My mother used to take me to the husky department. I remember that vividly.
My weight has been a battle all my life. I look at pictures of myself from 30 years ago, and I remember how heavy I thought I was then, and when I look now I think I look pretty thin. It’s all in your perspective. Of course, not being tall hasn’t helped things, but that’s just the way it goes.
I went on Weight Watchers in 1972. I lost 30 pounds. I went to Weight Watchers in 1981 and lost 25 pounds. Those were successful, but I had subsequent tries there and what worked before didn’t work anymore. I had always been able to keep my weight under control through exercise, but in 1999, my body started to break down. I probably put on 20 pounds in a three-month period. With the stresses in life and the inability to exercise the way I had been, it seemed like I blew up overnight.
Then what? I was pretty much at an impasse.
I went to a nutritionist at The Ohio State University. I went into counseling to try to figure out why I eat. Weight loss is really multidimensional. It’s not just diet. It’s not just exercise. So much of it is emotional and habitual; you have to attack it on a number of different fronts.
You may not know this, but my degree is in pharmacy. I’m still licensed, but I don’t practice, so I’m well aware of what weight does. When I started trying to lose weight 40 years ago, it was ego-driven, but the older you get, the more impact being healthy has.
I’m 5’5” and my Body Mass Index is 37, and I have high blood pressure and sleep apnea, so I’m considered morbidly obese.
I had lap band surgery three years ago. I lost weight. It’s a 20-minute surgery. The lap band fits around the top part of the stomach and there’s a bladder on the inside that restricts food going down from your esophagus into your stomach. There are pluses and minuses. You cannot eat big pieces. You have to chew everything, and there are some things you cannot eat. But ice cream goes down really easily. So do cookies dipped in milk, and clearly those aren’t ideal. As with any of those surgeries, it’s a tool. It’s not going to solve everything for you. They are just tools to help you.
I’m probably down 35 pounds from my high, but I still have another 25 to go, and right now I’ve plateaued. I bike a lot. This year I biked 2,500 miles, and that’s been a consistent thing during the last four years, so exercise isn’t really the problem. Exercise helps your heart, it helps your mood, but then you read reports that exercise alone really doesn’t cause weight loss.
Some people didn’t understand why I decided to have the surgery, but I’m 65 years old and I’m stubborn enough to do whatever I can to lead the life I want to lead.
I do feel very good about myself now. It’s very empowering. You have a different outlook on life. Before, I felt defeated, and most people would be surprised to hear me say that because it’s not my apparent personality. When you can achieve the goals you’d like to achieve, you feel better physically and emotionally.
But I have to stress, this is still a battle. There’s not a day I wake up and it’s not on my mind. There’s not a day that it doesn’t affect me. If I lose weight, I feel great. If my clothes fit, I feel great. If my weight is up a little bit or the pants are a little too tight, I don’t have as positive of an attitude. It’s on my mind every single day. It’s an issue I’m still working on.
Joel Altschule is vice president of wealth management and a financial advisor at The Altschule Hall Nader Group UBS in Market Square. As told to Lisa Aurand.
