Miscellany: The battle of the bulge

When I was a very young kid, I was a twig. By fifth grade my Mom and my Grandma both focused on fattening me up, and it worked - all too well. I spent middle school and high school with a pot belly and low self-esteem (well, regarding my body, anyway :-P).

I wish I could go back to that troubled youth and impart some of the wisdom I've gained from trying to get in shape. The most important thing I would have told myself back then is that you don't have to clean your plate - I can't recall how many times I kept on eating even when I was full, just out of politeness and not wanting to waste food. It's more difficult in today's society where people pile on the servings.

I'd also tell my younger self to eat what you feel like eating. Never go on a "diet" - I sometimes wonder how people on low-carb diets can stand craving pasta and bread, while people on low-fat diets constantly long for steak and bacon. I'm not a nutritionist, but generally, I think when your body craves something, you should listen to it. Sometimes you just feel like a big garden salad, or a bowl of popcorn, or a prime rib, or ice cream. Again, as long as you don't eat enough of the stuff until you're bursting at the gills, you should be fine.

The final piece of the puzzle is exercise. Since I bike to law school and back, I'm guaranteed about 20 minutes of aerobic exercise 10 times a week. This is enough to keep my weight at about 170 pounds, but if you feel like losing more, you're going to have to pile on more activity. A good hour-long run three or four times a week probably sheds more calories than anything else you can think of.