Skiing in Sun Valley — December 2014

As I may have mentioned, for 1 1/2 years I kept a journal during my weight loss, detailing what I  experienced physically, emotionally, socially, and mentally. Below is my entry from December 2010, which is a long way from where I am now. Periodically, I will post excerpts from that journal as I believe they may have relevance to those trying to establish or maintain their inner drive.

December 12, 2010.  Finally cracked the 290 barrier, and on top of that, have now lost a total of 127.6 lbs. from the beginning of this year [2010]. For the record, this week I lost 2 lbs., and currently weigh 288.4 lbs. As the year is coming to an end, it is a good time to reflect on what I have accomplished, the approach I have taken, and what lessons can be learned.

In the movie Kung Fu Panda, the hero, a big fat panda, is presented with a secret scroll that is believed to provide superpowers to whomever reads the scroll, however, when the scroll is opened, it is only a reflective sheet displaying an image of the person who is trying to read it. As the story progresses, the panda learns that there is no special power contained in the scroll, and that any special power comes from one’s confidence in themselves, and their ability to achieve a goal or task. That lesson certainly applies to weight loss.

There are no shortcuts to losing weight, or to accomplishing anything worthwhile. And I am reminded of the adage that the journey is more rewarding than finally accomplishing the goal. To lose weight first requires the belief, patience (one step at a time), and determination to lose weight. Next it requires exercise (both aerobic and with weights), a change in one’s diet (reducing the amount of calories consumed), and choosing foods that help promote weight loss (e.g., whole grain bread instead of white bread, eating fruits and vegetables, and avoiding “hidden” calories or those foods that trigger further eating — most soft drinks, salad dressings, gravies, or desserts).

This past year I have not had one slice of pizza, or a soft drink. The pizza I sort of miss, but I do not miss the soft drinks at all. Personally, I do not believe in even drinking diet soft drinks, and avoid any drink that has sugar, or a sugar substitute. Instead, I like to drink water (not flavored), or unsweetened ice tea. For my workouts, water work is great, but if it is a particularly strenuous workout, I use an iced tea called Sportea®, which has no sweeteners, has a nice citrus taste, and replenishes electrolytes.

It is also important to explain to your friends, family and colleagues what you are trying to do, and avoid partaking in some of the social eating activities that occur daily. For example, this week was cookie week at work, which was a team building exercise, with a different employee bringing cookies into work each day. I brought cookies the first day, however, I did not eat a single cookie the whole week. I partook in the activities, but did not eat, which everyone understood as they knew about my situation. I have also learned this year that it is important not to eat too late, and then go right to sleep. The problem is that once you are asleep your metabolic rate slows down and your body doesn’t process the food as efficiently, so what is left over becomes fatty matter. At least that is what I believe. So I make it a point not to eat too late, and schedule dinners out earlier rather than later. Also, I exercise in the morning, before I eat breakfast, since it gets my metabolism going, and it further gets going once I have breakfast.

Also critical to my success this year was preparing my food in advance, so that when I get home from work, dinner is ready within 30 minutes.  But to have a meal ready when you get home takes a lot of planning and preparation. So what I do every weekend is shop for food, and then, with respect to any meat I have purchased (chicken, turkey, beef, lamb or pork), clean and divide the meat into daily servings, and put each serving into its own container for use during the week.  I also clean all the vegetables I am going to have that week, add spices to the vegetables as appropriate, and also divide the vegetables into daily portions. Typically I spay the vegetables with olive oil before adding any spices, and then put the vegetables into a microwave container so that they can be heated quickly once I get home and am ready for my dinner. Also, balsamic vinegar is wonder food, that I use all the time, in that it has few calories yet tastes great, and can be substituted for gravies or dressings. My rule of thumb is to buy fresh and quality ingredients, and to prepare food in such a way that it tastes great, so that you are not missing anything in your alternative menu choices, just the extra calories.

Also, it is important to realize that long commutes to work can have an impact on one’s ability to lose weight.  I have read studies whose results show that the longer one’s commute, the more weight one puts on. If one’s commute is particularly long, one hour or more, it has been my experience that (i) either you get hungry and eat something in the car, or (ii) you are famished when you get home, and eat anything that is available in large quantities, and without regard to what you are eating. One solution is to have a balanced meal that can be prepared immediately upon getting home from work. Another part of the solution is to have a nutritious snack, like peanut butter on a whole grain cracker, just before you leave work, so it keeps you satisfied until you reach home and can have dinner.

Another thing that has worked for me, is to have a “weigh day” — one day in the week that is my official weight for that week, so I have a definitive point of reference each week by which to measure my weight loss progress. My weigh day is Saturday, and my weight on Saturday morning is what I put into my spreadsheet. I also like to weigh myself each day to see how I am doing, and if I am not doing well leading into my weigh day, I may increase my exercise, or try and cut back my food intake. From what I have read, a reasonable level of weight loss each week is about 2 lbs. – I have been averaging about 2.5 lbs. this year.

Years ago I remember reading about the owner of the Carnegie Deli in New York, who had lost a lot of weight, but he allowed himself one day a week to pig out a little. I thought that was a good idea, and Saturday, after my workout and weigh-in, is my pig out day. But as I progress in my weight loss, I have noticed that I have nonetheless become somewhat conscious on pig-out day. But it is important to have a day when you can “let your hair down” a little, and not have to pay strict attention to what you are eating, as it gives my mind a rest, and it will make me a more pleasant person to be around as I go through this process. I keep reminding myself that this is a lifestyle change, so it has to be sustainable, and that a dieter that is miserable, will be a dieter who will ultimately not succeed.