Portion Control and My Rottweiler

 

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After

Before Name Doc Age 39 Height 6'0" Was 275.4 lbs  Lost 46.4 lbs*  Weight 229 lbs  As of 2/2/2007 *People following the Weight Watchers plan can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week. "I've learned that I can eat anything I want. This isn't a restrictive diet."

The watershed moment happened two years ago when I decided to get on the scale for the first time in a long while. When the dial topped off at 302 pounds, I realized that I was either going to have to buy bigger pants or change my life. Well, let's just say that I wasn't buying anything in a size 50.

My wife at the time had starting using Weight Watchers Online. She was talking about the POINTS® values of food, and it all started to make sense to me, so I decided to subscribe to Weight Watchers Online too.

Breaking the Bad Habits

One of my worst habits was flying out of the house in the morning without eating breakfast. Since I have such a fast-paced job, I eat lunch on the fly a lot, and that usually meant fast food. In addition to eating the wrong foods, my problem with dinner was portion size, especially when it came to eating out.

Now, I cook dinner for my son and myself three times a week. I do a lot more grilling than frying. We eat more chicken breasts and fish rather than burgers and brats.

I also make it a point to eat breakfast every morning before leaving the house. Normally I'll have ¾ cups of scrambled egg beaters with a high-fiber English muffin, some coffee and a yogurt smoothie. The whole thing's 4 POINTS values, gets me out the door quickly, and I'm not tempted to grab bagels or cookies in the break room later on.

I wasn't on the plan long before I rediscovered the athletic drive I had in high school. Now I look forward to getting home in the evening, so I can jump on the treadmill. I used to take my rottweiler for a walk. These days he takes me for a run, and I challenge myself to keep up with him.

I've learned that weight loss is a matter of making better choices. After more than two years of doing this, I've learned that I can eat anything I want. This isn't a restrictive diet. All you have to do is budget your POINTS values and work in the amount of activity you'll need in order to overcome an indulgence. That's something that thin people figured out a while ago. The rest of us just need a little help getting it through our heads.

I cooked my first Thanksgiving meal two years ago. It was a lot of fun. My guests didn't necessarily need to watch their weight, so I used the full-fat versions of everything. I just made sure my portions were normal. I didn't stuff myself until I had to unbutton my pants and plop down on the couch in front of the football game. I ate until I was satisfied and the next day I was right back on the plan.

Looking Forward

I'm not done dropping the weight—in fact, I've still got about 25 pounds left to lose—but I really think it's doable because I won't throw away what I've learned. I'm making healthier choices with food, eating more appropriate amounts, and I look forward to burning calories.

The biggest benefit of being slimmer is being able to buy clothing right off the rack. There's actually a selection, not just two things in my size. I feel better; I have more energy. My doctor is very impressed.

I also love the fact that both of my boys recognize how much healthier I am and that this isn't just another one of those weight fluctuations they've seen me go through all their lives. They also realize I'm going to be around a lot longer now. I'm going into my 40s a whole lot healthier than I was going into my 30s and I'm now able to hang with my boys and do the things that they do.