How I did it: I weighed in at 210 a couple years ago, so maybe I should say this took longer...  I'd been cutting back on the food intake for a while, but only comfortable changes.  I finished school and moved out to LA, and I still had a lot of fat to lose before I felt my goal would be reached.  I had sort of hit a brick wall though.  So I removed bread, noodles, and rice from my diet and didn't replace them with anything.  I never ate a lot of potato or any other kind of starch.  Corn really became my carb of choice.  The thing about carbs is that they're terribly addictive.  The first three days of quitting carbs was rough.  But still easier than quitting cigarettes.  I still hardly eat carbs, but now I eat them every time I crave them.  I just don't crave them incessantly like I did previously.  I started lifting weights toward the end of this no-carb diet.  I think I may have let the diet go too long.  I think the actual diet lasted just a few months.  I didn't exactly count the days.  People noticed right away, and even began to point out that I didn't look healthy.  It's true.  My skin was suffering.  I started taking a multivitamin and began actively seeking exceptionally nutritious carbs.  It didn't matter at this point how much I ate, because I was gaining muscle mass from lifting weights and my metabolism was making a big come-back.  I teach kids for a living, so the activity level has also been a big factor since I graduated college.  Kids wear you out.  But now the metabolism is kicking, and I think I'm going to enjoy this new look for a long time to come. 

Lessons & tips: If you go to college, keep your physical activity level up.  Losing weight can be dangerous and difficult, while keeping it can be doubly so.  Don't gain it in the first place. 

Resources: meat.  dental floss.  willpower.  corn. 

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Dec 06, 2008, 07:55AM PST | 0 comments | 3 cheers