Halfpounder’s Blog

Today I want to talk about exercise. Any successful healthy weight-loss plan must include a commitment to exercise. Moving more is good for you. It helps with your weight loss and improves your heart and lungs—and I gotta tell you—the endorphins released into your system through exercise are very pleasant.

I have learned that exercise can give your weight loss momentum. Let me explain. It is similar to a snowball rolling down a hill that grows larger, becomes heavier, and moves more quickly. Exercise produces more lean muscle tissue. Lean muscle helps the body burn more fat. The body uses two calories to maintain a pound of fat on your body each day, but one pound of lean muscle requires six calories a day. The more lean muscle you have the faster your body will burn excess fat. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat.

A study in the Journal of Applied Physiology (J Appl Physiol. 1997 Jan;82(1):298-304) showed that cardio workouts burn more calories than weight training. Though not as efficient at burning calories, the study suggests strength training increases metabolism. Metabolism is the rate at which your body uses energy, or burns calories (weightloss.about.com/od/backtobasics/a/blmetab.htm).

In addition, the benefits of weight training include:
• Prevents loss of lean body mass that happens from dieting and/or aging
• Weight training workouts burn calories
• Helps change your body composition, which helps shape your body and keep you healthy
• Strenghtens bones and connective tissue along with muscles
• Helps keep you strong and active as you get older
The bottom line is, strength training is important for almost any fitness goal, whether you want to lose fat, gain muscle or just get in better condition (exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/f/muscle.htm).

The way I see it, you want to use a diet plan that provides your body with well-balanced nutrition. Then you need to be more active and raise the rate your body uses energy, or burns calories (called your metabolic rate). I’ve also learned that you must be careful what foods you eat. You can gain nutrients from a Snickers candy bar, but how your body uses the candy is drastically different than gaining nutrition from fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.

Additionally, processed sugar actually slows down your metabolism. If you are working hard to lose weight through good nutrition and exercise, it doesn’t make sense to eat anything to sabotage your hard work. I’d like to share this explanation I found while surfing the net:

When you eat anything sweet or anything that is perceived as sweet like artificial sweeteners, the hypotalamus gland sends hormones to cause the pancreas to secrete more insulin. Then, because refined sugar basically overwhelms the blood stream, a hormone is sent to the pancreas to produce glucagon. Glucagon is a hormone that tells the liver (that is part of the endocrine system) to store glucose (the form sugar takes in your blood stream). These insulin/glucagon spikes cause the body to believe it is in a state of stress and needs to respond, so the adrenal glands fire and flood the body with cortisol, the stress hormone.

Cortisol is what gives muscles quick energy to respond to stress. The liver reprioritizes it’s functions when this happens and women stop reconjugating estrogen and stop making steroid hormones (sex hormones) and the adrenal glands become exhausted and you feel tired. Toxins are stored in fat tissue to protect your organs. As we age and eat cooked and processed foods, we produce less and less stomach acid and this causes our ability to digest food to diminish. This is why by the late 20’s we start putting on weight as “stored fat.” The fat tissue itself, called adipose tissue, acts like an endocrine organ because it makes a hormone called, Leptin. This hormone is responsible for the “utilization” of insulin and glucagon in the body and is produced based on what “type” of foods you are getting your calories from. If you eat primarily carbs, your fat tissue believes you are starving and it causes your METABOLISM TO SLOW DOWN. Sugar is a low density carb that does this in a big way. This is why people “plateau” when dieting. Fat, on the other hand is where the body gets “sustained” energy, unlike carbs that give quick, fleeting energy. Fat will not cause the metabolism to slow down like carbs do for this reason. This is why promoting these low fat diets are causing many problems and sickness and unhealthiness is the result.

So, if you eat good fats, like raw nuts and seeds, you will see a dramatic difference in your sustained energy and your weight would be much easier to manage.

(answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081231163239AAwakVe)

In review, don’t ignore the importance of exercise. I know when you are overweight, the last thing you feel like doing is to exercise. But, it is so important to your goal of improved health that you must find a plan that works for you. Start with walking more. Park your car a little farther away from the entrance to the grocery store. If you can manage, use the stairs instead of the elevator. Get a pedometer and measure how many steps you walk each day. Set a goal and work to increase your daily steps total.

If you are not ready for a heavy strength training workout at the gym, get a resistance band and start slow. There are many sites on the internet to help show you what to do and get you started. Simply put “resistance band workout” in your search criteria and you will have many good sites to choose from, including videos showing proper technique. As you lose weight you will feel like doing more. You will have more energy and your outlook towards exercise will change. Now I look forward to daily cardio and strength training several times a week.

Good luck to you as you move more and incorporate exercise into your health plan. Is a catalyst for change.

Kirk

I was sent this in an email today and I had to share it… As you read it, and ponder the words when you are finished, think about your desire to be more healthy. Today, you make a difference.

“Today I Will Make A Difference”

“Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.

I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It’s OK to stumble…I will get up. It’s OK to fail…I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.

I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.”

“Today I will make a difference.”

Max Lucado

“There is no end of things in the heart.”

“Somebody once told me that. She said it came from a poem she believed in. She understood it to mean that if you took something to heart, really brought it inside those red velvet folds, then it would always be there for you. No matter what happened, it would be there waiting. She said this could mean a person, a place, a dream. A mission. Anything sacred. She told me that it is all connected in those secret folds. Always. It is all part of the same and will always be there, carrying the same beat as your heart.”     -Excerpt from Lost Light, Michael Connelly, Vision, 2004, p. 1

I read this today and thought about commitment. As I’ve mentioned before, to be successful in changing the quality of your life—and that is exactly what improving your health through nutrition and exercise will do—one must be willing to take a stand. You must decide to make whatever sacrifice is necessary for your life to change.

These changes are not easy. Like the message of the excerpt above, when the path of change becomes hard, there must be a reservoir from which to draw strength. Internalizing a commitment to change will help provide that strength. I try to imagine what it will be like to look in a mirror and see the new me. The picture I have in mind is a man with thin legs, a flat stomach, muscular arms, and a glow of health.

Is it hard to refuse a piece of cake? A cold soda? Fresh out-of-the-oven baked bread? A piece of candy? Yes, a little, but I want my goal more than temporary satisfaction. The prize of health and weight loss is a greater desire than eating things I know will impede my progress. Is it easy to get my walk or bike ride 6 to 7 days a week? It is hard getting to the gym and having my trainer show me how to burn fat, tear down muscles, and rebuild them again? Of course, but the picture in my mind of how my body will look and feel is dominant in my thoughts. It is becoming a part of “the folds of my heart.” To “always be there, carrying the same beat of my heart”—a part of the real me.

I want to be healthy. I must change whatever is happening in my life that makes me unhealthy. I must internalize it. I must make this desire for change be part of every breath and every heartbeat. It requires a willingness to submit to habits and a lifestyle that deliver health. Many people have said I am “driven” and have “determination.” Without this commitment I would not be successful.

I used to imagine what it would be like to not have supplemental oxygen… now I know. I have accomplished this part of my goal and it gives me great hope and strength towards accomplishing my ultimate goal of improved health and a reduction of more than half my weight.

I hope you have a strong image of how you want your life to change. It is a key for your success. I wish you all the best in your journey.

Kirk

I want to explore attitude today. I’m not talking about the kind of attitude my fifteen-year-old daughter and twelve-year-old son give me, I’m referring to the attitude or state of mind necessary to be successful at weight loss.

Desire is the key. If you want something badly enough you will find a way to get it. So what factors lead to my desire, and continue to drive me towards a long-term goal of sustained health?

As I mentioned earlier, the deaths of my two younger siblings both resulting from weight-related factors was a strong motivation. I’m the oldest of four children and my brother, eight years younger, and sister, fourteen years younger, died far to early. Neither of these siblings had ever married and at least they didn’t leave spouses and children behind—just grieving parents, two remaining siblings, and nieces and nephews and extended family who love and miss them very much.

Another big factor for me was the pain I was beginning to feel in my knees. My mom has always been a big woman and she had knee replacement surgery for both her knees. I watched her go through this and shuttered to think I would need the surgery too.

One month before I joined Weight Watchers and started my weight-loss journey, I was required to work on some computer equipment in a lab. For most of two days I crawled on my hands and knees under tables stringing wires and connecting hardware. For several days afterwards, I could barely walk. My knees let me know loud and clear that crawling while carrying around my bulk was not an option.

I reached a point in my life where I was finally motivated. I thought about how my life would be shortened if I didn’t do something to become healthy. My wife and I have grandchildren now, and I realized that I was going to miss a significant part of their lives if I continued to an early grave. I also realized how the quality of my life was diminished because I had a hard time getting around and required the use of supplemental oxygen twenty-four hours a day.

One humorous side note is the day I received the ultimatum from my insurance company. They told me, “Mr. Anderson we regret to inform you that you have reached your lifetime maximum of oxygen.” They were referring to a need for my physician to submit paperwork verifying my continued need for supplemental oxygen, but on first read, the notice was extremely funny. I looked deadpan at my wife and said, “Well honey, the insurance company told me it’s time to die.”

Since losing 147 pounds, and through consistent physical exercise and conditioning, my pulmonologist told me I breathe well enough without the supplemental tank. What a change this has made. I have been without the tank for two weeks, and although it is an adjustment, I have really enjoyed not being tethered. I still reach up to remove the canula when I need to blow my nose and I’m always grabbing for the tank that’s not there when I move from room to room. One annoying change is feeling like I haven’t got everything together when it’s time to leave the house in the morning. I feel like I’m forgetting something. I just look around and reassure myself that I am set and I don’t need to fill the tank before leaving.

Back to attitude: I want change in my life and I’m doing everything I can to make it happen. I’m staying on track with my diet. I’m meeting regularly with a trainer at Gold’s Gym, and I am getting at least 30 minutes of cardio nearly everyday. I’m just finishing up a challenge to complete the Idita-walk 2009. The Iditarod is an annual sled dog race in Alaska. The course is 1,049 miles long. The local Boy Scouts in Nome, Alaska started a great annual tradition by inviting people from all over the world to register and complete 1,049 minutes of walking during the period when the annual Iditarod Race is held (roughly February 1st through March 31st). I will finish my 1,049 minutes tomorrow—more than a month ahead of schedule.

I want better health. I will do what it takes. The changes have turned my life around. I feel better. My outlook is more optimistic and because of the profound change in my appearance (I’ve gone from a 66” waist in my jeans to a 50” waist, from size 8X in a tee-shirt to 2X), I am able to encourage other people to want change too.

I know it’s hard. I know it takes a huge commitment, but you can do it. The tools are there. Eat less than your body metabolizes. Be very careful to consume a healthy balanced diet, and get up off your backside and move. Walk to start and get a few minutes of cardio every day until you make exercise as much a habit in your day as eating and sleeping. You won’t regret it.

That’s enough for today. Good luck everyone, with whatever challenges you face. Get your head right and the rest of your body will soon follow.

Quote of the Day: “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!” Isnt’ that a great quote…it’s so true.

Kirk

I thought as I read it [Fat Tuesday...huh??? 24 Feb 2009] how sensitive we all become to aspects of ourselves we don’t like, or aspects we fear, or aspects that are different from the “norm”, whatever that is . Short people resent references to “short”, hence the uproar when Randy Newman wrote his song, “Short people got noboby”, tall people, fat people, skinny people, any racial aspect, frizzy hair, big noses, etc. The list goes on and on. This is just something I wonder. How is it we really expect to be treated? What is it we want others to see when they look at us or meet us? Do we really expect others to be able to look at us and see deep inside to who we really are, marveling at our strengths and genius? (Don’ we all see ourselves as something of a genius in some aspect of our lives?) I know I look in the mirror to find new wrinkles that weren’t there last month and shudder inside at the thought of growing older physically. I like the emotional part of getting older, but I have to learn to like the physical part. My mother fought it until the day she died. She lost. I want to be seen one way (young, beautiful, desirable, smart, svelt, etc.) but I really do very little about achieving those in my appearance. Of course, some of them I can’t do much about. I will never be young and beautiful again. I have to learn to accept being older and making the most of face and body as it is. Okay, I’m rambling and I’ve gotten off topic. You’ve gotten me thinking about what we want or expect others to see, but what do we do to achieve it. I really do believe aspects of our lives show in our faces and bodies. You’ve made people reevaluate how they look at you, especially at first glance. Those who know you are thrilled at what you’ve done. Truly, what it says to me is that you finally value the person you are and you want to stick around so that we can continue to enjoy that association. You’ve added years to your life, and that can only be good for the rest of us.

First of all, I like New Orleans.  One of my two favorite cities in the United States.  I love the cafes, powder sugar-covered beignets, Preservation Hall Jazz, I even like most of the Mardi Gras revelry–except for the real raunchy stuff–and have really enjoyed the three or four times I’ve been able to visit there.

But I gotta tell ya, I have a real problem with the name “Fat Tuesday.”  I’ve been a little sensitive to it most of my life.  I mean, why can’t they pick on other groups of people?  You don’t hear them calling it “Skinny Tuesday,” “Bald Tuesday,” or “Lazy Tuesday.” No, they pick on us fatties once again.

As a kid I got so tired of being called “tubby.”  To make it worse, I played the tuba in band. Yep, you guessed it, I was labeled “Tubby the Tuba” most of my secondary school experience (maybe that’s why I worked so hard to play well…because I could play a little, they couldn’t tease me about that too.)

So today I hit the information super highway to find out just why the day before Ash Wednesday is called “Fat Tuesday.”  The first thing I discovered is that in French, “Mardi Gras” translates to “Fat Tuesday.”  That didn’t help much.  Yeah, yeah, I get it.  Picking on the morbidly obese.  Giving them their own special day to throw parties and get drunk and parade around flashing body parts and wearing masks.  It just doesn’t seem fair.

Then I found this entry:  http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/MardiGras/

Mardi Gras literally means “Fat Tuesday” in French. The name comes from the tradition of slaughtering and feasting upon a fattened calf on the last day of Carnival. The day is also known as Shrove Tuesday (from “to shrive,” or hear confessions), Pancake Tuesday and fetter Dienstag. The custom of making pancakes comes from the need to use up fat, eggs and dairy before the fasting and abstinence of Lent begins.

 I feel so much better.  ”Fat Tuesday” has nothing to do with picking on body shape. It goes to eating in excess before fasting during Lent.  I can live with that.

But for all those people who feel that being politically correct may not include using the word fat, maybe we could suggest some alternatives to “Fat Tuesday.”  How about “Shape Challenged or Shape Impaired Tuesday,” as an alternative?  Unfortunately, that opens up a whole other discussion: Who decides politically correct shape or size?  I think the only safe approach is thinking in terms of physical health.  If your heart, lungs, mind, all other essential organs are healthy–who cares what you look like?  Who says you have to wear certain clothes sizes or weigh a certain amount when you stand on a scale.

I know, there is one nation that honors big fatties.  Maybe we could rename Mardi Gras to “Sumo Tuesday.”  The Japanese are very passionate about their sumo warriors.  They are revered like the rock stars of Western Society.

So I propose from here on out the day before Ash Wednesday be renamed, “Sumo Tuesday.”  What do you think?  Will it catch on?  Will we soon find little sumo dolls with beads and masks being sold in the Mardi Gras section of party supply stores?  I doubt it.

Hope you had a great “Sumo Tuesday,”

Kirk

One of the things I have learned during the last year is how important my thoughts are to my success.  For example, I can be eating along and think I’m feeling almost full, I’ve had enough, and I can push my plate away.  Or I can see the large portion on my plate and tell myself I better finish it.  And then even before I’ve finished the first plate, I will sometimes think about getting just a little more because it tastes so good.

The same thing happens from time to time when I look at a plate of something, boneless skinless chicken breast for example, and I carefully eye each piece deciding which one is biggest, because hey, I cooked the meal I deserve the best piece.  Or the biggest piece of cake, the largest bowl of ice cream, it goes on and on.  It has nothing whatsoever to do with eating enough to be satisfied, or only consuming what my body needs.  I have to have the biggest, nicest portion.  Weird.  There’s something wrong with that.  It’s almost like I will be deprived or won’t get enough if I don’t get the biggest nicest. (why doesn’t my brain say I can always come get a little more if I’m really that hungry…or a smaller portion would be plenty–all that my body needs)

It’s all about this mental game we play with weight loss and being in control of our appetites. The struggle with gaining control over what we eat, when we eat, and why we eat is waged mostly in our minds.

I’m trying really hard to eat smaller portions these days.  I’m finding if I eat less food and eat four or five times a day I do alot better than one, two or three huge meals when I’m pounding it down like the famine is nipping at my heel.  I need to cultivate a habit of eating enough to stave off the hunger pains–not push myself away from the table each meal feeling like I’ve finished a Thanksgiving feast.

It’s all about controlling your thoughts.  It’s about learning to be stronger than the cravings and urges your body says you need.  Yeah our bodies tell us we’re hungry and maybe we’re just thirsty. We can eat really fast and then a few minutes later we’ve over eaten.

So we need to pay attention to our body signals.  We need to drink when we’re thirsty and eat only when we are really hungry (or our stomach growls.)  We need to slow down and enjoy our food. Chew it thoroughly to help with digestion and put down the fork between bites.  But most importantly, we need to decide what we need, how we’re going to do it, and follow through.

Try serving yourself on a smaller plate.  Decide ahead of time what a realistic portion is–how much food you need–and only eat that amount. It’s hard to learn, but it is key to successful weight loss.

One last thing before I finish.  It ties in with the mental aspects of this posting.  I heard a poem about ten years ago that has helped me stay focused on my weight loss journey.  It has become one of my favorites:

You Can If You Think You Can!

If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost certain you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will.
It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But soon or late the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.

~ C. W. Longenecker ~

You can do it.

You can.

Do it !!

Kirk

I was thinking about yesterday’s blog and how I started it with something like, “Hi, my name is Kirk and I’m an over-eater.”  It made me think of an alcoholic attending an Alcoholic’s Anonymous Meeting.  I was surprised to go online and find there is an active organization called “Over-Eaters Anonymous.”  I read their 12-Step Statement, but didn’t think it covered everything I’ve been pondering lately.  Below, you will find my feeble attempt at revising the statement to more closely express how I’m feeling about my personal weight loss journey.

1.  I admit that I am unhealthy and have a problem with food.  If I don’t make an effort to control what I eat, when I eat, and why I eat, my health suffers and I will become obese.  I must take whatever steps necessary to be in control of my health and the overall health of my physical body.

2.  I have come to realize that something must be done to avoid ill-health and obesity.  If I do not, I run a high risk for health related illness including diabetes, respiratory complications, ambulatory weakness, and pre-mature death.

3.  I make a decision to reach out for help. I realize unconditionally I cannot successfully make change without the help of others. I look to God, family, and friends to help me come to terms with my addiction.  I will be accountable to myself, to God, to my loved ones, and to those I care about.

4.  I will make an honest effort to understand why food has had such great power over my life.  I will also look for other negative traits and destructive addictions or addictive patterns in my life.  If I have succumbed to one, there may be others.

5.  Once I discover more about my weaknesses, I will write them down as a reminder of the work I need to do. I will also share with others, when appropriate, what struggles I face and reach out to others for their help, understanding, and support.

6.  I fully commit to make change in my life. I commit to learn more about healthy living and ask those in my life I look to for support to help me with this change.

7.  I will regularly review and adjust the course necessary to help me achieve my goal of healthy living.  I realize it has taken me many years to find myself in my current state and I commit to long-term, even life-long commitment, to become the healthy person I desire to become.

8.  I realize that my ill-health effects other people besides myself. Ill-health effects the personal relationships in my life, including spouse, children, grandchildren, and extended family. Ill-health effects the relationships I have with friends and colleagues. My ill-health effects my productivity, reliability, and efficiency in my career: if I am unhealthy I cannot perform at a level required for my position.  My health has a significant bearing on my life and how I can serve others.

9.  As I come to the realization of how my health effects others, I will do all in my power to improve my health and nurture my relationships.  I will be a better spouse, parent, grandparent, friend, associate, employee or whatever role I find myself in society.

10.  I will not give up.  I will not quit.  I will make the changes necessary to change my life, to become healthy and work hard to better my self-image and serve those in my life I care about.

11.  I will commit to study what it takes to be successfully healthy.  I will look to others for guidance, inspiration, and support.  With God, family, friends, and sources yet unknown, all things are possible. I can be successful in my desire to better my health and learn how to have power over food, and whatever has limited my ability to be healthy.

12.  As I become better able to improve my health, I commit to share what I have learned with others. I commit to give strength, comfort, and support to others faced with similar struggles in life.  I can be an agent for change in my own life and become a help to those around me in need.  My life can change and I will use the blessing of improved health to serve others.

I welcome your comments.  If you think I have missed something important, why not include it for 13 or 14-Step Statement?  You might also feel one of my revised 12-Step Statements could use a little revising of your own.  I’ll never know if you don’t leave a comment.  :)

Kirk

My name is Kirk Anderson and I’m a recovering over-eater.  I remember days driving through McDonald’s and ordering a quarter-pounder with cheese extra value meal, extra large, and adding a second quarter-pounder.  Extra large fries, extra large Coke, two sandwiches: is it any surprise my body was big, fat, and unhealthy?

When I was thinking up a title for this blog I thought about those two quarter pounders (two quarters making a half-pounder) and I also thought about the changes I’ve made in my life.

In April of 2008 I reached critical mass: something had to change. I had lost my sister and one brother to weight-related illness and I realized, as I sucked continuously on supplemental oxygen and felt constant pain in my knees, that I was in bad shape.

So April 4, 2008 I joined Weight Watchers, joined Gold’s Gym, and hired a personal trainer to help me twice weekly to get off to a good start.  That first day at Weight Watchers I weighed in at 450.6 pounds.  This morning, ten months later, I weighed in at 303.6 pounds: that’s 147 pounds lighter.  I feel terrific.  My pulmonologist told me last week that my weight loss and exercise have improved my health enough that I don’t need to carry the supplemental oxygen tank around anymore.  For over eight years I’ve been tethered to oxygen-rich air to get around. What a difference my journey towards better health is making.

My goal is to reach and maintain a healthy 210 pounds. I will weigh less than half the weight I started with: a human half-pounder. I should make it by Christmas 2009.

There you have it. This is why I’m dedicating the halfpounder blog to my fellow fatties and ex-fatties. I hope you find motivation and encouragement to help you along your way. And I hope you share what has worked and is working for your journey. I can’t begin to express enough gratitude for those who help me every day.  From the student at school who looks at me and says, “Way to go, techguy!” (my nickname at work), to my daughter that recently said to me, “Oh my gosh, Dad, I can put my arms all the way around you when I give a hug.”  (gotta love that)

I welcome your comments. In upcoming posts I hope to share progress pictures and describe in greater detail how I’ve changed my life. I would also like to share topics I’ve researched relating to weight loss, health, and positive motivation.

Hope to hear from you soon.  Again welcome and thanks for taking time with my blog.

Kirk Anderson