. . .And all the other greeting card manufacturers out there:
Based on the available selection of Father's Day cards in the stores recently, I can only assume you are under the impression that all fathers are into either golf, fishing, or pimping out their gas grills. Here's a reality check: 't'aint so. 1) As anyone who knows him can tell you, imagining my dad on the golf course is like imagining Dick Cheney folk dancing; 2) my dad hates fish, and 3) while my Dad was no stranger to the grill, he was quite happy to let my mom tend the cooking fire while he tended his plate. For my dad, playing hooky from work was more likely to involve canoeing in the Boundary Waters or skiing in the Rockies rather than a day on the links or catching walleye "up north." In most ways, my dad doesn't fit the greeting card picture of a father -- he was never good at sports, isn't into cars, and he never mowed the lawn. For some reason, no one (except me) makes Father's Day cards that feature his favorite hobbies, which include camping, wood carving, and ski patrolling. Unlike the greeting card dads, mine didn’t teach me how to bait a hook, keep score in baseball, or change the oil in the car, but he did teach me how to use a kitchen knife, make an electro-magnet, and string up a self-bailing rain tarp. More importantly, he also taught me to be persistent, to ask questions, and, through his own example, what to expect in a loving, supportive husband and father.
Yes, you greeting card companies have let me down. So I guess it’s up to me. Happy Father’s Day, Daddy! I love you!
A bit later than expected (not that anyone has been waiting around with great anticipation, as far as I know), but this is the 3rd part of my musings on my struggles with weight. Part one is available here and part two is available here.
With all that glowing praise for the Body For LIfe plan I initially followed, you'd think I'd have lost a lot more weight than I did. I don't know exactly, because before I started I hadn't weighed myself in several years, but I know it was less than 10 lbs. I was frustrated with my lack of results on the scale, especially since it was working so well for my husband. Everyone was complimenting him on how great he looked, and even though I did lose a little and I certainly became more physically fit, no one seemed to notice. What I eventually figured out is that while BFL had helped me get a good handle on the energy output (exercise) side of the equation, I hadn't made enough of a commitment to change on the energy input (food) side.
As I mentioned earlier, I had always stayed away from fad diets in the past, because I was very skeptical (and rightly so, I think) of any plan that required drastic changes that couldn't be maintained over the long run. As a near vegetarian and a lover of bread of all kinds, I was definitely dismissive of the low-carb craze that was so big during the first half of the decade or so. I even blogged about it in one of my earlier postings here.
When I first started hearing about the South Beach Diet , I lumped it into the low-carb crazy category and dismissed it out of hand (the stupid name didn't help!). However, my attitude changed after I read an article about it in Vegetarian Times magazine. Although the South Beach Diet (SBD) does recommend an initial short (2-weeks maximum) phase where certain carbohydrates are strictly limited, it does not require elimination or drastic reduction any food group. The diet places a lot of emphasis on the glycemic index of foods (i.e. how quickly they raise your blood sugar), preferring foods that are on the low end of the scale, such as non-starchy vegetables, soy, whole grains, legumes, low-fat cheeses, eggs, and for the carnivores, lean meats and fish. The biggest changes involve cutting out processed grains and foods with added sugar in favor of whole grains and fruits (or sugar substitutes like Splenda).
I decided to try the South Beach Diet. I also decided to subscribe to the plan's web site , which includes a very helpful forum where you can get your questions answered by medical personnel, or exchange tips with other people following the plan. The site also has lots of nutritional information on various foods and a large recipe database, including many vegetarian dishes. It also has tools to help you with goal setting and tracking your progress. The cost was pretty reasonable, and I found that the small financial commitment helped me to stay motivated.
The most radical change I made was to drastically reduce the amount of processed and/or starchy carbohydrates and sugar that I eat. Before SBD, my typical breakfast was a sesame bagel with low-fat mozarella cheese melted on it and a glass of orange juice. I often had a banana, as well. While that doesn't seem like a terrible breakfast, bagels contain a lot more calories than I had imagined, and the juice, even when fresh squeezed, had a lot of sugar. Even with all those calories, I often found myself hungry an hour or two later My new breakfast regimen consisted of an vegetable omelette (usually 3 or 4 egg whites and one yolk), usually with garlic, spinach, and tomatoes sauted in a little olive oil, followed by an apple. That usually keeps me quite content until lunch time, and has the added benefits of including less calories, more fiber, and getting at least one solid serving of vegetables (with all their nutritional benefits) under my belt before noon. Of course, having an omelette for breakfast every morning does take a time commitment that is greater than that required to prepare a bagel. I am fortunate to have a supportive husband who took on omelette-making duties (in exchange for me cooking other meals). Most mornings I bring it with me to work and eat it at my desk while reviewing the morning e-mail.
Besides changing my usual breakfast, I started paying much more attention to the portions of bread, pasta, and rice that I ate, and switched over to whole wheat/whole grain varieties almost exclusively. I also pretty much completely eliminated anything sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. I do crave soda from time to time, so this means that after years of shunning it, I finally adjusted to diet soda. I realize that the artificial sweeteners probably aren't that great for me either, but I've decided that they are the lesser evil. Although I don't find the flavor of diet soda as unpleasant as I used to, I still think it tastes kind of funny (too sweet, actually), so that tends to limit my consumption, anyway.
Another important step int this whole process was learning to be much more intentional about what I eat. I try to eat more slowly, and to choose my foods more deliberately. If I start with smaller portions, I often find I am actually satisfied with less than I thought I wanted, especially if I eat it very slowly and arrange things so that I have to make an effort (e.g. get up and go into another room) to get more. If I'm going to eat something high in calories and fat, I'm damn well going to enjoy it. I'm not going to waste those calories on crappy processed store-bought cookies, for example, when I could have a good piece of dark chocolate instead.
With these dietary changes and the exercise habits I had already established, I was able to lose around 30 lbs over the course of about a year. The key thing is that I have been able to maintain most of these changes fairly permanently over the past several years, so I have kept the weight off. Admittedly, I was more strict about avoiding sweets during the weight loss phase, but most of the changes have become part of my routine.
So what's next? I would have liked to lose about 10 more lbs, but I hit a plateau at my current weight, and it seems this is where I'm likely to stay until I can identify another significant (and sustainable) change. I doubt I can commit to any more exercise than I do now, so I guess it would have to be something dietary. For now, I'm fairly satisfied with where I am. After years where I hardly ever bought clothes, because the experience was so demoralizing, I am enjoying shopping again. I feel good.