The dieting way of life

Jan. 5, 2006

Dear Leslie,

Strangers have invaded my gym. Only a few people looked familiar this morning.

Strangers roam every gym at the beginning of the year. They are there keeping the promise made to themselves or perhaps others New Year's Eve to lose weight, become fit and, as one self-help guru puts it, become the-best-version-of-yourself.

The strangers move about the gym learning a new dance with weight machines and treadmills. A few will hang in there. Some will go home after a month or two, discouraged that the gym didn't change their lives.

Truth is, I'm one of the strangers. A twinge in my lower abdomen convinced me to stop lifting weights a couple of months ago. Bronchitis knocked me off the treadmill. Worst of all, cold weather kept me off the golf course. Thankfully, Andy's Frozen Custard hot fudge sundaes with raspberry sauce has the power to cheer people up.

Physically, for the past two months, inertiaRme.

Now my doctor says my cholesterol levels are too high and prescribed a 20-pound weight loss. Which drug store can fill that prescription, doc?

The hardest part may be getting a creaky middle-aged body moving again in the middle of winter. Staying in bed feels so much better than lacing up running shoes early in the morning that it's a wonder any of us chooses the latter. But making those kinds of choices is how you change your life.

A dramatically obscure diet must be chosen to supplement the exercise, of course. I found one in a book called "Essential Eating." DC refers to it as the "biblical diet." It employs ancient grains like quinoa and spelt, preferably sprouted. According to the book, the body digests sprouted grains as vegetables instead of starches. Pancreatic enzymes are required to digest starches but are not required to digest vegetables. The idea is to eat foods that are easily digested so our bodies can heal from the many years of abuse most of us have subjected them to. Makes sense to me.

"Essential Eating" has six phases lasting two months each and is billed as a way of life, not a diet. This way of life requires weekly three-hour cooking sessions involving beets. I hate beets but argued to DC that losing weight the "Essential Eating" way is guaranteed because it's hard to overeat spelt and beets.

She refuses to open the book. I refuse to diet alone.

Friends offer helpful suggestions. One who loves red wine recommends its powers to control weight. All those Gaullists are as thin as French fries.

Another friend favors the 12-week plan of a guy who became famous for slimming down Oprah Winfrey. It makes sense, too. He lays out five steps: Drink lots of water, eat a nutritious breakfast, no eating within three hours of bedtime, eliminate alcohol at first and make eating a conscious act. The last means you stop jamming food into your mouth while driving or watching TV and instead pay attention to what you're eating.

Thank Yahweh it won't be beets.

Love, Sam

Sam Blackwell is managing editor of the Southeast Missourian.