Help me defattenize our friends and have a happy New Year!

Thank you for reading my blog!!!!  It's been a fun 5 months.  I have a favor to ask- if you've found my blog motivating, entertaining, scary, etc., let me give your friends reasons to reach their fitness goals too.  In other words- TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT MY BLOG, please.  Like us, many of them are probably going to be attempting healthy lifestyle changes in 2011, so hopefully it will give them more motivation...the more, the better.  There's my shameless plug.

Now, about new year's resolutions.   A New York Times article by Tara Parker-Pope entitled "Will Your Resolutions Last Until February?" published on 12/31/07 reports the results of a Franklin Covey poll of 15,000 customers about their new year's resolutions.  Bleak results:

"Four out of five people who make New Year’s resolutions tonight will eventually break them. In fact, a third won’t even make it to the end of January...The top resolutions for 2008 are the old standbys — get out of debt and save more, lose weight and exercise. Getting organized and spending more time with family also top the list.

Nearly 40 percent of those surveyed attribute breaking their resolutions to having too many other things to do, while 33 percent say they simply aren’t committed to the resolutions they set."

She goes on to state the potential reason: "...experts say the real problem is that people make the wrong resolutions. The typical resolution often reflects a general desire, rather than a specific goal."

There it is again, that pesky goal business.  Here's my recommendation: in terms of fitness resolutions and goals, make one difficult but attainable goal for the year.  Make it as specific as possible (for example, "I'm going to lose 30 lbs by May, averaging about 2 lbs per week until I get there"), then tell everyone you know about it.  Seriously, tell everyone.  This will add a level of social accountability and help you find allies.  As a reminder, my personal fitness goal is 6 by 6 (a six-pack by June). 

If you can't find anyone sympathetic to your goal (which is very unlikely), just remember who you have in your corner: good ol' me, Slim Goodbody, Captain Vegetable, Richard Simmons, and Carrot Top (because he has huge muscles now).

"Taking the stairs" and "parking far away" are a tiny part of the whole

I was watching a morning show today and a personal trainer suggested "taking the stairs" and "parking far away" to help meet fitness goals in 2011.

Those are good changes to make, but I know from personal experience that small lifestyle changes at most only lead to small rewards.  The problem is, naturally resisting change, people want to believe small changes are all it takes to reach big fitness goals- I've been guilty of this many times.  Also, folks on the news don't want to beat us over the head with reality because they want viewers- understandable.  I want to beat everyone over the head because I love everybody- like a mother gorilla watching over her babies.

If you believe that marginal lifestyle changes like those are ALL you need to make to reach big fitness goals like lowering body fat percentage, increasing muscle mass, lowering heart rate, losing weight, etc., I'd like to talk to you about some land I have for sale in Florida.

One woman's incredible determination might help motivate you to reach your 2011 fitness goals!

You probably haven't heard of Donna Simpson of New Jersey, but her attitude and actions powerfully motivate me to be fit.  Let me tell you about this whale of a woman and her ambitions.

Donna is a 644-pounder striving for the elite 1,000 Pound Club and the coveted "Fattest Woman in the World" title in the Guinness Book of World Records.

This mother of two recently schooled us all on how to really celebrate Christmas.  As reported in the Daily Mail on December 27th,

"(she) got 30,000 calories (one pound of fat = 3,500 calories) closer to her 1,000lb goal with a festive feast that could have fed dozens of revellers.  ...Sitting in a reinforced metal chair, (she) chowed down on the world's biggest Christmas dinner as she ate for two straight hours on Saturday.

...(She) tucked into two 25lb turkeys, two maple-glazed hams, 15lbs of potatoes (10lbs roast, 5lbs mashed), five loaves of bread, five pounds of herb stuffing, four pints of gravy, four pints of cranberry dressing and an astonishing 20lbs of vegetables (at least her doctors can't grill her for not getting her 3-5 servings:).

After polishing off her enormous main course, she still had room for dessert and ate a 'salad' made of marshmallow, cream cheese, whipped cream and cookies."

The article cites her attitude about eating, "I eat as much as I want, whenever I want..." as well as a compliment she paid to folks who care about their health, "people who feel guilty about eating are hilarious."  Visit the article for more (she apparently pays for her gluttony through a website where she posts pictures and videos of herself eating- see the examiner.com article from March 16, 2010).

Some might say she embodies everything lazy, ugly, disgusting, irresponsible, and obnoxious about being fat, but I would describe her as an innovative entrepreneuse/prostitute.

Congratulations Donna, best of luck, and thank you for your well-wishes!

Half way through the gauntlet

One holiday down, one to go.  I wish I could say I got past the first unscathed, but that would be a lie.  I was kicked by caramels, kneed by nuts, chafed by chocolates, cut by cookies, punched by pop, and ruffled by Rolos.  

I lost that battle, but I'm still winning the war.  You see, I planned on "enjoying" my Christmas and New Years anyway, so indulging for both isn't a failure per se.  I was strictish last week leading up to Christmas, and I've started hiding all the leftover sweets ("out of sight, out of mind") and recommenced healthy eating leading up to New Years.  

Here's a money-making idea I came up with while "enjoying" Christmas.  If I were fat and looking to take advantage of our litigious society to make a quick buck, I'd consider suing England for introducing toffee to the world and South America for introducing cocoa.  Countries tend to have deep pockets and you could seek some of the punitive damages in the form of fish'n'chips and burritos!

The Church of Bod

This post is for everyone resolving to lose weight and maintain in 2011.  I don't know what level of dedication you need to achieve those goals, so I'm going to tell you about mine.

I have to be as devoted to my fitness initiatives as a preacher to his religion, meaning I have to consistently plan meals, think about what I'm eating, make time to exercise, and continue learning about health and nutrition.

Although people at the office think I'm practicing self-flagellation, I continue to seek reasonable, optimal health because of my goals to live and enjoy a long life and because of the rewards I enjoy as a result like more energy, a better self image, more strength, etc.

I can still eat naughty foods...I just have to make sure I'm eating healthy 95% of the time.

Best of luck with your healthy goals.  Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions, or need help getting motivated.

So far my holiday eating defense plan is working...

In anticipation of this weekend and next weekend, and as a consequence of my trip to Las Vegas last week, last night I limited my eating to salad- a significant accomplishment for a Sunday evening meal.  My mother-in-law made some incredible smelling lasagna that I would have normally devoured.

Here's how I did it:

- I ate a chicken breast and an apple right before going so I wouldn't be very hungry.  I'm convinced that going into a meal starving is the easiest way to screw up.
-I drank water before, during, and after the meal.
- I only had a small taste of the treats some neighbors brought by- toffee good enough to make The Queen Mother beg like a dog and soft, chewy Rolo cookies good enough to make Prince William marry Prince Harry.   

Also, my brother-in-law showed me the diabetes drum he used to use.  A 64 ounce monster, obviously not as imposing as the 100 ouncer pictured the other day, but very impressive nonetheless.  I could feel my blood-sugar rise just looking at it.

How is your holiday eating defense going for you?

My holiday defense attack plan

It's truly the most dangerous time of the year for a fit fatty at heart.  Throughout the year they jab...testing my defenses on Valentines Day, Easter, and Halloween.  During the holidays however, chocolate, caramel, butter, nougat, sugar, pretzels, cookies, and sprinkles unite their seductive, delicious...forces to take me down.

They're after you too.  Right now they're probably coordinating your demise in a peppermint-filled room. 

Here's my defense plan (I've learned that if I don't make one, I lose.  Period.):

-Don't make any Christmas goodies at home- there will be too many already from well-meaning neighbors, friends, etc.
-Try a small bite of Christmas goodies (to thank the givers) and take the rest to parties.  Keeping them out of the house as much as possible is crucial.
-With time off work, set aside extra time for exercise. 
-Watch Christmas movies while exercising.  "Ernest Saves Christmas" and "A Very Brady Christmas" are even better when watched on a treadmill.
-Eat a healthy dinner before I go to Christmas parties so I won't want as much food.

Let me know if you think anything else will work.

A shout out to soda guzzlers

The other day my brother and I went to a convenience store (I'm not going to tell you which, but it rhymes with "Naverick") and noticed this enormous receptacle that I nicknamed the "Diabetes Drum."  Look at him holding that Vesuvius-like vessel!  If you drink one of these tanks full of sugary or even diet drink every day, congratulations on accelerating your march toward type II diabetes!  Pancreases apparently love swimming in Mountain Dew.

Honestly, I love soda pop of all kinds, but I have to think of it as an OCCASIONAL treat only, as in once every few months maybe.  In trying to lose or maintain, you should too.

A reward for being fit

Last Friday I went skiing for the first time. I spent 6 hours on the slopes and fell a lot, but loved it.

My former fatty self would have probably hated the experience and been stiff and sore for days.

I'm pleased to report that thanks to being fit, the next morning I had no symptoms of "old man's disease," that master of sore muscles and ruiner of weekends.

An early new years resolution

At the office today, a co-worker and I made a new years resolution we named "6 by 6," meaning get a 6 pack by June. Isn't that name clever? We should be in charge of naming hurricanes. I'd name a hurricane something scary like "Hurricane Dracula" or "Hurricane Shredder," instead of a boring name like "Hurricane George."

I'm excited about this resolution because I've never had a 6 pack in my life, and for me, it's easier to maintain my fitness (and lose weight) with specific goals in mind...more on that later.

So let me know if you'd like to join in and if you have any tips for 6 pack seeking.

Consistant correction

Yesterday I had some bodacious BBQ for lunch and an extra helping of cornbread salad (probably 1000 calories per bite) and briskets. It was for my work Christmas party and I would have been a fit Grinch to hold out. I had been doing well for the week, but now I'm off. Here was my plan to get back on track:

-eat less for the rest of the day- check
-exercise- didn't do it because I had been up late the night before and needed to sleep
-get a good night's rest- check
-eat healthy the rest of the week- so far, so good
-have a reward on Saturday- conditional upon attainment of my weekly maintenance goal

This probably sounds crazy to you, but I have to operate like this to maintain. It's crucial to find and do what works for you.

A conspiracy theory revealed

I usually just laugh at conspiracy theories, but this one holds water far too well. After much contemplating, scribbling, twitching, and talking to myself in bathrooms, I finally figured out why hoverboards have never reached the marketplace.

Soon after their existence was revealed in Back to the Future II, the Fat Mafia (aka the "Husky" Mafia and the "Big-Boned" Mafia) bought the rights and technology to produce them. They had previously invested enormous amounts of money in the video-gaming industry and were petrified of the hoverboard's potential ability to lure kids away from their consoles.

I don't think we'll feel the hoverboard ecstasy experienced by Marty, Griff and the gang, or Doc and Clara until the gaming industry crumbles. Frankly, I'm jealous! Join me in bringing about the hoverboard by boycotting video games!

How do I find time to exercise?

I've found that for me, if I'm not exercising a total of about an hour per day, 5-6 days per week, I'm not maintaining, and I'm definitely not losing. Your requirements may very well be different (if they're less, INVU), but here is a guideline given by Edward R. Laskowski, M.D., from MayoClinic.com (emphasis added): "As a general goal, include AT LEAST 30 minutes of physical activity in your daily routine. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to increase your activity even more. If you can't set aside time for a longer workout, try 10-minute chunks of activity throughout the day. Remember, the more active you are, the greater the benefits."

So how do I find time to exercise? I don't. I MAKE time and I multitask.

Here are some suggestions that help me:

-Read during cardio. It's obviously a lot easier to do this on a machine. I used to do all my reading in college on an exercise bike. It kept me awake and focused. Now I read scriptures while on the elliptical.
-Move while watching a movie. If I'm not doing cardio, I like to do core exercises while watching a flick.
-Split exercise time up during the day. I try to do 15 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes at the gym during lunch, and the rest in the evening.
-Use lunch time for working out. Since my meals are small and quick to prepare, and I don't go out to eat very often, I have plenty of time to eat and work out.
-Either wake up before the family or stay up later. This is the best way to eliminate distractions.
-Use exercise as reflection and planning time.
-Try to plan the week and each day out in advance. Planning weeks and days isn't intuitive to me, but I have to.

Let me know what helps you make time to exercise.

Most importantly, I always have to keep my short-term and long-term goals in mind, because if I don't, motivation to act often isn't there at any random moment. It's always a lot easier to procrastinate exercise if I haven't committed to it. It's definitely worth it though. Like Edgar Allen Poe wrote, "I took the road less traveled by, and that made me get ripped and a smokin' hot wife, sucka."

Why I'm glad I don't have a Falkor, believe it or not

I've learned there are two kinds of people: those who want their own Falkor, and those who have never seen Never Ending Story.

Although I'm part of the first group, I'm actually glad I don't have one for two reasons: 1. maintaining my fitness level would be far more difficult because I'd never walk...that's right, never...I would ride my Falkor even from the bed to the toilet, and 2. it would probably be expensive to feed and could be hard to house train.

An alarming reason to shed any excess fat...

My dear fatties (at heart),

I'm just the messenger here and am only trying to help. I don't want to be bumped out of line at restaurants, or have the Fat Mafia (responsible for Oprah's success and the creation of KFC's "Double Down" sandwich) put a hit on me for what I'm about to tell you...because...well, if you're fat, news like this is very annoying. I remember well.

Seriously though, I try to keep my blog upbeat, but a study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, reported on by Stephanie Nano of the Associated Press in an article titled "Study Says Even Being a Bit Overweight is Risky," gives a grim reason why ANY excess fat is a bad idea: "healthy white (the study focused on white participants because they were the vast majority) adults who were overweight were 13 PERCENT MORE LIKELY TO DIE during the time they were followed in the study than those whose weight is in an ideal range (defined in the study as a body mass index between 22.5 and 24.9)."

Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society, the senior author on the study, clarifies further: "having a little extra meat on your bones — if that meat happens to be fat — is harmful, not beneficial."

With the study complete, Amy Berrington of the National Cancer Institute claims "now there's really a very large body (I'm sure no pun was intended) of evidence which supports the finding that being overweight is associated with a small increased risk of death."

One more thing about the study...apparently it began after a controversial report was given by the Centers for Disease Control back in 2005 that claimed being overweight offered some health benefits (read both for more details). I actually remember hearing about that report on the news and curtailing a diet I was on at the time as a result!

The bottom line is it's in our best interest, if we're interested in extending our lives, to be within that defined BMI range (the only exception for exceeding it would be for excessive muscle mass and a low body fat percentage).

I know how fun it can be to be fat, but I also know how miserable it can be, and I'm telling you, it's better to be lean. Commit with me to either reach or maintain the defined BMI range, or "sweet spot," in 2011.

As far as the Fat Mafia is concerned, I'd ask a fatty to be my food tester but him/her reaching the sweet spot is more important to me than my own life.

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How do I lose and maintain while traveling (for work, pleasure, or both)?

The fit guy in me doesn't like traveling because it knocks me out of my routine. The fat guy in me finds out I have to travel and cries out, "woo hoo...I just won the lottery!!!" It's embarrassing when this happens at church. Here are some actions I have taken to force fit guy and fat guy to compromise, which benefits me the most.

-Planning meals in advance...perhaps the most important thing. If I leave every meal to chance, chances are they won't be very healthy. An easier way to do this is by:
-Taking healthier food with me.
-Buying food at grocery stores when I can. Once I had to try and find healthy food at a convenience store- difficult, but worthwhile. I found some protein bars, fruit, and almonds. Much healthier than going to McDonalds.
-Drinking water on planes.
-Ordering fish and steamed vegetables at restaurants.
-Avoiding eating at night or in my room.
-Focusing on fruits and hard-boiled eggs at continental breakfasts.
-Buying healthy snacks like fruit, etc.

I love a good meal on a business trip just as much as the next fatty at heart. The difference I believe is I try and save that meal for a designated cheat day so I can enjoy it more and maintain my momentum.

On family vacations, eating naughty food is often the best part. I get it. Still, I have to remind myself that once I go off the binge deep-end, recovering is always exponentially more difficult.

Please let me know what has worked for you.

It's important to be P.H.A.T.T. (Praising Him All The Time)

I'm not trying to be sacrilegious, but I couldn't think of a more fitting title for this post. P.H.A.T.T. by the way is the name of a Christian rap group I happened to see on one of the Christian TV channels while channel surfing several years ago.

In response to my "How do I bounce back when the wheels come off?" post, my friend Tom, who has done a phenomenal, consistent job of losing a lot of weight, offered a tip I believe to be among the most important (I'm embarrassed I failed to mention it after the the help I've received): "when I slip up, I pray about it, remember what I'm trying to achieve and how it will bless my life, then pick myself up and move on."

As I was losing, I asked God for help and tried to remember to thank Him as progress was made. I recognized that He gave me my life and I believed that He wants me to treat my body right, be healthy, and use my good health to help others. I still try to thank Him for my good health but should be more consistent.

I'm not trying to be preachy, but if you're serious about losing weight and maintaining, sincerely ask God for help if you haven't already.

Atomic Avocado recipe

Ingredients:

-1/2 avocado
-1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
-6 Roasted Garlic Triscuits

Directions: mash the avocado into the cottage cheese and put it on the crackers.

Yield: serves 1

Calories: about 350

Lindsey discovered the avocado and cottage cheese on Triscuits part. May her name forever be praised for this glorious gift to mankind! The other day however I was shopping for the ingredients and had a eureka moment, probably as powerful as the one experienced by Dr. Emmet Brown when he invented the Flux Capacitor...USE ROASTED GARLIC TRISCUITS INSTEAD OF REGULAR!!!!!, entered my mind. It was more thrilling than inventing the wheel- it was like inventing the Monster Truck wheel!

Try Atomic Avocado and let me know what you think.

Weird health trivia

If you eat too many carrots, you can turn orange.

I'm not kidding! Not only did the interweb tell me this is true, it actually happened to my brother when he was young. My mom took him to the doctor thinking he had jaundice and the doctor said, without any foreknowledge of the situation, "now there's a kid who loves carrots!" He was right.

How do I bounce back when the wheels come off?

My wife stared at me in awe as I ate piece after piece of white bread dipped in salad dressing last night. Yesterday the wheels came off- not only was I naughty in the evening, enjoying chocolate chips and white bread and butter, but during the day I went to a French bakery and indulged in a croque-monsieur (cheese-smothered ham and cheese sandwich loaded with creme fraiche, a FATTENING dairy derivative) and a pain au chocolat (a croissant-like pastry filled with chocolate). To top it off, I didn't exercise at all! How did this happen? I just felt like it dude, and I shutter to think about how fun it was!

So now what?

Well, I can choose to keep up the naughty behavior and let one slip-up turn into a snowballing mess, or I can choose to bounce back.

How do I bounce back?

I've found it's a lot easier to bounce back when I have good momentum and motivation firmly in place.

Here are some momentum and motivation tips for bouncing back that work for me:

-Establish a habit of eating healthy well in advance. An occasional, atypical disaster-day won't throw me off when I can easily fall back on healthy eating habits. For example, all of the food I have at work is healthy. I would have to leave and buy unhealthy food if I wanted to consume it.
-Keep short-term and long-term goals in mind. For me, maintain a certain weight and live a long, healthy life.
-Remember that tomorrow is a new day and its outcome is up to me.
-Exercise ASAP. For me, there's something about exercise that helps me want to eat and live better (I have to admit, it was an acquired feeling).

To give a little context, a disaster-day happens to me probably every few weeks.

The one good thing to come out of yesterday: I learned another way to get my wife's attention:)!

Please share any bounce-back tips that have worked for you.

How do I control portion sizes?

I used to think Weird Al's "Eat It" was just an annoying parody of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" until I realized two things: 1. it's actually an ingenious example of art imitating life and 2. Michael Jackson probably wrote "Beat It" as a parody of "Eat It." The King of Pop obviously won't be remembered for his attempts at comedy.

On the first point, I believe Weird Al was artistically commenting on his observation of America's growing weight problem back in the 1980s. One causal factor that he identifies in particular is growing portion sizes. For example, take this section of the chorus:

"I don't care if you're full
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Open up your mouth and feed it
Have some more yogurt, have some more spam
It doesn't matter if it's fresh or canned
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it"

One could argue that "Wise Al" is a more appropriate nick-name for Alfred Matthew Yankovic.

Now for the question I posed in the title, instead of just "eating it," here are some tricks I use to control portion sizes:

-I eat many (at least 5) small meals throughout the day. This keeps my metabolism high, my stomach used to small meals, and keeps my hunger largely at bay.
-I drink a lot of water throughout the day (personally I shoot for a gallon or more).
-I drink water before I eat.
-I try to savor each bite, allowing my mind to tell my I'm full before I've eaten too much.
-I use smaller bowls and plates.
-I chew gum or brush my teeth immediately after dinner (I seem to always want to graze in the evening).
-When I go to restaurants, I try to share with Lindsey or I'll eat half and take the other half home. Restaurant food is usually loaded with calories and salt.
-I pay attention to suggested serving sizes and keep the calorie numbers in my mind when I'm eating.

I want to draw from your well of experience. Please share any other tricks that have worked for you by comments or email. fitfattydaddy@yahoo.com

P.S. I'm very upset that Michael Jackson is no longer with us. If he were, he could possibly redeem himself on a comic level by writing a parody of Carrie Underwood's song, "Undo It," called "Control It," about controlling portion sizes. Based on his appearance and behavior, I think he would have been even more successful with country music than with pop anyway.

How do I control my eating on Thanksgiving?

The exercise guide is still coming, but today I had to write about the topic that's weighing the heaviest on my mind, the most glorious of glutton-days, Thanksgiving! As a fatty, I used treat it like a buffet- eat, lay down, eat, lay down, groan, eat, feel sick, eat. As fun as that was, being fit is better. Here's a poem I wrote about how I manage Thanksgiving now:

With Turkey-Day less than one week away
On how to control it I have much to say
I must in advance be prepared with a plan
And force myself to stick to it my good (wo)man
Before I eat I will drink lots of water
Which might make it hard to sit through Harry Potter (I probably wouldn't go to it after the meal anyway- too scary)
First I will focus on fruits and on greens
Then I will switch to plain yams and to beans
Go light on butter, salt, gravy, potatoes
Heavy on white turkey meat and tomatoes (even though I love the dark meat)
If I must have a slice of pumpkin pie
Or some pretzel jell-o, I'll try to be mellow
I'll try and I'll try and I'll try and I'll try!

Let me know what ideas have worked for you to manage Thanksgiving!

You Shook Me All Night Long

I know I promised an exercise guide (should be coming tomorrow) but wow!!!...the response to yesterday's post was fantastic! You sent me many reasons to be unfit, which will all be listed. I thought about them all evening- check out a few of these gems:

-It's funnier when fat guys fall down
-You love the feeling of your heart racing when you push yourself up off the couch
-Double chins are cozy

In all seriousness, thinking about how uncomfortable I was before I lost weight helps me maintain. For example, I remember when cutting my toenails felt like squeezing into a Smart Car full of sweaty clowns.

If you need to lose weight but haven't taken action yet, write down a list of every uncomfortable issue you're dealing with that weight-loss would improve. You might be surprised at how long it is.

A rebuke to my readers

I don't want to do this, I really don't, but I'm very disappointed in both of you! I asked you several weeks ago to help me come up with a million reasons to be fat (I changed it to unfit to be more encompassing) and you haven't sent me any! Why? It's really not that hard- I just came up with 3 more:

-Heartburn makes you horny
-Chest pain makes you cheerful
-Sleep apnea makes you sunny

It's like neither of you cares about the feelings of all the unfit people out there and the legitimate excuses they make for their behavior! Shape-up and start sending them ASAP!

A Day in the Life (food guide)

First, you should talk to a doctor before making any changes to your diet or exercise routine.

Second, although I'm sharing my long-term, daily weight-loss/maintenance diet, I should repeat that the point of this blog is to help motivate busy people to lose weight and maintain while navigating the seas of real life, not to be an authority on diets and exercise. Since each person has a unique body, unique nutrition needs, and unique goals, what I do could be different from what you need to do, depending on what you are trying to do. For example, I have been trying to gain lean muscle mass, so I consume more protein than I would probably need to otherwise. It's important for you to find what works for you, and most important for you to reach your goals.

Third, I haven't followed this diet from the beginning. I actually started with a strict, low-carb diet and transitioned to this a couple of months later at the wise recommendation of some fitness-savvy co-workers. More on diets in an upcoming post.

Fourth, there are differing opinions (depending on the source) as to what constitutes the optimal diet. One universally accepted nutrition principle I follow is a strict avoidance of saturated fat, salt, and refined sugar consumption.

The categories of foods I eat include lean meats (chicken breast, turkey breast, tuna, salmon, etc.), vegetables (with an emphasis on greens), fruits, carbohydrates (whole grains, whole grain products, black beans, sweet potatoes, etc.), and healthy fats (olive oil, canola oil, almonds, peanuts, etc.).

Here is a typical day for me:

Breakfast (7:30):
-protein shake
-1/4-1/2 cup oats
-piece of fruit

Snack (10:30):
-Orange
-1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
-1/4 cup oats

Lunch (1:30):
-can of tuna
-1 cup of greens
-1/3 cup black beans

Snack (4:30):
-1 cup greens
-1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
-1/4-1/2 cup oats

Dinner (6:30):
-1 chicken breast
-1/2 yam or a couple slices of whole-wheat bread
-1 cup of greens or a salad with vinaigrette dressing

Snack (after workout):
-scoop of peanut butter or another protein shake

I'll substitute different foods from the same category in there to add variety, but that's the structure. Can you wee why the folks at the office mock me for eating like a horse?:).

Key takeaway:
-eat many small meals throughout the day to keep metabolism high and hunger at bay

I know it looks scary! If someone told me this during my fat days, before I was motivated to change, I would have screamed in church! Believe me though, the longer I do it the more it becomes just "the way I eat," my body actually craves the nutrition, and I actually enjoy the food. Remember too, I reward myself with treats as I go along (usually every Saturday, but not always), so no love is lost between me and naughty foods.

Here are some helpful resources:
nutrition.gov, cdc.gov, bodyforlife.com, bodybuilding.com, mayoclinic.com

Let me know if you have any questions.

Monday Morning Gut Check

After my much-deserved weekend indulgence described in my "Hungry Like the Wolf" post, I'm up a wee bit. It's pretty normal for me really- I can easily fluctuate several pounds after just one salty meal.

My plan is to get back to my target weight by defaulting to my normal eating and exercising routines throughout the week. I began this morning- check.

Folks have been asking me about my routines, so my next two posts will be outlining them (one for eating and one for exercising) to share ideas about what works for me. I'll also share some good resources for more ideas, operating from the premises that everyone's body is different and everyone has different fitness goals.

For a laugh at my expense, here's a link to me attempting "Hot Blooded" on karaoke at a job party last week. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_wKbz8TqKU To me, one of the most cherished benefits of being fit is the ability to more easily make a fool out of myself! Enjoy!

Hungry Like the Wolf

I hit a personal fitness goal yesterday after a period of strictness and celebrated the best way I know how- eating Mexican food and cookie dough, and watching Teen Wolf with Lindsey.

I could relate very well to Michael J. Fox's character. As an unfit person, I was like the unsure, weak Scott Howard. As a fit person, I'm a werewolf baby! AAAooouuuwww!

Keep an eye out on the road for a hairy guy doing back-flips on top of a van and yell 'hi Todd' when you see me!

Like a Rolling Stone

As I referenced in my "Still Haunted by Halloween" post, Halloween weekend was particularly unhealthy for me. The net damage was about 4 pounds. Since then, to get back down, I've been reducing my carb and overall calorie intake. It's working and it hasn't been very hard to do.

It's important to know that in terms of behavior changes, I'm a laaaazy man. In my fatty days, an increase in weight may have inspired a temporary fitness fixation that always ended in failure, discouragement, and usually even more weight gain because I'd quickly relapse.

The difference now, I believe, is momentum. With nearly two years of mostly healthy behavior and habits behind me, it's noticeably easier to make healthy decisions in the first place and correct my behavior when I do make bad (but admittedly fun) decisions.

From your experience, how long on average do you think it takes someone to build momentum strong enough to help make consistent healthy choices?

A look back at living large

Ahhh. The past. Right now I'm thinking about my days as a "husky" person. :)

Chuck-A-Rama and Chinese Gourmet were like Cheers to me..."everybody knew my name...dum, dum, dum, "and were always glad I came...dum, dum, dum. "I wanted to be where I could see, everybody ate the same, I wanted to go where everybody knew my name...do, do, do, do, do, do...do, do.

Buying big pants and stretchy pants for church, indigestion, sweating, constant fatigue, refusing to wear shoes (only flip-flops because my feet would get too hot) and getting called a "beached whale" by someone I'll call Lindsey L. No, that's too obvious. I'll call her L. Lamoreaux. (Here's the story: we were on a family vacation and I was sprawled on the floor, next to the luggage, groaning, and keeping everyone from leaving. Really, I deserved it...she was joking and not trying to be insulting.)

Getting fat was fun. Do I miss it? Like I miss the flu.

Am I shrinking or are portions growing?

Over the years, I thought I noticed gradual increases in portion sizes at restaurants. If you're like me, you remember fondly specific marketing initiatives like "super-sizing" and "free-refills." As a boy, and then a man with an insatiable appetite, I took full advantage. My goal was to make restaurants lose money through my uber-consumption.

It turns out portions both in restaurants and at home have grown significantly over time. It's no wonder America has a "growing" weight problem. I found some information on NIH.gov that confirms my observations. One example given is the difference between a hamburger today in terms of calories vs. 20 years ago. 20 years ago, the average fast food hamburger had 333 calories. Today, 590! It goes on to say that you would need to lift weights for an hour and a half to burn the extra 257 calories consumed!

Now, I still love to eat. To combat the trend however, I try to eat smaller portions at home and share meals at restaurants with Lindsey. Give it a try- you'll consume fewer calories and save money that you can then spend on lottery tickets!

Still haunted by Halloween

I woke up Tuesday with a cold and I'm starting to believe I won't get better until I do this, so here goes: I. had. too. much. fun. on. Halloween. weekend. (Read: I ate too much on Halloween weekend.) There, I said it!

Here's the story.

Everything was going well last week. Although I spent the first part of it on a business trip, I still managed to eat fairly healthy by ordering fish and vegetables at restaurants. Then, like a tsunami, Thursday evening came. My mother-in-law threw a Halloween party at her house, featuring heavenly, home-made doughnuts, naughty Navajo tacos, and scrumptious scones. Having been good to that point, I thought, "why not indulge a bit?" It was downhill from there. Friday we ate out for dinner, Saturday I ate candy, Sunday I ate candy, and Monday, we ate out again (this is unusual because usually I'll try to limit indulging to one day per week or less)!

This isn't scientific, but I swear every time I eat unhealthy for an extended period of time, I get sick. You'd think I would have learned my lesson by now, but considering I still haven't learned to put the toilet seat down, I guess it's not a huge surprise.

Another reason to be fit: Economic opportunity

In these less-than-ideal economic times, it makes sense to give oneself as big of an advantage as possible in terms of employment.

A Forbes magazine article published on 5/21/08 entitled "Is Weight Affecting Your Career?" cites several sources suggesting that weight-based discrimination not only happens, but is prevalent.

Cort Rudolph, a Wayne State University researcher cited in the article states, "the bias appears to be most prominent during the hiring process, when an employer knows a potential employee the least and therefore is most likely to be influenced by stereotypes (such as fat people are lazy)".

The information I found most interesting was the mention of legitimate reasons employers have to discriminate against overweight people. A report cited in the article by The Conference Board claims that "obese employees cost U.S. private companies an estimated $45 billion annually in medical expenditures and work loss." Also, a study done by the Duke University Medical Center says that "between 1997 and 2004, obese workers filed twice the number of workers' compensation claims, had seven times the medical costs and lost 13 times the days of work from work injury or illness compared with other employees, and the average medical-claims costs per 100 employees amounted to $51,019 for the obese, compared with $7,503 for the non-obese." Given this information, of course cost-conscious employers with any accountability to their companies' bottom lines are going to be wary of hiring overweight people!

Michigan State University associate professor of human resources management, Mark Roehling states, "while employers may think they're saving money by not hiring an overweight person, they might not be taking into account an applicant's qualifications, which could be far more valuable."

True...but since being overweight is ultimately a choice (I know there's a genetic or chemical imbalance element in a small segment of the population, but the CDC clearly points out that weight management is still all about "balancing the number of calories you consume with the number of calories your body uses or "burns off"" on its "Overweight and Obesity" page) for the vast majority of people, why would I want to put myself in that situation to begin with?

I have decided I'm going to give myself an employment edge by being fit. Are you with me?

Halloween is 94% more fun when you're fit!

Happy Halloween!

I'll never forget the time I declared the best holiday to be Halloween as a boy in Sunday School. My classmates wondered why I didn't agree with their consensus on Christmas. The answer was simple, the candy!

Halloween has always had a warm place in my heart, but I love it even more as a fit man. Since most of my meals are healthy by default, I can shamelessly enjoy the candy (mostly peanut-butter cups) and dress up as a sexy nurse...not that I would...but I could.

It's just another manic Monday

Saturdays I'll reward myself for a week of healthy eating. During football season it's with Mexican food. I don't know if I'd call Sunday my "fun" day like the Bangles, but I do usually eat whatever I want for dinner, so that's definitely a "fun" meal. Mondays can therefore be difficult depending on how much "fun" I had over the weekend, because I force myself to resume strictness. The more I have indulged, the more difficult it becomes to revert. Today was on the more difficult end of the scale.

Here's a poem I wrote about Monday.

As much as you're ugly, and loathsome, and bleak
I'm glad that you visit me every week
Your presence reminds me to do what I should
Even if sometimes it's like eating wood

I'm joking more than anything. Yes, it's more fun to eat greasy Mexican food than spinach, oats, and cottage cheese, but as I've said before, the more I do it, the easier it is. And, when I do treat myself, it's guilt free!!!

Also, I've found it very important to revert to complete strictness after cheating because if I don't, it's a lot easier to relax my eating habits and slowly let bad habits replace good.

**Special guest post: a thought from Mrs. Fit Fatty**

Hey, Lindsey here.

After 4 years of marriage, several fad diets, and differences of opinion on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, we finally figured out what worked for us, and together we have succeeded in losing over 100 pounds and keeping it off!

An example of our old ways: I would try a strict low-carb diet and spend tons of time making my own food while Todd didn't care and didn't encourage me. Then we would flip-flop. Todd would try a calorie-counting diet, that I didn't agree with, so I wouldn't encourage him. We ultimately failed and had nothing to show for our individual efforts.

Just like you and your spouse make decisions and act on other important matters together, I would highly encourage you to become healthy together. Have an intervention if you have to, because unfortunately, trying to be healthy alone will most likely end in failure and disappointment.

Let me be clear...

My wife's feedback on my post from yesterday was that it (kind of) sounded like I think I'm the hottest thing on two legs (I'm paraphrasing).

Although it's great to feel comfortable in a swimming suit, my true intent, and hopefully both of you got it, was to express appreciation for the most amazing physical gift in life. Our bodies (fit or not) are amazing on many levels and are really all we have, physically. The minute our bodies are sick, our quality of life diminishes, and life's obviously over when we die.

Being fit cures many health problems and promises a more fulfilling life, but it does not cure homely. I know from personal experience. Luckily I was able to trick Lindsey into marrying me- for whatever blessed reason she never asked me to remove the paper bag from my head until after the ceremony.

A story of unrequited love...

I realized something as I became fit...my body loved me and I never had any idea.

I'm sure my body cried itself to sleep at night, feeling like Julia Roberts in "My Best Friend's Wedding," maybe more like Steve Urkel on "Family Matters."

Like Eponine to Marius, it had been warning me of danger, subtly when I was young, more pronounced with time. These warnings appeared in the form of a spare tire, lethargy, double chins, indigestion, profuse sweating, etc.

I shuttered to think of all the times I had taken it for granted and even despised it because it wouldn't allow me to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I was actually jealous of those who had such bodies. Oh the shame and the agony! Waaaa!!!

After a change of heart, I can now say I love my body in return and fully appreciate it for what it is...the most precious gift I have ever been given. I want to treat it right. After this life, I want to give a good accounting of my stewardship of this gift to The Giver (not from the book, but a good read nonetheless).

My newfound love for my body leads me to a question: although I'm already happily married, considering the current judicial challenges to traditional marriage, is it legal for me to marry myself in any states yet? Just curious.

Working for the weekend

Some days I have to think about a cheat-day on the weekend to get me through. Today is one. At the office I'm surrounded by all kinds of free goodies, and at home Lindsey's home-made wheat bread is healthy but sooo good...so good in fact that I no longer feel sorry for my pioneer ancestors. Sure, they crossed the plains with all of their possessions in hand-carts or wagons. Sure, they faced death at every corner...but I'm sure they had home-made wheat bread soon after arriving, not to mention all the crickets they could eat! I'd bet most lizards would actually be jealous of them.

I love eating healthy and being fit, but I'm still a fatty at heart. Sometimes I'm stronger than others, but the weekly guilt-free cheat days, good health I enjoy, and taste I've developed for nutritious food make all the healthy days worth-while.

Maybe fat celebrities aren't having all the fun

Last Sunday I read the Parade article about Drew Carey losing a bunch of weight. To me, the interesting thing was how miserable and lethargic he said he was before losing. Whenever I saw him on T.V., he always appeared happy and energetic.

Other obese entertainers have appeared to not be suffering from their unhealthy choices, then died young as a result. They include John Candy, Mama Cass, Big Punisher, and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (of Somewhere Over the Rainbow fame).

The truth is, as fun as it is to gain a lot of weight (and believe me if you haven't, it's fun...pizza at night...2 + trips to the dessert bar...Halloween every day...butter and salt on everything...soda to wash it down), being obese is MISERABLE.

Where there's a will, there's a babe!

It's true. Desiring to be fit and staying motivated are essential to any real, long-term progress in losing weight and maintaining (and being a babe- according to my wife).

I believe the more reasons one has to be fit, the more likely one is to find long-term motivation. Therefore, I'm soon going to begin compiling a list of A MILLION reasons to be fit. I'll be bugging friends, family, neighbors, strangers, and enemies for reasons, so consider this an advance warning to start brainstorming. They can be serious or lighthearted...it doesn't matter 'cause I just want reasons baby!!! Please submit them by email or comment, don't be shy, and have fun.

Here were my first 5 reasons to be fit:

-I wanted to live a long life with my family
-I wanted good quality of life
-I wanted to enjoy good food without any guilt
-I was tired of people asking me for my autograph, mistaking me for John Candy or Chris Farley :)
-I wanted to be a rebel...with 66% of adult Americans being overweight, isn't it amazing that being fit would make me a renegade?

Another tip to help lose and maintain...

Limit eating at night.

For me, I'll usually eat at or before 7 pm, and If I'm strict, will only have a protein shake or a scoop of peanut butter after that.

My dinner meal usually consists of fish or chicken breast, part of a yam, and green vegetables- like a salad with vinaigrette.

Have you ever found success with this?

In my opinion, the biggest key to losing weight and maintaining...is...

Setting goals!!!

Now hold on a second before you punch your computer screen!...I've always hated setting personal goals, so I understand the natural reluctance many of us have in embracing them as a means of furthering progress. In the case of losing weight and maintaining, those annoying weenies (goals) are always first to tap you on the shoulder or stick their finger in your ear when you're about to take a bite of a doughnut on a non-indulgence or non-"cheat" day. The thing is though, they work.

By the way, I say "goals" because I've found that the more realistic goals I set and make, the easier losing and maintaining is.

For example, when I was losing, I learned to ALWAYS have at least 2 concurrent goals- one short-term (usually to lose 5 pounds within 3 weeks) and one long-term (to hit my ultimate goal of 170). Once the short-term goal was made, I'd make a new one and the long-term goal would keep me in check when I'd indulge in a guiltless treat...usually broccoli...just kidding...more like enchiladas.

Now that I'm maintaining, with the normal daily and weekly weight fluctuations I experience (due mostly to guilt-free, weekly indulgences), I'll always set weekly goals to be at a specific weight on a specific day.

The bottom line: If I'm not setting realistic goals, I'm not losing or maintaining.

A stroll down memory lane (without needing a fat-guy Jazzy)

Once I hit my weight goal, maintained for a while, and was eating healthy, it was easy to loose sight of the wicked-awesomeness of being fit.

So looking back, here's one thing that has completely changed for me and helps me to stay motivated: day-time fatigue. When I was overweight, I used to get tired in the afternoon without exception. 2 pm would roll around and I'd start dozing for at least an hour. If I stayed awake, I was in a zombie-like state, so either way it affected my performance at work and made me feel like a 80-year-old at 26.

Now that I'm fit...zero day-time fatigue. I have so much energy throughout the day that I'm thinking about looking into Ritalin:).

No problem here folks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just released a study showing that in 2009, only about 33% of American adults consumed the daily recommended amount of fruit/fruit juice (2 servings), and only 26% of American adults consumed the daily recommended amount of vegetables (3 servings).

Wow! I can definitely understand why- there are so many tasty/bad/cheap things to eat.

With information like this available, how does anyone not know why 66% of Americans are overweight?

It would be nice if I could just sing my way to good health, a la Slim Goodbody, but reality demands I actually follow what he says make good nutrition choices every day. The more I do however, the easier I've noticed it tends to become.

Thoughts on eating like a horse

I've always been teased at work for eating like a horse. There are two ways of interpreting that statement: eating mass quantities of food, or eating healthy. In the past I was teased for the former, now for the latter.

Over time I've adopted the motto: to be as healthy as a horse, I must eat like one. Literally. Like a horse, my diet consists in large part of oats and other plants. Like a horse, I’ve actually acquired a taste for those “blandies.” Like a horse, my cardiovascular health is superb. Like a horse, I’ve become much leaner, ripped, and veiny. Unlike a horse, I still don’t have a very long neck. Why are you turning red?

If you decide to eat like a horse, give yourself at least a month of honest trying. I notice after long periods of non-deviating, horse-like eating my cravings for good (bad) foods weaken and it becomes easier for me to resume the horse-like eating after a guilt-free indulgence.

Join me in eating like a horse, and not eating like a horse. Let your office cronies mock- they’ll eat their words when you have a huge nose and they don’t.

Tall-Tale Eradication About Healthy Eating

Pure, incarnated evil!!!

As my precious reader, it is my duty to warn and protect you. 

The following is a description of the most seductive form the Devil takes: a rectangle...about 12"X24"...3-4" thick...fluffy and white on the top...crunchy and brown on the bottom...red in the middle...with white layers.  Humans have been heard to refer to this embodiment as "pretzel jell-o."

When he appears in this state, he is often surrounded by his minions disguised as buttered rolls, gravy, and mashed potatoes.

Many a weary man has tasted the raspberry, pineappley transcendence, become ensnared, and eaten close to half a pan in one sitting.  The pain from over-eating unhealthy, but incredible food becomes his temporary hell.

One would think, "how could anything promoted by Bill Cosby be evil?"  Well, was Fat Albert not evil?  Ah ha!  

I cannot escape this temptation, and you may share my weakness.  We can mitigate it, however.  If we eat healthy during the week, and exercise, the effects of the Devil's power exhibited through pretzel jell-o are significantly weakened.  We can exercise this behavior to defend ourselves from other devilish degustations as well.

Onward fit fatties at heart!

Another narrow escape

I walked past an "everything in here is up for grabs" cubical in the office this afternoon and came face-to-face with a gorgeous, scantily-covered box of bagels.  I'm telling you...the curves on those little donut-wannabe hotties, and the perfume emanating from the cream cheese... 

My heart beat faster and faster as my mind wondered, "what if..." "why not..." "nobody will ever know..." and the bagels...staring at me with their beautiful, brown, raisin eyes moaned the words, "take me..." "I'm hot..." "we need each other...."

Just before I made contact, the image of my wife's face appeared in my mind.  We're planning on getting Thai food this weekend, but I wouldn't want to if I cheated during the week.  I thought of the guilt I would feel in telling her...I withdrew my quivering hand, turned, and returned to my cube.

The bagels cried, but I saved my self-respect and strengthened my self-control.  A guilt-free Thai curry this weekend will render this self-deprivation exercise a distant memory, if I don't go crazy first.  :)

A better, easier alternative to a can of SPAM...a yam!

This is the recipe for baked yams...one of my favorite healthy foods. 

Take some yams, wash them, put them on a pan, cook them for about 2 hours at 400 degrees.  They're done when you can poke them with a knife and the inside feels very soft.  I like them cold, so I put them in the fridge to chill before I eat.

I could eat yams every day for the rest of my life- they're that good.  If you don't like them, you're wrong, and my dad can beat up your dad. 

There's no honor among th...ousand pounders!

A cold, hard lesson I had to learn on my way down was I had no good reason for being fat.  "Aucune" as they say in French.  I used to come up with excuses like, "it's just who I am," or "I'm past my athletic prime so it doesn't really matter anymore."

I was just lying to myself to justify my irresponsible behavior.

My very loving wife never put any pressure on me to become healthy, and always told me she accepted me for who I was.  I believed her...but I eventually asked the introspective question...would I want to be married to a whale?

Being sexy for her became a huge part of my motivation to get fit. 

I believe one of the reasons Americans are fatter than ever (68% of us are now overweight according to the National Institute of Health) is due to the fact that in our collective quest to be politically correct, we have created a protected class of fat people.  We're quick to offer excuses for being fat, WHICH IS A CHOICE, especially when we feel guilty ourselves.  I know that collective thinking helped my weight stay in the clouds.

Let's stop lying to ourselves and love ourselves and our families enough to choose to be healthy!

Always a fatty at heart

A few minutes ago I was assaulted in my own kitchen.
In a rush to eat my healthy dinner I opened the cupboard looking for some plates and... WOOSH!!!  A bag of chocolate covered pretzels from Trader Joe's barely missed my chin with a left hook.  I slammed it shut as the bag was stretching back for a knock-out punch.  In a moment of hurry I forgot it was there- it's been out to get me ever since a neighbor gave it to us.

I've heard it giggling at night. 

That's the world I live in.  My life is like a spy movie, only with a sexier girl (my wife:).  I'll be minding my own business, and bullets fired from a deep-fried something will whiz past, or a taco will jump on my back and start throwing punches!  You see, I'm a fit fatty at heart.  You wouldn't know it to look at me, but I'd bet dollars to donuts I could eat you, your dog, and your horse under the table.

I wouldn't actually do it though (except maybe when I cheat), because I've learned how and motivated myself to eat right and exercise to be healthy.  Between March and September 2009 I lost 54 pounds and I have kept it off.  Losing was the hard part, maintaining is the harder (but worthwhile) part.  I love my body and my family enough to give it all I've got. 

The point of this blog is motivation.  For me (and anyone else in my situation) to maintain, and for others, to lose.

Also, you need to know that as a fit fatty at heart, I still indulge in the food I love, just with control.  Notice above I mentioned that I've learned to eat right, not abandon all of my food pleasures.  I'm not a snobby foodie, although I have refined my preferences- I love just about everything from Twinkies to Truffles.

You're welcome to join me as I maintain.  Actually, will you help me?  I can always use encouragement and I'm going to give it as much as possible.  Peanut Butter Cups always kick me very hard in the shins.  Looking forward to a long, healthy life.