Still haunted by Halloween

I woke up Tuesday with a cold and I'm starting to believe I won't get better until I do this, so here goes: I. had. too. much. fun. on. Halloween. weekend. (Read: I ate too much on Halloween weekend.) There, I said it!

Here's the story.

Everything was going well last week. Although I spent the first part of it on a business trip, I still managed to eat fairly healthy by ordering fish and vegetables at restaurants. Then, like a tsunami, Thursday evening came. My mother-in-law threw a Halloween party at her house, featuring heavenly, home-made doughnuts, naughty Navajo tacos, and scrumptious scones. Having been good to that point, I thought, "why not indulge a bit?" It was downhill from there. Friday we ate out for dinner, Saturday I ate candy, Sunday I ate candy, and Monday, we ate out again (this is unusual because usually I'll try to limit indulging to one day per week or less)!

This isn't scientific, but I swear every time I eat unhealthy for an extended period of time, I get sick. You'd think I would have learned my lesson by now, but considering I still haven't learned to put the toilet seat down, I guess it's not a huge surprise.

Another reason to be fit: Economic opportunity

In these less-than-ideal economic times, it makes sense to give oneself as big of an advantage as possible in terms of employment.

A Forbes magazine article published on 5/21/08 entitled "Is Weight Affecting Your Career?" cites several sources suggesting that weight-based discrimination not only happens, but is prevalent.

Cort Rudolph, a Wayne State University researcher cited in the article states, "the bias appears to be most prominent during the hiring process, when an employer knows a potential employee the least and therefore is most likely to be influenced by stereotypes (such as fat people are lazy)".

The information I found most interesting was the mention of legitimate reasons employers have to discriminate against overweight people. A report cited in the article by The Conference Board claims that "obese employees cost U.S. private companies an estimated $45 billion annually in medical expenditures and work loss." Also, a study done by the Duke University Medical Center says that "between 1997 and 2004, obese workers filed twice the number of workers' compensation claims, had seven times the medical costs and lost 13 times the days of work from work injury or illness compared with other employees, and the average medical-claims costs per 100 employees amounted to $51,019 for the obese, compared with $7,503 for the non-obese." Given this information, of course cost-conscious employers with any accountability to their companies' bottom lines are going to be wary of hiring overweight people!

Michigan State University associate professor of human resources management, Mark Roehling states, "while employers may think they're saving money by not hiring an overweight person, they might not be taking into account an applicant's qualifications, which could be far more valuable."

True...but since being overweight is ultimately a choice (I know there's a genetic or chemical imbalance element in a small segment of the population, but the CDC clearly points out that weight management is still all about "balancing the number of calories you consume with the number of calories your body uses or "burns off"" on its "Overweight and Obesity" page) for the vast majority of people, why would I want to put myself in that situation to begin with?

I have decided I'm going to give myself an employment edge by being fit. Are you with me?

Halloween is 94% more fun when you're fit!

Happy Halloween!

I'll never forget the time I declared the best holiday to be Halloween as a boy in Sunday School. My classmates wondered why I didn't agree with their consensus on Christmas. The answer was simple, the candy!

Halloween has always had a warm place in my heart, but I love it even more as a fit man. Since most of my meals are healthy by default, I can shamelessly enjoy the candy (mostly peanut-butter cups) and dress up as a sexy nurse...not that I would...but I could.

It's just another manic Monday

Saturdays I'll reward myself for a week of healthy eating. During football season it's with Mexican food. I don't know if I'd call Sunday my "fun" day like the Bangles, but I do usually eat whatever I want for dinner, so that's definitely a "fun" meal. Mondays can therefore be difficult depending on how much "fun" I had over the weekend, because I force myself to resume strictness. The more I have indulged, the more difficult it becomes to revert. Today was on the more difficult end of the scale.

Here's a poem I wrote about Monday.

As much as you're ugly, and loathsome, and bleak
I'm glad that you visit me every week
Your presence reminds me to do what I should
Even if sometimes it's like eating wood

I'm joking more than anything. Yes, it's more fun to eat greasy Mexican food than spinach, oats, and cottage cheese, but as I've said before, the more I do it, the easier it is. And, when I do treat myself, it's guilt free!!!

Also, I've found it very important to revert to complete strictness after cheating because if I don't, it's a lot easier to relax my eating habits and slowly let bad habits replace good.

**Special guest post: a thought from Mrs. Fit Fatty**

Hey, Lindsey here.

After 4 years of marriage, several fad diets, and differences of opinion on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, we finally figured out what worked for us, and together we have succeeded in losing over 100 pounds and keeping it off!

An example of our old ways: I would try a strict low-carb diet and spend tons of time making my own food while Todd didn't care and didn't encourage me. Then we would flip-flop. Todd would try a calorie-counting diet, that I didn't agree with, so I wouldn't encourage him. We ultimately failed and had nothing to show for our individual efforts.

Just like you and your spouse make decisions and act on other important matters together, I would highly encourage you to become healthy together. Have an intervention if you have to, because unfortunately, trying to be healthy alone will most likely end in failure and disappointment.

Let me be clear...

My wife's feedback on my post from yesterday was that it (kind of) sounded like I think I'm the hottest thing on two legs (I'm paraphrasing).

Although it's great to feel comfortable in a swimming suit, my true intent, and hopefully both of you got it, was to express appreciation for the most amazing physical gift in life. Our bodies (fit or not) are amazing on many levels and are really all we have, physically. The minute our bodies are sick, our quality of life diminishes, and life's obviously over when we die.

Being fit cures many health problems and promises a more fulfilling life, but it does not cure homely. I know from personal experience. Luckily I was able to trick Lindsey into marrying me- for whatever blessed reason she never asked me to remove the paper bag from my head until after the ceremony.

A story of unrequited love...

I realized something as I became fit...my body loved me and I never had any idea.

I'm sure my body cried itself to sleep at night, feeling like Julia Roberts in "My Best Friend's Wedding," maybe more like Steve Urkel on "Family Matters."

Like Eponine to Marius, it had been warning me of danger, subtly when I was young, more pronounced with time. These warnings appeared in the form of a spare tire, lethargy, double chins, indigestion, profuse sweating, etc.

I shuttered to think of all the times I had taken it for granted and even despised it because it wouldn't allow me to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I was actually jealous of those who had such bodies. Oh the shame and the agony! Waaaa!!!

After a change of heart, I can now say I love my body in return and fully appreciate it for what it is...the most precious gift I have ever been given. I want to treat it right. After this life, I want to give a good accounting of my stewardship of this gift to The Giver (not from the book, but a good read nonetheless).

My newfound love for my body leads me to a question: although I'm already happily married, considering the current judicial challenges to traditional marriage, is it legal for me to marry myself in any states yet? Just curious.