health note May 31

I am working on losing weight and gaining strength as part of my journey back to childhood. So, to hold myself more accountable, I intend to post a few details.

December 15, 2008, we got a Wii Fit and I started tracking my weight. On that day I weighed 264.6 pounds. On March 4, 2010, after 15 months, my Wii status changed from "obese" to "overweight" at 233.7 pounds. I very seldom exercise, so that weight loss was from minor changes to what and how much I eat.

I have begun walking somewhat regularly and that has increased my metabolism a bit. I have tuned my diet up a little more, and I am much more careful about what I consume between dinner and going to bed. Believe me, I am still not very disciplined, but I am doing better a bit at a time. Yesterday I was 216.9, my lowest weight since getting the Wii.

This morning I was up half a pound to 217.4. I no longer even try to be down weight-wise on Mondays. We almost always have dinner guests Sunday afternoons, and we eat very well. Today I walked five miles with my wife. (Anybody who knows her has seen her metamorphosis, and I quite willingly acknowledge I am just trying to keep up with my "new" trophy wife.) I attempt to run a bit occasionally, but my right knee makes me wonder if that is wise; that knee was scoped a few years ago and it never completely recovered.

Food: I eat a lot more vegetables and a lot less meat than I used to. My primary staples are chili (I make my own with ground turkey and jalapeno peppers), brown rice, chopped spinach and romaine lettuce.

For breakfast I typically slice a banana and throw a handful of raisins in my bran flakes cereal. I use 2% milk; never really liked skim and have heard there are some benefits to a bit of milk fat. I recently began adding ground flax to the morning cereal.

For dinner I dress my dinner-size spinach and romaine salads with combinations of my chili, Pace Medium Salsa, mild taco sauce, and Johnny's Lite Ranch Dressing. The Johnny's has a lot of black pepper already in it, and I love pepper. I may add to the salad a few other fresh veggies, sliced olives, almond slices, grated cheese, or crumbled taco chips, but am pretty cautious with most of those. I often have a cup of brown rice with soy sauce and/or a cup of stir-fry veggies from some frozen mix that I cook in a small cast-iron skillet with Worcestershire or hot Thai or soy sauce.

If I'm away from the house for lunch, I love the Subway foot-long roast chicken breast on 9-grain honey oat bread. Add all the veggies including hot peppers, hold the mayo, then dress with Dijon mustard, black pepper and oregano. I have them cut and wrap the sandwich as two 6" subs so I can eat half for lunch, and the other half for dinner or lunch the next day. (Raise your eyebrows regarding refrigeration if you must. I'm alive and feeling just fine.)

We had a lot of fruit left from yesterday's family dinner, so for lunch today I used our ancient Osterizer (blender). A banana, some raisins, a few walnuts, a spoon of ground flax, 6-8 strawberries, some kiwi, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, milk, and finally, a spoon of ground cinnamon, and I truly think I could make a believer of any of you. It was awesome.

I have the advantage of being more than okay with "boring" repetition in my menu. I am not a cook, but there is nothing in this post that I don't cook and prepare for myself. I am too lazy to get very creative, and minor changes in seasonings or dressings can have radical effects on flavor. I am no longer afraid to experiment, and my wife's kitchen is well-stocked with things I am unfamiliar with.

Exercise: Other than walking a few miles a week, I don't do any. That needs to change. I'm losing weight, but I know I will look and feel better if I start toning my torso and upper body. I understand there is still a lot of excess fat wrapped around my vital organs. So exercise is next on my agenda of needed changes.

Future health notes should be much shorter now that I've covered the past 18 months.