Issue Date: March 9, 2008
How I Lost It
CookSmart columnist Pam Anderson found herself in physical and emotional pain. Today, 45 pounds lighter, she's once again healthy and happy. Here's her story.
By Michele Hatty
At 195 pounds, with her family. "I modeled how to be a strong, independent career woman, but I didn't model very well how to take care of myself."
Today, at 150 pounds, Anderson stays fit in part by running marathons. "My best friend had just come through breast cancer and wanted to run the Chicago Marathon. I decided to do it with her. The great thing about running is, you don't have to be athletic. You just have to endure."
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The "eureka" moment for Pam Anderson occurred when she caught sight of herself -- a 360-degree view -- in the mirrors at an exercise class. Although thin as a teen and young adult, Anderson had seen her weight slowly creep upward in her 30s and 40s to a disconcerting 195 pounds on a 5-foot-4 1/2-inch frame as she juggled motherhood, marriage, the move to a new community, the care she and her minister husband extended to parishioners, and her "day job" as a cookbook author, cooking teacher and USA WEEKEND columnist.
Anderson, then 44, vowed to change. First, she visited her doctor and faced the physical problems, some caused by weight: tendinitis in her shoulder and elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Acupuncture treatments eventually eased the shoulder pain. She also began seeing a psychologist to discuss the emotional struggles she experienced in trying to be everything to everyone important in her life.
Feeling stronger, Anderson focused on her eating patterns. She figured out the times she normally wanted to eat, then set boundaries instead of engaging in mindless grazing. She added daily exercise after noticing how pounds slipped off during a vacation in which she ate healthful food and walked everywhere. For eight months, she stuck to a self-designed program of eating and exercise that she describes in her new book, "The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great" (Houghton Mifflin, $27). The result? Today, at 50, Anderson looks like she has turned back the clock, and she has maintained her weight at 150 pounds for three years.
Describe the "before" you.
I was taking on too much responsibility, doing too much for others, working too hard, not taking care of myself. I was eating too much and rarely exercising. I didn't think my appearance mattered much, but I was definitely in denial about how heavy I had gotten. I used the excuses we all make: "Well, clothing sizes aren't what they used to be." It wasn't until I got on my doctor's scales that I faced the numbers and realized, "I am close to 200 pounds. That's obese."
And how are things different now?
I take care of myself. I take pride in myself. I still work hard, but there are limits and boundaries. I used to eat too much and not put boundaries around the times and quantities of when and what I ate. If I wanted a midmorning snack, I had one, and then I'd eat lunch. If I felt like eating dessert after dinner, I did. And on recipe-testing days, I justified eating whatever I wanted because it was part of my job. Yet even after those big, heavy-eating days [during which Anderson might test -- and taste -- 17 pot roasts or 25 cherry pies], I never cut back the next day. Now, I have this internal mechanism that tells me, "I've had enough. I'm satisfied."
So you didn't count calories or do daily weigh-ins. But you worked out a system of six meals and snacks. What did that look like?
Those first eight months, I ate pretty much the way I do now, though I can take more liberties now. Once I got my body healed and my head straight, I was finally in a position to figure out what I really needed to eat to be happy and satisfied. Here's what I, personally, came up with:
A banana and hot, milky tea the first thing after waking up to energize me for morning exercise.
After a workout, oatmeal or an egg and toast.
For lunch, a hearty soup or salad.
A little sweet, like a cookie, with tea at 3 p.m.
A pre-dinner nibble of spiced nuts or pita crisps with a 4-ounce glass of wine.
A light dinner, often consisting of a low-cal pizza or pasta that I developed for the new book.
During the weight-loss phase, I was pretty rigid, but you need to be for weight loss. By that, I mean I didn't eat anything outside those scheduled times. But it wasn't so hard -- after all, it was never more than three hours until my next meal or snack.
And you exercised several times a day during the weight-loss period?
I tried to do two or three 20- to 30-minute periods of walking and running a day. If I could only do two, that was fine. Once I lost the weight, I backed off, and now I do one 45-minute workout -- running or working out at the gym -- five days a week. And now, when I do races, I run longer on weekends.
A lot of people think they aren't athletic enough to succeed at exercise. Were you always a jock?
No. As a matter of fact, I didn't have an activity to fall back on. My parents tried me at swimming, but I felt like Ben Stiller in "Meet the Fockers" when his future father-in-law said, "Oh, I didn't know they made ninth-place ribbons."
Did you use a personal trainer or special approaches to lose pounds?
For a while, I did use a trainer from my gym. But I ultimately realized that unless I was going to keep at it for the rest of my life, why was I doing it? I think it's important you don't exercise artificially to lose weight. This is not a diet; this is the rest of your life you're trying to figure out.
Has losing weight or exercising become an obsession for you?
No. This is not torture; this is not work. This is loving myself in a healthy way, not an egotistical, selfish way. If I love myself, I'm going to take care of myself and be able to take better care of the people I love, too. The people you think would feel most neglected -- my husband and my girls -- have been most supportive of who I am and who I've become. I have truly changed my life. Because I've changed from the inside out, there is no going back.
Cover and inside photos (orange dress) by George Lange for USA WEEKEND
Styling by Eric Stern, RJ Bennett Represents; hair and makeup by Chris Newburg, RJ Bennett Represents
Clothing on cover: shirt by Luca Luca for lucaluca.com
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