. The problem was that I could'nt sustain it. I lost interest, I started exercising less then stopped altogether, then eventually returned to my old eating habits. I ended up regaining the pounds that I lost and then some. :-/

Recently this year, in contrast, my weight loss did not start out with dieting or exercising. It started because I was DEPRESSED and had simply lost appetite. I just ate less, sometimes eating only because of the fact that I had to sustain myself and that I feared getting an ulcer. I wasn't starving myself but before I knew it, I had already shed pounds. It was only then that I took advantage of that fact and started to eat right and exercise again. Hopefully, I'll be able to sustain it this time around. I think the key is moderation and going about it slowly.

I guess my point is that the ultimate and best way to lose weight is to simply EAT LESS. I'm not advocating getting clinically depressed or anything, I'm just stating what worked for me. Regardless of your reason or desire for losing weight, cutting down on calories is the very crucial 1st step. :-)