Gut Reaction
This week I became aware that my belly is getting big. It's starting to chafe against the top of my trousers. Living without a bathroom scale or bedroom mirrors, I don't get many reminders of my body shape, so it turns out that my clothing is my first feedback.
Now I've never really had chiseled abs, so it's not much of a surprise. A relaxed belly always sticks out a bit, and so long as I can suck it in decently, I'm not too bothered. And I am in my 40th year on this planet. A hundred years ago I might be considered in old age. A bit of a belly isn't completely unexpected. Especially here in England. I look at the other middle-aged men waiting on the train platform and I see belly, belly, belly, belly.
But really, this chafing business has brought me to a decision point. I absolutely refuse to consider getting larger trousers. I've been a 34 waist for as long as I can remember and am not about to change now. So I am declaring war. On my belly.
First I did some thinking as to how I got this way. My bike commute is much more infrequent and is considerably shorter, so I get less exercise than I'm used to. But I think the biggest change is that I'm eating more, and eating less healthy foods.
When I look back on my time in England, the pub lunch will be one of the most treasured experiences. Using the fancy a pint site and other sources, I've eagerly sought out pubs near my office and have greatly enjoyed such exploration. There's practically a pub on every corner, and I'd wager there's over a hundred pubs I could walk to on my lunch time. For a long time I favoured fish and chips constantly but lately I've found some nice salads, pies and burgers. I don't have a pub lunch every day, of course - I often get a sandwich or salad elsewhere - but typically 2-3 times a week. And all those beers and fried foods do add up.
After this full lunch, I'm also having a full dinner at home. And I'm still indulging my habit of trying to finish Sarah's uneaten foods so that they don't go to waste.
Now that I've declared war, I've also worked out a strategy. The first part is exercise. I do pretty well with this. I walk a good deal in London. I always take the stairs to our third-storey office (which would be the fourth floor for Americans). When going to the Ipswich town centre, I'll more often than not take my bike or walk. But I can do more. My schedule is quite solid until around 6pm, when I have brought Sarah home. Here I have about an hour before dinner, so I can use this time for some stretching, sit-ups, and perhaps a run around the block or a brisk walk. I can also be more stringent about getting regular exercise on weekends.
But most of my focus will be on my eating. First, I'll cut out carbs for a week or two, getting my body into a fat-burning state of ketosis. No beer, wine, pasta, rice, bread, cereal, potatoes, pastries. Margo's dinners are mostly low-carb already, so dinners are easy. I can buy salads or meat-and-veg plates easily for lunches. If I really want a drink, there's scotch and other distilled spirits. Breakfasts will be the most challenging, but I know of a food chain where I can buy chopped veg sticks with hummus, and I'll plan to chop up veg sticks from home also. I'll also cut back my dinner portions and let Sarah's scraps go to waste.
I'm guessing it will be two or three months before I start seeing results. I'm also not sure how far I'll take it. I know I'll gradually build up more carbs but I'm hoping to strengthen good eating habits.
Now I've never really had chiseled abs, so it's not much of a surprise. A relaxed belly always sticks out a bit, and so long as I can suck it in decently, I'm not too bothered. And I am in my 40th year on this planet. A hundred years ago I might be considered in old age. A bit of a belly isn't completely unexpected. Especially here in England. I look at the other middle-aged men waiting on the train platform and I see belly, belly, belly, belly.
But really, this chafing business has brought me to a decision point. I absolutely refuse to consider getting larger trousers. I've been a 34 waist for as long as I can remember and am not about to change now. So I am declaring war. On my belly.
First I did some thinking as to how I got this way. My bike commute is much more infrequent and is considerably shorter, so I get less exercise than I'm used to. But I think the biggest change is that I'm eating more, and eating less healthy foods.
When I look back on my time in England, the pub lunch will be one of the most treasured experiences. Using the fancy a pint site and other sources, I've eagerly sought out pubs near my office and have greatly enjoyed such exploration. There's practically a pub on every corner, and I'd wager there's over a hundred pubs I could walk to on my lunch time. For a long time I favoured fish and chips constantly but lately I've found some nice salads, pies and burgers. I don't have a pub lunch every day, of course - I often get a sandwich or salad elsewhere - but typically 2-3 times a week. And all those beers and fried foods do add up.
After this full lunch, I'm also having a full dinner at home. And I'm still indulging my habit of trying to finish Sarah's uneaten foods so that they don't go to waste.
Now that I've declared war, I've also worked out a strategy. The first part is exercise. I do pretty well with this. I walk a good deal in London. I always take the stairs to our third-storey office (which would be the fourth floor for Americans). When going to the Ipswich town centre, I'll more often than not take my bike or walk. But I can do more. My schedule is quite solid until around 6pm, when I have brought Sarah home. Here I have about an hour before dinner, so I can use this time for some stretching, sit-ups, and perhaps a run around the block or a brisk walk. I can also be more stringent about getting regular exercise on weekends.
But most of my focus will be on my eating. First, I'll cut out carbs for a week or two, getting my body into a fat-burning state of ketosis. No beer, wine, pasta, rice, bread, cereal, potatoes, pastries. Margo's dinners are mostly low-carb already, so dinners are easy. I can buy salads or meat-and-veg plates easily for lunches. If I really want a drink, there's scotch and other distilled spirits. Breakfasts will be the most challenging, but I know of a food chain where I can buy chopped veg sticks with hummus, and I'll plan to chop up veg sticks from home also. I'll also cut back my dinner portions and let Sarah's scraps go to waste.
I'm guessing it will be two or three months before I start seeing results. I'm also not sure how far I'll take it. I know I'll gradually build up more carbs but I'm hoping to strengthen good eating habits.
posted by Michael Nelson at 11:48 am
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