Sweet Little Lies ...

Sweet little lies that I tell myself -- Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
“Just the facts sir”. OK, I’ll have to lay it out for you Mr. Webb. I’ve struggled with my weight for about 15 years. I’ve tried fad diets and gimmicks -- nothing ever seemed to work -- then or now. I did finally join 24 Hour Fitness in 2005 and thought a 3 times-a-week cardio workout would keep me safe from excess poundage. I was wrong about that, even after 4 years of a pretty steady workout regimen.

How did I recognize the problem? The “fat suit” that I purchased at Joseph Banks in 1999 no longer fit me when I put it on for a funeral last month. When I went to Men’s Wearhouse for a new suit, I was dismayed to have my waist measured at 38 inches. How did I not know that? Self delusion -- I found an off-brand of jeans at Kohl’s where the sizes run large. A Kohl’s 36” is probably a 38” by anyone else’s measure. But I kidded myself that Levis and Wrangler ran “too small”.


Mind games with Alli -- Picture courtesy of GlaxoSmithKline

So how do you think you added on the weight sir? More mind games -- I don’t play any greater games with myself than I do with weight loss strategies. Two years ago, I started taking the Alli (Orlistat) pill as soon as it became approved for over-the-counter retail. The pill blocks fat absorption (and it really does), but here is the rub… It doesn’t block everything; if you continue eating fatty foods, it won’t block enough. Even worse, I would eat a 3 enchilada dinner at El Fenix and justify it by popping a couple of Alli pills. Not only did I not change my eating habits, I went further in the wrong direction. Alli was helpless to battle my gluttony.

CHARLIE’S RULE

A newly recovered alcoholic should not have a fully stocked bar, or a fridge full of beer. Why then do I, a seasoned food-a-holic, think It’s OK to have a pantry full of sandwich crackers, Oreos and pop corn? The snacks initially snuck into my house as afternoon “work snacks”. I was merely “warehousing” them at my house -- that is except when I wolfed them down late at night as snacks at home.

My friend Charlie a few years ago pointed out something very helpful and relevant which I ignored at the time:

“Don’t bring fattening food into your house”.

If you know you have a problem with it, don’t have it around. Charlie, how right you are. I’m still not out of the woods -- I need to navigate special occasions and work lunches. We don’t go anywhere at lunch where you don’t get chips, biscuits, rolls or bread sticks as complementary fare. Not that many places have a good “Lite Fare” menu. I’ll have to pray for the strength to resist the carbo-temptations.

I asked a trim, athletic friend close to my age, “Do you ever have an evening snack, while watching TV?”

He responded, “Oh yeah, every once in a while I have a popsicle.”

A … popsicle?? That wouldn’t get me through a commercial. I’m hoping that fruit and zucchini chips can see me through the night. And maybe, just maybe I can quit telling myself the sweet little lies that got me into this weighty situation.

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