Keep Weight Off for 13 Years!

How would you like a nearly fool-proof method for maintaining your weight-loss for the next 10+ years?  How about 60 minutes of walking a day?  A new study from the Department of Preventive Medicine at Harvard shows that middle-age women of "normal" weight were able to prevent weight gain for 13 years with an average of 60 minutes of moderate intensity walking a day.  Now I know that may sound like a lot, but in reality what we're talking about is 60 minutes of increased heart rate a day.  I would bet that they would see similar results with any type of activity that slightly elevated heart rate, from gardening to swimming, or from a shorter length but higher intensity activity.  Even better, the results were the same without changing any dietary habits.

Do you want a little personal proof?  A year ago I lost 40+ pounds.  I quit weighing myself after the scales were tipping 180.  I have maintained that weight for a year through Christmas, birthdays, crawfish festivals, etc.  You name it; we celebrate it here in the South.  No, I didn't count calories.  I just stayed active, and my weight has never fluctuated by more than 5 pounds since then.

The bottom line is that our bodies were meant to move.  You can diet until you are sick to death (believe me, you will be), but you will NEVER keep the weight off without some movement.  My mantra is, "I eat, therefore I exercise."  I just like eating, guys, and, I'm not about to resort to rabbit food in order to stay healthy.  Now, "Everything in moderation."  I maintain a generally healthy diet, but why should you have to cut out all treats to maintain a healthy weight?  The fact is you don't.  You just have to move.