Some hard lessons

Shortly after we retired, it became clear that we (especially me) needed to change the way we ate; and the way we stayed in shape - or things could get out of hand.

First, we decided to get serious about exercising daily. The first step was to make sure we had all the appropriate equipment. After outfitting the basement in Otis with all the same equipment we had in NY, we were ready to get serious! It's very important to have the right equipment. I've been able to cut back to only 5 days a week by having the right equipment. Chris isn't as "efficient" and needs at least 6 days. Unfortunately, even 5 days is terminally boring. It's the longest hour of the day. The only way I can get through it is to listen to downloaded pod-casts of NPR programs while exercising. It's like TiVo for the radio. You 'subscribe' to any programs that interest you (they're all free) and then they automatically download when you sync your i-Pod. I currently subscribe to 10 programs. Chris also subscribes to some French language pod-casts. Bicycle riding also falls into the exercising category. So far, the only weight I've lost doing that is through the removal of skin from hands and knees!

The other major change we made is in the way we eat. Surprisingly, this has proved to be the easiest change to make once we got serious. We realized that we each had some bad habits; and that between us we had them all. For instance, I am pretty good at selecting the right foods but awful at portion control. So I order grilled chicken but then eat the whole thing like it was a "free" food. Chris has good portion control. She eats only one piece; but it might be fried or stuffed with rich sauce. Between us we did everything wrong - Chris made sure we got the delicious (but bad) foods and I made sure we had a lot of them.

We decided our goal would be slow, but steady weight loss. No crash diets, but a real change in the way we ate that would make a real difference over time. Food is a big part of our enjoyment of life. We didn't want to change that. We decided to go with the "You on a Diet" book by Drs. Roizen and Oz. It gives you the tools you need to eat healthier. We bought two copies and read them separately. Then compared notes. Since then, we have been much more attuned to what we eat and make better choices.

Some key lessons learned:

1. Portion control is the most important factor. I now let Chris select what we buy. I eat smaller portions; but I'm never hungry.
   
2. Emphasize preparations that are inherently more healthy rather than trying to substitute low fat or low cal ingredients for the "right" ones. Roasting, baking, stir frying are inherently better. All vegetables are good (including potatoes), just don't cover them with cheese or butter.
   
3. Eat home more often. This was a big one for me. My goal was to increase the number of times we ate out. But Chris has developed a number of "healthy" meals that we both like and we try to have the "right" foods in the house so we don't snack. For example. Chris makes a wonderful gazpacho that we always have available for lunch or with dinner.
   
4. When we do eat out, avoid restaurants that specialize in fast food or huge portions. The first part of this is easier than the second. Most restaurants serve larger portions than we "need" but not more than I can eat!
   
5. Don't deprive yourself! We still have a cocktail or a bottle of wine (usually not both) and splurge occasionally. When we do splurge, we try to be sensitive to what else we are eating and limit the damage. Also, We often have an appetizer (not just salad) but rarely a dessert. When we do splurge on ice cream (a shared weakness) we try not to also have a big meal.
   

All in all I think we have successfully changed the way we eat and have both lost weight (and inches). We have also been successful in not making this a crash diet. Slow but steady has been our watchword - probably more slow than steady - but always in the right direction.