My Dad Talks About His 50 Pound WEIGHT LOSS and HEALTHY LIFESTYLE Journey

The numbers on the scale continued to register higher and higher until the numbers strained to 260 pounds. It is difficult to describe how disappointed I was in myself. How did I let this weight gain get so out of control?

Years of indulging in foods that added to an unhealthy lifestyle + ignoring the fact that I was shortening my life was a true slap in the face. A real life wake up call. As I investigated how I could improve my health + reverse my weight gain, I decided to join Weight Watchers.

Let me be clear, the goal of losing weight was not a case of vanity, but to embark on a lifestyle that will extend my life. Each day was a struggle trying my best to meet my goals + staying away from foods that I always enjoyed.

Using the Weight Watchers app with their food point system, portion control + daily exercise allowed me each week to achieve my health goals. After six months, I am pleased to say I now weigh 210 pounds + I still continue to maintain a healthy weight + lifestyle.

As I said, the Weight Watchers program works on a food point program + I was allowed 26 points a day to achieve my goal of losing 50 pounds in 6 months. The foods included in the program range from 0 points (skinless chicken, turkey breast, shellfish, vegetables, grapes) + other foods ranging from 2 - 6 points. Some examples of 2 point foods would be avocados, a slice of bread, cottage cheese, a slice of turkey. Some examples of 6 point foods include: 1 glass of orange juice, small bowl of cooked brown rice, whole wheat pasta, baked potato. Check out Weight Watchers website for more information. I have linked it below.

Walking is an important component of my success, so I made sure I walk between 10 to 15 thousand steps a day which I recorded on my Fitbit. Before, I moved back to New Jersey, I lived in Orlando, Florida + my walking routine consisted of getting my steps in at The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios + Animal Kingdom. I actually enjoy walking as a meditation tool, so it is a win, win.

My daily routine includes the following:

I start the day with a breakfast that consisted of: Coconut Yogurt (Harmless Harvest), Cereal (Lovebird) + a cup of Organic Green Tea (PIQUE). On other mornings, I would alternate + make a smoothie which consisted of: strawberries, blueberries, banana + spinach. I would also alternate on other mornings + have 1 egg white (Vital Farms - pasture raised) with a slice of toasted bread (Silver Hills Bakery "Mack's Flax"Sprouted Wheat Bread).

Lunch consisted of an Amy's low fat, low calorie frozen lunch entree or Amy's Soup - low sodium + a tuna wrap or turkey wrap or avocado toast with a side of sliced apples. Other days, I might have a salad with grilled chicken (with a squeeze of lemon), tomatoes, garbanzo beans + avocado. I alternate dressings + use Primal Kitchen's Avocado Oil Balsamic Vinaigrette or their non-dairy Ranch Dressing. Enter my 10% OFF coupon code at checkout: DEROSA10

Midday consists of a snack like apple slices with almond butter or a small bowl of grapes, carrot sticks, a slice of non-dairy cheese (Violife) or sugar free jello, small bowl of popcorn (Lesser Evil) which is made with coconut oil.

Dinner consists of either Greek chicken with basmati rice (Lundberg Farms) + a vegetable or a chicken, fig + peach salad with non-dairy ricotta (Kite Hill) salata (salad). On Sundays, my Italian tradition is always a plate of half salad + the other half of the plate, organic whole wheat pasta (Whole Foods or their 365 brand) with marinara sauce (Rao's Sensitive Marinara) + 3 Organic Grass Fed Beef or Chicken Meatballs (Beetnik).

The key of the program is the point system, so that you never feel deprived. Keeping your eye on the points allows you to be flexible in your daily consumption. Don't beat yourself up if you want to have a cookie (Simple Mills) (3 points) or a slice of pie (6 points). Just add it to your points for the day.

It is very important to stay hydrated + drink enough water throughout the day. During the pandemic, we chose to get a water delivery service, which in turn has helped me to consume at least 8 glasses of water a day.

The global support of all the other Weight Watcher members provides you with the determination to succeed. When it comes to losing weight, everyone's needs are different. You can feel confident you are on the right path by sticking to your points on a daily basis. The proven behavioral techniques help you build life changing habits, one small achievable goal at a time.

My wife + daughter are huge advocates of preparing + eating healthy organic foods and they contributed to my weight loss as well. With all the support + my own determination, I will be around for many more years enjoying my amazing family.

To get started with Weight Watchers, visit their website here.