Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Refocusing your Success

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Weight comes off slowly....sometimes painfully slowly.  (at least if you're making lifestyle changes and not on some crash diet where you start regaining the weight the day after you stop the diet)

I've talked before about my belief that many times, we're not after weight loss so much as we are searching for the path to greater happiness -- and that's a pretty big distinction!

Reason being, if you're looking for weight loss to be your absolute goal -- you won't achieve that goal until you hit the weight you think you need to be.

On the other hand....

If you're looking for:
  • enjoying your life more
  • feeling more comfortable in your own skin
  • feeling more confident
  • experiencing less pain
  • being healthier
These are things that are relatively independent of achieving your absolute goal weight.  Which means you can start to see differences from the first change you make (recipe for success!). 

**as an aside: you are measurably healthier if you talk a stroll every 1-2 hours throughout the day.  Notice I said STROLL -- power walk not necessary!  Your blood sugar/insulin resistance and stress levels will decrease with 2 minutes of very light walking!!

I added the graphic to the picture above because it gives you an idea of what I'm talking about when I say refocusing your success.  When we focus on numbers on the scale, if they don't move fast enough, we quit too soon because we think what we're doing isn't working.

But there are better measurables!  If you're starting a weight training program, you get measurably stronger from the first day!  As the weight on your stack goes up -- you can see your progress -- quickly enough that even those of you with the attention span of a nat will see progress!!  (when was the last time the scale did that for you??)  And this is the kind of progress that many of us will sustain -- and while we're focused on that, you know what else will happen?  Your clothes will start getting looser!

Okay -- that's an exercise refocus but what if that's not your thing?  What have you always wanted to try?  (for me, one example is kite boarding!)  What would happen if you dove into the something you've always wanted to try?  Let's say you've always wanted to ..... learn how to throw pots.  What are the (weight loss) benefits of throwing pots?  Well, if you're engaged in learning a skill that matters to you, you're going to be less likely to eat out of boredom!  (plus, you can't eat chips while you throw pots!)

**the USDA just posted a report that state women eat 23% of their daily calories as SNACKS!  Men eat 24% of their calories as snacks.  Don't tell me a large percentage of those calories aren't boredom induced!!

Hobbies engage, enrich, get us outside our comfort zone.  They let us meet people that inspire us.

But if you always assume your want to lose weight is just because you're searching for the number on the scale, you may miss the boat on what you're really trying to accomplish.

Maybe...just may...your weight loss will only come when you stop obsessing about calories and figure out what you really want out of life.   

Friday, July 27, 2012

Do something Friday

Space and time to nurture our creativity may be one of our authentic hungers.  Perhaps we think that only food, drink, work, sex, shopping or pills can reduce the gnawing to a dull throb.  But maybe if we took an hour  a day to paint, to plot, or to throw pots, we wouldn't be in pain -- physical or psychic.  --Sarah Ban Breathnach

Are you eating to dull the pain (physical or psychic) in your life?  Is eating your default hobby because you don't have anything more interesting to do with your time? 

It's been my experience that (with the exception of true Foodies) most of us don't crave particularly gourmet foods for the simple pleasure of experiencing them.  We eat to dull the lack of anything better to do.

Think back to a time where you started doing something that was all-absorbing.  A time when you were so focused on what you were doing that you didn't register the need to eat.  You didn't want to stop what ever it was you were doing to shower or change your clothes or go to work. You were content doing your hobby.

All of us have things we want to try (or get back to) but think we shouldn't be spending our time that way.  This weekend, give some thought to what those things are.  If you don't think there's anything, give it some more thought!  Managing your weight may be as easy as giving yourself permission to try out that new hobby you suspect you might love.  The time to do it has to come from somewhere and my vote is it comes from the bank of time you're using to sit in front of the TV and eat!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Who's on your priority list?...or more importantly, who's not??

Have you ever realized:

"I haven't learned yet how to put myself on my list of priorities."  Notice I didn't suggest putting yourself first; I just want you get on the list. --Sarah Ban Breathnach

Are you on your list?  I can say with almost complete certainty, you are not at the top of your list (otherwise you wouldn't be reading this blog).  But are you written in somewhere?

We all know we should take better care of ourselves -- mentally and physically.  But when it comes to actually making that happen, it seems like there isn't ever any time, right?

It's my assertion that there is time -- you're already spending that time and we can reroute it so you can get more bang from your buck.

Paying attention to the food you're eating (when you're eating it) is a great way to put yourself on your priority list.

Choosing foods that sound great -- and then spending the extra 2 or 3 minutes during a quick lunch to appreciate the taste, texture, color, etc. can give you the chance to nurture yourself. 

We have to take time to eat.  What if, by spending a little conscious effort on experiencing the foods, we can reach our healthy weight AND take care of ourselves mentally and physically?  Wouldn't that be worth the time you put into it?

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Silly thoughts

So my mom sent this to me the other day:

I don't know WHY I didn't figure this out sooner I use shampoo in the shower! When I wash my hair, the shampoo runs down my whole body, and printed very clearly on the shampoo label is this warning:

"FOR EXTRA BODY AND VOLUME"

No wonder I have been gaining weight! Well! I have gotten rid of that shampoo and I am going to start showering with Dawn dish soap instead. Its label reads

"DISSOLVES FAT THAT IS OTHERWISE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE."

Problem solved!

Funny, right?  And we all know it's a joke.   There's no way changing up which soap is running across your body is going to solve a complex issue like the multitude of behaviors and neurochemical processes that work together to cause us to gain weight.

And yet....

Isn't the joke the exact same idea behind the thinking that goes into picking a diet/weight loss plan???

Does any diet address the environment, social, biochemical, physiological aspects to our weight?  NO!

You know how all of those things are addressed?  By chipping away at the aspects of our behavior that don't support our health....everyday....until we die (or can live at the weight we are).  There are no quick fixes.  Even bariatric surgery fails (in the long-term) more(much more) than it succeeds.

You know why?  Because people are trying to get what they want without changing their behaviors in the long-term.  Because they can't reconcile that they need to eat less and move more.  Less sugar.  More veggies.  Less processed "food" and more cooking.  Less eating out and more eating at your own table.

There is no quick fix -- don't get sucked into trying to live a joke.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Did you read yesterday's quote?

And did you take it to heart??

One of the speeches I routinely give new members to the FC is,

"No matter how technically great of a  training routine I develop for you, if you hate it, you won't do it.  And if you don't do it, you won't get results.  Which means I haven't helped you find the right program."

Great on paper doesn't get results.

Great when it comes to execution does.

Give some thought to the last set of health behavior/weight management changes you made.

Did you hate them (and consequently stop doing them)?

Did you like them well enough but find they didn't really work when you tried to fit them into the larger picture of your life (and consequently stop doing them)?

We've all put the hammer down before and lost weight.....and then gained it back because keepin' the hammer down is too much work!

Isn't it time to stop?  Isn't it time to start trying to figure out when you're physically hungry? Or when you're just eating because you're bored, stressed, or think you should?

Sometimes, I think we're like spoiled kids because we throw a mental fit everytime we want an ice cream but tell ourselves we can't have one.  We whine, cry, moan, mope, and generally are such brats to be around, we end up giving in to the demanding child-self.

It's time to find a better solution -- one you can live with (and, dare I say it.....even like!).

Monday, July 23, 2012

Thougt for the Day...

If you don't like your life when you're losing weight you're going to gain it back! --Yoni Freedhoff

Friday, July 20, 2012

Do something Friday

So my last thought (for now) on building levees is creating food-free zones.... like.....your car. Or your couch.

This weekend, spend some time paying attention to where you eat.  I don't like to set up rules (I really like sitting on the couch and eating dinner while I watch TV).  But guidelines help cut down on the random eating.  It makes it easier to tell yourself "not right now" because you're not saying no to the food, you're saying no to eating in the space you're currently occupying. 

Often, by the time you change spaces (out of the car or finished the show you were watching so you're up from the couch), the urge to eat has passed.

These don't have to be hard and fast rules -- sometime I don't plan well and I have to grab something to eat on the way to somewhere else.  But if that is the exception to the rule guideline, I will still be cutting out a lot of unnecessary calories that I can't give my full attention to anyway.

So there you have it -- a weeks worth of thoughts on changing your environment so you don't have to rely on your willpower.  Has it changed the way you think about what you're doing this week?  What did I miss and what works for you?

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Sit down later

Yesterday, I said we'd talk about Marty's question of tractor beams, couches, and exercise.  Here's my thought (although you Star Wars superfans might be able to tell me I have this wrong).

The tractor beam pulls you in by harnessing your own inertia.  So it makes sense that it's easier to avoid the drive-thru tractor beam if you're not actually willing to head in the direction of the drive-thru in the first place.  You are avoiding them on principle -- it's just not who you are right now....you're not a drive-thru person.

Same goes with the couch.  I have personally felt the tractor beam of the couch sucking me in.  But the reason I can feel it is because I was tired (or lazy) and heading in that direction anyway -- once engaged in the thought that I could just lay down and zone out -- it wasn't really that hard for the tractor beam to lock on. 

This is where I think I may run into trouble with you superfans.  It is my belief that once I am actually on the couch, it's not the tractor beam keeping me there, it's gravity.  I am pretty sure my body weight is the only thing keeping me on the couch once I get laying down (because, let's be honest, how many of you actually sit upright when you're on the couch??).  And that's pretty good news because we all deal with our body weight all day long -- we are completely capable of getting ourselves up off the couch.

But (again with the levee idea), we all know it's harder to break the tractor beam or gravitational force than it is to avoid them.  My suggestion?  If you want to work out (ok...maybe "want to" is too strong of a statement.  Maybe "if you think you should" is better), DON'T SIT DOWN UNTIL YOU'VE WORKED OUT.

I know it sounds harsh.  I know you get tired.  I get tired too.  But, if you're tired, that's all the more reason to put your limited resources to use in the direction you need them (working out!) instead of sitting down and then trying to regroup and marshall non-existent energy to then break gravitational forces, stand up, and go work out.

You need as much help as you can give yourself.  Creating guiding principles that help you focus on the things that matter can ensure you get to where you want to be.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Tractor beams

Last week, I used the term tractor beam, as in "avoiding the tractor beam of the drive-thru" and my friend Marty asked me to expand on the theme.  She wrote:

Feel free to expand on these thoughts:

What are the “Tractor Beams” on in your life?
Does it pull you to the drive-thru?
Does it force you to stay on the couch instead of exercising?
Does it force you to…
Does it pull you…

First things first.  For those of you who don't know, the reference to tractor beams is from Star Wars (not a HUGE Star Wars fan but enough to use some of those pop culture references).  Gotta love Wikipedia as a source to clarify the term -- but here goes:

"We're caught in a tractor beam! It's pulling us in!"
Han Solo[src]
"A tractor beam was a projected force field used by spaceports, planetary bases, space stations and starships to effectively grasp and guide vessels to a safe designated landing. They could also be used to forcibly capture enemy ships."

There's much more information about tractor beams on the link -- if you have the same kind of brain I do, it's pretty funny reading if read with an eye to the whole drive-thru scenario.

Anyway, to answer Marty's question, for me, I see the drive thru as a pulling force -- it just sucks you in using your own inertia.  So -- when you see that sign for the drive-thru coming up, that's when the part of your brain locks on to the tractor beam.  Once you're engaged in the tractor beam, it takes a lot of extra energy to break away.

Now, that's all a fun and games way to look at fast food.  But there's some interesting brain imaging studies on how the brain responds to  high fat, high salt, high refined carb foods (and that, my friends, is exactly what fast food is DESIGNED to be).  Interestingly enough, the brain responds to those components in foods in the same way it responds to cocaine and other drugs.  When you first start eating them, a small amount stimulates the pleasure centers of the brain a great deal -- with routine eating, we need more and more of the foods to elicit the same amount of pleasurable experience.  And (although I don't think I've read this anywhere but it is consistent with what I see in my own and my clients' experiences), seeing the drive-thru is the trigger for the craving.  So you're actually already deciding to pull into the drive-thru before you're consciously aware of any thing going on.

Sneaky, huh?

And here's where creating levees comes into play.  If you don't (on principle) drive through the drive thru, the tractor beam loses its power over you.  You won't start the craving because the sign won't register as a stimulus to you.

So give it a try! I can almost guarantee if you boycott all drive-thru's for 30 (on principle), you will find the drive home much less fraught with temptation.

***and as I was rereading this post (trying desparately to proof it -- which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't ;) -- I noticed that I didn't address Marty's question about tractor beams, the couch, and exercise.  How about we talk about that tomorrow??

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Building levees

So yesterday, Yoni's (the obesity researcher -- not the musician!) quote was talking about our environment supporting our national weight gain.  He used the analogy of building levees (as in changing the environment) instead of giving people swimming lessons (teaching them how to navigate a food-ridden environment).  Swimming is hard -- people get tired when they swim -- and then they start to sink.

So think about your environment:

Your desk drawer.
Your kitchen cupboards.
Your break room.
The stash of whatever in the back of your closet, purse, glove box in your car....

Are you making easier to eat than not eat?

Are you shopping and preparing at the beginning of the week so it is easy to make smart choices when the work week rolls around?

If you are -- rock on!

If not, why??

It's hard.......??  Well, I've said it before -- it's all going to be hard in one direction or another but....

If you say "not right now" to the entire chip aisle, you won't have to say "not right now" EVERY SINGLE TIME you open your pantry door.  There will be no chips to stare you down!  And if there are no chips to stare you down, you won't be thinking about chips when you walk away, when you're sitting in front of the TV after a bad day, or in the evening when you're bored.

You've just created an environment where it is easier to go without chips than to eat them-- you've built a levee so you don't have to swim.

If you don't cave to the lure of the drive-thru (you know...."just for a soda"), you don't have to stare down the menu board advertising a snack wrap and a cookie for $1.  You can't control where drive-thru's pop up -- but you can eliminate them from your driving pattern (honestly, what are the chances you're going to dehydrate on the way home from work -- not likely, friends! Not likely!) 

Let's face it -- there are oceans and oceans of food to navigate in the course of a day -- your swimming skills are going to have to be refined.  But give yourself a break!  The opportunities to build levees in some parts of your life are there -- build safe havens so you don't drown in your own bathtub (house and office)!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Thought for the Day...

...what we require is an attack, not on childhood obesity, but on an environment where the proverbial life current relentlessly pushes us all, old and young alike, to consume too much food, too many unhealthy products, and too many calories. The default for the majority in this environment is gain. Not gain by their choosing, but gain because swimming against a relentless and powerful current isn't a sustainable, realistic or fair strategy for surviving what for the past 40 years of environmental change has turned into an increasingly violent flood. Ultimately we need to change the defaults and in addressing the flood, we therefore need to focus our limited resources on building levees, not on swimming lessons. –Yoni Freedhoff

Friday, July 13, 2012

Do something Friday

I don't do this very often but today, I have reposted an article by another author from Pick the Brain.
It's kind of long but I feel the author is saying some things you need to hear.  The first being:

You are in control of your actions.

And the second:

"When you have been doing something for long enough it feels ‘comfortable’, ‘natural’, ‘right’, ‘familiar’ etc. Don’t be fooled. If you are happily skipping down the road to some kind of hell, it doesn’t matter how good you feel. You’re still gonna crash and burn."

I've edited the article because of its length -- click here to read the whole thing.

So, for the weekend, I hope this post gets you thinking about your role in managing your weight.  But please, please, please, remember to use these thoughts with a HUGE dose of compasion.  I DO NOT want you beating yourself with this!!!!

Yes, but does it work? How to Avoid Frustration and Get Things Done by Douglas Cartwright

A counselor was listening to a client talk about his problems. The client explained at length what was happening when he made himself miserable. The counselor waited until he had finished and then asked him: “Does it work for you?”

The client shook his head.

"So why don’t you just stop doing that?”

The client looked as if someone had struck him between the eyes with a pole. He gazed vacantly around in shock and said: “Okay.” And he did stop. Right then and there.

This article is based on a simple question and an even simpler premise. Is what you are doing working? No? Then you can just stop it. And do something else.

Here’s how:

I have been using cognitive psychology for twenty years and working as a Meta-Coach for six years so I am well aware of the howls of indignation that will be coming my way that I should suggest such a thing. If it were that easy, everyone would just make a decision and change, right?

No, they wouldn’t. But it can be done. I am not even prepared to argue the point so I’ll just state it: most everyone is capable of making quick and powerful changes even on the spot. They just don’t know how and they don’t believe it’s possible. I do, and I do and I have.

So I’m going to spend a little time explaining my thinking and for some of you a light-bulb will come on, for others you’ll hear the Hallelujah chorus, and for the rest you’ll feel the truth of it somehow.
(And if you’re not at a place when you can receive these ideas keeping working on it and come back to this article once a year. It works.)

Let’s start with the idea that we have recognized a habit, a pattern that is not producing the results we say we want.

Here’s a hard truth. In some cases you are already pursuing what you most want i.e. the bad habit. We always head in the direction of our current values.

You just don’t want to admit it because it’s not acceptable to you that you prefer what you are doing to the change you say you want.

I am not saying you are un-ambitious or calling you a liar. I am simply pointing out the reality that we pursue what, in our minds, is currently most important to you whether we admit it or not. If that is sleep rather than exercise; fast food rather than fruit and veg, or dishonestly rather than honesty – that is where you are at right now.

Once you can honestly admit this, you can then mentally step back and ask yourself if what you are doing is working for you in the light of where you say you want to go.

This is known in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) circles as doing an ecology check. It’s normally done before someone creates a new behaviour but works equally well to evaluate existing behaviours.

So, with your habit/behavior in mind:

Is what I am thinking-feeling and doing actually getting me what.where I say I want to go?
......


Furthermore:

If I continue on like this what will the consequences be? In one year? In five, ten years?

Am I prepared to accept that?

If so, carry on, stop trying to change. You don’t want to and you’re only fooling yourself.

If, however, you find yourself crying bitter tears (and I have been there) then you are actually accelerating the process of change as every effective change needs something to move away from as well as something to move forward towards.

.....

But once you know what you are doing and when and where you can ask yourself the million dollar (pound, yen!) question:
  • Why don’t you just stop it then?
  • How about you just stop doing that?
For some of you the answer will be – of course – and you will instruct your brain to stop it.

I personally took 20 years to reach a place where I could just tell myself to stop – and I would. Why?

Because I didn’t believe I had the power to just stop doing something.

We believe that outside forces compel us; we believe our emotions are too strong, we believe our thoughts are in control. The idea that we could just tell ourselves to STOP it and be obeyed is laughable.

But it can be done. I have done it.

.....

Yes, you say, but I feel stuck/powerless etc. I knew how you feel.

But here’s a big important point: When you have been doing something for long enough it feels ‘comfortable’, ‘natural’, ‘right’, ‘familiar’ etc. Don’t be fooled. If you are happily skipping down the road to some kind of hell, it doesn’t matter how good you feel. You’re still gonna crash and burn. Pilots are taught to believe the instruments in their planes rather than their senses in times of uncertainty because our senses lie.

Feelings feel real and true. They are not. If you can understand this and transcend it enough to do what is uncomfortable but right – you are potentially going to be very successful. Billionaire Peter Daniels said it was his willingness and ability to bear pain and humiliation in pursuit of what he wanted that helped him become one of the 400 richest men in the world. It was not the only thing, but he followed what he believed to be right, not what he felt was right.

Sometimes the right way and the hard way are the same way. (It stinks, but it’s true.)

No matter how good a habit feels, step away from it for a moment and ask: “Does it do me any good?” If not, then you need to change it! Simple as that. Remind yourself that feelings simply report on what you like and whether you’re getting it from your experience of yourself and the world. Remember that. Ponder on it. It will change your life.

Douglas Cartwright is a professional Meta-Coach and trainer of NLP with 20 years experience in personal development. He’s written several books (the latest being Is Self-Esteem Just a Big Con?), contributed to several others and written hundreds of articles on philosophical and practical aspects of personal change. He’s produced three audio courses (The Personal PowerPack, Reboot Your Mind and Change Your Concepts, Change your Life). He runs Living Words coaching and training (www.livingwords.net) and his latest product is a mind-blastingly powerful belief-change method which you can find at www.change-my-beliefs.com -

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Raising the consequences of failure (and psyching yourself out)

I'm reading a pretty interesting book right now: "The Accidental Creative: how to be brilliant at a moment's notice" (cool title, right?) and the author brought up this scenario:

"...imagine  that there is a wood plank lying across the floor, twenty feet long and six inches wide."  If I asked you whether you could walk across it, what would you say?  If I asked you to try to walk across it, would you be willing to attempt it?  I bet most of you would be willing to at least try -- and more than likely, most of you would be successful.

But....

"...imagine that the plank has been elevated to a height of one hundred feet in the air and is suspended between two buildings."  Now what would your answer be?  Could you walk across?  Would you try?

Interestingly enough, the skills you need to be successful in this task haven't changed.  If you said "yes", you would do the first task but "no" to the second, why is that?  It's not any more technically difficult -- but.... the results of failure between the two tasks are much different, aren't they?

Let's think about all the things you do everyday:

You get out of bed.
You do some kind of grooming routine.
You change your clothes.
You go to work.
You take care of your kids.
You are kind to others even when you don't really want to be.
You wait at traffic lights.
You listen to your boss.

I could go on but I won't.

There are lots of things in any given day that you do -- because you have to.

Why should weight management be any different?  They are basic skills -- eating less than your mouth wants to.  Thinking before you eat something left out on the break table.  Not giving in to the tractor beam of the drive-thru.

Could it be that we don't follow through on these goals because the psychological "risk" of failure feels like it has gone up?  Have you ever heard yourself say, "I might as well have this now because sooner or later I know I'm going to give in anyway."?  So you let yourself off the hook because you do not believe you will ultimately be successful and the perceived risk of failure further down the line is greater (once everyone has seen how much weight you've lost, you've bought all new clothes and are just settling in to feeling pretty good about yourself) that you're afraid to fully commit to this new lifestyle -- so you give up while the board is still on the floor because you're afraid you won't be able to do it when you're 100 feet off the ground?

Hmmmm.....is that the kind of thinking that gonna get you some place you want to be?



Wednesday, July 11, 2012

I found this video the other day when I was looking for some inspirational content for the Borgess Athletic Performance blog.  It's entitled "How bad do you want it? (success).

I debated about posting the link to the video here -- not because there is anything wrong with the video content but mostly because the footage is all about athletic performance and sometimes that causes a person who is really interested in weight management to shut down on a idea because they don't immediately see the connection between the two.

For me, I think the force that drives someone to the Olympics or into an NFL career is the same one that drives a person to lose weight and maintain their weightloss.  Drive, determination, desire and the ability to never let yourself quit -- this is what I see these two groups have in common.

And this is what the short film is about.

The question for the day (as posed in the movie) is:

Do you want to succeed as much as you want to breath?

And for most of us, the answer (and rightfully so) is "No". 

No.  I don't see weight loss as THE SINGLE most important aspect of my life.  My kids, my family, my friends, my work, my.....are a higher priority than my weight management.

And I don't think you should change your priorities.  What I'm going to ask you to do is give yourself a break!  Don't expect first priority results from 10th priority effort.

I know when you're actively engaged in making weight management decisions, it seems like you are putting a lot of work into the whole process so you have a right to expect amazing results -- but if you take a look back with some perspective, I bet you'll see how much time you AREN'T actively working on your weight managment.

It isn't (and for most of us shouldn't be) as important as breathing (or our kids or spouse).

Have some compassion for yourself.  You're working on it (actively sometimes -- like when you make your lunch selections) or passively (like when you're reading this post).  The weight will come off.  It's probably going to take longer than you want it to but it will happen.

Just don't quit because you're expecting one thing but working toward another.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

15 Guilt-Free Ways to Enjoy Chocolate

Ha! Caught you!!  You couldn't resist looking at a post that was going to let you off the hook for eating something that you wanted to eat anyway!!!

Okay -- let me confess -- this title actually is the name of a post I read (you can read it here, if you want ;)  -- but my point is:

Why should you feel guilty about eating chocolate?  Even that article isn't going to let you off the hook for eating a whole bag of chocolates every day for a month.  And it is unlikely that have 2 or 3 chocolates (even 2 or 3 every day) is going to effect your weight very much.

Here's the deal -- if you want chocolate go have some....but if you're going to commit to the calories, get the exact kind of chocolate you're wanting.  Sit down some place quiet.  As you unwrap it, take time to notice the smell.  Bite into it and notice the texture (no -- just because it comes wrapped as one small unit does not mean it is one bite).  Let it melt a little bit.  Chew it slowly so you have time to taste it.  After you swallow it, take a breath before you take the next bite (as opposed to shoving the rest in because you're already bored with the exercise).

I guarantee -- if you take time to do this:
  • you won't over eat on chocolate
  • there will be no reason to feel guilty when you're done
  • you won't have to EVER substitute Giardelli's for "chocolate" protein powder.

Good trade?  I think so!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Friday, July 6, 2012

Do something Friday

Can you predict the future?

I bet you can.

1. What is the outcome of not packing your lunch when you know you have an afternoon of meetings? 

2. Of not prepping the veggies you bought on Sunday so they are washed, cut, and containered for easy use during the week?

3. Keeping a box of cookies in the pantry (at eye level)?

4. Buying two tubs of icecream because you never know when someone is going to stop by?

Ok -- here are my guesses -- you can see how close I get ....


1. If' you're like many, that means a quick trip to the fast food joint du jour to pick up something and eating it fast so you can get back to the office to prep for those meetings (or return a bunch of calls you know you won't have time for later).....  Resulting in stomachache, guilt, extra calories and the food still didn't bring you any joy (partly because it's low quality and partly because you ate it so fast, it doesn't matter how good it was (or wasn't) because you didn't taste it anyway)

2. Next time you have time to prep those veggies, there not going to be fresh looking and you'll feel frustrated because you've wasted more money....again.

3. Every time you go to the pantry because you need something (or you're mindlessly looking for something to graze on), you eat 3 and by the afternoon, the cookies are gone.  Leading you to have to hide the bag in the trash because you don't want your kids realizing you've eaten the whole thing (without sharing) in one day.  (and you're guilty and frustrated because you ate the whole bag...again.)

4. You eat most (if not all) of the ice cream you justified buying because you thought you may have "guests".  You feel frustrated and guilty that there might be something wrong with you because you failed the will-power test (again).

If I'm even remotely close -- make some actionable changes.

Prep your veggies on the weekend.  It's a worthwhile investment of 45 minutes.  You will save that much time in the first two days you don't have to "run out and pick something up".  (Shoot....you'll probably gain that much productive time by just not having to feel guilty about the money you wasted on the rotten veggies).

If cookies are an absolute must, atleast put them higher in the pantry so you don't have to face them down every time you open the door.  If you don't see it easily, you won't crave it as easily.

Your guests won't die if they don't have ice cream (given the national statistics, it is likely they should send you a thank you note for not forcing them to eat calories they don't need!)  If you really need ice cream, buy one container of the kind you really LOVE and serve it in the smallest bowls you have (esspresso cups work great for this!).  If it's the really high quality ice cream, it's so rich a little goes a long way in the satisfaction realm.  

People who have worked at managing their weight for any length of time are really good at predicting their future.  You know what's likely to happen.  Don't think things are going to be different this time if you haven't made any changes.

Remember the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Your patriotic duty




If you read yesterday's post, you know what toll our weight is taking on our economy.  Thousands of people have fought and died for our country so we can celebrate today with family, friends, fireworks, and food.

The least sacrifice we can make is to pass up the store bought red, white, and blue iced cupcakes.

Happy 4th, Everybody.  Please remember what today is about:  freedom to choose our own destiny.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

What is normal versus what is acceptable

I've talked (read: ranted) before about how much I can't stand the phrase "It's not fair!" but, prepare yourself, it's coming again.  Or really, this is more the warning ahead of time that "I know it's not fair -- but it is what it is so that's what we're going to have to deal with".

I just read this post by Core Performance:  Obesity by the numbers.  Shocking new stats

And while I think the term "shocking" may be a bit of an overstatement, I'll give the author as much credit as to say the numbers are surprising.

Here are a couple examples:

138 lbs - The average body weight worldwide (United Nations).
178 lbs - Average weight (in the US), 40 lbs higher than the worldwide average (United Nations).

12 - Percent of the world's population that is considered obese (WHO).
35 - Percent of adults over the age of 20 who are obese.

$2,700 - Extra costs for an obese person's healthcare, compared to non-obese people.
$575 - Increased cost of healthcare for obese employees compared to employees who smoke (Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine).

There are more stats at Core Performance but I think this gives you a feel for what we're up against.

Now...I'm not putting these here to villianize anyone.  I am hoping that we all start seeing this issue in a new light.  We live in a country blessed with conveniences and food.  We have well developed infrastructures so most of us only have to walk as far as our kitchen for clean water and food.  Most of us drive to our grocery store and have enough money to stop at McDonald's for a 32 oz. soda on the way.  (for a $1 I might add).

We are truly blessed.  HOWEVER....

These blessings come with responsibility -- and right now, we have an opportunity to change our world for the better because it's costing us too much to keep on living like we're living right now!

It's costing us our health, our creativity, our mobility, and our productivity.  And that all adds up to dollars and cents!

If you're blessed enough to have a job, your company needs your help in staying competative by you staying healthy.  If you're blessed enough to have people who love you, they need you to stay healthy so they have many years to enjoy your company.  If you have anything at all on your bucket list, you need to make sure you do what you can to give yourself enough time to do all the fabulous things you're dreaming of.

We need to maintain as much of our health as we can.  The choices you make TODAY have a DIRECT impact on where you are tomorrow.  Make the choices that will get you where you WANT to be! 

Monday, July 2, 2012

Thought for the Day...

Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits.
--Thomas Jefferson