Lesson five – Losing Weight – Patience Pays Off – December 2009
In the last 18 months I have lost 15 pounds and come down 2 pants sizes. This is a huge vote of confidence for practicing patience and is very self empowering for me.
How it happened
In May of 2008, I read an article that said people who eat less live longer and have healthier lives. The article pointed out that research showed that lab rats that lived on reduced calorie diets lived up to 40% longer than rats that ate regular diets. The article pointed out that as you grow older, it’s harder on the body to digest and absorb calories.
I wanted to lose weight, but I knew that I couldn’t stay on a diet, and even if I did, I would gain it all back within a year after. That’s what always happened before.
So, instead of dieting, I decided to be patient and concentrate on eating less and see what happened. Here are some of the promises I made to myself:
- No pressure to lose weight
- No getting on the scale
- No target weight
- No time limit
I just decided to eat fewer calories and accept the results.
Since that time I have successfully cut my daily calorie intake about 25%. It took me a couple of months to make the transition, but after awhile it just became second nature.
Then, in September of 2009 my plan started paying off. I was easily eating less and when I bought new jeans, I was down two pants sizes from a 46 in. waist to a 42 in. waist.
And, in October when I had my regular heart doctor checkup, the nurse told me that I lost 10 pounds since April 09.
When I thought back, I realized that during the last 18 months I had lost a total of 15 pounds since I started eating fewer calories.
Here are some of the things I continue to do:
- Cut down, but not out, on snacks and treats – now I eat ice cream in a small bowl and 1/2 a candy bar.
- I still get the fries with my BigMac meal at McDonalds but I only eat about a third of them.
- When I am in a restaurant no matter what I order, I try to only eat 1/2 half and take the other half home.
- When I start to get hungry, I ask myself if I can wait just 1/2 hour longer before eating a snack or a meal.
- My favorite snack is graham crackers and milk. I used to eat at least two packs a day with milk. Now I discipline myself to only eat one pack with a cup of milk.
- My wife and I split appetizers and desserts.
What I have gained from this experience:
Learning to wait has become a very empowering experience for me. I am beginning to accept that certain things take time and I am much more willing to be patient and let them happen. That in turn enables me to do more and bigger things because I now believe I can do them. Another one of my current projects is to reduce the amount of medicine I take without endangering my health.
It’s now much easier for me to act out of enlightened self interest and take the long view when I don’t have to worry about getting results right away. In essence, what were once lost causes have become worthy causes.
"He that can have Patience can have what he will"
Ben Franklin
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