What dietary changes did you make? Simply eat/drink less or go to a specific new diet such as low carb, etc?
We have been typically spending 2-3 months in SE Asia during winter and 2 months in Italy and Greece, etc. in the fall post retirment.
We did not really follow any specific diet. The change really started out first winter in Thailand. Now,,,we both hate the 'chemical taste' of prepared foods and the 'goopy tastelessness' of most of the fast food. We will order pizza sometimes but that is the extent of it. The one thing we did purposely eliminate was junk food...potato chips, etc.
No change in alcholic beverage consumption. Well, I certainly drank more beer in Thailand/Malaysia and less wine. Don't drink soft drinks, definately never bothered with sugar free drinks or sugar free anything.
Cut out all fast foods (very easy), just about all prepared foods. No doughnuts, etc. If we eat a baked dessert we go for a higher end product-not pre-packaged commercial product.
edit to add: My sister is the complete opposite. Five years older. Keeps getting bigger Major health, back, and joint issues that have robbed her of qualtiy of life and a great deal of mobiliy. Loads of prescriptions, pain killers, etc. Continually being told to cut back. This continues to serve me as a reminder not to go back to my old ways.
Cut out almost all fried foods. We only use olive oil. No white bread in favour of organic multi grain. We now eat so little slized bread that we keep it in the freezer and take it out by the slice. I no longer like white breads/rolls. Seldom ever bother with butter any more. For toast...natural peanut butter. About the only time DW uses butter is in baking.
Seldom have potatoes, even less often fries. Lost the taste for them. Fresh salads, sometimes vegatables with most meals. Salad dressing is typically balsamic or a bit of olive oil and lemon. No goopy store products laden with chemicals and fats...most especially those so called 'diet or calorie reduced ones'. We started paying attention to labels/ingredients. THe longer the ingredient list or the more fats and chemicals the less chance that we would buy it.
We eat much less red meat. Not on purpose, just what we became accustomed to while traveling. More boneless, skinless chicken, and seafood. Pasta in moderation but neither of us like heavy Alfredo sauces.
Los of fresh fruit. We both love cheese...no real reduction in that either.
I cannot say that I ever dieted. It was much more about changing what I ate. I never felt that I was depriving myself. The other thing I did was stop before I went back for more. For about five minutes. Usually that gave my food time to settle and I no longer wanted more.
The first time I really noticed that I had lost weight and was feeling much healthier was after six or eight weeks in Thailand/Malaysia. I was getting more exercise...walking the beach, and eating what the locals eat.
That's it. It was not really a big deal or a big accomplishment. It just happened....by osmosis if you will. We have both lost the taste for some of things we used to like and eat regularly. One other thing...we were both honest with it. If we wanted something 'unhealthy' every once in a while we had it....without making feeble excuses to ourselves.
DW has also lost a little weight but she was always slim. Her huge bonus was in her numbers. She has a physical and work-up every year. With little real effort or sacrifice she saw improvements in both.
The only supplement/vitamin I take or has been recommended is D.
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