Matthew Ruiz (left), an exercise science instructor at Huntington University, measures the height of Andrews Elementary School student Jagger Underwood while HU student Mariah Town records the numbers. They were assisting in a study to record the heights and weights of students across Indiana to get a composite picture of the state.

When I heard they had brought back the public weighing of students in the school gyms of some elementary schools, it brought back all kinds of memories.

“Hey, Fatso,” the boy said to me, as we waited in line to be weighed and measured.  We were in fourth grade at Longfellow Elementary, 1971, and this was a dreaded annual occurence, especially for overweight girls like me.  Deep down, I only wanted boys to like me.

This set off the boy next to him.  “Yeah, Tub ‘o Lard! Why don’t you go on a diet or somethin’?” Both boys then went off into a fit of giggles, and I averted my eyes and tried to ignore them like my mom had told me.  “Kids can be so cruel,” she said.

Being twenty pounds overweight at nine years old seemed devastating, and I felt like there was something horribly wrong with me.  By the time I was eleven, I went on my first diet to lose weight — followed by almost thirty years of yo-yo dieting.  Ten years ago I decided to stop, and simply live a thin lifestyle (see: Yo-Yo Dieting; Stop the Insanity!), and have kept off 50 pounds since then.

It’s with mixed emotions that I look at elementary schools that have started this public weighing and measuring again in the school gyms.  Do they have proof that it helps children with their weight, or eating habits?  Where are all those kids from my fourth-grade class of 1971?  Did they follow the path of diet insanity, or did it teach them to be thin for life?  And how can they have accurate height and weight charts for children at any age group, since all kids grow at different rates until they reach their adult height?

I like a more positive approach, like Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, started over a year ago,

Sonja and son Mackie, who didn't ever get weighed and measured in the school gym

that gets kids moving.  One in three kids are overweight in the United States. Making physical activity fun, and teaching kids good eating habits like stopping when you’re full, and making healthy choices, goes a lot farther than potentially publicly humiliating them in front of their peers in a school gym.  

The only way I can ever see weighing and measuring an overweight student is if it was done in private, behind closed doors like in the nurse’s office, with the parent and child’s permission, and with a helpful and encouraging spirit — and tips on how to life thin for life. Your thoughts?

Only eat the muffin top!

Is there a magic formula for keeping a weight loss off for life?  

Here are some odd things I do that have helped me maintain a 50-pound weight loss since 2001(I would also love to hear some of your weird weight maintenance ideas).

1)  Muffins.  Only eat the top.  Then throw the rest away.  Muffins are treats, and I won’t deny myself one if I really want one.  I simply eat the top (that’s where all the good stuff is), and don’t feel guilty if I throw the rest away.   

2) Do combo meals.  Combine breakfast/lunch, or lunch/dinner.  I find this easier to do on weekends, whenever I’m a little out of routine.  It helps save calories.  This means eating only two meals a day, instead of three.  This is easy to do if I have slept in and by the time I eat breakfast it’s almost time for lunch (breakfast/lunch), or by the time I eat lunch it’s fairly close to dinner (lunch/dinner).  Who made up that three-meals-a-day rule anyway?

3)  Skip a meal every now and then.   For example: If I eat too much at lunch, I don’t eat dinner.  On days like that, my husband will be a good sport and fix something for himself, and I miss the calories of dinner that night.  And no weight gain on the scale for me the next day.

4) Use salsa for salad dressing.  This a great calorie saver.  I use it at Chipolte fast-food Mexican

Sonja and son, Mackie, visiting Mom & Dad's farm in Colorado, March 2011

restaurant, on grilled chicken salads, or at home.  I love salsa and will look for any excuse possible to eat it, so this is an easy, low-calorie, low-fat, tasty option.

5)  Find a favorite, low-cal snack.  My favorite snack is 10 salted almonds and a small can of V-8.  It’s only 100-120 calories, satisfying, heart-healthy — and doesn’t make me gain weight.  I eat that snack morning and afternoon.  Read “Confessions of a V-8 Addict” for more information and a funny video.

6)  Eat a “safe” breakfast and lunch 4-5 days a week. Have low-cal yogurt (60 calories) and 1/2 grapefruit for breakfast; salad with six different kinds of vegetables and 3 ounces of turkey for lunch, 4-5 days per week.  If I stick with this, the weight stays off — if I vary it too much, I’m in trouble. Why mess with the formula?  

7)  Have treats.   I love Peanut M&Ms every now and then, 250 calories a bag. It helps me break the deprivation  ”Binge/Diet” cycle.  You gotta have treats.

8)  Dance.  Whenever you can, do something fun — like dance!  You don’t have to go anywhere official — just remember to have a good time.   My husband and I like to dance out on the back porch, or around the pool table when we play pool upstairs at our house.  My friend, Wendy, likes to crank up the tunes while she cleans the house.  Dancing burns calories, and makes you happy.  Perfect for living the thin lifestyle!

Sonja and Swordfish at Smithsonian Art Museum in Washington, D.C.

What is it about fish?  If I’m up a few pounds, all I do is eat grilled fish that night, along with some vegetables (preferably thermic vegetables). The next day, I’m back down on the scale.  It’s magical.  That’s why I weigh myself every morning; and one way I have maintained a 50 pound weight loss since 2001. 

Why does it work?

1)  Fish is easier to digest than other meats, i.e., beef, pork, chicken, etc. 

2)  Fish is a protein, not a carbohydrate, so it doesn’t cause an insulin spike when eaten. (the theory behind the high protein/low carb diets).

3) Fish is super low in fat.

Sonja, fly fishing for Brook Trout in Colorado

4)  Fish is extremely low in calories, yet satisfying.  Just look at these calorie counts of some of my favorites (no breading, not fried):

    a)  Alaskan King Crab Legs, 3 oz. = 109 calories 

    b)  Flounder, 4 oz. = 132 calories

    c)  Mahi Mahi, 3 oz. = 90 calories

    d) Salmon, 3 oz. = 160 calories

    e) Talapia, 3 oz. = 110 calories

    f) Tuna, canned, in water, 3 oz. = 109 calories  

When I was a little girl, I didn’t like fish, but now I love it! I used to disguise the taste of fish, but now I love it grilled, and find that, along with chicken, it is my favorite form of protein.  I love Mahi-Mahi sandwiches, prefer grilled fish tacos, get excited when my husband decides to grill fish on the grill, and give a nod of approval when I see fish skewers on the menu at restaurants.  

Fish helps me live the thin lifestyle, and maintain a 50-pound weight loss, so fish is my friend — and, as I said before — fish is definitely “magical!”