How I Lost 75 LBS? Diet and Exercise. That's It!

One Year

Today marks one year since my I started my new health goal and one of the most important milestones in my life. I lost an estimated 75 LBS and I feel great!

But here is the twist... losing weight was not my health goal. Losing weight was actually a bi-product of achieving my goal.

My health goal was

1. Stop eating the foods that can lead to high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, stroke, heart attack, type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity, death, depression, anxiety, and about 30 other serious health risks
2. Start eating more of the foods that will protect me against those very health risks – mostly a whole-food plant-based diet, but I still eat white meat

These diseases are serious. For example, 72 people die of cancer every hour and every 52 seconds a person dies from cardiovascular disease in the USA. These are startling statistics.

In this article I share how I lost the weight.

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Diet

I stopped eating

1. Added refined sugars
2. Ultra Processed Foods (UPF)
3. Red meat

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Shift - I now eat a huge breakfast, a full lunch, and a smaller supper. I shifted my eating to earlier in the day giving more time for digestion. I feel satisfied after supper and no longer need to snack, in fact I don't have any snacks in the house. I eat as much as I want within those three restrictions. No special diet.

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Breakfast - My new breakfast is typically steel cut oats (overnight), banana, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, high-protein no-fat yogurt, walnuts, cocoa, black coffee and an orange. Substitutes include apple, peaches, blackberries, raspberry, etc. Whatever is in season. No orange juice as most contain added sugar.

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Lunch - My favorite lunch is my signature "Toasted BBQ Chicken Sandwich" on rye bread with basil and tomato sauce, melted cheese, red onion, red pepper, lettuce, garlic salt, mustard and mayonnaise. I still haven't found a substitute for mayonnaise, but open to suggestions. I follow this with an afternoon green tea and some fruit. Lunch varies with soup, salads etc.

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Supper - There is no typical supper, although I eat way more leafy green salads in the summer. A summer salad is a canvas for leafy greens, veggies, fruits, cottage cheese, red onion, bell pepper, nuts, berries and BBQ chicken. Every salad is completely different and tasty.

I meal prep weekly with 7 containers full of veggies like broccoli, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, cucumbers, bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic, etc. I add these to pasta, chicken, turkey, perogies, sweet potatoes, legumes, etc. Varies quite a bit from meal to meal. I follow this with black coffee, nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, mix) and dark chocolate 95%. Before bed I enjoy a lemon and ginger hot water for a perfect sleep.

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Exercise

Graduated - I graduated my walking to

• 6km per day (about 8,000 steps) including weekends which is a full length marathon every week. I split this into 3 walks: morning, noon and evening. No music or podcasts, just time to think and enjoy the quiet of my neighborhood and company of my neighbors and their amazing dogs
• 12 moderate to steep hills / trail climbs per day

For many years I used to mountain bike (off road) 4km daily. Later I shifted to walking 8km daily at my peak. I stopped walking during the pandemic out of fear of catching COVID. I restarted walking and now 6 km but with 8 more hills/trails daily. I graduated this walking over a five-month period

• 0.5 km / day (due to a small injury)
• 1 km / day
• 1.5 km / day
• 1.5 km / day with 2 hills
• 3 km / day with 4 hills
• 4 km / day with 4 hills + 4 trails
• 6 km / day with 6 hills + 6 trails

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Diet vs Exercise - Some experts claim that the keys to losing weight are 80% diet and 20% exercise. I would agree with that, but note that both are essential and they require great sleep for most effective results. And the results are transformational. My combination of diet and exercise resulted in significant outcomes.

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Outcomes

Here are my observations

• Immediate results were achieved in just a few weeks. I noticed weight loss initially in my face, then started to shed the weight at almost 2 LBS per week. I was worried I was losing too much weight but on the advice of my doctor, "don't worry – monitor how you feel and keep going until you reach your equilibrium" and this advice worked for me
• I reached my equilibrium weight (which for me is roughly the midpoint of BMI normal weight) in about 10 months reducing my waistline roughly 4"
• Greater strength in my legs, back, lungs, and heart mainly due to hills and trails
• Improving my eating has given me way more energy and core power
• Perfect blood pressure
• Improved taste – oddly about two weeks in I noticed the whole foods I ate tasted way better than ever before
• I feel sharper and laser focused
• I don't get tired in the afternoon
• Positive outlook with incredible optimism
• No sick days, but I actually haven't had a sick day since the start of the pandemic
• My capacity to handle stress is way up
• I use to have an inflammation cough that completely vanished
• Perfect sleep perhaps due to diet, exercise, fresh air and an occasional lemon and ginger drink before bed. Great sleep has been a game changer for me
• I now look forward to my daily outdoor walks and fresh air in nearly all weather conditions (no treadmill)
• Improved balance and reaction time by walking on uneven steep trails
• I can now do my daily walks effortlessly including running flat-out up the steepest trails. I am considering a weighted vest to increase challenge and increase muscle strength
• Losing weight led to more energy, which led to more exercise, which led to more weight loss, which led to more energy and so on until I reached equilibrium
• Once I reached equilibrium I have been able to maintain my weight remarkably at +/-2 LBS
• On one hand healthy food can be more expensive, but on the other hand I have cut out foods that had zero nutritional value and were bad for me. I am not sure if it is more or less expensive as everything has gone up in price it seems. An extreme example is that I replaced ice cream ($5) with healthy cherries ($15)
• I no longer fit into many of my cloths – a good problem to have
• Hiking shoes are typically rated for 1200 km so I go through at least one pair per year, and I do notice the wear and tear on my Merrell Moab 3 Waterproof shoes which are so comfortable
• Rain gear and layered clothing is also essential. Sunblock, sunglasses, a hat are important all year round. A reflective flak jacket is critical to be seen in fall and winter months when it's dark out. Having this ready to go at a moments notice
• Flexibility matters, occasional rewards, keeping my overall goal in mind
• I work from home fulltime. This was essential to achieving my health goal. I also work for an organization that fosters health and even offers a free health app for tips, tracking and learning
• I gained a new love for cooking & BBQ
• Overall this year has provided me a sense of accomplishment and confidence in myself. It is not so much the weight loss but rather the outcome of the weight loss that is of value – like more energy, eagerness to take on more challenge, feeling great, confidence and so on
• I feel like I am 20 again

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Changes

Brands / Food Products - Here are some brands and food products I no longer choose to purchase

• McDonald's
• Burger King
• Wendy's
• Harvey's
• A&W
• Five Guy's
• Subway
• KFC
• Taco Bell
• Arby's
• Denny's
• Quiznos
• Domino's
• Tim Hortons
• Starbucks
• Cinnabon
• Laura Secords Chocolate
• Coca Cola
• Hires Root Beer
• Orange Crush
• Ginger Ale
• Pepsi
• Dr Pepper
• Mountain Dew
• Allen's Apple Juice
• V8 Juice
• Tropicana Orange Juice
• Minute Maid Orange Juice
• Apple Cinnamon Cheerios Cereal
• Rasin Bread
• Egg McMuffins
• Bagel with Cream Cheese
• English Muffins
• Blueberry Scones
• French toast
• Harvest Crunch Granola Cereal
• Eggo Waffles
• Farmers Market Muffins
• Farmers Market French Croissant
• Okios Flavored Yogurt*
• Astro Flavored Yogurt
• IOGO Flavored Yogurt
• Kraft Singles Cheese Slices
• Kraft Dinner Mac and Cheese
• D'Italiano Texas Toast White Bread
• Ben's Original Rice
• Diana's BBQ Sauce
• Lou's Kitchen Pulled Pork / Shaved Beef
• Maple Leaf Natural Selections Processed Lunch Meat
• Various Steaks, Pork, Bacon, Ribs and Sausages
• President Choice Beef Burgers
• President Choice Chicken Wings
• Hunts Tomato Sauce
• Primo Tomato Sauce
• Premium Plus Crackers
• Ritz Crackers
• Nutri-Grain Energy Bars
• Nature Valley Energy Bars
• Cool Whip
• JELLO Pudding
• Rice Krispies
• Bryers Chocolate Mint Ice Cream
• Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream
• Chapman's Ice Cream Sandwich
• Magnum Ice Cream Bars
• Twizzlers
• Jelly Beans
• Nestle Kit Kat
• Aero Chocolate Bar
• Mars Bar
• Chunky Chocolate Bar
• Caramilk Cadbury Chocolate Bar
• Coffee Crisp Chocolate Bar
• Smarties
• Neilson Jersey Milk Chocolate Bar
• M&M's Chocolate
• Presidents Choice Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Ruffles Potato Chips
• Lays Potato Chips
• Pringle's Potato Chips
• Doritos Chips
• Cheetos Cheezies
• Orville Redenbacher's Extra Buttery Popcorn

(*) Note: I do like their high-protein, no-sugar yogurt along with Siggits.

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Shopping - I have enjoyed these brands and have many fond memories. I have changed and now shop the edges of the grocery store for mostly one-ingredient foods. I use an amazing app called Yuka.io. The Yuka app was and remains invaluable to me – it scans barcodes in grocery stores to rate healthy foods. I had thought that a common breakfast cereal was good for you given the health stickers on the box, but I was shocked to learn a score of only 18/100 which is poor.

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Eating Out - When I eat out I do the best I can to avoid unhealthy foods. I wish restaurant meals used standardized bar codes that could be scanned by apps like Yuka that independently score the health impact of foods. Restaurants don't adhere to these standards: I really have to dig for it.

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Fast Food - I actually stopped eating fast food at the start of the pandemic worried of contamination. Fast food restaurants have seen declines in revenue over the summer of 2023/4. They claim that this is due to the high inflation. I wonder if it is also because people are already making healthier food choices and avoiding fast food chains? I am certainly not the first person to make this change. I wonder if/how fast food chains will either evolve to include healthier choices or simply collapse?

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All In - While I gradually increased my exercise, I jumped "all in" on food changes. Over a weekend I cleared out my fridge and pantry, giving away many foods in the process. I replaced everything with healthy choices and I am still learning about healthy choices.

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Learning - From a willpower perspective, my move away from added sugar, UPF, and red meat was actually easier than I thought, but this did require learning for me. This was my biggest challenge and actually the reason for this article, to make it easier for people to know this is within everyone's reach. I had to

• Research and learn how to eat healthy
• Relearn how to meal plan, shop, cook and prepare meals
• Calculate and track daily water, calories, sugar, sodium, and protein at the start. This is where the value of a nutritionist is important

Today, I continue to journal and track my weight (daily and weekly), how I feel and what I ate. My only regret is that I didn't know the impacts and dangers of these unhealthy foods years ago.

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Ultra Processed Food Dangers

Research - The research is clear and growing

• Ultra-processed foods are associated with increased risk of cancer and cardiometabolic multimorbidity
• These ultra processed foods may shorten your life, study says

There is growing evidence of the dangers of consuming UPF and the overconsumption of added refined sugars. Poor diet, lack of exercise, lack of proper sleep are at the root of so many health problems in society today (as l listed above).

If society can solve this root problem, then many other serious medical conditions simply vanish or are greatly reduced.

This has enormous benefits to everyone in society, well almost everyone – and here is where my learning discovered something mysterious that we need to shine a light on.

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My Call for Change

Mystery - Today we have some pretty incredible technology, especially in health care. So why is our society sicker than ever? Why are so many people obese? Nearly 70% of US troops are overweight or obese. How is this possible?

I learned that our bodies have evolved from ancestors who did not have an abundance of food like we do. Our ancestors were in a regular state of food starvation and this state kept them focused (and sharp) in order to hunt and survive. Today we have an abundance of food and lack of need for exercise and this combination is literally killing us through chronic diseases.

I learned that many of these health issues never existed before I was born, yet shot up since the 1980s. Today it is staggering how many teens are diagnosed with cancer, which I never heard of 30 years ago. What caused this was a mystery until fairly recent. Let me explain the harmful cycle.

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Harmful Cycle - I learned that there is a harmful cycle that is at the root of this issue. A cycle that puts profits over people's health. A cycle that

• Starts with marketing of sugary cereals and treats (targeted at children)
• Followed by the consumption of UPF that are intentionally engineered to get us to eat more by making these foods addictive
• People diagnosed with serious conditions
• Physicians prescribing pharmaceuticals
• Followed by several medical operations
• Chronic health care needs and
• Ends in some cases with amputations or even death in extreme cases

This is a harmful cycle that generates massive profits for big industries. We need to break this cycle. Similar to the "Smoking is harmful campaign" that took decades to solve, this will take time to change but will result in enormously positive outcomes for society. According to Professor Seyfried, the US could drop the death rate of cancer by 50% in just 5 years, but we are up against very large institutions. In my opinion the easy way to change this is to vote with your wallet.

I learned that many of these health issues can be reversible by simply changing diet and exercise habits.

Subsidy - How is it that a bag of cherries costs three times more than a tub of mass produced ice cream? This makes no sense considering the manufacturing process, ingredients, packaging, marketing, etc. We need to ensure that government subsidy is spent towards healthy foods, not UPFs.

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Starting in Schools - We need to teach children how to eat healthy and maintain their health throughout their entire lives. Incorporating food prep and mealtime relationships into their daily routines. We need to re-evaluate school breakfast and lunch programs to ensure kids are getting healthy meals, not UPF or added sugars. We need to criminalize ads targeted at children promoting sugary cereals.

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Food Stamps - In the United States food stamps can be used on UPF, and this must change. But alongside that change healthy food choices must also be made geographically available to everyone.

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Transforming Healthcare - Doctors play an essential role in society. I was shocked to learn that most doctors have only 4 hours of nutrition courses. Many professionals believe that doctors must be formally trained in nutrition as a core requirement of certification to practice medicine (as food is literally a medicine). We also need to reward doctors, not for how many prescriptions they issue, but rather their ability to improve their patients’ health over a longitudinal period. There are unique approaches to this in other parts of the world that we must explore in Canada (i.e. Blue Zones).

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City Design and Remote Work - Ideally every city should be a walkable "place" (including bikes) that fosters both exercise and socializing in one place. Sadly, in Canada many cities were designed not for people, but rather for cars. This poor design is now costing us enormously. This results in horrific commutes (especially the traffic in the GTHA) and ultimately has negative health consequences. Given this reality, we need to value remote work programs for the health benefits they can achieve.

From my experience over the last year, spending an hour each day walking on a trail has been far healthier for me than having to endure a very stressful and dangerous two-hour commute.

Now multiply that against a large portion of our workforce. Remote work will not work for everyone, but for many the potential health benefits are enormous when compared to the alternative. And a healthy workforce is important to every organization's bottom line.

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Society - On the other hand, building a healthy society is beneficial for all Canadians in order to

• Save on health care costs
• Reduce health insurance
• Reduce suffering
• Mitigate future costs / unnecessary health infrastructure builds
• Energize our population and increase productivity, creativity and innovation
• Reduce depression, violence and crime
• Increase happiness and friendliness that adds to tourism and economic viability
• Build a healthy and strong military and
• Ultimately enable Canada to become a more competitive nation on the global scale

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Next Steps

This year has been an absolutely life changing experience for me. While this marks one year, given the results I have decided to continue my health goal permanently. I plan to continue my learning, refine my choices, expand my cooking experiences, and advocate for big change where I can. I am proof that losing 75 LBS can be achieved with just diet and exercise. Of all the programs I have seen over the years working in many aspects of government, improving our diet and exercise is the single most impactful program that every government and citizen should get behind. This is a worthy cause for society.

Look, I am not trying to live 10 years longer. I just want my last 10 years to be my best 10 years!

As a society, we should all strive to make this equitable and accessible for everyone. Without our health we have nothing. Reach out if you want to learn more about my journey and how easy it was to achieve this health goal. Diet and exercise, that's it!

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Cheers, Steve

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P.S. I leave you with some key resources that helped my journey

• Yuka.io
• Blue Zones
• NutritionFacts.org
• Harvard Health
• Dr Chris van Tulleken
• Dr Rangan Chattterjee
• Dr Robert Lustig

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#UltraProcessedFoods, #UPF, #Health, #Eating, #Exercise, #Nutrition, #WholeFoods, #Walking, #Hiking, #Trails, #HillWalking, #WeightLoss, #Sleep, #HealthyLifestyle, #FastFood, #MealPrep