Halfpounder’s Blog

Hello Everyone,
No… I didn’t fall off the face of the earth. I didn’t die… just been lazy. Sorry I haven’t kept the site up-to-date. I will work harder to be a more regular contributor. (And many thanks to you who keep visiting the site.)

I hope you had a nice holiday season. I did and I gained a few pounds to show for it. Too much good food… bread… candy… and not enough exercise.

I heard a joke a few years ago… and pardon me if I’ve already shared this with you, but it is always funny to me.

Two people are sitting next to each other in a bar (I will use a bar because it is easy to blame alcohol for their rude behavior.) The person on the left is physically fit, but rather homely looking. The person on the right is overweight. The homely person turns to the fat person and says, “You sure are fat!” Hurt, but not missing a beat the overweight person exclaims, “Well, I might be fat… but you are ugly !!! And at least I can lose the weight…”

I share this story because it reminds me I can do something about the extra pounds I am carrying around. Because I have been successful over the last 20 months, losing over 170 pounds, I have hope and optimism when I start creeping back up the scale.

Please don’t be calling people hopelessly ugly… but please do remind yourself regularly that you can do something about being overweight. Just remember TWO things: eat less and move more. Consistently that is what works. When I get regular exercise and control what and how much I eat, I can lose weight and keep it off.

I still struggle with my favorite foods: fresh bread, pizza, Almond Roca candy (and basically any crunch English Toffee-like candy, baked goods, etc., etc….) You all have foods that are hard for you to manage. Identify them and work harder to be their master. You are not a slave to food.

I got down to 273 pounds just before my knee surgery last May. Over the summer my exercise was greatly diminished and I had a hard time just maintaining my weight. I did well, and only gained a few pounds between May and October. Over Thanksgiving I gained a few, then lost a few, and BAM !!! Christmas smacked me hard in the face. I have felt out of control with my eating for the last couple of weeks. I gained a pretty good chunk again and when I weighed myself last Saturday the 299 on the scale was very disheartening.

But, like I mentioned earlier–I know what it takes to get the weight off and I will recommit. There is no better time than the start of a new year to recommit our goals and priorities.

I want to share something I read from Jillian Michaels’ website the other day. I love this, she wrote:

“It happens — you over-indulged over the holidays, missed a few workouts and now you feel like you’ve fallen off the weight-loss wagon. It’s tempting to mentally slap yourself around, right? (Or head for the fridge.) Before you start, I want to remind you of something: Being hard on yourself is so 2009 — that’s the Old You.
The New You knows how to deal with setbacks and get back on the wagon. And after all, there are no mistakes, just learning experiences. Weight loss is a process — it takes time. You will encounter small failures — everyone does — but every pound you gain can be lost.” Jillian Michaels, Losing it with Jillian Michaels, 1/10/2010

Being hard on yourself is so last year !!! (Isn’t that great…) It makes me smile to think about it. We are our own worst critics. Think about it. How many times has someone given you a compliment only you don’t really accept it and sometimes reject it? Someone will say, “You look nice, have you lost weight?” Maybe you have, maybe you haven’t lost as much as you would like. Get in the habit of saying, “Thank you.” Take the compliment and feel good about the progress you are making.

I have been tempted lately to say, “Oh no, I’m not doing well at all…” I’m thinking to myself about the 26 pounds I’ve slipped on since May. The person giving me the compliment has not seen me in awhile and is amazed at the 150 pounds I’ve lost. Step back… get a better perspective. You may not be where you want to be, but don’t discredit all you’ve accomplished. Are you trying to eat better? Make better food choices? Work a little harder at smaller portions and eating more regularly throughout the day? Are you moving more? Do you take time for cardio exercise? Have you tried a little weight lifting or resistance band training? If you can say yes to any of these questions you are probably better off health-wise than you were before. Congratulations. Keep at it. You are learning what it takes to be healthy, just keep moving forward.

I didn’t mean for that to sound so preachy. I’ll get off the soap box now–but just remember that you are not alone in your struggle to live more healthy. I think most people struggle with poor health choices (some more than others.) But the truly exciting thing is you can do something about it. Baby steps… start today and work on one or two things this week that will move you closer to a healthier you.

I really do hope each of you have a tremendous new year. And remember–putting yourself down for poor health choices is so last year !!! Welcome to 2010 and the year of personal growth and success.

Bye for now,
Kirk

H1N1 — scary stuff. No, I don’t think I have it, but I have not been feeling very well for the past week. It started with the achies, you know, tired… muscles ache… headache… just want to sleep, but can’t get really comfortable and rested. Then the sniffles. Next a scratchy throat, then bronchitis and upper-respiratory congestion. Coughing fits… hack, hack, hack. Enough already. Went to the doctor and he put me on an antibiotic and I’ve been “under the weather.” I’ve been missing work and have only left the house to refill my prescriptions at the pharmacy. No fever — thank goodness — but the sniffles and coughing will not go away. And all I want to do is sleep. The pharmacist told me I looked peeked. (I feel peeked.)

It also means I have not been exercising at all for over a week. If I didn’t feel so yucky I would be stir-crazy. The last great days for weather for the season and I’ve been stuck indoors. My bike has been screaming my name every day, but I have had to turn a deaf ear. I don’t think the scale will be very friendly when I get back to my Weight Watchers meeting.

The only great thing that has happened during the last week was a visit from my friend Jim. He has been attending Weight Watchers (different meeting) for nearly three years. He has also lost and kept off over 200 pounds. He looks great. I ran into him about a month ago and he asked me what sizes I wore in shirts and pants. So last week he stopped by my house and gave me his “fat clothes.” Well, fat for him, but just right for me. I was so thrilled! Nice clothes… and I won’t have to shop for awhile. Many thanks Jim… and congratulations on your health.

One last funny story…

My wife is an Elementary School Principal. Unfortunately she caught the bug from me, but has been trying to work anyway. Yesterday her school nurse sent her home! The nurse said, “We don’t let sick kids stay in class, now get your things and go home.” My wife laughed, thinking to herself how often she has worked feeling much worse than she does now. But I guess it is a good idea to isolate the sickos. This H1N1 (the hiney flu) sure has everyone panicked.

I hope this post finds you healthy. We often take for granted feeling good and having energy. It takes a few days sickness to remind us of the good times.

Bye for now,
Kirk

My wife and I rode our bikes in the canyon this evening. It was so beautiful. Fall weather is bringing out the bright colorful leaves. Brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges are splashed over the hillsides. It’s breathtaking.

I weighted in at 273 pounds yesterday. That’s a total of 177 pounds lost in 17 months. I have finally set a goal weight of 225 pounds. I came up with this number based on my suggested body mass index of 195 pounds and how much extra saggy skin I estimate I will be carrying.

A good friend of mine, Jim Campbell, lost over 200 pounds on Weight Watchers and at a recent doctor’s visit he was told he is carrying about 30 pounds of loose skin. Short of surgery, he will probably be stuck with the flabby skin. I think I’ll be in the same boat. I don’t think I will get the surgery–I’m chicken. It sounds painful and I would end up with a lot of scaring. Not for me… so I will take my suggested BMI and add 30 pounds for the extra skin. New goal: 225 pounds and I plan to reach this goal by May, 11, 2010 (my next birthday.) I can make it by following the diet plan, keeping up with my exercise, and maintaining my focus.

I’ve had a rocky summer. I gained about 15 pounds after my knee being scoped, but I feel back in control now. I am exercising again and I am seeing the results on the scale.

Sorry I haven’t been very good about writing lately. No excuse besides being a bit lazy. I will work harder about sharing how things are going.

Thanks for taking time to read. Hope this posting finds you happy and working on being more healthy.

Kirk

It has been a busy summer. I’m most excited about reaching one of the weight loss goals I set for myself last May 2008. My wife and I celebrated our 29th anniversary last year in May and I told her for our 30th I would like to take her to Hawaii.

A little back story is needed…

In July of 2003 my wife took me with her on a trip to Washington D.C. She had a conference to attend and I went along to keep her company. We flew out to Baltimore (to save money on the airfare) and took a shuttle into the city. We had a great time. I was quite big then and had to ask for a seatbelt extension to fit in the airline seat.

On our way back home I was called up to the counter by the gate where we would soon be boarding our flight. The agent explained to me that the flight was very full and he couldn’t expect anyone to be stuck sitting next to me for the long flight because I was so big. He said if I wanted to fly with them I would need to purchase an additional seat so I would have plenty of room.

I was mortified. The agent was telling me I had to either buy two seats to fit my obese body, or I would be refunded my ticket and have to find alternate travel back home.

I paid for the seat, made it back home, and wrote a scathing letter to the airline explaining my embarrassment and their rudeness. I also vowed that I was finished flying–I would not ever put myself in that uncomfortable position again.

I have missed many trips since then. Although I would love to attend with my wife as she flies off to conferences, the only ones I joined her were within driving distance. Since the airline seat drama we’ve attended conferences in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego together–all the others she has flown to alone.

Last Spring as I realized the weight was finally coming off I also thought that there would be a time when I could fit in an airline seat again. I would only have to pay for one seat like most passengers. That became one of my goals: lose enough weight to fit in an airline seat again and take my wife to Hawaii for our 30th Anniversary.

I’m very happy to report that my wife and I recently returned from a wonderful week in Maui. I missed the actual week of our anniversary, but we were on the island for her birthday. We combined both events and celebrated them at the same time… but the best part is we made it. Losing the weight got me back on an airplane and we enjoyed walking the beach and listening to the waves.

It was an awesome trip. We left the kids home and just went by ourselves. It felt so good to accomplish this goal. I have about 50 more pounds to go and then I will reach my target.

I weighed in yesterday having lost a total of 171 pounds. I have fluctuated a lot on the scale this summer. Up about 15 pounds at my worst… but it is like I tell my friends: I know how to get it back off and I will.

I hope you are having success with your goals to achieve better health. I enjoy being off oxygen. I enjoy having energy and wanting to do things again (not just be a hermit hiding in my darkened cave of a living room.) I enjoy riding my bike, and I’m really starting to like the skinny guy who keeps staring back at me in the mirror.

Kirk

It’s been a few days since I’ve updated the blog. Sorry about that. No excuse other than being a bit lazy…

I’m happy to report that the scale and I are once again on friendly terms. I weighed in last week and showed a four pound loss and maintained the loss with today’s weigh in. I haven’t been good about journaling my food, but I have really kicked up the exercise during the last two weeks. My knee is feeling great—much improved than before the arthroscopic procedure. I’ve been meeting with my personal trainer once a week and I have been riding my bicycle every day.

This morning Linda and I took the bikes 12 miles from home to the lake and this afternoon we made another 10 mile ride from South Fork, up Provo Canyon, back home. My boys offered to go collect our stranded van. Both rides were very nice. The morning ride took us past freshly cut hay fields and it reminded me of a smell from my childhood when there were more farms and less homes in the area. The ride this afternoon was pleasant, but crowded with many people out enjoying the sunshine. We had to slow down and ride carefully in several places, especially near Bridal Veil Falls where families with little ones were splashing and enjoying themselves.

So exercise is helping me get back on track with my diet. But I’ve really struggled this week with cravings. I’ve wanted bread and sweets and have felt like I must have them or die. They have been very strong cravings that I couldn’t lose by simply filling up on something else. I gave in and tried two new recipes: one for New Orleans-style beignets (French fritters coated with powdered sugar) and a sweet bread roll recipe. They were both fabulous… and I’m impressed I could maintain my weight given that I was totally out of control with the bread and sugar this week.

How do you deal with cravings? If you have any great ideas please respond to this post and let me know. My will power is usually strong enough to avoid the impulses, but this week I have given in to just go for it. I have felt like it has been better to have what I’m craving and then move forward. I’m not really happy with this concession to weakness, but I really found it a challenge this week. My son made chocolate chip cookies at our home last night and left two dozen on the counter. They were stored in a zip-lock bag and stared me down this morning. I won. I’ve sure wanted to dip into them all day. We had two of our grandchildren come over this afternoon and Grandpa has been pushing cookies and milk. They are now all eaten and gone and I didn’t give in to them. (how pathetic…)

Where has all my will power gone? Bread, margarine, fried foods, ice cream, sugar, cookies… these have not been problems for me since April of last year! Why now? Why am I struggling with the cravings this week? I don’t have the answer. Hopefully I can come out of this phase a little stronger and not put any weight back on. In the meantime, I will make sure to have my pantry filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. Bananas, apples, cantaloupe, watermelon, and corn on the cob will save me this weekend.

When Weight Watchers introduced the Momentum plan last January, one of the new key concepts was learning how to control hunger by listening to how you feel. The goal is to avoid becoming too hungry and at the other extreme eating into oblivion. The benefits are many, but basically by eating smaller portions more frequently you keep your metabolism fired up and consume less overall calories. It has been working quite well for me. I work really hard to eat something every three hours or so—usually a piece of fruit—and I rarely feel “screaming gotta eat right now” hunger and have only occasionally eaten to the bloated feeling.

I read recently another reference to the hunger/fullness scale. It is from the Duke Diet and Fitness Center and is very similar to the Weight Watchers material. What I like most about the Duke material is the description of how your stomach speaks to you. I hope this information is helpful for you. I feel strongly it is a key to successful long-term weight management.

I promise to be better about posting. I hope you are doing well and finding success in your health management goals.

Take care,
Kirk

Hunger/Fullness Scale

Are you actually hungry? Use this scale to measure your hunger and to better manage the way you eat.

From the Duke Diet & Fitness Center

The Hunger/Fullness Scale was developed by Barbara Craighead, PhD, to help people gauge their hunger to determine whether they need to eat or not. The next time you feel hungry or finish a meal, take a moment to rate your feeling of hunger or fullness on the scale

1 – Very Hungry
2 – Moderately Hungry
3 – Mildly Hungry
4 – Neutral
5 – Mildly Full
6 – Very Full
7 – Much Too Full
(The desirable zone is 2.5 to 5.5)

Here’s a little more about what the numbers mean:
1: Very hungry; starving; desperate. Your stomach is “screaming.”?
2: Moderately hungry; ready to eat. Your stomach is “talking.”?
3: Mildly hungry; beginning hunger. Your stomach is “whispering.”?
4: Neutral. You feel no sensations of hunger or fullness.
5: Mildly full. You feel satisfied.
6: Very full. Your stomach is beginning to feel a bit distended.
7: Much too full. Your stomach feels stuffed.

This is a subjective scale — it isn’t objective in the way that counting calories is. For that reason, it can be more difficult to use. However, continued focus and practice will help you become more sensitive to your body’s signals of hunger and fullness. Here are some tips:
• We recommend staying between 2.5 and 5.5.
• Never allow yourself to get down to 1. Have healthy snacks planned in advance and eat one if you fall below 2.5 on the scale. It typically takes three to four hours for the stomach to empty, so you should try not to go too much longer than that without eating.
• Stop eating at 5.5. Eat slowly — it takes 20 minutes for your brain to know your stomach is full.

The really important question to ask yourself before you eat anything is “Am I really hungry?” Tune in to the physical sensations you’re experiencing. Rate your hunger on the Hunger/Fullness Scale. If you aren’t really hungry, what else may be going on? You may be eating in response to emotions or stress.

From the renowned Duke Diet & Fitness Center at Duke University comesThe Duke Diet (published April 2007) and The Duke Diet & Fitness Online Weight-Loss Program. The book and its companion online program pay special attention to the behavioral and emotional aspects of lifestyle change, teaching strategies for breaking unhealthy habits, curbing cravings, reducing stress, and much more.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/emotional-eating-feature/hunger-fullness-scale.aspx?xid=nl_EverydayHealthDietandNutrition_20090715

I’m often asked how I have lost so much weight. I tell people, “Diet and Exercise.” (usually something like, “Weight Watchers and exercising my butt off…”) The reaction I get from most people is comical. The faces they make–like they just smelled something disgusting.  It usually kills the conversation immediately (they just don’t want to hear the “D” and “E” words.)

Most people, it seems, want a magic fix. They want to lose weight by taking a pill. Get a prescription from their doctor and sit back while the pounds melt away. (Wouldn’t it be so nice…) Telling you this reminds me of an experience I had a few years ago with my general practitioner. The doctor was concerned about water retention around my ankles. He prescribed a diuretic and then told me, “You are going to lose a LOT of weight this week.” (heavy emphasis on a lot of weight–it was the way he said it.) Now when you tell a morbidly obese person they are going to lose a LOT of weight they are probably going away with an image of miraculous proportions. A LOT of weight to a fatty is at least 40-50 pounds! I mean, come on…. let’s please be a bit more specific.

I told my wife after the visit to the clinic and filling the prescription that the little pill was the answer to all my woes. The doctor told me I was going to lose a LOT of weight. Finally the answer to quick and easy weight reduction. (Not so much… ) I did lose a few pounds and my ankles started to look more normal, but it was hardly the cure for my obesity. (I knew what the doctor meant… it just sounded so funny. Don’t tell a fat guy he is going to lose a LOT of weight when 5-10 pounds is insignificant in the big scheme.)

My knee is feeling good enough to get in a good workout. Last night we rode 11 miles up the canyon and back. (The ride home is always a payback for the hard work to get up there.) This was our longest distance up the canyon. I wanted to see if we could push it a little from where we usually turn around. We rode from our house up past Bridal Veil Falls all the way to Vivian Park.

After the ride I cooked up some summer squash and corn on the cob. We were eating a little late, but the food sure tasted good.

I read this article today. It has good information about how much exercise is recommended daily.

Have a great day,
Kirk

How Much to Exercise Each Day
Losing It with Jillian!, Online with Jillian Michaels, July 9, 2009
by Jillian Michaels

You may have heard the U.S. Surgeon General’s recommendation of 30 minutes of physical activity a day. This is intended for people who want to maintain the most basic level of fitness — but not for people who want to lose weight. In a week, 30 minutes a day works out to an expenditure of about 1,000 calories, which is fine if you are looking to maintain your current weight. But if you want to lose, you’re going to have to be prepared for a bit more work.

I much prefer the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 60 minutes at a time as a starting point for my clients — an hour is ideal to get the most out of your workout and see significant results. Your 60-minute workout sessions should always include a 5-minute warm-up, followed by 50 minutes of your primary cardio or strength-training exercises, followed by at least 5 minutes of cooling down and stretching.

Of course, putting in more time will get you more results — but there’s a limit. Excessive intense physical activity releases stress hormones, such as cortisol, into the body. This can actually inhibit weight loss, causing your body to react by storing fat and retaining water out of self-protection. So, to reach your goal, I recommend limiting intense exercise to no more than two hours a session.

JILLIAN’S TIP OF THE DAY
Interval Cardio

One of the most effective aspects of my program is the mix of resistance exercises with cardio bursts. Cardio intervals will keep your heart rate up while you use weights, which enables you to get results in a shorter amount of time. Butt kicks are a typical interval cardio move: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and jog in place, bringing your heels up to your buttocks as you lift your feet. Keep your pace as fast as possible and really try to kick yourself in the butt.

Sleep. Get too much of it and people think you’re a lazy slug—and when I oversleep, I usually don’t feel alert and refreshed. Get too little sleep and it is definitely unhealthy. At least that’s what I’ve always heard. I haven’t taken the time to study much about sleep deprivation, but I know it’s hard on your body when you don’t get enough rest.

A daily rest period isn’t the only thing that improves our health. We need a break from our daily work. We need a time to rest from our hectic schedules. I noticed a guy I follow on Twitter mention yesterday that he is, “Taking an Internet vacation. No email, Twitter, blog reading, etc for a week starting tomorrow. Will it make me sane or drive me crazy (er)?” I like his idea. It would probably be well if all of us could take a regular break from the world-wide web. Even the Bible teaches us to rest: one day in seven (and I really enjoy my weekends.) Just how important is rest and relaxation? How critical is rest and sleep to help us lose weight and maintain good health?

My Grandfather often said a change is better than a rest. Of course, he was a workaholic—a young man during the Great Depression and through experience and necessity learned the value of industry. But I don’t think he had the best overall policy. Maybe choosing a different activity is good mentally and emotionally, but we definitely need time to physically shutdown and relax. (I must give him a bit of credit though… he closed his business one day a week and he did enjoy taking his grandson fishing—although he probably didn’t go often enough.) To maintain good health we must make time daily for sleep, take time weekly in a relaxing weekend, and annually with planned vacation time.

The article I would like to share with you today focuses on the importance of sleep. I was surprised to learn about the hormones released during sleep. I didn’t remember hearing about that before (maybe I didn’t pay close attention in health class.) I hope you find the article helpful and that it might encourage you to change your habits if you are falling short of your body’s need to rest.

Have a great 4th of July weekend,
Kirk

Get Seven Hours of Shut-eye for a Healthier Mind and Body
by Jillian Michaels, Losing it With Jillian, Online July 03, 2009

A full night’s sleep is not a luxury — it’s a basic necessity for healthy hormone balance. Once you dip below seven hours a night, you are increasing your risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke, depression, and obesity.

Some researchers believe that slow-wave sleep — the deep, dreamless sleep that you ideally sink into about three or four times a night — may actually regulate your metabolism. Sleep researcher break down sleep into five stages. Stage 4 slow-wave sleep, which begins about an hour after we fall asleep, is when we release our greatest pulses of growth hormone, the hormone that prompts the body to burn stored fat. When we’re young, we spend about 20 percent of our time asleep in slow-wave stages 3 and 4. But as we get older, we may only spend about 10 or even 5 percent there.

Sadly, just two nights of bad sleep will cut your satiety hormone leptin by 20 percent and increase your hunger hormone ghrelin by 30 percent. That one-two punch makes you much more likely to snack on high-carb treats, which couldn’t come at a worse time for your insulin levels. In a recent study, University of Chicago researchers found that just three nights of poor sleep made the bodies of young, healthy test subjects 25 percent less sensitive to insulin. This level of insulin resistance is comparable to that brought on by carrying 20 to 30 extra pounds.

In order to block fat-storage hormones and allow the full release of fat-burning hormones, you need to get at least seven hours of sleep a night!

JILLIAN’S TIP OF THE DAY

No Carbs Before Bed

To slip into stage 3 or 4 sleep, you need to have a high level of ghrelin before bedtime. Carbs depress ghrelin faster than any other nutrient, so eating anything, especially carbs, before bed can delay your entry into deeper sleep for several hours. If you don’t get enough restful sleep, you’re likely to be hungrier and eat more. So to help you sleep well and deeply, let the hormones do their thing and don’t eat after 9 p.m.!

So I get on the scale again this morning (because I blew off my weigh-in yesterday… slept in, whatever) and I’m up a total of 15 pounds from my best weigh-in a month or so ago. A little depressing…. but I can do this.

I’ve done real well on the bike rides: three days in a row! I’m going to get out every day. I have physical therapy scheduled the next two Mondays and I have a session scheduled with my personal trainer on Tuesday.

I also journaled my breakfast this morning and will get back in the regular routine of writing down my food. Good nutrition and exercise—that’s how you do it. I have proven it works, now I just need to get back in my dedicated mode.

I read another good article from Jillian today. It is in answer to a question asked about skipping meals. Weight Watchers approaches the idea in their new Momentum Program by tracking your levels of satisfaction. A six point scale from starving hungry to Thanksgiving feast bloated (last part described in my own words) all designed to help you be more in control of when and how much you eat. The other part of the equation is that being in control might allow you to make better nutritional choices.

The goal is to keep you at a level of satisfaction that’s as constant as possible: never too hungry and never over-full. The logic is if you are never famished you will be more likely to chose what you eat more carefully. I know everyone of you reading this blog knows what I’m talking about. You skip a meal and you are out driving around in your car and pass a fast food joint. Before you know it, you’ve stopped and you are stuffing your face with a cheeseburger (or something equally as obnoxious.) Would you make the same decision if you were not feeling so hungry? I doubt it. You would probably say to yourself, “Hmmm, I’m feeling a bit hungry. I’ll have to fix something when I get home.” Then once in your safe environment of home you will choose something more nutritious for yourself to eat.

So read this article and see if it makes any sense to you. I like to plan eating about every three hours. They are not always big meals. Sometimes I will just grab some fruit and a handful of nuts. The idea is to help maintain the feeling of satisfaction and avoid becoming beastly hungry. (I used beastly because the inner out-of-control eating me is a beast to my diet.)

Have a great Sabbath. Get out and breath some fresh air today and eat an extra piece of frui

Your good friend in healthy living,

Kirk

Losing It with Jillian, Online with Jillian Michaels, Sunday, June 28, 2009
by Jillian Michaels

SUNDAY: ASK JILLIAN

Okay to Skip Meals?

Question: I’m trying to learn to listen to my body and eat only when I am hungry, and sometimes I just don’t really want anything to eat. Is it okay to skip meals or to eat fewer than the recommended calories?
Answer: You should NOT skip meals. There are so many adverse effects to skipping meals. Not only does it slow your metabolism but it can also lead to overeating, because when you do eat, you’re overly hungry.
As for cutting your calories below your recommended allowance, remember this golden rule: Never allow your daily calorie allowance to fall below 1,200 if you are a woman and 1,500 if you are a man. Falling below these daily allowances can do real damage to your metabolism and result in excessive loss of lean muscle tissue. When you dramatically reduce your calories on a consistent basis, it can slow your metabolism or trigger a plateau.

Consistent exercise — plus the occasional high-calorie day — will help ward off a plateau.
Now, provided you are not going below the 1,200 mark, you CAN drop your daily calories below your usual allowance, but make sure that you are exercising and taking the occasional high-calorie day to help you avoid a plateau.

JILLIAN’S TIP OF THE DAY
Eat Every Four Hours

I want you to eat every four hours — breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. This way of eating keeps your stomach from rumbling and your metabolism happy. Starve yourself for any portion of the day and you cheat yourself out of a bump in your metabolic rate. When you first start to eat every four hours, you might find that you’re not very hungry when the four hours are up. But that’s the idea — you don’t want to be famished by the time you eat again. You want to head off extreme hunger, which is a signal that your blood sugar has dipped too low and will lead to cravings and overeating.

It felt good to ride my bike Thursday evening. We have a favorite bike path from our house up the canyon and back. It takes my wife and I a little over an hour to make the round trip. We had company on our ride: my brother-in-law from Scottsdale was in town and he joined us. The canyon part of the trail runs along the Provo River and it makes for a very pleasant ride. I noticed the smells, watched the bugs and animals, and squinted to keep the cottonwood fluff from getting in my eyes. This was a trick because the breeze was blowing the fluff sideways, filling the air to the point that it resembled snow and left white piles of it on the sides of the bike path.

My orthopaedic surgeon suggested I ride my bike more instead of walking for awhile. He told me bike riding is the best exercise I can do for my knee while it is healing. So I am going to schedule time for a daily ride. Thursday was the first time I’ve pushed it since the procedure. I’ve ridden the bike around the block, but I haven’t tried going up the canyon. I was a little out of breath and tired when I got home, but stretching out the muscles through the exertion felt great. (And I didn’t cramp up afterwards.)

I got a good ride in last night too. We took the kids and I ended up taking my recumbent bike. The recumbent is a little harder on my knee, and I don’t seem to have as much torque up the hills, but I made it most of the way on our regular route. I started to cramp up a little last night (a real indicator of how hard I was working), but I took some medication and slept well. (So well in fact I slept in and missed my weight watcher weigh-in again!!!!!) This brings up an interesting debate: did I just happen to sleep in or was I avoiding the weigh-in?

As I’ve mentioned in the last few posts I have found the scale to be unfriendly. Mostly because I haven’t been as active since my knee was scoped, but also because I’ve been a little lax about journaling my food (because I haven’t been too careful about my food choices.) I’m really struggling with this. I’m beating myself up for gaining a few pounds and it is really frustrating me. I’ve almost let myself slip into the “why bother” attitude. I promise I won’t go there, but this whole process reminds me of how much our mental attitude plays into weight loss.

What I should be doing is looking in the mirror and celebrating the incredible weight loss I’ve had this last year. I’m mean, let’s face it, 170 pounds lost is no small accomplishment. Instead I am getting all worked up about gaining 10 pounds. I even know why… but I still can’t seem to push aside the anxiety and avoid the feelings of defeat and frustration.

Whenever I get these “out of control” frustrated feelings, I often think of the prayer adopted by many 12-step addition programs:

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.

- Original Author Unknown

So this week I will recommit. I will start by getting out on my bike every day. I will write down everything I eat—no matter what—and make an effort to carefully watch my food choices. I know I can turn this frustrating trend of weight gain around.

I read a very timely article by Jillian Michaels yesterday. It ties in perfectly with what I’ve been thinking about. I hope you enjoy it and I hope you have a fun weekend. If you have a little sunshine and blue skies today where you live, get out and fill your lungs with fresh air. Feel the sun on your face and be grateful for the health you enjoy—then walk, jog, ride a bike… do something. You’ll feel better and you will be one step closer to better health.

Kirk

Losing It with Jillian Michaels, Online Edition, Friday, June 26, 2009
by Jillian Michaels

Suffered a Setback? Here’s How to Get Back on the Wagon

It happens — you miss a few workouts and you feel like you’ve fallen off the weight-loss wagon. It’s tempting to mentally slap yourself around, right? (Or head for the fridge.) Before you start, I want to remind you of something: Being hard on yourself is the Old You.
The New You knows how to deal with setbacks and get back on the wagon. And after all, there are no mistakes, just learning experiences. Weight loss is a process — it takes time. You will encounter small failures — everyone does — but every pound you gain can be lost.
And if you miss a workout, it’s not the end of the world! Get to the gym the next day and continue to focus on your short-term goals. Just because you made bad choices today doesn’t mean you can’t start over tomorrow. New day? New beginning. And don’t you forget it!

JILLIAN’S TIP OF THE DAY

Rescue Me

When life throws you curveballs, you can dodge them or let them hit you right between the eyes. Sometimes, though, you don’t get a choice. For the moments when you can’t avoid them, create a “Rescue Me” list. What kinds of healthy activities make you feel better? How about enjoying a bubble bath, taking a walk, or getting a massage? The next time you’re staring down a crisis, reach for the “Rescue Me” list, not a bag of chips.

Okay, metabolictic isn’t in the dictionary, but I hope I grabbed your attention. Today I would like to share a short article that reminded me how to keep our metabolism boosted.

These are some of the ideas I’ve learned about metabolism and burning more calories: 1) Eat smaller meals more often. Instead of three regular meals a day, eat three small meals and add two or three snacks a day in between meal times. 2) Exercise regularly. If you can manage 45 minutes to an hour every other day to strength train, and walk as often as you think to eat (sarcasm people…),  you will be on track. 3) Mix cardio and strength training into your exercise. Also mix up the exercises and routines. Don’t let your muscles settle into a rut… keep them guessing what you will throw at them next. 4) Eating more protein will help keep your metabolism burning. Don’t go all Atkins on me, but don’t be afraid to eat more healthy protein. Lean meat, low-fat cheese, an egg, whey protein and lightly-salted nuts are good choices. A good place to add protein is snacks between meals. 5) Protein is more satisfying than carbs. If you are having a snack attack—try protein.

I’m struggling this week. I gained 10 pounds. (I haven’t been to Weight Watchers for a couple of weeks, but my home scale tells the tale.) I know why: lack of exercise and fluctuating emotions. But the short-term forecast is very optimistic: my knee is feeling better since surgery and my new little grandson is doing well.   I have been out for walks a couple of times lately and held my grandson for the first time yesterday.   He is still hooked up to ICU paraphernalia, but the 10 minutes I got to rock and hold him was a very precious Father’s Day present from my son and daughter-in-law.

So have a GREAT week. Recommit and work hard. I am.
Kirk

Lose Your Lard: 4 Ways to Fire Up Your Calorie Burning Engines
Submitted by Editor-in-Chief, Abs Diet Club, Men’s Health Online

Missing a meal doesn’t seem so bad. You don’t need those extra calories anyway, right?

Wrong. When you skip a meal, your body slows down your metabolism to hold on to your existing fuel supply.

Here are three better ways to burn blubber faster:

• When you work out, speed up and slow down. You can interval train with any form of cardio, from the elliptical machine to cycling.

• Perform a bodyweight routine 12 hours before or after your intense weight-training sessions. A handful of pushups and squats will send your fat burners into overdrive.

• Nosh on more protein, one of the hottest-burning food sources out there. Your body uses twice as much energy to break down protein than it does to break down carbs. Translation: Eggs in the morning, string cheese for a snack, salmon for dinner. You’re good to go.