Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Beating Weight Loss to the Punch

So here we are again, the holidays are over and I’m starving.

A couple of times each year I come up with the great idea that I need to lose a few pounds and get into some sort of quasi-shape. A couple of days before Thanksgiving, I was listening to “Morning Express” with Robin Meade on CNN and heard a story that put that great idea in my head.

The story related how the “average” American gains about five to seven pounds during the time between Thanksgiving and New Year. It occurred to me that I must be better than the average American because I can gain that much weight just looking at a Thanksgiving turkey.

I started thinking about it. Why wait until January to lose those holiday-acquired pounds? I thought if I could somehow lose seven pounds in that same time, plus the seven pounds that I won’t gain, that’s like a 14-pound swing. How awesome is that?

Here’s my plan. Eat sensible portions, more fruit and veggies, keep away from the Chex-mix, say no to candy, drink water instead of wine with dinner, no nibbling when I’m cooking (pre-eating) and start jogging again.

Portion control has always been my weakness, so the best way to control it is to have my wife fix my plate since I will always put too much on it if left to my own devices. Changing the food in my diet has not been too hard. In Nancy Reagan’s words, “Just say no!”

I heard a great tip to help out in the kitchen if you nibble when you cook: chew gum while you are cooking. You won’t want to stuff turkey in your mouth if you are chewing gum because that’s just nasty.

Finally, the jogging. Let me tell you, I am no natural born runner. I’m starting slow, a couple of miles at a time and I’m alternating between jogging and a rapid walk using the street lights on the road side as a measurable gauge of when to run and when to walk. I’ve been doing this three or four times a week since Thanksgiving and it is getting easier each week.

I’ve even decided to run the “Fleet Feet Run for Your Heart 5K.” The run takes place Feb. 9, 2008 and proceeds will benefit the Frances Langford Heart Center at Martin Memorial. The last time I ran in a race was during my senior year of high school in 1986. It’s motivating having made the commitment to run in the race, I’m just looking to finish somewhere among the pack.

I’ll keep you posted on my progress. So far, so good.

--John Romano, RN, BSN
Nursing Director of Medical Surgical and Neuroscience Services

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