Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

Sometime in December, 2012, I got to my lowest weight (although I've lost some weight since then) of 212 pounds. The thing that astonishes me is that I've maintained this weight loss for three years now. After all the failed diet attempts, the weightless happened because I gave up on "diets".and changed my lifestyle.

I'm like everyone else who was heavy. I was on so many different diets but none of them ever worked. You can make all the resolutions you want, but when you are on a diet, you have to come off the diet sometime. And once that happens, you will more than likely regain.

I first became aware of Dr. Fuhrman about three and a half years ago, when he made an appearance on the Dr. Oz Show. I had already lost a lot of weight but hadn't reached my goal yet.

I was searching for foods that would promote good health as I wanted to lower my blood pressure without prescription drugs. Dr. Fuhrman's nutritional plan provided foods that I incorporated in my diet everyday.

First, I'd like to get away from the word "diet". I think of a diet as a temporary fix, never a permanent solution to maintain a healthy weight. In order to sustain healthy weight loss, without risk of gaining it all back, you have to have a lifestyle change. For me, that meant giving up overly processed, sugary foods and replacing them with healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.

I remember about ten years ago, I had a cold that seemed to linger and must have stayed with me for over a month. I had long coughing spells... at times coughing so much my chest would be in pain. That's why I feared getting another cold, because of how long it lasted in the past. But there's a difference between the colds I had back then and the cold I just recovered from; back then, I would use over the counter remedies, today, I  buy certain produce and recover so much faster.

This past weekend, I noticed I was getting somewhat of a sore throat, but nothing too bad. By Monday, I noticed I was also getting some congestion. I really shouldn't have worked out on Monday, but I did. By Tuesday, my cold had turned into a non stop runny nose all day! Finally, on Wednesday, i had pain in my face from the pressure of my sinuses and was feeling miserable.

When I was asked to share my weight loss journey for this blog, I thought it would be a fairly simple task. I started seriously tracking my weight in April when I was 270 lbs and 6 months later am at 220 lbs. This weight loss was achieved largely through diet changes using a nutrition system. My wife had lost a lot of weight by eating clean but was coming up short on energy and we decided to get on a protein shake based nutritional system which helped her with her energy, and me with my weight. 

On the surface, that is what has happened. If you are a facebook friend, that is what you could see from the various pictures and status updates shared over the last few months.

When I started my health journey three years ago, I read many articles that stated that processed meats cause cancer. Dr. Fuhrman has been saying it for years. Dr. Oz just mentioned it in an episode last week. But when the World Health Organization (WHO) says that processed meats cause cancer, suddenly people are listening.

Processed meats include foods primarily in the beef and pork families, such as sausage, bacon, pepperoni and corned beef, but it can also include foods like chicken nuggets. Luncheon meats unless you are purchasing turkey or chicken breast, are probably processed meats.