Opera singers, the stereotype says, are quite. . .well. . .large. One is reminded of the tremendous talent of Pavarotti, for example.
In the demanding world of opera, is being large a prerequisite for having a powerful, beautiful, and strong voice? No! Being of a normal weight and exercising regularly gives me more energy and stamina to accomplish the challenging task of representing a character properly.
My goal is for the audience to see only the character I’m singing—not Susan Asbjornson on the stage, but rather Violetta, Fiordiligi, or Mimi. Being fit and agile lets me completely change mannerisms or costumes, and helps me deliver emotions directly from the character. I want the audience to forget that it’s me.
Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is more than just eating right and exercising—although if you can get started on those two things, you’re already ahead in the game of life. Anyone can start an exercise routine and a healthy eating regiment. Staying with it is the challenge.
For many years, it was my habit to start a healthy program every two years—and then abandon it in the sixth month. I always had 20-40 pounds to lose to be healthy. But I wasn’t always heavy. In junior high school, I read in a fashion magazine that I was tall enough to be a model. But the magazine added that models have to weigh 110 pounds. So, at 140 pounds, I thought I needed to lose 30 pounds immediately. I started skipping meals, but could not break the 130-pound barrier. Instead of losing 30 pounds, I ballooned up to 180 plus.
In college, I lost about 10 pounds and maintained a weight of 165-175 pounds, but found it impossible to get back down to a normal weight for a woman who is 5-foot-9 and 1/2. I would lose 10 pounds every two years—but then gain it right back. I settled for being a size 14 all my life.
In August of 2002, I started working out again. I needed to have the energy, strength and stamina to sing in a one-woman show with the Contemporary Opera of Los Angeles in a benefit concert for Pugdogrescue.com. Four months into this new routine I read about fitness in the January 2003 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine. It included a form to fill out and send in that was a commitment to work out and eat healthily. At the time, I thought it was kind of silly, but I decided to send in the form anyway.
Sure enough, in the sixth month I started slacking off at the gym and watching more TV. Then I remembered the commitment I had made, and I dragged myself back to the gym. Seven months later, fitness guru Bob Greene from O Magazine called me to say that I was one of 12 people selected to appear as a fitness role model for the magazine’s January 2004 issue. I was so thrilled, because this accomplished two life goals I had set for myself eight years ago: to have an efficient body, and to be a role model for others.
Why did my efforts work this time, when I had failed all other times? This is very important—the most important thing I have to say. Here are the things that I wish I had known when I was 14:
1. I made a commitment to work out. I signed the contract. It was like running a mile for the first time. I didn’t think I could ever do it, but one day, someone was running with me—and I ran three miles without realizing it. Signing that contract with myself took me past the six-month barrier, and now exercise is as normal as waking up in the morning. I no longer dread it. I look forward to it, especially if I’ve been working very hard night and day on an upcoming performance.
Exercise is an excellent stress release. And I love working out hard, getting my heart rate up to 160-170. If I don’t, I don’t feel as energized throughout the day. The only downside is that I have the type of skin that turns magenta when I work out—but it feels so good that I don’t care, and I think it’s pretty funny, in a Gilda Radner-Carol Burnett sort of way.
2. I had to realize that overeating was a symptom of something deeper, not unlike alcoholism or drug use (although eating four donuts wouldn’t make me dangerous in a car, the way four martinis would—unless I was eating them while I was driving and talking on the cell phone). I had to investigate the negative messages I was unconsciously sending myself, messages that I needed to sort out. I did this with the help of Dr. Phil’s books Life Strategies and Self Matters, and Oprah’s online workshop, Live Your Best Life. All three were eye openers and gave me several, “Oh, that’s why I do that…” moments.
3. If I eat too much for one meal, or if I have something that is not on my normal plan, I don’t punish myself by skipping the next meal or cutting it in half. I eat the next meal in full, as scheduled.
4. If I miss a couple of days of working out—or even a week, if I’m on vacation—I don’t punish myself by working out twice as long when I go back to the gym. I just go back to my regular routine of 50 minutes a day, six days a week.
5. I didn’t go on a diet. I started eating what a 145-pound woman would eat. I went to a nutritionist and told her that I wanted more energy. She looked at what I was eating—cereal, toast, and orange juice for breakfast; pasta and bread for lunch, for example—and she said, “You’re not getting any protein and you’re not getting any fat! That’s why you’re so lethargic.”
The nutritionist told me that if you eat too many carbohydrates in one meal, insulin rushes in to help digest it. Unfortunately, the jolt of insulin means that an hour later, the body craves more carbohydrates, and thus a cycle begins. She designed an eating plan and kept adjusting until it worked for me, because everyone is different and requires a slightly different balance.
Now, my energy is high—and I don’t have sugar cravings anymore. On my birthday a year ago, I decided to treat myself to two donuts at a famous designer donut place. Afterwards, I felt so awful physically. My head felt like it was being compressed; I was tired, and my body felt terrible. All I wanted to do was sit on the couch and eat more sugar, which is just the way I used to feel for all those years.
So, the choice is no longer “Should I have that wonderful sugary thing or not?” but rather, “Do I want to feel terrible for the rest of the day or not?” It’s an easy choice to make, now that I know how good it feels to feel good.
6. I watch out for triggers that have made me go off a healthy eating plan in the past. If I have a cold, or if I’ve been working hard and am exceptionally exhausted, for example, I tend to want to fix myself by overeating comfort food. Another trigger that I have to be careful of is people who haven’t seen me since the weight loss.
“Oh, are you sick?!” they ask. “You are TOO thin! I’m worried about you! Look how thin your face is! YOU NEED TO GAIN WEIGHT!”
My immediate panic reaction used to be, “Maybe I’m anorexic. I’d better start eating more right now!” But now, I stop to think about it intelligently, and I come to the conclusion: “I’ve always had a thin face and high cheekbones because I’m of Scandinavian decent. I’m healthy. I’m happy. I have energy. I am not too thin.”
(Only four people have approached me in this manner, and three were women who have gained 30-50 pounds, so I know they were just projecting. One of the women actually lost her extra 30 pounds, and now she thinks I look great.)
Sticking to a regular workout routine of 30 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of weights is so easy now, because I don’t have a choice.
“I am a person who works out and cares about what she eats.” I signed a contract, so it is official.
At first, I was very regimented about my eating plan, but now I’m more familiar with it, so it’s easier. I can have dark chocolate, and cake, or anything I want, as long as most of my meals are healthy and in proportion. I eat six meals a day, roughly a meal every three hours. If I get busy and more than five hours pass, I notice a huge mood swing—and I desperately want to eat three times as much, and still want more.
Here is my eating plan, but I encourage you to go to a nutritionist, to get the eating balance that is right for you. Good luck! I know you can do it!
Starting weight on Aug. 4, 2002: 164 pounds, size 14. Weight in January 2003: 154 pounds (the weight where I have stopped exercising in the past), size 12. Current weight on Nov 30, 2003: 144 pounds, size 6. Height: 5-foot-nine and 1/2; age: 39.
Workout Routine:
Gym, six days a week: 30 minutes on bicycle, for cardiovascular; 20 minutes of weights.
Food:
I went to a nutritionist and we worked on an eating plan. She said I had no energy because I was eating carbohydrates all day. She told me I needed to add fat and protein to my diet. She gave me a plan, but said that everyone metabolizes food differently. If I still felt lethargic an hour after a meal, she told me that I could cut out a small percentage of carbohydrates and add a tiny bit more protein and fat.
I’ve given up pasta and rice: they are so high in carbohydrates that the portions are ridiculously small and I’ve realized that they are bland. I’d much rather have a Granny Smith apple with cinnamon sprinkled on it, or a bowl of frozen blueberries!
Breakfast (sometimes I break this up into
two meals)
Protein: 28 grams. (I like egg whites in the
morning.)
Carbohydrates: 36 grams. Toast made
from flourless bread, such as California
Sprouted Rye bread
Fat: 12 grams. Peanut butter is my favorite!
6 a.m.
1 whole egg and 1 egg white, for fat and
protein.
1 piece of toast with peanut butter, for
carbs and fat.
Breakfast No. 2: 9 a.m.
3 egg whites, avocado and salsa, for
protein and fat.
Half an apple with cinnamon sprinkled
on it, for carbs.
Lunch: Noon
Protein: 28 grams. I like to visit the
refrigerator for chicken or fish
that my husband has barbecued on
Sunday
Carbohydrates: 36 grams. A small Granny
Smith apple.
Fat: 12 grams. Avocado or peanut butter
again.
Barbecued chicken, for protein.
Almonds, for fat, protein, and carbs.
Fresh blackberries, for carbs.
Snack: 3 p.m.
Basically, the snack is half of a meal. I like those candy bar-tasting nutrition bars, such as a Luna bar, Zone bar, or Balance bar. Otherwise a half of an apple and some almonds.
Dinner:
Protein: 28 grams.
Carbohydrates: 36 grams.
Fat: 12 grams.
Sautéed salmon in ginger sesame seed
oil, for protein and fat.
A big salad, with my husband’s balsamic
dressing, for carbs and fat.
Steamed broccoli, with marinara sauce,
for carbs.
I can have dark chocolate, apple tarte tatin, chocolate soufflé, cookies, cake, or anything really. The important thing is that I can’t have it every day. As long as I stick to this plan most days, I can have splurges every once in a while, and then it is really a treat!
I eat like this most every day, and yes, I really do have fish almost every night. There was a time when I would have Cheetos and Coca Cola, or three quarters of a bag of baked potato chips for a snack, and then a Double Whopper and fries for lunch, especially when I was doing my first opera in college, because I was so stressed. Slowly, I changed things here and there, and now my body craves more nutritious foods, such as fish, fruit, and salads. But if I’m out to dinner and I want a steak or a dessert, I have it without hesitation, because I know that I’m generally eating well. I never ever feel deprived, like I did on diets.
Workout routine:
30 minutes cardiovascular: recumbent bike (the regular bike strains my neck—not good for singing) or running. Anythingthat gets my heart rate up to around 160 beats per minute.
After the cardio workout, I do three sets of 10 on each of the following:
70 pounds, lat [latissimus dorsai, the broad muscles along the sides of the back] pull-down
40 pounds, reclining bench press
35 pounds, curls
40 pounds, dip for the triceps
90 pounds, hip abductor
90 pounds, hip adductor
Standing lunges, for the glutes
I started out with about 10 pounds on almost everything and had to build up the weight slowly over the course of months. It took me a long time to go past 10 pounds for the curls and for the bench press!
