Friends! You asked for it; you got it. There is enough interest on Facebook, that I'm going to blog all about my change toward optimum health. This is going to be a fun ride. I'm excited that you're interested in watching just how "self" study, mind change, habit twisting and understanding works and why a person gains weight and can't lose it (or at least for very long!).
I won't post every day, but often. I'll take you through the nuts and bolts of it all. I'll detail each step. I'll share my mind-shift action plan with you and the recalibrating I'll do along the way. Who knows- you may have an AHA moment, an emotional jolt, or just plain decide you want to sail away from the shore and discover something new with me. After all, not all changes a person wants to make involve food and weight gain!
Teaser: I'm going to talk about habits, hard-wiring, neural patterns, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), food, exercise, super-heroes, culture, scripts, even bucking horses. What?! Yup, bucking horses.
For the reality show hounds; I'm going to be honest in every post. Fascinating stuff? You decide.
Before my official first post, coming in the next few days, let me give you the bare-bone facts:
I am obese: over 30% BMI
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 218 (Hmmm, doesn't sound much like "bare-bone," more like "meaty".)
Goal: There's no such thing...(What?! More on this later). The goal is actually Optimum Health.
Each time I post, I'll give a brief update of my weight, my exercise routine and the foods I've enjoyed before I journey into the adventure stories. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
Watch for the KICK-OFF POST and the follow-up: Weight loss isn't about calories in calories out!
Namaste!
Start Date: 2/19/13
Weight: 218
Excercised 20 minutes
Enjoyed today: 2 eggs on toast, mocha drink, roast beef and turkey sandwich, banana, boiled egg, apple, chai tea, green pepper with hummus, broccoli and cauliflower with reggiano cheese, good old water: approx 1401 calories (I do not spend time cooking; food prep must be simple in my world.)
Day 2: 2/20/13
Over-calendared my day, my exercise was minimal- took the long way when walking around at work.
Enjoyed today: 2 scrambled eggs on toast with avocado, mocha drink, hearty homemade vegetable soup, veggie sandwich with turkey and roast beef, tea, cottage cheese and salmon: approx 1300 calories. (I eat what I love; whole foods. The key to filling your plate with healthy foods is eating the things you love and avoiding any food that is categorized as "diet food." I snoop around the produce aisle and buy only the foods I deem "delicious!" When I find or create something I like, I will eat it over and over until I tire of it and move on to something new- I've always been that way. Lucky me, because I don't crave diversity in my meals it makes shopping easy!
You are an amazing writer! Seriously, PURE TALENT! Oh, and you're plan sounds wonderful. Excited to read more :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I'd love to inspire folks to take a deep look at themselves and their lives- especially beliefs about themselves. Again- thanks!
DeleteGo Mace!
ReplyDeleteThis is great, I'm sure you'll be successful! I, too, have struggled with weight, and have been a yo-yo over the last decade. I recently lost 45 pounds (again) and am determined to keep it off this time. So far, so good. Here are some things that I have found that have helped me on my quest to not only lose but keep weight off - for me the latter is almost more difficult.
1. Stare food in the face, meaning see it for what it is. Is this something good for me, nutritional, fattening, etc? Do I really want to put crap in my body?
2. Regulate my portions. I really don't need to eat the amount of food I have been accustomed to. Smaller portions. Watch and wait and see how I can get full by eating less.
3. Allow some breaks and rewards. Maybe some people can go forever with only healthy eating, but not me! I love chocolate! I need chocolate! So now I go for small bits of dark chocolate every once in a while to cover and satisfy a craving. And guess what I found? Small occasional amounts of dark chocolate is actually healthy, and contributes to weight loss! Bingo! Beyond that I do allow other desserts every once in a while, if I've been good, but again, in smaller portions. I read somewhere that you achieve taste satisfaction by the 4th bite. So I let myself eat almost anything as an occasional reward, if I only have 4 bites - then push it away.
4. Exercise is mandatory. You've gotta move your body somehow, doing something to burn the calories, increase your metabolism. I've found that by sticking to doing certain exercise activities that at first seemed a chore, have now become almost fun. And, being real honest with myself about the "I don't have time" excuse. I do have the time for anything that I really want or prioritize in my life.
So, this is a partial list of what I am learning about weight loss and keeping it off. I hope you find some of it helpful, and that you create your own list. Good luck!
-Ken Young
PS - it looks like this got posted under my daughter's account. No, I have not changed my name to Kylie!
Ken- you are the best! What a great friend! You've done amazing things for yourself. Woot! Woot! Thanks for your comment!
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