I made it! It was a brutal 90 days (a little more, actually, as I was interrupted a couple of times), but I completed the P90X fitness program. I thought I’d share some of what I’ve learned over the last three months.

First, losing weight and pushing past fitness plateaus is no small task. There were two weeks during which I had to take a hiatus from my workouts. To make matters worse, these times coincided with family visits or work trips that included some good, good eating. And my weigh-ins after these interims consistently provided bad news. Which confirms what I’ve known for many years: battling weight gain will haunt me for the rest of my life! I can keep it at bay as long as I workout regularly and carefully watch what I eat every day. But if I slack off for even a moment – BAM! – back to fat pants!

As I mentioned before, exercise is only half of what you need to lose weight (burning more calories than you consume). Actually, it might even be less than half. Examining and reprogramming my eating habits has been essential to effective weight loss.

Now you might be thinking, “I’ve heard this all before. ‘Eat less and exercise more‘ blah blah blah.” But wait, I’m not done yet! The following are keys to what I’ve decided will help me lose weight and keep off the weight long term:

• How much I eat. This is the most obvious. There are numerous calculators to help determine how many calories you need based on your daily level of activity. But let’s be honest: I can readily admit that I tend to eat too much, especially if I don’t pay close attention.
• What you eat. Another obvious one, really. A steady diet of Krispy Kreme donuts and pizza is full of fat and low in nutrients and fiber. Meaning that it provides a quick high (due to the simple carbs and sugars being broken down quickly and rushing into your system) followed by…hunger and a lack of energy! I have started to eat oatmeal every morning since it’s a bowl of complex carbs which break down slowly, providing me with energy all morning long. I’m also maxxing out my intake of vegatables – being mostly water, they provide a ton of vitamins and fiber, filling me up. Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart – no really, they are! I’m putting them in everything now. Of course, with my sweet tooth, it would be counterproductive to try and abstain from all treats. But instead of snacking all day long, I allow myself to indulge in a small piece of dark chocolate once in a while – it’s incredible how much better it tastes now!
• When you eat. Some may have a hard time with this one, but it’s simply a matter of redistributing your calories more evenly throughout the day. I eat immediately after my workout and less than 2 hours after I wake up (about 6:30) – this both revs up my metabolism and helps me recover from my workout faster. But it’s a small meal (a protein shake) which means I’m ready for my “2nd breakfast” (think hobbits) around 9:30. Lunch is at 12:00, a snack at 3:00, and I’m ready for dinner at 5:30. Lastly, stop eating 3 hours before bedtime. I help myself by brushing my teeth shortly after dinner, which, for me, is a mental signal that I’m “done eating.” The pre-bedtime fast allows my body to mostly digest dinner before entering its nighttime hibernation.
• How you eat. This is my own trick. I’ve found that eating with the kids has increased the pace at which I eat. It’s a survival tactic, as most parents know, that if you don’t want to go hungry, you need to shovel your food in before the next child asks for something or throws a tantrum (talking about M here…). However, I’ve found that by cutting my food into smaller pieces and eating it more slowly – taking sips of water in between – I allow the “satiated” trigger in my body to trip earlier.

In addition to these guidelines, I must admit I’m a fan of “cheating.” Completely depriving myself of all sweets would only lead me to binge at some point. Unfortunately, I find too often that I don’t limit my “cheats” as strictly as I should. It’s a journey, I keep telling myself…

I’m currently reading a book called Mindless Eating (which I heard about from another book I recently finished called Tipping Point) which talks about the psychology and environmental triggers that lead to poor eating habits. I’ll post what I learn from that once I finish it.

What eating tricks have you found? Will you try any of these tips yourself?