Where Do I Find Support to Help Me?
2009-07-01 ( lbs.)
I have received several emails requesting information about where to find help or support. The common thread seems to be that family and friends are not supportive or actually do things to sabotage your success. Here are my suggestions.
1. Trainer
The best suggestion that I have is get a live trainer. "Live" may sound funny but when you read #2 below, you will understand. While a trainer's job is primarily about helping you with your workouts, a good one will also help you with general information about nutrition as well as how to handle family and friends who work against your goals.
2. Fast Track To Fat Loss
If you cannot afford a trainer at your local fitness center, the next best solution that I've found is Fast Track to Fat Loss. While their trainers won't be right beside you at the gym, they will help you put together a menu and exercise plan that fits you, your lifestyle, and your budget. They also provide accountability which is a major factor in getting fit and staying that way. Here's an email that I received Jody this morning.
Good morning Fast Tracker's! Can I help hold you accountable?
If you'd like me to check in with you to see how your workout and nutrition plans are going, help you plan your week (and/or weekend), keep you motivated and make sure you're on track, please let me know.
Just e-mail me which days you'd like me to check in and I'll be happy to do it. Whether it's just Monday's ... or Monday and Friday ... or even Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I'm here for you and fully committed to your success!
Also, be sure to take advantage of these 3 great opportunities...
1. Chat live with both Chad and Kim [Lyons] tonight at 6:00pm (pacific time) to get all your fat loss questions answered!
2. You have just 5 more days to upload your 30-day goal to the site. Make the most improvement and you'll win a f'ree elliptical machine!
3. As long as you're going to be working hard to achieve your 30-day goal for the elliptical machine, you might as well get started on the 12-week fat loss challenge for an all-expenses-paid dream vacation!
You'll find links to each of these 3 opportunities on the Community page. Enter the Live Chat on the left side ... and enter the 30-day and 12-week contests on the right side.
I hope to see you in chat tonight, and I hope you'll take advantage of the 30-day and 12-week contests! You won't find a better way to get and stay motivated!
P.S. My offer to hold you accountable is very sincere, I hope you'll take me up on it! The Motivation of the day is pasted below...
Jody
In addition to staff like Jody, Fast Track also has plenty of other people just like you and me who are doing their best to get fit. I've made new friends and get encouragement daily as I interact with them on the site.
3. New Friends
You do have a choice when it comes to who you hang out with. I've found that I now spend more of my time with friends who exercise. That's not necessarily at the gym either! Last night, I walked with a friend. A week ago, I went hiking with two other friends. Of course, this might mean that you have to make some new friends, but it is sooooo worth it!
4. Your Current Friends and Family
Friends and family are not always great at giving encouragement. What I found early on was that I had to create my own environment. When I go to a friend's house for dinner, I ask what kind of veggies I can bring. I often offer to help cook, and I provide suggestions for making things healthier. When going out to eat, if they went to fast food, I stopped by Subway and got a healthy sub and brought it to wherever they were eating. After they began to see me lose weight, and I had made the dietary changes long enough, they began to get on board with it. Not only did they begin choosing healthier foods and restaurants, but they began asking fitness questions and made changes to their own diets.
It's not easy in the beginning especially when you feel alone. However, if you can be strong and create the environment you want, you might find that others want to be a part of it.
Finding support is not always easy, but you can do it if you want it bad enough. Don't stop looking, and do check out Fast Track to Fat Loss. It's the most well-rounded fitness package that I've found and the silver membership is free!
The Gabriel Method
2009-07-01 ( lbs.)
The Gabriel Method: The Revolutionary DIET-FREE Way to Totally Transform Your Body
BOOK DESCRIPTION (from Amazon)
The pile of recent dieting books is growing faster than the average American's waistline. From the well-known programs that deprive and restrict to ones that rely on juice alone, it seems that everybody has an answer to the growing problem of obesity.
When Jon Gabriel's life took an unexpected turn, he suddenly was awakened to the marvelous gift that he had been given -- the opportunity to live -- and was disgusted at how he had...
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Urban Hike -- ok, not so urban, but a hike
2009-06-29 ( lbs.)
I posted about yesterday's hill sprints. Today, I tried something new again -- well, not really new, but it was new to me. It took forever (it seemed), but the construction crews finally finished the main road that my subdivision connects to. There's now a sidewalk all the way from my road to the interstate, AND my gym. Once I save enough money, I plan to bike to the gym. (Donations are always welcome! alt ) I decided I'd go on a walk.
I've found that an iPod is invaluable to keep one's mind from thinking about difficulty doing exercise. Motivating music is great for fast movement (aerobics, jogging, running, elliptical, etc.), but I wanted something different today. I got on iTunes and found the audiobook of The Shack, a book that I've been planning to read for some time.alt After downloading the book, I headed out the door and down the road.
Though it has been pretty hot and humid around here, today was just a little warmer than pleasant, so it wasn't too bad. The book started off slowly. I reached the main road and headed toward the gym. On the way, the story stayed slow, and I thought, "Great. The book is highly recommended by a bunch...
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Hill Sprints
2009-06-28 ( lbs.)
You know, after working all the time in the gym, you get tired of it. I've started thinking of things to do outside the gym, and I had this idea that I'd come up with a "back walk workout." It was going to be sprints back and forth on the walkway behind my house with various exercises at either end. I live on a hill (see right), so my back walk has a decent climb to it. Unlike the road, my back walk is not too steep, but good enough for a workout.
I started by just doing warm up stuff, walking, side shuffles, high knees, that kind of thing. I had some good tunes going on my iPod, and as I finished warmups, the music picked up, and I just felt like running. I left the back walk, ran to the road and up the hill to the top. I had planned for my "back walk workout" to be interval training which prompted my next thought. "Running up this hill would make for great intervals!"
The hill (as you can see in the picture) has a nice steep pitch to it. The run is about 100 yards. I walked down the hill and then ran from the bottom to the top. The first run was exhilerating. After all, when I first started losing weight, I was huffing and puffing just wa...
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What are the basic rules for fat loss?
2009-06-25 ( lbs.)
Last night I attended an online chat at FastTrackToFatLoss.com. It's a site I joined (silver membership is free) where there is all sorts of information about nutrition, exercise, and motivating articles. (Gold Members also receive personalized menu planning and workout routines.) In case you were wondering where Kim Lyons went she was trainer on The Biggest Loser, FastTrackToFatLoss.com is where you will find her.
The chat was a question and answer session during which Chad, the leader of this particular chat, recounted what he called the Basic Rules for fat loss. They are so simple and yet so true that I had to post them here.
Basic rules are:
1. Consume less calories than you expend
2. Protein at every meal
3. Natural carbs vs. processed carbs
4. Starchy and fruit earlier in the day
5. Veggies later in the day
6. Fat and booze in...
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Getting Rid of Stretch Marks
2009-06-24 ( lbs.)
QUESTION
After losing my pregnancy weight, how can I get rid of the stretch marks? I would like to wear a bikini again without feeling so insecure about my stretch marks.
ANSWER
Granted, I'm male so I don't wear a bikini, but after being obese for so long and then losing weight, I have some stretch marks of my own. The best thing that I have personally found is virgin coconut oil.
After reading a book about coconut oil (see below) I started using it topically. It didn't happen instantly. It hasn't taken all of the stretch marks away for me, but I found that applying it daily after a shower really helped.
Once or twice per day, apply the oil. It works best for me just after a shower. You will have to warm it just a little as it is solid at room temperature. Apply the oil fairly liberally and let it soak in. (Don't just wipe it off.)
As always, check with your physician especially if you are allergic to coconut. Although the oil is applied topically (on the skin), there's no reason to take any chances.
If you would like to know more about the benefits of coconut oil,...
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Coconut Cures: Preventing and Treating Common Health Problems with Coconut
2009-06-23 ( lbs.)
Coconut Cures: Preventing and Treating Common Health Problems with Coconut
EDITORIAL REVIEWS
Dr. Bruce Fife is the world's leading expert on coconut and health. He is the director of the Coconut Research Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public and the scientific community on the nutritional and health benefits of coconut. He is the author of numerous books including the bestsellers The Coconut Oil Miracle and Eat Fat, Look Thin.
In this book you will learn about the amazing health benefits of coconu...
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Omega-3 Fatty Acids Might Curb Depression in Heart Patients
2009-06-22 ( lbs.)
There's lots of information about omega-3 fatty acids being needed by the body. Those are the healthy fats you hear about in olive oil and other foods. I came across an article today. I found it interesting that omega-3s might affect not only our bodies, but our way of thinking too.
THURSDAY, June 18 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests a relationship between low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and an increased risk of depression in heart patients.
The study, reported online in the Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, looked at 987 adults with coronary heart disease. Among those with the lowest levels of omega-3 fatty acids, 23 percent suffered from depression. But among those with the highest levels of the fatty acid in their blood, only 13 percent were diagnosed with depressive symptoms.
The findings of this study support the previously reported association between low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and depression in non-hospitalized patients with stable coronary heart disease, according to a news release from the journal. The types of omega-3 measured in the study were docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, and the p...
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A Thought About Failure
2009-06-09 ( lbs.)
I was watching "In Plain Site" this morning on Tivo. At the end of the show, Marshall made an awesome quote.
"...shed your failures like a raincoat and get up day after awful day expecting things to work out even though it seems they never do... Failure is a part of life -- the most important part. It's the part that teaches us things, and it's the part that hurts."
No matter how many times you or I fail on our way to getting healthy, it's not about the failure. It's about what we learn and that we get up day after awful day (or day after great day, whichever it is) expecting things to work out. It's hard sometimes, but that's how we get healthy. When we do well, we get up the next day and continue to do well. When we fail, we get up the next day, and we have a brand new chance to do well.
There's a little extra part thrown in there when we fail though. When we fail, we learn. Here's where I want to challenge you today. Most people think learning is just figuring out what we did wrong or right, do the right and stop doing the wrong. I suggest, however, that learning goes deeper.
Whenever we fail, we have a sense...
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Spicy Red Sauce Veggie Wrap
2009-06-04 ( lbs.)
If you've read much here at all, you know that I like my meals quick and easy. Here's one that works.
INGREDIENTS
1 10oz. package frozen spinach
2 servings (170g) frozen peas and carrots
1 cup Ragu tomato and garlic spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup Pace medium salsa
1 sliced fresh jalapeno
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella works well)
4 leaves cabbage
2 slices provolone cheese
2 10" tortillas
Heat the spinach and peas and carrots until they are warm, but not hot. Drain them so there is no liquid and put them in a bowl. Add the spaghetti sauce, salsa, jalapeno slices, mushrooms and shredded cheese. Heat them until the cheese is melted. I do most of my cooking in a microwave, so my heating time is just a few minutes.
While they are heating, lay out the two tortillas. Line them with the cabbage leaves. Cut a slice of the provolone cheese and lay the two halves on the tortilla so that they stretch its length (so that you'll get cheese in every bite!). Add the provolone to the other tortilla too.
Spoon your veggie sauce mix into the ...
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Hike: John Litton Farm Trail at Big South Fork near Oneida, TN
2009-05-26 ( lbs.)
I took a hike yesterday with several friends. We went to Big South Fork up near Oneida, TN. We chose the John Litton Farm Trail, 5.9 miles. It was rated moderate. The only significant hills were at the beginning and end, so it wasn't bad at all. The only hard part was really hard, rock hard. Near the beginning (depending on which direction of the loop you take), there is a place where you have to walk under some low overhanging rock. I bent low, but didn't realize there right at the end the rocks got lower, or maybe the ground got higher or something. My head cracked into the rock which left a nice little knot and abrasion to accompany the rest of the day. (The picture is in the gallery.) That's ok though. The hike was a lot of fun. There were lots of mushrooms of various colors and the greenery was fantastic. The path floor changed from gravel to dirt to pine needles to sand at various points in the trail. There were plenty of ferns, and since it rained the day before, we found runoff waterfalls that created great scenery.
I took another hike on the Edge Trail at Norris Dam, TN, about a month ago. Both of the hikes are in the photo gallery.
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The truth about alli
2009-05-22 ( lbs.)
Oh my goodness! I am so tired of all the drug commercials! We live in a nation that is ruled by the pharmaceutical companies. Don't get me wrong. Drugs are wonderful -- when they are needed. If I have a headache, I take Advil. If I have an infection, I take the antibiotics that my doctor prescribes. The problem is not the drugs themselves but that the commercials are pushing drugs as if they are happy meals.
For instance, I saw an Alli commercial today. It's that new over-the-counter drug to help with weight loss. Their web site says that "the alli program includes alli capsules and myalliplan, an individually tailored, online action plan to help you lose weight gradually." Here's the bottom line.
The drug is a lightweight version of a prescription fat-blocker pill. All it does is block fat. That's why you need myalliplan. It's a plan to teach you how to eat differently and to exercise. If you don't eat differently and exercise, you still won't lose much, if any, weight. Here's my problem with the drug.
1. All alli does is block fat. However, you need fats in your diet -- not too many, and the right kind, but you need t...
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