Weight loss

Being in shape is one of the things that correlates most strongly with surviving a disaster or SHTF scenario. For some people, being in shape is no big deal; they're natural athletes, have physically demanding jobs or whatever. To the rest, staying in shape, or even just within a healthy weight range can be a challenge. Desk jobs, on-the-go eating, less physically active lifestyles and the ready availability of delicious food in massive quantities conspire to make weight gain incredibly easy. 

I'm by no means any kind of athlete or fitness guru. I'm firmly in the gains weight easily camp. At one point, I was well up there in the big guy territory (5'11, 285). I lost over 100 pounds, mostly through dieting, and was at a good weight for a while. 

Over the past few years, I've been edging upwards. Nothing huge, but it gotten to the point where I needed to get serious about losing about 35 pounds or so. I've been dieting for about two weeks now, with a moderate level of strictness, and I'm down about ten pounds. Not bad.

I've tried several approaches, but for me, success always comes down to watching calories. Figure out your daily allowance and then figure out allowances for meals and snacks. You may need to cut out some foods that you normally eat or you may need to reduce your portion sizes. You don't need to eat anything bizarre or nasty--you can eat normal stuff, just stay within your calorie allowance. This allows for real-life flexibility; you can eat out (to an extent), you can have treats in moderation and you can stay sane.

This time around, I'm enjoying the 100-calorie snack packs that are available now. They make portion sizes for snacks brain-dead simple. Also, Blue Diamond habenero bbq almonds are delicious. Yum.

Being at a healthy weight and in decent shape is one of the most important preps you can make, and it will improve your longevity and quality of life in normal times. Establishing a calorie allowance and then sticking to it has been the most successful approach for me in the past, and I definitely recommend it for others.