Reaping Your Wild Oats

"A waist...is a terrible thing to mind." -- Frank Layden, portly former coach of the Utah Jazz

So I'm trying to be down to fighting weight (mid-190s) by mid-July.

I'm not doing anything extreme -- no pills, no fad diets, no draconian exercise regimen, or anything of the sort. But I'm on the steady track (shedding 1-2 lbs. a week all the way into the homestretch).

The big secret? Oatmeal.

There is definitely some scientific basis to this, but frankly, most of it goes over my head. Without getting into things like glycemic index, low-density lipoproteins, or anything else that might make my head hurt, here's what I know:

** Oatmeal isn't sugary or fatty, but it's very filling. Even as someone with a bigtime appetite (just ask Ricardo at Mr. Jalapeno's, no one else on record has taken down three of his burritos -- along with chips -- in one sitting), I can barely finish heaping-sized bowl of the stuff.

** Oatmeal is easy to make. No rocket science here. Nothing to cut, nothing to measure, seconds to prepare, and easy to clean. I can nuke it in a minute-thirty and it's ready to go. Plus, the stuff never spoils.

** Oatmeal is easy on the budget. If you break out the per-meal cost, it's in the pennies. Throw on a banana and some tea for good measure, and an entire week's worth of breakfasts is still cheaper than a single round at the drive-thru at Dunkin' Donuts.

I don't think the decision to try to be healthier and/or eat healthier has to be some all-or-nothing solemn vow that leads one to endlessly annoy his or her companions with calorie-count obsessiveness or annoying "But I just...shouldn't!" vacillations about whether dessert should follow the meal.

It can be about simple changes that, when magnified over the course of many days, and weeks, and then months, add up to an overall better state of health.

For an initial best way to kick that off, I would offer up oatmeal as a practical suggestion.