Counting Calories -- Weight Loss

I was not concerned about my weight until right around 1990.  Prior to that year, I ate whatever I wanted to eat, I ate as much as I wanted to eat, and I did not care about sugars, fried foods, or the consumption of alcohol.  However, prior to 1990, I was extremely active in my daily life.  I was exercising regularly and very physical in everything that I did...  For example, I would travel down to the Outer Banks of NC and spend 4-6 hours body surfing without stopping.

In 1990, I was 43 years old and had stopped smoking cigarettes (cold turkey) at the age of 40 and had gained 30 pounds which was starting to bother me.  To stop the weight gain, I started counting my FAT GRAMS each day and after 3 months realized that if I ate above my AVERAGE INTAKE, I gained weight and if I ate below my AVERAGE INTAKE, I lost weight.

While this was going on, I was also running 5 miles a day, 7 days a week, until my knees started to hurt, then I continued the exercising by walking as fast as I could.  My weight went up and down and never really stabilized...   After a year or two, my weight loss concerned were all but ignored and I ate whatever I wanted to and in whatever amounts.

At the age of 60, my weight loss concerns resurfaced and I tried all sorts of diet plans, some of which were very restrictive, while others were not really enjoyable due to what it was that they wanted me to eat.  My exercising at the gym was off again/on again as well...   and, my weight went up and down but more up than it went down.

A nurse told me during one of my chemo treatments that exercising was not really responsible for weight loss...  that the only way to lose weight was to simple EAT LESS whether or not that food was healthy did not really matter; however, eating healthy would lay the foundation to prevent diseases and help me live longer....  and, that diets were, for all intents and purposes, a waste of money.

It took a couple of years for that to sink in, but today, I follow NO DIET PLAN(S)...  and while I do exercise when I can, my main focus is COUNTING CALORIES with the intent of eating LESS...  and my food intake is HEALTHY.  

• No sugars.  
• No friend foods.  
• No processed foods.  
• No alcohol.

When I first started my calorie intake was OVER 2500...  I got it down to 2500, the down to 2000, then down to between 1500 and 2000.  I tried to got down to between 1200 and 1500 but that reduction was too extreme and seemed to make me feel worse, so I am maintaining 1500 to 2000 and actually closer to 1500 to 1800.

Over a 10 month period of time, I lost 30 pounds and while that may seem like a long time...  it was what worked best for my body and mental attitude about eating and not being very active.  The older one gets, the less active (on average) one becomes and losing weight is more difficult.  Being less active also tends to put people in a position of eating more because they are bored...   so, keeping busy was important too.

I was 250 pounds.  Now I am 220 pounds.  And, I would like to get down to 200/205 pounds which is the weight I was before I quit smoking at age 40.