I’ve lost 75 lbs. and have never felt better at age 72. I started out at 237 lbs. and now I’m down to 162 lbs. I would love to be 155 lbs. but, it’s getting harder and harder to lose any more weight… but, I am maintaining, so that’s the good news.
The weight took a fairly long time to come off – several years of slow, but steady weight loss, with some frustrating plateau's. My partner and coach was my wife, who got on the diet train with me. It was a team effort, which really helps when you’re not going it alone. We logged every calorie each and every day and continue to this day.
Our meals consisted, and still do, of mostly frozen entrees, like Health Choice, Smart Ones, Lean Cuisine, etc. where the calories are plainly marked on the box. There are no guessing or weighing portions involved. Many of the meals are actually pretty good, others not so much. There’s a lot of variety and it is hit and miss until you can discover the dinners and brands you can stay with. The good part is there’s little chance for 2nd helpings like there is with home cooking – the key is portion control. On weekends we prepare some fun, home-cooked, low-calorie meals for variety and as a break from the routine and to cheat just a little.
Daily calorie intake for me is around 700 calories of actual food: 200 calorie breakfast and lunch and a 300 calorie dinner. I enjoy a beer or two in the evenings, so I went with 99 calorie light beer. So, my total calories are roughly under 1000 per day. Be patient and weigh yourself once a week at the same time… don’t weigh yourself every day, because you fluctuate all the time and that can be very frustrating.