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22 AUG 04: POUNDING IT OUT
"How much weight have you lost?" a woman asked me out of the blue, as I walked into work the other day. Talk about taking a chance. Suppose I'd simply bought larger-sized clothing.
"About ten pounds," I told the woman - and that's accurate. I was pleased to discover this on my bathroom weight scale recently. Of course, it was the first time I'd stepped on the scale in months....
The woman obviously thought I'd lost more than ten pounds. "You look good," she said. Why is it always the married women who say these things to me?
It's a good feeling to know I've lost about ten pounds in recent months - but if you're wondering what my secret is, I'm not really sure there is one. I'm not doing that much differently from other summers. Well, except I'm working all DAY
right now as opposed to all NIGHT....
There are several steps doctors recommend you take to lose weight. For some years, I've taken a step they don't recommend - and avoided seeing doctors completely.
But anyway: doctors say exercise is important in losing weight. I've been doing that all along - and lately, my morning runs have been improving noticeably. Every one of them this past week was at least 1.1 miles. That felt good, until
someone told me National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice runs five.
I learned many years ago that in Georgia, you practically have to learn to run all over again once the late spring humidity kicks in. For several weeks, my distances drop dramatically. All that sweat weighs me down, you know....
The recent spell of cool, less humid weather has helped me do better jogging. The fact that I'm normally running at 7:05 a.m. helps as well I think it's because most of my body is too sleepy to know I'm working out.
Doctors also recommend you eat properly to lose weight. I guess this is where I've improved - as I'm not at home as much these days, nibbling on cookies from noon to midnight. Now I have to bunch it all together, from 7:00 p.m. on.
(Speaking of cookies - our snack table at church this weekend was FULL of cookies. It was so full, the package I brought never even came out of the kitchen! It's nice to see our thinking is becoming more united....)
Do I have three square meals a day? Nope - as I haven't normally eaten lunch for years. Journalists/bloggers like me don't make as much money as you might think.
So I take vitamins, you may be thinking. No, I tend to avoid those as well. I took them every day growing up - but then some TV station did a series asking, "Are you a pill popper?" and suddenly I felt very guilty.
If I could sum up this unplanned weight-loss strategy, here it is: eat lighter, and you'll become lighter - and you'll probably exercise longer. Now if someone kindly will turn down the humidity until the next line of thunderstorms moves through....
E-MAIL UPDATE: Friday's thoughts about the start of high school football season brought this message from someone who attended the Shaw-Columbus game at Kinnett Stadium:
It took over 45 minutes to clear traffic after the game. So I think the shoots the media took were bad angles. The place was heavily attended by parents of both teams.
Don Cook
Thanks for the information, Don - but if it took 45 minutes to clear the traffic, I have to wonder if the police officers at Kinnett Stadium all went home after the opening kickoff.
Don also tells me he was NOT subjected to a metal detector screening at the Shaw-Columbus game. School district officials say the checks will be "random" at all Kinnett and McClung Memorial Stadium games this season. It's a good thing
football helmets are almost completely plastic now....
By the way, I'm assuming the crowd at Friday's Carver-Spencer game was peaceful. If it wasn't, Saturday's TV newscasts would have said so - or civil rights leaders would have been complaining about violations.
Now a weekend drive around town, to see what else is going on:
+ Which local TV news reporter just became engaged - but the wedding isn't going to happen for 14 months? The new federal overtime rules starting Monday must be tougher than I thought....
+ Sunday's Ledger-Enquirer takes a closer look at plans to develop a new cemetery in Harris County. My only question is whether each body will be required to have a two-acre plot.
+ Columbus gynecologist Dr. Eric Buffong made his second trip to Recorder's Court this month on a sex crime charge.... [WITHHELD; see 25 Aug entry]
+ The Junior League held its 50th annual Attic Sale - and this year it was so big, it was moved to the Civic Center. From what I've been hearing, anything in the Civic Center's attic would be covered with carbon black.
(And another thing - shouldn't the Junior League drop the annual Attic Sale? It's much older than 35....)
+ The Columbus Catfish had a big crowd for "Military Appreciation Night." But the game went to extra innings, and all the Fort Benning troops got up and went back to their buses in the top of the tenth! It's just as well, I guess. The post-game fireworks show may have given some officers bad flashbacks.
+ Georgia football legend Herschel Walker was a special guest at the grand opening of "The Draft" sports bar. So why didn't anybody ask Walker if he's going to be an assistant to new Auburn Athletic Director Vince Dooley?
+ Instant Message to the Allendale Center on Moon Road: About your sign, "PICK UP CHICKEN WANTED HAIR STYLIST" - are these shops working together on this? Is this a strange new alternative to styling mousse?
COMING MONDAY: A tale of two saints and one church....
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