So, ever since I’ve been back from France spending 60+ hours per week manning a desk under enormous pressure, I’ve been gaining weight. It has plateaued, but getting it to come back off has been a real issue. I’ve been successful adding muscle in my legs from all the walking as well as getting my cardiovascular system in better condition (my blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and resting pulse rate were all really good when I last checked), but the boué de sauvetage around my midsection (isn’t that nicer than “spare tire”?) doesn’t seem to be deflating very rapidly (if at all).
I’ve realized that food is much more the problem than I had thought. I’ve known for a long time that I have poor impulse control when it comes to eating sweets or salty snacks, especially when watching television. Generally, video isn’t engaging enough, so I use snacking as supplemental entertainment. I realize that’s unhealthy, so I try not to watch TV and eat at the same time, though my commitment to this rule varies widely week to week. More recently, after begrudgingly signing up for mint.com, I realized that I spend an incredible amount of money each month on food ($700 this month, $1,000 in December), even though I never seem to have groceries in the house. Sure, I sometimes treat friends to dinner, but I also go out and buy prepared food (generally from the deli across the street) way more often than I realize. I was dumbfounded that I could spend so much of my “disposable” (perhaps “edible” is more appropriate here) income on food and not even realize. It also made me wonder, if I’m spending so many dollars more on food than I thought, how much am I underestimating my calorie intake? The answer could be frightening.
While I’m not going to start calorie counting, I am trying to make better choices. Monica Reinagle had some excellent advice in her Nutrition Diva podcast: avoid dieting and act, and eat, like your ideal self now. Pretend you’ve already won the war against your waistline, and just make healthier sustainable choices. I think that’s very sage advice, but it’s not really a complete dietary strategy. Browsing YouTube, I stumbled across this little gem from a Spanish fitness guru:
If you don’t speak Spanish, you still may have guessed that this guy is gaga for oatmeal for breakfast. My father always said it was good for you, but if it could get me to look like Rafa, I will be downing it at every meal! In addition to suggesting a good breakfast of oatmeal, he also suggests a whole lot of water throughout the day. Straight water isn’t that excited, but I know I don’t drink nearly enough of it, tending instead to be dehydrated. What do I do when I’m thirsty? Oddly, eat. Yeah, I guess I misinterpret needing water for hunger, which is more common than you’d think.
So, here’s the plan: I’ve bought a stainless steel “Kleen Kanteen” in order to drink more water and I’m going to try to up my consumption of water to two bottles full a day (80 fluid ounces). I’m also going to try to reintegrate breakfast into my routine by eating the oatmeal that the incredibly chiseled Rafa suggests. I’m going to try to eat like the thin Jonathan I was back in France because I actually enjoyed it more and didn’t feel deprived, and I’m going to try to stop mindlessly noshing while watching movies or television (why is this Cake Boss show so addicting?). Finish that off with walking five or more miles (to work and back) a day, and I should be in good shape again by the time we go out to spend a few days with Joy El in San Francisco before moving her back. Let’s make it so!
