Today we talk about starting over. Its not a bad thing because we are doing something. We have not quit. I am trying to get some momentum going.

So here is where I am.

Weight: 205 lbs

Waist: 42.25″

Hips: 40.5″

Neck: 15.75

Sometimes we want to get the weight off NOW. Realize it took years to put this on, so if it takes MONTHS (and in some cases years) to get it off – thats the way it has to be. The good news is you are going to get it off. I went into some old diaries I had. Here are some entries:

1995 196 lbs.

1996 188 lbs. (I had ordered an exercise bike)

1997 192 lbs (apparently the bike was collecting dust).

1998 195 lbs. (notice only three lbs, but if you do that every year…)

1999  I don’t know what my weight was, but I had ordered another piece of exercise equipment.

Start making changes in your life. I want to get to 180 by 6/19/08 I will be doing this by performing the following:

240 Minutes of Exercise a week

I’m not going to eat bread at restaurants.

I’m will drink water at restaurants.

I will incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet.

I will get at least 7 hours of sleep a day.

I commit to putting EVERYTHING I eat into my spark page.

I also talk about another podcast I heard where someone who went through bypass surgery, and the pain involved, and how they feel they might’ve solved the food problem without it. It was VERY interesting. For me, bypass surgery will never be the solution.

The above text is from 2008. It’s 2010 and I’m 202.5 and I obviously didn’t make it to my goal in 2008, but I’m back on the saddle and on track to lose weight and get back to 180. I know I can do it.

Email Bag

From Amy.

Q: Dave on your website I can’t find where to become a premium member to get back episodes and sign up for your newsletter.

A: It doesn’t exist anymore. I’m giving everything for free. There are still a few episodes on the blog that promote it, but I’m in the process of removing those.

Q: Do you have any plans to do another Biggest Loser 12 week challenge?

A: Yes. Do I know when? No. I’m listening to the audio from the last time we did it.

Q: Do you still recommend the Timex T5H911 HR monitor? I’m looking for one now. Also, is there such a thing out there that does both HR and step counts in one unit? I’m going to attempt the 10,000 step idea you speak of often. Right now, I have the Omron Pocket Pedometer model HJ-112

A: I liked the Timex Heart Rate Monitors as you could change the batteries on them without sending them back to the manufacturer. I know they make Heart Rate Monitors with pedometers built in, I need to do some research and get back to you on this. If anyone knows of one, please leave a comment or call and leave a message.

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I’ve heard people talk about how exercising in the morning, but I never thought that would be me. None the less I’ve done it twice now, and I’m telling you that within minutes of stepping on the treadmill, I felt better about myself.

So in today’s podcast you are right there with me at 5:30 AM as I am out of town and going to take advantage of their workout facility. I then have you follow me as I provide some motivational tips from the spark book.

In this case, I ended up shorting myself on sleep which in the long run is not good. Why?

You are cranky when you’re tired and may start arguments with people which adds more stress to your life, which inhibits weight loss.

Your body releases hormones that make it harder to lose weight.

Your motivation, and potentially your will power may be less.

Your body needs the rest to rebuild the muscles you’ve worked.

So I knew that going into the day and finished OK (but would not make losing sleep a habit).

Try It

As I said, I would NEVER think I was an exercise in the morning person, but I’m going to try to work this into my work week and see how it fits into “real” life (as the weekend is like another world).

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Many of you know that I am a technical trainer. I’ve been teaching people about technology for over 20 years. From time to time you have to make classes and courses from scratch. There is a process used to develop and implement a new class it’s called the ADDIE approach and while it works for building a new course, it can also be used in designing a new healthier lifestyle.

Analysis Phase
In the analysis phase, the instructional problem is clarified, the instructional goals and objectives are established and the learning environment and learner’s existing knowledge and skills are identified. Below are some of the questions that are addressed during the analysis phase:

• Who are the learners and what are their characteristics? (what are our eating habits)
• What is the new behavioral outcome? (what do we want to weigh eventually)
• What types of learning constraints exist? (what are our obstacles)
• What are the delivery options? (what options do we have in terms of packing lunches, exercising).
• What is the timeline for project completion? (when do we want to hit our target goal)

If we put this into a healthy lifestyle area we can say this is where we can weigh ourselves, measure ourselves, write down what we eat and see just how many calories we are eating. Write down any exercise we do and see how many calories we burn.

Design Phase
The design phase deals with learning objectives, assessment instruments, exercises, content, subject matter analysis, lesson planning and media selection. The design phase should be systematic and specific. Systematic means a logical, orderly method of identifying, developing and evaluating a set of planned strategies targeted for attaining the project’s goals. Specific means each element of the instructional design plan needs to be executed with attention to details.

These are steps involved in design phase:
1. Document the project’s instructional, visual and technical design strategy
2. Apply instructional strategies according to the intended behavioral outcomes by domain (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor).

In a healthy world, we are answering the question “How” are we going to get healthy? What is our strategy. We need to be specific such as “Exercise for 45 minutes 4 times a day.” If we wanted to get more specific we could say “burn 1200 calories through exercise.” We can say “We will pack our lunch and place it in a lunch box that will keep it cool so I do not need to rely on a refrigerator.” I will cook food on Sunday, and freeze it in small packages for the rest of the week.

Development Phase
The development phase is where instructional designers and developers create and assemble the content assets that were blueprinted in the design phase. In this phase, storyboards and graphics are designed. If elearning is involved, programmers develop and/or integrate technologies. Testers perform debugging procedures. The project is reviewed and revised according to the feedback received.

This is where put the pieces into place. Do you need a heart rate monitor? Are you going to use Workout DVDs because a gym membership is not in the budget? We are assembling out assets. Do we have a friend who can be our “workout buddy”? Do we have some music picked out that we can exercise to?

Implementation Phase
During the implementation phase, a procedure for training the facilitators and the learners is developed. The facilitators’ training should cover the course curriculum, learning outcomes, method of delivery, and testing procedures. Preparation of the learners includes training them on new tools (software or hardware) and student registration.

This is where we put our “healthy plan” it into place. All the planning and thinking ahead have lead to the steps you are now taking. If you follow the “Lesson Plan” you designed, you should achieve your “objective” and become healthier.

Evaluation Phase
The evaluation phase consists typically of surveys (as you exit the class) or test which show you know the knowledge. Realize if the majority of a class fails on a certain subject it may not be the students, it may be the class design. As a trainer there are times when I make notes in class, “Students don’t have same version of software as instructor,” and I know later go back and fix this. For you it might be “Take the Don Henley out of the workout music playlist.” An objective is a skill we want students to showcase outside of the classroom. This means we know they understand. If not, we go back and tweak. So you might find out that working out first thing in the morning is too much of a burden with you and the kids. This either means you get up earlier, or move exercise to another time. You evaluate, and tweak.
Tweaking is looking at your objectives (losing weight, etc something that can be measured, viewed) and identifying what didn’t work, and coming up with a new design that needs developed and implemented.
Then once it’s implemented you know what you do? That’s right evaluate? Is it working? Good keep doing it. If it’s not, tweak and repeat.

Analyze
Design
Develop
Implement
Evaluate

Try it. I bet you get an “A.”

Workout Music Track
It is hard to stay in your chair when you listen to the class “It takes two” from Rob Base

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If found an article at yahoo with tips in why people ditch their workout. The reason is we are not working out for the right reasons.

Why is it so hard to stick to a workout routine? Because we’re not working out for the right reasons, say researchers. Scientists at London Metropolitan University found that people stopped going to the gym after three to six months if they were doing it to lose weight or look better. Those who stuck with it: They had internal motivations, like less stress or liking the buzz they got from a cardio routine. Some other things to consider:

• Find your favorites. Exercise is a lot less tedious if you actually like what you’re doing. And you can further stack the deck in your favor by choosing a routine that enhances your overall sense of well-being. So figure out what makes you zen, and do that. People always ask, “What exercise is the best? I answer – THE ONE YOU DO.
  
• Double date. Team up with another person for at least one workout per week, says Thomas Plante, chair of the psychology department at Santa Clara University. His study found that people who exercised with a partner were calmer and had more energy than those who went it alone.  Be careful not to follow in their footsteps.  If they decide to not go to the gym, you need to go without them.
• Get a trainer (aka a cheerleader).  Not only will the encouragement from a pro help you feel more confident, people who workout with a trainer tent to try harder, persist longer, and stick to their program better, says Kathleen Martin Ginis, a professor of health and exercise at McMaster University in Ontario. If you can’t afford a trainer, there are plent of communities online to offer support like the forums here, or sites like sparkpeople.com
• Change your view. Anytime you start to feel bored, switch up your routine: go to a different gym location, try a new class, switch from one cardio machine to another (like from a bike to an elliptical trainer). It doesn’t take much to spice things up.

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Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper from the biggest loser are big fans of eating every 3 to 4 hours. Horge Cruise is all about eating every three hours. However people are taking this out of context. According to a new article by the Nutrition Divamore and more people are getting 25% of their calories from snacks. I mentioned this is a previous podcast that while I had taken my total calories (I’m aiming for 1800 currently) and multiplied that by .90 (1620) and divided that by 3 (for three meals) I get 540 calories a meal. That leaves 10% or 180 calories for snacks.  I had mentioned that my meals were right on track (and in some cases under), however I was eating too many snacks (grapes, raisins, protein bars, etc).  Why? Because I was “supposed to.”

Many times I was eating food as it “was time” to eat. Looking back I need to come back to calories in vs calories out. I understand that if I go 6 hours without eating I am more likely to just go crazy and eat everything (good or bad).  I think my plan going forward will be to ask myself, “Am I hungry” before adding a snack to my calories for the day. When I find myself strapped for cash, or doing a job where I can’t eat on the job, I am amazed at how long I can go without eating (and never even notice). This leads me to believe that a majority of my eating is emotional, and its boredom. It’s this kind of “Stepping outside of yourself” that really helps you decide what eating plan will work for you.

Today I started off with my typical raisin bran at 7 am. For whatever reason at 10:15 I was getting a little hungry so I ate a banana. I did not eat a muffin (a great name for a cup cake with no icing), or some other large item. This will hold me till 12 or 1ish when I go to lunch.

One of the keys that I am taking time to lear again, is really focus on how I feel when I am truly hungry. This way I can weight until I am ruly hungry to eat.

If you are hungry every three to four hours eat a small snack. If you can go longer without going into a frenzy? Do it. Most people do not have hypoglycemia, so stick the plan of eating when you are hungry (except for breakfast, always do breakfast). Be careful to make sure your snacks do not turn into meals, and continue to exercise on a regular basis. That’s what I’m putting into place.

This is just my opinion, and I urge you to work with your local helath professional.

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Times are very tough.  So many people want to give in because they can’t afford a gym membership. You don’t need a gym membership. You can get videos from the library for free (which stops things from getting boring), and there are tons of videos online. For example here is a video featuring Jillian Michaels walking Meghan Murphy from Self magazine through a workout.

There are plenty of excuses (not reasons) out there. Don’t let “I can’t afford it” be one of them. A gym membership might be $35 a month. I purchased the Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD for $8 bucks BRAND NEW. This thing KICKS MY BUTT. If you got to McDonald’s twice you going to put out more than $8 EASY. So do the right thing, admit that you CAN afford to invest in yourself. After all if you don’t pay for it now, you will definitely pay for it later in medical bills.

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Well tis that time of year again where we start over. We to get THERE you have to know where HERE is so yo ucan get from HERE to THERE. Here is where I am.

Weight 209 lbs.

Body Fat 30%

Neck 16.5

Biceps 12″

Forearms 10″

Chest 41.5″

Waist 42

Thighs 22.375

By measuring everything you can track progress, but also it gives you the ability to set up mini goals. Instead of saying I want a better looking butt, you can say I want to lose 1″ off my butt. You can track it. If you can’t track it you can’t improve it.

Be sure to keep your goals positive, and specific.

Work on your attitude, don’t believe the lies of your inner voice. You are worth it, and you can do it.

I measured my self using a mytotape from the Logical Weight loss store

Need some music to wake up your ipod? Get 35 free songs at www.emusic.com/musicnews

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We understand that tracking our calories going in and out as well as other statistics like blood pressure, body fat, and other stats can be hard to incorporate into our daily lives. When I went looking, I was surprised at how many wireless, or Internet connected devices there are.

For example right now I’m experimenting with fatsecret.com (a free site that allows you to put in what you want, and your exercise, in addition to other items). How did I stumble across it? There was a free application for my droid phone. The really cool (if you’re a geek) thing is I can use the camera in my phone to scan the ISBN code on the package and (in most cases) it recognizes the item, and I simply enter what meal I ate this product.  It then synchronizes with the website. This way if I’m at work, I can go to their website (fatsecret.com) and put in the food I ate while working (I plan on doing a video on this in the future). The one thing I really like about fatsecret.com is there are almost zero advertisements on the site.  There are tons of ways to track your food intake .

Fitbit Tracker (uploads your activity to a FREE website, website also has a way to input what you eat).
GoWear Fit Tracker
SenseWear Tracker
Bodybugg Trainer
LifeSource XL-20 Wireless Activity Monitor (works with Actihealth website)
ActiTrainer (pedometer, heart rate monitor, uploads to their subscription based website)
The EZ Weight Plate
Withings WiFi Scale (works with Dailyburn.com)
BodyTrace WiFi Scale (works with Daily Burn)
Lifesource Wireless Scale (works with Actihealth website)
Fatsecret.com (another FREE way to track diet and exercise and it works on blackberry and droid phones).
Dailyburn.com (another FREE way to track diet and exercise and it works on iphone).

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Today I found some interesting videos that point out how a bad diet will not be beaten by cardio. This video (I believe) is to promote their weight training program (as they put down cardio). What I like to point out is that how easy it is to undo any exercise you’ve done with just a few cookies, etc.

This is one of the reasons why I like to exercise in the morning. I start off the day on the right foot, I feel confident, and I don’t want to “erase” the calories I’ve burned off. This video shows you just how quickly you can ruin your weight loss efforts with a bad diet.

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In last week’s podcast I talked about having a mantra. In past episodes we talked about the movie 300 and as bloody as it was, I was impressed with their attitude. “We are Sparta!”

I’ve said time and time and again, one of the first things you have put in place is your attitude. So as I type this its 11:15 and I have 45 minutes until I can eat my lunch. While my stomach is not growling, I feel hungry.

So I started to think about the ways I will benefit from being thinner.

I will feel better about myself. I will feel proud of myself for doing something that is not easy. Do not get me wrong, losing weight does not mean I will be completely happy (as life will still send me trials, and curve balls) but I will be more confident in myself. I am boiling this down to one word: pride

My second motivator is money. While the pursuit and love of money is evil, I feel protecting the money you make is not. I just watched the biggest loser where Suzie Orman was on talking about how much money people have to spend on diseases that are related to being obese. As we get older and retire, our income may become fixed. We will have to maximize our income, and eliminate senseless spending. What I pay in sweat today, I will save in money tomorrow. I am boiling this down to one word: money. If you don’t like that word, insert “peace of mind” instead.

I have step-children who are teenagers. I know that I will eventually be a step-grandfather. I look forward to the journey of getting older. I want to stay as young as I can, but know I can’t stop the inevitable. All I can do is try to take care of the body that God has given me. My goal is expressed in one word: longevity.

As I think about how I would feel if I was proud of myself, if I had enough money to help me avoid living paycheck to paycheck, and I had the energy and flexibility to physically enjoy my later years, free of medicine, I can describe that in one word: happy.

So when I get hungry now I say to myself:

“Pride, Money, Longevity, and Happiness.”

As I focus on my goals, and I can take the minor hunger pains going on in my body. If my stomach starts to growl, I look at it as the sound of it shrinking. If I wake up sore from exercising, I know it is the feeling of muscles growing. I am working on my attitude. As it’s the first thing you need, and mine got side tracked. I will stay on track and control myself. My responses are my responsibility, and I am in full pursuit of pride, money, longevity and happiness.

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Today I take a few pages from my sparkpeople.com calenar and share them with you. Topics about caffine, sleep, motivation, inspiration, being prepared, and more.

Remember that the average person in the US packs on an AVERAGE of 10 lbs from Thanksgiving to New Years.

Stay focused, and remeber the older you get the harder it is to work it off.

YOU CAN DO THIS.

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I read a great article on WebMD that has 10 tips for losing 100 lbs.

1 .Shrink yourself – What is the extra weight doing for you?
2. Are you ready? – Seriously are you ready? Do one thing at a time
3. Consider the options – Supervised, alone, with a partner, etc.
4. Build in accountability – hold yourself accountable.
5. Adjust your expectations – It took a while to add this weight, its not coming off over night.
6. Develop a healthy selfishness – put yourself first so you will be around tomorrow
7. Fat proof your environment – if needed have the kids put their chips in their room.
8. Pick the brain of healthy people – find out what they do, and do it.
9. Find you secret weapons – keep track of your progress.
10. Reward yourself – but no food rewards.

What does 100 pounds look like? Like THIS:

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The good news is I found a job. The bad news is I am exercising less, I can’t walk on my lunch (bad neighborhood), I’m being taunted by the vending machine, and consequently I’ve gained a few lbs in the few weeks I’ve worked there.

My basement is too short to put my exercise equipment. I tested this by bringing in my shortest piece of equipment (My Tony Little gazzelle). When I ride it my heads just grazes the ceiling. It’s not ideal – but it will work. The bottom line is I had to find something to exercise. I have less time to exercise, so where I use to walk for an hour I will now “gazzelle” for 30 minutes a day.  If the gazzelle didn’t fit, I was going to start exercising with videos, or I found an old Torso Track. The bottom line is while I may not be able ot use my cool elyptical, I CAN use exercise equipment (or my body). You may not get to do what you want, but you CAN do something

And sometimes you have to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

EA Sports Reviewed

When this game fist came out I found what appeared to be an honest review at Amazon.com I talked about this back in July. To their credit EA Sports provided me a review copy and I was thrilled to check it out.

THE GOOD

I could feel the difference in my arms using the band (even though it took some time to get the tension right).
I always broke a serious sweat, and the 30 day challenge motivated me to keep going.
The exercises were fun (I loved the boxing and tennis).
As you strap on a controller to your leg and in your hand, it really pays attention to make sure you have the correct form.

THE BAD
I would guess that 15% of the time it did not recognize my right lunge. This was really annoying as it killed the momentum you had.
It is designed to do workouts. To the best of my knowledge, I could easily go in and just box.

Summary
You definitely want to watch the videos to make sure you are using proper form. The exercises seem easy, but you will sweat. I found it odd that it monitored my steps, but when I ran it only would run at a certain top speed (it would lose accuracy if you ran really fast). The occasional slip in recognizing my right lunge (and I went back and watch the video to make sure I was doing it right) eventually lead me to not using the game anymore. It frustrated me to much and ruined my workout.

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Well I was bummed to see a couple of weeks ago that I was back up to 210 (as I was down to 205 at one point). However, this inspired me (ok, it pissed me off) to get back on the treadmill, and to start exercising on a more regular basis.

The good news I didn’t quit. I am still trying. I still believe I can do this, and I know what to do and what not to do. I am still trying new techniques.

Looking for Motivation

Its hard some times to find the “Why” when it comes to working out. SOme days we just don’t want to. Well when I visited Pigeon Forge TN I saw a mix of all Americans from across the nation. I came to a conculsion: we’re fat.

So I don’t want to be a “typical” American. I want to stand out.

I also am looking for a job. Who would you hire if you were the employer? The person who is more in shape, or the person who is more likely to rack up a big health bill?

For you this could be your kids, your spouse, your grand kids, or just the fact tha tyou are tired of being tired. Whatever it is, keep looking until you find someting that will make you get off the couch.

No More Diets

We all hate the word Diet as it has the wor DIE in it. Dave Ramsey is a financial advisor and he doesn’t use the word “Budget” he calls it a spending plan. Consequently, we no longer call our diet a diet, but we cal it an “Eating plan.” You can use something like Diet Power and plan out all your meals and see how much nutrition you are ingesting (and get a grade).

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I recently heard a quote. When I researched the quote via Google, it appears that the quote came from a guy named Merlin Mann. Here is the quote:

“You eventually learn that true priorities are like arms; if you think you have more than a couple, you’re either lying or crazy.”

I got married yesterday. My wedding, was a huge priority. My marriage continues to be a priority in my life. Obviously we all have priorities be it family, work, God, and all the other things that unexpectedly happen as we make our ways through life.

Previous to getting married I graduate from college (for the second time).  As I look at that statement from Mann, I can agree. As I tried to keep exercise and fitness as a priority as I worked on finals, and then wedding plans (which required working more hours to pay for the wedding) I have to admit that fitness was not a true priority. Sure I still walked around the block. But at the end of the day instead of having 10,000 steps on my pedometer I was showing 4,000 more often. My fitness was an after thought – not a priority.

While I could use my graduation and wedding as reasons, they were excuses. I still watched the occasional television show.  And I was starting to eat the “occasional” happy meal more frequently. I’ve said it before, but when you do the wrong they, you are practicing doing the wrong thing, and the more you do it, the better you get at doing the wrong thing.  I understand that being perfect is impossible, but you need to hold your ground and keep your standards high. Don’t give up, and don’t stop trying.

I am now in a new position. My graduation is behind me, as is my wedding. My honeymoon starts tomorrow, and we’ve picked a lovely out door type of location with hiking and biking in mind (among other things). They key point is now that I WILL have more free time in the future, what will I fill it with? I will fill it in with the aerobic exercises that I used to do first thing in the morning. I will replace working on customers website it with logging into sparkpeople.com and staying focused on fitness. I will take the money I was saving for the wedding, and put it back into my gym membership that I temporarily disrupted.

The big key is when you “lose” a priority, realize the opportunity you have in front of you. So many of us want to fill this time with “Doing nothing.” Yes relaxing is very important. We need to give our body time to rebuild itself. But sitting in front of the television watching bad entertainment is not helpful relaxation.

So when you find yourself with “free time” that you didn’t have before, embrace that time to make yourself the priority. You are worth it, and your body, and your family will thank you in the long run.

Shaping Positive Habits

I’ve said it in the past, but when you do the right or wrong thing you are practicing doing the right/wrong thing. While we can’t be perfect, we do need to pay attention when we do the wrong things and do all we can to avoid doing them again. I’m reading the book “Financial Peace Revisted” by Dave Ramsey (a great book for a down economy). In the book he talks about an article from an anonymous author:

I am your constant companion.

I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.

Half of the things you do you might as well turn over to me and I will do them – quickly and correctly.

I am easily managed – you must be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons, I will do it automatically.

I am the servant of great people,
and alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.

I am not a machine though
I work with the precision of a machine
plus the intelligence of a person.

You may run me for profit or run me for ruin -
it makes no difference to me.

Take me, train me, be firm with me, and
I will place the world at your feet.

Be easy with me and I will destroy you.

Who am I?

I am Habit.

Start developing good habits today.

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If you haven’t purchased a “personal trainer game” for the Ninetndo wii, this sounds like the one you want to purchase. It has a 30 day challenge built int, a journal system, a way to track calories, and fitness goals. It also comes with resistance bands to make the exercises more challenging. I don’t have this game yet, but it really sounds felxible, powerful, and yet easy to set up and play.

The ability to play with another person makes it even more fun. I have the wii fit game. I think you get just as much exercise running the vacum than you do playing some of those games. This game seems to geared toward someone who really wants to work their body. As the reviewer put it, “It felt like being at the gym.”

Do you have this game? Let us know your thoughts if this is a game worth the $59 bucks.

You can read the full review and see screen shots by clicking HERE.

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Today I record a podcast in the car. I’m talking about Kirstie Alley who has gained 83 lbs (I mistakenly said 86 lbs). She explains to Oprah that she just quit doing what she did to lose the weight in the first place.  I also have a sneaking suspicion that she did this for exposure as she is planning on releasing her own weight loss program (after she loses the weight).

Are we surprised that she gained the weight? She ate better, and exercised, and she lost weight. Now she has quit doing those things and she gained all of her weight, and even more.

We need to stop the all or nothing mentality and strive for a balance.  Just because you have a bad day, you shouldn’t go “I know I couldn’t do it and quit.” Get back on the horse, plan for those times when you can’t avoid the cake, and try to find balance. Never, EVER, give up.

Here is a reporter with some excerpts from Kirstie on Oprah.

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I went to a Love and Respect marriage conference. This is a phenomenal book, and if you get a chance to attend this conference, GO. Dr Emerson Eggerich is very entertaining and his content is great and (after some practice) it works. Check out the Book.

One of his items is called The Crazy Cyle” where when a woman does not feel loved, she acts disrespectfully to her husband. When he feels disrespected, he acts unlovingly to his wife. See how that can go round and round? Well I made one for dieting.

The Crazy Cycle of Dieting

Without Belief (confidence).
We make bad choices (food, lack of exercise).
Without exercise we lose muscle
Without muscle we burn fewer calories
When we don’t burn calories, we gain weight weight.
When we gain weight, we feel bad about ourselves and lose confidence.

Turn this Around to the Energizing Cycle of Dieting

When we believe (Feel confident)…
We make better choices.
When we exercise we gain muscle
When we gain muscle
We burn more calories
When we burn more calories
We lose weight
When we lose weight
We become more confident

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Today we are talking about how tracking things you want more of (exercise, time with the family,better calorie management) are things we should be tracking. It in us, it motivates us, and yes it does take a little bit of time (probably 5 – 10 minutes  day). This is something you have to do if you want to lose weight. Anybody that’s says you don’t need to is trying to sell you something.

No Sleep = No Willpower

This week I had a very busy week, and two nights I got 5 hours of sleep or less. I felt awful, and I was amazed at how the “Hamburger Highway” was calling me. Finally I went to a gas station and the cold of being outside (in Ohio) got me to focus on something else (as I wasn’t truly hungry).  Sleep is vital, and if you are not getting enough, it’s probably because we are not planning out our day.

The Truth About Reading Food Labels

The key to reading food labels is that you need to check the serving size. On the spray bottle of  I can’t believe its not butter it shows there are 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 trans fat, etc. WOW! I thought I can spray nothing on my food. Well the problem is the label reports how many calories are in one serving. How big is a serving of the spray? ONE. When I use this product, I do not spray once and go “OK, we’re done here.” If you look at the same product in a spread you will see where the serving has 50 calories and 5 grams of fat. Now one gram of fat has 9 calories. So 5 grams of fat is 95 calories which means this spread is 95% fat.

Don’t be fooled by labels. Get informed. This article is from Quality Health.com

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Today I’m reviewing the Actiped that is  sometimes refered to as the LifeSource XL-20 Wireless Activity Monitor. This little device weighs next to nothing, and clips to your shoe. You plugin the USB device and your steps are transmitted from your shoe to your computer. ON your computer, you install a very small piece of software that uploads your steps to a website where you can track your progress.

In reality, you walk into the room, and your stats entered into a website without lifting a finger. Currently, I use HJ-720ITC from Omron. When the day is done, I have to plugin my pedometer to my computer, start software, select my name, then click “download data.”Using the Wireless Activity Monitor, I do um… nothing.

On the website I can track step goals, total steps, distance, calories, and more. There are other wireless items such as a scale and a blood pressure unit. All of these you use and your information is entered into your website.

Now we previously talked about The Bodybugg, and we noted how the subscription to their websites was kind of expensive (not the mention purchasing one was not cheap either). The subscription to the website is roughly $25 a year (not a month). The cost of the unit is $49.99 at amazon (not $300 like the body bug).The actiped updates your stats about 3 times every 10 minutes. If you are not active it goes into a sleep mode to save the battery (the battery will last between 1 and 2 years depending on how much you use it).

But You Need To Wear Shoes

This will not clip to your waist. It has to be on your shoe. So if you’re like me and walk around the house with no shoes, you’re going to lose some activity. This is not a huge deal. Likewise if you use something like an elliptical machine the actiped won’t track your steps (as it goes by the foot hitting the pavement). The good news is you can login to the website and put in that you did elliptical work for 30 minutes and it will enter how many steps that calculates to be.  However, by having to go to the website and enter data you are defeating the purpose of the wireless entry.

Overall I’m excited about this unit for a couple of reasons. First I like to see where technology is going. Second it does make tracking your steps effortless. In the future I hope to see units like these have the capabilities to be worn on your pants (that would work better for me), and the ability to change the batteries.

Jillian Says Vary Your Caloric Intake

Instead of eating the same calories every day, do something like this (example would be if you wanted 1,400 calories per day).

Monday – 1,200 calories
Tuesday – 1,500
Wednesday – 1,200
Thursday – 1,600
Friday – 1,200
Saturday – 1,400
Sunday – 1,700

This gives you an average of 1,400 calories a day for the week, and may boost your metabolism as your metabolism as it can’t adjust to a reduced caloric intake if it varies. This is from the book Winning By Losing from Jillian Michaels

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If you purchase things on a regular basis online, you should check out ShopWurld. You can get discounts on everything you purchases from 100s of stores. If you want, you can start a network and every one you refer you earn commission on their purchases. Yes I know its a pyramid scheme. This is why I start the ShopWurld Podcast at www.shopwurldpodcast.com For example if you buy music at iTunes you could be saving 3.5% on your purchases.

Workout Song of the Week – Gavin McGraw

Beatlesboy from the Forums like this song and so do I. It’s called I’m in Love with a Girl.

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Wii My fitess Coach is Also “Yourself Fitness”

The My Fitness Coach game for Nintendo Wii is a great way to get in shape. However, Greg from the forums to me that this is also available on XBox and Playstation 2 as “Yourself Fitness.” If you don’t have a game unit, it is also available for the computer.

Now you can have the same fun without purchasing a Wii unit.

Version For PC

Version for Playstation 2

Yourself Fitness for Xbox

The Power Of Your Negative Thoughts

According to the Book The Success Principles by Jack Canfield, 80% of our thoughts (to ourselves) are negative. Research has shown this. He then goes on to tell a story of a guy who got locked in a refrigerator car (on a train). He panicked as he knew he only had minutes to get out or freeze to death. He ended up scratching a goodbye letter to his wife on the floor with a knife. He died. The interesting thing? The temperature of the car was around 50 degrees. He had frozen to death by the power of his thoughts. He created mental suicide.

I say it all the time, only you can stop you. Make sure your negative thoughts get stopped, and you replace with them positive thoughts.

Sell Deprivation Decreases Leptin

A study of sleep deprivation is showing that people that don’t get enough sleep end up with lower levels of Leptin (which tells the body its full). So people keep eating becuase its thnks it is hungry.  This was in 60 minutes a couple of weeks ago (there is a 60 minutes podcast).  The interesting thing was Leslie Staul ended up watcing flies have sex. Television at its finest.

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Today I talk about a new product I purchased looking to build some strength.

I found out that buying dumbbells is about $1 a pound. I like my dumbbells, but I needed a 15 lb set which would’ve cost me $30. The Ultimate ProGym has a 5, 10, and 15 lb tube. So I can use these alone or combine them for 5,10, 15, 20, 30 lbs resistances.

I like this system as its GREAT for people who travel as everything fits into a little bag. You never have to worry about stubbing your toe on them in the night.

The down side is they don’t identify which tubes is what (red is 5, green is 10, and blue is 15), and if you are doing cardio they may not be as flexible to use as you do a lunge with weights (as you need to hold down the tube with your feet).

You do have a great attachment that allows you to strap the tubes to the doors that allows you to do rowing, bench press and more. Another attachment allows you to strap the tube to your ankle (great for working your leg).

I did a test with a 10 lb. dumbbell and the 10 lb. tube. The great thing is you control the resistance with the length of the tube.  Using this I can make the 10 lbs tube feel less than 10 lbs, just like 10 lbs, or if I shorten the tube heavier than 10 lbs.

Polar Heart Rate Monitor Overviews

I have a polar F6 heart rate monitor. I had an F11, but must’ve got a “bad one.” So I exchanged it for the F6. This is the third polar unit I’ve had. The bad news about Polar units is it costs at least $75 to have new batteries installed.

I have found that Omron makes makes the HR-100C unit which is around 32 bucks. While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a polar unit, it does track your heart rate, and an alarm sounds if you go above or below it. The great thing is both the transmitter and the receiver have replaceable batteries. Consequently, you can have this unit forever.

The bonus of keep track of everything

I recently busted through a plateau, and lost weight three days straight and I knew that today I would show a gain. Why? Because looking at my history it’s what I always do. If I wasn’t tracking my weight, this might’ve been something that set me back. However, since I can see my history I know this is my body acting the way it always does.

Other Health Related Podcast

Jennifer listened to Fitness Rocks at www.fitnessrocks.org and www.fat2fitradio.com

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This show originates from www.logicalloss.com this is show 61

I’ve heard that exercising at a less intense pace it burns more fat. Burning at an intense rate burns more sugar. This is true. According to buildingbodies.ca you burn “Low intensity training burns about 50% fat for energy while high intensity training burns about 40% fat for energy. This is not a huge difference.

Say, for example, walking for 20 minutes burns 100 calories. Then 50% of 100 calories is 50 fat-calories burned.

Now say 10 minutes of high intensity interval training burns 160 calories. Well, 40% of 160 calories is 64 fat-calories burned.

BOTTOM LINE: I spent some time exercising at 56% to 70% of my maximum heart rate and still broke a sweat. So if you can only workout at that pace – DO IT. Remember 60% of your maximum rate is still more calories than you will burn sitting on the couch.

Calculating your maximum hear rate

Take your age and subtract it from 220. So for me (I’m 43 for a few more days) that would be 220-43 = 177. That is my maximum heart rate.  If I want to exercise at 60-85% of my maximum heart I do the following:

Multiple 177 by .6 = 106 beats per minute. This is the lowest my heart should beat during exercise.

Then I multiple 177 by .85 = 150 beats per minute.  So I can st my heart rate monitor to beep when I go below 106 and beep if I go above 150 beats per minute.  I use the Polar F6 heart rate monitor (they also have a ladies version)

Jillian Michaels Radio Show

Thanks to Greg for the heads up on the Jillian Michaels radio show that you can get as a podcast. Copy this URL and paste it into iTunes (advanced menu, subscribe to podcast, and pate the URL)

http://www.kfi640.com/podcast/SUNDAY.xml

Now you will get other shows. However, when you first sign up you can “get” just the episodes of Jillian.

I’ve also signed up for the Jillian Michaels website. My first impression was “OK” but the site is very slow at times. It’s $52 bucks for 13 weeks.

Logical Weight Loss 12 Week Challenge Starts February 8th

The 12 week challenge will help get you into shape for spring. There will be tools, information, worksheets to help get you energized and also help keep you on track. Sign up today at www.logicalloss.com/12weeks

Music: Lance Lopez “move”

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More information about Fat burning

Cross fit pdf article

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Kashi Go Lean Review

I got the biggest loser book that is the fitness and diet from the show (more on that later) and it mentioned Kashi Go Lean. Well I also remember that being mentioned in Never Say Diet by Chantel Hobbs.

I bought some on the way home. I was very worried. Here is why.

13 g of protein

10g of Fiber

1g of Fat

No cholesterol

480 mg of potassium

85 mg of salt

30 g of carbs

I mean typically anything this good in print tastes like cardboard right?

The tag line is “Crunchy Fiber Twigs, Soy Protein Grahams and Honey Puffs.

MMMMmmmm Twigs.

I poured it into a bowl, dumped in some skim milk and hoped for the best.

Well my first bite had my mind doing a giant flash back to Sugar Bear of Sugar Crisp Cereal (he used to sing and wear a sweater).  Wait. Was it alpha bits? It reminded me something I would eat as a child.  So it wasn’t an MMMMmm kind of reaction, but it wasn’t “Oh, where is the trash can” either.  By the end of the bowl I was like, “This isn’t so bad.” To me this is more in the category of “Nourishment” as apposed to “food.” But with these numbers it’s hard to overlook the health benefit, and I have a feeling these could grow on me a bit. I say it’s worth a shot, and if you’re wiling to consume things that are classified as “slightly better than edible” than these are a great way to start off the day.

Never Say Diet Final Thoughts

I liked this book and recommend it to Women who feel like they can’t do it. That they are too over weight and they will never be thin. You really get inside the head of someone who weighed as much as a football player. She has tips on eating right (some I agree with, and some I don’t), and she has her exercises section which looks easy (but will make you sweat).

The one part that really surprised me is that she talks about accepting yourself, and then she talks about how she had to have surgery to fix some of the excess skin after being over weight (and having kids) that just wasn’t going to “snap back.” I understand that. She had a breast lift (I understand that), but she also had an “Augmentation.”  This I don’t get and seems out of character. She says it wasn’t done just so she could have big boobs (um then why not just have a lift?).  Oh well, it was still a good book, and a great and inspiring story. It gives tremendous insights into the mind of an obese woman and how you can change your brain, and change your life.

Workout Tunes

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Inspiration from the Biggest Loser

A make contestant who is 28 was taking 8 different medicines. In three weeks of doing diet and exercise he put all of his medicines away (diabetes, cholesterol, and others). It was projected that he would have paid $733,000 over the rest of his life. Another contestant was taking 10 pills a day and some insulin. He is now down to 1. The pills he was taking was over 20,000 a year. He might’ve spent 750,000 for his medicine over the rest of his life.

50 Million Pound Challenge

This is another free website that allows you to track your exercise and your food, as well as create a journal and form a team (like the Logical Weight Loss team ). This site doesn’t have as much advertising as Spark People.  The advertising that is there is for State Farm Insurance. You can even get a free pedometer if you meet up with a Stat Farm agent.  I haven’t played with the food journal yet (and that’s where you spend most of your time).

Fiber Facts

There really isn’t a bad side of fiber (except it does make you go poo).

How much do you need?

courtesy of www.sparkpeople.com

Join the Logical Weight Loss Team at Spark People

Join the Logical Weight Loss Team at 50million pound challegene.

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This show originates from www.logicalloss.com This is show 50

Never Say Diet Part I

I bought the book “Never Say Diet” from Chantel Hobbs. In it she talk about the top excuses for not losing weight. These include:

“I can’t afford a gym membership” – Good news Exercises is FREE.

“I don’t like to work out.” – Do you love heart doctors and medication?

“I just want to use diet pills.” – If there was a pill that worked, don’t you think we’d all know about it?

“I have too much weight to lose.” – Don’t think about what you have to lose.  You have too much to gain not to start today.

“Isn’t healthy food expensive?” – So are doctors visits.

One of the key points of this book is changing your brain.  I’ll talk more about that in the future.

Weight Loss Tips from Football

Last year the Miami Dolphins only won 1 game. This year they won 11 and are going to the playoffs. The difference? A new General Manager, and a new “mindset” or “Culture” as many of the players explained. In general, the team members believed in themselves again. They changed their brain first.  As the old saying goes, if you think you can or you think you can’t – you’re right.

New Diet Software – Diet Power

I just found out about Diet Power software. I just downloaded it, and will be checking it out over the next few weeks (there is a 14 day free trial). It seems very, very powerful, and yet simple.  You can get your free download at dietpower.logicalloss.com

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Building on Your Past

Is there that one day in your past that was so very heard? I do. I had to tell my Grandmother that she had outlived my Mother.  Because of that day, and experience, I know I can get through very tough situations that I never thought I could.

Think of yours. You may have thought you never could get through it, but you did. Well losing weight is hard, and you may feel you can’t do it, but you can. If you made it through your toughest situation, you can make it through the process of losing weight.

Celebrate and Remember Your Victories

This week I had numerous temptations in the form of Dairy Queen, McDonald’s, McDonald’s again, and other times “the little voice” wanted me to do something I knew was not going to be the right choice.

By doing the right thing you are practicing doing the right thing, and you will find it easier to do in the past.  I have this mental list in my head now so when I drive down the street I can tell myself “beat that, overcome that one, ” and more.

By being consistent, I am seeing results (I’m down to 209 lbs). I am walking 2 miles in the morning, and in the early evening I do the rest of my 10,00 steps. I’m eating better and exercising more, and it is starting to pay off. It’s taken a few weeks, but it is starting to pay off.

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Today I talk about the book Prevention’s 3-2-1 weight loss plan by Joy Bauer. It outlines a circuit training program that involves 3 minutes of cardio, 2 minutes of strength training, and 1 minute of working on your abs. While it is geared towards women, it had some interesting tips on stopping emotional eating and more.

We get an email from Linda Sim who has lost 25 lbs this year, as she talks about why she likes the show and shares with us her favorite workout tunes.

I’m pleased that Michelle won the biggest loser. The next season starts Jan. 6 and it will have a 19 year old boy who weighs 454 lbs. and have a couple who is 63 years old.

Circuit training has been shown to increase weight loss efforts and it stops your exercise form being boring (as you are switching from one exercise to another. The book has lots of exercises and I feel it would be hard to keep your heart rate in the proper zone while using the book as you’d have to memorize a number of examples.

Also there are some interesting “games” for fitness for the Ninendo Wii and Nintendo DS that are geared towards having fun and losing weight.

Download to the show

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Today I share some e-mails from the listeners. I ALWAYS love getting e-mails and voice mails from everyone. As I hear, the podcast helps keep you focused, and your emails do the same to me. Here are some of the great tips we heard.

Write down 5 things at the end of the day you are thankful for.

Quit, as in STOP, eating after 9 PM

People listen while they walk, ride bikes, treadmill, and more.

We are available in iTunes (subscribe here for free)

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I was just informed that the article in the Sacramento Bee Titled, “Download One, Two, Three, Four.” So if you read that paper and you are looking for the 43 year old guy from Ohio, you have come to the right spot. I want to thank everyone for stopping by. Be sure to check out our forums, and chime in on our toll free voicemail 888-563-3228.

I have some great advice coming out in the next few days. Subscribe in iTunes and never miss another episode.

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This show originates at www.logicalloss.com

Working Out a Little Bit Longer

Today I talk about how I “trick” myself into longer workouts.  It is the principle of “just a little more” over and over. When I’m on my Tony Little Gazzelle I often start with the concept of going 2 miles. Then about the .4 mile mark I start to feel it and think, “I’m never going to make it. ” However I then decide I can make it to the end of the song I’m listening to. Then I wait for the next song and if I don’t like it I look at my watch. I decide I can go x amount longer. If that doesn’t work, I’ll look at the distance setting (and talk about going just a little further). If that doesn’t work, I’ll look at calories (and pick a goal to go a little longer). By going a little longer, and a little longer I eventually make it to 40 minutes.

Using my heart rate monitor I can make sure I’m in my target heart rate. Then once I’m there I try to go for an additional 20 minutes. You can calculate your target heart rate during exercise using this tool from the Mayo Clinic.

Special December Calendar From Spark People

Spark people is now publishing calendars that you can print out to help keep you on your goal. Click Here to print the calender for December 2008

Free Workout Music

I found some free workout music in iTunes. Search for fitmusic (all one word). They provide workout music in a variety of speeds and styles.  I have a free ebook that shows you how to use your ipod as a weight loss tool. Sign up for the Logical Weight Loss Podcast Email list to receive it for free.

Workout Track of the Week

I realy like the song “Move Along” from the band “Great American Rejects” it has a nice driving bass drum, and the lyrics tie in nicely with exercise.  Leave your favorite songs here in the comments, or over in the forums

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This show originates at www.logicalloss.com

Dan weighed 310 lbs when we started the biggest loser. He lost 136 lbs and is now out making music. When asked about how he got to 310 Dan admitted that with all the fast food pit stops etc, he was drinking almost a 12 pack of soft drinks a day. Then add to that french fries etc.

We find out what it was like for a typical day on The Biggest Lost ranch. We also hear how Dan is handling his weight now, what his current favorite food is, and if he is maintaining his weight now. Dan is taking the same attitude towards weight loss to his music career and attacking it head on.

We get to hear the title track his new CD “Goin All Out.” This is a great CD filled with positive, honest lyrics that combine country and rock. I love the title track and Letter to My Addiction.  Goin All Out has made it to #7 on the Country Billboard Charts. It’s also available in iTunes.

Get a total gym with free shipping by going to total.logicalloss.com use the coupon 11001 to save 10%

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This show originates at www.logicalloss.com

Today I found and old teaching aid that I use to use in all my classes. After all, we have to believe we can lose weight if we are going to lose it. The first step is to believe in ourselves.

The problem is the fact that we are over weight, and when we look int the mirror we someone who has made bad choices, and is suffering the consequences. We need to realize that underneath those added pounds lies a champion who is slowly chiseling themselves out of this body and into a healthy body one day at a time.

Some days its easier to see the champion than others, but you have to believe that it is in you if you are going to bring it out. You can do it.  Say to yourself “I can do it.”

I wish I knew who the author was of this article, but I love it.

Anything is Possible

If there were ever a time to dare,
to make a difference,
to embark on something worth doing,
it is now.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily—
but for something that tugs at your heart,
something that’s your aspiration,
something that’s your dream.

You owe it to yourself to make your days here count.
Have fun.
Dig deep.
Stretch.

Dream big.

Know, though, that things worth doing seldom come easy.
There will be good days.
And there will be bad days.
There will be times when you want to turn around,
pack it up, and call it quits.
Those times tell you that you are pushing yourself,
that you are not afraid to learn by trying.

Persist.

Because with an idea,
determination, and the right tools,
you can do great things.
Let your instincts,
your intellect,
and your heart guide you.

Trust.

Believe in the incredible power of the human mind.
|Of doing something that makes a difference.
Of working hard.
Of laughing and hoping.
Of lazy afternoons.
Of lasting friends.
Of all the things that will cross your path this year.

The start of something new brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible.
There is only one you.
And you will pass this way only once.

Questions From the Sacramento Bee

Thanks to report Sam McManis of the ww.sacbee.com

1. How long have you been doing it and, more importantly, WHY did you start the blog and podcast?

I’ve been doing it for a year. I started it because about three years ago I dropped over 20 lbs. Like many adults I found the weight I lost. So I got set to lose it again and thought I would inspire people with my story. The fun thing is being older (I’m 43) the weight isn’t dropping off as easy as it did a few years ago and people are finding inspiration in the fact that I am not quitting in the face of adversity. Their faith and encouragement leads me to keep going with the podcast which then encourages them. It’s a great community.

2. Do you have a way of tracking how listeners you have? And what type of feedback do you get from people?

I use a system at podtrac.com where I see many of my episodes have over 1500 downloads. I communicate through a toll free voicemail line, and then address those voicemails in the podcast. I also have a forum section at the website, and people can email me. My podtrac numbers show listeners from US, Canada, the UK, Australia, Philippines, European Union, Mexico, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, France, China, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Japan, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Brazil, South Africa, India, and Portugal.

3. Do you imagine people listening to your show while working out? Or maybe while eating a sandwich

Yes I do. Many of my listeners talk about how they listen on the treadmill. I know many listen in the car on the way to the gym, or while they are out walking. Podcasting is a conversation delivered in a time shifted manner. I can provide information, and someone may not download it for weeks. Then they can add a “Hey I had this situation..” and I may hear it days later. We all have different schedules, time zones, etc but its not stopping us from supporting each other.

4. What other weight-loss podcasts do you listen to (there are a lot out there!)?

There are a ton. I only listen to one other one at the moment (I’ve unsubscribed from a few). That is fat to fir radio (http://www.fat2fitradio.com/) if you listen start about the 6 minute mark where they quit talking about what they did all week. Likewise there is about a minute of music at the end that I skip.

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I mentioned previously how I’m not going to have as much time exercise as I would like. So I thought, “How do I maximize my exercise?”

So logically I thought, “Muscles burn calories when we move.” So if I want to burn more calories, one way to do it is to have bigger muscles. While I may not have time for my walk today, I have 3 minutes to do some leg lifts, some sit ups, or other exercises. You may think, “Oh these are doing any good.” Then you wake up the next day and say, “Hey I feel something there.” So by having bigger muscles, when I DO exercise I will burn more calories than before.

So I may not have time to do my hour long walk, but when I take my 10 minutes to walk while I’m talking on the phone I will burn more calories because of the strength training I’ve done in just minutes at a time.

Believe in yourself. It’s not who you are that holds you back, its who you think you’re not. – anonymous.

Here is the “Plank” exercise I was speaking of.

Here is a great list of exercises at Spark People

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Yes I know its been a while. I had a horrible “end of semester” that had me stressed out to the max. I found out quickly that when my stress level goes up, my will power goes down. Stress made me feel so bad that eating made me forget whatever was stressing me out.

Now I was eating bad things like ice cream, chips, doughnuts, I was eating fruit, cereal, and English muffins. The bad news is I was taking in WAY more calories than I was burning. So when your life is full of stress it makes it harder to stay focused on fitness.

Look at your finances. Do you need all 79 channels on your cable package? Going to basic cable may save you 50+ dollars. Renting movies from the library is free. Instead of taking the bus or driving why not walk to the store.

Look at your family is there a way to get support from family members?

Look for ways to do things smarter, more efficient, that will reduce your stress.

In my case, I didn’t do the small things that lead to good grades, and I suffered the consequences. It is the same way with fitness. We need to do little things like get off the couch, to substitute fruit for chips, and  to drink water instead of soda. When we do these things we will enjoy the rewards.

Possibly the Dumbest Article Ever!
I read an article that stated that if you have a choice of eating a Big Mac or a Whopper to eat the Big Mac (Whopper has more calories and more saturated fat). The answer is EAT THE GRILLED CHICKEN SADNWICH HOLD THE MAYO! – silly.

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I’ve been using my podemoter (which came with some software. Its cool in that I can set a daily goal and when I plug in the podeomter and download the informatoin it shows if I have met my daily goals for walking, aerobic walking, distance, and more.

This week I’m wallk (see proof above). However, lets state the obvious. You won’t burn as much walking as you do exercising on a gazzelle. I also noticed then when I eat at my girlfriends (Where she bring bowls of food to the table) I tend to sit at the table and eat ant eat. I need to back away from the table. I bought a jar of peanuts becuase I read a small helping is a servicing of "good fat." Well I ended up eating half the jar.

So I need to see what I’m doing wrong, and make a plan to avoid doing that in the future.

Cheyrl’s Favorite Caloric Calculator

http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/a/calguide.htm

Interesting Nutrition Articles http://nutrition.about.com/

Calorie Calculators at about .com http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/a/calguide.htm The interesting thing is it says I need 2400 calories to get to 180 (I rarely eat over 2,000 caolories). The calculator from the mayo clinic shows I should 2900 calories. So maybe I do have my body in staration mode.

Find Time to Exercise – Take Your Smoke Breaks Mobile
If you are a smoker, and you take "Smoke breaks: at work. You need to walk and smoke. I know that sounds weird, but if you have time to smoke, you have time to walk. My ex-wife stopped smoking with a device call Lifesign, but that has been replaced by a device called Quitkey. You can buy it at amazon.com for $59. After all a walking smoker is better than a stationary smoker.

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Ladies take note the excuse of “Women can’t compete when it comes to losing weight against men” just got Shattered as “Ali” win the Biggest Loser Couples show.

One of Ali’s biggest strength was her believed in herself. She at one point had been voted OFF the show. When she was asked to leave, she said, “I’m going to be the biggest loser.” When she went home she continued to lose weight. The show took a weird turn and allowed people who had lost the most weight at home to come back on to the show. Ali was back in the game, and eventually won. As you watch her story you see where her strongest assets was her attitude she always believed in herself.

Strength Training With Fitness Cards

One of the things I love about www.sparkpeople.com is they give me exercises to do. If you are looking for something a little more portable, there are a number of “exercise cards” available. Some of these are geared toward children as games. Examples include:

FitDeck Playing Cards $18.95 or get the FitDeck with the Cards and DVD ($24.95)

FitDeck Jr Playing Cards $14.95

Superman Exercise Flash Cards For Kids $16.95

The Strength and Toning Deck: 50 Exercises to Shape Your Body $14.95

The Stretch Deck: 50 Stretches $14.97

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Today we are talking about what I called “The Shoe Boot Express” Thats right WALKING.

It’s nice out now (April) and if you’re bored with your workout – take it outdoors. It makes a difference to me, maybe it will to you as well. I watched another episode of “I Can Make Your Thin” with Paul McKenna and this week they talked about how fit people walk 6,000 steps a day, and overweight people take 4,000 steps a day.

How long does it take to make up the missing 2,000 steps? About 15 minutes according to Paul. So I went looking into pedometers and was amazed at how inexpensive they are. I picked up one at Wal-Mart for 8 bucks (they are as low as 5 and as high as 13). However this cheap piece of crap made in China didn’t work. I took it back and exchanged it and this one (same model) seems to be working. It calculates distance, it measures my target steps for the day, calculates the amount of calories burned.

Remember with all exercise to consult your doctor and start slow. Don’t start out walking 10,000 steps (which is what the pedometer says to shoot for). Start out walking 2 blocks, then 3, then 4. Work into so that you don’t hurt yourself. In the “I can make you thin” episode this is used to speed up your metabolism. If you think you are stuck with a slow metabolism, you are wrong. Exercise can boost your metabolism.

I’ve added pedometers to the “Logical Weight Loss Shop” at amazon.com

Books About  Fitness Through Pedometers
Pedomter Walking: Stepping Your Way to Health, Weight Loss and Fitness

10,000 Steps a Day to Your Optimal Weight: Walk Your Way to Better Health

Manpo-Kei: The Art and Science of Step Counting

The Step Diet: Count Steps, Not Calories to Lose Weight and Keep It off Forever

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Today I talk about two free websites that I just got turned on to (wish I knew about these before I spent money on the other software titles).

The first one is www.sparkpeople.com and this site lets you do EVERYTHING. Track your food, your workouts, calories, birthdays, shopping lists, and more. It also has recipes, motivation, and wellness areas. Again, it does just about everything. It’s free. It does have advertising on the site, and if you do sign up for the emails, those have a fair amount of advertising in them as well (but you don’t have to sign up for these). HEY IT’S FREE. You can see in the image to the left the advertising on top, and the square advertising on the right side. I can tolertate it (especially if you are on a budget).

The second one is traineo.com this is a much simpler system. It lets you "Guestimate" how many calories you consumed, and it allows you to track other items (measurements, sleep, etc). It is simpler (and thus takes less time to learn). It did have one feature that Spark People didn’t have, and that was you could enter a mentor or partner and it would email them your progress on a weekly basis. What a great way to keep you accountable.

So the traineo site is easier to learn. This doesn’t mean the Spark People Site is hard. In fact, the Spark People site has a decent amount of help and it doesn’t take long to catch on. Unless you hate advertisements, the Spark People site is really powerful.

I’ve created  Spark People"Logical Weight Loss" team

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Today I talk about living with people who are not concerned with eating right. How do you pass by the oreos?

I also talk about the new “Scale” that measures everything. I also talk about my current goal and how I failed, but I’m failing forward. We see the importance of writing down our goals, and more importantly WHY we want to achieve those goals.

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