Weight Loss As an Unexpected Benefit From a Change in Diet

I would like to share with you a useful lesson that I learned about losing weight without even trying. Well maybe not without trying, lets rather say without any effort or willpower.

I am only 5ft 4in tall and used to weigh 140lbs when I was younger but as I matured I gained an extra 20lbs. This may not seem a lot but it made me feel uncomfortable and I tried really hard to lose the extra weight. I was eating carefully and avoiding too many cakes or junk foods but somehow the weight just remained. I even exercised regularly by running about 15 miles per week. In the end I just resigned myself to the fact that it was a natural result of getting a bit older.

This all changed when I had a medical and my cholesterol was found to be too high. My doctor suggested that I go onto regular medication to control it. What a shock to think that I could possibly be taking pills for the rest of my life. I just couldn't contemplate doing this.

My wife and I started examined everything that we were eating. Very quickly we saw that we were eating lots of things that could contribute to the problem. Thus we began a very interesting learning curve to find out which products contribute to your cholesterol. We very quickly eliminated fatty red meat, fats and oil from our diet. We also reduced our dairy products (cheese, milk, cream) intake. In the process we started introducing more fish, chicken, fruit and vegetables into our diet. We started making some very tasty sauces and puddings that were low in cholesterol. It was quite an adventure devising all these lovely new dishes and meals became an exciting event.

Needless to say my cholesterol retreated to normal levels and has remained there ever since but there was an exciting side effect. Both my wife and I lost weight. We weren't even thinking about this at the time, it just happened.

So what was the lesson that I learned about weight loss?

Well the lesson that I learned was that you should focus your attention on what you are eating not what weight you want to lose. Experiment with interesting and nutritious dishes. Eliminate the junk foods and fatty foods. Enjoy your meals. Make the effort to keep your food interesting and you will lose weight.