Time to rid of the “COVID 19” Around Your Waist
Join me in the #BucksForPounds
So… since March, we have been socially distant and staying at home like most folks who believe in masks and believe that this is a pandemic of extraordinary strength with no real end in sight in the next few months.
If your happiness is linked to exercise; if stress reduces your food intake; and you are principled and weigh yourself regularly; then at least metabolically, you are in better shape than many of us who have found “the 19” around our waists and thighs! So… I have started down the path of recovery of my bod!
As a doctor, I am keenly aware that there is a formula for weight loss: Input - Output =Weight Gain or Loss. One pound of fat equals almost 3500 calories. So, to lose two pounds a week, one must get rid of 7000 calories a week. Pretty straightforward isn’t it? As a post-menopausal woman, who is not thrilled to exercise – it’s not that simple anymore.
During this period of immense stress, cooking has provided me with great happiness and a distraction from the troubles of the world and my community: I find solace in cooking. And unlike some of my friends who lose their appetite when they cook, for me, the process of cooking uses all my senses. The tactile sensations of food preparation coupled with the aromas and the fragrant steam of dishes prepared with love release the happy hormones in me. And finally, the taste and the joy of sharing a meal with loved ones is the proverbial icing on the cake (pun intended)
This was not always so. As a young wife and mother, I did not have the skills nor the patience for cooking- especially Indian food which requires hours and hours of prep time. My role models: female relatives, neighbors, and friends who were great cooks- were homemakers and/ or adhered to rigid standards of preparation and had taste buds and reviews that would put Gordon Ramsay to shame. “It is not Authentic Indian Cuisine” was a term that I heard a lot about and did not for.
As my family grew and my husband and I had to juggle busy full-time careers; while caring for and being present for our daughter; food was not a high priority. We got through the phases of hurriedly putting together meals and take-outs. The latter was way better than anything that I put on the table. Added to the guilt of being a working Mommy- I had to contend with the snide comments about (not) being at home with a warm meal when my daughter finished school. Never one to let a good gauntlet go to waste, I started experimenting with short cuts to traditional Indian meals and other cuisines. And the rule of 10,000 hours probably applies to cooking as well - I finally became good at cooking in my 40s!. More than a decade later- I find that cooking soothes me and allows me a way to de-stress. My family knows to give me a wide berth whenever I cook up a storm!!!
But when the love of cooking becomes a muffin top, it is time for an intervention. If you are like me who loves to sit on a swing with her favorite book- you know that you don’t reach the required 10,000 steps. And if you love to eat good food - and plenty of it - it’s a challenge.
And finally, the occasional cocktail does not help the COVID 19 middle.
The fight against “the 19” has begun ….
I hope that you will join me to rid of “the 19” that I have found on me during my pandemic life. Let’s see where it takes us.
I hope to lose ten pounds. For every pound that I lose, I will donate $100 to the Desert Mission food bank for healthy and nutritious food. I call it my #bucksforpounds. My favorite food bank is Desert Mission. Have your family join and donate to your local food bank at https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank. We all know that food insecurity is all around us and access to healthy foods is limited – in each and every one of our communities.
If you want to join me- send me a message at docphx@mihealthmatters.com or @DocPhx and use the #bucksforpounds. You can donate any amount and have any weight loss goal – let’s have fun!!! If you can afford to- please sponsor a colleague or a friend- let’s get healthy and help our community while living the pandemic life.
Keep Calm & COVID On!
(PS There is an accompanying article about beginning a weight loss plan in the Health section of this blog.)
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