Diary Entry

This is getting old. I've been going back and forth over the same 5 pounds since the beginning of the year, basically since hitting the 100-pound mark. My original plan, to just keep on keeping on and trust that I'd eventually resume losing weight, doesn't seem to be bearing fruit.

I'm normally a very patient man, but I also loathe throwing time and energy into a plan that doesn't seem to be making progress.

I think I've hit upon the solution, though, and the next few weeks will tell the tale. I've got to cut my consumption while keeping my exercise level where it is.

You see, when I weighed 470 pounds, I burned a ton of calories just sitting still. It takes a lot to fuel a frame that enormous. However, 100-plus pounds later, I'm not toting so much extra weight, and thus my resting calorie-burn rate is lower. It hasn't been a straight drop, as my increase in muscle mass has offset some of the loss, but common sense tells me my "furnace" isn't burning quite as much.

So, much as I'm loathe to do so, I've got to cut my consumption. It won't take a lot to cut some of the excess. I'll start with things like a smaller bowl of cereal in the mornings and switching to low-fat deli meats for my sandwiches. The taste isn't quite the same, but that'll give me an excuse to experiment with some more of my beloved exotic mustards.

Of course, I've got to keep exercising, which brings us to this week's topic.

Exercise Frustration

At long last, winter has fully lifted here in the Carolina hills, and my wheelbarrow and I have renewed our friendship. It was just in time, too, as I'd gotten to the point where one more trip to the gym was going to land me in a rubber room.

I love to exercise, truly, but I also crave variety in all things, just like most people. Going to the same treadmill, lifting the same weights every day eventually takes on a nightmarish quality in my mind ... bringing on the same pit-of-the-stomach dread formerly reserved for the principal's office.

What I needed was variety. Thanks to my YMCA membership, I had access to the indoor pool, the basketball and racquetball courts and all sorts of exercise classes. I hadn't been in a lap pool in years, and I'd forgotten what a great workout swimming a medley could be.

For those of you who have difficulty with weight-bearing exercises, swimming can be great, too. Be sure to check with your doctor before you start any exercise program, though, to make sure you're up for it.

By the end of the cold months, though, even all the options at the Y had begun to wear thin. Thankfully, it's started to warm up and I'm able to once again get my favorite kind of exercise: yard work. A couple of hours out in the yard can provide everything I get from a full workout in the gym, and I end up with better-looking surroundings in the bargain. Planting two flats of alyssum and other ground cover gets me plenty of bending and stretching exercise. I remain standing while planting, bending to place each plant in its scooped-out hole, rather than getting down on my hands and knees. Walking back and forth carting the watering can gives me as much mileage as a treadmill session, and shoveling dirt and compost into the garden and working it in leaves my upper body feeling like I've had a full workout.

And of course, there are occasional opportunities for a "special" workout. My neighbor across the street had two oak trees cut down, and I snagged two truckloads of freshly shredded tree mulch to lay down on a weed-choked section of the back yard. I'll put it down in a thick layer, then in about four months when the weeds are dead, I'll till it in. Come next springtime, I'll have some fantastic garden soil out there.

Hauling wheelbarrow loads of mulch that will eventually give me a bumper crop of tomatoes, squash and other healthy yummies is perhaps the perfect exercise evolution.

So, if you've got a house, get out in the yard and burn some fat!

Those of you who are apartment dwellers aren't off the hook, either. In every major city and most smaller ones, there are tons of parks and wildspaces that need maintenance. Check with your local government to find out about volunteer opportunities. You'll get some great exercise, meet some new people and garner some powerfully good karma in the process.

Got a question? Comment? Topic you'd like to see covered? Drop me a line, anytime!