Foodie on a Diet: Battle of the Bulge

September 1, 2014

 

 

I love watching “American Ninja Warrior”; it’s a celebration of of mental and physical strength. Plus it’s really a lot of fun. One night several weeks ago, I was startled when the show announcers mentioned that one of the competitors, close to six feet tall, weighed only 170 pounds.

 

I stared at the screen and thought, Holy shit, I’m at 167. And I’m only 5’1″!

 

I’m well aware that I’m far heavier than I’ve ever been. I see it in the morning every day. I’m reminded constantly when I try to put on a cute outfit and the mirror reflects something akin to a stuffed sausage. That is, if I can even get my arms through the sleeves.

 

Just a few short years ago, I was rocking the size 2. Today, I’m a size 12. I’m not sure exactly where I lost control, but when you’re a foodie, it’s hard to say “no”.

 

Creamy stuff – yes!

 

Lobster – oh yes!

 

Cake – hell yes!

 

Pasta – just give me the bowl!

 

Three years ago, I ran my first marathon. I trained for six months, thinking that I would definitely lose weight in the process. I didn’t. The heightened activity, it turned out, only intensified my appetite. It was a pyrrhic accomplishment of sorts, the disappointment of pushing the scale outshone by the euphoria from completing a feat I never thought I had in me to do.

 

I’ll get ’em next time.

 

So I trained for a half-marathon and another full within the following year, promising that diet was priority. I actually gained weight.

 

I signed up for a third marathon, hell-bent on finishing under five hours, but losing weight was key. (Someone told me that every pound slows you down by ten seconds per mile.) A car accident derailed my training and I spent the next two years getting PT and chiropractic treatments, my running limited to once every three weeks on average, when I can wake up with little or no pain. I joined a gym, but I have yet to make a habit of regular visits.

 

Activity is only half the battle though; after all, metabolism is the human body’s built-in calorie-burning mechanism, even at rest. To lose weight is to make sure you intake less than what the body can burn.

 

When you love food as much as I do, considering myself more a gourmand than a “foodie”, food control is a much bigger challenge than working out.

 

But I don’t believe in many no/low-fat substitutions. I don’t mind trading Greek yogurt for mayonnaise, but margarine for butter is a disgrace to gastronomy (I’m clutching mother’s pearls at the thought.)

 

Cutting out rice, bread or pasta is out of the question. (Thankfully, there are whole wheat options.) And sweets… come on! My mantra is to enjoy life, for crying out loud!

 

On Saturday, I walked into my first Weight Watchers meeting in years, like the prodigal son returning home. I like this program because it doesn’t ask me to cut whole food groups out, that I can eat my favorite foods with the caveat to control portions. It’s okay to indulge every once in a while as long as I keep an eye on healthy balance.

 

The war on weight gain is one that I have fought for most of my life. I have accepted that I do not have the skinny gene. I will never be a size O, my bones are just not that small. But I can wear my sexy red Asian-inspired cocktail dress again. And I’m going to eat well doing it.

 

The battle is on.

 

Today’s weight: 156.2 lbs

Today’s dress size: 12

 

 

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