Monday, January 05, 2004 -

The first thing people always say to someone who has lost a lot of weight is "Congratulations!" The second is "Yes, but can you keep it off?"

It's one thing to lose it and quite another, it seems, to stay the course. Food cravings can take over. The lure of the gym wears thin. The diet gets old. The pounds, and the fat, creep back on.

But there are happy exceptions. The National Weight Control Registry is a research study that lists more than 3,000 individuals who have lost 30 pounds or more and kept it off for at least a year.

Add me to that list.

One year ago today, I completed a year-long series in The Post that followed my quest to become lean and fit. At 5-foot-4, I had started out at 143 pounds (sometimes ballooning to 150) and 33.9 percent body fat. Typical for a 48-year-old woman, but not healthy.

I ended up at 113 pounds and 15.9 percent body fat. I lowered my cholesterol by 40 points, increased my body's ability to use oxygen (my fitness level) and went down five sizes. My measurements went from 40-33-37 to 35-26-34.

I had lots of help. I had a personal trainer who designed a workout program for me and stayed on my tail all year. (Thank you, Linda Buch.) I went through the Colorado Weigh, a comprehensive program at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center that teaches you to make intelligent food choices that you can live with for a lifetime. (Thank you, Bonnie Jortberg.) And, finally, I was writing a regular column that included stats and pictures. Now that is motivating.

A year has gone by without the trainer, the dietitian, the photos. How'd I do? I still weigh 113 pounds and my measurements haven't changed. I stuck to both the eating plan and the exercise schedule. Yet saying that I "stuck" to something implies hardship and deprivation.

The truth was, I enjoyed it. Heck, I loved it.

Two things above all others have made it a success: I love the exercise, and I am never hungry.

I work out six days a week, and I eat something healthful every few hours. That's how I did it the first year, and that's what I still do.

Dieting without exercise is doomed to failure. You can't eat very much because you're not burning very many calories. You feel deprived and hungry, and eventually you give up.

Me, I eat a lot. People who work out regularly can do that. I don't binge on fatty, unhealthful foods, but I don't nibble on lettuce leaves, either. For breakfast I usually have high-fiber, high-protein cereal, skim milk and fruit. Lunch is often a turkey, chicken or tuna sandwich, an apple, a low-fat whole-grain cracker and maybe a cup of vegetable soup.

In the afternoon, I have a cup of hot tea and an energy bar, or a cup of yogurt with fruit. I have a few nuts and olives before dinner, then I might eat grilled chicken or fish, steamed veggies, a salad and a baked potato or rice. For dessert I often have a fruit bar (80 calories, no fat.) I also like homemade pizza, burritos and pasta with tomato sauce.

On my occasional list: eggs, avocados and cornbread. (I lived in the South once.)

Did you notice all the carbs in there?

All you low-carb devotees, cover your eyes. Or skip this part. Are they gone? Good. I eat carbs all the time, lots of carbs, and I never gain an ounce. It's just that the carbs I eat are the "good ones": whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products such as yogurt. I am not choosing cookies, chips, etc. I also eat moderate portions.

In my daily diet, fat and calories are what count. I eat around 1,800-2,000 calories a day and between 25-35 grams of fat, with very little of that fat being saturated.

To make my eating plan work, I must carry food with me at all times. It's sometimes a hassle, but it's worth it. It might be an energy bar, yogurt, a banana or half of a soy nut butter sandwich. This keeps me from grabbing chips and a soda, or being at the mercy of a fast-food place.

I also drink lots of water through the day.

The other half of this equation, the exercise, was not that hard for me once the changes really kicked in - after about four or five weeks. I was very active as a child and played a lot of sports. I knew how good it felt to break a sweat. But I was out of shape at 48 and going downhill fast.

My trainer and I worked out a program that combined cardio - aerobics - with weight training. That is still basically what I do, but I don't spend all my time in the gym. I ride my bike, hike, walk, do yoga, snowshoe, occasionally swim. I also play golf, though I write that down in my exercise log as a long, slow walk rather than a workout.

In short, I do something aerobic six days a week, and I lift weights two or three times a week. I rest one day a week. There are people who never take a rest day. I need one. Sometimes I need two.

What's the longest I've gone without exercising? There are vacations that don't lend themselves to workouts, the occasional cold, family obligations, life in general. The longest was eight days, when my husband and I went to Hawaii. All I did was splash in the surf, ride around in a golf cart and walk on the beach. The day before we flew home, we had lunch at a little outdoor place that was next to a gym. I kept sneaking glances, envying the fit-looking people going in and out.

Six hours after we landed at DIA, I was back in my own gym, working out the kinks. It felt fabulous.