Weight

More Weight Loss Myths Revealed

on July 21st, 2011 by Rob

Did a story about this some time back and I think it might be time to check out some more “myths” about weight loss.

To me, it really is as simple as move more, eat less. Of course, we all know, it is not that simple. There are all kinds of questions. All kinds of things that everyone has heard about how to lose weight. All kinds of things that they have heard that might or might not be correct. Let’s just take a quick look at some of those.

1. To lose weight, you must exercise long and often- Well, this is kind of true and kind of not. I am a big proponent of running. It is great for you, burns lots of calories and I enjoy the way it feels- when I am done. However, it is not really necessary. It is possible to lose weight by WALKING. I know… Walkin’ is for Haley Barber (Let’s Go Walking Mississippi ad campaign we have had here for a few years)… but the fact is that it burns calories too. It may just take a bit longer.

2. You have to join a gym to exercise- NOPE. Walking and running are free. Just get out there and “do it”.

3. Weight Loss provides more benefits than exercise- Nope again. Skinny people that do not have good cardiovascular health will die before obese people that do. So get out there and run.

4. You don’t have to lift weights to lose weight- Well, this is kind of true and kind of false. It is true that you can lose weight not lifting weights… but it is kind of like the run vs. walk discussion from a minute ago. If you want to lose weight… lift weight. When you do that, the after-burn will continue for several hours… burning more calories. This does not really happen with cardio exercise. (It does a little, but it is not significant).

So, there you have it. I hope I straightened you out on a few points. And remember—- Get up! Get moving!!! Have a better life!!!

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Americans and their Weight Delusions

on June 5th, 2011 by Rob

Well… not a big surprise here… more Americans are over-weight than ever before. More Mississippians are over-weight than ever before. But hey, I shouldn’t complain too much- If we hadn’t been in this fix, then I may not have ever gotten my big break, right?

Well, here is something that I read this week that might be a little more shocking to you. It seems that more and more people don’t care about their weight. And it seems that it is because they see more and more over-weight people around them.

A recent survey showed that only8% of Americans believe that they are obese. However, the true number runs around 35%!!!! That is a bit skewed.

The thing is… there are so many other obese people running around out there that we have gotten to the point that bigger is normal.

Dr. David L. Katz (that is so great that there is a Dr. Katz out there in the world- I wonder if he gets lots of jokes) at Yale University says that “We might like to be okay at any size, but the simple fact of the matter is that we are not”.

The deal is this… most people are aware of these problems that obesity causes. But more and more people are getting burned out. They don’t want to do the work and then low and behold, the population is getting bigger- so they feel a bit more normal.

Last year, and this is a staggering figure… the number of people in the U.S. that say they do not exercise at all rose from 37% to 43%. IN ONE YEAR!!!

Holy Cow people. We need to get up!!!! Get moving!!! And have a better life!!!

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Weight Loss Myth #2- Revealed!!

on March 27th, 2011 by Rob

Is it correct to say HUGE SHRIMP??

Myth #2: Eat small meals every 3-4 hours.

Well, I don’t know if this one is really a myth or not. The thing is that a lot of skinny people do this. However, it is also true that there are not many skinny people that tend to check their watches and go eat on a schedule.They eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. Easy right?

How about this…. let’s eat when we are hungry. Listen to your body. It will tell you when it is dinner time. Instead of watching the clock— listen to your stomach. And remember, it is only about the size of your fist, so it only holds so much food comfortably.

Now, I will also say that I like the idea of snacking between meals because it keeps me from getting hungry and freaking out at the next meal. THIS will lead us into our next myth!!! Tune in in the next few days!!!

Meanwhile, Get up!! Get moving!!! Have a better life!!!!!

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Weight Loss Myths- REVEALED!!!

on March 24th, 2011 by Rob

Now, that IS weird!!

O.K.- it is impossible for something that is as far reaching and as widespread as weight loss to not have some misinformation attached to it. Heck, this is part of the reason that I decided to start blogging about this subject in the first place.

So, what I want to do over the next few days is explore some of the myths that have been perpetuated about weight loss. I guess they have been things that have come up and someone somewhere said something about them… someone that had some credibility either by being a doctor or just by being someone you know… and then magicly they became fact. You know what THEY say don’t you? THEY are pretty smart!!

The point is that I will bring up a myth and then do my best to debunk it- or at least give my opinion.

MYTH #1- Don’t eat after 7pm

Well, here is the deal. Whatever you take in in a day, you have to burn off in a day or you will gain weight. It really is that easy. Your metabolism does not shut off after 7pm. The thing is- a lot of people that have weight problems eat after dinner. They don’t really eat because they are hungry… they eat because they are bored, lonely or something else.

Try this- get a hobby! Come up with something else to do besides sit on your ass and watch TV and eat Cheetos.

And how about this, rather than coming up with a RULE to address your bad habit, just ask yourself, “Am I really hungry?”- if you are, then eat. Don’t let it get out of hand though-

Bottom line, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie- whatever time of day you eat it. It would be better to”

Get up! Get moving!! And I promise, you will have a better life!!!!!!

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Oh Canada!

on March 19th, 2011 by Rob

I HAD to do it!!

We are not alone!! That is the alternate headline for this post.

In light of my last post… about Mississippi and our weight problems… and how much they are going to cost us- I decided to point out that its tough all over. Even in Colorado, where the residents there are the healthiest in the U.S.- its still not real good.

Oh, Canada— back on subject—- your obesity rate is 24%. Now, I realize that this is not the 34% that we can brag about here in the states…. but it is bad none the less. What is the deal? I thought that we were the only ones getting fatter. I like to blame it on the fried chicken that we eat so much of here in The South.

Oh, well- guess those hosers should Get Up!! Get Moving! and Have a Better Life too!!!

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Cost of Obesity- $4Billion

on March 15th, 2011 by Rob

Holy Schnikies!!!!! Well, I don’t even know what to say.

I guess we better get on the ball and lose some weight Mississippi. Yep…. that is right, this is the total for our state ALONE!! That is even more out of control.

These estimates are based on a percentage of Medicaid and Medicare costs. The bottom line here is that we (the taxpayers) will have to pay this.

Obesity now kills more people than cigarettes— and contributes to a whole host of diseases and conditions: heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart attack, kidney disease and sleep apnea- just to name a few. All these things cost money— in addition to killing you. It is going to cost a lot of money to treat you before you die.

Get up!! Get moving!!! Have a better life!!! Don’t be a drain on the tax-payers of the state or the country. Hey- don’t be a drain on your family (co-payments anyone?!?!?!?)

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6 Tips For Getting Started

on March 1st, 2011 by Rob

How we would all LOVE to start!!!!

O.K.- So we have blown it on the New Year’s resolutions. Yeah… shit happens. But that doesn’t mean that we have to give up.

Here are some tips to help you get started. The most importaint thing is to JUST DO IT- as Nike would say. (BTW- I saw a guy in the gym with a shirt on the other day that said “Doin’ it” —- pretty good!!)

So, how do we do it?? Try these.

1. Write out your goals. What’s your wellness vision? Where do you envision yourself a year from now? How about five years from now?  Goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Action-based, Realistic and Timely. Also make sure to have some short term goals so that you will get traction and have smaller WINS along the way.

2. Have a plan. Rarely, if ever, is any major task or project accomplished without a plan in place. If the goals are the STRATEGY, then this plan is the TACTICS… the nuts and bolts of how you are going to reach the goals. This is your game plan – it should be flexible… so that when you get off the plan you won’t crash. Make it active. Include specific steps you will take to reach your goals.

3.  Start a journal. Write down each and every morsel of food that goes in your mouth. You will be surprised by how much you are eating.

4. Take the step to hire a personal trainer. Now I know… it can be expensive. But the insight that a trainer will give you is invaluable. They can tell you what and how to do it. They can also offer some accountability- if you go regularly. I can not tell you how well this money will be spent.

5. Learn from your setbacks. Making mistakes and experiencing failure is all a part of being human.  Just DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP!!! Sometimes life is two steps forward, one step back!

6.  Stop comparing yourself to others. We’re bombarded by images of “perfect” bodies every day. It’s easy to get caught up in all of it and feel as though we’ll never measure up – and chances are, we won’t. Personally, I have problems walking around thinking that I am not perfect, but everyone else is… and I am talking about from a psychological perspective. I had to learn to stop judging my insides by everyone else’s outsides. Everyone has problems and things that they have to overcome.

So, even if your start looked more like this:

Try these things. Get up!!! Get moving!!! Have a better life!!!

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6 Ways to Lose Weight

on January 25th, 2011 by Rob

Once again, here we are… two, almost three weeks into the new year. We all have renewed our passion- to lose weight. Or at least I have. I want to lose about 20 pounds. Now, a big part of my plan is the running 1000 miles this year thing. You can see my progress on the GOALS tab above. I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on what might work… to lose weight… and what is not going to work. Let me see if I can fill you in on my thoughts. Let me reiterate, I am NOT a doctor. I am NOT a personal trainer. I am just a guy that has had some success- take these for what they are- MY experience. What works for you may not be the same- but my opinions are pretty strong.

Opinion #1: You can not take weight off of specific body parts by doing exercises that target those areas.

This is just not going to work. It doesn’t burn fat. When you lose weight, you are unable to choose the area in which the reduction will occur. For example, doing sit-ups will strengthen you abs but will not take the fat off of your stomach. Similarly, an activity like running burns fat all over your body, not just your legs. It has been my experience that you will lose weight from the ends- toward the middle. Paul Lacoste gave me a real hard time one day about how much “HEAD FAT” I had lost. And it was true- it was like one day I woke up and my head was smaller- I breifly looked like Beatlejuice.

Opinion #2: Women who lift weights will not bulk up.

I just have not seen it. Take for example, Cammy- she lifts all the time and I am here to tell you that when I met her (in person) she has not “bulked up”. She is perfectly petite and looks like a normal woman. It is importaint for EVERYONE to resistance train. It will increase your metabolisim and will promote weight loss. From what I understand (remember, I am not a doc) women’s testosterone levels are much lower than men’s, so in most cases, they are not capable of building large muscles. In fact, since muscle takes up less room than fat, women tend to lose inches when they strength train.

Opinion #3:  If you can’t exercise hard, do it anyway.

Even moderate activity is shown to reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke. I read some information the other day from the AMA that showed that getting your heart rate up for just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, decreases your “heart risk” by 30%-50%. If that is not a case to go walking around your neighborhood, I don’t know what is.

If you don’t have 30 minutes in your day to exercise, try splitting it up into 10-minute segments instead. Everyone can find 10 minutes to spare sometime during the day! Remember that any exercise is better than none!

Opinion #4: Performing abdominal exercises will not give you a flat stomach.

This is similar to Opionion #1 above. The fact is, the only way to get a flat stomach is to strip away the fat around the midsection. This is accomplished by doing cardio/aerobic exercise (to burn calories), strength training and following a good diet. Now… this being said, I still go to Lu’s ab class a lot. I like it because it strenthens my core…. and that is going to boost my metabolism.

Opinion #5: You will burn more fat if you exercise at a high intensity.

The most important factor in exercise and weight control is the total calories burned during the activity. The faster you walk, bike or swim, for example, the more calories you use per minute. Although you will be burning fewer “fat calories”, you will be burning more total calories. This will lead to over-all weight loss. This attacks the “fat burning zone” chart that you see around the gym all the time. This is NOT the way to go at this. Besides, I don’t want to spend hours in the gym… I want to get it done and get on with life.

Opinion #6: Pass the “Talk Test”

And this is very close to #5, durring your workout, you should be sweating and breathing hard. You should not be so out of breath that you cannot answer a question, but should not be so comfortable that you can carry on a full conversation. I swear, I see this time and time again- people on the treadmill talking on their phones. WTH??? What are you doing here? That is not going to do you any good! Get off the phone!!!! If you can carry on a conversation with the person next to you- speed it up!!

Once again, these are my opinions. Keep what works for you and discard the rest. But my over-all opinion is to:

Get up!! Get moving! And have a better life!!!!

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Half Their Size!!

on January 10th, 2011 by Rob

I feel like doing this sometimes!!

Funny enough… I was once in a Magazine that was titled just this.

But not so funny is that we, as Americans… oh, who am I kidding— me and we as my family seem to go out to eat more and more. Well, the problem with this is that the portion size keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Seriously, I went out the other night (we were at McAlister’s Deli I THINK)…. and I ordered a turkey club. You should have seen the SIZE of this thing. Now there was a time when I would have polished off the whole thing without any problem whatsoever… not so much now.

Here are some strategies for beating the portion  distortion problem that we all face. Starting with my favorite:

1. Half it up! My wife and I go out all the time and split whatever they have as a SINGLE entree. Obviously this is easier with a sandwich than it is with soup— but you CAN ask for an extra bowl.

2. Rolls and baguettes are like TWICE the size that they should be for a normal person’s sandwich. Ask for wheat bread- It will most likely be smaller and will have more fiber—- i.e. filling you up faster!

3. Trim down on the salad dressing (skip the croutons)- I have said this before, skip these little dressing bombs and you will skip lots of the calories. You don’t have to go crazy and strictly eat the rabbit food… I mean, the best part of the salad is the dressing, just don’t go nuts!

4. Leave off the cheese!! Don’t get me wrong, I love a cheeseburger as much as anyone— but just leave off the cheese and mayo and you can eat the WHOLE burger and not feel bad about it. Oh, and speaking of whole, ask for a WHOLE wheat bun.

Remember—- it’s a new year:

Get up! Get moving!! Have a better life!!!

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What the Hell??

on January 4th, 2011 by Rob

Did you see this??

I think she is going to eat that little girl next!!

What in the world is she thinking? Read the article… she INSISTS that she is healthy!! I just don’t see how that could be. There is a picture of her in one of those little “rider” things at Wal-Mart!! She can’t even WALK to buy all the food she wants!!!

Now I get it! Sometimes when we start putting people in categories, then it all becomes political. But I think that she defiantly has a BMI issue. She needs to slow down a bit! Just a bit.

Read the article HERE.

Get up!! Get moving!! Have a better life!!!!   A better life than she does!!

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