OK... yeah its late, should have posted this 10days ago. Which actually proves the point of the 2 part series. This blog and the next one are about You. and when I say you, I mean me, and when I say me, I mean you. Confused? hoping you won't be at the end of the second blog.
First, I really want you to read this, I already did.
http://drhyman.com/blog/2013/04/19/fed-up-why-we-must-cook-our-way-to-health/
Next, I want you to make a pie chart, doesn't have to be fancy, just make a pie chart that shows how much of your time every week is dedicated to working for others and how much of your time is dedicated to you.
A quick update. Yes the diet, or as I prefer, lowering of caloric intake and increase of physical movement is working. I am down 7lbs from the start. More importantly, I feel empowered by making these choices and sticking to them, and already I can tell a difference in energy and overall healthy.
Make some time today, and everyday for you.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
Move.
I love to be active, funny that I'm in a career that is very sedentary. Editing takes long hours of very tedious mental work, yet it requires no physical work at all. At the end of a day my brain is shot, yet my body is craving movement.
In the last 5years I have seen it all, from being very immobile and not being able to move, to being incredibly fit, to then realizing that it was slowly slipping away again. I can tell you which one is better. I can tell you at which stage I accomplish more. I can tell you at which stage life is less enjoyable.
So when faced with the reality of knowing the difference, why would I choose to be less than my best???
Why would anyone purposefully sabotage their life?
When I went through the program before we talked about the mental/emotional challenges of losing weight. Its the same with gaining weight, something is triggering a change in behavior that results in using food to satisfy a desire. Just saying these words I can think of my own challenges with this and hear past conversations that I've had with people about their own self-imposed limitations as to why they feel its not possible for them to loose weight, to care for their body.
I promise you, there is no excuse that I have not heard before.
The road blocks in our life are all self imposed. I have seen people get very upset at that statement. Even more validation that our inner voice knows it is true, we are our greatest challenge, we are our greatest reward.
So lets talk about the diet for a minute, here is what I am doing right now:
Breakfast:
7am: Fruit (banana, cantaloupe, watermelon) Water, Fiber supplement, VitD, Potassium, Greens Formula, Fish Oil, Coffee
9am 2 cooked eggs, usually fried in olive oil.
11am EAS Lean bar
Lunch
1pm- Huge bowl of Veggies. Sweet Peppers, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cucumber. Not often doing salads to avoid dressing for now
3pm- Atkins Shake
Dinner
5pm- Atkins Shake
7pm EAS Bar
at least 8 glasses of water. This is the "Blue-print" sometimes I have bars at lunch and the big meal later. I also make a Chicken breast stir fry and add Quinoa. Its not like one cannot deviate from this list, however I find it easier if my days are fairly regimented.
I am also leaving room for one meal per week to be a "family" event, not where I will go wild, rather make smart choices while eating what everyone else eats.
I am reminded of the Twinkies Diet. A professor, about the time I was completing the major weigh loss, did a Twinkies diet. For a duration of time he only ate Twinkies and proved that if the caloric count was low enough he could loose weight eating only Twinkies. He was right. This goes back to the previous blog about Math. While in the long run nutrition does matter, what really counts in loosing weight is counting the calories. Eat less, move more works every time.
Last thought for the day, Appearances. The amount of complements a person gets after loosing a large amount of weight is staggering, and if someone is blessed with a look society has deemed as attractive, it can be a real mental challenge to deal with the way one is suddenly treated, just because of appearances. For good or bad, I am one of those people. At my ideal weight, I get un-natural attention. My desire to loose weight has nothing to do with what I look like.
Its a part of this that I do struggle with. Going back to the top of this blog I talked about knowing the difference between carrying extra weight and not, it is clear, crystal clear, that at a lower weight my body works better, moves better, functions better, is healthier, operates more efficiently, performs better, is better. That has NOTHING to do with what I look like, it has EVERYTHING to do with being Healthy.
If there is one thing I have learned in this process it is the incredible gift of good health and how much "More" of my self there is to celebrate when there is less of me around to celebrate.
Zen.
Today's weight 275
Goal weight 225
-50 to go.
I love to be active, funny that I'm in a career that is very sedentary. Editing takes long hours of very tedious mental work, yet it requires no physical work at all. At the end of a day my brain is shot, yet my body is craving movement.
In the last 5years I have seen it all, from being very immobile and not being able to move, to being incredibly fit, to then realizing that it was slowly slipping away again. I can tell you which one is better. I can tell you at which stage I accomplish more. I can tell you at which stage life is less enjoyable.
So when faced with the reality of knowing the difference, why would I choose to be less than my best???
Why would anyone purposefully sabotage their life?
When I went through the program before we talked about the mental/emotional challenges of losing weight. Its the same with gaining weight, something is triggering a change in behavior that results in using food to satisfy a desire. Just saying these words I can think of my own challenges with this and hear past conversations that I've had with people about their own self-imposed limitations as to why they feel its not possible for them to loose weight, to care for their body.
I promise you, there is no excuse that I have not heard before.
The road blocks in our life are all self imposed. I have seen people get very upset at that statement. Even more validation that our inner voice knows it is true, we are our greatest challenge, we are our greatest reward.
So lets talk about the diet for a minute, here is what I am doing right now:
Breakfast:
7am: Fruit (banana, cantaloupe, watermelon) Water, Fiber supplement, VitD, Potassium, Greens Formula, Fish Oil, Coffee
9am 2 cooked eggs, usually fried in olive oil.
11am EAS Lean bar
Lunch
1pm- Huge bowl of Veggies. Sweet Peppers, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cucumber. Not often doing salads to avoid dressing for now
3pm- Atkins Shake
Dinner
5pm- Atkins Shake
7pm EAS Bar
at least 8 glasses of water. This is the "Blue-print" sometimes I have bars at lunch and the big meal later. I also make a Chicken breast stir fry and add Quinoa. Its not like one cannot deviate from this list, however I find it easier if my days are fairly regimented.
I am also leaving room for one meal per week to be a "family" event, not where I will go wild, rather make smart choices while eating what everyone else eats.
I am reminded of the Twinkies Diet. A professor, about the time I was completing the major weigh loss, did a Twinkies diet. For a duration of time he only ate Twinkies and proved that if the caloric count was low enough he could loose weight eating only Twinkies. He was right. This goes back to the previous blog about Math. While in the long run nutrition does matter, what really counts in loosing weight is counting the calories. Eat less, move more works every time.
Last thought for the day, Appearances. The amount of complements a person gets after loosing a large amount of weight is staggering, and if someone is blessed with a look society has deemed as attractive, it can be a real mental challenge to deal with the way one is suddenly treated, just because of appearances. For good or bad, I am one of those people. At my ideal weight, I get un-natural attention. My desire to loose weight has nothing to do with what I look like.
Its a part of this that I do struggle with. Going back to the top of this blog I talked about knowing the difference between carrying extra weight and not, it is clear, crystal clear, that at a lower weight my body works better, moves better, functions better, is healthier, operates more efficiently, performs better, is better. That has NOTHING to do with what I look like, it has EVERYTHING to do with being Healthy.
If there is one thing I have learned in this process it is the incredible gift of good health and how much "More" of my self there is to celebrate when there is less of me around to celebrate.
Zen.
Today's weight 275
Goal weight 225
-50 to go.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Hardcore Math.
1+1 = 2
true or false? If I eat one serving of food that has X calories in it, isn't the second serving free of calories? I should only have to count a serving once right? I mean, we are just sitting here eating a great meal together, what does serving size have to do with weight control?
Math.
It doesn't lie, it just counts. We can complain, whine, be mad, feel any emotion that we want, yet truth is truth and calories count no matter what we think or feel.
How often do we really look at the calories of something, or measure out the serving to be the amount on the box? Serving sizes are not a suggestion, they are a tool of measurement. I can, and did, get into the habit of eating beyond the serving size and rationalize it by saying "well its really healthy food so its ok to eat this much" all the while knowing this was not true. Guess what, its not true. Over eating is over eating. Great so it wasn't cheeseburgers; trust me the fat that gets gained isn't concerned where it came from or how it got there, it just is.
Food is fuel, you'll likely hear me say that often in this blog. In reality, my job does not require a large amount of physical fuel. Sitting and editing movies or mixing audio is mentally tiring, yet it burns very few calories and requires dedication to not moving much while working.
Therefore my first ally in getting back on track is Math.
Counting each calories, keeping a record of what I am eating and how much I am moving and making sure that there is more output than input. Burn more fuel than I consume. Math, as my friend Ali would say "It's so easy" he is right, this math is simple, calorie in, calorie out.
Today there are more tools available than ever to help any of us manage our health. The key with these tools is that we have to use them. Bummer, right? Effort? Actually I am excited by work, I enjoy doing, so I found a tool that helps me count calories, tracks how many are burned and compares the data for me daily. It's called Caloriecount.com I'm not endorsing them, just sharing my experience so that anyone else can do the same thing.
Math, its our best friend in weight loss, track those calories, loss the weight.
Grateful.
1+1 = 2
true or false? If I eat one serving of food that has X calories in it, isn't the second serving free of calories? I should only have to count a serving once right? I mean, we are just sitting here eating a great meal together, what does serving size have to do with weight control?
Math.
It doesn't lie, it just counts. We can complain, whine, be mad, feel any emotion that we want, yet truth is truth and calories count no matter what we think or feel.
How often do we really look at the calories of something, or measure out the serving to be the amount on the box? Serving sizes are not a suggestion, they are a tool of measurement. I can, and did, get into the habit of eating beyond the serving size and rationalize it by saying "well its really healthy food so its ok to eat this much" all the while knowing this was not true. Guess what, its not true. Over eating is over eating. Great so it wasn't cheeseburgers; trust me the fat that gets gained isn't concerned where it came from or how it got there, it just is.
Food is fuel, you'll likely hear me say that often in this blog. In reality, my job does not require a large amount of physical fuel. Sitting and editing movies or mixing audio is mentally tiring, yet it burns very few calories and requires dedication to not moving much while working.
Therefore my first ally in getting back on track is Math.
Counting each calories, keeping a record of what I am eating and how much I am moving and making sure that there is more output than input. Burn more fuel than I consume. Math, as my friend Ali would say "It's so easy" he is right, this math is simple, calorie in, calorie out.
Today there are more tools available than ever to help any of us manage our health. The key with these tools is that we have to use them. Bummer, right? Effort? Actually I am excited by work, I enjoy doing, so I found a tool that helps me count calories, tracks how many are burned and compares the data for me daily. It's called Caloriecount.com I'm not endorsing them, just sharing my experience so that anyone else can do the same thing.
Math, its our best friend in weight loss, track those calories, loss the weight.
Grateful.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Time flies.
wow, its been over 3 years since I posted here, time to update. The journey changed my life. Yet over the last year and especially 4 months I have not been careful about choices and guess what, the weight was starting to sneak back. So over the last few weeks I've been working on getting back on track. Now I'm feeling very good about my choices again and know that when any of us chooses to take control we can do it.
In the last couple of weeks I've joined a gym and started regular workouts, this week I am now watching and counting calories and staying true to a low calorie lifestyle.
Food is such an important part of socializing, its a constant reminder to stay true to myself and not the needs and desires of others. Everyone loves decadent food on some level, yet I have to seriously ask myself why am I eating? Am I REALLY hungry?
Over the last month or two, I've noticed how easy it is to give into and just have a little more, even when I was not hungry, then realizing, am I ever hungry right now? Its so easy to just stay "full" and not let the body do its natural thing. Feeling Hunger is Healthy, feeling full or stuffed is not.
This is my journey, this is my body, at 42 I am well aware of what I truly need versus want. I do better when the Needs are meet and the Wants are left idle.
So, here is to my health, to me making choices that are about being Healthy and eating to fuel my body. Fueling my body with wonderful, healthful foods. Its a great time to do it with all the Farmers markets right now, good, terrific tasting food is abundant!
wow, its been over 3 years since I posted here, time to update. The journey changed my life. Yet over the last year and especially 4 months I have not been careful about choices and guess what, the weight was starting to sneak back. So over the last few weeks I've been working on getting back on track. Now I'm feeling very good about my choices again and know that when any of us chooses to take control we can do it.
In the last couple of weeks I've joined a gym and started regular workouts, this week I am now watching and counting calories and staying true to a low calorie lifestyle.
Food is such an important part of socializing, its a constant reminder to stay true to myself and not the needs and desires of others. Everyone loves decadent food on some level, yet I have to seriously ask myself why am I eating? Am I REALLY hungry?
Over the last month or two, I've noticed how easy it is to give into and just have a little more, even when I was not hungry, then realizing, am I ever hungry right now? Its so easy to just stay "full" and not let the body do its natural thing. Feeling Hunger is Healthy, feeling full or stuffed is not.
This is my journey, this is my body, at 42 I am well aware of what I truly need versus want. I do better when the Needs are meet and the Wants are left idle.
So, here is to my health, to me making choices that are about being Healthy and eating to fuel my body. Fueling my body with wonderful, healthful foods. Its a great time to do it with all the Farmers markets right now, good, terrific tasting food is abundant!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
212
I like to accomplish what I set out to do. Who doesn't? Who wants to do something half way? or Half hearted? Not me. Honestly I find it very, hmm, exciting, even "sexy" about setting a goal and acheiving it. Twealve pounds. I know there where days in my past where I likely could have fluctuated nearly that much in a day.... nearly. Twealve pounds stands between me and the goal.
I am starting to foget what it was like to carry the burden of extra weight. My mind and body are rebuilding in ways that before this process I didn't even notice. Didn't notice because I could NOT see my body. I was blind from the self-destructive actions of abusing myself.
Mind, Body, Spirit. They are interwoven and when one is out of balance how can it not affect the others?
Here is a photo from last Friday, Kara and I attended the Shinedown concert at the Alaska State Fair. It was an Amazing day, what likely was the last day of Summer in many ways... Before Kara arrived in Alaska, she too had been on a weight loss journey losing 100lbs herself, so we are both very happy to be looking fine, hanging with the band.
When your not living what you dream, if your not full of everything you desire, set a goal to change it. Whatever that is, its not weight for everyone, so whatever your area in life you wish to improve or radically change, the power to do so is inside you. I believe it, and I am living it.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
