Tobogganing Video (my family at "The Bowl")

We joined some friends at a smaller hill in the center of the city. The benefit of a smaller hill is you get lots of shorter runs and, in this case, can park closer to your vehicle.

LINK: A huge article on how the body wants to regain lost weight

New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/tara-parker-pope-fat-trap.html

While researchers have known for decades that the body undergoes various metabolic and hormonal changes while it’s losing weight, the Australian team detected something new. A full year after significant weight loss, these men and women remained in what could be described as a biologically altered state. Their still-plump bodies were acting as if they were starving and were working overtime to regain the pounds they lost. 

Duck and Cover - Christmas is Hard on Your Diet

Christmas, I learned, is like flying through asteroids on a space ship. There's so many things coming at you from all directions that it's inevitable something's going to hit you.

For me it was Toffifee. My favourite chocolates. A Christmas tradition. Someone ambushed me with them on Christmas Day after an unsatisfying meal and I gobbled them up like like a crazy man.

Another was chocolate fudge at another family gathering.. Hadn't seen that before at a Christmas but I it's so rare that I eat fudge that I had to try some.

Then there's pecan butter tarts. My wife brought those to her family's gathering. We both like them but in hindsight, she should have brought something we DIDN'T like.

For the first Christmas in a long time, my elderly mother did not make her world-famous chocolate pie (to save her some much-needed energy.) I was thankful for that, because there's no will-power strong enough to say no to her chocolate pie. But she mocked me for not liking her strawberry cake and eating that. Fact is, no one had room. She berated me for only liking chocolate but guess why I like chocolate? She fed it to me when I was a newborn to get me to poop.

Oh well, it's over and my exercising didn't take much of a hit so there's hope of continued strength.

Merry Christmas!

The best minutes of my week are those I spend jogging on the treadmill. I can see why runners are addicted to their sport. For me, it seems to do so many things.

But now I must focus on controlling my impulsive eating over the holidays. I'll keep you posted.

Best wishes,

James

Mystery Cyclist in the Yellow Jacket, You Inspire

Not an actual picture of the person, that would be rude.

There is a man, roughly my age, who cycles every weekday morning on a road that loops around my isolated subdivision. I would guess that he makes several laps and spends 30 to 60 minutes each day riding.

It seems to me he was obese recently and he always appears to be getting smaller. This morning it was -15 C. with a cold breeze. I used to see him on frosty mornings in the Fall and greatly admired him even then. But seeing him today, and knowing that he's keeping it up, even on mornings with fresh snow and cold temperatures, is inspiring.

Many people quit walking in the winter (I was going to be one of those people until I came to my senses) but cycling is this guy's thing and he's hell bent on continuing it. Good for him.

Mystery man in the yellow jacket, keep going, keep inspiring!

My Big, Dumb--WRONG--Preconceptions

When I started to hit my exercise stride (so to speak) early last summer, there was one thing I dreaded: Summer ending.

I was focused on the silliest of things. I dreaded cool temperatures, let alone cold temperatures. I had it in my mind that I needed to accomplish much of my fitness and weight-loss goals by mid-August, of all times. That's not even the end of Summer, even in Saskatchewan.

Beyond that, I was hell-bent on getting my weight down to 325 pounds by October 30th. I had it ingrained in me that I couldn't be active after Halloween because the cold weather has kept me in in the past. 325 is the weight limit of my home treadmill and I wanted to make sure I could use it in time for winter. It was my summer ending safety net. I didn't reach that goal. I fell short by ten pounds.

But here it is, mid-December, and I'm outdoors getting my usual exercise and loving it. My only challenge is the occasional near-slip, but there are products (traction aids) you can buy to alleviate that problem.

With the right clothes and knowing how to layer, there's no reason not to keep living as per usual when winter comes.

However, deep snow and -40 wind chills are two things that I'll have to wait and see I how deal with those. But just remember, people do go on expeditions to the South Pole and sleep in tents. I should be able to walk around the block and not complain.

Oh My Heart, My Lazy, Barely Beating Heart

I didn't sleep well last night and I was tired tonight at walking time. The usual excuses went through my head, "I'm close to falling asleep, I can't possibly do this tonight." But I persisted. Halfway through you always wonder how you could have possibly wanted to avoid the enjoyment that a walk outdoors provides.

Like I always say, the hard part is making the decision to go, the easy part is going.

Yet I was tired and my muscles may not have been fully recovered from the night before. I jogged a bit, slow like I did when I first started in the summer (barely a trot) and I couldn't believe my heart rate. It was a full 20 beats below what it was at the same jogging  speed last summer when I first got my heart rate monitor, and ten beats below what it was in the Fall.

My heart has come a long way. It's a muscle, you know, and it's gotten stronger and more efficient just like many of my other (lower body) muscles. And that's definitely a good thing! Just see the video in the post below to be reminded why.

And finally today: You know how some women have shoe fetishes? Well I think I've developed a balaclava fetish. I now own two new, very useful balaclavas. One for very cold weather that covers my mouth and nose and one for coldish weather that lets my whole face be exposed. Wore it tonight, loved it.

If You Read This Blog, Watch This - Now!

A Doctor-Professor answers the old question "What is the single best thing we can do for our health" in a completely new way.

If you're a reader of my blog and have any interest in what I've been doing, this video remarkably sums up everything I've learned and discovered on my journey in the last year. Apparently, I'm not crazy. There's plenty of scientific evidence that proves what I've been preaching lately is true.

"Dr. Mike Evans is founder of the Health Design Lab at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, and a staff physician at St. Michael's Hospital."

Share this fun and entertaining video with your friends, colleagues and family.

One Year Ago, I Asked My Doctor for Help

One year ago, I had the results of my annual check-up. Although my blood work was all good, my blood pressure was creeping up, as was my weight. It had increased far past the point I ever thought it could. And, although I surrendered myself to the idea of  having to do something, I continued to gain weight. I seemed helpless to stop it even for the following two months leading up to the first meeting with my nutritionist.

It had seemed to me that I was at a tipping point. My weight was so great and my overall energy and ability so low (and decreasing) that I was headed down a slippery slope. I couldn't move very much so my body didn't burn many calories. Since it didn't burn many calories, I got heavier no matter how much I cut back on excessive eating.

Fortunately, much of what ailed me then was miraculously cured by something called exercise, which strengthened my body simply by my moving in a fashion that kept my heart rate elevated but not too high.

If I could snap my fingers and go back to that time one year ago and feel my fatigue, that general feeling of being ill and the effort it would take just to walk across a room, I'm sure I'd fall to my knees and die. It's just that extreme, what has happened to me and how far I've come.

I never dreamed I'd jog again or ride a bike. I thought many fun things were over for me. I even spent time planning my funeral. I felt helpless about my situation. More than anything, I thought I had failed my children.

The journey I'm on has only just begun. I learn things every day about myself and about my condition. In recent months I have focussed soley on exercise and haven't worried about the number on the scale whatsoever. My overall weight does not effect the improvements in my health. My ever-increasing fitness is at the core of what I do. The reasons for my eating problems are so complex, I can't begin to understand them. I'll approach that aspect day by day, knowing that there is no quick solution to fix why I eat the way I do. Exercise and progress in fitness fuels my resolve to be in control of my eating.

Last night I was visiting with friends at a home where a nice spread of junk food was laid out before us. Each time chip dip reached my taste buds a ridiculously-euphoric psysiological reaction occurred in me. This can't be normal! Dealing with eating problems may take years for me to get a hold on. It will most likely be with me for the rest of my life at some level, but it matters not if I stay strong physically.

The night before last, I headed out on a very cold winter night with storm-like bitterly-cold winds. I walked the same half-hour route I walked last summer on the warmest and most beautiful of nights. I faced the threat of winter head-on. I learned that winter need not stop me and all I have to do is learn how to dress. I can't afford all the latest gear but I did invest in a good balaclava to keep my face warm. The rest of me was protected by layers of cheap and well-worn Walmart clothes.

Yesterday I returned home from a two hour shopping excursion. Out of habit, I collapsed on my bed and waited for the relief to set in. It didn't. My body didn't require any relief. It wasn't sore and fatigued. It was fresh and strong and ready for more.

And that's where I'm at, one year after deciding something had to give.

Link: For some men, staying in shape may override body weight

(Health.com) -- Men who carry around a few extra pounds may be able to offset the health risks of being overweight by staying -- or getting -- in shape, even if they don't manage to shed those pounds, a new study suggests.

"Fitness over time may be more important than fatness, when it comes to survival," says Marc Gillinov, M.D., a heart surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio, who was not involved in the study. "But it is a package deal. You have to focus on both."

...Read More Here (CNN)

Is My New Sport of Tobogganing Too Risky?

A sled for grown-ups that supports nearly 300 pounds. (New York Times)

I have to admit, sledding seems a little dangerous to my body. I weigh about 330 pounds, I'm middle-aged, and I hurtle down that hill uncontrollably with little hope of stopping or steering. On the icy slopes the other day, my back was compressed painfully over the smallest bumps on the surface of the hill. It's like re-entering the Earth's atmosphere on the space shuttle. Or at least I assume it is. 

Without my glasses--they fog up--I almost missed seeing two jumps some kids had built half way down the hill. Had I hit one of those I would have certainly injured myself, probably my back, possibly seriously, possibly permanently.

I've had adults tell me about their tobogganing injuries as adults. Tail bones that took half a year to heal, back injuries that never quite got better...it's all scary stuff. I currently use a large, basic plastic sled but I'm thinking about buying a foam sled for some padding protection for my back but that kind of sled is even slippery than what I have now and I'd go even faster. 

Another Eurosled adult sled. Weight capacity: 300 lbs. (Amazon.ca)

I have found some sleds that adults can use. I like them because they have steering and brakes--two things that are downright handy on a large toboggan hill. I'd opt for the "little kid" slope but my eight year old would probably be disappointed in me.

I'll be very careful. I'll check out the hill close up and try and find any problems. I might find ways of slowing down my sled and I might wait for softer snow instead of the ice that is there on our hill as of this writing.

My fitness comes from climbing up the hill over and over again but the fun comes from going down and spending time with my kids.

It's a Miracle! I'm Cured!

Here me out, exercise haters.

Something amazing happened today. I realized that I once had a hip problem. It wasn't huge but it seemed permanent, a product of my ageing body. It got worse over the last few years and was a real problem when I started walking in the early spring.

I hadn't thought about it in a long time but that's because it hasn't been present for...I don't know how long. I honestly don't! I don't think I've had so much as a hint of a hip problem since the spring. It's cured, exercise cured it! And, remarkably to me, I've long forgotten about it.

Sure my overall weight has gone down some but it's the strength I've gained from moving my body that has healed me. There's so much I take for granted these days and I only occasionally remember that just a few shorts months ago, I was very different physically.

I run of the steps in my home instead of avoided them.

I come home from shopping and I'm ready for more, instead of collapsing in pain and exhaustion on my bed.

I look at cold winter days in the eye and I head out there to do things. I look forward to shovelling. And just today I crashed on the toboggan hill for the first time.

I have to work to the my heart rate up where as last year, walking onto my treadmill was a task and I immediately began to sweat profusely. Three small fans weren't enough to keep me cool. Not any more.

Huge, huge progress without even thinking about weight loss.

Vintage Weight GAIN Advertisements

See more here:

http://www.retronaut.co/2011/11/vintage-weight-gain-ads/

After Some Setbacks, I Now Feel Really Good

November was a tough month for me in that my level of hope was challenged by injuries to my knee and back. After an early November bike ride, my first that late in the year, the snow came and my back injury got worse. In September I had a ridiculous accent with cycling shoes indoors and fell on my ass. My back hurt but seemed to be on the mend, although ever so slowly.

I had a good jog in October that was 20 minutes, a very significant landmark for me. It was, in my mind, a real jog because that's what I used to do in the old days of being fit. But it was too much too soon. My previous record this time out was fifteen minutes and that was too large of a jump all at once. I did it because I felt so good up until the end of the run but I didn't stop when I got signals from my knee that it had had enough. It pushed it one minute further to meet my goal.

My knee has been troublesome ever since. Going up stairs and jogging seemed iffy on occasion. But I'm happy to say it's all better now. If anything, going up and down a large toboggan hill seemed to help. It certainly strengthened my legs in ways they weren't before. But I'm taking it easy with jogging just in case, doing intervals instead of one long jog. Even at home on my treadmill (my fitness safety net) I do a minute or two of jogging intervals to spice up an otherwise boring routine.

All runners will tell you it feels really good to run. Well, I'd imagine it feels even better for people like me who, less than a year ago, were confined to laying in bed most of the day. Doing it for even just a couple of minutes here and there, with ever-increasing speeds as my fitness improves, feels oh so good.

I should have seen a chiropractor from the beginning. I hadn't seen one before and I know more now about back problems and how chiropractors can help get things better in a week or two.

So I feel pretty darn good! The only problem is the snow is melting. I actually want it to come back. I was just getting the hang of sledding and I'd usually much rather go tobogganing than go for a walk.

Tobogganing Day 2

I'm okay!

I could walk on the treadmill for thirty minutes like a mouse on a wheel or I can say, "Hey kids, lets' go tobogganing," and get a high intensity workout while having lots of fun with the family. 

It's like walking on a stair climber for an hour with short breaks when you go down the hill. 

Forgive Me, I'm A Bit Eurphoric

Winter Goal 2011: Accomplished! (And I lived!)

We haven't had a whole lot of snow and it is nastily cold out but my son and I hit the slopes and I tobogganed today for the first time in 25 years.

It's a great workout. I strapped on my heart rate monitor and I'm glad I did. A slow walk up the hill easily gets my heart rate up to 85% of max, where I like to limit myself. I had to pause for a moment or two now and again and slow down to keep my pulse in check, but I was amazed at how well I did. And I expect, like any new exercise, it'll get easier and easier as my body quickly adapts.

Last year I thought I was a hero for walking up the hill a couple of times during the winter but I did it really slowly, pausing to "watch the sledding" every now and again. And I didn't dare put my sedentary body on a sled.

For the last five years, since my first born was old enough to go sledding, I stood at the bottom of the hill envying him, as well as my wife who did the tobogganing. I thought for the first time in many years about the last times I went. It was just after I finished high school and some of my friends would head to the very same hill my son and I went on today.

I remember being dragged there on a really cold winter night and we had the hill all to ourselves. Remembering that night, I'd always be impressed with myself for going out on such a cold night and having fun. Everyone had a blast and I thought of that night often. Today was almost as cold and, as an overweight middle-aged man, I certainly could have stayed at home and had another predictable, safe day. God knows most of the children of Regina opted to stay indoors and play video games. But not me, I got out there, not knowing what might happen.

I put on some cheap winter boots that I bought today from Walmart on credit (don't blame me for being poor) and my deluxe MEC balaclava, stopped by Toys R Us and bought a wide plastic sled and headed for the hill.

My first ride down was surprisingly non-eventful. I seemed to go slow (the snow wasn't very packed down and there's still some grass sticking through.). My son sped ahead of me on his Norwegian-made sled which I wish I had when I was a kid (It has a fun fur seat, steering wheel and brakes on a plastic frame.) I marched up the hill with lots of energy an zest. Really, you don't stop hill-climbing save for the few moments it takes to hurtle down the slope. The subsequent runs were much faster and were a challenge for my recovering back. But what a blast!

My son was nonplussed. I thought it'd be a big deal for him since he's always asked me to to do this (and cycling.) It was just another day on the toboggan hill for him. I'm sure he'll remember it though.

It occurred to me today, after I did the math, that my father was my age (46) when I was born. He died twenty years later and throughout that time, his health steadily deteriorated, mostly due to a weak heart. He was somewhat overweight and had smoked until I was five but he never exercised. That's going to be the difference maker for me and for my kids.

I couldn't have even imagined in my wildest dreams my father going tobogganing with me when I was a kid. I don't even think he went with my brothers who were born eleven and twelve years before me. And all this wouldn't be possible with just weight loss alone.

It's a common theme on this blog that exercise empowers me to do so much more than would be otherwise possible, even with weight loss alone. Just having the confidence in my body to sit down on a sled wouldn't have been possible without having changed my body with fitness and strength.

So the dreaded Winter season has arrived and the side walks are slippery or impassable for walking or jogging. But for a workout--a great workout--all I need do is grab a kid and our sleds and head a few blocks East to the toboggan hill.

I'll keep you updated!

I Might As Well Blame My Mother -- It's Her Fault

I might as well blame my mother for my poor health. My closer friends often encourage me to blame her for things because they know the stories, they know my history with her. It's not functional and it certainly isn't brief so I won't jump into it here. But in addition to all the unhealthy things that I endured growing up, both emotionally and psychologically, there was also a lot of negative things going on when I was learning how to eat.

My mother was a nurse from the World War II era who was and is always concerned what people think of her. Dr. Phil could write a book on her. I wish he would.

I was born a few weeks premature and underweight. The nurses let my mother take me home just shy of five pounds because she was a nurse who should know how to take care of me. Well, that was an error in their judgement. She fed me Pablum the night she got me home so she could fatten me up.

Doctors and scientists know that eating solid food early in life can lead to obesity but even back then it was not something you did the first night home from the hospital. Nor was I breast fed, more common back then but now we know bottle feeding is another factor in your chances of becoming obese. I'm no expert but I read the occasional newspaper.

Needless to say, my mother wanted me fat, anything else was a sign of her personal failure. Even now she criticizes me for having skinny children. I'm thankful my children are of a normal weight. I consider it a minor miracle considering the bad habits that endure with me. And my kids are in no way skin and bones, they're perfectly healthy.

My mother, the nurse, even poo-pooed my wife's breast feeding of our kids every now and again. Our kids were breast fed beyond the two years they now recommend (it's not exclusive, obviously, after they start eating solid foods.)  I hope my kids get a good start in life.

My mother is now 86 and she isn't involved much with my kids, partly because I'm the black sheep of the family and partly because she's getting too old. But she revels--I mean really revels--in feeding them. She takes delight with every spoonful she can get into them. She erroneously thinks I never feed them junk food or meat and as a result she's convinced they're starving.

I was reminded of all this yesterday when I brought my three-year old daughter to my mother's home at lunch time. My mother made scrambled eggs and toast for both me and my daughter. I buttered my own toast and I was criticized for the 'small' amount I put on it. I'm a man who likes far more margarine on his toast than any reasonable individual yet it wasn't good enough for her. "That's all you're putting on? This is good margarine, one of the best there is..."

Don't worry, she'll be dead any day now. She eats a lot of bacon.

You learn early how to eat and you acquire your lifelong tastes for food before the age of five, some say before the age of three. My toast habits have lived with me for 45 years and it's a hard habit to change but if I can piss off  my mother, I must have made some progress.

Body Don't Fail Me!

I'm currently laid up due to my back injury sustained in late September when I got a pair of cycling shoes for my birthday and promptly fell on my ass when stepping on to laminate flooring. I'm seeing a chiropractor but it got worse when I did. Walking isn't even an option right now so I must wait and see how long it will take me to get better.

It's very disconcerting when this happens in the midst of a personal fitness revolution. It feels like I'm once again an invalid. Hopefully this thing will get fixed soon and I can go strong again. Stay tuned.

My First Visit to a Chiropractor

I didn't know what to expect when I walked into my first chiropractor appointment that I've ever had. I was surprised at what their profession covers. It seems like just about everything.

For instance, we talked about irritable bowl syndrome, which I occasionally suffer from and diet. He went on about how a lot of people are getting more gluten in their diets from whole grains and that humans never used to until 10,000 years ago when there was the agricultural revolution. He said fossils from before that time show excellent health including no signs of cancer, for example. He even discussed the possible relationship of an anxiety disorder (of which I suffer) and skeletal problems. A person who tenses up constantly has a body that learns to be in an unnatural state.

As it turns out, I'm all messed up. Yes, I had a fall that injured my back two months ago, but my body is all out of whack. My arms don't hang right, I slouch, my shoulders aren't where they're supposed to be, among other things like a lack of flexibility and range of motion. In short, this could be one more thing in the perfect storm that led to me being severely obese.

I've learned to pick up things with my feet because I can't bend over very well. My wife is always amazed by this talent.

Today I Begin My Intensive Mountain Training

How I envisioned our
tobogganing hill last year

Today, at my clinic's gym, I began my training for accomplishing my winter goal: Tobogganing!

I've never gone sledding with my eight year old son even though I've always wanted to. I would simply watch from the bottom of the hill or slowly make my way to the middle. Getting up the hill was too much of a struggle to do in public (heavy gasping of breath, moving very, very slowly to get there.)

I walked up the hill in question (known as Mount Pleasant, an old landfill site) a few weeks ago before the snow came. I seemed to do okay although I started to get out of breath and had to take it slow. It'll be more of a challenge finding my footing as I go up the snowy slopes with my son.

Today I did my first workout on the treadmill with a significant incline. I pumped that bad boy up until my heart rate reached 85%, about 8% incline for those keeping score. I look forward to gauging my improvement on this task by watching the incline get higher over time while my heart rate stays at the same level as it was today.

The other important part of my preparations for the upcoming tobogganing season is selecting a sled, one that won't break when I sit on it. The first thing that came to mind was a Krazy Karpet style sled because they're so thin, there's nothing to break. However, I've never been a fan of Krazy Karpets because you can't steer them and bumps can be painful underneath.

I think I'll go with something in a saucer.

Dusting off My Home Treadmill

My treadmill. I eat people that size for lunch.

When we bought our current home a couple of years ago I made sure we factored in a treadmill--a nice quiet and powerful one. Got this baby delivered from Costco online. Had to get my friend Jack to carry it up the stairs, it was so ridiculously heavy, even unassembled.

I actually used the thing on a regular basis for about three months ending a year and a half ago. I used it every other day for about 20 minutes. I noticed an improvement in my health but nothing like I did when I started walking around the neighbourhood every day for the same amount of time this spring.

I found the treadmill tedious and boring. My kids were always excited when I got on but hassled me all the time and I tensed up worrying about their safety, especially my two-year-old at the time.

I set up numerous fans and perspired like the dickens. I was really out of shape. Walking on the treadmill isn't quite as good as walking in the real world but I did have a few fantastic workouts where I got lost in my thoughts, exercised for over a half hour and pumped up the incline a bit to get my blood pumping even more. Endorphins flowed freely.

Time on the treadmill at the gym seems to pass so much faster than at home. In both situations I have headphones playing music but at the gym, maybe, I can let my mind wander when I'm not worrying about family coming and going. Also, not staring at a wall, as I do at home, might be a better environment.

The treadmill I walk and jog on at my clinic's gym is a pro-quality treadmill. It's very sturdy and very powerful. My floor tends to wobble at home, just a bit, but enough to distract me.

With winter suddenly here, I decided to literally dust off my treadmill and home and test it out. One thing I noticed tonight is that I'm Superman now compared to before. I'm so much stronger and my heart hardly notices the challenge. I'm stronger and more fit. I've come a long way. The old me on that treadmill was a sickly, profusely sweaty, unhealthy man.

Heavy D

Speaking of which, rapper Heavy D passed away today. He was only 44. I'm not familiar with him in any way beyond recognizing his name and knowing he was heavy, but it's yet another overweight celeb dying in their early forties.

I let my eight-year-old son try the treadmill tonight, using every precaution to keep him safe. Man did he love it. He put in more than 15 minutes in his formal dress clothes. He was fiddling with the incline and speed, slowing it down to have a drink of water, and trying out running. He was very, very happy about his experience and immensely proud of himself. I suspect he'll want to do it a lot more.

He's not a very good runner because he always hops and skips and then slows down. He also has poor form with his arms (he's had a lot of fine motor skill issues.) Running on a treadmill might force him into a proper technique and boost his confidence in sports at school and in soccer.

The Weather Elephant in the Room

Ever since I hit my stride with exercise in June and July, it's been in the back of my mind that winter will one day come and put an end to my outdoor frolicking. I tried to make as much progress by the end of August because September can be unpredictable in these parts. Snow is even possible.

Fall has always seemed inhospitable to cycling for me. I would not have expected to have done all the cycling I did in the last two months. I embraced every chance I could, often in the evenings post-dusk. And tonight, I cycled for the first time in my life in November. It was also a first for my family who tagged along.

I'm getting used to knowing what to wear for what activity in very specific weather conditions. 0 C with a light wind is different than 0 C with a wind. Dressing in layers really does work the best. It keeps you warmer but you can also make slight adjustments if you get too hot or too cold. The old me would put on a light winter coat and sweat in it far past the point of being comfortable. I would have been hot and wet. Being wet would have made me cold even though I was hot.

The new me has invested in a few pieces of winter athletic gear and utilizes a pair of fleece jackets, size 5XL, that I got for five bucks a piece on clearance (I like to live beyond my means.) I no longer sweat to the point of discomfort. You can stay warm and relatively dry if you know what you're doing.

However, I'm still intimidated by winter and how it can put the kibosh on being active. (My neighbourhood has tonnes of walkers in the summer but you can't find a single one on November evenings even though the weather has been pleasant.) I had a goal of losing enough overall weight so that I would be under the limit of my treadmill that I bought a couple of years ago when we moved to our current home. I failed in that goal. I built up a great deal of muscle mass in the late summer and fall but neglected pushing my calorie restrictions. I lost some fat mass but not as much as I could have if I worked harder at it.

It's got mesh over the mouth and a nose flap that
directs breath away from your glasses (or goggles.)

I can still probably use my treadmill if it turns cold (I'm fairly close to the weight limit) and I have access to the gym at my medical clinic which I currently use twice per week. But I also spent some money on winter gear including a deluxe balaclava, a skull cap, and some light gloves that can be used for liners when it gets colder. From what I've read and heard, very active people like runners need surprisingly little to keep them warm because their bodies heat up so much, including their extremities because of increased circulation and blood flow.

Even when the streets are too icy and snow-covered for walking, I can use this gear to stay warm while tobogganing with my kids (a winter goal I'm looking forward to achieving for the first time.)

As winter comes, I'm going to try and face it head on, one challenge at a time. If I can beat winter, I can beat anything!

17 Pounds of Candy

My friend has two twin daughters who collected some 17 pounds of candy this Halloween trick or treating. It nearly fills a garbage bag.

As a borderline diabetic, he decided to put it in the trash. Charities were discussed but in the end he didn't want it to harm anyone so out it went.

It seems to me that we're more affluent now than when I was a kid 35 years ago. People are giving out more candy now and you hardly have to work for it these days. It only took two or three visits to houses to fill up my three year old's plastic pumpkin bucket. And then everything was so big, you couldn't get it out.

I think we need to rethink Halloween. Maybe giving out less is a good option. But it sure is a fun holiday.

My Surprisingly Difficult Halloween Experiment

On the morning of Halloween I decided I would not eat any candy of any sort until the morning after. I wanted to test my will power after so many Halloweens consuming thousands of calories of candy and feeling sick afterwards. I needed to experiment and learn something about myself. What I learned is disheartening.

I had an active day, one hour at the gym and a couple hours trick or treating with the kids, so I made sure I ate enough not to feel hungry. But I had a hard time not feeling hungry. It was like every cell in my body wanted some chocolate or chips. The candy in my house was ever-present on my mind. Touching it or thinking about it produced a physiological yearning for it. I got hungry knowing it was there.

Me and my kids (I'm a ghoul)

At times I felt like an addict trying to kick a habit, perhaps a little like a smoker on his first day of quitting. At worst I felt shaky or even slightly ill, and had to do breathing exercises to relax. At its best, I felt like I had made it through the worst and I could shake the cravings by sticking to my guns.

The next morning I had some of my stash (a couple mini bars and a couple salty snacks) and I expected to keep eating. My kids got sooo much candy in such a short period of time but they had no trouble giving it up. We ran out of the candy at our place and my son was enthusiastic about giving up some of his to give out to kids after he got home. That way there wasn't much candy around the house afterwards.

Old habits are hard to break. I need to start relearning my eating patterns. I can see it taking a long time.

The Problem of Halloween Binging

I had to be careful what picture I chose for this blog post. Many pictures of Halloween candy, chocolate in particular, set off a physiological response in me. I equate it to seeing a...I don't know, fertile member of the opposite sex. Something changes in you if your brain thinks they'd be genetically-suitable to assist you in proliferating your genes throughout the species, to put it politely. Perhaps your heart rate increases, perhaps adrenaline is released.

Chocolate does the same thing to me. Even if you are one of those freaks who don't like chocolate, you probably have an equivalent food porn. You look at that food and your whole body readies itself for it, wants to know how it's going to get it and how much of it it can have. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you don't have an eating problem and you can go home now.

Last night my family watched part of a documentary on child slave labour used in the harvesting of cocoa. I barely showed concern. I watched people on the streets of the UK being shown chocolate that may have been  produced with child labour and all I could think about was the sweet, sweet chocolate. When they gave chocolate bars to the African cocoa workers to try for the first time in their lives it was like heroin was entering their veins. Their eyes almost rolled back.

My impulsive and reckless eating tendencies are no help when I'm presented with chocolate Halloween candy. Years of telling myself it's okay to have more than one, or have more than ten, or keep eating until my stomach feels uncomfortably full have led to me being trained to do the wrong thing.

Retraining myself could take a long time and a lot of work but I did learn a few things in my Craving Change workshop that may help. Just being aware of this dysfunction helps. As along as I don't conveniently turn off my brain when I encounter chocolate, I should be okay.

We don't buy candy to give out on Halloween until the afternoon of. That's how much I can't be trusted. Who knows how many thousands of calories of chocolate I'm capable of consuming in one feeding frenzy but it's probably enough to add significant ounces of fat too my body and cause me to be sickly and moody afterwards. (Tip: My nutritionist only gives out candy she hates to eat.)

The other problem of course is the candy my two kids come home with. They're not very aggressive on Halloween and they still come back with a truck load of sugary treats. Two solutions I've heard involve limiting the amount they can eat and giving the rest to a food bank (although, when you think about it, even food bank users' children probably have lots of candy available to them from trick-or-treating.)

Throwing it out seems wrong but so does putting it all in your body. A dietician in the Globe and Mail wrote that you could celebrate Halloween Week by making up several treat bags with the days of the week written on them, hand them out one per day and discard the rest.

My kids are getting a bit older every year and a bit more aggressive in their candy harvesting on Halloween. I used to actually take some of the candy they brought back midway through their evening and give it out to other kids. A good idea, but it didn't stop me from binging on it or the candy it replaced.

And now a disturbing video I made of myself eating Halloween candy a few years ago. I can't remember if it's work-safe but I'm pretty sure it is (I don't want to watch it again to find out!)

Update: To test my fragile willpower, I'm not going to have one single piece of candy until I get up the morning after Halloween. I'm not cutting out candy completely, just for one day to see if I can do it. So far, I have a slight case of the shakes.

Losing Weight is Futile: Experts

There have been a lot of studies in the news the last few years that seem to say that dieting/weight-loss is futile. Scientists now know that the body works against us after weight loss to regain the weight. It sends hormones out to tell us we're hungry when we're not and it works way more efficiently than it did before. We turn from Hummers into Hybrids, to use a car analogy. It's a cruel fact of nature of which there is no medical way thus far to address it.

The solution? Some say you have to do what you did to lose weight all the time. If that means you were  hungry all the time when you lost weight then you have to be hungry all the time for the rest of your life to maintain it. Yay!

I'm not sure what I think about my own situation. I have no specific weight loss goals at the moment other than to become as athletic as I comfortably can. I'm not crazy about being 100 plus pounds over the BMI obesity threshold (one that is now being questioned by the likes of Dr. Sharma and others) and I would also like to buy clothing at a regular store and not have my joints stressed by everyday living. I know I could do more athletically if I didn't have a hundred and fifty pound back pack on me all the time.

I'm starting to truly believe that a very overweight person can be healthy if they're fit. Recent studies have shown that the fat around our organs (visceral fat) is reduced with exercise even when overall weight is not. This is further evidence that exercise is the cure for obesity.

On the one hand, the body works against us after weight loss, but on the other it works with us after exercise. It builds muscle, endurance, reduces visceral fat and our cardiovascular system becomes more efficient. This happens in everyone and it's foolproof, unlike weight loss.

Get as fit as you can. Near as I can tell, it's the only solution. As long as you're making improvements to your fitness, you cannot fail. This is one area where your body is on your side.

James's Fat Guy Guide for Novice Cyclists

One hope for this blog is to encourage people in my position to experience getting fit. So many people concentrate on calories and pounds and forget what's really important for the obese body: getting fit. A fit body need not worry what the scale says because fitness cures so much of the ill-effects of obesity.

The one big thing I learned in the last few months is that the obese body can become fit. You don't have to wait for the pounds to be gone. It would take years to lose all my excess weight but I started getting fit just a few weeks in.

I've been cycling all my life, avidly. My older brother was a competitive racer who gave me a good foundation of knowledge about bikes and bike mechanics. Cycling is one of my favourite things in the world and one of the things I most missed with my sedentary lifestyle. I've come across a lot of people who are intimidated by cycling and are hesitant to ever get on a bike. I thought I would talk about a few basic things in this blog post that pertain to an overweight first time cyclist.

So, can an overweight or obese person ride a bicycle? Absolutely! Don't be intimidated by those tiny, seemingly hard seats. And don't think you're going fall over. If you can walk without falling over you can ride a bike without falling over. Here are some great reasons why you should try it:

• It's a great compliment to any other exercise routine because it uses different muscles, or uses the major muscles in your lower body differently. It is essentially cross training for me to ride a bicycle as well as walk/jog. Walking helps me bike, biking helps me walk. It gives my walking muscles a chance to recuperate and get stronger while I do something different.
• It's empowering. We fatties are used to moving slowly and ungracefully. Riding a bike gives us a chance to move fluidly and fast!
• It's easy on the joints. Large people often have issues with their joints. Cycling is easy on the joints. It's a gently fluid motion without pounding or jolts to the body. 
• Having a variety of physical activity helps you enjoy exercising more and give you a better chance and keeping it up. 
• You can use a bike to commute and it'll save you money. Depending on where you live, it might even save you time due to traffic jams that a bike can fly past.

I love going biking with my kids, as you well know. My parents didn't do anything like that with me. My dad was ten years older than I was when I had my first kid yet he never did any active thing with me or my older brothers. My wife asked me if my parents went biking with me and I had to laugh because the notion was so absurd. It makes me happy to think I can do the things I could only dream my parents would do with me. 

Some thoughts about bikes

A hybrid bike (part mountain bike, part road bike)

I ride a hybrid which is a cross between a mountain bike and what older people think of as a 'ten speed' (road bike.) It has skinny wheels that don't always hold my weight but those thinner wheels are much more efficient on pavement than thicker mountain bike wheels. At my excessive weight, my thin hybrid wheels risk getting damaged so I stay on smooth surfaces like new streets and bike paths.

Mountain bikes solve the problem of weak wheels for the very heavy person. The wheels and tires are thick and withstand a lot of weight because they're built for riding down mountain trails and hitting rocks, bumps and tree roots. However, if you're heavy, I recommend sticking to reasonably gentle surfaces to ensure you don't bend a wheel. Not that's it's the end of the world if you do. They can usually be fixed or "trued."

They do make special bikes for obese people but they cost a small fortune ($2,000) and I don't think they're necessary. 

Mountain bike wheel with a tire meant for rough trails.

Tires: A thick, soft ribbed tire is less efficient on pavement. Any tire, including mountain bike tires can be changed to more smooth or slick tires that can be inflated to a higher pressure. If you're sticking to streets, these tires might make you happier because you'll zoom along with less effort. Tires usually cost between 15 and 50 dollars each. Paying the bike shop five bucks to put them on saves a lot of hassle. More expensive tires are more resistant to flats.

This tire is smooth for efficient riding on pavement but the edges
help with traction should you decide to go on an off-road trail.

Bike quality: Department store bikes and bike shop bikes aren't the same. Department store models are more likely to break down and need repairs, however bike shop bikes start at more than four hundred dollars. I recommend buying a quality used bike and taking it to a bike shop to have them give it a once over. 

Tips

Bring lots of water because we large people tend to sweat more. Most bikes are able to hold two water bottles. 

Bring a lock in case you get a flat or something and have to leave your bike somewhere.

Upgrade your seat ("saddle") to a better one than what comes with your bike. There are comfort seats available that make things easier for the casual cyclist. Try them out at the bike shop or return them to the store until you find one that makes you feel like you're sitting on the couch.

Comfort bikes are very popular these days. This is an extreme example of comfort.

Any bike you buy can be customized at a bike shop. They make comfort bikes now that let you sit upright and have comfy seats. This means changing the handlebars and saddle but the rest of the bike stays the same. You can always change things back at a later day if you become all Lance Armstrongy. 

Bike computers are fun. I have one with a heart rate monitor. They tell you what time it is, how far and fast you've gone and other stats that might motivate you.

I like biking in the evenings when it's cooler. They have many inexpensive, very bright LED bike lights now that help you be seen at dusk or at night.

Cycling shoes may help you with comfort. I have very high arches which you can limbo under, so I've had problems on long bike rides. Cycling shoes are hard and inflexible at the bottom and have solved any foot comfort issues I had.

Gloves: Cycling gloves are meant for long rides to prevent blistering. But the casual cyclist benefits from them too, especially us heavy people who have to hold up a lot of weight. It's worth the fifteen bucks plus you'll look cool.

Your bum: Buy a pair of cycling short liners (cycling pants to be worn as underwear) or a loose fitting pair of mountain biking shorts. They have extra padding where it counts and I find it really helps you have a luxurious ride. Most pants come in sizes up to only 2XL but you can sometimes find larger ones online.

A mirror for your handlebars, attached to your helmet or eyeglasses is helpful because turning your neck to see behind you can be challenging, especially if you're bigger.

Caution: Bikes with suspension systems often don't work for heavy people (they collapse under the weight). These systems are meant to keep the wheels on the dirt when you're bouncing down a mountain side. If you're considering a bike with suspension, make sure it can handle your weight. It may require some adjusting and bikes often don't come with manuals.

Give it a try and remember my early posts about how hard it was for me at first and how little hope I had of cycling any time soon. Borrow a friend's or family member's bike and try it a few times. Or just go out and buy one because you've discovered your inner athlete and every athlete needs a bike!

Is Wendy a Good Spokesperson for a New High-Calorie, High-Fat Burger?

Wendy Thomas in TV ad

The Wendy's fast food chain has new ads for a new high calorie burger featuring the namesake of the restaurant, Wendy Thomas, daughter of the late Dave Thomas. What my family and friends find unusual about her in this ad is that she's significantly overweight. Although there's certainly nothing wrong with overweight people selling burgers, it seems odd because there's a special context here.

800 calorie double Big 'n' Juicy burger

What if Ronald McDonald was fat? We know that she grew up with her dad owning this successful chain of restaurants and here she is, beautiful, radiant, and charming, but noticeably overweight, seemingly proof that being around fast food may not be healthy. What's worse is that she's selling one of their fattest, most calorie-ridden burgers yet. The Dave's Big 'n' Juicy as pictured is 800 calories, competing perhaps with McDonald's' new 800 calorie 1/3 pound Angus burgers (I thought fast food was supposed to be getting healthier. I'll say it again: The Big Mac at 500 calories now looks like a 'lite' burger.)

• See MSNBC story on the new burger

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this ad and my (our) response to it, but it is certainly something to think about. I will say this: It took some chutzpah on the part of Wendy Thomas and the ad agency to use an overweight spokesperson who happens to be the face of the chain, normally in caricature as a child, now grown up and presumably not a picture of perfect health.

48 grams of fat, for crying out loud, and she brags about the buns of this burger being buttered! Because they just didn't have enough fat in the ground beef, cheese and mayo!

I Felt Like I Was a 1000 Pounds in Grade School

Stop thinking that purple shirt and red tie wasn't stylish. I cruised right into the disco era when it peaked in grade six.

I was at an assembly at my son's school today and could see all the kids spread out before me. My first impression was, "Boy, there sure are lots of fat kids." My second impression was, "The fat kids are really overweight."

When I was in grade school I was considered the fat kid. There might have been one or sometimes two other kids in the class that classmates referred to as overweight, but I felt really, really fat. As I got older and looked back at old photos, the images don't match my memories. Some years I could barely be considered "big boned" for crying out loud. I was certainly not obese, no one in my school was that I can remember. But there's all kinds of kids who are obese now.

Some of these kids must be approaching twice the body weight of their peers. If they're like this now, at age nine, ten and eleven, what are they going to be like when they hit adulthood and sit behind a desk all day? They need intervention at as early an age as possible. I can't help but think that it's already too late for these kids. I see misery and hardship before them.

If I had to speculate on what I saw today, I'd say the poorer kids are more likely to be the ones with weight problems. I think statistics back that up. So why is that? I know they always say fatty food is cheaper but I have to think it has more to do with the parents' education and dedication to their children's upbringing.

But what do I know? All I know is that there are a lot more kids with weight problems than there were when I was a kid and being a kid with a weight problem isn't that much fun. I can say that with great authority.

Who Do We Aspire To Be? People In Car Commercials? The Answer Just May Be Yes!

Have you ever noticed how outdoorsy people are in car commercials? Not pickup truck commercials and not luxury car commercials but regular cars and SUVs. They're always heading somewhere with a kayak on their roof and a few mountain bikes attached to the back. They're fit, healthy and extremely happy.

It's no secret that ad agencies have always appealed to us by depicting the people we want to be, not the people we are. Even Depends adult diaper commercials show the elderly lawn bowling or going on brisk walks on the beach in track suits. It's got me wondering: What is the person I aspire to be?

Obesity puts a limit on the possibilities in life and after awhile you start to downsize your dreams, having given up on your body. Now, I'm finding, I'm starting to open up my thoughts on what I can be, knowing now that anything is possible. I doubt I'll ever climb Everest, but there's so much more possible with me now than there was a few months ago. And as I continue making progress, even more things will be possible.

Did I ever aspire to be the family with a kayak on their roof running off for a day of fun activity in nature? I think I did. It's been for so long that my aspirations have been crushed by the weight of...my weight. Cycling again is something I never thought possible and lamented not being able to do. Well I'm back and it's fantastic! A couch is nowhere to spend your life. Happiness IS being active. It IS getting out there and doing things the sedentary body cannot.

Many years ago I hit a bit of a bump in my life and decided to take off on a solo vacation to Hawaii. (My airline ticket was only $399 return!) I was going through my fitness phase at the time and bought a little tourist book on Hawaii. The book suggested a place to rent bicycles and the author highly recommended renting a kayak at a certain park. I had  never been on a kayak before but he wrote that this kayak outing was suitable for beginners. After an hour long bus ride there, I found that kayaking was not permitted due to lack of water in the small stream. I was DEVASTED. I thought my whole vacation was ruined. To this day, I have never kayaked.

But I did have a bike for the whole time I was there. It was a tremendous way to explore a tourist destination. You pick up so much more on a bike, all your senses can take everything in. (I imagine scooters and motorcycles are good too but maybe not as good.) I cycled along the coast to a beach destination and when I returned, I was so high on the experience I cycled and cycled through Honolulu. And when I got back to the hotel, I promptly got the flu.

Nevertheless, I swore I would do this sort of active, outdoorsy thing every chance I could and that I would embrace the outdoor experience for everything it had to offer. Instead, I spent a great deal of time on chairs and couches watching my life pass me by and putting my health at great risk.

I've been eyeing up kakaks at the store the last few months. Such preposterous thoughts wouldn't be permitted with the old James but there's so much out there for the new me to discover.

I'll start with going tobogganing with my kids for the first time and take it from there. Maybe some mountain biking on nature trails (they're building one all across Canada, you know), some hiking and possibly even some kayaking could be in my future.

A few months ago I didn't think I had a future of any kind, let alone the one I'm now starting to imagine.

An Update on that 100 year old Marathon Runner

Fauja Singh, 100, became the oldest person to run a marathon this weekend in Toronto. (Chris Young/Canadian Press via CBC)

These are the kind of stories that remind me not to doubt what is possible with changing my body. I used to think 44 was too old to get fit. This guy is running a marathon at a hundred years old and he only took up running at the age of 80! It's never too late! He runs 16 KM per day. That seems unimaginable to me at almost any age, yet I know I'm wrong. 

• Centenarian set to become world's oldest marathoner (CTV.ca)

There's a few more tidbits in this story, including the information that he is grieving the loss of his wife and one of his sons. He used running very late in life to treat his depression.

He ended up completing it in 8.5 hours. He managed the full marathon, 42+ KM. It would be an amazing achievement just to stand up for 8.5 hours even at my age. He completed a marathon 3 hours faster when he was 90.

This story, this inspirational man, should reset everything you think about physical activity.

I kept thinking, "What if he drops dead during the race?" But what a way to go. I don't think I know anyone who wouldn't want to go out that way--running a marathon at age 100.

Now for gosh sake, take a good hard look at yourself and tell me why you can't go for a little walk around the block.

I Find that a Lot of People Are Nuts

And now a post that some people will find offensive. Good! (Please come back and read my blog again in a few days after you calm down.)

Dieting Pet Peeve: People who go on fad diets.

I know people who are very smart people in every other aspect of their life who think it's a good idea to go on a fad diet and have the expectation it will change their life. From what I've read, success happens very seldom. Sure, you probably could find people who have been on Atkins diets, for example, for many years and are sticking to it. But are the majority of people who tried it still doing it after a year or two?

A dietary change is something you have to stick to your whole life. I'm guessing that those few Aitkin's success people found something that restricts their calories and is something that they can live with forever. I'm  no expert on the solution for me and I won't be until I find something that works for me for five years or even ten years before I declare success.

When I lost 125 pounds in the 90s I started by using Slim Fast dark chocolate shakes. But then I started reading a little bit and educating myself. I'm a person who puts his trust in science, even if science is imperfect and evolves. People thought, because I was using Slim Fast that I was on a fad diet. I wasn't. I ate the same crap I always did, just less.

I had a chocolate Slim Fast double shake in the mornings. One shake didn't do anything for me, it didn't shut down the hunger so I combined my breakfast and lunch shakes together. I essentially starved all day. I could have replaced the shakes with a couple bowls of high fibre cereal and a multivitim and had the same result.  In fact, I started doing that after I tired of the same shake every day. But I still enjoyed getting my chocolate fix so I always returned to shakes.

Nowadays I eat higher fibre toast or cereal to start my day and try not to let myself get too hungry. You slow down when you're hungry and burn less calories. My goal is to strive for five smaller meals throughout the day and not go overboard on the portion sizes.

If you start a fad diet, ask yourself if you can do this every day until you die. If you can't then the diet won't be successful.

In spite of this blog, friends still ask me if I'm allowed to eat this or that. The people at my clinic, my doctor included, aren't asking me to stop eating anything, even pizza. They're just asking me to eat less of the bad things and include more good things like fruits and vegetables. From what I can see, that's the current scientific thinking on how to approach the diet of overweight people. That thinking may change one day but I think we're starting to get somewhere with our understanding of how the overweight body and mind works.

I also roll my eyes when people do cleansing routines. Until science says it's a good idea, why do people do it? I "cleansed" my colon for two colonscopies and I was no different afterwards. Plus, there were no fifty pound chunks of undigested red meat coming out or found in my exam.

If you're not smart about things, you don't stand a chance on improving your health. You're doctor probably knows best, not the person you work or your odd cousin Harold who swears by something unproven by science.

Science: It's something to believe in!

The Fat Vs. Calories Question

When I was losing weight and exercising in the 1990s, everything I read and heard was about how bad dietary fat was and that fat intake was every bit a concern as colorie intake. But in the last ten years I've been reading the occasional news story that comes up on a study that says colories are what we should be counting. (That and fibre so you feel fuller longer because it digests slowly.)

So the question I now have (and forgot to ask my nutritionist last time but will next appointment) is: If fat doesn't matter so much, isn't it a good idea to eat some fat in your diet because fat satiates you more. In other words, it gives you a feeling of being full or satisfied.

I was getting a delicious McDonald's coffee this morning and read "Slim something or other" Cranberry Orange Muffin on the menu board. My family gets these all the time but the word "Slim" somehow drew me in today. I ate half of it, came home and looked up the nutritional info. It has 360 calories and eight grams of fat.

The bacon and egg McMuffin has 40 fewer calories but almost twice the fat. Yet this greasy sandwich would probably go a longer way to satisfying me (it has the same amount of fibre as the muffin: only 2 grams.) I could order it without cheese and it would be almost 100 calories less than the "Slim" muffin with just a little more fat. (By the way, I've determined that the bacon and egg McMuffin is the least unhealthy sandwich on the McDonald's breakfast menu and I've even seen that fact mentioned in literature.)

I can guess that filling up on saturated fats or trans fats isn't a good idea because of what it can do to your heart health. And I also know from a little reading and my own experience that eating fat leads to wanting to eat more fat. The result of which is probably a higher consumption of calories due to increased cravings as we seek out our next fatty fix. One benefit of fat, however, is that it helps us absorb certain vitamins, but I'm sure we get enough of it even in the lowest fat diets.

One of my eating challenges is to eat less fat in my diet. I crave it and it's habitual with me. I suspect it's best to have a healthy balance, not too much but not necessarily counting every gram either (unless you have special dietary concerns.)

Update: Here's what Dr. Sharma has to say about protein filling you up.

Why Seeing Obese Children Bothers Me

I get bothered when I see overweight children, particularly bothered, I presume, because I know what it was like to be them. Instinctively, I want to blame the parents even though I have no way of knowing if they voluntarily contributed to the problem.

Research has long been talked about in newspapers and on television programs that show maternal obesity and smoking are risk factors for childhood obesity. But what I always imagine in my mind is parents being stupid and feeding their children excess calories and abandoning them in front of TV sets and video games.

When I became a parent eight years ago, I wanted to know things about parenting. Most people nowadays pick up a book or two to prepare themselves to be better parents to their children than their parents were to them. It wasn't hard to come across information that doctors and researchers believe calorie-laden beverages, including fruit juices, are not a good idea for children to consume on a regular basis. I occasionally see toddlers sucking on a Coke and it's as disconcerting a sight to me as seeing a pregnant woman smoking.

I desperately want my kids not to be overweight. For starters, it's a health issue but it's also the psychological aspect. And for me it's not the school yard taunting that most people assume happens to fat kids because that didn't happen very much to me and when it did, I wasn't traumatized by it. I guess it's more the feeling left behind and the prejudices that come with being overweight.

My father smoked until I was five and then had a heart attack that scared him straight. Most of the next fifteen  years I lived in fear of him dying until he did when I was twenty. Smoking likely contributed to his early death and during his last fifteen years he begged his kids not to smoke. None of us three boys ever did. For years I refused to even pretend to smoke as an actor. I refused to put a real cigarette to my mouth, in honour of my father.

So my parental issue is obesity and I am adamant about not contributing negatively to my children's health. So far so good, but it's been challenging. We have spent far too much time at fast food restaurants or eating prepared and processed foods. I do, however, allow my kids to be active and encourage outdoor activity without stressing about unreasonable fears for their safety.

I take it quite personally when I see an obese child. I think to myself, rightly or wrongly, "Well that kid is screwed." and I think that the parents let her or him down. I know it's a very negative reaction but it's how I react.

My mother did things that could have affected my obesity yet it's not really possible to know if she should be blamed completely. She was a nurse who was and is always worried about what other people think of her. I was born several weeks early and they let her bring me home from the hospital before I reached five pounds because she was a nurse. The first night at home, she fed me solid food so I'd gain weight and she wouldn't look incompetent to her co-workers. That's a no-no and they knew that back then but my mother began trying to fatten me up from day one.

She also didn't breast feed me, which was more common back then but now we know it reduces the risk of obesity and is helpful in so many other ways. In fact recent studies show that it is beneficial for mothers to breast feed as long as they can. Two years and beyond is a good target from what I keep reading.

My mother insisted on feeding and feeding me. A thin child was a sickly and embarrassing child. Even now she complains about how fat I am in one breath and then complains how my children aren't eating enough in the next. She's 85, sure, but she should know better.

I'm particularly bothered when I see very overweight toddlers. There are several overweight kids in my daughter's preschool that aren't even five years old yet. One girl has the appearance of having breasts because she's so overweight. I would guess that some kids weigh almost twice as much as others of the same height. If they have this problem now, it's only gong to get worse when they become adults and their activity level slows down.

There was a story in the news recently of a child being taken away from their parents due to the parents clearly being at fault for the child's poor diet. I hate to see any kid have to face this disease if it's not necessary. We need more education and more support for parents. Giving a tax break for putting your kid in hockey isn't going to solve the problem.

I Broke Through A Major Barrier Last Night

Chris Powell, right. From his ABC TV show.

In the TV reality show Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, trainer Chris Powell shouts the following words to doubting clients trying to workout: "Every time you think you can't do something, I'm going to prove to you that you can!"

This is something that is happening internally with me as well. I have had numerous misconceptions in what people in general are capable of and what I am capable of. Time after time I prove myself wrong by accomplishing what I thought was impossible.

I've encountered many obese people who haven't exercised a day in their life and have countless misconceptions about fitness. Yet I should know better. I had gone through a fitness phase when I was 30 years old. I went from obese and sedentary to thin and fit. I lived and breathed exercise for two or three years. It was ingrained in me even years after I stopped. So how could I have so many misconceptions about myself now and what was possible?

Well, I didn't know everything back when I was thirty. I still don't, of course, but what I do know now is that almost anything is possible with the human body.

Our bodies adapt to whatever it is we're doing. If we walk for fifteen minutes it builds muscle in our lower body thinking that we will need to walk again tomorrow (possibly to catch a sabre-toothed tiger for dinner.) If we let our bodies sit on the couch all day, our bodies think they no longer need muscle mass and will let it waste away. Soon it's a struggle to have the strength just to make it to the fridge.

I started in April by walking my three year old daughter to her preschool just a block away. It took me seven minutes there, seven minutes back, I was soaked in sweat and exhausted. I used the hour and a half just to rest up so I could pick her up at the end of her class. This happened just twice a week. Then I was asked to add some more walking on a day or two that my daughter didn't go to class.

By then, I was getting used to it and I started doing twenty minutes a night including nights when she went to school in the day time. Things began to change in me. I stopped feeling helpless. I stopped feeling hopeless. My body began to get stronger, more capable. I began to dream about riding bikes and jogging, but I saw those goals as either impossible or goals that would take months or years of hard work to achieve.

If you read my blog, you know the rest of the story. And last night I jogged for twenty minutes straight outside. This is a very important achievement for me because it matches what I did when I was the fittest I've been in my life, fifteen years ago. But I did it last night carrying an extra 150 pound weight on my back.

My body, you see, adapted. I added small increments of time to my jogging (making sure I had off days to rest and recover) and my body got stronger and stronger, preparing for the next time I jogged. I now have legs of steel.

When I first met with my exercise counsellor at the end of June, I told her I was trying 30 second intervals of jogging to spice up my walks and that my goal was to one day this winter be able to jog for 10 minutes once or twice a week. I can remember thinking, "Ten minutes would be nice, that would be good enough if I could only get there."

Now I think that I'll never run 5K in my life and I'll certainly never run a half marathon (21+ KM). But I know it's not impossible if I ever want to do it. It would take the same methods I used to get where I am today: slowly increase the length of my exercise and have patience as my body adapts.

And speaking of misconceptions, my wife, who is a pretty smart person, asked me after my ground-breaking workout last how my heart rate did after such a long run. I could have circumnavigated the globe and my heart rate wouldn't have changed. I've got a pace I jog at and my heart rate goes up to that level and stays there for however long I jog. That's the way it works.

It's like a running car parked in the driveway. The RPMs are normally at 1000 when you're idling but you when you press the pedal it goes up to 2000. Some people see exercise as a car going up the hill with the pedal to the metal. By the top of the hill there's steam coming out of the radiator. If you go slow, your breathing is deeper but not out of breath and you feel pretty much the same at the end of your jog as you do at the beginning, just a little more fatigued (but as invigorated as anything you can experience.)

If you're like me, or worse, you can think of a hundred reasons why you can't exercise and all the things you can't do. You'll have to just bowl these misconceptions over one pin at a time as they come up until you have a full understanding of the reality of what you are capable of.

I believe exercise is the cure for obesity. That's not to say it alone is the cure for excess body fat. As of now, I no longer feel obese yet I'm a full 100 pounds over the current clinical definition for obesity (BMI) for a man of my height. I'm more capable than a lot of thin people my age and I'm only going to get better and better.

Being thin isn't going to make you happy, it isn't going to fix everything's that wrong with you, but empowering yourself with fitness can sure go a long way to cure what ails you, regardless of what the scale says. And hey, it's going to take me years to lose all this excess weight if I so chose to go that route, but getting fit only took a few months with tremendous benefits coming within weeks.