“The Way We Were” was a movie and song encompassing memories of the past. I don’t remember exact words or anything about the film, except that it evoked the way things used to be.
At some point, we all think back to the past -- fondly, angrily or otherwise. We see events through a prism that shapes who we are today.
That includes food, weight and exercise. There are fads almost daily telling us how to manage our weight, decrease it, keep it at our “ideal.” There is no magic bullet. At a certain stage of life, keeping our weight the “way it was” 20 years ago becomes harder and harder.
As I recuperate from recent toe surgery, I am struck by this. Because I am in a foot boot and on crutches, my aerobic exercise has been almost totally eliminated. I continue to stretch and do other exercises with my arms, along with a weight lifting regime.
All that combined is not enough to keep me where I was three weeks ago. Where does that put me? To just stay at my already too heavy weight of three weeks ago, my food intake has to decrease and become more lean.
It’s at times like this that you recognize you have to become a food Nazi to keep your weight where it was or get back to a level you were in 1998. Even if I could exercise aerobically now, there are time and energy limits to how much I can burn off on the treadmill, jogging, riding a bike, jumping rope or swimming.
Once you’ve maxed that out, any improvement must come from the other end – what you put into your mouth. This creates an attitude of having to watch everything in your diet. And, quite frankly, that is no fun. So we rebel.
If you have ever attempted a major diet modification, you know how difficult it is to sustain it over the long run. Typically it is easy to get started. You set goals and there is a positive rush when you meet them. This creates motivation. That force must continue to drive you for weeks, months, even a couple of years.
You can put distance between you and your cravings, but they come back. If you are a bread and butter person, you’ll find yourself salivating when you go out to eat and the basket of steaming bread is placed in front of you.
If you are a steak lover, becoming a vegan or going to fish and chicken can give you the nutrients you require, make you healthier and keep your weight in check. Will it eliminate your desire for a nice juicy steak on Saturday night? Possibly, but not likely. You’ll still want one.
So we keep fighting and fighting, slowly regaining weight we had lost. If you watch the people who stay slim year after year, you’ll see that they eat like birds. They pick at things. They take small bites. They peck at food rather than swallowing gargantuan portions.
That is a huge key to the success of keeping your weight the way it was years ago –portion control. Nibble at something. Chew slowly.
Hobbling around these past few weeks, I’ve cut back on my breakfasts and lunches, sticking to my previous regular dinner routine (more or less). I’ve probably lost a few pounds even though exercise has been reduced.
Can I sustain this for months? How much more hungry will I start getting once I begin exercising more heavily. Who knows?
What I do know is that I will continue to crave sweets. I will fight the battle to stay away from chocolate, French fries and desserts. Any food including sugar or fat will continue to taste good. “Chirp, chirp, where’s the bird seed?”
At some point, we all think back to the past -- fondly, angrily or otherwise. We see events through a prism that shapes who we are today.
That includes food, weight and exercise. There are fads almost daily telling us how to manage our weight, decrease it, keep it at our “ideal.” There is no magic bullet. At a certain stage of life, keeping our weight the “way it was” 20 years ago becomes harder and harder.
As I recuperate from recent toe surgery, I am struck by this. Because I am in a foot boot and on crutches, my aerobic exercise has been almost totally eliminated. I continue to stretch and do other exercises with my arms, along with a weight lifting regime.
All that combined is not enough to keep me where I was three weeks ago. Where does that put me? To just stay at my already too heavy weight of three weeks ago, my food intake has to decrease and become more lean.
It’s at times like this that you recognize you have to become a food Nazi to keep your weight where it was or get back to a level you were in 1998. Even if I could exercise aerobically now, there are time and energy limits to how much I can burn off on the treadmill, jogging, riding a bike, jumping rope or swimming.
Once you’ve maxed that out, any improvement must come from the other end – what you put into your mouth. This creates an attitude of having to watch everything in your diet. And, quite frankly, that is no fun. So we rebel.
If you have ever attempted a major diet modification, you know how difficult it is to sustain it over the long run. Typically it is easy to get started. You set goals and there is a positive rush when you meet them. This creates motivation. That force must continue to drive you for weeks, months, even a couple of years.
You can put distance between you and your cravings, but they come back. If you are a bread and butter person, you’ll find yourself salivating when you go out to eat and the basket of steaming bread is placed in front of you.
If you are a steak lover, becoming a vegan or going to fish and chicken can give you the nutrients you require, make you healthier and keep your weight in check. Will it eliminate your desire for a nice juicy steak on Saturday night? Possibly, but not likely. You’ll still want one.
So we keep fighting and fighting, slowly regaining weight we had lost. If you watch the people who stay slim year after year, you’ll see that they eat like birds. They pick at things. They take small bites. They peck at food rather than swallowing gargantuan portions.
That is a huge key to the success of keeping your weight the way it was years ago –portion control. Nibble at something. Chew slowly.
Hobbling around these past few weeks, I’ve cut back on my breakfasts and lunches, sticking to my previous regular dinner routine (more or less). I’ve probably lost a few pounds even though exercise has been reduced.
Can I sustain this for months? How much more hungry will I start getting once I begin exercising more heavily. Who knows?
What I do know is that I will continue to crave sweets. I will fight the battle to stay away from chocolate, French fries and desserts. Any food including sugar or fat will continue to taste good. “Chirp, chirp, where’s the bird seed?”