Fast forward to the present. More than 2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese. 10% have diabetes. (That's 30 million for the math challenged.) Folks .. we are not a healthy bunch. I've been looking for someone(s) to blame for my paunch but it always comes back to me. You would think by now I'd have developed some degree of will-power but I've found when it comes to sweets, I can resist anything, except temptation. (credit: Oscar Wilde). I work hard all spring/summer/fall on 100 or more bike rides to drop one stone (look it up). And then from Thanksgiving to Valentines, I regain that stone plus a few pebbles. Over the years the pebbles have left me with excess poundage.
The solution of course is regular exercise and diet. You want the expenditure of calories to be greater than the intake. So.. how does one acquire a discipline for both exercise and food intake?
Here goes. At this point I am talking theory as these steps are not yet proven doable in my own case.
1. You need commitment. Studies show you must repeat a behavior for 21 days for it to become a habit. Some say 66, but you get the idea. You must be persistent. The same studies say if you slack for 3 days in a row, you're back to ground zero.
2. Tracking your A1C over the years is an effective motivator. You will likely see a gradually larger number with each passing year and the "my A1C is under 7" commercials might catch your attention. While you're at it, look at WebMD's list of the effects of diabetes on most every bodily function, you know, little things like blindness, amputations, neuropathy, kidney damage. This tracking is especially important if you have a family history of diabetes. Another wake up call. Check your BMI.
3. The next step is easy, but may involve grieving. Remove the sugar/salt temptations. Trash the Cheetos, cookies, candy, pie & ice cream and hardest of all, baked goods. My wife is a baking magician, so this is especially painful. She has a tradition of holding baking marathons from pre-Thanksgiving to Christmas, all the traditional Scandinavian Delicacies (see post) and she has not slimmed (pardon the pun) down the amounts. It is as if we are expecting 20 people for Thanksgiving & Christmas during a plague and still have teenagers in the house. She of course has excellent discipline, which leaves the responsibility to me.
4. Eat right - 3 regular low fat meals a day with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat. Mayo Clinic has diet recommendations. But, in the most simple terms .. if it tastes good, spit it out.
5. Fast. You should consider fasting from 6 PM to 6 AM, mainly to make you resist the watching the ballgame or movie and mindlessly reaching for the popcorn, candy bar, brownie ... I know you've been there. Why do you think it's called "Break Fast"? No cheating.
6. Keep moving. Or as an 85 year old lady I met on one of my bike rides .. "keep it wiggling". Walk every day. Walking is certainly the best exercise, especially for we elderly and those who have long avoided the charm of a vigorous walk. However, in Minnesota winters, find a safe place to walk. Fear of falling is healthy. You don't need a concussion or a separated shoulder at any age, but when you get to retirement age, it can be devastating. Remember. If you've read this far, you are (probably) not 19 any longer and you don't bounce nearly as well as you did 40 years ago. Investing in a treadmill or heading for the Y might be a good option in winter. Summer walks (or bike rides) can be joyous.
7. Do some resistance exercise. You don't have to go for the full-throated bench press weight-training and a steroid body, simply devote 20 minutes on a rowing machine or other equipment. (I have an old-man's rower, with a seat like a bicycle and the leg extension vertical. I don't use a standard rower because it's embarrassing to have to roll out of it to get up.) Yes, it's boring but put on Elton John Duets, or James Taylor Greatest Hits or the St. Olaf Choir and it helps the time pass.
8. Write a blog post telling people what to do. It would be really embarrassing to have to admit you failed at your own plan.
So I'll report back in six months hopefully without the stone around my waist. Keep my honest, Stay well.
Dave
p.s. Share your own fail-proof weight loss tip as a comment. We're all about education at this point.
Six week update: March 19, 2021 I have shed 1 stone by faithfully following 1-6 above.
Sixteen week update: May 21, 2021 This regimen is working for me, although admittedly I have not been as rigorous in the past 10 weeks as in the first 6. Intake discipline and exercise are key. Down 2 stone.
Copyright © 2021 Dave Hoplin
Good post Uncle Dave. We all need a bit of work in this category.
ReplyDeleteYes, “Keep it wiggling” is the best advice, given by someone who practices what she preaches. It’s a challenge to frame adjusting food intake as something good, rather than punishment.
ReplyDeleteThose temptations are so difficult to address.
ReplyDeleteI'd add having healthy snacks available to deal with the cravings. Carrots and celery are my preference.
Best of luck man!
Good one. I think celery takes more calories to eat than it provides.
DeleteSo this was a perhaps a bit overly harsh. Amendment: once a month you can substitute apple pie a la mode for the kale and lentils.
ReplyDeleteHello David. Thank you for your 2016 article Distant Innocence where you talk about Brodahl's on Cedar Avenue. I am a great, great niece of Christ Brodahl that owned the place. I am wondering if you by chance have other photos or information regarding the place. We are from northern MN so my mother did not travel there often enough to recall what it looked like on the inside etc. It would be fun to hear if you know more.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry I don't have more info or photos on Brodahl's. My father would talk about washing dishes at Brodahl's morning and evening for meals while attending Augsburg in the late 30's, I think to convince me that my college experience was pretty cushy.
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