The Epic Pig-Out of 2009

Full title, posed as a query: I wonder if the epic pig-out of 2009 has ended now . . . ?

When I say the 2009 holiday season showed me the worst and most intense examples of pigging out I have ever seen, I am not kidding. Nor am I talking about one or two people. I am talking about witnessing people-- some of whom are normally very careful in their eating habits-- going overboard in dangerous ways with the holiday gorging. It started earlier than I ever remember and it was serious business. Pretty much as soon as the stores started stocking Halloween candy back in October, people felt like the universe had given them some cosmic permission slip to go wild. It has been a 3 month festival of bad food habits and I am so glad I resisted. I think the reason why I have been more aware of it is because I have been working so hard not to go down that road this year. It's just not worth it. I have done the holiday bender before and the effort it takes to trim off those pounds suuuucks. The overindulgence is not enjoyable enough to me to make the hard work afterwards worth the while. What I used to do is have one full day of indulgence for Thanksgiving and again for Christmas. I have scaled that back to one meal and it's kept me sane. Everyone flipped their shit when Kate Moss said, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" and I think that's because, under the circumstances, they took the comment to mean that you shouldn't eat at all or you should aim to be a size zero. I'm not cool with that. Starvation = having no energy to do a damn thing and putting your life in danger. No thanks. The other side of the equation is not good either though and it's important to say that. During the 2009 holiday season, I saw people eating whole pies, whole cakes, giant turkey legs, salads drenched with half a bottle of ranch dressing, entire bags of 1lb candy sacks, etc. It's not healthy to starve but damn, it ain't healthy to gorge either. Hence, for me, eating a whole pie does not seem to me to be a satisfying enough experience to make me want to try it out. Given that we are in prime new year's resolution time, I thought this would be a good time for me to write a blog about some of the fitness lessons I have learned through my quest for better health. Of course this comes with a disclaimer that I am not a doctor or an expert but merely someone who's working my butt off to be in better shape and to set a foundation to live a long, healthy life.

My (un-medical, un-scientific but true for me) collections of thoughts, experiences, and opinions:


As previously noted, starvation sucks. You can't expect to have a healthy, productive workout if you have no fuel.

People who try to lose weight by diet alone are setting themselves up to be skinny fat. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18594089/) Who wants to look good but be unhealthy? In the long run, what's the point in that? Being a size 2 is not relevant at the morgue.

Invest in a heart rate monitor. I have learned a lot about which exercises work well for me by consistently wearing one. I have also learned about household activities (like my blog on snow shoveling) that can burn more calories than you might expect.

Plateaus suck. Anyone who's ever been through one can testify. I have been at a plateau for about 3 weeks now and I have had enough. I used to exercise 5 days a week but I am increasing that to 6 days. I figured that if I could spend 30 minutes burning, say, 500 calories on a day I would normally be resting, that would equate to 26,000 extra calories burned in a year. Not shabby. I also came to the conclusion that I was not eating enough. The amount I was eating versus the amount of calories I was burning wasn't leaving me with enough balance at the end of the day for my metabolism to be in good shape. I haven't been modifying my habits long enough yet to tell if I am on the right path to break the plateau but thus far, things seem to be going well. (http://www.annecollins.com/dieting/weight-loss-plateau.htm)

With the economy being so crappy, money is important. If you like to exercise at home and use DVDs (as I do), it's nice to be able to rent a DVD or preview it before you invest your money in buying it. It is a terrible feeling to pony up money, plug in the DVD and then realize within 5 minutes that what you got is not what you wanted/expected.

After a certain period of time, it actually does become enjoyable. I never thought I would say that but it did happen for me. Athletes probably totally understand what I mean but for someone like me who is not an athlete, it was a new experience to go, "Wow. I get it now. I get why people say there's an exercise high." I thought it was like hunting for Atlantis or seeking the Holy Grail. I have noticed that certain household chores and basic activities that used to tire me out don't have that affect anymore-- and that's nice. Plus it's a good feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction when you tell yourself that you are going to exercise for x minutes and then you fulfill that goal. (http://www.absolutefitness.co.uk/articles/psychological_bfits/index.htm)

My friend, Ericka, is a physical therapist and when I was going through a MAD case of DOMS (http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/domos.html) a little while back, I asked her for advice from a PT perspective. Her advice was good: heat, stretching, and Aleve. Stretching and having a good warm-up before exercising are important. I used to neglect those elements and after about a week of feeling like I wanted a leg-iotomy, I learned the hard way. Plus I would imagine it's healthier for your heart and lungs to get a warm-up before diving into something strenuous.

If your body is telling you that you have pushed yourself too far, LISTEN to it! I have bought some pretty ass-kicking cardio DVDs and, again, I have learned the hard way that trying to be Billy Bad-Ass is not always the best route. I'd never gone to that breaking point before so I didn't understand what it felt like. When it happened to me, I felt like my heart was pounding against my ribs, I felt faint and I felt like I was about to projectile vomit. My heart rate was very close to its upper threshold and I was covered in sweat. I knew it was time to slow the hell down for a few minutes and let myself recover. (http://www.fitmoves.com/ArticleArchive/exercise%20precautions.htm) You shouldn't kill yourself by starving and you shouldn't kill yourself by causing a heart or head explosion either, LOL. Refer to above paragraph about things not being relevant anymore at the morgue.

Good shoes are worth it.

The simple practice of keeping a food log really is helpful. It can get tedious and boring at times but it is worth its weight in gold to help you assess your habits.

Stressing out too much about what number you are on the scale or what clothing size you are is a buzzkill. There are certain days here and there where I wake up and just know by how I am feeling that it is not a good day mentally or physically to get on the scale. And on those days, I don't.

Don't let food pushers make you feel guilty. If you have co-workers, friends, family members, etc., who practically shove junk food down your throat, don't feel guilty about telling them "no." If they want to eat whole cakes and pies, it's their business but you should not be guilt-trip-manipulated into joining in. If they get pissy, they'll get over it and life will go on.

Pre-planning can help a lot both for meals and for exercise schedules. Before you go out to eat, look at the nutrition facts of what you might want. Some of the things you might believe to be healthy are not and vice versa. I discovered that some of my favorite dishes are not as unhealthy as I thought they might be, which was awesome. If it's one of your special days, however, lighten up. I was worried about eating a rich meal for my birthday but I gained no weight from the decadence I engaged in at Cheesecake Factory. If it's your birthday, you deserve a slice of cake for surviving another year!



That's all I can think of off the top of my head. For any readers doing the resolutions gig, hang in there. And no eating whole pies! Leave that behind with 2009.