How I have Maintained my Weight for Over 40 Years using this simple trick?
I am 64 years old male and weigh approximately 64 kg. My weight has been in the range of 64–66 kg range for over 40 years. I am fairly active, taking brisk walks and doing yoga daily, though I’ve never been to a gym. Let me share how I’ve managed to maintain my weight over the past 40 years.
The trick is similar to the cruise control feature found in cars with automatic transmission. When you set the cruise control to a speed, say 100 kilometers per hour, the car’s computer constantly monitors the vehicle’s speed. As the car moves downhill and the speed begins to rise, it reduces the fuel supply to bring the speed back to 100 km/h. Similarly, when the car goes uphill and its speed starts to decrease, the system increases the fuel supply to maintain the set cruise control speed. This is exactly the approach I’ve been following for the past 40 years.
I have a basic bathroom scale at home. It doesn’t have any fancy features like BMI or health stats tracking — it serves one purpose: I step on it, and it shows my weight. Each morning after I wake up, I step on the scale to check my weight. If I see that my weight is within 400 grams of the 64 kg mark, everything is fine, and no adjustments are needed. However, if my weight reaches 64.5 kg, I know it’s time to take action. So, I increase my physical activity slightly and eat a little less. This will continue until my weight drops below 64.4 kg. I should mention that it usually takes just a day or two to bring my weight back to the 64 kg mark. If my weight falls below 64 kg or even drops to 63 kg, I don’t take any corrective action, as the body tends to gain weight naturally.
In my 20s and 30s while living in India, I didn’t even have a weighing scale at home. Occasionally, I would check my weight on a coin-operated scale at shopping centres. However, the real indicator that I needed to lose weight was when I noticed that my pants were getting tighter. So, I would eat a bit less and increase my walking or running until I felt that my pants were no longer tight.
In fact, our body naturally signals us to maintain our weight, and if we pay attention to those signals, we might not even need the weighing scale I mentioned. That signal is known as hunger. If we eat only when we’re hungry and stop as soon as our body signals fullness, maintaining a healthy weight becomes much easier. However, this is easier said than done, as we often have to eat during scheduled lunch breaks rather than when we’re actually hungry. Additionally, when we buy food from the food court, we have little control over portion sizes, and we often keep eating even after we’re full to avoid throwing food away.
I don’t deprive myself at parties. Occasionally, I might eat a bit more than usual at family gatherings, office parties, or during vacations. However, I take corrective action as soon as possible. It’s also worth noting that I typically eat home-cooked meals, which allows me to control portion sizes.
If you want to maintain your weight, you might consider trying my approach. Please keep in mind that I am not a health professional, and this technique is not intended for weight loss. In my view, this method should work for most people who are in good health and have no underlying medical conditions. So, when your clothes begin to feel tighter, try taking action instead of just buying new ones! Avoiding the purchase of new clothes when you gain weight can save you a significant amount of money. You might be surprised to hear that that I still wear some clothes that I purchased in 1987 and 1988!
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