Lots of vegetables with a little meat
People are always concerned with how long it takes to lose weight in a healthy way. But did you ever wonder how long it takes to get overweight? I know its different for everyone, but realistically you don’t get fat in 6 months, it takes years to put on solid pounds, change drastic clothes sizes and ultimately get caught in the hamster wheel of overeating, indulging, unhealthy life style.
Thirty years ago when we got married, Joe weighed 180 pounds, then a few years later, as he was “maturing” he put on 20 pounds. Then as he went into his 30’s with Child #2, #3 and finally # 4 came another 15 pounds. By the time he was 38 years old Joe had gained 35 pounds since our wedding day.
It didn’t seem so bad at the time and quite honestly 215 pounds wasn’t really a bad weight when you look back. But by 2000 Joe was 220 pounds and growing. Over the next 12 years he steadily grew, eating whatever he wanted, picking, over portioning, eating late at night, snacks in the middle of the night, all the worst of the worst eating habits.
When Joe officially weighed in to start this quest , the figures were a little staggering. At 5’9 ˝ he weighed in at 276 pounds. Over the years he had gone from a 32 waist to a 44 waist, from a 44 chef coat to a 56 chef coat and from a men’s large to a men’s 3x shirt.
It seems so gradual, and when you finally admit to yourself you are too fat and you need to do something about it, the task becomes so overwhelming. There were so many starts to diets, gimmicks he tried, broken promises he made at least twice a year. You have to look at the math. It will take about 7 months of concerted and consistent effort to lose his planned 76 pounds. When you realize that he spent 31 years gaining the weight, less than a year to safely lose it seems like more of a bargain doesn’t it?