I was always a large kid, but not always chunky. I had my growth spurt early, so I was 5'4 and 140 pounds in 7th grade, al least 5 inches taller and 35 pounds larger than the rest. Not chubby, just husky. Let's just say that when I played center fullback on my competition soccer team, I put the fear of God into all the other kids. The opposing teams only scored 3 goals over the 12 games that year, due in part that it's very hard to focus on bending a shot past the goalie when Mongo is barreling down on you at 65 miles an hour.
The closest I've ever come to being fit was in High School, where I was 15 pounds over the average. And that, according to my doctor, was because I have a very large skeletal structure. My doctor, like Cartman's mom, said, "You're not fat, you're big-boned!"
But when I stopped growing on the x-axis around 10th grade, I expanded across the y- and z-axes. The second and third dimensions slowly crept up over a few years until when I was finishing college, I had packed on 40 extra pounds since high school graduation.
Now I lost those 40 pounds an another 5 in the fall and winter of 1998 due to the most surefire weight loss program I know, the stress hell known a divorce. Trust me, you DON'T want to go that route, it's not a permanent solution. Well, divorce CAN be a good long-term solution for many other aspects of your life, just not for your waistline. The worst part is that it all came back within a year and a half.
After getting married for a second time and having a couple of kids, I literally became "fat and happy" to where I reached my heaviest: 70 pounds past high school, offically "festively plump". A state where I really started to feel the physical consequences. Couldn't keep up with the kids, too much salt in a meal would cause cramping, and eating way too much in a single seating would give my heart a nice warm hug. My family has history of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, none of which are aided by extra tonnage around the stomach. And worst of all, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and had to start taking pills to control it.
So I had to make a few changes. First, try to cut out some salt. You'll notice that I try to not add more salt to most of my recipes. Some of them already have natural salt built in, through the meat or tomatoes or other ingredients. There's no need to add more salt, so I'll try to use other spices to enchance the flavors instead. Second, portion control. I've tried to keep my personal serving sizes smaller for me. We've even experimented with using smaller plates so I can fool my mind. Come on, it looks like a full plate, I should feel full when I'm done... Third, avoid massive amounts of fat. especially when eating out. You know, there are times where you really don't need the fries in the combo meals. Maybe you want the fries, but you don't need a bucket of them. So I'll order a sandwich and a drink, which is usually a light lemonade or a Coke Zero. And if I'm craving the fries, I'll buy the size off the value menu (what used to pass as the small or medium about 10-15 years ago).
Now over the space of three years, this has worked. I've lost 15 pounds and have managed to keep it off. But like all great loss, I hit a plateau. So I had to do something different.
In the past few weeks, Liz and I have started to make fruit smoothies and I have to say that these are kickstarting the weight loss once again. I'll blend one up, pour it in an insulated mug and then cart it into work. They have ton of benefits. They're filled with fruit and fiber. So when I drink them, I get something to satisfy my sweet tooth and the fiber helps keep me fuller longer. Also, preparing breakfast on the go makes the stop for two Carls Jr Sausage Biscits unnecessary. That alone saves me from a wheelbarrow full of fat and salt. And they don't get boring because I can use any type of juice, fruit, or sherbet/yogurt. The flavors can be mixed up at will.
I know, I know, they're not exactly low calorie or low sugar. But what I've found for my personal weight loss, replacing the fat-filled options available on-the-go with a smoothie is just the trade-off my metabolism needed. I've lost 4 pounds in a month. I physically feel better and have more energy (probably due to the extra vitamins and fiber, and yes the sugar). And the craving I've had for fast-food breakfast is now almost non-existant.
We've already discussed the Rules of Smoothie Making when we posted about the Mango Peach Berry Smoothie. And these aren't just for breakfast. They can become alcoholic party drinks by adding 2-4 ounces of your favorite flavored rum or vodka, but the recipe below is my old morning standby. I like raspberry and blackberries the best, so I'll use them as my fruit base. I'll just switch up the other fruit and juice if I want some variety. Do whatever you'd like to make your own personal combination. Just try to follow the proportions so the blender doesn't continually seize up on you.
Triple Berry Smoothie
Makes 32 ounces10 ounces concentrated lemonade (made by mixing one can of lemonade concentrate and 1 1/2 cans of water)
6 ounces grape or berry juice
1 cup crushed ice
1 large scoop sherbet or frozen yogurt
8 ounces frozen raspberries
4 ounces frozed blackberries
4 ounces frozen straweberries
Add the juices, ice, sherbet/yogurt and the blackberries, then blend on a low speed until the ice and fruit are broken up. Next add the strawberries and blend again. Start out on a slow setting, but then increase the blender speed until you get a nice vortex rolling around. Stop and add the raspberries. Start up the blender at low or medium speed, then ramp it up until you reach vortex stage. If you're make alcoholic versions, add the flavored rum or vodka here. If you start getting "the bubble", add more liquid to dilute the mixture.
Once that vortex stage is reached, pour out into glasses and garnish any way you'd like
So take the 5 minutes in the morning to make a smoothie for breakfast. Avoid the sausage biscuits, no matter how good they sound. Maybe you'll see a pound or two melt away and you'll no longer be "big-boned".
