Tommy Tomlinson's 'The Weight I Carry'

[Doc Holliday]

I thought that, too, and was often (self-) conscious of it, and sometimes wondered, ruefully and negatively, what they must have been thinking of me (although it never actually occurred outwardly and I was never treated poorly by athletes because of it). Despite any problems with "being a fat person in America," much of obese people's perceptual and emotional issues are mostly self-thought, self-taught and self-inflicted. It's another thing that makes it so hard, and another reason most weight-loss surgery programs require a stint in counseling before any procedure is undergone.

Completely agree. In general, people don't really care if you're fat, thin or whatever.

 

[Doc Holliday]

As a whole, the profession has to have one of the unhealthiest collective populations.

This is what has always bothered me. It's like I've been surrounded by people who don't care or have the willpower to look professional. Now, with "new media" they don't care if they act professional either.

Look at other fields like healthcare, banking, legal, accounting, etc. They look, act and dress professionally in general. Hardly the case in journalism.

It always embarrassed me to be associated with such a group of people who didn't care any more about how they presented themselves and how they were perceived. Not saying my feelings were right, just saying what it felt like from the other side of the aisle.

 

[CD Boogie]

This is what has always bothered me. It's like I've been surrounded by people who don't care or have the willpower to look professional. Now, with "new media" they don't care if they act professional either.

Look at other fields like healthcare, banking, legal, accounting, etc. They look, act and dress professionally in general. Hardly the case in journalism.

It always embarrassed me to be associated with such a group of people who didn't care any more about how they presented themselves and how they were perceived. Not saying my feelings were right, just saying what it felt like from the other side of the aisle.

In my experience, this happens way more with sportswriters than with other journalists who cover politics, banking, etc. And I'm not talking about ones who are on TV. I don't know what's the exact genesis, but it's some combination of being outside at games, wanting to be comfortable, and being around parents, coaches and fans who aren't dressed up. I'm sure if you put a sportswriter on the political beat, they'd start dressing differently. It's just a hive mentality.

 

[Doc Holliday]

In my experience, this happens way more with sportswriters than with other journalists who cover politics, banking, etc. And I'm not talking about ones who are on TV. I don't know what's the exact genesis, but it's some combination of being outside at games, wanting to be comfortable, and being around parents, coaches and fans who aren't dressed up. I'm sure if you put a sportswriter on the political beat, they'd start dressing differently. It's just a hive mentality.

This is a good point. It seems to occur more frequently with sports writers. I'd say 70 to 75 percent of the news writers I know do not have weight issues. I'm not sure why this is, but it has been fairly constant throughout my career.

One thing I can say about sports writing is that you are often forced to eat at weird hours to accommodate your schedule and travel, which doesn't help matters. And then there's the pressbox food, which is mostly just shirt. I mean, how can they expect to throw pizza, hot dogs, popcorn, soft drinks and other shirt at media and them not get fat?

I've done my best over the years to steer clear of the pressbox shirt and hospitality rooms, and just bring my own food. I typically bring some Subway and eat it while everyone else is scarfing down the death buffet. It's more expensive and I don't like having to pay for my meal when everyone else is eating free, but the long-term benefits far outweigh the short term "free" food.

I worked with a photographer once, who probably weighed about 275-300 pounds. She had our basketball games timed so perfectly that she could show up for the last four minutes of the first half to shoot, gorge herself with three or four hotdogs, a box of popcorn and a coke at halftime, then shoot the first four minutes of the second half. She was fat as a hog and her photos always sucked. We usually got some shirtty forker off the bench that had two points and one rebound. I know this sounds horrible to talk about someone like that, but my point is she was more focused on the forking food than doing her damn job. Since halftime is 15 minutes long, she actually spent more time eating than shooting.

 

[Moderator1]

Book arrived about an hour ago, will dive in after my shift and probably be up all night.

 

[Hermes]

Can I ask what your three meals are?

Sure.

Breakfast is a smoothie with greek yogurt, kale and mixed berries with a little whey protein with a little granola along with an eggwhite with avocado on it. I'll usually eat two or three cups of greek yogurt afterwards while I'm sitting at the desk, too.

Every two hours between meals I eat an assortment of almonds and pistachios to keep satiated.

Lunch is a half one of one of those big bins of kalewith a tahini dressing with a small amount of fat for solubility along with a chicken breast and a plate full of vegetables. I usually follow the rainbow principle of having five or six different colors of veggies, usually brussell sprouts, spinach, carrots, cauliflower, beets and broccoli and squash. I'll usually microwave an egg and mash another avocado on top of the chicken.

Dinner the other half bin of that kale and spinach, salmon, white rice, fry up a tub full of mushrooms (my secret weapon for keeping down fat intake is just to consume as many cooked mushrooms as possible. Get that meaty flavor and no downside) and another plate full of the rainbow of veggies, usually another egg white thrown on top of the plate.

By the end of the day, I feel stuffed to the gills and haven't really consumed that many calories, almost no fat and very little sugar (and almost no added sugar). The only problem with the diet is that it's not cheap to keep that many fresh vegetables in the house and it means driving to the grocery store on a daily basis. I'll usually use frozen berries and frozen broccoli/cauliflower. The rest is fresh.

Getting down that much kale is tough for most people, but I just pinch my nose and eat it as fast as I can. I consider it like taking medicine. It's amazing how much energy I get by eating that much lean protein and those vegetables.

 

[typefitter]

Sure.

Breakfast is a smoothie with greek yogurt, kale and mixed berries with a little whey protein with a little granola along with an eggwhite with avocado on it. I'll usually eat two or three cups of greek yogurt afterwards while I'm sitting at the desk, too.

Every two hours between meals I eat an assortment of almonds and pistachios to keep satiated.

Lunch is a half one of one of those big bins of kalewith a tahini dressing with a small amount of fat for solubility along with a chicken breast and a plate full of vegetables. I usually follow the rainbow principle of having five or six different colors of veggies, usually brussell sprouts, spinach, carrots, cauliflower, beets and broccoli and squash. I'll usually microwave an egg and mash another avocado on top of the chicken.

Dinner the other half bin of that kale and spinach, salmon, white rice, fry up a tub full of mushrooms (my secret weapon for keeping down fat intake is just to consume as many cooked mushrooms as possible. Get that meaty flavor and no downside) and another plate full of the rainbow of veggies, usually another egg white thrown on top of the plate.

By the end of the day, I feel stuffed to the gills and haven't really consumed that many calories, almost no fat and very little sugar (and almost no added sugar). The only problem with the diet is that it's not cheap to keep that many fresh vegetables in the house and it means driving to the grocery store on a daily basis. I'll usually use frozen berries and frozen broccoli/cauliflower. The rest is fresh.

Getting down that much kale is tough for most people, but I just pinch my nose and eat it as fast as I can. I consider it like taking medicine. It's amazing how much energy I get by eating that much lean protein and those vegetables.

Thanks for this. I've definitely reached an age where I have to start eating better permanently rather than dieting. I just don't think I have a lifestyle that would allow me your sort of discipline. Or maybe that's an excuse, because I love food so forking much. I don't know. I eat out a ton when I'm working. Basically I have breakfast at home, and that's it. I think I just have to cut down on the obvious stuff first, like Coke and sweets, and then go from there, slowly trying to improve things. I lost a lot of weight maybe five years ago—well, for me; maybe 40 pounds—and have put it all back on. I think I'm built to ride at 200 and need to get and stay there forever. I admire your discipline, and you make your food sound pretty delicious, actually. Thanks again.

 

[WriteThinking]

Sure.

Breakfast is a smoothie with greek yogurt, kale and mixed berries with a little whey protein with a little granola along with an eggwhite with avocado on it. I'll usually eat two or three cups of greek yogurt afterwards while I'm sitting at the desk, too.

Every two hours between meals I eat an assortment of almonds and pistachios to keep satiated.

Lunch is a half one of one of those big bins of kalewith a tahini dressing with a small amount of fat for solubility along with a chicken breast and a plate full of vegetables. I usually follow the rainbow principle of having five or six different colors of veggies, usually brussell sprouts, spinach, carrots, cauliflower, beets and broccoli and squash. I'll usually microwave an egg and mash another avocado on top of the chicken.

Dinner the other half bin of that kale and spinach, salmon, white rice, fry up a tub full of mushrooms (my secret weapon for keeping down fat intake is just to consume as many cooked mushrooms as possible. Get that meaty flavor and no downside) and another plate full of the rainbow of veggies, usually another egg white thrown on top of the plate.

By the end of the day, I feel stuffed to the gills and haven't really consumed that many calories, almost no fat and very little sugar (and almost no added sugar). The only problem with the diet is that it's not cheap to keep that many fresh vegetables in the house and it means driving to the grocery store on a daily basis. I'll usually use frozen berries and frozen broccoli/cauliflower. The rest is fresh.

Getting down that much kale is tough for most people, but I just pinch my nose and eat it as fast as I can. I consider it like taking medicine. It's amazing how much energy I get by eating that much lean protein and those vegetables.

This is interesting. Definitely healthy, but interesting. I'm surprised that you eat like this, but eat white rice.

That said, this is a far different way than most people eat on a regular basis, although you are absolutely correct in your points about the regularity and habitual-ness that usually has to happen for successful weight loss. I, too, am a very habitual eater, with, generally, little change in my menu. But I like it, and I'm used to it, so it doesn't bother me. In fact, when I change up too much, I find that I don't usually enjoy it as much as I hope to do.

I think I have more variety than what you tend to eat, though, because I just count a little more than necessarily only eating certain things. Since my weight loss surgery, when I'm doing things right, I try to stay between 10-12 carbs a day, and eat lots of protein (between 75 and 120 grams), and I do my best to keep sugars to a minimum (this has been my recent problem -- not doing that).

Meal-wise, that makes my eating usually look like this:

Breakfast is just a Pure Protein protein drink (35 g of protein, 4 or less carbs, 1 g of sugar). Lunch is usually some kind of soup, or a simple burrito (just refried beans and cheese, on a taco-size, low-carb tortilla). Dinner, invariably, is a ground turkey burger, in the dish, with a vegetable side, and some unsweetened applesauce, or, it might be some chicken with a vegetable and some unsweetened applesauce, or, once in a while, a hamburger in the dish with a vegetable side and some unsweetened applesauce.

At this point after surgery, I can eat almost anything, especially if I watch the amount, and don't eat too fast. But what I've found works best, that I like most, and that, really, I don't mind, even with the repetitiveness of it, is the ground turkey and chicken. They seem to go down the easiest, are lighter/milder than a lot of other things you could eat, and I've really gotten to like it and can actually still enjoy my meals.

Both the ground turkey and the unsweetened applesauce are direct vestiges of the weight-loss surgery. Prior to it, I had never in my life eaten ground turkey. Now, I eat it practically every day, sometimes in different ways, putting into meat loaf, casseroles, meatballs, tacos, etc. But most nights, I eat it just plain, in a dish. It's quick, easy, and I like it. In the case of the applesauce, I had always liked it, but I didn't previously eat it all the time. Now, I do, because I found after surgery that I sometimes needed something to help meats (and some other things) go down, and I discovered the applesauce just did the trick. It was a little bit of a welcome revelation, so now, it has just become habit, and I use it almost like a dip. Again, I just like it, and for me, it goes with practically everything.

Snacks are almonds, or pieces of fruit or vegetables. Those single-serving cups of sherbet are an occasional treat. And I drink nothing, virtually, except water.

That's it. I could literally live on this routine, happily, and usually, I do. It keeps my shopping really simple, and I've found that if you get into the habit, the habit becomes what you want -- even what you prefer. I've eaten practically no fast food in 10 years (save those disgustingly good value-menu tacos at Jack in the Box maybe once or twice a year), and even if/when I go out for an occasional nice restaurant meal, I often remark how I didn't enjoy it as much as I do my simple, repetitive meals at home, and invariably, I wish I hadn't spent/wasted the money.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Dinner the other half bin of that kale and spinach, salmon, white rice, fry up a tub full of mushrooms (my secret weapon for keeping down fat intake is just to consume as many cooked mushrooms as possible. Get that meaty flavor and no downside).

This is interesting because I have no idea what you're talking about. I eat a lot of mushrooms because I like them. What's the deal with mushrooms? Is there some sort of benefit I'm getting that I had no idea about?

 

[Doc Holliday]

This is interesting. Definitely healthy, but interesting. I'm surprised that you eat like this, but eat white rice.

That said, this is a far different way than most people eat on a regular basis, although you are absolutely correct in your points about the regularity and habitual-ness that usually has to happen for successful weight loss. I, too, am a very habitual eater, with, generally, little change in my menu. But I like it, and I'm used to it, so it doesn't bother me. In fact, when I change up too much, I find that I don't usually enjoy it as much as I hope to do.

I think I have more variety than what you tend to eat, though, because I just count a little more than necessarily only eating certain things. Since my weight loss surgery, when I'm doing things right, I try to stay between 10-12 carbs a day, and eat lots of protein (between 75 and 120 grams), and I do my best to keep sugars to a minimum (this has been my recent problem -- not doing that).

Meal-wise, that makes my eating usually look like this:

Breakfast is just a Pure Protein protein drink (35 g of protein, 4 or less carbs, 1 g of sugar). Lunch is usually some kind of soup, or a simple burrito (just refried beans and cheese, on a taco-size, low-carb tortilla). Dinner, invariably, is a ground turkey burger, in the dish, with a vegetable side, and some unsweetened applesauce, or, it might be some chicken with a vegetable and some unsweetened applesauce, or, once in a while, a hamburger in the dish with a vegetable side and some unsweetened applesauce.

At this point after surgery, I can eat almost anything, especially if I watch the amount, and don't eat too fast. But what I've found works best, that I like most, and that, really, I don't mind, even with the repetitiveness of it, is the ground turkey and chicken. They seem to go down the easiest, are lighter/milder than a lot of other things you could eat, and I've really gotten to like it and can actually still enjoy my meals.

Both the ground turkey and the unsweetened applesauce are direct vestiges of the weight-loss surgery. Prior to it, I had never in my life eaten ground turkey. Now, I eat it practically every day, sometimes in different ways, putting into meat loaf, casseroles, meatballs, tacos, etc. But most nights, I eat it just plain, in a dish. It's quick, easy, and I like it. In the case of the applesauce, I had always liked it, but I didn't previously eat it all the time. Now, I do, because I found after surgery that I sometimes needed something to help meats (and some other things) go down, and I discovered the applesauce just did the trick. It was a little bit of a welcome revelation, so now, it has just become habit, and I use it almost like a dip. Again, I just like it, and for me, it goes with practically everything.

Snacks are almonds, or pieces of fruit or vegetables. Those single-serving cups of sherbet are an occasional treat. And I drink nothing, virtually, except water.

That's it. I could literally live on this routine, happily, and usually, I do. It keeps my shopping really simple, and I've found that if you get into the habit, the habit becomes what you want -- even what you prefer. I've eaten practically no fast food in 10 years (save those disgustingly good value-menu tacos at Jack in the Box maybe once or twice a year), and even if/when I go out for an occasional nice restaurant meal, I often remark how I didn't enjoy it as much as I do my simple, repetitive meals at home, and invariably, I wish I hadn't spent/wasted the money.

You guys got some serious discipline going on in your eating habits. I don't think I could ever do this. I eat a lot shirt I shouldn't eat but I eat a lot of stuff that's really good too. No matter what I eat, I go to the gym 3-4 times a week and smash it on the eliptical or do two hours of weights. I always try to remember that I have to burn whatever it is I'm eating and the gym is the easiest way to do it.

 

[WriteThinking]

This is interesting because I have no idea what you're talking about. I eat a lot of mushrooms because I like them. What's the deal with mushrooms? Is there some sort of benefit I'm getting that I had no idea about?

Mushrooms are a known appetite suppressant, which, I'd guess, is why Hermes would eat so many of them. I can't eat them much, as I just don't like them beyond serving as a topping or a garnish, or mixed in with other veggies. Me, I would never eat them as a primary vegetable, and anything you could eat will do you no good if you won't eat it.

They're also a good fiber and protein, and very low-calorie besides, so, as Hermes said, you get a lot of benefit, with little, if any, down side. For anyone with digestive issues, they're also a good probiotic.

 

[WriteThinking]

You guys got some serious discipline going on in your eating habits. I don't think I could ever do this. I eat a lot shirt I shouldn't eat but I eat a lot of stuff that's really good too. No matter what I eat, I go to the gym 3-4 times a week and smash it on the eliptical or do two hours of weights. I always try to remember that I have to burn whatever it is I'm eating and the gym is the easiest way to do it.

And you have some serious discipline to keep up going to the gym so regularly and effectively. It's what we all should do, what I need to get back to doing as well as whatever I do right in terms of eating. For the first few years after my surgery, I was in the gym every day, for a couple hours a day, along with eating well. Now, I struggle to get myself to go more than a couple times a week, and I don't usually want to go; I just know that I need to, and that I should go, if I don't want to regain all the weight I lost.

I am someone who has to eat well AND go to the gym in order to maintain a good, lower weight. This is how it is for most people who are obese, or who ever were. Whenever we stop doing one or the other on a consistent basis, our bodies will tell on us.