Fat Chance

I have never been obese, at least in my own estimation. There have been times, however, when I put on extra weight, often showing up on my stomach and thighs. This usually happens in the winter when I'm less active.

Early one spring when I was about 14, it was pointed out to me by my grandfather that I was getting a bit chubby. That bothered me some, so I decided to go on a diet. I would eliminate sweets from my snacks and replace them with fruit. The other meals would be normal, but without the huge second helpings I had been known to take. Also, I would spend more time walking or riding my bicycle where I needed to go. After all, the weather was nicer than it had been for quite some time.

It didn't take long to see some results – my stomach started shrinking and my thighs got a little firmer. The biggest difference, though, was that I was growing upward instead of outward. During the year following this self-imposed diet, I grew five inches in height. I also added 15 pounds in weight, but nobody said I looked chubby. My skinny knees and elbows seemed to be getting all the attention now.

Most of the jobs I've had required at least some physical effort. I have worked on construction crews, in manufacturing plants, retail centers and done lawn work. When I found time for recreation, I went hunting, fishing, played tennis and golf, and even did some jogging. All of these things required physical effort, but not so with things like watching TV, reading and writing. Strangely enough, no matter what I've done over the years, I seemed to have gained about 10 pounds every 10 years.

One year while working for the City of Spirit Lake, we had a fairly mild winter. It was in the 1990s, and I was working in the parks department. I would help with snow removal when necessary, but when there wasn't snow, there wasn't much to do. I painted and repaired picnic tables, did a lot of sweeping, and consumed a lot of donuts and coffee. One morning, when I couldn't get my pants fastened, I decided it was time to go on a diet. The local Chamber of Commerce was starting a weight-loss challenge program, so I decided to join. They called the program, "Fat Chance Challenge."

The first chance I got, I went to the water plant to talk to some of the guys I worked with. The Chamber wanted teams of six to commit to an eight-week program. Part of the program consisted of weighing in every Monday morning, and logging the results. At the end of eight weeks, the winner would be the team that had lost the most combined weight. Unfortunately, the water plant guys had their team in place and said that I didn't have that much weight to lose anyway. In fairness, they did have a couple guys that weighed 300 pounds! They told me to check with the street department.

Since the street department guys weren't interested, I decided to do the challenge on my own. Once again I eliminated sweets from my snacks and replaced them with fruit, cut back on portions at meal-times, and walked outdoors when the weather was fit. I weighed myself every Monday morning, and at the end of eight weeks I had lost 12 pounds. I felt good about my efforts even though I didn't win a prize. By the way, those 300-pound men lost a combined total of one pound! One of them lost two pounds, and the other gained one. They didn't win any prizes either.

As I'm writing this, I am confined to my house during a global pandemic. The only time I've gotten out of the house recently is a once-a-week trip to the grocery store. There is snow on the ground that is melting, so it is an in-between time for my snow and lawn business. My wife, Rita, is working from home using our dining room as her office. We go out for walks when the weather is nice, but we tend to snack more than we should. All of a sudden my stomach and thighs are growing again.

As I think of ways to eat less and exercise more, I think about our supper last night. We have been trying to eat things out of our freezer and cupboards that have been there for a while. Last night it was time for me to fry some fish that had been in there about 10 months. I also cooked some green beans that had been there about eight months. Not being her favorite meal, Rita just picked at her fish, leaving plenty of leftovers for me. We went for a walk after the dishes were done.

As we were walking, I smiled as I thought about a supper Rita made recently. She combined leftovers into a casserole consisting of chicken, broccoli, stuffing and some other things. Not being my favorite meal, I just picked at the casserole, leaving lots of left over leftovers. Again, we went for a walk afterwards. So, maybe the answer is to eat meals I don't necessarily like, eat fruit instead of sweets and go on walks afterwards. It doesn't sound too exciting, but hopefully my pants will fasten easier.

Roger Brockshus and his wife, Rita, live in Spirit Lake. They are now both semi-retired. Besides working part time, they keep in contact with their family and also volunteer in their church and community