Gary
I am a male approaching mid-60's who has struggled with maintaining a healthy weight essentially my entire life. It is still not easy to consistently stay at my ideal weight...I feel that I will need to work at it for the rest of my life. That being said, there's really no other acceptable option, and no question that it's worth it.
Through the years, I have tried many various programs, many with some success. As Oprah is often quoted as saying, "I have lost hundreds of pounds in my lifetime, over and over again." However, my most successful approach has been with Lifetime Health.
During the summer of 2009, I connected for the first time with Lifetime Health. Over the next few months, I followed the basic program structured around the Optifast Shakes, and slowly took off nearly 50 pounds, settling at a weight of ~200. The rewards were fantastic! Improved overall health, more energy, much better freedom of movement, clothes that fit, pride in losing my double chin, and on and on.
I very much enjoy road bicycle riding and generally try to ride ~100+ miles each week. A few times each year, I've also participated in multi-day rides which have been terrific! Mostly, riding is just very pleasant; yet occasionally, it's more an act of discipline. Staying active and maintaining good nutrition go hand-in-hand, and I believe both are absolutely essential to keeping a healthy weight. And having a healthy weight is essential in getting the most out of an active lifestyle and continuing to enjoy my passion of bicycling.
I have been able to stay within a few pounds of 200 since 2009, generally because I stayed active and maintained good nutrition. However, there's an idea that if one rides enough, they can eat whatever they want (and not gain weight). Yeah, well, I think I've proven that to be not true.
A couple of years ago, and then again last summer, I had gotten up to 215 and was starting to feel it. (A month of travel abroad with too much pasta and too little biking didn't help.) Both times, I was able to reconnect with Nancy at Lifetime Health and set up a mini-fast for a few weeks that helped me get back down to 200. I appreciated the support that they continued to offer years later, and the genuine concern and help for me to reach my goals. Reconnecting was as simple as a phone call, and picking up the product was very convenient.
I believe that the ideal approach to nutrition doesn't really involve any special diet or program...and I am able to more-or-less be successful with that balanced eating/exercise approach once I'm near my ideal weight. Yet, every few years, the pounds seem to sneak back on. Then, for me, it's very hard to shed 10 or 15 pounds (or more) by "just eating less" or "more carefully". I'm most successful in breaking my poor eating addiction with a properly balanced fast that seems to "reboot" me. It takes a couple of days to get into it, but once there, it's easy and a relief to not be so focused on everyday food. (Note: I slightly modify the basic fast by adding 200 calories of protein each day. I feel that helps me to continue my workouts and to not feel hungry.)
Through the years, I have tried many various programs, many with some success. As Oprah is often quoted as saying, "I have lost hundreds of pounds in my lifetime, over and over again." However, my most successful approach has been with Lifetime Health.
During the summer of 2009, I connected for the first time with Lifetime Health. Over the next few months, I followed the basic program structured around the Optifast Shakes, and slowly took off nearly 50 pounds, settling at a weight of ~200. The rewards were fantastic! Improved overall health, more energy, much better freedom of movement, clothes that fit, pride in losing my double chin, and on and on.
I very much enjoy road bicycle riding and generally try to ride ~100+ miles each week. A few times each year, I've also participated in multi-day rides which have been terrific! Mostly, riding is just very pleasant; yet occasionally, it's more an act of discipline. Staying active and maintaining good nutrition go hand-in-hand, and I believe both are absolutely essential to keeping a healthy weight. And having a healthy weight is essential in getting the most out of an active lifestyle and continuing to enjoy my passion of bicycling.
I have been able to stay within a few pounds of 200 since 2009, generally because I stayed active and maintained good nutrition. However, there's an idea that if one rides enough, they can eat whatever they want (and not gain weight). Yeah, well, I think I've proven that to be not true.
A couple of years ago, and then again last summer, I had gotten up to 215 and was starting to feel it. (A month of travel abroad with too much pasta and too little biking didn't help.) Both times, I was able to reconnect with Nancy at Lifetime Health and set up a mini-fast for a few weeks that helped me get back down to 200. I appreciated the support that they continued to offer years later, and the genuine concern and help for me to reach my goals. Reconnecting was as simple as a phone call, and picking up the product was very convenient.
I believe that the ideal approach to nutrition doesn't really involve any special diet or program...and I am able to more-or-less be successful with that balanced eating/exercise approach once I'm near my ideal weight. Yet, every few years, the pounds seem to sneak back on. Then, for me, it's very hard to shed 10 or 15 pounds (or more) by "just eating less" or "more carefully". I'm most successful in breaking my poor eating addiction with a properly balanced fast that seems to "reboot" me. It takes a couple of days to get into it, but once there, it's easy and a relief to not be so focused on everyday food. (Note: I slightly modify the basic fast by adding 200 calories of protein each day. I feel that helps me to continue my workouts and to not feel hungry.)