Two years ago after I turned forty-five, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I knew I had to change my eating habits and drop some weight. I’m 5’7″ tall and weighed 195 Lbs. I have tried fad diets, and they just left me hungry or irritable. Stimulant drinks or diet pills caused my pulse to race well above 140 bpm. I drank a Rockstar energy drink on my way to work one morning and by noon I was in the ER, because my pulse spiked to 210 bpm. They had to perform a cardioversion, which means using medication to stop and restart my heart to a normal rhythm.
My physical limitations are very frustrating. Because of my recent neck surgery (two fused vertebrae), my physical activity has become very limited. I used to work out on the elliptical for an hour every day and lift weights. I may not have much control over my physical limitations, but I do have control over what I eat. There were two amazing things that helped me lose thirty pounds without exercise.
I first found a great app on my iPhone called “My Fitness Pal.” It does a wonderful job of keeping track of calories and nutrition. You set up a profile and enter your current weight. Then you can type in your weight goal, and the app will tell you how how many calories you can have to reach that goal. In the search menu, type in your meal or food, and it will find it for you which includes fast food and several restaurants. It gives you nutritional information. I love the nutritional feature, because it keeps track of the amount of fat, carbs, vitamin C, etc. A pie chart is also provided to inform you of how much protein, fat and carbs you are allowed to achieve your goal. You can also track your exercise, and it will calculate how many calories you burned and subtract it from your calories you have eaten that day.
The second thing I do is take “Nopalina.” It does a great job of detoxing your system. It contains fiber and flax seed. Fiber supports regularity, and it reduces constipation provided you drink plenty of water. Flax seed contain omega3 which may lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease. I have to take “Nopalina” and count calories. Counting calories can be a pain, but it definitely keeps you honest. You will think twice before eating that chocolate piece of cake that has 750 calories and forty-two grams of fat, or you could eat your cake and determine how much exercise you must do to burn it off.
I lost thirty pounds in about three months. I didn’t feel deprived. The best part is I don’t get bloated anymore. I only have ten more pounds to go.
*Image courtesy Flickr creative commons.