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....