Hello all. Congrats on dropping 40 lbs. That's a great achievement.
A few notes on the dietary part of the equation, from a small farmer and natural food advocate with a lot of exposure to AgriBusiness.
As it regards dropping meat from the diet, it is important to note that all meat is not created equal. Dropping processed 'meat' (industrial meat) from the diet would do everyone good. Not only will you cut calories, you will dramatically increase your overall health. Such industrial meat is of dubious quality, often made from sick animals and in some cases consists of scrapings and leftovers from industrial meat production. In other cases, as was recently exposed with the 'pink slime' news, this "meat" consists of God-knows-what. Even things like hot dogs that advertise "100% beef" might surprise you --- more specifically, you might be surprised at what industrial food producers are allowed to call "beef". They have a very strong lobby...
(edited: I'll spare you the details on mass-produced meats such as beef, chicken, and pork and simply recommend wild game as a healthy protein source. I realize obtaining wild game is not easy, and may seem impractical for some readers, but I assure you with a little research and creativity, you can obtain natural meat.)
The real killer in America, however, isn't meat or even the dreaded carbohydrate - it is corn and corn derivatives. It's tough to walk through a modern American super market and find ten items that don't contain corn derivatives. Specifically, high fructose corn syrup is in virtually everything the modern American consumes, with obvious effects on weight. Recent studies suggest that high doses of fructose, which is digested in the liver, ultimately shuts down the body's ability to digest carbohydrates, leading to rapid weight gain and ultimately obesity. Add to this the avalanche of processed food and massive consumption of HFCS drinks, and you have an obesity epidemic. Most processed foods also contain hydrogenated oils, are high in (GMO) soy and canola oils, and things like wood pulp (seriously).
*****In short, the absolute best way to lose weight, even before exercise, is to not eat "foods" developed in a corporate boardroom. Follow that simple advice first and you will see rapid and lasting changes. Add in exercise, even something as simple as walking, and you will see positive, enduring change in your weight and your overall health.
