Archive for May, 2010

Don’t let your belly talk to you!!!

on May 24th, 2010 by Rob

Clark was just telling me a few days ago about this comedian that he saw on HBO the other night. I can’t remember her name, but Clark said that she had named her stomach and it talked to her!!! Pretty funny! It said things like- “I WANT CHEESECAKE!”- of course this was in a deep and grumpy voice.

Well, I feel like that too sometimes. How many times have I gotten off to a great start… you know, on a Monday morning- typical- then midway through the afternoon the cheesecake is calling. Usually, it is more like a Snickers bar.

You know, I heard someone in an Over-eaters Anonymous meeting say one time that the problem she had with eating was WAY more difficult than the problem she had with alcohol… she could stop drinking… but she couldn’t stop eating. I think that this is true…. it is harder because we HAVE to eat, we don’t have to get drunk.

Here are some tips that Clark gave us for fighting the cravings-

1. Eat at least 3 well balanced meals a day. Don’t skip meals… and eat snacks. If you skip then you will just be hungrier later and overeat.

2. Give up the guilt. If you slip up- give yourself a break. Also, give yourself permission to have some of those things you like- in moderation.

3. Think “management” instead of “control”. Control implies so many negative things.  If you know anything about AA or any 12 step program, you know that Step 1 is to admit that we are powerless over alcohol or food or whatever it is that we have a problem with. We are… or at least I think I am- powerless and can’t control food. Just think about the word management… it has completely different implications. I mean, can we really control people… no, but we can manage them right?

4. Believe that cravings will pass. If you really pay attention, you will believe this. Next time you have a strong craving, just try to busy yourself with something else… before you know it, it will be an hour later and you didn’t cave and after a few minutes, you didn’t even think about it again.

5. Stop labeling foods as “bad” or “forbidden” or “illegal”. Years ago, when I was trying to stop smoking, I told everyone (and to this day this holds true- my wife knows this) that I reserve the right to pick one up and start smoking again anytime I want to. For me, it was and is, so much easier to just know that I am making a choice TODAY, THIS HOUR, THIS MINUTE, to not smoke… I might do it in a little while, or tomorrow… but not right now. This is the ole “one day at a time thing” and it really holds true for me. I might eat an entire cheesecake tonight, but this afternoon I’m going to have just one small piece.

6. Exercise regularly- Exercise will help you free yourself from tension due to anxiety about food cravings. It is also a good way to distract yourself from food.

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Gonna drink any more fully leaded coke?

on May 12th, 2010 by Rob

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I miss it!!! Wouldn’t you??

on May 11th, 2010 by Rob

This is a picture that appeared just a couple of weeks ago in the Jackson daily newspaper. This is Paul Lacoste (my trainer in the People Magazine Weight Loss Challenge) and ME- the guy in the gray shirt stretching.

I am not in the class right now. I have a hurt leg and would not even be able to participate in the class if I had signed up this time around. But, I miss it. I saw Victor this morning—- another name for Paul (his alter ego) and it was good to see him…. but I miss being in the class with all the other numskulls.

The picture above is from this spring when he was training the Mississippi Legislature… it seems that we have this little problem- MS is the FATTEST STATE!!!

But we are getting better, with the help of people like Paul that care about the state of Mississippi and want us to get more healthy.

I was talking with a buddy of mine in Atlanta earlier today, he was saying how he needed to get motivated to work out and get in shape. He was a college athlete (GA State Swim Team)—– Side note, I did a deep water aerobics class this morning- IF THERE WAS EVER ANY DOUBT- SWIMMERS ARE ATHLETES!!!—- anyway, he was saying that he had a will-power problem because he could not get up and go to the gym. I corrected him- he does not have a will-power problem, he has a motivation problem.

I told him that I was motivated by entering races and going TOWARD goals, you see- I WANT TO SEE IF I CAN DO IT!!! His problem is that he KNOWS HE CAN DO IT- or at least he used to be able to do it- point being that there is not a lot of mystery.

What do you use as motivation to get up and get after it? What can I say to him to help? Help me, help him!!!

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How’s your gratitude?

on May 9th, 2010 by Rob

I would say that I am a glass half full kinda guy.  But, that glass can get half empty in a real hurry if things don’t go just right.

O.K.- let’s just say that I go and hop up on the scale. I have been working out all week and eating well and I am looking for a 4-6 pound loss for the week…. maybe this is a little ambitious, but certainly not out of the question.  So- I hop and low and behold, a two pound gain. SHIT!!! ….Well, SHIT!! That blows!!! I wasted all that time, effort and mental anguish. Not even to mention that I didn’t have that cake!!  So now what?

The thing is… it is SO easy for me to end up having a bad day. So easy for me to say SCREW IT- I think I’ll have some wings… not gonna make any difference anyway. SO easy for me to stop trying… stop fighting. Then, what happens the next morning??? It is just a little bit harder for me to get up and get going… a little harder for me to get to the gym.

This is the story of my life. And it doesn’t even have to be the scale. I mean, I could get in a fight with my wife… which I might add happened yesterday at 5am… I mean, WTF??? How do you do that at 5a.m.? BTW- I love her and think she is great- she just pissed me off momentarily… Or, I could have something happen at work and I could just EASILY move into a Twinkies/Doritos bender… I mean, this is NOT a stretch.

But then something happens. And this is the subject of my post today… something says to me that I need to thank God for all the things that I have. These two little boys that God has entrusted to me…. it is an awesome responsibility.  Sure, I would love to have a nicer house, a better car than the crappy civic that I drive. I could have a better job and make more money and be more importaint… but if I want to stay on this path…. if I want to do my best every day… if I want to attack every day and make it the best that I can…. I have to show some gratitude!!!

Do you let the shitty things in life get the best of you?? Or do you roll with the punches? Get back up? Dust yourself off? Keep going? Work harder? Try harder? Eat better?

It is so easy to NOT move in the direction that makes our lives better. What do you do to flip that switch and CHANGE?

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Why I don’t eat High Fructose Corn Syrup!!

on May 6th, 2010 by Rob

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Set a realistic goal for weight loss!!

on May 2nd, 2010 by Rob

O.K.- so, you have talked yourself into trying to change. You want to loose some weight, you want to quit smoking, you want a new job…. whatever it is- YOU MUST SET A GOAL!!

When I was in the People Magazine Weight Loss Challenge, the first thing that the editor of the story asked me was… “what is your goal?”- “Hell, I don’t know. I don’t really set goals.” — my really smart response. Well, I am here to tell you that if you don’t have ‘em…. you will end up not achieving anything and you will get discouraged. When I was a kid, my dad gave me a speech one time (I am sure I had done something really intelligent) – and I will NEVER forget the last thing he said. He said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.”

Now… I don’t think that he was so profound a thinker to have come up with this himself, but at least he was profound enough to remember it and smack his 8th grader over the head with it. And it is SO true. The absolute first step to this process is to set a goal.

In the coming editions of Weigh Down South TV I am going to talk a little more about how to arrive at a goal… how to set one- but today I want to focus on the two parts of the process as I see it.

Once again- as I see it goals have two parts. You have the STRATEGIC GOALS  and the TACTICAL GOALS of getting from one place to another. Lets just say that your overall, nebulous goal is to have better health. That is great… we could all aspire to better health. Maybe its not even that profound… maybe you just want to look better on the beach… you want to be more confident… actually that is rather profound, but you get my drift.

So, your OVERALL GOAL is that you want to be more healthy. Your STRATEGY for being more healthy is to loose weight. And then lastly you should have TACTICAL GOALS- this is the HOW… How are you going to do it?

Well, you set a goal- a big hairy one. I want to loose 40 pounds. Your TACTICAL GOALS might be something like this:

1. I will get up at 5:00am 4 days a week and go to the gym and do SOMETHING

2. I will only eat fruit in the afternoon as a snack

3. Every Saturday I will go for a 30 minute walk with my dog

4. I will only eat ice cream once a week (instead of every friggin’ day like Rob does)

5. I will eat a 300 calorie breakfast every day

Make these realistic so that you don’t get burned out. These are baby step goals that will help you get to the big goal. These are smaller, achievable goals that will help you build confidence and eventually get you where you want to be—- instead of somewhere else!!

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