Writer’s Diet Plan, Part 1

So I’ve decided to drop a few pounds. Yeah, yeah; I know I’ve said it before.  My determination never lasts. Usually I give up after a day when I need a sugar fix. Once I cut out sweets for a month and only lost four pounds. I decided that time, “Why bother?” It was the law of diminishing returns. I wasn’t getting enough on my investment. I took my winnings and ran.

So I’ve decided to drop a few pounds. Yeah, yeah; I know I’ve said it before.  My determination never lasts. Usually I give up after a day when I need a sugar fix. Once I cut out sweets for a month and only lost four pounds. I decided that time, “Why bother?” It was the law of diminishing returns. I wasn’t getting enough on my investment. I took my winnings and ran.

For most of my life, I ate whatever I wanted and never gained an ounce. I was truly skinny which was fine with me. My mother always told me to enjoy it, for surely it wouldn’t last when I reached “a certain age”. She was so right. A few pounds crept on each year after that.  I managed to stay level eating most of what I wanted. Then suddenly I would be five pounds heavier than I had been a few years before. I tried to blame it on the muscles I’d earned in my new career as a ranch hand. I had to finally admit it wasn’t only muscle. It was chocolate. And probably a diminished metabolism. I still wasn’t willing to give up EVERYTHING. I convinced myself that I wasn’t so heavy, just heavier than before. I was so thin before. Now I looked “normal”. Weight has a way of sneaking up on you.

 This time I really mean it (today). And now that I’ve stated it in public, the gauntlet is thrown down. What finally drove me to this decision was a combination of things. A few women I know well have lost weight and look great. So there’s the jealous/envy factor. If they can do it, I can do it. Why should they look better than me? One lost it with Weight Watchers. (My cousin the surgeon says this is the only system that works over time, because it changes lifestyle habits. He also says if it comes in a box, it isn’t food). One woman lost weight using a doctor’s program where appetite suppressants are provided (for a fee), health and weight are monitored, and money is paid. Another woman said she simply stopped eating, pretty much. (I believe her. I’ve heard this before from others). Yet another discovered she was diabetic. Scared straight, she stuck to a strict diet and shed pounds. The true test is keeping the weight off after the initial loss. Some do and some don’t.

When Zack was sick, we had a male nurse at the long term acute care center who only ate food on Sundays and Wednesdays. I swear I’m not making this up. He showed us pictures of himself BEFORE. And we saw him AFTER (several times a week for two months). He dropped over 100 pounds. He claimed, “Most people don’t need to eat nearly the amount they think they do”. I always thought it was unhealthy to fast like that, hard on one’s electrolytes or whatever. He admitted he would drink a little milk if he felt particularly weak. But most of the time, he said he felt just fine. And I have to admit, he was an efficient, excellent nurse, always alert and sensible.

The “diet” I’ve chosen is simple: It’s a lifestyle. I’m going to eat like my kids eat. They’re into looking good and feeling good. They both exercise (I mean REALLY exercise) several times a week and eat only things they know are good fuel for their bodies. They don’t overeat. In essence, they eat to live. They don’t live to eat. Between the two kids, there are variations of course. My daughter is allergic to some foods, so she has other restrictions as well (for example wheat products or anything containing gluten. Gluten is in a LOT of foods. And that isn’t her only allergy. Where does this stuff COME from?) Normally she would cheat a little with chocolate, but it’s looking lately like she may be allergic to that too, poor kid. Other than the chocolate weakness, she eats much like her brother does. Her boyfriend works out almost daily and eats healthily too (except when he’s here. then he always goes on a caffeine-free Dr. Pepper binge. He can’t seem to help it).

To be continued.

Gene Ellis, Ed.D is a Bosque County resident who returned to the family farm after years of living in New Orleans, New York, and Florida. She’s an artist who holds a doctoral degree from New York University and is writing a book about the minor catastrophes of life. Check out Genie’s blog at  http://rusticramblings.wordpress.com/