The Weight

When I was growing up I was super skinny. As a child I looked like I was malnourished. I could eat and eat whatever I wanted and never gain an ounce. All through my teens I would liberally be called underweight. My metabolism was so high that it just didn’t matter what I consumed. Unfortunately this led to just a shit load of bad eating habits. Habits that have been very difficult to break as the years have gone on.

As I got older and my metabolism slowed I started to gain weight. At first this was a good thing as I needed some pounds. I often joke that I was at my ideal weight for like ten minutes in 1993. When I was playing softball and being somewhat active in my twenties it wasn’t that big of a deal. Sure, I ate like shit and drank many a nights away but I was always doing something so, the weight gain I did have was gradual.

As I hit my thirties I started to slow down and I kept on eating and drinking whatever the hell I wanted. I had and still have a food addiction. There are worse things to be addicted to but pizza, burgers, fried rice, a good steak burrito, pasta I was and still am in love with the most fating foods on this planet. I got married and Joyce tried to get me to eat healthier. At dinner I would, but man at lunch when I was unsupervised I just went hog wild. Because of this as I got older I put on even more weight eventually hitting the dreaded two hundred pound level, something I swore I would never cross.

From there it only got worse. I started running at some point and that helped stem the tide a tad. I justified to myself that as long as I ran I could still eat like a pig and it would be fine. I wasn’t losing any weight but I wasn’t gaining any so, I thought it was all good. Then I had to have my appendix removed in June. Because of this I could not run for awhile. A month turned into two which turned into three.

Why I stopped running I don’t know, but I did. I also just kept on drinking Miller High Life and eating any crappy food I wanted. I was feeling very unhealthy and was afraid to step on a scale. I needed something to wake me up. One day I was looking at some old photos. One was from a camping trip a number of years ago. In it I looked so much lighter and happier that I burned the image into my head. I wanted to look and feel that way again. Then I went to Vancouver and stayed in a hotel. I got a look at my gut in a very unflattering mirror in the Hyatt bathroom and that was the last straw.

I got back from Canada and I made a pledge I was going to get back to a healthier weight. I looked into all the diet fads and weight watchers and all that stuff. But, I know me. I know I need to do things my own way. Nothing against any of those programs and diets, as I am sure they worked for many people. But me personally I needed to do things my own way.

So far I have lost twenty pounds. That has gotten me under two balloons for the first time in awhile. I feel so much better now than when I did three months ago. I would like to drop another ten to fifteen and then maintain that weight. Here is how I did it. Now, this worked for me, I am not saying it will work for everyone.

First, you have to be prepared to make a lifestyle change. I have found that fad diets do not work. Sure, you might lose the weight at first but it is much more difficult to keep it off once you go off of it. I downloaded an app on my IPhone called Lose It. In there I set up some goals. It then sets up a plan directing you to how many calories you can eat per day. The key is you have to add everything you eat into the app. If you cheat it won’t work. So now before I eat any meal I figure out how many calories are in each piece of food. It’s nice in that if you eat something from a store you can simply scan the bar code and it will add it in there for you. You can also add any exercises you do in a given day. The more you exercise the more you can eat.

I cannot stress this enough. It is basic common sense but I feel it needs to be said. You will not lose weight and keep it off if you just exercise or if you just diet. You need to do both. It is simple math. You need to burn 3500 calories to lose one pound. So, unless you want to completely starve yourself (and what fun is that) you will have to get off the couch and start exercising. I like running. Some people like hitting an elliptical or taking a spin class. The point is do something. Another piece of advice start slow and work your way up. Going from 0 to 60 is a guarantee you will get injured (in particular if you are like me and over 40.) Walk around your block then walk two blocks and then go from there. Doing something is better than sitting on your ass.

Okay, like I said I like food. So, I had to find some way for me to keep enjoying what I am eating, which means one thing portion control. Before, I would eat and keep on eating. Now, if I have a taste for a hamburger I get one but a small one. I don’t get the fries and coke that usually comes with it. I read that if you eat five small meals a day instead of three big ones it is much easier. So now I eat breakfast when I get to work. Usually a bowl of cereal (sorry Fruity Pebbles is out, try good old Cheerios or something low in calories) with sadly skim milk, which I used to hate but is growing on me. I knew lunch would be the most difficult challenge as I stated that was the meal I usually ate the worst of the worst fast food. I have to get out of the office for a half hour. I get stir crazy if I don’t get to see natural light and brown bagging it while it may be a money saver and calorie reducer is just not an option.

I have checked every single fast food establishment’s website to find the best combo and keep that meal in the 400-450 range. It is still my largest meal of the day but it beats the caloric intake I used to have. Like if I hit Culver’s (one of my guilty pleasures) I will get a single butter burger no cheese with a side of green beans. At first I would think that is not going to fill me but you will be surprised how quickly you will get full once you put your mind to not overeating. I have found I am much less likely to cheat if I can still enjoy the foods I want.

I then have a snack of some sort at around two. This depends on how much I have or plan to exercise that day. I usually get my sweet fix on by simply eating some fruit. Again stating the obvious but besides being good for you it tastes good. A big bowl of pineapple chunks has taken over my cravings for Twizzlers. Dinner usually consists of a Lean Cuisine. I have become a Lean Cuisine sommelier. They are relatively inexpensive (especially if you can get them on sale) and now find that they usually fill me. Some taste better than others but it is all personal preference. Then at eight I have one last snack. What I eat here is usually dictated by how many calories I have left in my day. I love popcorn. I have an air popper and if you don’t add all the butter and salt popcorn can be surprisingly healthy and low in calories. Plus you can eat a lot of it so it will fill you.

Lastly, on Sunday I reward myself. I eat just like I used to on Sundays. If I want a Fasanos Pizza I order one. If I want a Dukes Beef I wait until Sunday. I would not have made it this far without that reward day. Sure, I might have the lost the weight quicker but, this is not a race. I wanted to lose the weight didn’t matter how long it took.

The results so far are good. I look and feel better than I have in years. I now weigh less than I have in a long time. My clothes are starting to look big on me so, I may have to get some new stuff. I still have my gut, and my ultimate goal is to rid myself of it completely. I have started working with weights at the gym to alternate with my running and slowly but surely I can start to see some results. I am not there yet, but it feels good knowing I am on the right path after a lot of years of abuse.