Has it really been five years?
In January 2002, I embarked on a year-long program to lose weight and get fit, bringing Denver Post readers along for the ride. As a middle-aged desk jockey who had packed on too many pounds, I was pretty typical. Over the next 12 months, I shared my personal stats (ouch!), my “before” photos (double ouch!) and the struggles of shedding decades of bad habits.
With the expert help of personal trainer Linda Buch and nutritionist Bonnie Jortberg, we came up with a plan designed to take the weight off and keep it off.
At the end of that year, I had lost 40 pounds and six sizes.
Great, but how about now? Did the plan stick?
I am happy to say that it did. By incorporating what I learned into a permanent lifestyle, I have maintained my weight and fitness levels. And the good news is, it has gotten easier as the years have passed.
The most difficult part, by far, was the beginning. Overnight, I completely changed my diet and went from being sedentary to exercising six days a week. That was tough. Especially when it took three weeks to see that first pound drop off.
But soon the whole program began to become habit. Grabbing an apple instead of potato chips. Drinking water or tea instead of soda. Moving briskly every day. I gradually lost my cravings for greasy, fatty foods, and for those second and third helpings. If I didn’t hit the gym or get on the bike or yoga mat, my body missed it. My energy went way up, I slept better. I felt better all over.
Taken one day at a time, eating right and exercising turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Success breeds success. If, after months of eating healthy and working out, I had lost no weight and felt the same, I would certainly have given up. Why bother? But if you’re consistent, the results are so real and so positive, you just want to keep going.
“Never look at it as a diet or a short-term thing,” says Jortberg. “You have to look at it as a lifestyle. When you’re looking at a plan, give it the lifestyle litmus test: Can I do this six months, one year, two years, five years?
“Once you start getting organized and make it a habit, it’s just part of your life.”
Buch says to put it on your appointment schedule.”If it isn’t written down it can slide,” she says. “Within five or six months it’s a lifestyle.”
That word “lifestyle” comes up a lot when you talk to the experts. Maintaining a healthy weight just does not happen with hit-or-miss, start-and-stop approaches. Consistency carries the day.
Here’s how a plan that I had to keep track of turned into a habit that’s second nature. We moved our offices into a new building a few months ago. One day I was in our new break room getting some hot tea , and I suddenly realized I had never even looked at the vending machines lining the wall. My eyes always passed over them, because I haven’t eaten out of vending machines in five years. But this time I looked, and looked closely, and saw pretty much what I expected: The usual array of candy and chips. Stuff I don’t eat. The two soda machines have bottled water. I took note of that.
“You have to arrange your life so that’s your norm,” Jortberg says.
So, what has changed in five years? Habits are good, but boredom is not.
“Don’t get into a mindless routine,” Buch says. “Every four to six months, freshen up what you’re doing. Maybe you’ve always wanted to try Pilates, you’re curious about martial arts, you want to learn to do the samba.”
Five years ago I started out by going to the gym nearly every day, year-round. Talk about obsessed! Now I go less often in the warmer months because I prefer to be outside riding my spiffy new bicycle, doing long, hilly loops in the foothills with a new biking friend. I did a century ride – 100 miles – in May. I have two bike trips planned this year. Yoga is still in the mix, and I continue to hike, snowshoe and play golf. In colder weather, I dress in layers and head out for a brisk walk or hit the treadmill and weights at the gym. The Post has a new exercise facility on site, and that’s a great option on weekdays.
One thing has not changed: I still exercise six days a week.
On the food front, I began my challenge by keeping a strict daily food diary, counting every morsel, calorie and fat gram. Not one Hershey kiss, slice of cheesecake, or Coke made it past my lips. Well. Come on. Julia Child, who had plenty of joie de vivre, lived to be 91 and said, “I don’t eat so much butter and cream-just enough!”
These days I’ll have a little bite of this or that but only occasionally, and it truly is a small bite. In the past month I’ve had tastes of pumpkin pie, potatoes and gravy, and homemade chocolate cake with cherries. (Remember, I’m exercising every day.)
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I lead a low-fat life of frequent small meals, maintaining the eating style they taught us at the Colorado Weigh, the weight management program I was in at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
What happens to my routine if I’m sick or traveling? Fortunately, I don’t often get sick, but if I’m under the weather, I listen to my body and skip the workouts. Sometimes rest is what you need. Then ease back into it. My vacations always include physical activity, and for other trips I’ll check out a nearby gym ahead of time on the Internet and go there once or twice. At the very least, I pack sneakers so I can get out for a walk.
It’s not a life of deprivation, it’s a life of joy-and effort. If I have to get up extra early to squeeze in my workout, I just do it. I carry food with me so that I always have something healthy to eat. I’m often lugging a gym bag or exercise gear. Guess what? It’s worth it!
I’m in for the long haul, but I like to think of it as a hop, skip and a jump.
Denver Post copy editor Laura Watt can be reached at 303-820-1483 or lwatt@denverpost.com
Laura’s maintenance plan
ACTIVITY
Six days a week: Thirty minutes or more of aerobic exercise – bicycling, spin class, walking, hiking, power yoga, elliptical trainer or treadmill – followed by stretching and ab work (most days).
Two days a week: Weight training
NUTRITION
Breakfast: high-protein, high-fiber cold cereal with fruit and skim milk; or hot cooked cereal with fruit and skim milk; or (occasionally) breakfast burrito, veggie omelet or whole-grain pancakes with fruit
Midmorning: hot tea
Lunch: turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread with mustard, lettuce, cucumber; cup of vegetable soup; apple; whole-grain cracker
Midafternoon: plain yogurt; energy bar
Dinner: Chicken or fish, broiled, grilled, baked or sautéed in olive oil; baked potato or rice; green vegetable; small salad; fruit bar.
A CONFESSION
These meals are typical but do not represent every meal I eat. I also enjoy Indian and Middle Eastern food, Mexican food, pizza, Italian dishes, and my mother-in-law’s Enchiladas Suisse, which are deliciously rich and only for special occasions!
