The Secret Nobody Told Me

Lawrence Toppman

I climbed on the scale today to register a final tally for the first month -- the first four weeks, to be literal -- and I've lost two pounds. I'll accept that as a beginning. But I've realized there's something about losing weight that no one ever told me: You have to be willing to go to bed hungry.

Like many Americans (and Winnie-the-Pooh), I'd been in the habit of having a little something just before bedtime, when my stomach gurgled about 1 a.m. My favorite thing was a slice of whole wheat bread with peanut butter spread liberally across it and milk to wash it down.

I've cut that out. It was a simple way to modify my intake, though I need extra will power to keep my fingers from twitching when my stomach makes impatient growls. I'm not so empty I can't sleep, and there's no harm in going to bed hungry.

Billions do, after all -- and not by choice. Maybe we should all be reminded more often of what they go through.

Down-sizing

Ellyn Ritterskamp

When my mom sees these pants being too big on me, she will insist I give them away. I am still within a pound of my starting weight, but the walking and squats are making a difference. This matters far more than the number on the scale.

I have been excited and inspired by The Observer's new blog featuring three readers on a quest to lose weight and get fit. Check it out at http://cltbiggestlosers.blogspot.com/

Onward!

At meal time, our table is divided

Elizabeth Templin McCamic

One challenge I face is planning meals. While I really need to watch what I eat, my husband does not. In fact, when I first started talking about running a half marathon this year, I asked if he’d train with me. He declined because he worried he’d lose too much weight – weight he struggled to gain in the first place (a concept that is still hard for me to comprehend since I sometimes joke that I can look at a slice of cake and gain a couple pounds).

It’s not that he’s really skinny now, but he once was. He swam and ran track and cross country in high school. In college, he carried a mere 125 pounds on his 5-foot-9 frame. My problem was the opposite: I always needed to lose some weight.

So now that we are married and share most of our meals, I want to make sure both needs are being met, that we eat healthy, small-portioned meals (for me) that are filling and include good fats (for him).

Then there’s the issue of snacks. For me to be successful there can’t be a lot of tempting snacks in our house.

So far we’ve made some changes that have worked. My husband often eats larger portions than I do and will add an extra snack or glass of milk. I’m lucky he hasn’t minded trading cheese and crackers and chips and salsa for carrots and hummus and raw almonds. We’ve not been eating much in the way of dessert, which is a change we both agree is in our best interest.

A couple of times at the end of a meal, when I still feel hungry and he’s getting up for seconds, it’s been tough. I won’t deny that there have been times I’ve childishly thought how unfair it is that he can eat almost anything and I have to be so disciplined.

But then I remember it’s not always been easy for him either.

One quick update: My first two days of half marathon training have gone well. My run on Tuesday was great, even in the rain. It felt so good be outside and I liked the way the wet air felt as I was running through my neighborhood. It actually reminded me of being at the beach, if you can believe that. Wednesday I came home from work feeling worn out, so it took a lot of energy just to get moving. Once I had run about a mile, I knew I had made the right choice. It felt good to keep with the plan.

I’m looking forward to my long run this weekend. The weather should be perfect. See you out there!

Why it's hard to get my G.E.D.

Lawrence Toppman:

A dietitian once told me that keeping weight off is a simple matter of "G.E.D." -- genes, exercise and diet. If you have good luck and make good choices in those three areas, there's nothing to it. I've already written about my dumpling-shaped genetic code, and I'm trying to modify my diet by using common sense: less of the bad things, more of the good, elimination of none. (We'll see how that works.)

Exercise, now -- that's another matter. Readers have kindly supplied advice about weight training and aerobics and running and Jazzercise. One compared my activities on my treadmill to a hamster going around on a wheel. (But not a FAT hamster, so I didn't mind.) I expect they speak from experience, sharing what works for them. But in this case, that would be like me saying, "I understand you sing in the shower. Let me tell you how to join me in the Opera Carolina chorus." Everyone has to find his own level of commitment, and I'm realistic about mine.

I HATE exercise. Hate it. If exercise could take corporeal form, and I could burn calories by punching it in the face, I would do so two hours a day. I have been told that, if I ran long enough, endorphins would kick in and make the experience uniquely pleasant. I was also told in college that, if I drank enough beer, I would gradually develop an appreciation for it and stop saying it tasted like liquid dirt.

I have never tested either theory and, at 56, am not going to -- although I suppose I could increase exercise and beer consumption simultaneously and test both at once. I'll have to work out this G.E.D. program my own way or not at all.

Something is going right

Ellyn Ritterskamp

I am in this phase of running/walking two miles, three times a week, and my legs are turning into rocks. The good way, I mean.

There is still plenty of top layer of fluff to be gotten rid of, but underneath, my quads are as solid as they'll ever be.

Last week's runs: I trimmed some time off the second one, and did it in 36.5 minutes (down from 40). The third day, I had zero energy, but I did it anyway, and still got done in the original 40 minutes. Nothing lost.

Today is this week's first run. I predict 37 minutes. I'd love to get to 30 by July when we do the sprint triathlon. That course is out and back on a flat road, so it shouldn't be hard.

Onward!

Tonight, I go on my first training run

Elizabeth Templin McCamic

Today is Day One in my half marathon training schedule. I'll go for the first run on the schedule after work.

Last night, I felt the same anticipation I used to feel before the first day of school. I was excited to start something new and ready to get started. I was also a little nervous.

Like any good student I've been preparing for today. I started off by following a stretching routine and letting my IT band heal (it's feeling better, so hopefully I really will be able to log in some miles this week). I bought a new pair of pants, a hat and a pair of gloves so I stay warm during those long runs outside. I've been going to bed a little earlier so I'm well-rested. And I've been eating better. Last night, for example, I made baked fish, mashed cauliflower and peas for dinner. For a snack yesterday afternoon, I had hummus and baby carrots.

It's these little changes that I hope will help me ease into my new schedule. I'll be running five days a week and gradually increasing my miles. The longest run of the week is on Sunday. The shortest is on Tuesdays. By week three I'll have to go for my longest run yet, six miles. By week four, my long run will be half the distance I'll run on race day. And in 12 weeks, I'll run my first half marathon.

It's going to by quickly. I hope I'm ready.

Adultery vs. gluttony

Lawrence Toppman: 

I decided, after committing one of these sins over the weekend, that there are two significant differences. First, gluttony is permissible while your wife looks on or is a willing participant. Second, traces of gluttony are harder to get rid of, especially when you weigh yourself on Monday mornings.

A vast plate of sweet potato fries, regular fries and fried onion strips was my downfall. As I was ordering an appetizer at Cowfish Saturday night, my brain said "Edamame." My belly said, "You've been good this week. Chow down on salt and fat!" I couldn't hear what, if anything, my brain said after that.

I ate so much of these delicacies that I could barely finish the stuffed eggplant, roasted potatoes and broccoli in the main course. (What Toppmans pay for, they eat. Yes, I realize I could have taken most of the entree home and made another dinner out of it.)

Like many adulterers, I was conscience-stricken the following morning. Unlike them, I was still bloated. The good news is, I didn't gain any weight last week. My transgression didn't cost me TOO much, but I can't stray that way again....

There's a small hitch in my training plan

Elizabeth Templin McCamic

I haven’t written much about my half marathon training yet because I haven’t logged very many miles. In fact, I’ve not been running much at all the last few weeks.

In late December, I went for a run and had a lot of pain in my left hip, which continued to ache afterward. I did a little research, consulted with friends who are runners and figured out that my IT band (Iliotibial band) was unhappy. I tried running a couple times after that in the new year but experienced similar pain.

I tried not to panic since I’d just committed to run my first half marathon and instead spent a lot more time stretching, icing and using a foam roller. I can’t say that this process hasn’t been frustrating, but I do have a greater appreciation for those days when I could run and walk without pain.

On Wednesday, the 60-degree weather and sunshine tempted me to hit the dirt track near where I live. I went for a slow 3-mile run. It felt great to be outside again, to feel the cool air on my legs and face. I made it 2 miles before my hip started to ache and even then it wasn’t nearly as bad as earlier this month.

I hope if I keep up my rolling-stretching-icing routine that I’ll be able to increase miles soon. In the meantime, if you see me out there give me a little wave of encouragement. I need all the help I can get. And if you have any tips for my poor IT band, let me know.

It's My Parents' Fault!

Lawrence Toppman

I phoned my brother in Las Vegas -- the once-athletic member of our family, who used to be 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds of muscle -- to say I was starting a weight-loss project, and he told me the stairs at his apartment complex wear him out these days. My supportive mom and dad shared their own stories about endless roller-coaster rides up and down the scale. Genetics, I see, have lined up against me.

I never met my mother's father, who took off when she was an infant and wasn't heard from again. (Until I was in my 30s, my folks never mentioned him. Does every family have some shadowy relative like that?) The three grandparents I DID meet varied in build from "stoutish" to "fireplugs with feet." My father's parents were shaped like the potatoes that no doubt formed the basis of their childhood diets in Ukraine.

That doesn't mean I'm losing heart or complaining about the propensity for "that old avoirdupois" (as pianist Fats Waller called it) to cling to my frame. But knowing this history, I realize that losing 15 pounds won't be the snap I secretly thought it was. Alas, my jeans are full of my genes. But I press on....

Road Warrior: Keeping off the pounds while traveling

Ellyn Ritterskamp

After a six-day Florida vacation, I gained one pound.

That is A Win, in my book.

Two of the days were travel, so we ate road food: Cracker Barrel and Taco Bell. But we also had some carrots, and relatively healthy apple-raisin-nut bread.

The four days at the beach, we ate out every meal, but only two meals a day. I ate grilled mahi mahi every chance I got.

The first day, we rode bikes seven miles (about an hour). The second, we walked/ran 2.5 miles (50 minutes), and the third, we walked/ran that same 2.5 miles in 47 minutes. It is this minimal exercise that kept the gain manageable.

I'll take it, and get back to the running/lifting now.

Snow released my inner snacker

Elizabeth Templin McCamic:

So far it has been hard getting to the gym. Over the holidays I got out of my normal routine and it has been tough finding my way again.

There’s something about the cold weather that makes me want to just curl up under a blanket and take a nap. I think of it as hibernation mode, when I want to eat warm, comforting foods and spend my time indoors.

Then, just when I was getting back into working out, we had two snow days. At first it was frustrating to be out of my routine when I was just getting back to the gym. Then my inner snacker took over. I didn’t even have great snack food at home, but I still found food to eat, and I helped my husband polish off the last of our holiday goodies.

Now I’m trying to make up for it. I planned a week’s worth of healthy dinners over the weekend - mostly salads, fish and vegetable-based soups - and made several trips to the gym. My pantry is rid of tempting snacks and when I went grocery shopping I kept to the perimeter of the store, so no cookies or ice cream made it into my cart. I hope these steps plus a few warmer days will help me get back on track.

What do you do to stay on track? I’d love to hear your tips.

"You've got negative momentum!"

Lawrence Toppman

That's what my Little League coach used to say when my performance went downhill. I put back a pound and a half this week. What did I do to make that happen? Nothing.

I mean that literally. I didn't exercise, because I was out of town much of the time and lazy the other three days. I took JetBlue's "unlimited snacks" offer a shade too literally. (They were cashews, but still....) I ate a Thai dinner that would have satisfied a whole kickboxing team. I found out you don't have to fill up on sugar to gain weight, and I realized this isn't going to be as easy as I thought.

Coach Rogers might encourage me now to keep my eye on the ball. Actually, he talked more like this: "Toppman, if you'd get your butt all the way down at third base, grounders wouldn't go through your legs!" (Even at 11, my butt was an issue.) But the point is the same: Eternal vigilance is the price of a decreasing waistline. No more goofing off.

Triathalon Training

Ellyn Ritterskamp:
My mom and I signed up as a team for the Ramblin' Rose sprint triathlon in Rock Hill in July (there are others in the Carolinas all year). I will swim 250 yards, she will bike ten miles, and I will run two miles.

So right now I am training myself to run two miles. I just never have been a runner. My coach says my body needs to learn how.

There's an indoor track at my Y that's 1/16th of a mile. The first day, I walked four laps and ran one, then walked three and ran one, then two and one, then alternated for the rest of the two miles. 40 minutes, same as my walking speed.

The second day, I walked three and ran one, walked two and ran one, then alternated. Even that tiny change made it go two minutes faster.

Or more likely, I miscounted laps....

Ellyn

Get thee behind me, Satan!

Did you ever notice how often people offer you food -- delicious, sugary food -- when you're trying to lose weight? My co-workers just held out a bag of Moose Munch, whose first two ingredients are corn syrup and sugar. I declined, nostrils quivering.

To make this slimming procedure easier, I have walked away from four office parties since the start of the year (and tried to keep a smug smile off my face). I never realized how often food floats around the Observer newsroom, whether brought in by employees or dropped off by companies wanting to promote a new product. Oddly, no one ever seems to send us ramen noodles or miso soup.

I used to graze gently, or what I thought was gently, at these events. I'd pick up a small brownie here, maybe a cookie there and -- wait, over there, a tiny oatmeal bar! I find it easier to abstain these days, rather than trying to choose among the treats. I know now that it takes a village to raise my pants size.

Lawrence Toppman

I'm celebrating! Where are the Twinkies?

Got on the scale this morning for the second time in this journey, and it read 192. My jaw dropped. It hung down so long that a couple of flies went in, and they'll be counted as protein on today's chart.

I've lost two and a half pounds in the first week! Yes, I've become reacquainted with the treadmill in my spare room. Yes, I've eaten a lot of soup over the last seven days. But I also had a dense slab of sweet potato pie with whipped cream on top Thursday night at Dish. (The 500 calories I burned on the exercise machine that morning jumped right back onto my thighs, so I broke even.)

Some folks ask why I'm stopping at 15 pounds, when 25 would bring me closer to the desired body mass index for my height. The answer is, I've never successfully lost weight and kept it off in 56 years on this planet. I'll see how things go, but I'm happy at the moment to have made progress toward my immediate goal. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to reward myself with an inoffensive sliver of dark chocolate.

-- Lawrence Toppman

Goal No. 3: Really watch what I eat

Did you notice how the sweets stacked up over the holidays? Christmas cookies, fudge and candy are all holiday traditions. One from my husband’s family is Christmas cheese. A wheel of it covered in wax arrives in the mail every December and we dive right in, forgetting the promise we made to ourselves not to get carried away.

I love holiday foods and baking for loved ones. But now it’s time to get back on track.

Just one week of eating sensibly and exercising has helped me lose about two pounds, so I know how important it is to make good choices about what I eat.

I've been making sure to eat smaller portions, drink plenty of water and snack less. When I do snack, I've been choosing fruit or low-fat yogurt instead of Christmas cookies. Turns out that makes a big difference.

This year, I’d like to do a better job of tracking what I’m eating, making sure there’s more vegetables and whole grains than sweets and salty snacks. I hope that the more attention I pay to what I’m eating, the easier it will be for me to maintain my weight, which tends to fluctuate (especially this time of year).

What are you doing to eat better in the new year? Any tips you can share?

Elizabeth

It's not Twister, but the next best thing

Yoga adds nice variety to a weight loss program, flexibility being up there with strength and cardio.

My favorite DVDs are by Gaiam, hosted by Rodney Yee. He explains things calmly, and his meditative sequences are very easy to get into.

I pulled out a beginner DVD the other night. Just the 33-minute section on poses had me worn out in a good way. They were showing basic poses, and explaining what not to do, and sometimes they left us in them for a little while!

The first one I bought was Rodney Yee on back care yoga. A lot of it is seated rather than standing, and it ends with a nice meditative sequence.

Namaste.

Ellyn

Goal No. 2: Finally mastering the pull-up

It might seem strange, but one of my goals for this year is to be able to do a pull-up.

I’ve never been able to do one, even for the annual fitness tests elementary students across the country take each year. I want to improve my overall strength, and this seems like one way to measure my progress.

For me it would be a huge accomplishment, and my husband likes to point out that it’s a life-saving skill (you know, in case I’m dangling from the side of a cliff one day).

More on my third goal on Monday. I’ve got to hit the gym.

Elizabeth

The BOB effect

Middle-aged men avoid scales the way cockroaches do flashlights, but we have ways of knowing whether we're getting fat. Pajamas with expandable waists seem snug. Our feet seem shorter, because we can see less of them without bending over. But the most obvious tip-off is the BOB effect.

That stands for "belly over belt." You can still delude yourself, if you suck in that stomach and slide the belted part of your pants over the bulge. But when that's too much work, your gut sags over. If it hangs down far enough to obscure the buckle, you're ready to audition for Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

The cheating solution is to buy bigger pants. Journalists are notoriously cheap, so we let 'em hang. When I started this blog, mine was threatening to spill over, like foam atop an overfull glass of soda. At the moment, it has receded a bit -- a small but positive sign. I need those.

Lawrence Toppman

Goal No. 1: My first half marathon

Now that the holidays are behind us, it’s time to get serious about setting goals for the year. Among them for me are some fitness goals.

A few weeks ago, before I knew I’d be writing for this blog, I was driving in south Charlotte with my sister. We were on our way to do some holiday shopping when she casually asked what I was doing on April 16.

“There’s this half marathon I’d like to run,” she said, “and I want you to run it with me.”

Now, my sister is not a runner so this request was pretty out of the blue. I have run a few shorter races and know a half marathon is a big commitment. We talked about training schedules, I thought it over and we decided to sign up.

The training will help us get to the gym often this winter, when it’s tempting to stay inside where it’s warm and cozy. And we’ll be working toward something together so there’s built-in accountability.

So goal No. 1 is to run my first half marathon. It will be a challenge, and I’m looking forward to pushing myself a little more than normal.

My second goal might sound a little strange. I’d like to be able to do at least one pull-up by the end of the year. More on this in the next post.

What are your goals for this year?

- Elizabeth

Setting sail toward moderation

I weighed myself this morning to get a baseline for the year's weight loss, and the results were...well, base. I'm at 194.5 pounds, my heaviest weight ever. I stood there at 11 a.m., shivering in my underwear and socks, as LED lights flashed the bad news. (Note to self: Buy lighter underwear and socks.)

I shouldn't be surprised. I went through my sister-in-law's desserts over Christmas vacation like a squirrel storing fat cells against a cruel winter, then brought leftovers home. Luckily, my refrigerator no longer contains these evil creations, because I consumed them.

My new life of moderation began today at 11:05. Now, three hours later, I am eating carrots for dessert at lunch instead of a muffin. I wonder if you can dip carrots in powdered sugar....

Lawrence Toppman

Beginning, basic weight routine

I love lifting weights. Some principles:

Start with large muscles and work toward smaller ones. Or not.

Lift before doing your cardio. Or not.

Lift lighter weights with lots of repetitions. Or not.

Look, as long as you do it, some of this stuff is not critical. My preferences are to start with larger muscles, to lift every other day to allow the muscles to repair, and to do heavy weights and 4-6 reps.

But unless you know what you're doing, you want to get a trainer or find free online videos to show you how to do this stuff. There is tons of stuff at youtube.

You also don't even have to have weights. Your bodyweight is plenty of resistance for a lot of exercises. Some of the standbys are pushups, situps, squats and lunges. We can do these while we watch TV!

Ladies, don't think that lifting weights will make your body look bulgy and masculine. It won't. You have to take hormones or other drugs to look like that. You will look sleek and strong. It's attractive. I promise.

Guys, you have the upper hand on us. Because of testosterone, you can get pretty big muscles pretty quickly, if you are devoted. But remember not to just build up one body part - most beginner men go for biceps or chest. Those leg and back muscles need work, too, or you will get all disproportional-looking. I am a big fan of the Max-OT training system, if you are looking for something new.

Monday: biceps, triceps, chest
Thursday: legs, back and abs

Two weeks like this, to get back into it, then upping to three days a week. Come lift along with me!

Ellyn

Truth time

Today's weight: 248

The goal: 190

Fasting sugar: 125 (ideal number here would be under 120, but this is OK by me).

Possibly 190 sounds a little high as an ideal weight, but my top-end BMI weight is 178 (I am 5'11"), and when I am lifting weights 4-5 times a week, a lot of the weight is muscle rather than fat. I was at 197 about 8 years ago, and I could see 190 coming ... and then my thyroid quit working. I take a replacement thyroid medication, but my metabolism hasn't been the same since.

I encourage women especially to have their thyroids checked around age 35 and later if you have cold hands/feet or overall tiredness, or any other unexplained symptoms. The replacement meds are cheap.

This week: I will walk 3 times, 3-5 miles each time, and lift weights twice.

-- Ellyn Ritterskamp

I'll lose weight the 'stubborn old guy' way

In 2005, my doctor tactfully asked what I thought was a reasonable length of time to lose 15 pounds.

"Five years," I said confidently. "See, if I can lose three pounds a year, I'm sure I can keep them off!"

He looked startled. "I was thinking more like six months," he said. Now I was startled. He quit the practice soon afterward, so the subject didn't come up again.

Well, it's five years later, and I haven't lost any of it -- or, rather, I've lost and gained countless pounds, but I'm still at the starting line.

I'm like a lot of Americans in their 50s: I eat like a starved kitten over the holiday season, feel guilty on January 2, resolve to do something about extra weight and befriend an exercise machine for about three weeks. But this year will be different, because my editors and countless unseen eyes (that would be you, readers) will make me feel guilty if I fail -- ummmm, I mean, will offer moral support in my quest.

I plan to do this in the "stubborn old guy" tradition: No trips to gyms, no special diets, no cutting back completely on sweets. (Oh Lord, not that.) I'm going to modify portions and climb on the treadmill in my home five days a week for 45 minutes a day. I'm going to exercise common sense and will power and enjoy balanced meals. And on January 2, 2012, I'll be 15 pounds lighter.

I'm giving myself twice as long as my doctor did to drop the weight, and I'm going to chronicle my progress and my backsliding in this blog. With luck, you'll see more of me on the page and less of me in the flesh this year.

-- Lawrence Toppman