22 April 2008
My weight war
Posted by Nick Katsarelas under: Nick Katsarelas .
I was born a chubby child (I entered this world at nearly 12 lbs.) Based on the baby pictures, I was a chubby toddler. I’ve carried excess weight with me all my life. (I was the kid who had to wear “huskies.”)
I was destined to be hefty. Having some fat was my fate. Obesity runs on my mom’s side of the family. My mother, her two sisters, both maternal grandparents, and my two siblings are overweight. I attribute part of my own weight issue to genes, and the rest to sweets. We Greeks love our desserts. Desserts were a staple of the dinner table, much like salt and pepper. It might have been pudding or Jell-O, fruit cocktail, peaches in heavy syrup, or a Hostess snowball. To the upper left of our plates, where the salad bowl should be, was a dish or bowl holding dessert.
To this day, when all of us get together, a meal –even one at a restaurant – never ends without dessert. This practice wasn’t shared by my wife’s family, and we are good at limiting desserts in our own home.
So while I don’t consider myself fat, I am overweight. And though I hide it well, I have a big midsection. OK. Gut. It’s a bit embarrasing to say, but if I relax and measure, it’s a couple of inches more than the length of my 36″ belt. This is why people never believe me if I tell them what I weigh (188). Most of it is abdominal fat, and it’s easy to hide.
And it scares me, because there are all sorts of risks associated with abdominal fat. For instance, men with excess abdominal fat face a much higher risk of heart attacks than men who are just overweight. I just read about a study that concluded that men with excess abdominal fat during their 40s run a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s later in life.
The reason I started running was to manage my weight. I quickly grew to love running, but it still serves that purpose of burning calories. It’s apparent that I still have to reduce my calories, but because the gut has got to go.
So if anyone has some gut-reducing tips (crunches and situps only seem to strengthen my six-pack muscle group), I’m all ears.
6 Comments so far...
Bob Says:
22 April 2008 at 7:45 pm.
Brother Nick, I too have fought the battle of my expansive nature for years. I can say from experience that this is a life long battle that you’ve taken some really great steps to address. I will be running the 25k at 235 lb. While this seems excessive for that distance, it is a great deal better than the 349 lb man that lost his breath by climbing stairs that I was not but 2 years ago. The improvement never stops! Hang in there!
Bob Says:
22 April 2008 at 8:21 pm.
One real piece of advice; Make sure that you are spending as much time on maintaining or increasing strength in your back as you are in your abdominal region. Being out of balance at core puts you at risk for injury (as I have demonstrated.) Increasing your overall muscle mass will crank your metabolic rate and help burn even more calories. I don’t believe crunches or setups alone will do the trick. Your doing great! Best of luck.
Shelly Says:
22 April 2008 at 8:55 pm.
I say we try a Road Warrior reunion in one of Deb’s pilates classes at the Y sometime–that will help the core strength! Keep up the great work, Nick!
Deb Pieri Says:
23 April 2008 at 7:59 am.
Bob is right Nick. You need to strengthen your back muscles as much as your abdominal muscles. You need to do pilates type exercises. You will be working the deepest layer of abdominal muscles that wrap around your entire midsection front to back like a corset. Learn to work those muscles and you will be amazed by how trim and strong you become! After giving birth to six children. . . I never thought I’d have strong abs, but pilates work has helped me tremendously! By the way. . . you do not look overweight to me! I love that Greek food! I’m Italian and love my pasta and wine and treats. I’m just really strict with portion control (very small) and frequency. That way I don’t feel deprived! You are doing great Nick! Loved your reflections!
Shelly Says:
23 April 2008 at 6:33 pm.
Oh, and Nick, I meant to say–kudos to your mother–12 lbs is quite a baby!!! I bave birth to a 10 lb baby myself (my son!), so I cannot imagine those 2 extra lbs!
Nick Says:
24 April 2008 at 10:31 am.
Thanks for the advice, all. (And congrats on your wt loss, Bob!We have a fitness center at work, and I’m going to look into their pilates class. If not, then I might have to enroll in Deb’s class. (Be gentle, Ms. Pieri)