Counting Calories
December 10th, 2005 by Northern FarmerThe end of another week and it feels good to relax a little tonight. Just got back from town doing a little shopping. The town has a WalMart but we didn’t go there. When I go shopping it’ll be at a farm supply store. If they don’t got it, you don’t need it. Bought a new pair of bib overalls, the denim kind, and a three pound maul. So much for shopping. But they do give away free Farmer’s Almanacs so now we’re set for next year. But a problem I have buying bibs nowadays is that my size is hard to find. My size is 34-30. Not exactly a monster size, in fact it’s hard to find a size that small. Especially in the waist. Most waist sizes were 45 or 50 or larger. Heck, you could fit two or more of me in them. I feel like such a shrimp compared to the heavy weights around today. Must be because we don’t eat hormoned up meats around here. The funny thing is the amount of food I eat is huge, and I haven’t gained anything ever. Maybe I should start the Northern Farmer weight loss clinic. The timing looks right the way society looks today. I see big dollars in this, hmm.
The weight loss plan is simple, first get up seven days a week at 4:30 AM. Eat a big farm breakfast, the traditional kind. Then, go outside into sub zero temps till noon, but it’s important to wear at least 20 to 30 pounds of clothes, not counting boots. Trudge around carrying pails, opening and closing gates, fixing what ever needs fixing. Move cattle from pen to pen. Oh, and fire up two hungry outdoor furnaces. If there’s a little time left, start what ever job we want to do that day.
Noon time comes and it’s time for a large farm dinner. The meat and potatoes kind, mega calories. Then take a half hour nap. Get up and put all that gear back on and head out. One would think that winter is slow but there’s always some calorie burning exercise waiting. Namely make firewood before we get snowed in. And the trick is to do the work with all them work clothes on. As it gets near dark, come back home and finish any outside evening chores before dark. When all is done to satisfaction, come into a very warm house and check the computer while a huge supper is being prepared. As a person checks things out on the agrarian web he can smell the traditional farm supper aroma floating downstairs. Almost get dizzy smelling it. After crawling upstairs and filling up, and I mean filling up on mostly our own good food, well heck, it’s winter, don’t pay to over do it so just fiddle around the house a little, read a book, whatever.
The only time we count calories here on the farm is making sure that we get enough. I wonder if I’ll get any takers on our weight loss plan?
December 10th, 2005 at 11:42 pm
LOL!! My husband always says if you can’t find all of his clothes at the farm supply store, he probably wouldn’t wear it anyway.
I was looking for jeans for my son the other day, I needed 29 x 34. They had 29 x 40! That’s one tall, lean cowboy…
December 11th, 2005 at 12:42 pm
I’m laughing, too! My husband always says, “If you can’t get it at Fleet Farm, you don’t need it.” (or Theisen’s, or Tractor Supply)
December 11th, 2005 at 2:57 pm
I’d like to participate on the cooking side of that equasion. Nobody eats here in Los Angeles. Do you know how frustrating it is to cook for people who won’t eat?
Dude, I could totally feed you.
December 11th, 2005 at 7:08 pm
Anon and SCF,
Your husbands sound like some good guys, that’s for sure. One can tell by their shopping habits. And you know, them farm stores sell more clothes than a person thinks.
Chef Joanna,
We sure could use a super chef like you during cattle working days. I figure what you normally cook for 100 down in LA would just take care of ten of us here during a days work. And if we’re hungry, well then you’d have to whip up a little more, but I’d bet you’d get a lot of satisfaction seeing people really eating good food. Maybe sometime you should take a break from them picky folks and get out here where people are real and love to eat, plus cook with some home raised midwest food, mmm, I’m getting hungry already and I just ate a bit ago. And what a good, big meal it was.
Tom
December 11th, 2005 at 7:26 pm
Tom:
I love your weight loss plan. Brian is a 32-30. If his love handles ride a little higher he can wear a 30-30. I was sickened when he accidently put on our son’s 29 and didn’t catch it. Your weight loss program sounds like Brian’s. I have been hanging on to some weight from my twin pregnancy. It is not like me. I keep thinking I should loose empathetically watching Brian walk in 30lbs of clothes and haul two five gallon buckets of milk brimming full with milk. Ah well…need to get busy and get the extra off.
It is very hard to find clothes for Brian and the oldest son because most clothes are made huge these days.
December 11th, 2005 at 7:56 pm
I can fit into a 32-30 without much problem except after meals, because all joking aside, I do eat a lot. What many people don’t understand is the huge meals don’t go to fat, it’s the snacking mostly, and in my situation I very seldom snack between meals. Kind of a hold out from years back when we weren’t allowed to eat before meals. Ah, the old days, remember disipline.
And I couldn’t agree more about it getting harder to find clothes. But on the bright side there’s plenty of oportunity to make sails and tents with the clothing that’s hanging on the racks nowadays.
Tom
December 11th, 2005 at 10:51 pm
The farmers and the french, huh?
I loved your post! You know, it’s a shocker to all these weight loss people that the Amish eat much more than average Americans, yet you hardly ever see a fat amish person. Gee, I wonder why…
So, free alamanacs at the fleet farm? hmm… I’ve been needing to go out there, now I may have found my reason.
December 11th, 2005 at 10:53 pm
Tom,
If that’s an invitation, and you’re serious, let’s get in touch. My husband’s been reading your blog for quite a while, and when he read your reply, he said he’s ready to rent an RV and drive up to MN. We’re both originally from Chicago, so we know (and often miss) the midwest lifestyle.
Not to mention he wants to see if I can butcher my own cow, which I often allege, but I’ve never had the chance to do.
JoAnna at chef JoAnna d0t c0m
December 12th, 2005 at 5:51 am
Gwen,
WhenI seen your post over at Gwibbles about there not being to many overweight french that did start a dinging in between my ears. And when a person sees the news and they just don’t know what to do about so many over weight people and who’s fault is it, I just shake my head in disbeleif. You know what really burns my hide is the fact that now people are looking for people to sue, blaming them for making the person over weight. I can’t beleive it,it’s so stupid. And it won’t be long until the trash in this culture are going to try to sue farmers for producing the food that made them fat. Sheeeesh… and I’ll throw a ggrrrrrrrr in there.
JoAnna,
Don’t drop everything and plan to come up now, beleive me sometimes I don’t even want to go outside. Being froze ain’t pretty.And I suspect it could be a tad bit rough for someone in LA. But do stay in touch and you never know what the warm months will bring, kinda pretty around here then too.Starting this next year we plan on doing all our own butchering, meat cutting, sausage making, etc.We’re even remodeling a room espesially for meat processing,(our own of course in case there’s any government folk out there:). In a previous post somewhere down the line I even mentioned some of us like minded folks having a community butchering and cutting and sausage making bee. Over the years my job has been taste tester and smoker. Got it pretty well down pat, smoking sausage. That’s the way I like to live. And tell you hubby thanks for reading this blog. It continues to amaze me where the people are from that stop by.Stay in touch!!
Tom
December 12th, 2005 at 11:39 am
Gotcha beat, Tom.
My waist is 28!!
The secret…..one stick of butter per meal and taters 3 times a day.
Well, I gotta go…..think I smell lunch!
December 12th, 2005 at 5:41 pm
You bet Scott, if I got down to 28 I think it would be pretty near the end of it all. Different bone structure I figure.
About that butter and taters, shhh, how’my gonna make big time money with my weight loss clinic if you let out the secrets:)
December 15th, 2005 at 8:54 am
Here’s from a 31 waist in Tennessee! Pass the duck…
December 15th, 2005 at 5:24 pm
Clint, between you and Scott I’m starting to feel like a lard butt.