YOU'RE SWEATING...YOU OLDIE!

Mercy Weight Loss Center’s program recommends that as you follow their eating guidelines that you also attempt to burn a minimum of 2,000 calories a week with physical activity. They hold you accountable for this by having you write on a whiteboard in front of the class each week, how many calories of physical activity you burned during the previous week. You also write down how much food you have eaten and whether you have followed all the guidelines or not.

You do not write down if you gained or lost and no one needs to know your weight ever, unless you volunteer that information. The leader then checks to see the percentage of compliance for the week for the group as a whole. The goal obviously is 100% compliance. It feels pretty rough when the reason the class didn’t get 100% is because of what you failed to do that week.


Everyone is extremely nice about it, but the pressure, subtle as it is, has it’s affect on most of us. We don’t want to let ourselves or our group down. It seems to work.


When I started back in February the thought of burning any calories in physical activity seemed too much to bear. In fact, the change in my diet was so drastic to my body; I didn’t even attempt “P.A.” until about the third week in. Over a few weeks I gradually worked up to the 2,000 calorie target that they suggest.


Once my body adjusted to the change in diet I was amazed to see how energized I was starting to feel. Never in my life had I eaten so little food and had so much energy! I think it began to really kick in 5 or 6 weeks into this regimen. My exercise consisted of either walking or yard work and they give you a handy little chart to estimate the calories you burn depending on the exercise you do. After about 2 months into this new way of life, I usually had no trouble getting those 2,000 calories burned off.


The main idea is to do more than what you normally were doing physically. In my case, anything besides trips to the kitchen, bathroom and bed would qualify!


So who “loves” to exercise?

Not many people embrace regular physical activity unless they hide the exercise in a game like basketball or golf or fill in the blank. I have some friends who enjoy golfing, and while I can’t believe I’m writing this, I may ask to go play alongside them this fall if we get together. (Last year I was the “official golf cart driver”) as there was no way I was limber enough or strong enough to actually try swinging at a golf ball let alone walking the course.


Things change. They’ve been changing in a good way lately for me.

My wife and I joined a gym. We lift modest weights three times a week and work on the elliptical or treadmill the other three days. That is so totally out of character for me in my adult life it seems surreal!

I can recognize the health benefits already.

They, (whoever “they” are) always tell you that it’s going to have to be a permanent lifestyle change, and intellectually I’ve always agreed. Working out at a gym was so far beyond my ability to dream it hasn’t sunk in yet.

I do feel better. “They” are right.

So, as always, I still struggle with some heavy thoughts, but I try to let them motivate me to embrace light living.