By Sara Crutchfield"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
KHF
August 2004
If you tune into Louisville public radio, you’ve no doubt heard the mellifluous voice of James Bickers. For two years he was host of WFPK’s afternoon jazz program, and at the beginning of this year he took over the morning drive slot from 6 to 9 a.m. “Radio is a major labor of love,” says Bickers, who relishes “having work that invigorates me mentally.”
He also hosts and produces the program “On Second Thought,” which airs Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. on WFPL. During this one-hour show, Bickers interviews people in the arts and cultural scene in Louisville. “I absolutely love doing this show,” Bickers says. “I get to meet tons of fascinating people – writers, musicians, artists. It’s a total thrill.”
In addition to working for public radio, Bickers has owned his own Web and graphic design company called Images and Words, Inc. (www.imagesandwords.com) for 10 years.
What you can’t tell from Bickers’ voice is that over the past two years he’s been steadily getting smaller, dropping 75 pounds from his 6’6” frame. “I went from 330 to 255 pounds,” he explains. “But I’m still not quite where I want to be.”
Bickers shares his home with wife Nancy and son Miles, not yet 2 years old. Animal lovers, the family has two dogs – an Eskimo mix and a golden retriever. Reflecting on what spurred him to begin losing weight, Bickers says he “got an honest look at myself. And I was uncomfortable in my own skin. Summer stinks when you’re overweight.”
So for a full year Bickers put himself on the SlimFast diet, which is really just about portion control, he says. At first, he drank a shake for breakfast and lunch, and then ate a normal dinner. After several months Bickers converted his lunchtime shake to a small meal and snack of carrots or pretzels in the afternoon.
Eventually he traded his breakfast shake for low-fat granola bars he really likes, which are 160 calories each. And such portion control served him well; he was able to shed 75 pounds. He learned to curb his habit of eating excessively and absolutely cut out his vice of late-night snacking.
In addition to reducing his calories, Bickers began lifting weights three times a week and totally eliminated fast food. “If a meal makes you want to shower afterwards,” he quips, “it’s probably not very good for you.”
In fact, Bickers and his wife have recently shunned meat entirely, switching to a vegetarian diet. They couldn’t reconcile their love of animals with eating them. He does, however, sorely miss his weekly ritual involving chicken wings and David Letterman. There exists a common misconception that vegetarians are always healthy. “But with all that starch, cheese and fat it’s very easy to eat too much of the bad things,” Bickers points out.
With a goal weight of 220, Bickers hopes to be two-thirds the man he once was. Unfortunately, however, he has reached a plateau and is finding it exceedingly difficult to shed those final 35 pounds. “I was so big, that the first few came off so easily,” he recalls. He has added a 45-minute treadmill session to his exercise program but has so far not met with much success.
Though his wife enjoys yoga, the self-described “big lumbering brute” finds it hard to keep his balance. And Bickers is new to physical fitness altogether. “I grew up sedentary, a computer geek. I avoided activity,” he says. Bickers thinks his disinterest in sports has been a detriment to him in the long run and plans to make sure Miles is more active than he was as a child. “Exercise can be enjoyable, something you actually look forward to. I want to make sure he learns that from the beginning.”
Though modest about his success, Bickers suggests that anyone attempting weight loss should “allow some freedom. A diet which is too restrictive … just isn’t sustainable.” For example, he and Nancy eat well during the week, adhering to tight portion control and watching their fat intake. When the week/files/storyimages/comes they don’t feel guilty about eating, within limits, whatever they want.
Finally, Bickers credits his wife for her tremendous support. “She’s amazing; she’s the best,” he says. As members of the YMCA, they encourage each other and exercise together. Nancy is trying to lose a little weight too. “We don’t tempt one another,” Bickers said. “When I say I can’t eat pizza one night, she understands.”
Sara Crutchfield is a freelance writer for Kentuckiana HealthFitness Magazine. Sara has a B.A. in English from the University of Louisville.