Eating and Exercise

You might be thinking "Ben, why don't you just eat less and exercise more?" I thought I would address diet and exercise today.

First, lets talk about Food. I love food. There, i've said it. I love food. I can count on one hand the number of things in my lifetime that I wouldn't eat again if they were offered to me. I am not a picky eater. I don't have any stories about eating an entire gallon of ice cream in one sitting, or a box of Twinkies, or a bag of potato chips. I just enjoy food.

I will admit to having issues with portion control. I grew up in a family with three younger brothers and as our wives will attest, Greenwald men eat incredibly fast. At family dinners, food just disappears off of the table. I have also been a believer in the clean your plate approach to eating. I don't know if my mother ever mentioned starving children in Africa to encourage me to eat, but that is certainly how I have behaved. My brain does not tell my body to stop eating until the plate is clean. One of the things that I am looking forward to with the surgery is that this is simply not possible. I am bound and determined not to experience the negative side effects of over-filling my new small-sized stomach. I see a lot of plates with food left over in my future.

Now, on to exercise. It is my experience that exercise is not the least bit fun when you are obese. Even taking a 30 minute walk produces aches and pains. You can try it out for yourself. If you are a typical 180 pound guy, give your 140 pound wife a piggy-back ride. Also strap 5 one gallon containers of milk to yourself. Now go outside and walk up and down your street for a half hour. Can you do it? This is the weight I experience every time I go out for a walk. Not very enjoyable is it?

I was telling a friend the other day that I've never experienced the "Runner's High". It sounds awesome and i hope some day to be light enough to go running and experience it for myself. But currently, exercise just is not enjoyable.