No, He’s Only Mostly Dead
Publisher’s Note: This feature
is an ongoing monthly progress report on the
Publisher’s battle with obesity. Back issues of this
column are available at the MODE main offices.
Welcome to the third installment of "The Adventures
of Dieting." First, I would like to thank everyone
who has stopped me on the street and given me words of
encouragement. I would especially like to thank the folks
from Boot Village who attempted to send me two large
pizzas with everything on them. Tsk, tsk.
I’m going to lie to you right now and tell you that
I lost an even 18 pounds. It was actually only 15-1/2, at
my last weigh-in, but by the time this paper prints,
(calculating at my average of 2 pound per week) I will be
at the 18 pound mark. Interestingly enough, the decrease
in physical measurements I experienced in the first
month, weren’t echoed this month. Where I lost an
inch around my neck after the first 10 pounds, I lost
nothing around my neck this time. The good news is that I
did lose another 2 inches around my chest, 1 inch around
my waist, and ½ inch around my midsection and hips. My
total dimensional inches lost to date is 18. I take up 18
less inches in an airplane seat. But in the real world,
what does 18 pounds equal? For me, I can button my 18
inch collar now, and I’m down one full belt notch,
easy.
The first thing I want to talk about is my cardiovascular
workout at Woody’s. I am not going to whine and
complain this time (unlike last month) but I do want to
make an observation. I have seen, and experienced, the
situation of someone who does virtually no exercise,
decides it’s time for a change, joins a health club,
works out for a month or so, and quits. Sound familiar?
It’s our undying lack of commitment. I vowed that I
would not quit this project. It’s a change for life.
But I just find it impossible to get to Woody’s the
three to four times a week like they recommend. Rather
than kidding myself, here is what I am doing: I go to
Woody’s at least once a week, and I use my (no
longer dusty) NordicTrack at least two times a week. I
know this isn’t enough, yet, but it beats quitting
altogether. For someone like me, who has led a sedentary
lifestyle, to be expected to jump to exercising at a
health club four times a week just isn’t realistic.
So, my personal observation is this: Don’t give up.
Try to incorporate just what you can handle, because what
you can handle will change as you get more physically
fit. I will admit, two months into this program, that 45
minutes of the treadmill (at 3.5mph) and 45 minutes of
the recumbent bicycle, or an hour non-stop on my
NordicTrack skier is a breeze now.
This month I want to talk a little about the recumbent
bicycle and why I use it. I use it because they told me
to. Actually, it’s because of my weight. The
recumbent bicycle puts less physical stress on the body
and the heart. In the reclined position, it takes less
effort for blood to return to the heart, and I don’t
have to support the bulk of my weight during a rigorous
workout. One great feature of the recumbent bicycles at
Woody’s is that they A) can monitor your pulse, and
B) they offer a fitness test to gauge your progress. My
partner (Gloria) and I did this test. She scored a 39.
For a woman that is GOOD. And I scored a 25. For a man,
that is BELOW AVERAGE. But because I can monitor my
target heart rate (145 beats/minute), I can adjust my
cycling effort and proactively work on improving my
workout. Neat.
Now for the Physician’s Weight Loss Center (PWLC)
topic. First, I want to say that I am NOT using any diet
aids. They are available, and work great, but I opted to
try this program without them because of my desire to
make this a permanent lifestyle change. What I want to
tell you about today is nutritional supplements. These
are pre-packed drink mixes that I take (four a day), to
add protein to my diet during the weight loss process. I
also take a special multivitamin and calcium supplements
supplied by PWLC. The drink mixes serve two purposes. The
first is that they provide protein that aids in the
metabolizing of starches and fats, but they also
substitute for traditional no-nos that a dieter craves.
One comment I would like to make is to people that have
been on similar diets that include a supplement regime.
Nutritional supplements have traditionally received a bad
rap for tasting poorly, not mixing well, and generally
being gross. The products I am using from PWLC are great.
(This is not a gratuitous promotion!) I have tried most
of the flavors offered, and all are far better than what
I used just three years ago. PWLC has 20 different
flavors, like Grapefruit, which replaces my favorite
morning drink, Wildberry Passion, Peach Mango, and
Cappuccino, that, believe me, tastes just like the real
thing. But, it doesn’t end there. They also have
pudding mixes and even soup mixes (I have the beef broth
with my salad every day for lunch).
You have to realize, the last time I did the supplement
thing, I loathed making them. You had to mix them with
sugar-free soda or skim milk because with straight water
they tasted awful. Then you HAD to use a blender or you
wound up with clumps. Bleck. The PWLC supplements
dissolve easily, taste great, and really can satisfy a
craving. For instance, I have the chocolate pudding with
a crumbled graham cracker in it as my after-dinner
dessert. It may not sound like much to you, but versus a
bowl of chocolate ice cream, it’s great.
The amazing thing about the supplements is that they
replace and compensate for one (once) critical part of my
day... caffeine. The protein in the supplements provide
energy that was once substituted with the high from
caffeine. The difference is, with the surplus of protein
in my system, it’s easier to concentrate and I
don’t jump out of my seat when someone knocks at my
door. Also, there are no highs and lows, but that is also
due, in part, to my level dietary intake. To give you an
honest opinion about these supplements, I will probably
continue to use them after I am done with this program.
That is how much I believe in their benefit.
In closing, I would like to add that I really appreciate
the positive attitude the staff at PWLC always convey.
Sure, I’ve fallen off the wagon. There have been a
few weigh-ins where I gained back a pound (after a
particularly bad binge). Never has a condescending or
critical word come out of their mouths, and I applaud
them for that. It’s bad enough to dread getting on
the scale because you know you were bad. But again, I
would hear an encouraging "Don’t worry,
it’ll be gone tomorrow!" And you know
something, it will.
The saga continues next month.
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