In for a penny, in for a pound...

So, as I sit here pondering life, I have a pup between my legs and another bitching at me from the wings.

I started to put an update here of everything that's happened since I left, but erased it... several times. If you want to know, go ahead and ask :-)

Instead, I'm writing about health and wellness. I'm a compulsive eater, and have been for years. Twice in my life I've allowed myself to tip the scales at nearly 3 spins and twice I've lost significant weight, like 120 pounds the first time and now over 60 pounds most recently. Why do we eat, especially when we're not hungry? For me, it was a crutch, like cigarettes, which I've had to quit also (3 months now). Stress, nerves, anxiety were all triggers to eat. The crappier the food the better too.

Why do we keep eating when we know it's going to kill us? Oversimplified you say?

Obesity contributes to sleep apnea. Doctors are learning that sleep apnia now contributes to many ailments, including hypertension and heart failure. I can personally attest to this. I'll go into those gory details another time.

In the last couple of weeks I've had several people ask me how I have been losing weight; what's my secret. It's no secret really; eat right and exercise. One guy at work is 37 and was told by his doctor that his blood pressure sucked, liver enzymes were too high and if he didn't change his habits he was heading for an early grave. That news shook him up. My telling him that cutting red meat out of his diet might have shaken him up more. I have two more guys at work that are both over 400 pounds. It's hard to watch them struggle to move around, and the work they do sometimes requires a good deal of dexterity and activity.

Recently my company decided to hire a dietitian to meet and consult to our employees. She had back to back appointments for two consecutive days, and we only have about 50 employees in our office, over half of them are usually out of the office on any given day. People are clearly interested, but are they committed to health?

Healthy habits aren't easy. I've screwed it up many times. But at 42 I want to live the remainder of my life on my terms and not be at the mercy of doctors, medicines, and bad health.

Well that's what I claim at the moment anyway. Healthy living is a day to day proposition. It would be so easy to fall out of my current healthy routine, eat a quart of Moosetracks and begin the downward spiral of guilt, shame and eating.

So here are my "BIG" rules of healthy eating. I'll post more information over what specific foods I've been eating over the next several days.

Eat mostly fish, chicken, turkey. Little or no red meats. When red meat, eat lean cuts and small portions. Same with pork.

Avoid starchy veggies like corn and carrots. Favorites are red, yellow and green peppers; radishes; green beans; peas

Limit breads; when you eat breads eat whole grain; jewel sells wraps that are gluten free; fat free and only 50 calories per serving

Avoid anything with enriched or processed flour

Avoid processed meats; turkey sausage is ok once in a while

No fried foods; grill and broil when cooking

No caffine

Limit soda; no more than 1 diet, caffine free, low sodium per day; sierra mist; diet 7-up; diet sprite

Drink water or flavored seltzer water; LaCroix or Canfields

Skim milk or soy milk only - limit to one serving per day

Watch the "low fat" foods - they are loaded with sodium

Snack on fruits

Watch nuts; they can be high in fat and sodium (even the ones that are supposed to be good for you)

Use meal replacement shakes and bars; read the labels; I use Wild Harvest organic whey protien with 8oz of soy milk from Jewel. These are not snacks, they are replacements

Special order when dining out. They will always do requests. Also, only eat half of your portion for foods that are questionable like soup.

Learn how many calories are in what you eat. Use www.calorieking.com and www.calorie-count.com

I often use measuring cups and a postage scale to make sure I know how much food I'm eating

Potatos in moderation if at all

No real eggs - buy eggbeaters or the store brand

No salt - get rid of your salt shaker - you'll get all the sodium you need from your food. Use Mrs Dash. (Ok, sometimes I'll use a dry rub on some meats, but I really use it sparingly)

Exercise between 30-60 minutes daily (elliptical or stationary bike for me)

Weigh yourself before bed and in the morning. I will typically vary 2-3 pounds from night to day.

Log your food and weight daily. I find keeping myself accountable makes it easier to stick with the diet.

See a nutritionist if you can't find the discipline on your own. Having to spend money should keep you accountable.

Get your blood tested every 3-6 months when you've been able to make some progress

Consult your doctor with this program. Make sure they're ok with it. My nutritionist recommends I eat a minimum of 1300 calories, but I eat when I'm hungry and I only eat a reasonable portion until I'm sated.

Never skip breakfast. Even if it's just an apple or banana.

Shoot for 1-3 pounds per week weight loss

1 pound lost requires a 3500 calorie deficit

There are metabolic rate calculators on the web. Some incorporate your activity level in their calculation, but they all tell you how many calories you should consume to maintain weight. Use this as a guide to know what to consume to lose weight.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

http://walking.about.com/cs/calories/l/blcalcalc.htm

Remember that as you lose weight you need to recalculate your basal metabolic rate

Allow yourself to splurge once in a while. Even plan out when you'll allow yourself to have a slice of pie, cake, or a steak.

Protien is your friend, but don't try Atkins… it's misleading and dangerous. Watch carbs, sugars, and fats.