Archive for September, 2009

Feel the Fear!!! Do it anyway!

on September 30th, 2009 by Rob

On March 3rd, 1943 an air raid siren sounded in London. The citizens of London knew they were at war with Germany and that a retaliation attack was possible. But with nothing but the sound of the siren, panic and mass hysteria was the result. 1500 people tried to get down the steps of the Bethnal Green train station tunnel for protection. Londoners went into the “Tube Stations” to escape the bombs. One lady, carrying her small baby, tripped on the stairs and fell. Within a few seconds 300 people were crushed into the tiny stairwell. The chaos lasted less than 15 minutes, but 172 people were dead at the scene, with one more dying the next day.

No German bombers came that night. The largest number killed by any single bomb during the blitz in England was 68. The crush at Bethnal Green was the largest loss of civilian life in the UK in World War II. But bombs didn’t kill those people – fear did.

I have written about this in the past. What we need to realize is that most of our fears are really nothing to be fearful about. There is a saying in Alanon- it is- “I can’t, God can, I think I’ll let him.” To me, this means that we need to let God take care of everything. That does not mean that we lay in our beds, waiting for life to happen to us- we have to go out and make things happen, but it does mean that God will take care of us along the way.

Don’t be afraid of the unknown… it’s probably not that bad.

more

The weight loss list! I’m getting better at this!

on September 21st, 2009 by Rob

I have gotten to where I love these lists. My friend Clark “Bruce Almighty” Bruce helped me put this one together… so I have to give credit where credit is due.

These are 6 things that you can do to loose weight. He presented them at our last Weight Watchers meeting. Check ‘em.

1. Eat at regular intervals. If you wait too long between eating, you may give in to those cravings too easily. If your body is used to eating at regular intervals, you will be able to control cravings and overeating.

2. Make healthy snacks more available than anything else in your house. Have fruit sitting in a fruit bowl. Always have carrots, celery, peppers and/or cucumbers cut up in the fridge and waiting for you. Now, the fact of the matter is, I don’t really like cucumbers that much, but I can eat them and they are a filling food. Put them on a salad next time and try it… it will really fill you up like lettuce can’t.

3. Serve your food on a plate or bowl… never out of the box or bag. You can’t tell how much you are eating and will tend to overeat. If you can see how much is on your plate, will can tell if you have the proper portion or not.

4. Substitute other foods for the ones you are craving. If you are craving chocolate, then eat a granola bar that has chocolate chips in it. If you craving salt, substitute microwave popcorn for pretzels or chips. And, of course, fruit can be substituted for almost any craving.

5. Make sure you are getting enough protein at each meal (especially breakfast). Protein will help you stay full for a longer period of time and will help manage cravings.

6. Drink your water!!!!!!!!

more

I can GUARANTEE success loosing weight!!

on September 21st, 2009 by Rob

This is true! Well, not really. I can’t do it FOR you… but I can tell you how to have success for yourself.

 

This principal is one that goes back to the same ole thing that I have been talking about. That is, don’t be so hard on yourself. I am the world’s worst about this, so I need to write this to make sure that I follow my own advice.

 

Make sure that after you have fallen off of the wagon a bit… lets say you had a bunch of fried fish (what I did yesterday)…. Don’t freak out and then just say “screw it.” The bottom line is that I have changed my life and about 90-95% of the time, I DO eat right. It is not very often that I have FRIED ANYTHING… so it is not that big of a deal. Just pick up right where you left off. And don’t be hard on yourself. You know, we are not perfect!!!

 

In addition to this tip, I also want to share another with you. Now, this is one that I have seen in some materials that are about change. It keeps coming up over and over, no matter what author you are reading… it is ——- (drum roll) ——- establish short term wins! This means that you need to pick a time frame that you can live with and eat healthy. Once you accomplish that goal, then set another one for the same time period and go for it again.

 

It won’t be long until you will be able to see and feel the difference.

more

Pizza, Pizza!!!

on September 18th, 2009 by Rob

In a recent posting on this site, I said that there is nothing that I like more than a piece of fresh fish. Well, I lied. What I like more is Pizza. Have even said in the past that my body retains pizza like my wife retains water.

This was not something that I was willing to do without during the People Magazine Weight Loss Challenge. SO, I had to figure out a way to eat it. Let me lay it on you.

Two choices:

Schlotski’s Deli: Grilled Chicken and Jalapeño pizza

Domino’s (or any other place): Thin crust pizza with veggies

Domino’s is most likely the one that I eat the most. Traditional pizza. It is UNBELIEVABLE how many calories you save by going with the thin crust over the hand tossed. And it is FRIGGIN’ UNBELEIVABLE how many you save over deep dish crust. If you order this pizza with vegetables and ask them to take it easy on the cheese… you are good.

more

Are you Bored yet??

on September 18th, 2009 by Rob

Well, here I am…. What seems like years into the changes that I have made. Am I board? Well, I would be lying if I said no way… not at all!!! I guess I am a little bit. Let’s evaluate.

From a “lets talk about weight loss standpoint. I don’t see how I could be. It seems like EVERY day I see and hear about something new. I hear about some new study in the New England Journal of Medicine that debunks everything that we “think” we know about health, wellness, and exercise and weight loss. So, I guess I can’t be board there.

From a diet standpoint: this, I guess is the closest to being a boring thing. But, I am really not. For the last couple of weeks I have been eating at home… not a lot of restaurant visits. I have had meat loaf, red beans and rice, beer in the rear chicken, carrots, salads, boiled peanuts, sandwiches, granola bars, omelets, bagels, cereal coffee, orange juice, milk, diet cokes, beer… you get the idea. The list goes on and on. So, not really bored here either. As much as I have focused on easy, simple diets, I think that one of the keys here has been that my wife does a good job of mixing it up. Even if I am in the mood for something specific, she will change up the sides and it is not the same as the last time I had it. She is also pretty good about trying new things… So, even if they are simple, they don’t taste simple and don’t seem like the same ole thing.

Exercise: Nope!!! Not really bored. I guess that comes from pushing myself. I have made it a personal goal to get to a 27 minute 5K race. I am running in one at the end of the month (Chapel of the Cross Day in the Country 5K). I am sure that I will not reach my goal this time around, but I am still working on it. In addition to that, I am still working out with Paul Lacoste’s group… he always mixes it up, even within particular workouts.

So, I think that the answer is NO… not bored. And if I am going to continue to have success on this trip… I want to keep it this way.

more

Let’s go out for a bite… and NOT go Nuts!

on September 18th, 2009 by Rob

One of the biggest challenges it seems that we have is being able to go out and eat… and not only eat well, but to eat well. I was talking to Stacey Ferguson the other day and she told me, “I don’t know what it is, but when I get into a Mexican restaurant, I just go nuts”. Well, I ABSOLUTELY feel her pain. I think it is the cheese. As a matter of fact, I KNOW it’s the cheese.

So, what can you do? Well, there are a couple of things. The instances in which I have been out, and not gone nuts have been those cases where I PLAN what I am going to eat. By plan, I mean… I go on the internet and find out what is on the menu BEFORE I even leave my house. I can then check the points value for Weight Watchers and make a smart choice (there that phrase is again). I go to the restaurant point guide on the internet and check it out. Well, you say, what if the restaurant I am eating at is not on the net, or what if (more likely) their points aren’t on the net. It is time to estimate. If I want to eat at Margarita’s and their points aren’t there (their nutritional info is not even there) then I am going to go to another similar restaurant and check out their points. I know that chips and salsa at one place are not going to be fundamentally different than they are at another place… then err on the side of caution!!!! Estimate up rather than down and you will be O.K. Assume that the chips you will eat will be 10pts rather than 8 like it says for the comparable restaurant.

Also, don’t cut out your favorites. If you really like burritos with cheese… then get a chicken burrito… tell them to take it easy on the cheese… Oh, and by the way… ask for the sour cream on the side! But if you go and don’t get your burrito, then later, if you are anything like me, you will just be pissed that you didn’t get to have it… and you will probably end up eating something else because you feel you DISERVE a treat. (More on this later!!)

I have tried to do some things like put my fork down between bites and dip my fork in the salad dressing instead of getting the dressing on the salad… and I have just found these to be frustrating. I guess I have been known to be a gobbler sometimes and it would do me well to slow down and enjoy my food a little more, but it is just irritating.

Lastly, watch out for things like, “cream sauce”, “garlic butter sauce”… tell them to leave this stuff off or put it on the side. I mean, I have to tell you that one of my favorite things in the world is grilled fish… I like it BETTER without the cream sauce.

If you will plan your trips to restaurants, you will SUCCEED in not going nuts!!

more

What is the deal??

on September 10th, 2009 by Rob

Since I became involved with the People Magazine Weight Loss Challenge and started doing research on change and weight loss… it has become very obvious to me that there is a lot of debate about weight loss, exercise, healthy living and what is the best way to do things if you want to loose weight. Today’s topic is just one shining example of this.

 

In the August 17th issue of Time Magazine there is an article by John Cloud entitled, Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin. It is teased on the cover of this issue with the line “The Myth of Exercise”. There are several assertions in the article, but the main one that is propagated by Mr. Cloud is that, shocker, exercise is not going to help you loose weight, as a matter of fact it might make you gain weight.

 

This is based on several studies done at LSU and other institutions of higher learning that say that basicly, working out makes you hungry. So- you eat more. It says that you eat more because a) your body is requiring more for its basic metabolic needs and b) because you feel like you can— I mean jeeeeezzzz, I just ran 5 miles.

 

The very same day that I read this article, there appeared an article in the Clarion Ledger, my newspaper in Jackson Mississippi. It was by Kathy Warwick a regular “Style” writer for the paper. The title of her article is “Attitude best tool for permanent weight loss”. I really like Kathy’s articles and in this one says “Exercise helps reduce the drive to overeat and enable us to resist these hunger signals”.

 

Well, I can’t believe it!!! These two authors seem to say directly conflicting statements. So, who is right? Where dose the truth lie?

 

Well, they most likely are both right… and they both are telling the truth… at least from my experience and my thoughts (and you know, it is my web-site).

 

The deal is that my knee-jerk reaction to the Time article is/was that “I just don’t think that that is right. I have done it. I have exercised and lost weight. I could not have done it without exercise”. And I have also seen that when exercising regularly, I seem to be less likely to overeat. It is kind of like I get on a roll and know that I am doing the right things for ME.

 

At the same time, I have defiantly had that conversation with myself about … I can have that doughnut, pizza, steak, whatever, I exercised today.

 

I guess the lesson is that sometimes we may come across seemingly conflicting information and it may do us well to sit and think about it a little bit before discounting one view or the other.

more

“Don’t drop the egg!!”

on September 8th, 2009 by Rob

Yesterday while at the Jackson Zoo with my son, we watched as the zookeeper offered to let small children hold an ostrich egg. These amazing eggs are approximately 24 times the size of a chicken egg and weigh about 3 pounds. EVERY SINGLE PARENT SAID- “Don’t drop that egg.”  I have been guilty of this in the past. Beth tells me all the time that “he would have never thought of that if you had not said it.”

So, you can bet that every little child was thinking about this as they picked up this big egg. Were they marveling at the size, wondering how long it would take to hatch, imagining using that egg as a soccer ball?  No, I suspect that the thought foremost in their minds was – “If I drop this egg I’m in big trouble.” I think that this little exercise in fear “fear of dropping the egg” was utmost in their minds.

Fear masks our ability to see the positive.

If you’re focused on not dropping the egg you:

- won’t try to lose weight, you might not.

- won’t go to the gym. You might look silly.

-won’t change your eating habits. Someone might see you and say “Yeah, he/she needs to be on a diet.”

These are things that I thought at one time…. and I am trying to help everyone to understand that they were just fears…. They are not real. I was able to go to the gym, I was able to lose weight. I was able to watch what I was eating. And I didn’t look THAT silly. I always tell Beth that I am looking forward to embarrassing my children one day by looking like a big dork.

See, the thing is,  Ostrich eggs are extremely thick and hard to break. It would take a hammer to break them.  It is just that we are used to eggs being easy to break… so we let the fear control us. FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY!!


more

Change it up!!!!

on September 3rd, 2009 by Rob

O.K.- It is no big secret… I have been on a bit of a Weight Loss plateau. In my weight loss adventures… I have seen this a lot. I bet that if you went and polled the Weight Watchers group that I am in right now, 50% of the people in there would say that they are on a plateau.

The thing is, at least for me- it seemed to take me such a long time to get used to and now that I have found some things that I LIKE to do… then I don’t want to change.

Well, unfortunately, I am gonna have to. From everything I have read (and believe) it seems that your body kind of settles into a place it likes. Then, it is more difficult to get your weight to move again. SO, for me- I lost a little over 80lbs in the People Magazine Weight Loss Challenge. Then I gained a little back… and now I am having problems getting  back to where I was. My body has found a good place and does not want to move. You know, come to think of it, even back when I was in college and I was not watching what I ate AT ALL… I would settle into these places. It was like I would weigh 200 lbs for 2 years… then NOT changing anything about how I was eating or behaving in general I would gain 25lbs…. then stay at 225 for the next two years… once again without changing ANYTHING!

I have to find a way to change it now. In the past, I may have tried to cut my calorie intake even more. But studies have shown that this may actually work against me. What will happen is my body (thinking it is back in caveman days) will think that food is scarce and my metabolism will slow down- in turn making my weight loss slow down. So, that is no good. (Remember, this same thing happens overnight to a lesser extent, so make sure to eat breakfast!!!)

Well, the suggestion that I have for everyone (and myself) is to change it up… your work out routine I mean. I am going to go to spin in the morning instead of running. This is also what I like so much about the Paul Lacoste adult fitness training class that I participate in. It changes every day and this keeps my body a little off balance as to what to expect…. so maybe it won’t go into caveman mode. Wait, those cavemen on the Geico commercials are pretty funny!!

more
categories

archives

Newk's Express Cafe