My Bar Code Diet

In December 2013, I wrote a column about my brother's heart attack and my wakeup call to lose weight. I promised to report back on my progress. I just didn't think it would take this long!

The reason you haven't heard from me earlier is because the first several months were spent researching weight loss techniques and plans rather than actually doing anything about it. As a matter of fact, I gained an additional eight pounds while contemplating dieting, which proves that just thinking about food adds weight!

We love to talk about losing weight. Actually doing it is much harder. It takes commitment. And, we only commit to something we truly think will work. I am happy to report now that not only did I lose the weight I gained, I lost an additional eleven pounds. So, I am now 19 pounds down from my max!

How did I do it? Wait for it...

Diet and exercise! I used to joke that bulimia was better than exercise. Bad joke. I did not go that route. I opted for the simple math: calories in < calories out.

It was not as difficult as I thought it was going to be, once I made some key decisions. First, I had to stop eating hospital food. I just didn't know how many calories I was eating! More importantly, I had to track how much I was eating.

Hence, my Bar Code Diet. If I couldn't scan it into my phone, I didn't put it in my mouth, with rare exceptions. There are iPhone and android apps (like Lose It or My Fitness Pal) which will help you set a goal for weight loss. You enter your starting weight, your target weight, and how much you want to lose per week. Generally, 1-2# is typical. The apps then tells you how many calories per day you can eat and how long it will take you to get to your goal, assuming you are compliant with the diet. You scan the bar code with your smart phone and it tracks how many calories you eat. You can even track calories burned with exercise. These apps have many chain restaurant menus on file, so it is possible to eat out and still track your calories. I don’t recommend it, though, because portion sizes in restaurants are generally huge and it is hard to stop mid meal.

Every day starts with breakfast. Even if it is only a latte, you need to consume some calories (including some carbohydrates) within 30 minutes of waking up to reset your hormone and blood sugar levels.

My favorite meals to take with me are Hormel Compleats (not frozen, but need to be microwaved) or Zone bars (taste great and are easy to grab and go). And in the evening at home, often an Atkins frozen meal is quite satisfying, plus it limits carbs in the evening, which can keep you from getting hungry in the middle of the night (or from waking up starving). Of course, our metabolism slows as we age, so exercise (including some strength training) is essential. Even walking can be a great start if you haven’t done any exercise at all.

This isn’t fad dieting. It is simply counting calories. Anyone can do that nowadays. Not only did I lose nineteen pounds, I also dropped my cholesterol 40 points. I don't have acid reflux anymore. I sleep well at night. I feel better. And I know that my risk of both heart disease and cancer will be less as a result.

Heart Disease Prevention for the Holidays

My brother just had a heart attack. He had classic chest pain and immediately went to the ER. Before he could sneeze, he was transferred from his small town to a regional center for a heart catheterization, where they found a single vessel blockage. He had a stent placed and has no significant damage. He’s doing great. He’s more upset that A&M lost to LSU.

I’m the one not handling it well.

You see, my brother is only five years older than me. He exercises regularly, jogging 3 miles at a time. He’s even been to the Cooper Clinic in Dallas for all sorts of tests. Our father will be 80 years old in a few weeks, and he has not had a heart attack. Why my brother? And, to the point of my worry, why not me?

Now, I know that we all just gorged ourselves over Thanksgiving, and Christmas is right around the corner. Any talk of diet and exercise should wait until after the first of the year, right? If you are like me, it takes awhile to get psyched up for this. Habits are hard to start and easy to break. This needs to be a lifestyle decision. Mind you, I am not a stranger to exercise… I just haven’t been very friendly with him lately.

If you are like me, there are things you just don’t really want to change. I like my morning latte from Standpipe Coffee and cookies from Confections (shout outs to Ben and Dawn!), and when I travel, I often seek out nice restaurants. At 178 lb, many would say I am not overweight. The insurance industry, however, would disagree. My BMI is right at 25, the cutoff for being “overweight”. Scary word, that one, but not as frightening as “obese”, which a significant percentage of Americans are now.

Dr. Huber, my internist, would like to see me lose 10 lb or more. He told me so last year. In one ear and out the other… Actually, I did lose weight, but gained it back. I should learn to schedule my appointments at the low end of the scale.

As a cancer physician, I preach prevention and early detection every day. The facts with cancer are irrefutable: diet, exercise, and not smoking are three very important things we can do to help lessen our risk of getting cancer. Well, those three things also happen to be the key to lowering one’s risk of heart disease, which kills even more people than cancer.

We are fortunate to have access to incredible cardiac care right here in Lufkin. Truly excellent cardiologists and cardiac surgeons practice here. I would not hesitate to have my heart cath done down the hallway from my office here at Memorial if I had to. But like my cancer patients tell me, they really didn’t want to ever see me professionally, and I’d just as soon keep my relationship with my cardiology friends a social one.

I don’t want to be a “do as I say, not as I do” role model and end up on the cardiac cath table in five years. I see Dr. Huber this month to discuss what other measures – tests? medication? – I need to take for heart disease prevention.

And, I’ve decided that December is a good time to start my diet and exercise program. Yes, I’m going to enjoy Christmas! But maybe I can limit my portion sizes some and NOT go for that second (or third) slice of pecan pie! (Or that second cookie at Confections!)