I Should Explain

 Weight Loss is a journey that takes several months and even years. My journey took years. It was a giant learning curve for me. I think I started to realize I had a weight problem back in the 1990s. I thought back then, that I could exercise away my body fat. Wrong!!

I got a gym membership and my wife and I were going almost every day. Oh sure, we lost some water weight in the first couple of weeks. But that was only temporary. I didn't understand why I had only lost a few pounds. 

Then I learned that the increased exercise also meant I had more appetite. I was eating more calories and the exercise was offsetting those calories so I wasn't getting anywhere. 

Later, when I was trying to find all the answers, I learned that starving won't help you lose body fat. And losing weight doesn't help you lose body fat. So, what Was I supposed to do? 

While I was looking for all the answers, I found that the food I was eating caused me to gain body fat. There are foods anyone can eat that will help you lose that fat, but you have to stop eating those foods you like that put on the fat in the first place.

When it comes to food, you want to eat only whole foods. What does that mean? For example, If you are buying meat or fish. It might seem okay to buy packages, but packaged food has very little quality control. It's done by machines, only one or two items a day a checked. So, I buy seafood or meat from the meat counter where it's cut right in the store. I buy fish with the heads in the fish. Did you ever go to an Asian market to buy seafood? My Asian store sells some fish live and some on ice but they're not filleted.  

You can tell the health of fish by the color of their eyes. I always buy fish with clear white eyes, and only fish caught in the wild.

Buying red meat is different. The color of the meat will tell you how old it is. In some stores, you may find a butch you can take to. If I'm looking for steaks, ask him to cut you 2-inch steaks about one-half pound each or one pound. The rule of thumb for red meat is that you only need to eat 3 ounces of red meat per meal.

Produce is more important. 2/3 of your meal should be fruit or vegetables. This is where "whole foods" is important. I buy produce that I can touch and see if I think it looks good. I am against pre-packaged foods. For example, I won't buy a plastic bag of cut-up bits of fruit. I don't buy fruits or vegetables in cans. If my store doesn't have produce that I think looks good, I stop going there.

I used to have a Mexican grocery store close to my house. Grocery stores are like restaurants. If the store isn't busy when I go on Saturday, something is wrong. The Mexican Grocery was packed with people and it looked like half the customers were in the produce department. They needed 4 workers to put out fresh produce all day long. One worker told me that the store gets 3 truckloads of produce every day. I was like getting the produce straight for the farmer. 

If you eat food full of nutrition you will fill up eating fewer calories. It's all about eating the right foods. Your body will burn your body fat if you give it a chance. 

This isn't a quick diet plan, it's the right way to eat. I had to stop drinking anything with calories, stop eating or drinking dairy, and learn how to cook the healthy way.

You can find the answers on the internet. The Mediterranean food plan is a good place to start.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.