Short musings on losing 100lbs

• At the peak of my bout with Meniere’s Disease a decade ago I weighted over 300lbs (the scale only went that high) — around 100lbs over my ideal weight.

• It was when the scale topped out that it hit me it was time to change.

• I couldn’t run or do anything physically vigorous for fear of triggering more violent vertigo attacks.

• My neighborhood had three hills one after the other so I started hill-walkin’.

• The hills were steep; I could only walk the first and smallest one.

• Walking up got my cardio going where I’d be out of breath at the top, heart pounding and breathing hard. I’d stabilize on the way down. Later I realized I unintentionally doing a form of HIIT — high intensity interval training.

• Initially I walked every couple days — soon it was every other day, taking around 30-45 minutes at a time.

• As I got stronger I began walking two hills consecutively until I was doing all of them in one loop. By then I was doing them mostly daily w/weekends off.

• Over the months, the weight quietly melted away and I began feeling physically better. It was getting easier to walk the hills and my high blood pressure was falling.

• On the dietary front I deliberately kept it simple so it would be easy to follow:

  • Way less sugar (and no more soda!)
  • No more junk food — replace with healthy snacks like fruit, seeds, jerky, etc.
  • Drink lots more water until it became second nature
  • Eat more natural food w/less preservatives when possible
  • At mealtime, stop eating when I feel 80% full
  • No snacking/eating 2-3 hours before bedtime
  • I allow myself occasional treats (pastries are a favorite). Gotta enjoy, y’know!

• By the end of a year’s time I shed over 100lbs. It was a shock to me because it was actually pretty easy to do as long as I kept hill-walking (which in itself was a pleasant activity).

• High blood pressure went away, so did acid reflux and my snoring significantly reduced (as my then wife cheerfully attested!).

• At this point since I was strong enough, I changed things up and did more physical activities — hiking, barefoot jogs in woods, kayaking, trail biking, jump roping, and swimming. All easy and fun to do - that’s key to sustained exercise.

• I mix it all up randomly for variety and to engage different muscle groups with breaks every other day or two.

• As a result I morphed into the best shape of my life.

• It’s been said it’s harder to keep the weight off than to lose it. Maybe, but if you make exercise (and eating) easy and full of variety it will become a part of your natural routine.

• It helps to be consciously in tune to emotional triggers & moods so you’re aware if you start to veer off track (see below).

• It is so refreshing to be able to do and enjoy things I normally couldn’t before. Your body will love you for loving it back.

Full disclosure: As mentioned this was around a decade ago. Since then there were two periods where I gained weight:

• During a stressful divorce and heart-breaking estrangement from my daughter. Once I recognized the emotional eating triggers midway through divorce proceedings, I got back on track (and all is good with my baby girl!).

• When I was very ill with Lyme disease and could not even walk outside. When my strength eventually came back I was able to slowly resume hiking/walking.