Less of Me

One thing I didn't mention in my review of 2003 was that I drastically changed a significant part of my lifestyle. I started a low-carbohydrate diet in April. By Thanksgiving, I'd lost approximately 40 pounds.

This wasn't easy for me, because before April, bread, cereal, potatoes (and baked goods like cookies) were staples for me. My friend Stan! had been on this diet for a long time -- in fact, I used to simply call it the "Stan! diet" -- and I always thought it wasn't for me. But eventually I reached a point where I knew I needed to do something. I saw friends of mine experience a great deal of success with this approach and so Sue and I discussed giving it a try.

Now understand, one of the things that brought Sue and me together years ago was our utter rejection of doing things we were "supposed to do," like eating healthy. We ate like teenagers and were proud of it. We were both the kind of people who never gave food much thought. We just ate when we were hungry and ate whatever was easy. We didn't eat a lot and didn't obsess about restaurants or anything like that. Food just was never a big deal one way or another. So going on a diet was a big change for us. Just giving some thought to what we ate was a major alteration.

But we did it. It was hard at first. We literally went through a sort of sugar withdrawal in the first week or so, which was unpleasant. But things went along very quickly and soon we were both in need of entirely new wardrobes, as none of our clothes fit us. We learned a lot about nutrition and even learned to enjoy a few new kinds of food.

I am not writing this to try to convince people that they should also undertake low-carb diets. I'm no advocate, and I've no incentive to become one. I'm not even going to get into why I chose to do it (other than the obvious) or the research that I did to conclude that this was a safe, healthy, and effective choice. And I'm certainly not going to do any of those Before and After pictures or anything like that.

I will, however, tell you that losing weight has been a great experience for me (and I plan on losing a bit more, including the pounds I put on over the holidays, when I virtually ignored the diet). I feel better both physically and mentally. I know a lot of us are challenged by weight problems, which can in turn lead to serious health problems, like heart conditions and diabetes. I had a weight problem, not because I over ate really, but because I ate all the wrong things. I also didn't get enough exercise, which is another lifestyle change I've been working on over the past year.

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions -- it's really more of a coincidence than anything that I'm thinking about this stuff now, or maybe it's because my birthday's coming up in a couple of weeks. I don't know.

Yet, as I look ahead, I'm looking at a few other changes I can make (which I think I'll get into in my next column). Nothing serious, really, but I am seeing that as I get older my priorities and my perspectives change. I mean, I still make a living making games, I still build crazy things out of Lego bricks, and still watch cartoons -- I'm still me. But being ourselves is a slowly evolving process, not a static thing. No one can move through life and not be affected by the events that happen, the things you learn, and the other people you encounter. I think it's wise to recognize the changes that occur within us. I've met a lot of people who think that they are very different from the individuals they really are. That's a scary thing that I hope no one will ever think of me.