Reaching for the Mountain top

The Ottawa Citizen, Tuesday, November 30, 1999

In January 1997, I took a good hard look at myself. I was 31 years old and 280 pounds -- the most I had ever weighed.

I had just spent the holidays with friends and family, who had shared their dreams and plans for the future. I realized that I needed to get a grip and organize myself because no one else was going to do it for me.

At the time, I was in a bit of a rut. I derived little satisfaction from my job or co-workers. Because I had no interest in socializing, my circle of friends had grown very small.

My only physical activity involved walking to and from the corner to catch my bus to work. My weight kept increasing, and I was always tired.

At times, it felt like I was in a hole at the base of a mountain. The top of the mountain looked nice in the sunlight, but I was afraid to try to climb out....

These days, though, I am climbing the mountain. Although I haven't reached the top, I am on my way and picking up speed. The more I work at it, the better in shape I am. As I get into better shape, the slope looks less steep. In fact, the mountain is now more like a hill.

I decided to start losing weight in order to regain my self-respect. Once I was happy with myself, I thought, I could start to think about finding a new job.

I began by writing down my long-term goals. Even if I don't ever reach them, it helps to have a direction and something to aim at. I broke down the goals into daily and weekly objectives, targets that were challenging but achievable.

My first two goals were to get to 225 pounds (at the time it looked like a healthy long-term weight), and then to find a job in software development.

During the first few months, I lost 40 pounds and found a job that I like. Previously, I had eaten three large meals each day. Breakfast might have consisted of four pieces of toast with peanut... butter, two or three eggs with bacon. For lunch, I would have soup, a sandwich and dessert. I would also eat a big dinner, followed up with dessert.

I started by cutting out desserts and reducing the size of my meals. It took a lot of will-power, but I got used to it.

After losing 40 pounds, I hit a wall. From November 1997 to February 1998, my weight stayed steady at 240 pounds. Although I kept reducing my meal sizes and increasing the length of my workouts, my weight did not change. Again, I started to feel tired most of the day.

Around this time, I decided to meet with Duane Jones, the coach of Technosport Fitness and Health Management Consultants. My dietary habits were the first things we changed. I did not realize that, although my meals were small, they were not properly balanced for the physical activity I was doing. I was still having too much meat and starch-type food with not enough vegetables.

I started to eat five times a day. Although the meals were actually bigger than I was used to, they included more vegetables and fewer starches....

Eating five meals a day allowed me to increase my physical activity. It also gave me more energy. I started to lose weight again. In 20 weeks, I lost 55 pounds. I could feel my health and my energy level increasing. These days, I eat five to six meals a day. At the start of each week, I plan my meals based on my workout schedules and how I felt the previous week. I try to ensure that I get enough energy to do all my physical training, but not too much that I gain back excess weight.

I also learned that I was trying too hard. At first, I tried to run 30 minutes a day. Or I would try to run faster. My coach, Duane Jones, taught me that I could lose weight faster with a lower cardiovascular activity. With a fast walk, I was losing more fat per minute of exercise then going jogging or running -- and I could keep a fast walk pace for a lot longer than jogging. ---

It helps to be stubborn. After a long day at work, it can take a... bit of convincing to get myself to pick up my gym bag and head out the door. At times like this, I consider my goals and objectives. I ask myself how badly I want to achieve them. When my weight was above 225 pounds, I just could not wait to be below 200 pounds.

Now that I am below that level, I find myself motivated by different goals.

Let's say my goal is to participate in a specific event like a 10K race. I tell myself that to achieve that goal in a few months, I must meet my weekly objectives. Skipping a day of exercise delays this progress. I must ask myself, "Do I really want to participate in that event or am I going to skip it because I feel a little tired today?"

Once at the gym I find it easy to start my workout. The air is full of energy; just by being there I do not feel tired anymore.

These days, I work out six of seven days. I need one day to rest, physically and mentally. I usually start with 10 minutes of stretching, followed by 20 minutes of abdominal training and an hour to 90 minutes of cardiovascular activity. Three times a week I will... add 45 minutes to an hour of weight training. Once a week, I increase the cardiovascular training to more than two hours.

I have a few goals that I am working toward. For starters, I would like to increase my speed in karate and my endurance and cardiovascular capacity. I am also working toward running a half-marathon in the spring.

My long-term goals are my light at the end of the tunnel. Every day that I work in that direction, things get a little brighter.

To climb your own mountain:

• Write down long-term goals and short-term objectives. Put them on the fridge or somewhere you will see them many times a day. It doesn't matter if you ever reach them as long as you feel good about working toward them.
• Re-evaluate your goals regularly.
• Be stubborn about reaching your short-term objectives.
• Talk to friends who will encourage you.
• Find some physical activity that you are content to do on a regular basis. Join a badminton team with a friend, or go by yourself and make some new friends.
• Join a physical activity group that meets two or three times a week. This is a great way to help avoid temptation.