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Meet Russ Version 4.0, a buzz cut and a few boxing lessons later. Still debating the goatee
Since moving to New Orleans, I became fascinated with boxing. I'm scrappy, who knew?
Me at 350 with my mother and my sister. About a month later I woke up and decided I was done.
I have 7 pics in my gallery
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Hell, high water or loose skin -- I keep it off. And build a world making maintaining better for all
I've gone from 350 to 155, throughout food writing, the death of my mother, grandmother, confronting abusive relationships and moving to New Orleans on a mission to alter how healthy cooking and weight loss are discussed.
For example, for all the emphasis on losing weight, there's little-to-no attention to actually keeping weight off.
So I did something about it. Myself and a group of unruly weight loss success stories created WKIO (We Keep It Off.com) to offers ...
I've gone from 350 to 155, throughout food writing, the death of my mother, grandmother, confronting abusive relationships and moving to New Orleans on a mission to alter how healthy cooking and weight loss are discussed.
For example, for all the emphasis on losing weight, there's little-to-no attention to actually keeping weight off.
So I did something about it. Myself and a group of unruly weight loss success stories created WKIO (We Keep It Off.com) to offers tools and support for exsiting maintainers and change the societal landscape for maintainers yet-to-be.
You got something you want to see happen? Holler at me at russ@wekeepitoff.com.
In the meantime...
I began my journey as a result of remembering some ugly truths about my life (so much for thinking "repressed memory" stuff was hippie therapy BS) and one day I woke up and began losing weight. But it was never about my weight -- I wanted to see who Russ was without the weight obscuring things.
I had no idea the path that would set me on, or how surprised I was by what I would find when I could finally see and hear myself clearly.
I reluctantly took a job as a food critic and restaurant scenster early into a 250-pound weight loss. It turned out that really learning the nuances of food and cooking -- flavor, texture, technique and depth -- became a weight loss secret weapon. It also helped give my life and eating a context aside from Weight Loss World.
The real kicker was I never pondered much about what to do with my life after the weight was gone. How I would or wouldn't change, how I would or wouldn't see others differently.
I kept asking myself "Now what?" and spent a few years fumbling for an answer. I had no clue how a non-obese life was different from everything I had ever known previously. And Subway Ads were of no help whatsoever.
But rather than whine, I decided to do something about it. That's weight loss 101, right?
I left the newspaper industry and created a Web magazine, Second Helping Online, to highlight the challenges and opportunities for folks on the other side of weight loss -- those of us asking "Now what?"
I've been interviewed for books, taught cooking classes, appeared in Newsweek and the Today Show, and created wellness programs with post-weight life in mind, and I finished a cookbook that will (fingers crossed) be published in 2011. Now if I could only quit smoking *laughs*!
So after all the plot twists, that's how I answered "Now what?" for myself -- stubbornly refusing to accept The Way Things Are by daring myself, in big ways and in small, to keep stepping up to the plate. As my body shrank i also learned to expand my life. I hope to teach others to do the same.
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Member Since: 1/13/2009
SparkPoints: 1,109
Fitness Minutes: 55
My Goals:
To make sure people are supported on ALL phases of weight loss -- the after as well as before.
The rest of the world's quite qualified to lower obesity rates -- I want to make sure weight regain statistics reduce also.
And finally, I advocate cooking literacy as not just a weight loss tool, but a means of personal development. Sexy, mind-blowing improvisational recipes are just a perk.
My Program:
Cardio: 45 minutes or more a day in my target heart zone or higher, one long run during the weekend.
Lifting: A mix of traditional weight lifting and body resistance training, high intensity, mixing both drop-setting working opposing muscle groups to maximize intensity.
Eating: I eat every three hours -- lot of zip lock bags are involved with this. I've eaten low fat and low carb to some success; my eating's more in line with the Mediterranean Diet now.
Supplements: Flax and Fish oil, Vita D and Glucosamine + MSM, Daily Multi to cover the bases, and I'm experimenting to see if that antioxidant hype (read: Acai) has any merit.
Etc: Chiropracty and specialized orthopedics to keep my mutant feet from mangling my body, and Reiki healing to keep me chipper and positive.
Personal Information:
I went from a mild-mannered music critic standing in a big trench coast in the back of rock clubs to a food writer, recipe crafter, and much to my surprise, a post-weight advocate.
Otherwise, I have one pair of fat pants I plan on burning -- rather than look like a "success story," I'd rather BE a success story, on my terms.
Other Information:
I'm a huge fan of music and comics, which I write in between writing for work or Second Helping. I adore Gail Simone, Grant Morrison, Warren Ellis and Peter David. "Preacher" is my favorite comic series of all time.
Music wise, Aimee Mann, Maria McKee, and Kristin Hersh/Throwing Muses can do no wrong. Now that I live in New Orleans, I've enjoyed musicians that either live or keep tabs on NOLA: Shannon McNally, Christain Scott, the Iguanas, Jon Cleary, Otis Taylor
Favorite Quotes:
"We don't see things as they are; we see things as we are." -- Anais Nin
"What do you plan to do with all your stories/The new sheriff said, quite proud of his badge/ We'll wave them through the rocket's red glare/ And huddle mass, you just lift your lamp."
-- Tori Amos, "Scarlett's Walk"
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