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Harvey first came to the Rice Diet Program in
October of 2006. With no intention of being on the diet
himself, Harvey checked in mainly to support his wife,
Debra. He was 58 years old, weighed 314 pounds
and struggled with diabetes, sleep apnea, heart
disease and gout. Now at sixty years young, Harvey
has maintained a weight loss of over 130 pounds for
the last nineteen months! He has discontinued all of
his medication and is currently enjoying life in his
sixties a little slimmer in beautiful Bahama, N.C.
Continue reading as Harvey shares his secret to
success...
Harvey had followed various diets all of his life and
had lost weight successfully. "I have probably lost a
total of 300 to 400 pounds when you total all of the
weight I've shed from yo-yo dieting," Harvey shares.
While the pounds may have dropped in the beginning,
no diet that Harvey tried enabled him to maintain his
weight loss for the long term. He found them all
difficult or unhealthy to follow over extended periods of
time. In the end, he always gained the weight back.
For the first time, Harvey has achieved a real-
life balanced approach to maintaining the
weight that he has lost with the help of the Rice Diet
Program. He found the structure of the Rice Diet
helpful in getting him on the right track and also felt
that the initial drop in water weight was a great
incentive to keep working. Still, the Rice Diet Program
was no short-term fix. Harvey was able to take the
overall structure that the program provided and work it
into the challenges that he faced at home. He was
finally able to take a program and make it his own.
Harvey's Thoughts on Food
Choices:
"Initially, I was very strict at home. I followed the Rice
Diet Program exactly," shares Harvey. "Then, I began
to incorporate meats, nuts and other high calorie
foods as condiments." No matter what foods Harvey
chooses, he is vigilant about portion control and is
very careful about sodium content. "I never realized
how very sensitive I am to salt," says Harvey. "If I go to
a restaurant and am not careful about having the food
prepared without salt, I blow up like a balloon!"
Harvey has chosen not to add eggs or dairy to his diet
at home. He reserves eating meat or chicken to twice
a week, avoids refined carbohydrates and fills up
mostly on vegetables. Staple menu items for Harvey
include homemade vegetable soups, lots of salads
and raw vegetable platters. "I love to eat," says
Harvey, "and I have a real addiction to food." To feed
his need to fill up, these high volume yet low calorie
options help Harvey feel full. He also enjoys frozen
berries and other fruits as sweet treats during the
summer months. One of the most helpful classes at
the Rice Diet Program for Harvey was learning how to
read food labels. When at the supermarket, the only
processed items that make it into Harvey's shopping
cart are No Salt Added.
Harvey's Thoughts on Physical
Activity:
As Harvey mentioned previously, he has found a way
to incorporate real lifestyle changes in a balanced
way. Instead of pounding away on the treadmill,
Harvey has learned to save a little gas money and
spend a more efficient type of energy! "Instead of
driving everywhere," shares Harvey, "I walk to the post
office at least twice a week. I'll walk to the store if I
need something." He has also purchased a few free
weights and uses them several times a week at
home.
Now that Harvey has found a slimmer waistline, he
has also learned to enjoy the great outdoors. "I like to
walk the trails around my house and paddle around
the lake in my canoe. I'm even thinking about getting a
kayak!" When the summer heat gets to be too much,
Harvey and his wife, Debra, go for walks inside the art
museum in Raleigh.
Harvey's Thoughts on
Maintenance:
"The bottom line is this," shares Harvey, "you can't eat
as much as you want whenever you want." He truly
feels that the most important lifestyle change one can
make is to be mindful. While he initially weighed
himself daily, he now finds that weighing once to twice
a week is also helpful to stay on track. It sounds like
mindful choices, daily movement and weekly weighing
has helped Harvey keep off over a hundred pounds.
Here's to summer time slim and sixty! Way to go
Harvey!
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