How I lost 60 pounds Part 1: Foundational lessons I learned

I have battled with weight issues all of my life.  I think some of it is genetics but I do eat too much/eat wrong as well.  There have been four notable times I got in shape in my life: swimming in High School, Cross Country in High School, Army Basic Training, and in 98' I went through a six month personal time of insanity where I was overnight a maniac dieter and work out freak.

I started gaining weight shortly after I got married because six months after getting married I decided to work on finishing my degree at night.  So, I was working full-time, married, and school full-time at night.  I didn't have time to work out and I was sitting down constantly.  These days you can read about the dangers of sitting down - well, I was a poster child.

Instead of belaboring the mental journey that got me to the point I did something about my weight this time I'll focus more on the lessons and the actions I have taken.

Weight loss is a numbers game
First, about 3 years ago I had lunch with an old work friend who said he was watching his weight.  He made the comment, "its all about the math"- weight loss or weight gain was predictable based on calories consumed/calories burned.

People preparing for weight loss surgery lost weight
To prepare for weight loss surgery I found out people are put on a restricted diet often using things like Slim-fast shakes and a small amount of food for multiple weeks prior to surgery.  They often lose 20-30 pounds within a period of 3 weeks.  When I found this out it reinforced to me the idea that maybe I could skip the surgery part and just use the intake restriction concept.

Carbs are bad
Over the years I have lost some weight at various times by watching carbs.  I have also seen that most popular diets have some type of protein emphasis and carbohydrate restriction.

Exercise is king
The times of my life where I have successfully lost weight- I was exercising.  And, even if you look at the body shape of most people who are walking, running, cycling, or swimming - they tend to be in-shape.  So, I reasoned, if I copied what slim people do- it would have to work.

Slow and steady
I don't know where I got this idea.  The idea is - I put on the weight slowly - so taking my time, learning the lessons, and allowing the weight to come off gradually isn't a bad thing.  The general concept with this is that if I can really learn strategies that work and find ways to apply them- then I can have lessons for a lifetime of fitness.  (MAN do I hope when I read this in 2 years I am still on track....)  I have treated this weight loss as a time of tinkering and "life hacking".

Next time I will get into some of the actions I have taken.