Halfpounder’s Blog

Hi Everyone,

I know I posted something earlier today already, but I couldn’t resist sharing an article I read this evening. The topic is how men lose weight easier than women.

My wife just asked me what I was writing and I told her the topic and I was getting ready to post it to my site. She said, “You are going to make people stop reading you.” (I think it is a sensitive issue for her. We eat basically the same things and exercise about the same, and still she has a much harder time losing weight than I do.)

Do you ever feel that way? Do you feel that women have a much harder time losing weight than men? Why? It has been a topic several times at Weight Watcher’s Meetings I’ve attended. There have been a few ideas presented, but nothing easily defined. (I think it is safer to realize that people – everyone – lose weight differently.)

So I hope you like the article as much as I did. I hope it gives you more insight into this sensitive topic, and I hope you are motivated to make changes in your own life to be more healthy.

By the way… Linda and I got our bike ride in this afternoon. We rode together up the canyon for one hour and 15 minutes. Then we came home and had dinner. I looked out the window and realized I still had sunshine for a bit more riding and went out for another 45 minutes. It was absolutely glorious. I love the warmer weather… I love getting outside and riding my bike.

Have a great week. I will try to check in again soon. (Only 6 more days until we take the family to the beach for a little vacation… Crystal Cove here we come!)

Bye for now,
Kirk

Lose Weight Like a Guy
He drops pounds overnight, you gain weight just by glancing at a doughnut. Here, 7 habits you should steal.
By Denise Foley, Prevention

One of the most frustrating things your husband can say to you: “I need to lose 5 pounds—I’ll cut out the beer.” That’s because you could forgo beer forever and still never get close to squeezing into your skinny jeans from high school. It’s not fair, but men are natural losers. We women may think we know every weight-loss trick in the book, but men have some distinct physiological advantages.

For one, men’s bigger muscle mass helps them burn 30 percent more calories than we do, says nutritionist Cynthia Sass, R.D., co-author of Your Diet Is Driving Me Crazy. Women generally have more body fat and are biologically more inclined to store it; men also get a free pass from the monthly hormone peaks and valleys that leave us grumpy, bloated, and craving anything chocolate. Finally, in the gym, men flock to the weight racks and do routines that pack on metabolism-boosting muscle, while women miss out on those benefits when they’re tied to the treadmill.

But all is not, ahem, lost. If there’s no way to beat men at the dieting game, women might as well join them. Here are seven guy habits that can help you slim down, get strong, and be healthier, too.

1. He doesn’t crave sweets
Both men and women have cravings—but his work to his advantage.
While your comfort food is more likely to be sour gummy bears or double-chocolate chip bars, his is a thick, juicy steak. A Cornell University study found that women seek out sweets to ward off the blues but men turn to meat when they want to indulge. Why this gives him a weight-loss advantage: He’s eating protein, which will help fill him up (and curb overeating later) far better than your coffee cake will.

If cravings for desserts and candy are your diet downfall, try protein first. Have low-fat string cheese, a low-fat turkey and cheese roll-up, or fat-free cottage cheese mixed with some cut-up fruit. If you can’t skip a sweet, combine them: a small handful of chocolate chips and almonds, for example.
Muscle builders: Feed your body by adding some protein to your diet.

2. He doesn’t get upset when he screws up
OK, you blew it. A ridiculous project lands on your desk at 4 p.m., and the vending machine beckons … What do you do next? If you’re a woman, you throw up your hands, tell yourself what a bad person you are, and reach for your quarters. Then you wallow in self-loathing for days. And what does a guy do? “He feels OK, maybe even good, and really enjoys that snack,” says emotional-eating expert Edward Abramson, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of psychology at California State University and author of Body Intelligence. The guy also climbs right back on the weight-loss wagon—no harm, no foul.

To avoid this diet-busting mentality, apply the 80 percent rule. “Most guys avoid anything that even smacks of perfectionism,” and that applies to dieting, too, says Prevention adviser Pamela Peeke, M.D., an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “When women start a diet, they go from zero to 100—they become ‘perfect’ overnight, which is a hallmark of failure. That’s why I developed the 80 percent rule: Hit your weight-loss goals 80 percent every single day you can. One day, it’ll be 120 percent because it happens to be a great day. Other days, you’ll hit 50 percent or even 20 percent when you’re dealing with PMS. Just make sure it averages out to 80 percent.”

3. He lifts heavy weights
Women are catching on to strength-training, but some experts think women ought to approach weights more like men do. “When a guy goes to the gym, he’ll usually pick an exercise that allows him to use the most impressive-looking weights,” says Lou Schuler, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and author of The New Rules of Lifting. The result: muscle building in less time, and working a range of muscles at once instead of one in isolation. “A woman, on the other hand, will go for light dumbbells and do an exercise that allows her to use perfect form but will do the least amount of good.” To wit: The laborious but ineffective 12 triceps exercises women do to try to rid themselves of underarm dangle, says Schuler.

So drop the “Barbie” weights. If you’re doing two sets of 12 or 15 reps, your weights are probably too light, says Schuler. Move toward higher poundage that makes you strain to do 8 to 10, says Schuler. Once your body is used to 10, then increase the weight until you’re only able to do 3 reps. “At sports medicine conferences, I’ve seen scans of women’s upper arms before and after this kind of training program, and the girth of their upper arms hasn’t changed, but you can see the fat tissue is reduced and how much more muscle there is.”

4. He doesn’t use food as a therapist
Women are twice as likely as men to binge because they’re depressed, found a University of Minnesota study. Women are also twice as likely as men to be depressed, which makes for a lot of eat-a-thons. Worse, after a binge, a woman is likely to feel guilty, feel even more down, and soothe herself with more food. But guys don’t think they can boost their mood by mainlining frozen dairy products. You shouldn’t either.

Break the habit by identifying what’s behind your need to feed. Rank your desire to eat on a scale of 1 to 10, recommends Santa Barbara, Calif., psychotherapist Gloria Arenson, author of Five Simple Steps to Emotional Healing. “If it’s an 8, then look at what in your life was an 8 that day. Your boss yelled at you? Your dog ran away? Your kid got into trouble at school?” By matching your numbers—the craving and an equivalent stressor—you’ll soon learn how to determine whether you’re hungry or medicating a bad mood. With practice, most people who use the rating system stop themselves before taking the first bite, says Arenson.

5. He acts out his anger
Here’s another reason why men’s emotions don’t drive them to the fridge.
Guys are more likely to do something physical to dissipate their negative emotions, like go for an extra-grueling run or pound nails in the garage. Women on the other hand, tend to swallow their feelings—sometimes with an entire row of Oreos. So when you get mad, get moving. Take a Spin class, say, or go for a head-clearing walk.

6. He makes time for himself
Women are less likely to declare, “I need to take the day off and get pampered.” “For many women, their only source of gratification and reward is food,” says Sass. Starting today, snag an hour just for you. And give yourself something inedible to look forward to, whether it’s a Saturday morning at the outlets or a monthly girls’ night out for pedicures at a spa.

7. He doesn’t give up favorite foods
When women diet, we deprive ourselves of all those luscious “forbidden foods” until we can’t stand it any longer. Then we fall like starved dogs on year-old Halloween candy stuck to the back of the freezer. Austrian researchers, looking at gender differences in eating and dieting, found that “men’s approach toward nutrition is uncomplicated and pleasure-oriented.” They’ll still eat Doritos and guacamole while watching the Super Bowl, but they’ll have a third less than they usually do. Studies by University of Toronto obesity researcher Janet Polivy, Ph.D., found that restrained eaters—that’s the average female dieter—are more likely to not only overeat after dieting but also to gorge themselves if they just think they’re going to go on a diet. Scientists call it “the last supper effect.”

So don’t ban your favorite food—nothing can scuttle your good intentions like feeling deprived. “I order my clients to have something they love every day—a portion of ice cream, a small cupcake,” says Arenson.

And choose something fun to distract you when cravings strike. “So many times women are told, ‘If you feel like you’re going to overeat, distract yourself by cleaning the house,’” says Sass. “That’s like torturing yourself.” No man in his right mind is going to do chores to keep himself from overeating. A guy will find a more hedonistic distraction, like shooting hoops in the driveway or playing his guitar. Take a cue from him and look for something enjoyable that engages your hands and mind.

Bottom line: Weight loss is as much about attitude as it is about aptitude. Adopting a male mind-set, at least in this arena, can make you a leaner, more in-control woman.

MSN Health & Fitness – Women’s Fitness, Sunday March 28, 2010

http://health.msn.com/fitness/womens-fitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100254483&page=2

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 have been thinking lately about why I have spent most of my life being overweight. I am trying to recall specific events that might help describe my attitudes towards food and eating. I suppose any worthwhile analysis will also need to include my feelings towards exercise.

My grandfather owned a restaurant (Kirk’s Drive Inn Café) in Orem, Utah and I grew up spending much of my time there. His name was Marvin Kirk (and now you have a good idea where my middle initial and first name came from.) When I was eight years old Grandpa asked me if I would like to come work at the Drive Inn? My eyes opened wide and I said, “Really?” He told me I could come wash dishes in the back and he would pay me 50 cents an hour if I would put half of everything I earned into a savings account. (I readily agreed—and boy do I wish now I had made good on my promise to save half my wages. That savings habit would be something to cherish now.)

I wasn’t tall enough to reach the sink so a wooden crate was overturned to provide me a step up. I worked nearly every Friday and Saturday night until I was almost 16 years old. I only washed dishes for about a year and then was elevated to Fry Cook. Grandpa had me all decked out in an apron and hat, still using the overturned crate for a step, and showed me how to turn hamburgers on the grill. I also learned how to make French fries and onion rings. Other duties included helping to keep the parking lot clean, cleaning restrooms, sweeping up around the tables, putting away supplies and restocking shelves, more dishwashing and pot scrubbing, and learning how to prepare all the food items on the menu.

Grandpa and Grandma did most of the food preparation too. They ground their own hamburger, cut and blanched potatoes for French fries, breaded chicken, fish, shrimp, and onion rings, made homemade soups, chili, gravy, coleslaw (that tasted better than KFC—I promise), scones, and even froze their own ice cream. It was a great place to work and grow and I loved being around my grandparents.

My mom (their daughter) also worked at the Drive Inn as a waitress and worked the soda fountain. The job taught me how to work and be responsible—and it shaped my early relationship to food and eating.

As a result of my Drive Inn experiences I am very comfortable in a kitchen. I am not afraid to prepare anything. I enjoy cooking and find it very rewarding still. I love to share meals with others and look forward to opportunities for friend and family gatherings. On my personal resume one would find a prominent entry for cooking under my hobbies and activities and I love trying new recipes. (I am even known in tight family circles for creating an incredible chocolate chip cookie. I fashioned it on what I thought a recipe for Mrs. Field’s Cookies would be like and it turned out very well. My family and friends refer to them as Kirk’s Killer Cookies… and I am constantly asked to bake up batches for Uncles, Aunts, nieces, and nephews.)

A few years ago I learned about cooking outdoors with iron dutch ovens and enjoy preparing food when we go camping. (I have even tried a short stint as a dutch oven caterer. It’s a lot of work and loses much of its appeal when the cooking is under strict client restraints for schedule and location. I much prefer cooking as a hobby—something that can be enjoyed by my family and loved ones according to my own timetable, location, and menu whim.)

I’m sure I will revisit this topic often as I come to understand more about where my attitudes about eating come from. For now, let’s just say that eating and preparing food has been a huge part of my life for 45 years (ever since standing tippy-toe on the Coke crate to flip the burgers.) I love to eat. I love to prepare the food. I love to share food with others and find it very gratifying when people compliment my dishes.

When I started Weight Watchers last year I remember telling someone that I “used” to like cooking for other people. I told them that because I was watching the diet plan so closely I didn’t find as much enjoyment from cooking. Surprisingly, after 13 months on the program, I have found that statement not to be the case. I still enjoy cooking for others, now my passion is to prepare healthier choices. I don’t make as many killer cookies and raspberry trifles, but I still find great satisfaction from feeding friends and family and having them push away from a meal well fed. I work harder to use more vegetables and lean protein. The recipes are much different, and I hardly ever use white sauces and gravy anymore, but I have learned how to prepare some very tasty new meals. I still like to try new recipes—they are often low calorie and low fat—and enjoy reading diabetes publications for healthy food choice ideas.

The journey to be healthy and strong is a life-long commitment. Diets are too short. Learning to eat nutritious foods for a healthy body is a daily commitment to be continued until you take the final big dirt nap.

Thanks for reading my ramblings. If you don’t regularly take time to journal or record your thoughts and feelings, try it—the process is very cathartic.

Summer is here. I’m working hard to get my knee back in shape after surgery last week. I have too much bike riding, walking, and hiking planned this summer to be hobbling around on a rummy knee.

I hope you have a great weekend. Bye for now,
Kirk

It was fun to read this article and nod my head as I moved down the numbered items. I’ve been doing most of these things during the past year and have been successful.

Take a minute and read through the list. These things work. I hope you discover some good ideas about how to make healthier choices as you read the article.

Have a good week,
Kirk

10 Steps to Speed Weight Loss
Making simple changes that either cut out or burn off extra calories will add up to weight loss over the course of a year.
By Madeline Vann, MPH
Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH
If you’re struggling with weight loss, then you already know it’s the little things that add up — the “little bit more” at the dinner buffet, the “little bit too tight” feeling of your clothes. But what if you also knew about the little things you could do every day to increase your weight- loss success? Here they are.
10 Steps to Speed Weight Loss
1. Switch up your snacks. “First of all, watch mindless snacking,” says Emily Banes, RD, clinical dietitian at the Houston Northwest Medical Center in Houston, Texas. “[Those calories] really add up.” Instead of grazing on the baked goodies in the break room, have a plan for healthy snacks that combines a little bit of fat, protein, and crunch, such as apple slices smeared with peanut butter. If you are counting calories, doing the math may help: a pound is the equivalent of 3,500 calories, so if you can cut 100 calories out of your day, you will lose a pound in just over a month.
2. Cut out high-calorie condiments and sugars. “Instead of getting a coffee with sugar, try Splenda,” says Banes. Likewise, try mustard on your burger or sandwich instead of mayonnaise, and order your salad dressing on the side so that you can control the amount you eat.
3. Hoof it. “Exercise is key,” says Banes. People who manage at least 150 minutes of activity a week are more successful with weight loss. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or park a bit farther from your destination so you have to walk. This will add extra exercise — and burn more calories.
4. Anticipate temptation. If you know you can’t resist freshly baked brownies, don’t keep a mix in your pantry. Also, if you are going somewhere with friends and family and know you’ll have a hard time controlling yourself, make a decision before you get there about what you will eat — and stick to it.
5. Try the veggie-loaded plate method. Banes recommends using your plate to guide your food selection and portion sizes. One half of the plate should be vegetables. The other side can be split between protein and starchy carbohydrates. If you decide to get a second plate, says Banes, it had better be all vegetables. People who eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day are more successful with weight loss.
6. Skip the fast food. A study of 1,713 adults who have been successful with weight loss demonstrated that people who eat at fast-food restaurants less than twice a week have greater success with their weight loss. “If you do eat fast foods, don’t supersize it,” says Banes, and try to opt for a salad, small portions, or “get baked, not fried.”
7. Limit the calories you drink. While most people understand sugary sodas add calories, Banes sees a misconception when it comes to sweet tea and juices. Sweetened tea is no less calorie-dense than soda, and you’d be better off eating the fruit than drinking the juice, advises Banes.
8. Be accountable. Whether you have a diet buddy you check in with, a support group, or a food diary, keeping track of your daily food choices takes only a few minutes, but can double your weight-loss success.
9. Order smaller portions. Data suggests that people who order smaller portions or share a plate at restaurants are more successful with weight loss. Banes recommends ordering the lunch portion, an appetizer, or a children’s meal — or put up to half your meal into a doggy bag before you begin eating.
10. Acknowledge your success. People who believe they can succeed with weight loss actually do lose weight more successfully. How do you gain this confidence? Take a moment to pat yourself on the back when you make healthy choices and achieve your short-term goals.
These small changes, all of which can easily be made, will quickly add up to more pounds lost over time.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/steps-to-speed-up-weight-loss.aspx?xid=nl_EverydayHealthDietandNutrition_20090506

I wrote earlier that healthy eating is not a diet. I think this concept is critical to long-term change. If you desire to be more healthy, lose unnecessary weight, and be more active, then a change has to happen in your mind.

In my Weight Watcher’s meeting yesterday we were talking about foods associated with seasons and holidays. For example, Easter is a time when many people decorate eggs and give baskets of treats from the Easter Bunny. The discussion made its way to Cadbury Chocolate Eggs. Our facilitator asked if we knew how many points (for those not familiar with Weight Watcher’s, a point represents a percentage of daily caloric intake—what you can eat) we had to count for a Cadbury Egg. No less than eight hands shot up and most heads were nodding in agreement: 3 points for this one, 4 points for the other, and if you bought the miniature ones in the purple package you could have 3 for one point. I was amazed. It was obvious that many of the women in my group regularly calculated the points in chocolate: they had it memorized.

I can tell you how many points are in a large banana, a medium orange, and a small apple, but I don’t have a clue how many points are in a Snicker’s bar. I haven’t even thought about it in the past year. Since I started my efforts to be more healthy I’ve pretty much eliminated candy. It seemed as I listened to the comments from the women around me in the meeting, chocolate is a regular, if not daily part of their choices.

So I think to myself, if we work so hard to use Fat Free Milk, lean cuts of meat, and fill our plates with fresh vegetables, what’s the big deal with chocolate? It seems so counter-productive. Do these women not know that the processed sugar is a bad choice? I think they know, but I also think there is a strong emotional connection with chocolate that many people find hard to change.

After the meeting my wife and I were talking about chocolate. I find it very interesting how most women (I know I’m standing w-a-y out on a limb here…), many, many women I have talked to crave chocolate. Yes, I know a lot of men who crave chocolate too, but my perception is that there is a strong connection—almost a physiological link—between women and chocolate. I asked my sweetheart if she agreed with my observation.

She said that it might be related to an emotional issue. When a woman begins courtship and dating, flowers and chocolate are often received from a prospective suitor. My wife thinks maybe some women’s self-image is tied to the receiving of these gifts. Flowers and chocolate become a symbol of desire and love. If a woman gets flowers and sweets she is loved and wanted.

She also said that carbs give us a seratonin release in the brain that makes us feel good. That’s the whole idea behind comfort food. So whether we eat to feel good, or to feel good about ourselves, we need to learn better ways to meet those needs. Vicky, my Weight Watcher’s facilitator, always says, “If hunger is not the problem, then food is not the solution.”

(Please don’t beat me up for this post…. It is a rambling idea and I am not trying to categorize all women and relationships.)

It’s not that I don’t like chocolate too. Last year (pre-life change) I was eating a Snicker’s bar 5 to 6 days a week. I liked the taste and I think my daily trip to the vending machine at work became a habit—maybe even a craving. But since I have been concentrating on better food choices, candy hasn’t really been much of a consideration. I guess I do best when I remove things completely. My wife says I’m kind of an all or nothing guy—borderline obsessive compulsive. Well, maybe not that bad…. She just said, “Huh!” I think the way I have approached certain foods is part of my success. I’ve just cut some things out. For me, I just can’t have a little bit without having a lot. And I’m okay with that, because I’ve learned that I have alternatives I enjoy.

I don’t feel deprived. I don’t think feeling deprived is a good place to be. If you need a small piece of chocolate cake once in awhile, go for it. Have it and don’t feel guilty for enjoying it. Go for a longer walk to burn off the extra calories. What I’m trying to say is that we need to learn how to be efficient health managers. We think about what our bodies need to be more healthy and then move forward towards that goal. We won’t always make the best choices and we need to keep in a bit of wiggle room for adjustments around special occasions, but maybe having a Snicker’s bar every day isn’t the most healthy choice. (I tried it and ended up weighing 450 pounds.)

To wrap this up—I believe a healthy approach to nutritional eating is learning to eat whatever you want. Learn to know your limits. Learn what works for you and what doesn’t. If you have problems with fresh French Bread, Imperial Margarine, and Diet Pepsi—maybe you should limit (maybe even eliminate) the choices that don’t work for you.

The goal is to be more healthy. We need to learn to enjoy healthy foods and avoid eating anything that is not good for us. We might get by for a long time putting a little arsenic in our tea, but we know arsenic is deadly. Wouldn’t it be better to avoid—whenever we can—unhealthy food and drink?

Enjoy special occasions and learn how to find healthy alternatives to foods associated with these events. And if your birthday just isn’t complete without a chunk of German Chocolate Cake (my favorite) then learn to have a little bit and get on with it. Don’t eat half the cake and wonder why you put weight on at the scales.

Have a great weekend,
Kirk

It’s a good thing I thought through the “Stages of Change” last week. I had a relapse Saturday when I hopped up on the Weight Watchers scale. I gained 1.8 pounds—and I’ve gotta say—I like the feeling much better when it’s down a couple of pounds instead of up.

I think I am doing okay. I had a couple of friends on Facebook write encouragement on my wall when I mentioned I had gained. I don’t feel discouraged—more perplexed. I did everything right last week and still gained. Most likely I am gaining muscle because I have been taking the supplements and exercising like a fool. I averaged over an hour a day last week (and about half of that is with a trainer who is really making me sweat.)

Today, I thought I would talk a little bit more about why we eat (part 2). The best answer is that we are hungry and our body needs nourishment. Unfortunately, if you are struggling with being overweight I think you and I don’t always eat just because your body needs to be nourished (and I hardly think a stop through the local McDonald’s drive thru for two Big Macs, Extra Large Fries, and an Extra Large Coke constitutes supplying healthy nourishment.)

I think we have only one person to blame for being overweight—and most mornings you look that person square in the eyes as you face the bathroom mirror. We are responsible. Just like a popular slogan for the U.S. Forest Service who used Smokey Bear to remind visitors to our National Forest to be careful with matches: “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires.” Let’s modify the saying for our overweight club: “Only You Can Decide To Eat When You Need To,” and “Only You Can Decide To Eat Healthy Foods,” and “Only You Can Decide To Take Charge Of Your Life.” Okay, okay….this is getting a bit over the top, but I think you get the message. Take responsibility: it isn’t anyone’s responsibility but your own.

Having just said that, I’m reminded of another phrase from my youth (and please pardon me for sharing the very random things that pop into my head.) In the 1970’s a comedian named Flip Wilson used a very funny catchphrase. Whenever his TV character Geraldine needed an excuse for her actions she would exclaim, “The Devil Made Me Do It!” Wouldn’t it be great if we could blame all our actions on others—even that dastardly demon?

We can’t—or at least if we’re being honest with ourselves—we shouldn’t. I want to take a minute and think of all the excuses I can come up with for eating. Take out a piece of paper and add to my list (not ranked in any particular order):
• I’m hungry
• Upset (drop the “I’m” before each of these…you know who I’m talking about)
• Bored
• Sad
• Lonely
• Frustrated
• Anxious

Wow, did you notice a pattern? I’m sure the list can be made much longer (then there are all the synonyms you can come up with for words you’ve written down.) The interesting thing I notice every time I write this “Why Do I Eat” list is how many of them have to do with emotions. I need a new 12-Step, “Hi, my name is Kirk Anderson and I’m an emotional eater.” Could you join my group?

Emotional eating isn’t healthy (and I mean unhealthy on at least two levels: to your physical body and your mental well being.) We need to stop and realize that emotional eating is a poor choice. First, if you are hungry, eat something that will fulfill the nutritional needs of your body, and second, don’t use food to soothe an emotion. Food isn’t the answer. Let me take a minute and address these points.

I’m Hungry You may very well be hungry. But do you remember what it feels like to be genuinely hungry?

I’ve lived most of my life thinking I needed to be in a perpetual state of full. Before working hard to get more healthy, if I felt even a twinge of hunger I would quickly remedy it by eating something. I found comfort in the satiation I received from having a full stomach (and most of the time I kept my stomach at the almost-too-full level.) This is a very difficult habit to break—trust me I have been struggling with it for the past 11 months.

As you learn what your body needs—notice not “wants”—I think it gets easier to lower the amount and improve the quality of the things you eat. Wouldn’t it make more sense to fill your body with healthy calories, instead of empty calories? By empty calories I mean junk food: high processed sugars, high fats, and little nutritional value.

One other thing I have learned in the last six months is the power of the sigh. I heard about it in Weight Watchers and I try hard to listen for it every time I sit down to eat. The sigh is a response your body will give when you have had enough to eat. Very hard to detect, at least for me, but give it a try. It will usually occur about half-way through what you dished up on your plate. Your eyes often have a more ambitious idea of how much you need to eat than your stomach does. You will see something you like and load up your plate. Then remembering all the times your parents said, “Clean your plate…remember all the little boys and girls who don’t have all this good food to eat,” you feel obligated to almost lick your plate clean.

Put down your fork between bites. Chew your food slowly and more thoroughly. After a few minutes you will sigh. This is your body saying, “Okay—full tank.” A physical trigger to help you not overeat.

So on most days I fill up my plate—especially a spaghetti meal—and start eating away. I get through maybe half of what I put on my plate and notice the sigh. What do I do now? Stop eating. You’ve had enough. Put a piece of clear plastic wrap over your plate and pop it into the refrigerator for another small meal later, or lunch tomorrow. This is very hard to do for me because of my lifelong habits.

One trick I have tried to overcome dishing myself too much food is to use a smaller plate. If I put a smaller portion of food on a smaller plate and slow down when I eat, I am usually just about finished when the sigh comes. The big caution is to avoid going back for second helpings just because you have such a small plate and didn’t eat so much the first time around. Head games.

This blog has more to be said. I will revisit this topic I’m sure, but for today I’d like to get this much posted.

I hope you are finding success in your journey to be more healthy. I can’t believe how the past year has changed my life. I posted a progress picture the other day while we were celebrating my son’s birthday. My wife used the camera on my cell phone and caught a random image of me sitting next to her at the table. When I saw the picture I didn’t immediately register who was staring back at me. It was a strange moment. My outward appearance has changed dramatically. I don’t have a pumpkin-shaped round face anymore. I can see jaw and cheek bones and even a neck. What a strange adventure my life has become.

Take care. Thanks for reading. Please share the link to my web with friends,

Kirk

I’ve been thinking about why we eat. The obvious answer is we’re hungry. But somehow I think if our bodies were really in control, only taking what they needed and nothing more, there wouldn’t be rampant obesity. Think of a rechargeable battery. Charge it up and it’s ready to go. How long the battery remains effective depends on the draw or load made on the stored energy. When the battery is depleted, we can charge it back up and it’s ready to go again. The battery will only charge until it is full. It won’t keep charging until it bulges out of its casing.

Our bodies are similar to batteries. When we are fed and fueled we are usually ready to go. We have energy to carry on our activities depending on how much physical and mental exertion we draw on our reserves. When our energy runs low, we recharge our body with food, drink, and rest. When we have fed and rested we are ready to be active again. Unlike a battery, many people eat far beyond what is necessary for good health. We often keep eating when we have replenished our needs and that’s when we stretch out our casings. One example of casing-stretching eating is how many Americans feel immediately after a Thanksgiving feast. Many of us often eat past what feels good and find ourselves feeling uncomfortable. A popular slogan of a 20th century advertisement stated, “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” Have you ever found yourself feeling uncomfortable and bloated after overeating and wondered to yourself why you ate the whole thing?

So why do you eat? And when we eat, what triggers us to eat beyond our healthy needs? What circumstances, habits, and patterns lead many people to overeat? It’s too bad our bodies don’t have the capacity to shut off the stomach when enough nutrition has been consumed. Wouldn’t it be great to put food on our plate and eat until a signal in our brain shouts, “STOP.” Another brain signal I would be excited about is one that says, “Don’t eat that, it isn’t healthy for you.”

Unfortunately we don’t have these automatic responses built in. But we can train ourselves to do a better job at it manually. We can pay attention to eating because we feel hungry. We can choose how much we will eat and we can choose what goes in our body’s energy reserve.

Do you ever eat when you’re bored? Do you like to grab something to munch on when you are sitting in front of the television? Does eating make you feel happy, so you tell yourself when you’re sad that eating something will bring you comfort? Do you eat because it’s expected of you?

I went out to dinner with my family last night to celebrate a son’s birthday. It was a lot of fun. One of the comments made was, “Last time I was here I ate the One Pounder,” referring to a giant hamburger with 16 ounces of beef. He continued, “I always order the One Pounder and so do all my friends when they come here with me.” I noticed the sheet on the wall where you could sign and join the “One Pounder Club.”  To join the club, all you have to do is inhale a One Pounder burger, a One Pounder order of french fries or onion rings, a One Pounder size milkshake or soda, and a special One Pounder ice cream sundae or chocolate cake dessert.  You could even buy a tee-shirt announcing to the world that you belonged to the One Pounder Club.  Do we really want to be a proud member of the overeating club?

That’s just sick and wrong….

If we could mentally conjure up a picture to compare what our body needs with what the One Pounder Club wants us to consume, I think we would be shocked. I haven’t done the nutritional calculation, but my best guess is the One Pounder feast I just mentioned is probably enough food for the average needs of four or five adults. (Sadly, I saw the adolescent scrawl of many kids signatures who were proud members of the One Pounder Club.) What does this say about the parents? Either they are just fine setting such a wonderful gluttonous example for their kids, or the parents are happy to sit back and watch their children eat themselves into oblivion. (Maybe it won’t be today or tomorrow, but someday the bad eating habits we learn and practice are going to take a toll on our health.)

So I ask the question again, “Why do you eat?” The obvious, best answer should be because your body is in need of nourishment. That last part is critical to the process of being healthy. Notice I didn’t say our body wants nourishment, I clearly said our reason to eat should be when our body needs or requires nourishment. That becomes a central issue to a healthy body. How do we learn the difference between eating what we need with what we want? I’m still working on it. Every once in awhile I catch a glimmer of what it’s like to be in control of my eating impulses and desires. Last night after dinner I watched my kids eat a chunk of chocolate birthday cake and scoops of vanilla ice cream on the side. I didn’t feel tempted in the least that I needed some too. I had just eaten and was satisfied. I could really look at the cake and ice cream and not desire it—in fact, last night I felt like I didn’t want any. The cake and ice cream didn’t even sound good to me. (What a change…I’m sure I wouldn’t have felt the same way a year ago.)

Bye the way…last year I was a charter member of the One Pounder Club. My name is proudly listed right above my kids names. You see, I was the parent who not only sat watching my kids eating themselves into oblivion, I showed them how to do it. I’m not proud of this. I hope someday they can forgive me and I hope the unhealthy eating habits I taught my children won’t be passed down to their kids. I live in my own personal eating hell—fifty two years of abusive eating habits and unhealthy living. I hope it’s not too late to change.

I hope each of you will think about why you eat. I think once we begin to understand why we eat, then we can start to work on when and what we eat.

Have a great day…

Kirk