Add it up

R. came in for a physical last week.  I've cared for him and his family for years.  They are the the type of family FPs love - nice, funny, engaging, cute kids.  R is in his early 30s and drives a truck.  Pretty healthy guy for the most part, except for one problem.  He weighs 325 pounds.

After a few minutes of chit chat, I asked him if there was anything on his list he wanted to address.  He said he was tired of being overweight, and he was looking for some guidance on how to begin losing weight.  You could sense that his weight has begun to bother him, not physically, but emotionally.  He seemed genuinely ready to lose weight, so we began our discussion in the usual place,  talking  about his diet.

I usually begin these kind of discussions asking about the typical "empty calories" that people take in, so I asked R about his soda intake.  R admitted that he drinks 2 Cokes per day.  "2 Cokes per day" can mean anything, so I questioned him further, and  it turns out he drinks 2 large Cokes per day, bought from one of the major  fast food chains, the one that has $1 sodas, any size.   He said he does this every day.  Even weekends.

I went online to try to find out how many ounces were in a large Coke from the above chain.  It turns out that a large Coke is about 24 ounces (2 cans), if one adds ice.   So, he was drinking the equivalent of 4 cans of Coke daily.

A can of Coke has 140 calories.  So, R takes in 550 (rounded) empty calories every day.  When I told him this, he didn't look at all concerned.  We then talked about the number of calories men should consume per day.  Usually, men should consume 2000-2200 calories per day.  He still didn't seem to get it.  That is, until I did the math.

550 empty calories, every day, is 16,500 extra calories per month.  He is taking in 8 extra days of calories each month just in Coke.  Let's just say that this got his attention.  His jaw literally fell open.

I guaranteed him that if he could transition from regular Coke to something like Coke Zero, he would lose 10-15 pounds, without making one other change to his diet or exercise regimen (which was non-existent).   In 3 weeks, I'm going to go through starch reductions, increasing his protein intake, and how to eat healthy (speed of eating, water intake, snacking, etc.).  We should be able to get him under 300 pounds by Halloween.

Small changes seem just that, small.  But if you add up those changes over time, they will make a big impact.  So, if you are looking to make changes in your diet (or any behavior for that matter), start with something small and be consistent.  It will definitely make a difference.