From Fat Man to High Fiber

I have been highlighting little changes that I have made in my life and ministry over the last few months. You can read about the first change here and the second change here.

Allow me to highlight a third. My wife and I are getting geared up to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. As the biggest part of those festivities, we have booked a cruise to the Western Caribbean over Thanksgiving. Because I want to look smokin’ hot in my swimsuit, I have set out to lose 25 pounds.

Part of this plan is exercise, which I highlighted in the second post. The other part of the plan is my diet. That’s where the fiber comes in.

That’s right. Fiber. The stuff of senior citizens everywhere.

Fiber is good for several reasons.

• It makes you feel full, but fiber doesn’t absorb into your body. It simply passes right through. You aren’t hungry, but you aren’t taking anything on.
• It absorbs the bad cholesterol in your digestive system before your blood can absorb it. This is good for guys like me, who have a family history of high cholesterol.
• Foods high in fiber are generally low in calorie count. If you know anything about weight loss, you should know that calories are everything. You have to burn more calories than you take in to successfully lose weight. Because high-fiber foods generally have low calorie counts, I am golden here.

Instead of counting calories, I am counting fiber grams. The goal is to eat 40g of fiber each day. The average American eats 10-15. I have had little trouble eating 40g. Another secret is to eat the fiber-ful foods first. Here is how I usually do it:

I eat oatmeal or fiber-enriched pancakes (covered with fresh fruit and whipped cream) for breakfast. Sometimes I will eat a bowl of frosted shredded wheat.

For lunch, I usually have a spinach salad with fresh carrots. I usually put black beans on top, as well as sunflower seeds and/or raisins. I love me a big salad. After that, a peanut butter and honey sandwich or a wheat tortilla wrap.

If I snack during the day, it’s usually on smoked almonds. High in fiber and stinkin’ amazing. Or popcorn.

For dinner, another salad. Then, I usually eat whatever my wife has made for the family. There are lots of ways to “amp up” any meal with added fiber. That’s the cool thing about this diet. I don’t eat anything really different from what I always have. I simply add some fiber, fill up on it, and then eat less of the other food.

So far, following this simple plan coupled with exercise, I’ve lost 12 pounds in 6 weeks. And I’ve only done the diet for 2 1/2 of those 6 weeks!

Ordering Life: Big Rock #3 is My Health

“Who has God made to me to be and what am I supposed to be doing?”

I’ve been asking this question of myself often over the last several months. The answers that I come up with are what we are calling Big Rocks. Read the original post in this series to understand the importance of the Big Rocks going first into your jar.

My Big Rock #3 is my health. I have begun to realize that my body is not getting any younger. And with that age comes, hopefully, wisdom.

I was diagnosed with high blood pressure at the age of 28 and given medication. I had chronic headaches that debilitated me. I have a family history of high cholesterol. I am, by nature, a night owl and was not getting enough sleep.

I realized that if I want to serve well, I neded to make some changes. Here are action steps I have implemented:

Exercise: I strive to work-out 4 days each week; Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. My work-out of choice: Wii Fit! I spend about 15 minutes doing yoga to stretch my muscles and help with my flexibility and balance. I then spend another 15 minutes doing strength training on the Wii Fit. And finally I spend another 15 minutes doing aerobic exercises.

Eating: I have earnestly attempted to cut out excess sugar from my diet. Now, I still have a cookie or cupcake from time to time, but I don’t have 2 or 3 or 4. Also, I have stopped over-eating. As I have practiced self-control in this area, I have been shocked to realize how badly I overate in the past. It feels good to stop eating when you’re full. 

Combining these two practices have helped me to lose 8 pounds in the last month. Not a ton…but a good, healthy pace to lose weight. (Plus, I am treating my wife to a Caribbean cruise to celebrate our 10th anniversary this winter…and I don’t want to be the fat guy with no shirt on by the pool!)

Sleeping: A few weeks ago, I decided to simply just go to bed whenever Keri went to bed. I am, as I mentioned, a night-owl by nature. She is not. She’s a go-to-bed-about-10pm-no-matter-what kind of person. I told her one night that I would just go to bed with her each night, no questions asked. I would stop whatever I was doing and sleep. 

After a few nights, I noticed something amazing: I felt better. And I woke up before my alarm clock ready to start my day. No more hitting the snooze button and rolling out of bed just in time to take my daughter to school. Nope! I could wake up early, workout, take a shower and then take her to school. Amazing!

Less Caffeine: This may sound completely insane to most of you, but I gave caffeinated coffee up completely a little over a year ago. I still drink lots of coffee, but it’s ALL decaf. Every once in awhile I will have a Diet Coke, but my overall in-take of caffeine has gone from “way-too-much” to “hardly-any” and my body feels better for it.

Caffeine is America’s legal drug. Just one thought: if you get a headache whenever you don’t get your cup of joe or Mountain Dew, then you have a problem! Don’t be a slave.

All of these efforts, as well as a few others, have helped my body feel better. Losing weight. Not so tired. Fewer headaches. More energy. All good things that make me a better follower of Christ, a better husband, a better father, a better minister, and a better person.