Before I even go any details about what this is about, I must stress, I AM NOT A DOCTOR. I'm also not trying to sell anyone on any sort of particular plan for weight loss. Changing ones diet and excercise habits can be a very major thing and no one should do it without consulting a professional before hand.

About 5 years ago, my wife joined Weight Watchers while she was pregnant with our second daughter. As a show of support, I decided to go along with the plan as well. I didn't join WW but, I did follow their "points" program and modified it to my liking. My results? I lost 90lbs in 7 Months. Now, before you go and get all excited over these results I want to make something clear, I gained 70 of it back. This happened for several reasons and in the end, I'm the only one to blame for it. I'll also mention that it took over 3 years for me to gain all that weight back. So, it wasn't a huge and fast effect yo-yoing but, it definitely was one.

I've decided that I miss the smaller version of myself and want to get back to that again, if not even further than I got before. The big question the comes into play of how do I intend to do this. I've decided that I will use the same techniques that worked before but, this time around, I don't plan on eliminating all the indulgences that caused me to lose track in the past when I rediscovered them again.

For those who have no idea about how the WW points system works, it goes like this. You get so many points based on weight, age, gender, height, and normal activity level. Every food is given a points value based on the total calories, fat grams, and fiber grams in it. The goal is to use only as many points as you are allowed per day. There are weekly "bonus points" that you get automatically and, you can earn points for activity based on the length and intensity of it. They have all of these nifty tools that you can use for figuring out points and keeping track of them but, you have to join to be able to do that.

To make it simple for the average person to do I am going to think of it in calories. First, I took my weight, 323, removed the last digit and then multiplied by 50 to get 1600. (323 - 3 = 32. 32 x 50 = 1600) Then I figure myself to be of average height so, I give myself 100 more. My age is 32 so I give myself 100 more (if you were younger you get more, if older, less.) I'm male so I give myself another 400 (females get less, 250, unless they are pregnant then they get 1000). Then I'm only mildly active in my daily life so I get 100. (If I didn't do anything at all then 0, if I am hard labor, 300.) When I add this all up, it gives me a total of 2300 calories. Now, mind you this is my own formula. I'm not saying that this is what everyone should be using but, it's what I'm using.

When it comes to the food portion of the equation. For every 12 grams of fat I add 50 calories and for every 1 gram of fiber I subtract 10 calories, after adding and subtracting the calories from the total calories I then round it to the nearest 50. Take french fries for example, the box says, 340 calories, 23 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber. 23(fat grams) = 2 x 50 = 100. 2 (grams of fiber) x -10 = -20. 340 (original calories) + 100 - 20 = 420 = rounded comes to 400.

When it comes to the "bonus points" they normally equate to 1600 that you would be able to spread out across the week. BUT! I ignore those, I also don't buy into the "activity level Plus points". The bonus points are nice but, for me they pose to much of a threat. Think of it like this. You could wait all week and use those for a "special treat" but, then you have a bad week and remember how good that treat tasted just a couple days ago and you decided to get another and use your points early but, the week doesn't get better and you end up going again, now you're behind. When it comes into the activity points, honestly, I'm not a health trainer, I get the duration factor but don't really know how to properly judge a mild, moderate, or intense workout. I figure if I don't count them then I won't accidently inflate my diet with false numbers.

With these formulas for what I'm allowed and how I measure what I take in, this is how I go about the process. The first week is rather mild. I know my caloric range for the day and try to stay close to it but, don't beat myself up for not hitting the mark exactly everyday. During this week, if I plan to take more vitamins or supplements than I normally do during this process, this is when I start them. The second week I stick as close to the formula as much as possible while incorporating more fresh fruits and veggies into my normal foods.  The third week I start parking a little further away at work and try to find things to keep me more active during slow times. Nothing strenuous or really being viewed as "excercise" but, more movement in general. Once the 4th week hits, I am religious about sticking to my numbers and start doing some mild excercise. Week 5 I make sure to cook one thing I used to gorge on but, limit the amount of it to the new eating restrictions. It then continues on this way until I've reached my target weight. The idea is that more excercise occurrs as you go along but not to the point where you are hitting the gym for an hour everyday. Remember, you are losing weight during this process so, your caloric numbers will continue to go down. Your body will run on less fuel as it shrinks but, if you over amp the activity level, it'll get tricked into thinking it's starving and won't burn anything.

When it comes to the foods; Lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Whole grain breads and pastas. Lean meats or meats made lean by fat removal. I end up trying to limit my red meat down to only a couple days a week if possible. I also try to incorporate more whole grains and things like beans into my meals. The idea is, if it's got fiber, it's in. If it's all fat and calories, it's out. But, I do believe in taking in some fats everyday. The way I look at it, if you want your body to digest fat, you have to feed it a little to have it get a taste for it.

I don't feel like I'm starving when I do this by doing a couple of things. First and most important, I eat often, almost every 2 hours. Most of the times it's a piece of fruit, veggies, pickles, or a sandwich of lean meat on light bread. This makes my body into a constant digesting cycle and keeps it from thinking it is starving but, in reality, it's being provided with so few calories that it naturally looks to eat up fat along with it. I also drink half a liter of water after eating anything. This helps to keep me feeling full as well and it causes the digestion process to go quicker. Also, it gets me up and running around quite a bit to the bathroom. Like I said, any movement helps.

Like I said in the beginning, I'm not a doctor. Heck, I might be the only person this plan works for but, I knew some of you were curious about it. Hopefully it works for me again. And this time, I plan to make it stick when it does.