Is it more important to lose weight or inches?

fancicoffee13 said:
I am on the mediteranean diet, have lost inches but only 5 pounds in two months. I am active, am 70 yrs old.
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Congratulations on losing the five pounds! That's a good steady rate. You don't want to lose too fast - because it comes back fast. It takes time for the body to get used to the diet. It is also normal to plateau when you reach a weight that you had been at for a long time before. So be patient.
 
palides2021 said:
Congratulations on losing the five pounds! That's a good steady rate. You don't want to lose too fast - because it comes back fast. It takes time for the body to get used to the diet. It is also normal to plateau when you reach a weight that you had been at for a long time before. So be patient.
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Thank you, I am being patient and just sticking to it and exercising.
 
I keep track of weight. It's easier to monitor, and it keeps me going in the right direction because I can see daily changes. I lost 50 lbs in high school. We did not have a scale in our family. I did it with a tape measure. But I know it was approximately 50 lbs from the doctor's office. After a year, my mother told me she was worried about my weight loss so she sent me to a doctor who told me to stop losing weight. I weighed in at 152 pounds, stopped dieting sort of, and gravitated to physical activity, and I kept my weight at 170 until well into my 30s. That's the way I did it, but whatever works best for you is the best way to do it.

People who don't have a problem with weight, often say fat people need to exercise more and then they would be thin. But from my experience, I have a slightly different take. Exercise is good for you but it's not a key factor in weight. I don't believe naturally thin people are thin because they exercise. I believe thin people are more active because they are thin. I believe fat people would like to be more active, but they can't. When I lost weight, I became naturally more inclined to get more exercise. I began playing basketball every night at the YMCA, and I took up weight lifting, which facilitated my desire to do better. I didn't push the exercise thing. I did it because that was what I wanted. When I was overweight, I was an fat person with a potential athlete inside me.

Of course everyone has different motivations, but getting thin changed my whole life, both physically and mentally, and I can't downplay the mental part. I began dating girls, but I fumbled a lot because I had no experience in dating and romance before I got thin. That part of weight loss was incredibly awkward for me for many years. But dating was a learning experience and added a new dimension to my life.
 
The Mediterranean diet has been very good to me. I didnā€™t start it to lose weight. My BMI is 22 and it was 22 when I made the switch. I was more focused on eliminating the unhealthful parts of the typical modern diet. Cutting out the excess sugar and salt. Replacing the bad fat with good. And no meat except for occasional fish. Good sleep, more stamina, and overall better feeling of health has been the result.

That being said, I think a diet has to be tuned to the individual. There is no one perfect solution. We all have different genetic inheritance and food preferences. I have lactose intolerance and never cared much for meat, so those were off the table so to speak!
 

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