Cross Your Road One Bite at a Time

Over the last few years I have heard several people say something like, “I really need to lose weight, but I am just not mentally ready yet.”  As I have said before, you do need to be ready to lose weight, but you don’t need the perfect frame of mind to get started.  What you do need is motivation and the willingness to commit to at least a single positive change in your life.  Small changes can be very powerful and lead to impressive long term results.

One day last week my eleven year old daughter says, “Dad, do you know how to eat an elephant?”  I said, “No.”  With a big grin on her face she says, “One bite at a time.”  We chuckled.  Later that day I began thinking that the punch line to that joke really is the secret to success in many things including weight loss.

When it comes to weight loss and fitness, it is easy to feel overwhelmed.  People often think that in order to be successful you need to change almost everything in your life.  Not true.  Whether you are looking to start your weight loss journey or you are trying seeking to rediscover your commitment, try to make changes one simple step at a time.

A friend of mine recently lost a noticeable amount of weight over the last few months.  Recently I asked him about it.  He said, “I am power walking – that’s it.”  After congratulating him he went on to tell me how surprisingly easy it has been.  He committed to one lifestyle change.  The results have been impressive.

Whether you are looking to start your weight loss journey or you trying to find a way to continue what you already started, the same advice applies – start by committing to a single change.  Over the last couple weeks I have finally started to run regularly again.  But while I have managed to run regularly, I have struggled to increase my distance each week as I want to do.

I usually run on a nice bike path near my home; it is over 50 miles long (one way).  Since I returned to running, I have initially kept my daily mileage at three miles.  But after a couple of weeks, it was time to increase my miles a bit.  There is a road that crosses the bike path at the 1.5 mile mark.  Lately, I have turned around when I reach that road.  But last week, I really needed to stretch my runs out for another mile or so – I needed to cross that road, but try as I might I kept turning around.

But one day this week, during my run, I remembered my daughter’s joke about the elephant.  I realized, success in this case doesn’t take that much effort, just cross that road for a quarter mile and turn around.  And that is exactly what I did.  I finally crossed that road and expanded my runs one bite at a time.

Wherever you are on your journey, remember to overcome your obstacle little by little.  Cross whatever roads you need to cross one bite at time.

Pain, Pleasure, Pride and a Giving Spirit

Even under ideal circumstances, making a lifestyle change is difficult.  There is a lot of truth to the saying, “Old habits die hard.”  And new habits, especially healthy ones, can be difficult to establish.  And while forming healthy habits is a challenge, with challenge comes opportunity.

For most of my life I was a professional coach potato.  It was a real struggle for me to start exercising.  Learning how to run was a slow and challenging process – mentally and physically.  Every step was difficult.  Not a day passed when I didn’t think about quitting; that lasted for many months. But when I reached my first major fitness goal - finishing a 5K race without walking, I finally experienced the pleasure and pride that accompanied my accomplishment.   It was a deeply satisfying experience.

Despite all my success, as I mentioned in a recent blog entry, I am still struggling to re-establish a regular running routine.  But this weekend I was reminded of an important life lesson that has reinvigorated me.  Sometimes it is rewarding to forget our own struggles and pay attention to other people.

A few years ago Colleen and I became close with Jim and Sue.  They are the parents of our daughter’s best friends.  Recently, Jim and Sue had expressed some interest in running.  On Saturday the three of us went for a three mile walk-run.  We alternated run-walk segments and took it very slow.  Everything went well.  We agreed to try it again on Sunday morning.

As the three of us started running down a local bike path together on Sunday morning it became clear that Sue was struggling.  After just a few hundred yards she had fallen behind Jim and me.   I decided to fall back and run with her.  I encouraged her whenever possible; and every now and then we walked a little extra.  While she complained in a light hearted way, and resisted me at times, she finished the entire two miles! Her final half mile was the strongest and fasted part of the workout.  Amazing.

It was nothing fancy or complicated; just three friends on an anonymous bike path one Sunday morning doing their own thing.  But in its own very simple way, what happened during that half hour was truly inspiring.  Sue could have used any number of excuses to give up – and at times she tried to quit – “It is too cold.”  “My legs are sore.”  “My ankles hurt.” “The cold air hurts my lungs.” “I can’t do it, I just can’t.”  While all of these things were to some degree true, in the end, she refused to quit.  She did what she set out to do.  She accomplished one of her first running goals.  And in that moment I felt such pride; not for me, but for Sue.  When I congratulated her I saw the satisfaction written across her face.

At one point I looked at Sue and I said, “We just did something good for ourselves and good for our families.”  She smiled and said, “Thank you.”  But most importantly, when I dropped my friends off at their house, Sue asked me if we could exercise again tomorrow evening.  I said, “Absolutely.”

Too often people get overly self-absorbed.  But this weekend, during a half hour on a Sunday, I realized that by taking time to focus on friends’ exercise goals I reaped great rewards.  Sue, in particular, helped me to rediscover so many of the things that led me to embrace exercise in the first place.  She reminded me that exercise can be hard and painful, but it can also be an inspiring and deeply rewarding journey; a journey well worth taking. 

Whatever happens going forward, Sunday was a great day.  I feel refreshed, renewed and optimistic – about my friends, about my running and about life.  I encourage all of you to pay attention to one another, to help one another, and to inspire one another to set goals, to meet goals and to push ourselves to new limits.

 

Support is A Key to Success

It is probably no surprise that weight loss relies on motivation, discipline, healthy eating, portion control and regular exercise.  And while all of these things are critical for success, it can be easy to overlook how important it is to have “support” during your journey.

Some weight loss programs offer support through weekly group meetings.  Others offer it through internet discussion boards, interactive blogs and/or other electronic chat options.  All of these things can be valuable.  If any of these things work for you then you should use them.  But my weight loss journey was much more solitary.  I did not join any program or support group.  No one agreed to lose weight with me.  And I did not join any exercise classes or find a work out partner.  For the most part, I did it on my own. 

But the words “for the most part” are important.  Just because I did not join a support group or have a weight loss/workout partner does not mean that I did not have lots of support.  I had a lot of support and it came in many different shapes and sizes. 

In the beginning, I received enormous support from my family and close friends.  People provided me with inspiration, encouragement and compliments.  While these things are simple enough, they really do matter.  They helped to build self-confidence and a positive attitude which helped provide a good foundation for success.

Beyond inspiration and encouragement, for me at least, support meant minimizing opportunities for sabotage – intentional or otherwise.  During the first few months of my commitment to a healthier lifestyle my wife and children were careful not to keep “junk food” and other temptations around the house.  Within just a few months though I reached a point where that was no longer necessary, my family was free to eat and drink anything they wanted anytime they wanted.  I developed a lot of self-discipline.  All of that support during those early months of my journey was crucial to my success.

Finally, it was helpful for me to talk to people about my health and fitness goals.  I talked to everyone – family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc.   Talking to people had so many benefits.  Most people were enormously generous with their encouragement, praise and wisdom.  I found many interactions with people truly inspiring.  It was surprising how many eating/exercising tips that people shared with me.  Finally, and this was a bit unexpected, sometimes my successes appeared to inspire others.  Not only did this make me feel good, but it inspired me to continue my journey.  Sharing my story – successes, struggles and failures yielded more benefits than I ever imagined possible.

Ultimately, we all need support.  But everyone is different.  Each of us needs different kinds of support to feel good about ourselves and to nurture our success.  Make sure you recognize what kind of support you need and surround yourself with as much of that support as possible.  The more support you have the greater your chances for continued success.

Find Your Motivation

People occasionally say, “I love all of the weight loss ideas and exercise tips, but can you tell me how to find the motivation to lose weight?”  The short answer is, “No.”  There is no simple answer.  Everyone is different; we all live unique lives and we all experience the world differently.  There is no one size fits all answer to this question.  So while I have no definitive answers, I can offer some insights about how I found my personal motivation.  Hopefully parts of my story will inspire you find your own motivation.

As I shared with everyone in an earlier blog entry, my motivation to lose weight came from a strong desire to not to be the biggest person in the room anymore.  And while this is what drove me, it was not something that I discovered easily– this too was a process.

Human beings are remarkably adaptable.  We often adjust our behavior without consciously recognizing it.  For example, anyone who knows me well knows that when I travel I pack very lightly.  In fact, for more than twenty years, excluding a nearly three week trip to Argentina, I never checked a bag on an airplane.  I was an expert at packing everything I need in a carry-on bag.  Sadly though, this expertise was not something to proud of, it was the product of an almost paralyzing fear.  I never checked a bag because I was afraid that the airline might lose it. 

While no one wants to lose their luggage, for most people lost luggage is little more than an inconvenience easily remedied by a trip to a local department store.  In my case though, I was too large to shop in department stores.  I shopped exclusively in “Big and Tall” stores.  Unfortunately, unless you are traveling to a large urban area, there may not be a big and tall store available.  And even if there is a store, there is no guarantee that a given store would have had my size. The fear of losing my luggage and not being able to find clothes that fit me was a terrifying prospect.  The solution was simple; no checked luggage meant no lost clothes.  Problem solved.

If being overweight had forced me to make just this one accommodation it would have been no big deal.  But I slowly came to realize that my size led me to make various adaptations in virtually every social situation.  For example, I consciously steered clear of restaurants with small booths/chairs or bathrooms with exceptionally small stalls.  I avoided flying certain airlines because the seats were particularly small and uncomfortable.  Similarly, when I went places with friends I almost always drove because I didn’t fit comfortably in an average car.  I could provide dozens of examples, but I think you get my point.

And while the physical challenges were difficult, the psychological stress was worse.  Whenever I was in public, people stared at me, often in obvious ways.  I knew why.  And it hurt me deeply.  All too often my sensitivity to how others saw me led me to change my public behavior.  For example, my close friends and family know that I rarely eat dessert.  While most people think I just don’t care for sweets, the truth is that all too often I felt judged by people when I ordered dessert.  In my head I imagined that people were watching me and thinking, “He really doesn’t need that piece of cake.”  Whether it was true or not, that became an increasingly heavy burden to carry.

When I said that I decided to lose weight because I got tired of being the biggest person in the room, what I really mean is that I got tired of the physical and psychological burden associated with being overweight in public places.  I reached a point where I desperately wanted to be free from worrying about how to deal with size related obstacles – both physical and mental. 

More than anything, I wanted to know what it was like to be in public without making physical accommodations or being on the receiving end of judgmental stares.  Over time I slowly felt trapped by my size.  After a lot of soul searching, I imagined what that new life might be like, I pursued it and today that is the life I lead.  If you are seeking motivation to lose weight, imagine the life that you want to lead.  Keep that vision in your mind.  Go for it!

Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth without Breaking the Calorie Bank

After my last blog entry someone dropped me a note and said, “Glad to hear how versatile beans can be, but what I am supposed to do with my sweet tooth?”  Good question.

The short answer is, do not ignore your sweet tooth.  During my weight loss I did not eliminate anything from my diet.  Instead, I ate sweets and other favorite foods like pizza in moderation.  Also, whenever possible I tried to satisfy my craving for sweets by making a better choice.

More often than not, the key to effective weight loss is moderation, creativity and convenience.  I applied these same simple principles to enjoying sweet treats.  During the height of my weight loss, I still ate the occasional piece of cheesecake, my favorite dessert – perhaps once a month or so.  But most of the time, when I craved something sweet I opted for satisfying, low calorie, convenient and creative options. Here are some sweet tooth satisfying options for approximately 50-100 calories:

 

All Natural Frozen Fruit Bar – Edy’s makes a tasty bar for just 50 calories.

Ice Cream Float – Pour a can of any diet soda over a half a cup of your favorite light ice-cream.

Sugar Free Jello – I love the cherry!  Add a dollop of Cool Whip for a tasty treat.

Hard Candy – Jolly Rancher suckers are flavorful, long lasting, satisfying and only 60 calories; and remember you don’t have to finish the whole things at one time.

Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Squares (70% cocoa or more) – Healthy and delicious.

Fresh Smoothies – Blend a cup of fresh berries with a teaspoon of honey.

Frozen Sherbet – I always found a half cup of orange or berry sherbet quite enjoyable.

Ocean Spray Fruit Snacks – A small snack pack of chewy sweetness hits the spot for only 80 calories.

Most of the time these “better” options satisfied my sweet tooth, every now and then I needed something a bit more.  Instead of eating a whole donut or an entire piece of cheesecake, I learned that two bites of my children’s favorite desserts were often enough for me.  I could satisfy my craving, avoid feeling deprived and still not break the calorie bank.

Next time you have crave something sweet, try one of the above ideas.  In fact, come up with some of your own low calorie ways to satisfy that sweet tooth.  And most importantly, please don’t forget to share your ideas with the rest of us!               

 

 

Convenient, Versatile, Delicious Recipes Make the Journey More Enjoyable

In one of my previous blog entries, “Tips and Tricks,” I mentioned that it is good idea to find some “go to” recipes.  Even better, find some easy to make recipes that you can make in large quantities and then use in different ways.  Not too long ago, a friend asked me if I could use one of my blog entries to demonstrate how to use one healthy recipe in many different ways – here it goes.

I recognize that everyone has different tastes.  In some ways I am lucky because there are less than a handful of foods that I don’t like.  This makes cooking and eating much easier.  While today’s entry will focus on using black beans in many different ways, you can use this same logic with lots of different foods/recipes.  All it takes is a little imagination and some initiative.

Citrus Black Beans are one of my favorite foods.  They are easy to make, flavorful, filling, versatile and good for you.  I usually triple or quadruple the recipe.  Not only can I get multiple uses out this recipe during the week, but they also freeze quite well.  Once you have a big pot of beans, here are a few suggestions for what to do with them:

·         Beans and Rice – Pour a scoop of beans over a serving of whole grain rice and you have a nice snack, a super lunch or a wonderful side to a lean protein at dinner. 

·         Burritos – Take a whole grain wrap and fill it with lettuce, tomato, onion and beans for a wonderful lunch; eat two or three and you have a dinner entree.  And don’t forget some nutritious extras like your favorite homemade salsa or guacamole, and/or a little Greek yogurt.   

·         Soup – This recipe creates a wonderful broth (feel free to substitute canned black beans and cook them in chicken broth).  Sometimes I drain the broth, and then thin a little bit of Greek yogurt with some skim milk and add it to the broth; it provides a creamy texture and a nice slightly tart flavor.  Bring the broth to a simmer and add some fresh cilantro for a garnish.   This makes a great bowl of soup! 

·         Chili – Take the beans recipe and add your protein of choice – turkey, chicken or lean beef.  Don’t forget the toppings – some hot sauce, chopped onions, and a dollop of Greek yogurt make for a hearty bowl of chili. 

·         Burgers - Yes, I said it. These beans can be used to make fantastic burgers as well.  Eaten alone or on a nice whole grain bun with all the extras (e.g., lettuce, tomato, onion and your favorite condiments) and you have a very satisfying lunch or dinner.

Find a healthy recipe that is versatile.  Use it in lots of creative ways.  This not only makes for easy preparation, but it leads to tasty, nutritious and guilt free meals.  Try this approach with one of your favorite recipes and don’t be shy about sharing your results with the rest of us!

 

When Life Happens Don't Forget the Basics!!!

Like it or not, for most us, there will be times in our life when our commitment to proper eating and exercise wanes.  You may be surprised to learn that after two years of serious dedication to daily exercise I have not run or walked in almost two months.  Why?

There is no simple answer.  After completing my first half marathon I suffered a bit of letdown.  I was sore, tired and burned out.  I ran sporadically throughout July, but then the August heat arrived.  While I strongly prefer to run outside, the heat and I do not get along.  I took August off.  And to top it all off I accepted a new position at work.  The new position has drastically changed my daily schedule and totally thrown my exercise schedule into disarray.  These things have all contributed to my lengthy break from exercise.

During these last couple of months I have gained about nine pounds.  A couple years ago this would have devastated me.  I would have beat myself up over it and gone into a funk.  But as I have said before, losing weight is not so mysterious; and that is empowering.  I need to eat regularly –  three meals and three small protein snacks a day, eat primarily whole foods with an emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables, watch portion sizes, drink plenty of water and exercise regularly.  Failure to do these things consistently will almost certainly lead to some weight gain.

In recent weeks my diet has not been poor, but I have also not been as disciplined as I need to be.  Also, as I mentioned, I have not been exercising recently.  Given these two things it is no surprise that I have gained some weight.

Still, there is lots of good news.  First, in the larger scheme of things gaining nine pounds is not such a big deal; at one point I lost over 105 pounds.  I am confident that I can lose nine pounds.  Second, I have identified my two biggest problem areas.  And third, I know exactly how to fix these things.

It is time to go back to the basics!  Starting today, I am going back to my basic weight loss philosophy –purposeful, incremental change.  First, I am going to start keeping my daily food journal again.  Also, I am recommitting myself to exercise.  My initial goal will be to run three miles three days per week.  These are thoughtful, substantive, important and achievable goals.  A commitment to these things will help me re-establish the three years of good habits I had developed.  This will provide an excellent foundation for weight loss and improved fitness.

Gaining nine pounds is not a failure and it not something to be ashamed of.  At worst, it is a minor setback.  At best, it is an opportunity for success.  After all, I know exactly what it takes to lose weight successfully.  I have already done it.  My approach worked before and it will work again provided I am willing to make my health and fitness a priority again.

When life happens and you struggle with your weight, don’t panic – get back to the basics!  Examine your lifestyle.  Identify your most serious issues.  Set a couple of small but achievable goals designed to address your problems.  Take your time, stay committed, redevelop good habits, and build on your successes by slowly adding new goals over the coming weeks.  I plan to do all of these things and I will keep you posted on my latest journey.

Slow and Steady Can Win the Race

People frequently ask me, “What is the most important weight loss tip you can give me?”  That is virtually an impossible question to answer.  Losing weight and being healthier involves so many things:  diet, nutrition, calories, exercise, hydration, etc.  Everything you do works together to promote health and weight loss.  It is hard to pick just one thing.

But there is one thing I have learned that applies to virtually every aspect of weight loss – don’t rush it!  Use common sense, be methodical about your decision making and take your time.  To lose a lot of weight effectively, and in a healthy way, you are going to need to make a lot of changes in your life.  There is no reason to make all of these changes at once.  In fact, making too many changes too quickly will likely lead to unhappiness and ultimately failure.

I made lots of small changes over a long period of time.  Here some examples:

·         Soda - The first step on my weight loss journey was to give up Coca Cola.  After about three months without drinking soda, I felt confident that I could make another change.  Next, I gave up all drinks with sugar in them (e.g., Gatorade and iced tea among other things).  Three months later, about six month in all, I was ready to add more water to my diet – actually in my case it was Crystal Light Pure not plain water. At first I made sure to drink at least 16 ounces of water a day.  After successfully doing that for a couple of weeks I starting drinking 32 ounces of water a day.   Eventually, I was drinking at least 64 ounces of water a day! 

·         Eating More Often – Like many obese people, I skipped meals.  I rarely ate breakfast and more often than not I did not eat lunch.  This meant that dinner was frequently my first meal of the day; accordingly I almost always overate.  A huge meal was often followed by something sweet, then a snack and then maybe some leftovers before bed.  And I did all of this eating at the end of the day when I was relaxing and least likely to burn any significant calories.  I changed all this by deciding to eat three meals every day.  At first, I didn’t pay attention to what I ate – only that I was eating three times per day.  After a couple months of success I started adding snacks.  I eventually ate three meals and three small snacks (about 100 calories each per day).  My snacks were usually high in protein since they are more filling – a couple ounces of ham/chicken/turkey, a piece of part skim string cheese, yogurt or some nuts.  After six months or so I was eating three meals and three snacks every day.  Once that became a habit, I started to slowly make changes to what I was eating at every meal – e.g., whole grains, more fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, calories counting, etc.   

·         Exercise – For most of life I never exercised at all.  I started exercising by walking my dog Sammy.  At first it was ten minutes a few times a week.  Slowly, our walks got longer.  Over many months I transitioned to six forty-five minute walks a week with Sammy.  Once I established walking as a habit, I started to focus on walking faster – then further.  Eventually, I was able to walk four miles in 56 minutes.  At that point I realized that if I could learn to run, I could spend the same amount of time exercising but go much further and burn more calories.  So that is what I decided to do.  At first I would walk seven minutes, jog one minute and then walk seven minutes.  After a couple of weeks, I would walk six minutes, jog a minute and then walk six minutes.  Over many months, I slowly was able to run an entire mile, then two miles then three – and eventually I ran a half marathon.  It took me almost two years to move from no exercise to a half marathon, but I did – the slow and steady way.

All of these slow incremental changes allowed me to lose about fifty pounds during the first two years of my journey.  By the third year, all of these changes came together.  I was eating a healthy diet, hydrating regularly and exercising a lot.  I lost the last fifty pounds in six months. 

Making lifestyle changes is not easy and it does not happen overnight.  It is important to make small changes and establish good habits slowly. In the end you will improve your health, protect yourself against injury and most importantly you will lose the weight that you want to lose and hopefully enjoy your experience.

I am living proof.  Sometimes, slow and steady really does win the race! 

As Much Time As It Takes

Throughout my weight loss journey people have asked me a lot of different questions.  Perhaps the most common question is, “How long did it take you to lose all that weight?”  When I tell them that it took me the better part of three years to lose one hundred pounds people often respond by saying, “That is a long time.” 

Over the years I have come to learn that like it or not, losing weight takes a considerable amount of time.  And the time that is needed takes many forms:

·         Healthy, Effective Weight Loss Should Be a Slow and Steady Process – Generally speaking, depending on your size, it is not recommended that people lose weight rapidly.  FITDAY discusses six advantages of slow weight loss.

·         Shopping, Preparing and Cooking Your Own Food – It is very challenging to eat at restaurants a lot and lose weight.  While many restaurants offer some healthy menu options these days, the selection is often limited.  Even worse, it is almost impossible to know what is in restaurant food.  More often than not, restaurant foods contain preservatives, lots of sodium and lots of other things that do not support a healthy lifestyle.  If you do your own shopping and your own cooking, you and you alone control the quality, nutritional value and portion size of your food.  You will also probably need to spend time researching healthy recipes for meals and snacks.  All of this takes time, but it is time well spent. 

·         Journaling – One of my previous blog entries highlighted the importance of journaling.  WebMD summarizes a study that found people who keep a daily food journal lose twice as much weight as people who do not keep regular food journals.  Yes, it takes time.  But again, it is time well spent.

 

·         Exercise – A regular, well-rounded exercise routine will speed up your metabolism, build muscle, increase fitness, burn calories, help support weight loss, give you energy and generally make you feel good.  My workout routine was 50-60 minutes a day six days per week during my peak weight loss.  This is a lot of time, but in the end it was worth it!

I understand that most people are very busy.  Free time is a luxury.   But if you are serious about losing weight, especially a lot of weight, then you will need to find the time.  The time you dedicate to weight loss is an investment, not a cost. 

My mother used to say, “Son, people have a way of finding the time to do the things that they truly want to do.”  No matter how much time it takes, if you really want it, your health is worth the time investment and you will find the time.

 

Sometimes A Little Selfishness Can Be Healthy

Like most things in life success requires strong desire and a sense of purpose.  You must prepare yourself to succeed.  It was well over thirty years before I was “ready” to lose weight, get more fit and lead a healthier lifestyle.  But once I was ready, the determination, focus and discipline necessary to succeed came more easily than expected.  As it turns out, to a large extent, habits are habits.  Once established, healthy habits are not that much more difficult to maintain than unhealthy habits.  The more good habits I developed, the more disciplined and more successful I became.

And while I was surprised by my rapid progress, I was also surprised by the guilt I sometimes experienced.  My initial transformation from a sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle to a more active and healthy lifestyle required a substantial degree of selfishness.  During the late stages of my weight loss - summer 2012, the last forty-five pounds or so, I put myself and my commitment to weight loss before everything and everyone else in my life – including my family.  Since I did the cooking, my family ate what I ate.  I asked my wife and children not to keep certain foods around the house.  If we went out to eat, it had to be somewhere where I could eat a healthy meal.  No matter where we were or what we were doing, even on vacation, my diet and exercise were priorities.  At one point, I jokingly referred to summer 2012 as, “the summer of Bill.”

At times, I struggled with my selfishness. I knew that I was being selfish.  I worried about it.  I felt bad about it.  Sometimes my selfishness even made me feel bad about myself.  After all, selfishness is ordinarily not considered a virtue.  But in the short term, for me at least, I sincerely believe that a certain degree of selfishness was a key to my success.  And in the long run, that selfishness gave me the freedom to do what I needed to do to be successful.  It allowed me to lose weight, get active and become healthier.  But I was not the only person who gained something from my selfishness.  My family gained a happier, healthier husband and father; a person who has the energy and desire to fully participate in everyone’s life – hopefully for a very long time to come.

If you want to truly be there for your friends and family, you first need to be there for yourself.  Sometimes, a little selfishness can go a long way toward a healthier you!

 

Tidbits, Tips and Tricks

There are so many little things that can make a big difference when it comes to weight loss success.  Here are few things that I have learned:

·         Be Prepared – It is difficult to eat well and lose weight if your house is not well stocked with the things you need.  Take some time to think about what you enjoy eating.  Search the internet for healthier versions of those foods.  Shop often, buy fresh whole foods and make sure that your refrigerator and pantry are always full of the healthy food/snack options that you enjoy.

·         Cook Your Own Food – While most of us eat out from time to time, restaurant food is generally full of unnecessary fat, sugar, sodium and other things that are not good for us.  Also, it is almost impossible to know exactly what is in restaurant food.  By preparing your own food you control portion size as well as your food’s taste, quality and nutritional content.

·         Find Some Go To Recipes – No matter your particular taste, you can build a set of simple, versatile, recipes that you can use regularly.   For example, I love guacamole and citrus black beans.  Guacamole can be eaten separately as a snack, used as a filling for hard boiled eggs, or added to a salad, wrap or sandwich.  Black beans can be made in large quantities and eaten in many ways - by themselves, with rice, in an omelet, or in a burrito.  Hummus is another great dish that can be used as a snack with some whole grain crackers/flatbreads or added to a vegetable wrap.  Finally try marinating and grilling chicken.  Make plenty of extra so you can use it throughout the week – as a snack, for chicken salad, in a burrito/wrap or as a hearty addition to a garden salad.  How about a black bean and chicken burrito with some fresh guacamole and a dab of Greek yogurt – yummy!  Add some fresh salsa for another healthy and flavorful touch.  Save the extra salsa for a flavorful snack.

·         Eat A Salad and Drink A Glass of Water Before Dinner – Not only are salad and water good for you, they are filling and will help you avoid overeating.  Whether at home or in a restaurant, these are both good habits to develop.

·         Eating At Restaurants – Most of us eat out from time to time. The myfitnesspal.com app is a great tool for dining out.  I downloaded it to my smart phone so I always have it with me.  If I know where I am going to eat I use myfitnesspal to decide what I am going to eat in advance.  This way I can look forward to eating my meal and not be tempted by the many less healthy options on the menu.  If I can’t select my meal in advance I can still use myfitnesspal to evaluate the nutritional content of various menu items at a given restaurant.

·         Portion Control – A Health Magazine article discusses the importance of portion control and provides some great tips for learning how to cut calories by controlling portions.  Beyond normal approaches to portion control, in my experience, a little bit can go a long way.  At the height of my calorie cut down I still craved things like pizza, pancakes and ice cream.  Even though none of those foods were on my personal menu, my family continued to eat them.  Over time I discovered that stealing a couple bites from my wife or daughters almost always left me feeling satisfied.  To this day, I usually skip dessert and steal a bit or two from my girls.  This is an unconventional, but satisfying and effective way to help control portions.

Sometimes it can be the odds and ends that make all the difference.  Don’t forget to do many of the little things that will improve your chances for weight loss success! 

 

Being Healthier is Always Going to Be A Climb

When I was at my heaviest it felt like almost everyone around me maintained a reasonable weight.   Most of these people also seemed to lead active lives and consciously made healthy food choices.  At times I was jealous.  I frequently wondered why exercise and healthy eating came so easily to them, but was such a struggle for me.

After losing one hundred pounds I came to an important realization.  Just because something looks easy doesn’t mean that it is easy.  Eating a healthier diet and exercising regularly is not easy.  Our fast food, super-sized, extra-cheese, convenience oriented world presents daily obstacles for everyone.  

While losing a lot of weight and running a half-marathon were great accomplishments, they didn’t represent the end of my journey.  In many ways, they were just the beginning.

Many years ago Miley Cyrus released a hit song - “The Climb.”  Shortly after it came out, my daughters would often blare it from their bedroom.  Over time the song grew on me and I used to sing it with them in the car.  The chorus is: 

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Truer words were never spoken.  People often tell me that I appear to have won the battle with my weight.  I am winning, but the battle is not over and it is never easy, but it is easier now than it has ever been.  I have learned a lot, but there is still more to learn.  There are always obstacles that need to be overcome.

After I started running and eventually gained a reasonable fitness level, I was surprised at how hard running continued to be for me.  In the beginning I couldn’t run a tenth of a mile.   It was hard work.  Eventually, I was running over ten miles, but it was still hard work.  Like most people, once I accomplished one goal, I moved to another.  I always wanted to run faster and further; both of these things represent more mountains.  As long as you are pushing yourself, training will always be hard.  A year ago I ran a 14 minute mile.  Today, I can run an 11 minute mile.  That 11 minute mile feels every bit as challenging as that 14 minute mile once did.  A ten minute mile is my next mountain.

Getting healthy and staying healthy is a lifelong journey.  It will be filled with successes and failures.  Embrace them both.  Celebrate the successes.  View your failures as opportunities for future success.  There will be times, for whatever reason, that you gain some weight – summer eating, a vacation, the holidays, etc.  Sometimes life will get in the way and you will get out of your exercise routine – maybe for a few weeks at a time.  It happens to almost everyone.  There will always be another mountain.

When you are faced with a mountain, commit to moving it. Your journey will be filled with challenges.  Sometimes you are going to fail.  That is all part of the process.  Recognize it.  Accept it.  Improvise.  Adapt.  Overcome.  Get back on track and celebrate your success for doing so!!!

The Scale Should Not Weigh You Down!

Even if weight loss is the primary goal, don’t let the scale be the only tool you use to measure success.  Weight loss can be a mysterious and complicated thing.  Sometimes weight seems to come off easily from week to week.  Other times, even if you are eating well and working out progress can slow or even stop.  And even under ideal circumstance, people’s weight fluctuates from day to day.  So if you use the scale as your only way to measure success, you will be disappointed a lot. 

Losing weight and living a healthier more active lifestyle is tough enough without having to deal with a disappointing weigh-in.  It is too easy to see yourself as a failure, to lose motivation, become demoralized and abandon your weight loss efforts.

One of the best ways to see progress, stay motivated and feel confident is to understand that the scale is only one measure.  Identify multiple success measures.  Some measures might include:  (1) how you feel; (2) nutritional goals; (3) exercise/fitness progress; (3) vital signs and body measurements; and (5) how you feel in your clothes.

·         How Are You Feeling? - While losing weight is the ultimate goal, being healthy and feeling good, and more energetic, is also important.  As you get healthier, you will notice that you feel better.  Perhaps you less depressed or you have more energy throughout the day.  Being more efficient at work, getting more chores done at home and having more energy to spend quality time with family are all signs of progress. 

·         Are You Reaching Your Nutritional Goals – If you are keeping a food journal, particularly if you are using an app, it is easier than ever to monitor your nutrition.  You can record your daily/weekly calorie count as well protein, fat, carbohydrate and sodium intake – among other things.  If you are consistently meeting your daily and weekly goals in all key nutritional areas, that is an important sign of progress.

·         Is Your Fitness Improving – If you do not already, it is a great idea to keep a fitness journal.  Many nutritional apps also allow you to record fitness activities.  In my case I was always trying to walk further, walker faster, add running, run, run further and run faster.  It is so gratifying to track your improvement from week to week and month to month.  As you look back, you will be impressed with your progress.

·         Measure Your Body and Vital Signs – It is a good idea to measure your neck, chest, waist hips, thighs and arms every week.  During one phase of my weight loss I actually lost a full pants size without losing more than a couple of pounds – amazing!  Before I started exercising my resting pulse rate was 78; within a few months of walking my resting pulse rate dropped more than 15 beats per minute; my blood pressure also dropped significantly.

·         Check Out Your Closet – Pay attention to the way that your clothes fit.  You will start to notice that your clothes feel better.  Take a tour of your closet.  My guess is you will slowly start to wear some things you have not worn, or even seen, in a long time.  Enjoy the new wardrobe!

Feeling better, eating better, exercise, improved vital signs and better fitting clothes are all signs of progress no matter what the scale might say during any given week or month.  Celebrate progress in its many forms!

 

 

 

More Really Can Be Less

Aside from giving up soda, cutting things from my diet was more the exception than the rule.  Most people I know who are trying to lose weight spend the majority of their time trying to figure out what not to eat.  My weight loss journey took me down a very different road.  Instead of cutting lots of things from my diet, I actually started adding things.

An interesting Forbes article discusses nine habits that make people fat.  One of those habits is skipping meals.  Like a lot of heavy people, I never ate breakfast.  In fact, very often dinner was my first meal of the day.  Not eating regularly throughout the day depresses your metabolism and can increase overeating later in the day.  Also, most of us are least active at the end of the day after dinner.  As your metabolism slows down at the end of the day, your body has very little time to burn the calories you consume later in the day.

After conquering my sugary drink habit and incorporating regular exercise, the next thing I did was add meals to my diet.  I ate three meals and three small snacks every day.  Once eating six times per day became a habit, I started to pay closer attention to what I was eating.  My food journal helped me accomplish this.  Initially I added more fresh fruits and vegetables to my diet.  The goal was to eat at least three servings of fresh fruit and five servings of fresh vegetables per day.   

The next thing I did was to add water to my diet; the goal was eight glasses per day.  Water maintains our hydration and helps to keep us feeling full.   Drinking plenty of water has other advantages as well.  Caloriesperhour.com details many ways that water consumption supports weight loss.  If you don’t like water, you can try the myriad flavored waters on the market.  A fresh slice of lemon or lime in your water or sparkling might also do the trick.  Also, see Redbook for other good alternatives to water. 

After adding exercise, meals, snacks, fruits, vegetables and water to my diet an interesting thing happened.  I started to feel better - both physically and mentally.  The more good things that I added to my diet and exercise regiment, the more weight I lost and the more committed I became to a healthier lifestyle. Suddenly, and with very little effort, I was more motivated than ever to take control of my diet.  I was making better choices.  I was not perfect, but I was better.

Almost by accident, I discovered that when it came to weight loss, more really can be less.

Write It Down!!!

During the last thirty years or so I have occasionally found the motivation to lose weight.  With few exceptions my inclination was not to diet but rather to eat healthier.  During one of those periods I met with a nutritionist.  She asked me to keep a food journal that recorded everything I ate/drank for a couple of weeks.  I remember thinking to myself, “Why waste my time?  I am eating and drinking a lot of stuff that I shouldn’t be.  That is why I need a nutritionist.”  Unfortunately for me, I didn’t take her advice and I never returned for a second visit.   In retrospect, that was a mistake.  One of the biggest and longest weight loss maintenance studies ever conducted was done at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research.  The study found that people who kept daily food journals lost twice as much weight as people who did not keep journals.   WebMD not only summarizes the results of this study, but it also discusses why food journals work so well and it provides tips for effective journaling.

There are many ways to keep a journal.  Pen and paper can work.  But more technologically savvy people may want to take advantage of one of the many excellent free apps that can be accessed from your computer and/or smart phone.  I use Myfitnesspal.com.  This particular app offers several nice features.  For example it: (1) will use your age, weight and sex to calculate how many calories a day you can consume to meet your weekly weight loss goal; (2) allows you to journal your daily food consumption through menu driven check boxes; (3) provides an exhaustive list of foods (including thousands of fast food restaurant menu items- extremely handy when eating out) and nutritional information for each food that you eat;  (4) allows you to use a smart phone to scan the bar code of a food if you can’t find the food in the site’s data base; (5) allows you to add your own personal recipes and it calculates the calories/nutritional values per serving;  (6) charts your weight loss, nutritional profiles, and exercise, and it automatically recalculates your calorie/nutritional goals as you lose weight; (7) provides a space for you to write notes on a particular day’s eating/exercise entry.

An honest, complete food journal will help identify eating habits – good and bad.  If you use an app, it will quickly educate you about the calorie and nutritional content of everything you eat/drink.  For most people, eating is such a habit that it often becomes a mindless activity.  Unless we purposefully pay close attention it is easy to lose track of what, or how much, we eat.  People often forget about certain things that they eat or drink – alcohol and chewing gum for example; or they don’t realize that vitamins and other nutritional supplements can be a significant source of calories. 

Whether it is eating with friends, passing along a family recipe, a holiday celebration or pure pleasure, food plays an important role in most people’s lives.  But too often we actually forget that food is fuel. What we eat, how often we eat, how much we eat and the quality of what we eat directly impacts how we feel and function. 

My food journal was critical to my initial weight loss success because it made me a more educated and thoughtful eater.  It provided me with the information I needed to make better dietary decisions, monitor progress (both nutrition and exercise) and develop weight loss/exercise goals.  Food journaling also held me accountable for my behavior.  Finally there is just something about seeing my success in writing that kept me motivated to meet my goals.

Write it down!  Consider keeping a food journal for a couple of weeks.  There is a good chance that you will learn a lot about food and about yourself.  And you might just discover a very effective weight loss (and weight management) tool.

Move It Just A Little Bit

As I reflect on my weight loss I think one of the secrets to my success was to make a series of small changes over many months.  Eliminating soda was first.  But right around the same time that I gave up soda I started to become more active.  For a lot of people, particularly exceptionally overweight people, even the thought of exercise can be overwhelming.  I was large enough that few exercises were possible, let alone comfortable; they often led to discomfort and soreness. In addition to practical limitations there may be psychological barriers as well.  I was always too embarrassed to exercise in the presence of others.  I had convinced myself that everyone was looking at me – even laughing at me.  

But no matter the obstacles I knew that to have long term weight loss success I had to get more active. Exercise burns calories, which is critical for weight loss, but exercise also provides lots of additional benefits that can improve both physical and mental health.  Depending on the exercise routine you choose, potential benefits might include improved cardiovascular fitness, increased strength, better flexibility, higher energy levels, improved mood and decreased stress/anxiety

There are almost limitless ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.  Helpguide.org offers some excellent suggestions for making exercise a fun part of your life.  Consider your age, health (consult a doctor before starting any exercise program), fitness level, physical abilities/limitations, likes, dislikes and daily schedule.  Evaluate all of your options and then take action.

My personal commitment to exercise developed quite naturally.  About two and a half years ago my family bought a puppy – Samantha (Sammy).  She became a wonderful family pet and I became the main dog walker.  This simple thing got me on the road to a more active life.  Walking the dog was fun.  It didn’t really feel like work.  And for whatever reason, I was never self-conscious about walking Sammy the way I was about exercising in public.

In the beginning, we took 15 minute walks – less than a mile.  Inside a few months we were walking FOUR 15 minute miles!  With remarkably little effort I was losing weight, feeling good physically, feeling better about myself and I was more motivated than ever to keep losing weight.  Oh, and Sammy and I have become lifelong friends! 

In addition to getting more fit, I learned some valuable lessons along the way.  I learned that while people often did look at me as I struggled to walk (and eventually run), most of them were not laughing at me as I once feared.  For example, there is an older gentleman who rides his tricycle on a bike path near Lake Michigan where I do most of my running these days.  To this day, every time I see him he smiles, makes a fist with his right hand, gently pounds his chest three times then points at me with his index finger.  His gesture warms my heart every time.

People who exercise regularly are a family of sorts.  There are no style points for looking good or any bonuses for being faster, but in most cases there is instant respect for everyone’s commitment and effort.  Today, when I pass someone who is struggling to exercise, I usually do look at them, but I never laugh.  I admire them and deep down I cheer for them every step of the way.  And I know that a lot of people are cheering for me too.

If you are ready to lose weight, you need to move it just a little bit.  Add some daily exercise into your schedule.  Pick something that you do not dislike, that isn’t too painful (though a little soreness in the beginning is probably unavoidable) and stick with it.   Once exercise becomes a habit, you can start working on ways to expand your exercise program, increase intensity and burn more calories.  In about six months I went from walking the dog to running my first 5K race.  Within a year, I ran my first half marathon.  Anything is possible, but you have to start.  The more you move, the more weight you will lose and the more motivated you will be to continue your weight loss journey.