Tell me a bit about yourself and your background.
My name is Dr. Stephen Ritchie. I am an associate professor in the Chemical & Biological Engineering Department here at the University of Alabama. I joined UA in Fall 2001, and besides a sabbatical in industry from 2012-14, I have been here ever since. I teach multiple classes each year, I do research on synthetic membranes, and I do service in my department and in my profession.
My sabbatical was in the membrane industry and is focused on functionalized membranes. These are membranes where the surface chemistry is altered to impart new properties for catalysis, adsorption, and charge. For the past 10 years, I have worked on applications of these materials in the dairy industry. We try to enhance protein fractionation (separate different proteins) or simply concentrate proteins while improving process throughput. We also modify surfaces to impart antimicrobial properties against pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria.
What led to you taking an interest in your health? What factors led to you making these decisions?
I have battled with my weight most of my adult life. Overindulgence is still my biggest problem. I would try to add exercise and would often be vigilant even years at a time. However, to paraphrase, you cannot outwork a bad diet. I would always end up back where I started.
My cholesterol during this entire time would always be just on the wrong side of borderline. Then my doctor suggested the potential to add statins to my life, and I just said, “No.” I needed to make a serious change, and I asked what I could do to eliminate the causes of my high cholesterol. I decided to try being a vegetarian for 1 month, and I was on my way. I have been lacto-ovo vegetarian for more than 5 years, and the need for statins disappeared.
Unfortunately, you can be vegetarian and still overeat. I spoke with my doctor and he prescribed phentermine to help me start losing weight. The plan was for no more than 3 months, and to then revisit my eating habits. Phentermine is one-half of the infamous fen-phen combination weight loss drug, just with fewer side-effects. I lost my appetite and nearly 50 pounds over 3 months. That was more than 3 years ago. I am still down 30 pounds from my high, but overeating is still my demon. I must be very conscious about what I do and eat, and I continuously seek new ways to help me maintain my weight loss.
What wellness practices or habits have you incorporated into your routine?
My overall wellness is due to my vegetarian diet and walking daily. I enjoy birding (bird watching) and nearly 7 years ago found a dog at Palmore Park on the southwest corner of Tuscaloosa. The park has a swamp behind the skate park, and this is a reliable spot to see ducks in Tuscaloosa. I pulled up to my usual spot and a black dog was standing by the drive gate. She turned and walked away towards the swamp. I grabbed my gear and followed, with plans to set-up on a gazebo that extends over the swamp. The dog had laid under one of the gazebo benches. I got closer and noticed she had open wounds around her neck, as well as mange. I called a friend to help me rescue her, and the rest is history. Ellie is my workout buddy and my best friend. She is also the best motivator to keep me walking daily. I also have a Fitbit to track my steps and hit a minimum of 10,000 steps per day (nearly 50% due to my dog).
How has your wellness journey influenced your daily life, including work, relationships, and overall well-being?
I think about food all the time. I have a decent daily routine that begins with black coffee before 6 am (usually espresso), walking my dog for 45 minutes, and then class at 8 am. I usually skip lunch and then have one large meal around 7 pm. I cook nightly for my dog, then relax until bedtime. I rarely eat out, so that has diminished social activities and the associated eating and drinking. I save that for the weekend when I have friends over for the game and I do the cooking. This helps with the quality of what I eat.
I usually take it easy on Sunday and catch up on sleep. This has been a perpetual problem for years. My Fitbit tracks my sleep, and I never get more than 5 hours per day. I use a CPAP for sleep apnea, and I see my sleep doctor every year. This is another complicating factor that I am dealing with.
Have you noticed changes in energy levels, focus, or other aspects of your daily routine?
Diet and sleep are connected. I used to turn into a zombie in the afternoon before I got my CPAP (10+ years ago). Reducing caffeine intake might help me sleep sooner, but this is counterbalanced with the zombie effect. Getting close to one meal a day (OMAD) also seems to make the zombie effect worse. I have countered this with something from the vending machine around lunchtime, and that helps.
One new thing I have done is add background noise to my office. I have found the brown noise videos on YouTube to be the most helpful in keeping my mind from wandering. Classical music is too easy to hum along with, whereas brown noise or coffee house background noise helps me focus.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your wellness journey?
The other advice I have is to cut yourself some slack. It is hard to break bad habits. It is hard to develop new habits. Don’t beat yourself up when you have a bad day. The sun is still going to rise. Your dog still loves you. Your friends still care about you. You can start fresh again and move towards your goals. The world is tough enough without you piling on. Keep at it and you will make progress.