Weight Loss A Matter Of Effort

The folks in Monticello can chalk up another success -- the 183 people who weighed in and out (323 people signed up) lost 2,206 pounds, an average of 12 pounds, in the community's "Counting Down The Pounds" contest. (See today's Ramblin' column in The Gazette.)

Herman Gipe won first place and the $1,000 that goes with it by shedding 25 percent of his weight -- 68 pounds.

Amazing.

In the same 11 week period I lost six pounds. Woo, hoo.

As most of the contestants would attest, you start out like a ball of fire and then fizzle, even in such a short time. I probably lost my weight in the first couple of weeks walking on our treadmill using the Wii Fit Plus board on our family's Wii. I'd still get on the Wii a couple of times a week but became discouraged when I'd gain 3.2 pounds one time, then lose 2.8 pounds the next. If that's accurate, it's unbelievable how much you weight can fluctuate.

My problem, though, was getting on the Wii and playing games. Sure, some of them like running in place, simulating riding a bike and even running through the obstacle course of swinging balls and falling logs were legitimate exercise. But I'm not sure how much I benefited from the ski jump or ski slalom  or even the double hula-hoop exercise. They were more just fun.

I also didn't concentrate real hard on changing my eating habits. One of the problems was this period included Valentine's Day and Easter, two chocolate holidays. Oh, how I love those Cadbury eggs, especially the orange cream ones. Am I right, people?

But I was encouraged by folks like Steve Ehrisman who lost 22 pounds, Julie Miller and her husband, Kevin, who lost 19 1/2 and 17 pounds respectively, and Darrell Reynor who lost eight. Like them, I hope spring leads to more outdoor exercise (I can't wait to hit the golf course) and weight loss.

But, there's nothing like eating right, too. And, as Becky Cooper, owner of Above & Beyond Home Health & Hospice said, "We want to get Jamie Oliver up here. I love that show."

If you haven't seen the British Chef's "Jamie Oliver Food Revolution" on ABC, he's trying to change the country's eating habits. In one episode that Becky and I had both seen, Jamie cut apart a chicken for school children, removing the legs, thighs, wings and breasts. He took the remaining carcass, tossed it into a food processor and ground it into a pudding consistency mess. He then forced this goop through a strainer to remove any bones, then formed them into the shape of chicken nuggets.

When Jamie asked the kids if they'd still eat these nuggets, after one kid raised his hand, so did all the others. To them the "food" looked like a nugget. To Becky and me, it was disgusting.

"I'll never eat another chicken nugget again," Becky said.

That's the key. If you're serious about weight loss and eating healthier, eliminate junk food.