I lost 42 pounds.
I know I sound like one of those people you see on a late night diet fad commercials, but I really lost 42 pounds during a two-week hospital stint in 2004.
I was diagnosed with meningitis in late June that year. Between the lack of exercise and lack of appetite, I lost all the muscle I gained from working out consistently for the previous three years.
I walked out of the Ochsner Medical Center on July 7, 2004, weighing in at a whopping 160.5 pounds.
It took just two weeks for me to drop down from the heavyweight boxing class to the middleweight division.
For those of you who don’t know much about boxing, think of it like this: I went from being in the same weight class as former heavyweight champions such as Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Mike Tyson to weighing as much as an NFL kicker.
Talk about a reality check.
And though it was discouraging, I didn’t let it get to me or stop me from getting healthy again.
Today, I weigh 175 pounds. No, I didn’t get back to the pre-meningitis shape I was in when I played high school football, but I have gained almost 15 pounds of muscle back.
I no longer look like a frail, male version of one of the Olsen twins. And how I did it: proper dieting and the right amount of exercise.
You might be thinking, “But I don’t have time or the money to get in shape.”
You’re sadly mistaken.
Trust me, it’s easier than you think. Staying in shape doesn’t mean you have to spend countless hours working out or hundreds of dollars at Whole Foods. The only thing you need is a little organization and planning.
Registered dietician Vanessa Richard said doing simple, everyday tasks you did as a kid is the first step to getting in shape.
“Eating breakfast and not skipping meals are two big parts of getting or staying in shape,” Richard said. “Eating breakfast stimulates your metabolism. You’re breaking the fast from the meal you ate the night before, and if you eat at like seven [o’clock] and don’t eat breakfast until about 9 a.m. the next morning, that’s a long time to go without eating. Just a bowl of cereal or some fruit helps stimulate your metabolism and also helps with concentration.”
Richard said students trying to get in shape should “stay away from cartoon cereals,” such as Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms and Frosted Flakes, when choosing what to eat in the morning.
Fruits such as apples or bananas or healthy cereals without large amounts of sugar are best.
Richard recommends eating a sandwich or a salad with low fat dressing for lunch. Peanut butter and jelly or low fat turkey or ham on whole wheat bread are healthier options than fast food.
Eating a well balanced, nutritious dinner is a great way to end your day. Eating foods such as baked chicken, grilled fish or red meats along with vegetables is a sure way to please your appetite and your body’s need for nutrients.
Red meats, fish and chicken may sound expensive, but Richard offered advice for anyone on a tight budget trying to get in shape.
“Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables are just as rich in nutrients as fresh vegetables,” Richard said. “With prices of fresh foods increasing so much, it’s cheaper and just as nutritious to buy frozen and canned foods.”
Richard said looking for sales and buying off-brand foods can help save money as well.
For those students with a full schedule, Richard offered a solution to just eating fast food while away from home.
“Cook on nights you don’t have a lot to do, freeze it and pull it out during nights you have a lot to do,” she said. “Food you cook at home is generally better for you than anything you can purchase on the go.”
Richard identified another culprit that impedes students’ ability to get in shape. She said limiting one of many college students’ favorite past times will save them from unwanted calories.
“A lot of college students drink, and that contributes to late night dining and a lot of alcohol calories,” Richard said. “Taking a night off and not drinking every once in a while would save you from a lot of unnecessary calories.”
Shoot me an e-mail if there is a health topic you would like me to write about.
—-Contact Jay St. Pierre at jstpierre@lsureveille.com
Healthy eating not as difficult as it may seem
June 17, 2008