Introduction

Although I grew up skinny, I've been overweight most of my adult life. I have tried most of the popular diets including Weight Watchers, Slim Fast, Medifast, The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss, Atkins, Paleo and more. I lost weight on some of them, but I always regained it. Although my medical lab reports are all fine, I have osteoarthritis from worn out joints. Being overweight doesn't help and I'm in frequent pain. Sometimes I can barely walk and have to use a cane. I have a very difficult time getting upstairs in my house. Going on long walks or playing with the grandchildren is out of the question. I don't want to be one of those people who has to use an electric cart at the grocery store like I see so many people using. I don't want to be in pain. My mother is 93 years old. I not only would love to live as long as she has, but I want to be active and able to participate in life. I talked with my son-in-law who is a soccer coach and has a degree in sports science. He says that no matter what anyone says, it's just a matter of calories in/calories out. After seeking a "magic bullet" for weight loss and not finding it, I realize he is right. The problem is that I am hungry all the time. I have read a lot and gleaned information from many books and websites and concluded that eating the right amount of protein staves off hunger because proteins stay in the stomach longer and take longer to digest. I tried it for a week and it worked. My hunger pangs went away and I ate less. Another problem I have is diminishing muscle mass. This happens to just about everyone as they age, but muscle can be replaced with a higher protein diet along with strength training. So I will be eating a diet with a little more plant protein and fewer starchy vegetables. In this blog I hope to chronicle my journey to health and fitness.