How I lost 60 pounds, Part II

6) Enjoy what I really enjoy without going over the top. There are some things that I just can't keep out of my diet. Rather than keep fighting to avoid things like beer or chips and salsa, I limit how much of them I eat.

7) Embrace incremental progress. A digital scale with a tenths place makes a huge difference. Ten pounds is lot of weight to lose. It's much easier to stay motivated when I see the weight coming off slowly but steadily. I just have to keep reminding myself that it's a long process. Any step in the right direction makes it that much easier to focus on the process rather than getting caught up in how many pounds I have left to lose. Monitoring my weight also provides regular feedback on whether I'm eating right and moving around enough. I recently dropped from about 220 to a little under 210. I've been floating around this weight for about a month. I've been eating too much to get any lighter. I also know that I haven't been eating enough to start putting weight back on.

8) Pay attention to, but don't obsess over, the numbers. By numbers, I mean calories and weight. While it's nice to see changes in my weight, I started this whole process with a concern about my health. I talked to my doctor about what I should target as my ideal weight. He told me that if I'm exercising regularly and eating right, my weight will settle on a point that is best for me. Trying to achieve a weight to get a good BMI or some other arbitrary target doesn't make any sense to him. As for calories, I don't count them excessively. I try to have a general idea about how many calories I eat, but I don't try to keep a regular record or anything like that.

9) Make smart choices. There are ways to make not so healthy foods into something a little more nutritious. When we order pizza, my wife and I will get light cheese (that's less of the regular cheese, not a cheese that is made with something to reduce the fat content) and only vegetable toppings (no sausage or pepperoni). I tend to stick with chicken when we eat out. I don't put cheese in my chili or eat some of a cracker with each bite. I don't get any ridiculously large portions. I also try to ask myself if I'm really hungry or do I just feel like eating.

10) Find motivation in as many places as possible with no thought to what others may think about that motivation. One of the biggest things that got me to seriously consider the health implications of my weight was the potential for impotence. Vanity is a good motivator too. I'm not ashamed to check myself out in a mirror. Seeing progress is a big motivator. I also got some motivation from some blood work that suggested that I could develop some heart problems later in life if I don't start doing something about my cholesterol levels now. That was actually the impetus for the 10 pound drop I mentioned in point 7.