Imagine you ate two slices of pizza that were 540 calories for lunch (total) on Saturday and a grilled chicken salad (540 cals as well) for lunch on Sunday.  Strictly speaking of trying to lose weight, which meal helped you more?

Neither, they’re identical as far as losing weight is concerned.

I’ve always been more about telling my story here and letting people decide whether or not they want to follow it.  You know, “the story,” where  a few years ago I decided to stop eating so much (counting calories) and started moving around more (burning calories) on a regular basis.  I didn’t change the type of food I ate at first, but instead just ate less of it.

Yesterday, a new study came out showing that I was onto something.

The study, shared in a Reuters story dubbed “Calories count, but not where they come from” showed that the source of calories consumed by participants was unimportant when it came to losing weight.  Regardless of the levels of fat, carbs, and protein each participant consumed during the study, no greater loss in weight or fat was observed.

Oh snap.

To be fair, even though they’re equal in the realm of weight loss, I wouldn’t recommend eating 500 calories of popcorn over 500 calories of a “balanced” meal (lean meat, veggies, etc).  You’ll feel like crap after eating the popcorn and be completely void of energy.  And keep in mind, the number on your bathroom scale isn’t the only one you should watch.

Still, this study backs up what I’ve talked about since I started losing weight:  moderation is king at the end of the day.  The best way to lose weight is to not be afraid to eat the food that you love and enjoy yourself.  Another point in the study is that “…those participants who adhered better (to counting calories), lost more weight than those who did not.”

I bet they did.  The “perfect” diet is the one that you can stick to for a lifetime.  I went through numerous fad diets and programs before I realized that in January of 2009.

This showed up in my Facebook inbox on Friday night:

So I’m not sure how much you remember of me from hs (high school), but I’m pretty much in the same place that you were…I want to get healthy and lose weight, but I have no idea where to start…it’s like one big ugly circle…is there any advice that would make this easier? At least in the beginning?

The ole’ “how do I get started losing weight” question.  I get it often.  Most aren’t looking for the answer “count calories!,” they’re looking for a quick step by step guide on how to literally get started losing weight.  Consider this that very quick guide.

Step One

Realize that counting calories is indeed the best way to lose weight.  You get started by losing weight and can continue to do so for a very long time by just eating less of what you’re currently eating every day.  Most people can eat around 2,000 calories a day and lose weight for a while, but you’ll have to find the number that is specific to you.

There are things outside of counting calories that come into play down the road, but counting calories and portion control is the foundation for your weight loss and always will be.  Counting calories isn’t about eating salads all day, but instead keeping the high in calorie food to a minimum, which oftentimes works out to be the “bad” food.

Step Two 

Moderate both counting and burning calories.  When you tell yourself you can’t have something, that’s when your body begins to crave it — eventually, you’ll cave, and you’ll cave (binge) hard.  Instead of eliminating french fries, soda, ice cream or any other arbitrary food from your diet, moderate its consumption.  Leave that kind of food out of the house and only indulge on infrequent occasions.

You don’t get started losing weight by saying goodbye to ice cream.  You lose weight by not eating half a pint in front of the television on a Tuesday night.

As far as burning calories, don’t be a gym rat.  Unfortunately, you usually see an influx of these guys and gals around early January every year.  Most folks new to the game think that the longer you can burn calories the more weight you’ll lose, and that’s of course true, but if you burn out and stop going entirely by February — you’ve failed.

Around an hour a day Monday through Friday — that’s all the gym you need.

Step three

Tell everybody you know that you’re trying to lose weight.  Don’t feel shame, but instead feel confident that you will lose weight and it won’t bother you in the slightest when the weight starts coming off.  I posted a video of myself online at 344 pounds (which is how this all started) then sent it to friends, family, and the internet.

It was embarrassing at first, but it motivated me to change.

The reason for telling everybody you know is to gather support for your journey.  Don’t expect friends and family to change the way they eat or drink as that’s honestly not fair to them, but just set the ground rules and tell them that you mean business about making changes in your life.   You might get some naysayers or negative comments, but most folks that you know should support what you’re doing.  Telling everybody you know is sort of like a warning shot across the bow.

Whether they like it or not, you’ll be a changed person next time they see you.

I stared down the demon inside of me this weekend.  It blinked.

In a situation that would normally result in the consumption of thousands of calories, I practiced self-control.  While I’m sure I could’ve indulged and “made up for it Monday,” I’m tired of making up for my poor choices over the weekend.  I want to move forward and not keep slipping into neutral.

Here’s what I had to contend with this weekend:

- It was Saturday night, a time when I often become lax
- Rare trip to a “sitdown” restaurant (Outback)
- Eating with family
- Really hungry and thirsty

I was in a social setting and had tons of delicious and high calorie foods to choose from.  It was a rare occurrence, so the feeling to indulge was strong.  So what’d I eat?  About 5 ounces of sirloin, a baked potato with very little butter, and sauteed mushrooms.

With a water, of course.

That’s in stark contrast to my old lifestyle, or even my lifestyle of three months ago, where I’d order a sweet tea, pick at an appetizer, and get a chicken breast covered in cheese and fries and eat 1,500 calories.  I probably ate 500 calories Saturday night.

We make choices every day.  Do you want to go closer to your goal, or further away?

I didn’t only love drinking soda at 344 pounds, but I avoided water at all costs.

My dislike for water ran deep.  If I were stranded in the middle of the desert a few years back and came across a refrigerator that fell out of an airplane and was stocked with water — I would ignore it and keep looking for a fridge stocked with Pepsi.

A little outlandish, sure, but it’s not far off from the truth.

I can recall countless times during the summer when I’d go inside to take a break from the hot South Carolina sun after cutting grass and grab a can of Coke to cool down and get “hydrated.”  During the rare game of basketball in my childhood driveway, I would take a break on the tailgate of my dad’s Tacoma with a bottle of Mountain Dew.

A soda can was on my nightstand at night for when I got thirsty, not water.

All of this has changed, of course, and I’ve gone from rarely drinking soda to cutting it out completely:  9 days and counting.   I love the taste of water and don’t go anywhere without my CamelBak.  I need constant access to fresh water.  Yes, like a dog.

As of today, I drink about two gallons of water without even thinking.  A lot of people force themselves to drink water.  I have to force myself to stop drinking.

I have to pee probably a dozen times a day.

I know this is a grossly overused phrase, but seriously, if I can stop drinking so much soda and trade it for water, anybody can.  The only thing stopping you is you.

At my biggest, I probably drank 4-6 cans of soda in the evenings.

That doesn’t include the (usually large) to-go fountain soda I might get with fast food meals on any given day.  It also doesn’t include any soda and refills I’d have at sit down restaurants.   Before I lost weight, my wife and I would frequent a local restaurant and ask for our usual waiter, Xavier.   I always requested him because he “took care of me” and brought me two glasses of soda (Pepsi) when I sat down.

I gulped those down and he brought me more before the second glass was empty.

I probably used to consume nearly a thousand calories of soda a day.  Over the last week, I’ve had zero calories from soda.  You don’t have to quit drinking soda to lose weight — I’ve done just fine over the last few years by practicing moderation, simply restricting my soda consumption to maybe 40-50 ounces (3-4 cans) a week.

I just want to see how long I can go without soda, that’s all.

8 days and counting.