Golden Goalies salute the Keepers

Congratulations to some of the Keepers of Golden Goalies!

Congratulations to some of the Keepers of Golden Goalies!

Bea Loozer

As we all know, losing weight isn’t easy. Most of us have also learned that maintaining weight loss can be daunting. That’s why once a year Golden Goalies have a meeting in which we salute the Keepers — those who have maintained their weight loss—and also ask those Keepers to share some tips that they have learned.

So here are some of the tips our Keepers shared with us.

Two words: Portion control! Those two words make so much difference to those losing and maintaining their weight.

Drink plenty of water. If you weigh 150 pounds, whether you’re watching your weight or not, drink at least 75 ounces of water daily to be healthy. Let’s see, that would be a little over two quarts.

Don’t forget to eat plenty of fiber. It fills you up and many types of fiber can replace saturated fats and that leads us to another tip.

Cut down on red meat. We need protein, but we can get it in beans, fish, and other foods that don’t clog your arteries.

I’m sure someone mentioned MUFA — monounsaturated fatty acids like those in olive oil, avocados and nuts. They might be high in calories, but they are a healthy food choice when used in moderation.

My favorite tip was actually discussed at our previous meeting. Based on tests on mice and humans, there is evidence that shortening our eating time can result in weight loss. I have breakfast at about 8:00 a.m. so if I eat till 8:00 p.m. and then fast till the next morning, I can see weight loss. Some even shorten the eating period so that they are doing a controlled fast for more than 12 hours. I find it easy to do the 12-hour fast so am planning to increase it to a 13 or 14-hour fast. Several of us in the group are testing this hypothesis because a week or two of controlled fasting proves nothing. Check back with us in a couple of months and we’ll see how the simple test works out.

As always, Golden Goalies determine our own weight loss goals and our own eating regimen. We are not a bossy bunch. Just supportive.

Congrats to all of the Keepers.

Join us on Saturday mornings for support, motivation, information and friendship. Weigh-in is between 7:00-7:45 in the Mirror Room of Sun Lakes Country Club. The meeting starts after weigh-in next door in the Friendship Room. Contact Rita at 895-2559 for more information.