Putting my money where my mouth is
I gained a lot of weight when our son was young, ballooning up to a tad over 160 pounds (about 72.6 kilos--see here). It wasn't until I started having chest pains that I finally got serious about dieting. Several years and about 37 pounds (16.8 kilos) later, I looked quite svelte at our son's Bar Mitzvah celebration. :)
But the weight started coming back. So I cut a deal with myself that I wouldn't go over 130 pounds (58.97 kilos).
Famous last words.
The doctor wasn't too upset about my weight, so neither was I. Then I noticed that my skirts were getting tight, I needed to soap my finger to get my wedding ring on and off, and--big-ticket items--my ankles were starting to hurt, and I was getting a bit too winded from walking up the stairs to our apartment on Shabbat/Sabbath. Been there, done that--I remember all too well how my hips, knees, and ankles hurt, and how difficult it was for me to walk up stairs, when I was heavy, and I wasn't going to put myself through that again. Besides, I'm 61. If I let myself get fat at this age, I won't have any leeway for when I'm 81.
So I've come up with a new scheme: I'm now a part-time dieter. I behave myself for four and a half days every week, and let loose on weekends, starting with Shabbat dinner. (I also cheat on holidays [religious and secular] and special occasions, and while on vacation.) Believe it or not, it works for me. As of last Friday, I was down from 132 (59.87) to 126 1/2 (57.38). Mind you, what I jokingly call "my Bar Mitzvah suit" will probably never fit me again, but that's not so bad: My goal is to stabilize my weight at, or, preferably, below, 130 pounds.
The interesting thing is what my diet--such as it is--has done to our budget. I'm saving a small fortune on all the junk food that I don't eat at, or after, work. And I'm spending that same small fortune on eating much more fruit than I used to eat. The good news is that I'm really enjoying all that fruit. Yum! You might say that I'm developing a fruit fetish. :)
But the weight started coming back. So I cut a deal with myself that I wouldn't go over 130 pounds (58.97 kilos).
Famous last words.
The doctor wasn't too upset about my weight, so neither was I. Then I noticed that my skirts were getting tight, I needed to soap my finger to get my wedding ring on and off, and--big-ticket items--my ankles were starting to hurt, and I was getting a bit too winded from walking up the stairs to our apartment on Shabbat/Sabbath. Been there, done that--I remember all too well how my hips, knees, and ankles hurt, and how difficult it was for me to walk up stairs, when I was heavy, and I wasn't going to put myself through that again. Besides, I'm 61. If I let myself get fat at this age, I won't have any leeway for when I'm 81.
So I've come up with a new scheme: I'm now a part-time dieter. I behave myself for four and a half days every week, and let loose on weekends, starting with Shabbat dinner. (I also cheat on holidays [religious and secular] and special occasions, and while on vacation.) Believe it or not, it works for me. As of last Friday, I was down from 132 (59.87) to 126 1/2 (57.38). Mind you, what I jokingly call "my Bar Mitzvah suit" will probably never fit me again, but that's not so bad: My goal is to stabilize my weight at, or, preferably, below, 130 pounds.
The interesting thing is what my diet--such as it is--has done to our budget. I'm saving a small fortune on all the junk food that I don't eat at, or after, work. And I'm spending that same small fortune on eating much more fruit than I used to eat. The good news is that I'm really enjoying all that fruit. Yum! You might say that I'm developing a fruit fetish. :)
posted by Shira Salamone at 12:41 PM
4 Comments:
Amazing what eating a healthier diet will do.
The one thing I would add to keep Shabbat/weekends under control: keep eating fruit, and have soup from time to time. Broth-based soup fills you up like food but has very few calories.
I dropped 20 lbs. last summer doing what you are describing, 5 crept back during the year, which I've dropped in June, and hoping to drop another 20 through September/October...
Basically, November - May is hard, because the delicious fruits aren't in season as much.
Watermelon is a core of my summer diet. :)
"Basically, November - May is hard, because the delicious fruits aren't in season as much." Indeed. It has occurred to me that dieting might be harder once cherries go out of season. I guess I'll be doing a lot of apples and little cups of pineapple tidbits, come November.
Broth-based soup doesn't appeal to me all that much, but there's this butternut squash soup (kosher, parve, organic, and high in vitamin A) that I'll be happy to eat once the outside temperature goes below boiling. Thanks for reminding me about soup, Miami Al.
Nu, come to think of it, you're from *Miami.* How do you eat soup when it's hot?
Gezpacho! :)
And we set the thermostat to 76, my wife likes to stay cool. :)
But yeah, Shabbat Chicken Soup went off the menu about a month back. :)
Gazpacho is a bit spicy for me, unfortunately. But I'll try going back to soups when the temperature drops.
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