My “Writer’s Weight Loss” Plan
Okay, it probably sounds as if I’ve taken a left turn at Albuquerque (as Bugs Bunny was wont to say) by bringing up this subject of weight loss. But we’ve just survived the holidays, and that usually means our clothes are no longer fitting.
For real? Why talk about weight loss on a writing blog? Think about it before you start to whine. Part of a writer’s strategic plan is to first and foremost stay alive to be able to write all those great books she yearns to write someday. And not just stay alive but have a healthy life, to the best of her ability (granted, some of us have to deal with difficult health challenges, disabilities, or other circumstances that limit us).
This month is going to be “writer health month” on my blog. No, don’t run out of the room to raid the fridge out of apprehension and fear. Hang in there.
Just What Kind of Good Health?
Let’s take this a step further. What kind of “good health” do we need? Aside from the basic good health that will (we hope) keep us from succumbing to debilitating diseases or injuries that will prevent us from being able to write, we want health that will help us use our facilities in the best way (no, I’m not talking about the local Starbuck’s, although that too, in a perambulatory sense). We want a sharp mind, keen memory, and agile fingers able to type on the keyboard (again, if possible).
In other words, although we may be limited in varying ways regarding just how great our health can be, there are always things we can do to improve our health so that we can attain our writing goals. We ignore health at our peril, for we need strong focused minds, energy and stamina, and overall body health to be able to write books.
Everyone has a different method for staying healthy, and I’m not going to go into health regimes in this post, for, as you have noticed (and maybe cringed at), the title is about weight loss.
The Sad Truth
If you are one of those rare lucky individuals with a fast metabolism and don’t worry about gaining weight, you can just leave the room right now. Those of us who wake up determined that day to curtail our eating and stick to a diet (which we might do perhaps every day of our life) don’t want to hear how you can eat all you want, anything, and not gain a pound. Okay, life isn’t fair, we grumble. But we have to deal with it.
I don’t like being overweight. I hate sitting at my computer and feeling fat. There is nothing more discouraging to me than pulling on a pair of my favorite jeans and they are too tight to zip up. Argh! But what I hate even more is dieting. What a torment!
Sadly, a writer’s lot is to spend endless hours sitting in front of a computer. Sure, there are some crazy writers out there who actually jog on a treadmill with a laptop situated such that they can run while they write. Really! I can’t imagine how; my brain would just rattle and my eyes would go wonkers.
But suffice it to say, many writers slowly (or quickly) accumulate unwanted pounds as they write year after year. And we all know that as we get older (for most of us—not those lucky sods who left the room), our metabolism slows to a crawl. Like a shallow creek in the heat of summer. And as we get older, we are more susceptible to illness and injury.
So being deliberate in our desire to lose or maintain a healthy weight is really an important strategic goal for a writer. And I don’t mean to lecture anyone about how to go about this, for there are plenty of weight-loss plans out there. I’m just going to share what works for me as a writer with a writing schedule and a very busy life. I hope you’ll share your methods in the comments!
I Hate Wasting Time
Maybe you have time to drive twenty minutes both ways to a gym and work out. I don’t. I don’t want to waste a minute, so just like streamlining social networking and marketing and promotion, I try to figure out the best use of my time to get the most bang out of it.
One pitfall of being a writer who works at home is access to food. If you live alone and don’t have willpower, you can just keep the larder and refrigerator empty of those yummy but pound-producing snacks. However, most of us live with other people who want those yummies around, and so it’s a challenge to resist them.
One solution to this is to go somewhere else to write. I have spent endless days at libraries working—yes, to get away from my dog, who wants me to throw the ball endlessly, and I’m a softie and have a hard time saying no. Really, though, one reason I go work at libraries is to be removed from the temptation to snack. And it’s usually a quiet place that helps with my concentration. I can’t work with noise around me. Also being at another location prevents me from getting up to wash dishes or clean house.
One best-selling author I know says she will do just about anything to keep from writing (although she loves to write). But I get that. It’s so easy to get distracted, feeling guilty over that load of laundry piled on top of the dryer, staring at us as we sit trying to write.
So although I hate to waste time, it’s worth it to me to spend the time to drive to a place that will afford me quiet time to concentrate without the distraction of food.
My Simple Plan
Here are some things I do to help me lose weight (which I often need to do because I really suck at willpower when it comes to food). I don’t know if this will help you, but I thought I’d share my methods, and then maybe you can share some of yours in the comments.
- When I wake up in the morning, I run two miles on my treadmill (slowly) before I get busy working. You may not have a treadmill. And perhaps like me, you hate to exercise outside unless the weather is pleasant. You may dislike going to health clubs, or not. Whatever your taste and location, just find some way to get in a half hour of exercise. I listen to audiobooks or uplifting music. I plan out my day as I run, and clear things off my mental plate.
My daughters subscribe to a yoga program online. They can choose the kinds of poses they want based on target areas (like positions to strengthen the back) and choose the length of the class. They then lay out a mat on the floor and follow the exercises shown on their laptop screen. If you have Internet at home, this is doable.
If you are more self-motivated, you can just create a lists of exercises to do, like jumping jacks and pushups and stretches. They key though is to get your heart rate up for a while and actually produce some sweat and heavy breathing. Go ahead, complain. You’ll feel so much better though if you start the day doing this. Don’t have time? No excuse. Just set your alarm an hour earlier.
- Drink a liter of water—all of it—before you eat anything. Preferably after you do that half-hour run. Try to drink another one before each meal. That helps cut down your appetite.
- Don’t eat anything until noon. Suck it up. It won’t kill you.
- Eat only two meals: lunch and dinner. No snacking. Keep your daily calories down to about 500. That means something like this for each meal: an apple or orange, a serving of lean meat or other protein (like nonfat cottage cheese), and a salad (fat-free dressing or lemon juice) or some steamed or raw vegetables (that aren’t starchy like potatoes). No starches (rice, bread, etc.). No sugar (Argh again!). No fats (butter, oils).
Yeah, this is a kind of torturous boot camp, but I’ve been able to lose five pounds a week on this program. If I really need chocolate, I will allow myself one small square as a reward at night. If I don’t reward myself in some way, I’d go crazy. If I’ve been really good, I’ll have a diet fudge ice cream bar or a skinny mocha frappuchino at Starbuck’s.
And remember, you don’t have to do this forever. This is just temporary misery until you get down to your desired weight. Once there, you can allow yourself to splurge from time to time to stay sane. Can’t write if you go crazy, right? Many of you will agree with me, though, that there is nothing that feels better than being thin and trim.
So, I’d like to hear your thoughts? What do you do to stay healthy, without wasting too much time? What’s worked for you when it comes to stirring that willpower and losing weight?
Photo Credit: Alan Cleaver via Compfight cc
Sorry, I should have “left the room” (I’m one of those who doesn’t put weight on), but this was hilarious, so I carried on reading it. I do live alone and on the tightest budget you can imagine, so I have very little in the way of munchies in the house. However, that exercising thing…er……..should but don’t. Never have liked exercising! A walk is the closest I ever get to it and not often enough…no will power! I stay home! Will try harder this year! 🙂 Brilliant blog post though.
Hi CS — I enjoy your blog and think it provides great content for writers, so I nominated you for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Details are here:
http://yvonneventresca.com/1/post/2015/01/inspiring-blogger-award.html
Thanks so much, Yvonne!
Wait wait wait. Did you just post that you are only eating 500 calories a day?!? Even if that’s actually per meal and not for the whole day… you’re losing weight because you’re starving your body. Probably half the weight you lose will be muscle mass. Maybe more.
Also, morning fasting has some seriously negative consequences on the body, especially for women. This is not healthy. This is, in fact, the exact opposite of healthy. Please don’t give any more advice like this. Ever.
Hi Bex, this is based mostly on the HCG diet, which works great for me and has for others I know. This is not something to do forever, just for a few weeks. And it is not starving my body because I am eating plenty of good, healthy food. I know people have lots of ideas and opinions on this, and I appreciate yours! Not all diets work for everyone. So what do you recommend for steady, safe weight loss?
What has worked for me is lots of fruits and vegetables and healthy fats, protein from healthy animals, plus the occasional plant proteins that have been properly prepared (soaking/sprouting legumes and grains, for example). Something closer to the Mediterranean Diet.
I have lost about 100 lbs and never eat fewer than 1500 calories a day. Most days, especially when I’m working out (a mix of slow cardio and strength training), I eat significantly more than that, between 1800 and 2200 calories.
You didn’t clarify about the “500 calories” comment, but even 1000 calories a day is not “plenty of food.” You need protein and fat in your diet to live. These aren’t optional. You will literally starve to death without them.
I also really recommend using body measurements, rather than the scale, to measure loss, since this helps focus on fat loss rather than overall weight. You are undoubtedly losing a significant amount of muscle mass, which will lower your metabolism and make it harder to keep your body “thin and trim” when you stop dieting.
LOL Here in Australia – during summer, HCG stands for Home Cricket Ground. It’s a gimmick from KFC. You buy a large box (barrel) of assorted KFC products to eat as a family while you watch cricket on TV. Something tells me that’s not what your HCG diet means 😀
Funny! Thanks for sharing.
Great idea for a focus! This has been something I have put into a plan too. It isn’t good to just sit and sit. My plan includes intervals of writing with intervals of exercise. I’ve already made a “test run” and this seems to work for me. I also try to just eat two meals and have a healthy shake or something in between.
this diet kind of seems awful. And I don’t mean because it sounds hard to follow, I mean because I strongly believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and you’re telling us to skip it completely. Also while I think it’s a great idea to start your day with a jog, if you exercise for half an hour every single day you definitely need more than 500 calories in the day. This is by definition a starvation diet. The only way that this could potentially be healthy is if the 500 calories were hundred percent protein. Otherwise the body will be burning muscle, not fat!
While I can see the logic in most of the recommendations here, I have to disagree with the assertion to eat nothing until noon. Studies show that one easy way to lose weight is to eat a good breakfast every morning. After a whole night of keeping your body unfed, breakfast acts as the fuel to get our bodies in gear. In fact, skipping breakfast actually contributes to a person eating more at other meals to make up for those lost calories.
A sensible meal plan starts with the most calories at breakfast, making sure to use those calories wisely and in proportion to the sodium, fat, etc. in the meal. That way the body has plenty of fuel to get through the day and also to exercise.
I’ve heard that too, about eating early. If I do, I’m hungry all day. And I suppose it depends on what time you wake up too, right. As I said, this is jus what works for me for short term. Of course for long term it is not a great idea. Thanks for all the input!
Yes, it depends on what time you wake up. You have to eat within an hour after your wake up. If not, that can mess up with your hormones.
I understand that this diet is temporary. But I’m all for a healthy lifestyle rather than going through a certain diet for a couple of times just to lose weight. 🙂
Makes sense! I’ve never heard that you must eat within an hour of waking up. I find it hard to believe you cannot remain or be healthy if you do not do this every day of your life. I’m sure there are plenty of healthy people and cultures who take a little more time than that to break a fast. Again, I think there are lots of experts “out there” as well as “proven studies” but I’m always amazed at how many contradict the others. Atkins claimed no carbs ever. Others no fat ever. Others no sugar ever. In the long run, best to eat a healthy balanced, natural food diet, right?
It can mess up with hormones. If you do it frequently enough anyway.
But I do agree that it’s best to eat healthy and natural food.
Thanks for sharing that. I’ll have to look into it. I’m one of those people who never really ate breakfast my whole life. It’s a treat for Sunday mornings. Just not hungry. But I do try to eat something small, like a little yogurt or an apple. I figure that jump-starts my metabolism. I’m certainly no expert, and I’m not trying to pass myself off as one. It’s great hearing everyone’s thoughts on this topic.
Eating within one hour of waking up? Never happen. I’m up by 4AM (naturally wake up) beating on the keyboard with coffee (+sugar) in hand; my most productive writing time (totally quiet). Breakfast no earlier than 8:30 (after our walk). At almost 70, my “physicals” are generally great. Just possibly, I’m the exception to the rule. Though my sons think I have some loose marbles. lol
I keep getting experts complaining we must eat breakfast right away. I can’t believe everyone is the same. Glad to hear you are in good health and this works for you. Walking, to me, is the best exercise, getting the heart rate up but not traumatizing the body. All those crazy runners! I remember in the 70s when the running young guru died of a heart attack or something–too much hard running.
I really like that you are addressing the issue of weight and writers. It is very real. I have to agree with some of the other comments though. This advise is actually the worst advice out there. Extreme diets starve you and put your body into survival mode, so it will put every single calorie into the storage tank (fat). If you eat healthy all day long your body will shed the fat because it is getting what it needs when it needs it, so there is no need to store it.
The most important part of dieting is portion control and unhealthy snacking.
Like Carmina, I should have run out of the room. I’m a male with a high metabolism rate. Though I only eat two meals a day (no lunch) I can eat whatever I want without fear of gaining weight. I’m largely into meats, breads, eggs and potatoes. Once in a while I will snack between my two meals, but not too often. My “main squeeze” hates me (lol) because she only has to look at my plate and SHE gains a pound. No exercise for either of us outside of a half hour walk every morning at a brisk pace before breakfast. In my case it must be the genetics, as my parents and ten siblings were all of slender builds. Yes, I’m one of the lucky ones.
I concur with the writer who does anything to avoid the writing…and I love to write! Crazy.
I appreciated much of your post, and I’m glad this method works for you. However, I have tried many “diets” and none are long-lasting for me except the paleo method. I had lost weight on Weight Watchers but I don’t agree with their low-fat regime. Now I eat vegetables, fruits, meat, nuts and seeds. There are tons of great ways to use veggies that I’d never dreamed of. I also include yogurt b/c it helps my gut, and of course some chocolate to keep me sane.
But it’s the exercise I have trouble with. Takes so much time, and if you get sweaty, you have to shower again, which takes more time…But it beats getting old and crippled, so I guess we all need to keep up with it. Any kind of exercise is better than none.
Thanks for all your excellent posts that have been so helpful since I started following you this past year.
I am a big fan of healthy eating. Good food not only benefits your overall health, but feeds your brain, effects moods, and sustains a strong youthful body. I was very concerned when I read the 500 calorie daily intake and the diet components you recommend. I didn’t agree that it was a healthy approach to feeling or looking better. I did a little further investigation on the Mayo Clinic’s website. Here is a partial excerpt of their opinion of the HCG diet:
So why has there been so much talk about the HCG diet? Perhaps it’s because the diet recommends severe calorie restriction — typically just 500 to 800 calories a day. People who follow such a very low calorie diet are likely to lose weight, at least in the short term.
However, diets that so severely limit calories have risks, such as gallstone formation, irregular heartbeat and an imbalance of electrolytes.
Side effects have also been reported with the HCG diet and include fatigue, irritability, restlessness, depression, fluid buildup (edema), and swelling of the breasts in boys and men (gynecomastia). Another serious concern is the risk of blood clots forming and blocking blood vessels (thromboembolism).
If weight loss is your goal, there are safer ways to lose weight. Talk with your doctor or other health care provider about how to make healthy changes that lead to permanent weight loss, such as eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise.
Back to me. Please reconsider your choices. I love your blog and wish you a happy and healthy New Year.
I’m all for eating healthy, exercising, and all that. That’s what I’m recommending. I personally feel we (at least here in the US eat way too much food and feel we must have three meals a day to stay alive. Or need to eat from all those food groups every day. There are lots of opponents of every diet, HCG as well as others, just as there are plenty of proponents. I am only sharing what I do very short term to lose about ten pounds. Of course, if someone has a lot of weight to lose, they may need more calories a day over a longer period of time. I often fast 6-10 days and it doesn’t adversely affect me. In fact, it’s great for my health and body. I do juice and get some calories, but some will say you shouldn’t go without eating solid food for so long. Agreed–anyone needing to lose a lot of weight might seek the advice of a medical or health professional. I feel just eating less and going for natural, organic, chemical/hormone-free foods (which is what I eat) is the way to go. Too many diseases are now being linked with pesticides (autism, for example), and my biggest issue is water. I never drink tap water, and am careful even of filtered or bottled water.
Such an appropriate post. I am at that ‘need to lose weight Now place myself!’ Happens every year. I have cereal or toast for breakfast, lean protein and vegetables for lunch and soup or a sandwich for tea. This is long term as I can only lose weight slowly. I find skipping dinner when I can works well for me. Obviously no snacking after dinner! Thanks for the timely post.
I am a salad fanatic and can eat them day and night. So if I can just stay off the sweets and bread, I do fine!
I agree – the writing life tends to spread us out in places where we’d rather not spread. I eat a good protein breakfast, then a small lunch and almost nothing for supper. It also helps me to eat my meals on a saucer rather than a dinner plate so that I have to take smaller portions. And it’s absolutely imperative to stay away from sugar – but alas – it is so difficult!
I like the small plate idea! Reminds me of how I try to shop at Trader Joe’s sometimes, taking the hand basket instead of the big wheeled cart. I only buy what I can fit into that small basket (when I’m trying to not buy out the store!). I wish I could shrink and limit my stomach like that!
Somewhere in my travels during the Fall months, I ran across Cassey Ho at Blogilates.com . She posts all of her workouts on YouTube, and creates a monthly workout calendar. I especially like the calendar because it includes anywhere from 3-5 workouts for each day, and they range from 6-30 minutes in duration. I can pick and choose the ones that I feel up to for the day and the ones that best fit the day’s schedule. I have to do the modifications for many of the pilates moves, but they are still painfully effective (in the best way!)
Like you, my diet is made up of 2 meals a day consisting mostly of clean proteins and low/no starch veggies, 2 or 3 healthy snacks- often fruit, and LOTS of water with lemon or lime in it.
That’s great. Sounds like the perfect program!
How very true! And if I don’t exercise my back hurts too! Great post.
This post, and your responses to the comments, are indicative of your outstanding ability in the field of writing. I agree with your responses to some who have ideas about your advice. Each of us vary in writing ability, health, and lifestyle. Each of your posts contribute something positive to those topics. Keep up the good work.
By the way, I recommend to all – CS Larkin’s “Say what?” and “Writing the Heart of Your Story.” Thse two are outstanding works filled with ideas to improve your writing. Take a look.
And continue to follow Live Write Thrive. Each posting will contain a point that will improve your writing, too.
Thank you, C.S.
Wonderful first post and great way to start the new year. I find as a writer who needs the dead silence of an empty house, I have to work at home and luckily, none of my family have a sweet tooth or a particular salty one either, so there is not too much in my cupboards to tempt me. What I do find difficult, is reminding myself to get up from my computer often enough so that I don’t gets aches and pains from sitting too long. I actually need an alarm of some sort to get me out of my seat and moving, so funnily enough, leaving household chores to get done throughout the day is my way of making sure I get my butt out of the chair.
Doing exercise first thing in the morning is the right thing to do but as I am a morning person and do my best writing right out of bed, I tend to not follow that rule and walk instead in the afternoons during the ‘mushy’ brain hours of 3-4:30.
My strategies for keeping my weight down as opposed to sporadic dieting: do eat a breakfast to get your metabolism going (apparently the body actually stores fat if it goes too long without food, as it thinks it is going into starvation mode), no starchy carbs after midday, giving your body time to digest the lunch starches (if you have to have them) as opposed to eating starch at dinner and then going from chair (TV/computer)to bed for the next 12 hours during which time the body converts those starches to fat. And finally, try not to eat dinner any later than 7 pm, the earlier the better. The body needs a minimum of 3 hours to properly digest its food, so if you eat at 8 and go to bed at 10, you are setting yourself up for indigestion and a slower working metabolism. The weight loss is slow with this method, though steady for the first few weeks. Then the weight seems to plateau for a few months and then you end up dropping some more. I lost 14 pounds this way and only gain back a few pounds when on vacation when it is more difficult to stick to this regime.
My favorite way of exercising? To put on the radio and dance!
Thanks for the post Susanne!
Thanks for sharing that. I love the dancing to music. If I’m not listening to audio files to review, I put on gospel or praise while I’m jogging on the treadmill. And when I cook and clean the house. You can surely burn a few extra calories “bopping around.” And that helps with stretching too.
“If hunger isn’t the problem, then food isn’t the answer.” One of the quotes they use at Weight Watchers. Been going there since last spring and have lost 25 pounds. This might sound like a paid commercial for them, but honestly, I eat normal food, regular meals, healthy snacks and never feel hungry and haven’t been able to really exercise much over the last year due to a tendonitis issue with my ankle so I can’t attribute my weight loss to a treadmill or anything like that. They have an online version which offers 24×7 online chat support too now with recipes, etc. You don’t need to deprive yourself, just saying… 🙂
Those programs are great, like WW and Nutri System. Not everyone has the money to pay for the program and/or food, but any food costs money. I think that is great choice too. I don’t think I could stick with a program like that, and for me, I only need to lose a small amount of weight, which makes my “program” work for me. Thanks for sharing that!
Your diet might be okay for a quick way to lose five pounds for a special occasion – or to jump start your weight loss and give you a confidence boost, but as a health and wellness advocate, I have to say that it is not nutritionally sound. You don’t mention your age – that matters. Younger, more resilient body’s would handle this extreme dieting better, but you’ll still be losing muscle mass, which down the road, is going to sabbatoge every weight loss effort you attempt. I have to say I was shocked to hear you say you skip breakfast, after your rather well presented and lengthy preamble about being both physically and mentally fit and alert to write. Your brain needs a protein boost in the morning to get going. Again, if you are not yet in your middle age, this might be working for you, but I’m afraid you might regret this abuse of your body as the years add up.
Thanks, Judith. Similar to what the 70+ writer mentioned, I don’t eat breakfast (except on rare occasion) and haven’t most of my sixty or so years. My body doesn’t feel right if I do. I get lethargic, can’t concentrate, feel sleepy. I think people need to look also at their years of life and see what has worked for them and what feels right for their body. I don’t get hungry until about ten and I wake about six. When my body clues me that I’m a little hungry, I eat. I think we do obsess with food in this country (and in other countries too) and obesity is a plague now. Too many people eat way too much and instead of learning their own body’s rhythms and needs do what others tell them they should do. I recall learning about the food groups in school and if we ate as much as is “recommended” eat day, well, at least I would gain ten pounds a week! And just a mention here: I feel healthier now than I did when I was forty years younger. I’m much nicer to my body and take good care of my health. Each person has to work out what is best for their body, and I agree, abuse should not be included!
Well, at a minimum, this “diet thing” generated a lot of good discussions. No two bodies, ages, weights, or lifestyles are alike, obviously. What works for one doesn’t necessarily work for others. To each his/her own.
I just found this interesting study on NPR done about doing mini-fasts for 14-16 hours twice a week. This again involves skipping meals, but not breakfast. I like the idea of decreasing appetite, and going to bed with a fairly empty stomach helps me sleep. Check it out if interested:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/01/12/376712920/minifasting-how-occasionally-skipping-meals-may-boost-health