I guess I'm beginning to obsess about the whole weight thing. And, I'm blaming Oprah so that I don't have to take responsibility myself. The show yesterday featured a bunch overweight teens, discussed their eating habits, and more importantly tried to get to the source of their hunger - not the physical hunger but the emotional hunger. It was sad, but enlightening.

One of her guest was David Zinczenko, author of the "Eat this, Not that" books. He is, I suppose,  a colleague of mine since we both get our pay check from Rodale, so I may be biased, but I thought what he had to say was fantastic. The misinformation, myths, false beliefs, and out-right untruths about food and weight loss are staggering. And I'm no better informed than most.

For example, one of the "tests" was - are you better off eating a multi-grain bagel with cream cheese or a glazed donut? GUESS WHAT? The bagel and cream cheese has nearly 4 times the calories. And "multi-grain" doesn't mean anything except they use multiple processed grains. Good grief.

No, you can't eat 4 glazed donuts and break even, but it does point out how often we c-main think I'm doing the right thing only to find out I'm really not.

And he talked about eggs. I love eggs. I like almost nothing better for dinner than scrambled eggs. But, eggs are bad for you. Right? NO. They are a good source of high quality protein and are fine - in moderation - in an otherwise balanced diet. GOOD GRIEF.

Anyway, it got me to thinking that if I want to get rich, I should write the book: "Eat More, Exercise Less, Have Great Sex" since that seems to be what everyone - me included - wants to be able to do. It seems to me that nearly all of the popular diet and exercise programs have some element of the eat more, exercise less, have great sex philosophy.

Or maybe I'll write the book "Six-Pack Abs in 6 minutes a week"  I don't know where it got started but clearly having great looking abs is a prerequisite for good health. COME ON!

I'm angry. At myself. At the industry that encourages people to believe the unbelievable. And, at the running community that still looks down it's nose at people - like me - who are trying to change their lives with their own two feet. We have so much to overcome that we just can't be bothered trying to shave 3 seconds off our 5K times. AAARRRGGGHHH!

I am recommitting today to standing up for the joy of movement. ANY movement. And to always, ALWAYS, searching for the truth.

Waddle on,

I actually looked it up and I still don't know which is correct. Maybe both in this context.

Oprah recently admitted to having gained the weight back that she had lost. As a comedian commented, she didn't really have to make the announcement. When you gain weight, it's not a secret.

I had a bit of a connection with Oprah since we ran the Marine Corps Marathon together. OK, not together; she was in the front with her entourage, I was in the back with a few friends. But, I've always admired her for taking on the challenge of the marathon knowing that there would be cameras to capture her every step. By the way, her time that day was over 30 minutes faster than mine.

But, I've also admired her for her honesty about her struggles with her weight. As someone who also fights a daily battle to find the balance between the food I want and the food I need, I get it. Food is not nourishment for people like us. Food is love. Food is comfort. Food is medication. Food is evidence of success. Fat is where it's at.

Her question, though, is what got me; "How could I let this happen again?". How indeed. How could I?

We've moved in the last month and as I was unpacking boxes that haven't been opened in 8 years I came across photos from "the early days". The days and years when being active was brand new, when I would have done anything, eaten anything, taken any supplement, that I believed would have taken 10 seconds off my 5K time. But that was 15 years ago now. I've changed.

As I wrote in a recent column, running is like an old friend now. I look forward to spending time running. I'm comfortable running. I'm relaxed, I'm at ease. I'm happy. And I'm slow. But the truth of it is that I am also heavier than I've been in years. MORE importantly, I don't seem to be willing to do anything about it.

I've said for years that we need to see our bodies as tools, not ornaments. If we can do what we want with the body we have then how that body "looks" is probably not important. I still believe that. But, the other truth is that while I can do what I want to do with the body that I have, I'm not happy with what it looks like.

So. like Oprah, I'm going to try to go back in time. I'm going to try to find that seed of motivation that will help me. And, like Oprah, I'm going to start asking myself what I'm really hungry for when I reach for something to eat.

Wish me luck.

John

New Year. New Ideas. Old issues.

I wrote recently about this in a column, but there was a time - once long ago - that I had a pretty good handle on the "new" technology. That "new" technology was called the World Wide Web. When we gave "web" addresses we also said the WHOLE address. You remember? H-T-T-P-backslash-backslash-colon-double you-double you- double you - and then the rest.

I grasped the "web". I bought domain names, learned HTML code, created web sites for myself, for the music department at MTSU, and even had my course outlines and sample exams on the web. I was on the cutting edge. Now, that edge is so dull I couldn't cut butter with a hot knife.

So, I know that I am going to blog. I am going to try to blog weekly. The plan, right now, is for Wednesday mornings. For now that blog will be here. It's likely to be moving sometime early in the year, but for now let's just all see how it works.

Wish me luck.

John