Each year, as the holidays come to an end, the after-holiday commercials start in earnest– end-to-end coverage, as it were, of ads promoting Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers. In my opinion, if you lose twenty pounds for twenty bucks, you’re liable to find those twenty pounds again, along with plenty more to go with them, but don’t expect anybody to refund that $20. Do I sound like a veteran of one of those wars? Check. Mark me down as a Weight Watcher Failure as opposed to a Weight Watcher Loser. The weight I watched went away, all right, but it came right back. In spades!
I’m returning to this topic because this morning at my cost-free weigh-in, I clocked in at 189, down a full 75 pounds from where I started in April of 2015. Maybe part of the reason it’s still working is that we didn’t start in the middle of a post-holiday guilt trip. We started when we were ready to start and not a moment before.
Going on two years later, I’m still walking 10,000 steps a day. Still. Every single day. Rain or shine. Sometimes I walk outside. The desert after a rainstorm is wonderful, but walking outdoors in icy cold weather makes no sense. One of my friends in central Oregon, who has been snowbound for weeks, has been doing her steps up and down her indoor staircase—without having to cough up money for a gym membership or a Stairmaster or even one of those stand-on rocking boards they were advertising earlier this week
When our doctor suggested we go to a gym, our response was a heartfelt, “No way José!” Three months into our walking, that same doctor found us a personal trainer named Dan Kritsonis, someone who actually likes working with OLD people. When we started with Dan, he saw to it that we began very gently with stretching exercises while he assessed our general lack of physical fitness. When we’re in Seattle, Dan comes to our house twice a week. At first we exercised when Dan was at the house. Now we do a twenty-minute workout together each day. Balance exercises. Stretching exercise. Wall push-ups. Chair dips. Sits-to-stands. (In July of 2015 I couldn’t do one. Now I can do twenty.) For curls, I’m using an eight-pound weight—a gallon milk jug filled with water. (As far as weight lifting equipment is concerned, that’s pretty cost effective. We have a well, so the water’s free, and the milk jug came with last week’s milk.)
Before meeting Dan, I had encountered situations where I had fallen and had to use my cell phone in order to call for help in order to be dragged to my feet. Now I can get up off the floor all by myself—without even having to crawl over to a nearby chair. Yes, you read that right. At age 72 I can now get up in the MIDDLE of the room. And this week, while I was practicing getting up by myself, I did something else besides—something I have never done before in my whole life—ten pushups. Ten floor pushups! Hey, Dan, what do you think about that?
But walking and working out isn’t the whole story. One of Dan’s favorite sayings is this: You can’t out run your fork. And we have definitely changed the way we eat. We don’t keep bread in the house. Or potatoes. Or potato chips. Or tortilla chips. We’re not purists. If we go to a restaurant and bread is offered, we have it—but we don’t take it home. Ditto for chips and salsa at Tres Hermanos in Kirkland. And if there’s a summer swimming party at our house, and chips and dip show up? We probably eat those, too, but whatever is left over goes away. For late night snacks, we keep peanuts on hand and almonds, and those work.
Not having bread or potatoes in the house has come with a learning curve. Giving up bread means giving up toast, which in terms of breakfast, seems almost un-American. There are, however, some alternatives. Rather than using whole wheat toast, I’m perfectly capable of dipping a hunk of avocado in my over-easy egg yolks. (I admit, however that there is no workable substitute for a grilled cheese sandwich, and when it’s time for Thanksgiving, I’m making pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes—NO EXCEPTIONS!)
We’re retired. We don’t have to keep work hours or school hours. We get up. We have coffee. We have a late morning breakfast and then an early dinner. Breakfast is an egg or two eggs and fruit—raspberries and cream in Seattle or grapefruit in Tucson. (By the way, what we’ve learned in the past almost two years is this: Fat is not the enemy. Carbs are the enemy.)
For dinner in Seattle, we may have beef stew or Senate bean soup—one bowl only. No bread. I’ve learned that drinking a glass of milk with dinner helps keep me from being hungry later. In Tucson for dinner we usually have salad. Believe me, it’s definitely not my mother’s salad.
Bisbee in the Fifties was the end of the road as far as grocery produce was concerned. I grew up thinking my mother’s version of salad was all there was, which is to say, shredded iceberg lettuce slathered with a dose of Miracle Whip. (It has taken me decades to recover from my history of growing up in a dead lettuce society!)
These days our salads are a wonder to behold. We may have slices of protein—five or six ounces of steak or pork chop on the side, or cut up Safeway Rotissierie chicken added to the salad plate itself. (We have a postage meter on the kitchen counter. Bill weighs the protein.) But the salad itself is the center of the piece. Lettuce? Yes, a fistful of lettuce is required. Without it I’m not sure you can call it a salad. As for the other things that are tossed into the bowl? Here they are, in no particular order: riced raw cauliflower; sliced radishes; shredded onions; chopped scallions; sliced cherry tomatoes; Bread and Butter pickles; sliced bell peppers; sliced cucumbers; and grapes. (Wait, did she just say grapes? In salad? It took someone from South Africa to teach us that grapes work in salad—black seedless grapes. Try it; you’ll like it)
If you look at that list, you’ll discover that, other than grains, we’ve just covered all those food groups we’re supposed to eat on a daily basis which is to say, some protein, some fruits, and a whole variety of veggies.
You may be wondering why I’ve written this all down and put it out there. It turns out I read the comments on my blog, and someone months ago, one of the commenters asked me to outline in detail what we’re doing as far as eating is concerned. Someone asked for it, and now you’ve got it. And in case you’re wondering, we do not consider adult beverages to be off limits.
What we’ve learned on this journey is that we are not on a diet. The word diet assumes that there’s a start time and an end time, a point when you can go back to doing exactly what you did before. Guess what? That won’t work. What we’ve had to do is change the way live. Permanently.
Why? Because, if we stop, we won’t have any clothes to wear, and having people our age going around stark naked wouldn’t be good for ANYBODY!
I grew up on a farm in Iowa where salad meant a slice of Jell-O on a leaf of iceberg lettuce. Several years Mom planted leaf lettuce, but I think most of it went to the chickens. The salads you eat now sound so good.
You folks are excellent role models . Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the incentive!
Thanks for this! And for anyone who believes 189 is a lot, please keep in mind that this woman is quite tall. I have lost 25 pounds in the last 3 years without following too much of a regimen. I eat less than I used to – don’t find it a hardship – and I walk the dogs every day here in Bisbee. On cold or rainy days when they are opposed to going outside, I do my best to make up the difference. As another older person, I walk around in the house, at the grocery store, etc. The one day a week I work I walk around the shop and up and down the stairs. My knees don’t like steps, but I hold onto the banister and make it at least twice a day (often more – the bathroom is upstairs!). My arms could use building up, but all I need to do is pick up my 3 lb weights; use canned goods if you have no “formal” weights.
I’ve never been a big bread eater; I prefer mashed potatoes and gravy on holidays, but if I gave in to that vice on an everyday basis, I would probably weigh 300 lbs.
When I see that exercise board commercial I am not tempted – with my balance issues, I would doubtless suffer broken bones. Not good when you’re pushing 70.
PS God save me from iceberg lettuce!
You go, girl! We’re in the same boat. I’m 67, 250 lbs (6’1″), with the expected medical complications: high cholesterol, high blood sugar, high blood pressure (Metabolic syndrome). We use treadmill indoors in winter-we live in Carmel, IN. I also learned years ago that it’s the carbs, not the fats. Low fat foods don’t seem to help. Same with “sugar free” drinks, etc. Knees can no longer sustain running, so it’s 10K steps/day (Fitbit One).
Goal: lose at least 50 more lbs this year-and keep it off! I’ve done it before, but it creeps back on, and then some! Down 15 from 265 already, ~1/4 of the way. Keep on truckin’!
Mike
PS Waiting anxiously for Man Overboard!!!
Thanks for sharing! I really need to change my eating habits and your approach seems very doable. Not only are bread, chips and potatoes my down fall; but so is candy!
I need a new beginning so I feel ready to try this approach!
I’m 54, and always looking for women role models for this new-to-me phase of life. Your stories about physical transformation have been very inspirational. I’m also a writer, and spend far too much time on my behind either creating or consuming stories. Your example, and your books on my shelf, remind me to get up every hour and take a walk–which often means pacing inside my house this time of year in Tacoma, WA. Thanks for sharing the details of your journey to better health.
Your salads sound fantastic. My fitness expert sis-in-law got us putting new things in salad, such as craisins and raisins and apples, but grapes are a new idea and one we will try. As a retired dairy farmer I thank you for drinking milk with dinner! We do too.
I remember wen you started this journey. I remember thinking how can you walk 10,000 steps. Well you did it. You have inspired a lot of fans and nonfans. Keep up the good work and continue to write the most wonderful books .. Jan
In 1963 my then husband and I were driving up to San Francisco from the navy base near Lemoore, CA. A case of iceberg lettuce fell off a truck ahead of us and heads of lettuce were rolling around on the highway. We didn’t stop as we didn’t have any ice box with us. No one else was stopping to pick it up which was surprising to me. I guess they grow it for export.
Stay healthy and keep writing good enjoyable stuff! I’ll be 84 next month, 125 lbs. of bone and gristle, and I eat whatever. It hasn’t always been that simple for me, either!
You Go Girl! Keep up the good work! I read the book Wheat Belly by Dr William Davis in January 2015. I am 5 foot 9 and weighed 180#. By end of year I was down under 150. January 2017 I have held this weight with no gain no pain. I am not hard core Wheat Belly so I started with giving up bread, potatoes, packaged snacks made with grain, and sugary desserts. My eating plan could be called Paleo but I do eat dairy. Snacks are almonds, walnuts, string cheese, celery and hummus, small piece of fruit. Lunch every day is big salad with a protein in it. Dinner is protein and couple vegetables.
My plan sounds much like your plan. I am 82 years old and yo-yo dieted all my life. Every wacky diet on the market. Hunger wins over, guaranteed to regain.
Paleo is nourishing and filling. I live in San Diego area so stores are full of good produce all year round. Never going back to sugars and starches. Also brought my blood glucose down from 105 to 97. Try to take a walk every day of at least 30 minutes.
Glad to hear of your success and look forward to reading your next book!
Oh good grief, I remember those lettuce/Miracle Whip salads! Not fondly.
I just started reading your books….Book five of the Joana Brady series and I love them! Now, here you are sharing how to be healthy with all your fans!!!
My husband is a skinny diabetic2. However, the meds he was given quickly put 35 pounds on him. I have fibromyalgia and, after menopause, I put on 30 pounds. We were fat, sick and sad. Four years ago we began the journey you’ve been on and we’ve never looked back. We lost weight very quickly despite the fact that we were on a 3-week “just retired” trip to Florida and eating most of our meals in restaurants. We actually had to purchase smaller clothing two weeks into the trip!!!
Today, my husband’s doctor calls him the poster boy for heart disease and diabetes. He’s off his diabetes meds, trim, active, healthy and going strong at almost 70!! My fibro is mostly under control and, after a lifetime of no-fat diets, I’m a size 2/4 and gobbling up lots of healthy foods including all kinds of fats!!
Thank you for your delightful books and for sharing your journey to health. It’s time we all begin to stop eating all the low fat, high carb processed food that is making us sick and begin to eat unprocessed, fresh, wholesome food that nourishes our bodies!!!
Linda:
What “Journey” are you on? I’m approaching 70 (67), am type2 diabetic, and 60# overweight. Would like to follow your (collective) example: lose weight AND get off meds! We too like to travel & eat out.
Mike
PS Is there a way we could do PMs?
Sounds like a great accomplishment for both of you. I have to disagree about one thing, you certainly don’t act retired Authoring two books a year with all the related public relations, blog, and even e-book novellas. You work harder than many 40 year olds!
You mentioned grilled cheese sandwiches. I’m having one for lunch. I don’t eat them very often, but I add a little excitement to my life by sprinkling garlic powder in the melted butter for the first side, Today I have Swiss and Cheddar cheese in the sandwich. Small pieces of each on rye bread.
A toast to both of you! Walk on!
Feeling thankful for local library.
113 J.A . Jance e offerings
55 of them audiobooks. (Listening at 1.5x viewed by spouse as insanity)
Busy catching up with earliest Beaumont series. Feeling you hit your stride by Trial by Fire and Paradise Lost. 🙂
I just discovered your blog. Your posts are entertaining, thought provoking and inspirational. Thank you, I have to go make a salad.
Here is an idea: I have seen parmesean and cheddar used to make “crackers”
So , melt the cheese of choice and use that as the bread. Add something for the inside. Avacado slices? Tomato salsa? Not really grilled cheese sammie but close if you. Are craving.
You inspired me to start walking 20 minutes a day after recovering from cancer surgery, where they removed a large part of my upper thigh. I am not up to 10 thousand steps yet. I believe I will get there.
Thanks you so much for what you write. Your blogs is like getting a letter from a frilend.