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The Great Weight Debate

By Catherine Toth Fox • May 22, 2014 • Musings, The Daily Dish

how-to-lose-weight

I was just browsing the new Frolic Hawaii site — a rebrand of the Nonstop Honolulu — and came across this blog post by my pal, Myong.

He’s trying to lose weight — again — and he’s documenting his progress on his blog.

I think everyone who loves to eat as much as Myong and I can agree: weight is a bitch. It’s hard to keep, it’s hard to shed, it’s hard to accept.

I don’t eat nearly as much as people think — my Instagram posts are a bit misleading in that regard — but I do eat. And I do eat a lot of high-caloric, fatty, starchy, sugary goodness (i.e.: crap) whenever I can. Donuts, malasadas, Spanish rolls, bowls of rice, Chinese pretzels, Lucky Charms, Thin Mint cookies, gelato — if it’s in front of me, chances are it won’t be for long.

I can’t say I’ve struggled with my weight in the Myong has — I’ve never lost 40 pounds in four months, for example! — but I’ve never been completely satisfied with my size. I guess like many women, I’ve bought into the whole skinny-is-beautiful campaign, and I have never, in my entire life, been skinny.

Yes, I work out and exercise (though surfing isn’t really a big calorie burn for me, if you consider the way I surf). Yes, I’m not one of the 217 million Americans considered overweight or obese by the government. And yeah, I don’t polish off entire dobash cakes. But I’m also not the healthiest, I’m not the fittest, and I could certainly afford to shed a few pounds.

So what do I do?

Eat better? I could. But I’m not in any emotional position to cut out white rice. Work out more? Yeah, but who’s got that kind of time?

The excuses just pile up!

So who else is out there struggling with their weight? What’s worked for you? And is there a way I can lose weight without cutting out dessert…?

***

Myong Choi is chronicling his weight loss adventure on his blog, Fast Forward, on Frolic Hawaii. Follow him!

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About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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11 Comments

  • Reply zzzzzz May 22, 2014 at 9:39 am

    Have you tried some of the new rices, like Genji Mai or the lightly polished brown rice they sell at Costco? They seem more healthful than white rice, but are much more like white rice than full brown rice.

    • Reply Catherine Toth May 22, 2014 at 10:27 am

      I have tried that — but it’s not exactly the same. Does taste more like white rice, though… I’m suspicious…

  • Reply WildeOscar May 22, 2014 at 10:11 am

    Exercise is for fitness; making prudent eating choices is for weight; both are for shape and proportion.

    Having seen pictures of you on your blog, you already have a height/weight/shape situation that most women your age would have to work very hard to achieve.

    I’m 53, have exercised regularly my entire adult life, and have never had a weight problem. Like you I’m not always pleased by what I see in the mirror, but we’re usually our own worst critics.

    My advice is this. Look in mirror only once a day, to comb your hair in the morning. Otherwise, don’t look in the mirror at all. Keep exercising, but not so much that the time cuts into “necessary” work or sleep. Listen to what your doctor says about your weight. If your doctor tells you that you should lose five pounds, try to do that. If not, and if blood pressure and cholesteral are at healthy levels, continue to eat and drink what you like. Although, to lose that five pounds, if that turns out to be a goal, you’ll probably have to give up a few glasses of wine and some desserts.

    • Reply Catherine Toth May 22, 2014 at 10:29 am

      This is true about being our own worst critics. And yeah, I don’t even keep mirrors in my house! (Or scales, though where I’m living now, one came with the back bathroom.) My doc never told me I had to lose weight, but I keep thinking I’d look and feel better 10 pounds lighter.

      Wine and dessert? Give those up? NEVER! LOL

  • Reply M May 22, 2014 at 2:17 pm

    Hello Cat,

    Everyone’s different on weight loss or gain. As for me, I’m 61, I watch what I eat, no sugar like sodas, desserts and ice cream, lots of salads, veggies, fruits, brown rice, I have cut back on beef, pork, chicken, fried foods, I eat these in moderation, no junk foods, no snacking. I standup paddle every chance I get from minimum of 1 to 4 hours. That comes out to somewhere from 4 miles to 12 or more miles and I paddle for speed so it’s an intense workout. My weight has been around 155-60 for years and years. This what works for me as for as keeping my weight down and I can reward myself once or maybe twice a week and eat things I stay away from during the week.

  • Reply David Jackson May 22, 2014 at 2:46 pm

    Basketball seems to do it for me, swimming is as good. I know one sure fire way to lose weight… but I am not telling.

  • Reply Kanakalino May 22, 2014 at 2:46 pm

    About 20 years ago I lost 105 pounds in 11 months, from 238 down to 133. But it was a huge struggle. I found that exercise was pretty much irrelevant for weight-loss, and its main purpose was to prevent muscle atrophy and sagging skin. For every two days, one day I ate absolutely nothing except a multivitamin tablet, while drinking only ice tea (no sugar); while the other day I ate half of what a normal person would eat. I kept the weight off for about two years, but then it slowly came back and then went higher than before. So now I don’t worry anymore. I somewhat resemble the laughing buddha (and lovely ladies are welcome to come rub my tummy for good luck).

  • Reply 808Dad May 22, 2014 at 4:30 pm

    Cat I had a weight problem in High School and at that age kids can get mean, very mean. I started my diet in high school and loss what I could and too much. Now I’m 51 years old, six feet tall and weigh 170lbs. I still think I’m fat but that a another story.

    To me it’s not rocket science. I’m sure most of us already know. If you intake more food than you burn in a day you will gain weight. If you workout five hours a day you could eat all you want. It’s all about finding the balance. If you want your desert everyday you can just allow sometime before you sleep to to for a jog. To me walking does almost nothing. You have to get your heart rate up for a substantial amount of time. Just me two cents.

  • Reply Dennis May 23, 2014 at 6:22 am

    I’ve been on many diets during my 71 years on earth and have lost and gained three of me during that time. It’s a never ending battle. I even had bariatric surgery and that has kept me from going into dialysis during the past 7 years. I now have 9 different Doctors to keep employed and they all agree that I need to watch my diet and lose weight. Never ending story and I am still looking for the magical pill! Good luck Cat. You’ve got 31 years to a skinny body.

  • Reply Nonpareil99 May 23, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    Cat! Hello
    Great post. How about
    incorporating a balance?
    Illustrative example, chinese cuisine especially “dim sum houses”
    always bring out a pot of HOT tea. This serves the “balance,” stoking the digestive fire
    with the “heat principle,” and the selection of “puer tea” is the chosen for dim sum as this aged-varietal tea is known to balance out the “heaviness” of those yummy foods.
    Enjoy!
    n.n.

    author at tildee.com/FgAn1c
    friends doing good works: purepuer (dot) com

  • Reply Lisa Deniz May 30, 2014 at 5:02 pm

    How about what I’m doing Cat? It only for 10 days, you can build muscle without working out & it targets stored fat. Organic, vegan, & clean. I’ll do it with you sister! Just a thought. =) XO

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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