Tuesday, May 27, 2014

What is The Glutton Free Diet?

So, you may be asking, "What is The Glutton Free Diet?" Well, besides being a play on words, it is a not-so-revolutionary, not-so-new, healthy way of life that can be summed up as avoiding gluttonous behavior (a glutton is a person who eats and drinks excessively or voraciously).

The main points of the Glutton Free Diet are probably the same lifestyle changes that your doctor has been telling you to make for years now. After a while you feel like you are living in a Kaiser Permanente commercial. The main points are as follows:
  1. Excercise. Walk, run, ride bike, etc. Just get off the couch a couple times per week.
  2. Lower your sugar intake. No soda pop.
  3. Cut the simple carbs. Complex carbs are okay in moderation.
  4. Drink more water.
  5. Make smart food choices. Get a side salad instead of fries.
  6. Pay attention to your calorie intake. If you take in extra calories at lunch, eat less for dinner.
  7. Don't over-eat. Dish up small portions. Stop when you are full. 
Everybody has slightly different dietary needs, so customize as needed, but keep common sense at the root of your food choices. 

In my own case, I have struggled with obesity, high cholesterol, and prediabetes in recent years. A year of vigorous walking (three times per week) was able to help drop 15 lbs. and bring the cholesterol under control, but my blood sugar levels took another step closer to the diabetic range, so I needed to make some drastic changes.

For me, French fries are the enemy. So are big bowls of ice cream -- I often eat a small piece of dark chocolate for dessert instead. No more soda pop or dried pineapple. Pasta and bread are okay in moderation, especially if whole grain. In addition to making better dietary choices, I have stepped up my game and added running to my exercise routine. The year of walking has been good for my knees and tendons, and the transition to running has been mostly pain free.

Just over three years ago I weighed 241 lbs., and today I am right at 200 lbs. My goal is to make it down to 185 or 190, and then transition to a caloric intake level that maintains my weight. For reference, I am 5'-10" tall and 43 years old. [3/29/15 Update: I just weighed in at 176 lbs.]

I don't really know where this blog will go, but I hope to post whatever I think pertains to living the "Glutton Free" life.

#gluttonfreediet 

4 comments:

  1. Common sense approach to an everyday problem for many! I'm looking forward to seeing where this takes you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. 10/5/14 Update: I weighed in at 184 lbs this morning, and it feels great!

    ReplyDelete