What's my motivation to maintain?

I'd thought I'd write a quick follow-up to my last post to spell out my motivation for making sure I maintain, and taking extra steps when necessary:

-It's silly to have gone to the trouble of losing a significant amount of weight if I'm not going to maintain.  That's like planning a date for weeks then calling your date "fat" when you pick her up (even if you have good, fitfattyatheart intentions)
-Peace of mind- I like knowing that I'm healthy and am doing what I can to prevent future health problems
-I like looking good (I'm so vain, and yes, this post is about me)

Look, I know how fun it is to eat whatever I want and throw caution to the wind (health-wise), but trust me, THE CONSEQUENCES ARE NOT WORTH IT! 

I have to stop this runaway bus!

My current predicament reminds me of a movie I saw once where there was a bus that had to stay above 50ish miles per hour or it would explode, and they had to figure out a way to get everyone off and stop it.  I think it was called "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round," and it had Ted from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure."

Over the last couple of weeks I've unexpectedly gained a few pounds.  I think it's due to a combination of factors: less exercising over the last month or so, more snacking at night (even though it's been on whole grain cereals), and eating a huge pizza last weekend on my cheat day (normally I'll eat whatever I want, but not that much).

Here's my plan of attack:

-First, my goal: lose 5 pounds.
-Make sure I'm exercising an hour per day, including 15 minute morning burn, 20 minute gym burn during the day, and 30 minute night time cardio burn.
-Weigh myself every day to track progress (I've been a little forgetful on this front)
-No cheating until I reach my goal.  It might take me up to 3 weeks, but it's worth it.
-No sedentary TV watching- I have to be doing push-ups or sit-ups if I watch the news in the evening.

I'll keep you updated on my progress.

The Costco Quandary

I'm a regular Costco shopper, so don't take me for a hater, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately and have come to the conclusion that Costco is not the best place for a fit fatty at heart to shop often.

Why?  Because it's easy to bring home a ton of cheap junk food each trip.  This is bad for me because the more I have junk food (or any kind of food really) around the house, the more I tend to eat.

Now, it's nice to buy in bulk and save money per weight unit.  So I believe the best use for Costco for a fit fatty at heart is stocking up on healthy, non-perishable food commodities like canned tuna, frozen vegetables, frozen fish, etc., maybe once a month.   

Let me know if you think I'm nuts.

Get fit for Fido

Last night Lindsey and I took our little guy to a large pet store to look at the animals.  I used to work there as a teenager, so for me it was a stroll down memory lane.

Tears filled my eyes as I remembered being bitten by the hamsters.

One thing I noticed that wasn't there 12+ years ago was a bunch of weight-loss products for dogs and cats.  I thought they were funny, but when I started observing the customers and their leashed animals, I realized they were necessary.  They were mostly all huge!

It turns out my head has been in the sand throughout the last decade.

There was an article yesterday on cbslocal.com called "America's Portly Pet Problem," that points out some of the craziness due to our laziness.  The article mentions that a group called The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention claims that 50% of America's pets are overweight or obese.  That's approaching the adult human population, who enjoys a rate of 66%.

Here's a shocker: apparently pet obesity is due to overfeeding and under-exercising.  The problems experienced by animals from obesity are those experienced by humans: diabetes, high blood-pressure, cancer, kidney failure, etc.

So, if my family isn't motivating me to be healthy, I should get fit for Fido.

So, how are the New Year's Resolutions going?

Well, we've passed the honeymoon New Year's Resolution period and are staring cold, hard reality in the face.  I wanted to give you an update on mine and solicit feedback from others who are still going.

My NYR was/is a six-pack by June, cutely named a "6X6."  I began the year with a flat, undefined stomach, and today I still have a flat, undefined stomach. :(  Although I've maintained my fitness level and weight, I've let work get in the way of taking it to the next level, which I can't say is necessarily a bad thing.  Luckily I was already used to carving time out of my schedule to do the minimum amount of exercise (30-60 minutes per day).  At least I still have a few months.

Those of you who have made progress on fitness resolutions, what's working?  Any magic pills or drinks I should know about? :) 

What if I can't make it to the gym?

I don't "sweat" it if I can't make it to the gym.  I do calisthenics (that was prime Bob Saget material I must say).  Calisthenics are exercises where one uses his/her own weight as resistance, like push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, etc.

As I mentioned in the "about me" section, I didn't go to a gym to lose weight.  I didn't rely solely on cardio either.  From what I've learned it's actually a bad idea to rely only on cardio to lose weight because a person burns more calories each day the more muscle he/she has.  I credit a huge amount of my weight loss to Calisthenics.

If you're going to work out at home, I would suggest researching the best calisthenic routines to help you reach your specific fitness goals, instead of just doing a bunch of random exercises.  Be sure to push yourself, but make sure you stretch and you get enough rest to recover so you don't get hurt.

**SHHH!!!- Secret tip for absorbing only half the calories when dining out**

OK, it's not really a secret...unless you've never been good at division.

Here's the tip: make your Valentines Day better by sharing one meal when you go out to eat, that is, if you didn't already celebrate it on Saturday like Lindsey and me.

Here are the reasons sharing a meal makes it better:

1. The meal is more cost effective (or cheaper, for the cheapskates among us), which frees up money for lingerie and flowers
2. Sharing a meal is much more romantic- remember "Lady and the Tramp?"  They totally hooked up that night.
3. There is more room for "dessert," which can be interpreted 2 ways: you can actually eat dessert after the meal, and/or you don't have to be a beached whale the rest of the evening, i.e. "lovin'."
4. You probably won't have leftovers the next day to tempt you if you're trying to be healthy.

Happy Valentines Day!

How do I handle Valentine's Day?

-I find the most delicious looking flowers at the grocery store (the trick is to imagine them covered in ranch dressing)
-I make sure Cupid uses suction cup arrows, not broadheads or points
-I queue up some romantic "Wierd Al" or "Korn" music
-I put on my classiest polyester suit, wide, yellow tie, and high-tops
-I rent a romantic cassette tape... I'm thinking "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" this year
-Finally, I save the chocolates and the dining-out for the weekend before or after.

A reason to look forward to summer

I love winter in North America.

There's nothing as emotionally satisfying as leaving work at 5 pm in the dark, nor as serene as getting blasted by freezing air while waiting for the car heater to warm up.

Since most of us are probably dreading the onset of Spring, I'll offer one reason to look ahead: summer fruits!

I'm not talking about the homosexual snowbirds returning from Palm Springs.

I used to hate fresh fruits as a fatty (except pineapple).  Now, as a fit-fatty-at-heart, summer has become a veritable smorgasbord of good, inexpensive fruit!  Strawberries, peaches, watermelon, raspberries, blueberries, etc. etc. etc.!  It's a lot easier to eat of lot of them and stay fit than ice cream.

If a fruit company ever makes a commercial about summer fruits, maybe this could be the slogan:

"Summer fruits make summer the 3rd season of the year!"   

Good news (to a few of you maybe), I'm not dying!

It's important to note that this post is going to make me sound like an old man, because I can't remember the last time I heard anyone under 80 brag about a doctor visit.  Also, a few years ago as a health-agnostic fatty I didn't care at all about my vitals.  I've paid attention to them ever since I changed my health habits and lifestyle.

I went to see the doctor the other day because I was worried about my heart.  I have a resting heart rate of 35 beats per minute (average is 60 to 100), and although I work out almost every day, I'm not an elite athlete, so I thought something was wrong.  To give you more context, Lance Armstrong's resting heart rate is apparently between 32 and 34 bpm.

As happy as I was, my heart definitely wasn't racing when the doctor told me it's a reflection of my excellent health.   

It is rewarding and motivating for me to know that I'm considered extremely healthy because I don't want to lose any hard-won momentum.

By the way, to find out what your resting heart rate is, count your pulse for one minute first-thing in the morning before getting out of bed.

Americans love to win big, and there's apparently no exception in the weight gain category!

I don't know how to react to the news "Americans grew fatter at a faster pace than residents of any other wealthy nation since 1980, during a period when obesity worldwide nearly doubled," reported in Bloomberg on 2/3/2011 in an article titled "American Waistlines Expand at Fastest Pace Among Rich Nations, Study Finds (the article is actually a summary of three articles published by The Lancet on the same day that report on global obesity, cholesterol, and blood pressure)."

Should I put my hand over my heart, or should I barf? 

Seriously, how can we (Americans) tolerate this news?  Pardon my objectivity, but America is the greatest nation on earth.  Period.  Through America's championing of freedom, capitalism, hard work, and ingenuity, the world has been more blessed and enjoyed a higher standard of living than ever before.

The thing is, we've been THE world super-power arguably since WWII and undisputedly since 1989.  Why are we getting fatter now?  What happened to our self-control?  I hope we're not just getting lazy.

Now, I'm the last person in the world who can point the finger.  As you know, I was a fatty for most of my life.  But, news like this really motivated me to lose weight and still motivates me to maintain.  Maybe it appeals to my inner patriot, or maybe I just don't like to be easily stereotyped.  Probably some of both.  Does it motivate you?

How do I increase my metabolism?

My metabolism is naturally slow.  If it were a driver, it would putt around in an old Buick, semis would fly past it on the freeway, and young people would wonder how it still has a license. 

That is my sort in life, but I've learned that I can take actions to speed it up.  I can paint flames on the Buick and give the driver lead shoes and a bad attitude.    

There's a great article in WebMD called "Increase Your Metabolism- And Start Losing Fat" by Jenny Stamos Kovacs, published in February 2007, that gives some great context on metabolism and tips on how to increase it.  Note: since I became healthy, I've implemented most of these tips in my life.

Context excerpts:  
-Everyone can increase his/her metabolism.
-Metabolic rate depends on the number of calories consumed, the number of calories burned while eating and exercising, and the calories burned due to one's genetic makeup.
-The best way to change one's metabolism is to INCREASE one's need for energy.
-Metabolism does slow down with age, but most of that loss is attributable to a lower amount of physical activity, not fate.  If one maintains his/her level of physical activity, his/her metabolism will only decrease by 1-2% over his/her lifespan compared to an average 20-40% (again due mostly to a decrease of physical activity).

Tips to increase metabolism:
-Put on lean muscle
-Integrate high intensity bursts into one's regular cardio workout- 30 seconds of high-intensity for every 3 minutes of regular.
-Get a recommended amount of sleep
-Eat often, but eat right- vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and other high-fiber foods
-Don't rely on stimulants or boosters like green tea, coffee, hot peppers, etc.  They've been shown to have little if any positive effect on metabolism.
-Eat more fish and fish oil- the omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to significantly increase metabolism
-Don't rely as much coolers and heaters- too much comfort decreases the amount of energy one expends to keep warm and cool
-Find ways to move as much as possible- avoid sedentary activity

Let me know if you have any other tips.

Putting a healthy-eating myth to sleep

There's a healthy-eating myth that needs to finally die or be killed: "Eating healthy is too expensive."

It's not. 

I have heard it over and over, and used to believe it, so allow me to debunk it for us.

It's true that certain unhealthy foods (like Ramen Noodles, Twinkies, white bread, etc.) may cost less than healthy foods (like fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, etc.) on a one-off or pound-for-pound basis.  For example, creamy peanut butter may be cheaper than all-natural, and hot-dogs may be cheaper per-pound than chicken breasts, but there's one fundamental aspect of unhealthy eating that balloons the cost past healthy eating: eating out.

According to the wussy NRA (the National Restaurant Association), in 2000 Americans were eating out an average of 4.2 times per week.  That figure has probably trended upward since.

I submit to you that the money spent eating out far outweighs any additional premium paid for eating healthy, even if one spends a low average of $5 for each restaurant meal. 

Please put your right hand over your heart and repeat after me: I.promise.next.time.I.hear.someone.say.eating.healthy.is.too.expensive.I.will.pull.the.nearest.fire.alarm.