When I was a kid, I loved puzzles. Puzzles gave me something to do in the winter in Oklahoma and also gave me a sense of accomplishment when I was done. My Mother was a master puzzle strategist. I'll never forget her first lesson. She said before you start a puzzle you have to find the four corners and edges and work your way in. Of course this process gave you your frame and from there it was a matter of color coordinating and hours of going, "damn!"
I wrote on the Top 20 bad habits in my previous blog that I developed over the years that catapulted me into the century club of weight gain (100 plus pounds). It was done to begin my research and answer questions to how I got to be in that club. My history was important to look at if I am going to break the cycle of bad habits I'm currently in. I spent thirty days reading and reviewing material from various magazines, Internet articles, and editorials.
Having found the Top 20 habits that most resembled me, I am hypothesizing that if I tackle those 20 issues I will have a healthier life and back to a more desirable weight. They are the corners and edges I need to start my puzzle.
If I have learned one un-debatable truth. You can't change everything overnight. Just like a puzzle you are trying to transform from a mess of pieces to one beautiful picture, so must I take my approach back to returning my body to a normal state. A puzzle takes time. Each piece represents a solution, but only in sections. But you have to have a system my mother taught.
I've decided to develop a system for myself to deal with this weight puzzle of mine. 52 weeks of 10 specific goals each week. Each goal will have a point value of one. I came up with this after I wrote in my personal journal for this last week in Gainesville,FL....
Last weeks victories:
* reduced consumption of Alcohol tremendously!
* did not have seconds
* sought out vegetables
* worked out late night with cardio and didn't eat after 8p.
Last weeks failures:
* ate after show 2/3 nights.
* did not eat complete healthy meals
* not consistent with breakfast
* could have done better with water
So for this week in Des Moines the goals are graded as followed:
Papi's Top 10 goals for week 1 of 52.
5 consumption goals
1. drink no more than 2 beers and 2 shots per show night (thurs fri sat) and NO drinking during week.
2. Reduce cigarettes to 2 per show night.
3. 7 of 7 breakfast meals, no skipping.
4. WATER: 2 glasses before every meal. Water only for whole week.
5. Portion control: hand size for protein, 4 finger width for veggies. Index to thumb for carbs.
5 activity goals
1. walk each morning and evening after show for at least 30 minutes. 7/7
2. 3 days of fully body workout 3/3
3. 7-8 hours in bed by 3am (shows over at 2am) up no later than 10:30am
4. limit sitting to 30 minutes at a time
5. Stairs at all times!
Total of 10 possible points that are graded like school.
A: 9-10 pts
B: 8 pts
C: 7 pts
F: 0-6 pts
Those puzzles that I put together back in those days took focus and dedication. It wouldn't become the picture I wanted unless I put the work In. I would imagine the same can be said for tins journey.
Your prayers, advice, cheers and consoling help tremendously. I want that beautiful picture to be completed so I can feel accomplished and healthy. The puzzles back then couldn't offer both of those. This one can.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
20 Fat Habits PT. 2
20 Bad Habits That Made Me Fat Pt:II
Through my month of research in understanding why I became more than a 100 pounds overweight I found that a lot of my debacle had to do with habits. Habitual behavior is tricky because it often goes unnoticed. We as humans do not engage in self-analysis when undertaking routine tasks.
You see, I could simply say, "hey I'm gonna lose weight", and I have before. I have been below 300 pounds two times. But in the end I found myself back where I started and I believe it's because I never looked at WHY I was overweight or WHAT I was doing to myself? If you don't know what your bad habits are and address them then you really haven't met the real issue on in my experience. We can all say "now is the time" and impulsively run off to the gym for awhile banging iron and doing our impression of a hamster on a treadmill but it's the understanding or your personal habits and breaking them that will make the permanent difference in my mind.
I created this blog to do more than just weigh myself once a week and leave a trail of gym check ins. As I've been told many times before, "this is a lifestyle change." In embracing that ideal, I have committed myself to digging deep into my bad habits by studying those of others in my situation. Hopefully posting them can be a reminder to me and interesting to others who are looking to do the same.
The first ten bad habits I posted are what I felt got me here. The next ten are the ones that kept me here. All 20 I must learn to break!
1: Eating the Free stuff:
Looking back I noticed one of the biggest contributors to my flesh inflation was the free biscuits, chips, and breadsticks I mowed down before my meal even came to the table. Just out of curiosity I looked up the calories of a single breadstick at Olive Garden. The answer was a whopping 150 calories....PER STICK! I would tear down at least 450 calories in bread alone! So no more FREE stuff. Unfortunately that includes the rolls at Texas Roadhouse. I didn't have the heart to look that up.
2. Large Plates:
Going hand in hand was my use of large plates at home. More food....more calories. Learning to use small plates this week has been VERY enLIGHTening!
3. White Bread:
Part of what was on that plate was a huge chunk of white bread. I've learned that the whole grain alternative (in moderation) has more fiber and can even reduce abdominal fat over time. Awesome!
4. Eating to Fast
Whoofing down was not me loving my car stereo. I was always known as a fast eater. In ways, it was impressive to some. A parlor trick. But now I know better. On webmd.com it says that the brain takes 20 minutes to tell our body it's full after we finish eating. A study from MSN Health says slow eaters save 66 calories on 3 meals a day. There is another 20 pounds a year saved!
5. Big Bites
What led to the fast eating? Big bites. Mens Health says that large biters consume 52% more calories than small biters. Whatever the math, this one is going to be tough to kick.
6. Not Enough Water
I read in Mens Heath that a study in Utah had participants drink 2 cups of water before each meal. They lost 30% more weight than those that didn't. I've tried it this week and must admit feeling fuller and eating less!
7. Planning What I Eat
Haven't done this much as a traveler but when Im around a kitchen on the road I will.
8. Not Seeking Nutritional Advice
Everyone needs help and I'm no different. Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig have been teaching nutritional eating longer than I've been around. Probably would help me with my planning aspect too.
9. Not Using a Scale
Keeping myself on track with a weekly weigh in would give me more direction. Plus the Weight Watcher group I'm joining is big on it.
10. Don't Go It Alone
I've spent to long walking this road by myself. I've got Weight Watchers for guidance and my friends and family for support and a little guidance too. Once again, I would like to point out that Im not trying to come off like the mayors wife or a blowhard. I'm investigating and researching as much as I'm planning. Finding out what got me here and how this happened has been unbelievably insightful!
In the end I feel better going into this having a better grasp of what I did wrong to get here. But like all knowledge and logic, it's only as useful and powerful as diligence and dedication will carry it. That, I won't find on the Internet. It is the habit that only I have the power to break.
Resources used in a one month study period: Mens Health Magazines, Weight Watchers website, fitbie.com, MSN Health, Thin to Life by Anne Fletcher, Mens Journal and Mens Journal.
Through my month of research in understanding why I became more than a 100 pounds overweight I found that a lot of my debacle had to do with habits. Habitual behavior is tricky because it often goes unnoticed. We as humans do not engage in self-analysis when undertaking routine tasks.
You see, I could simply say, "hey I'm gonna lose weight", and I have before. I have been below 300 pounds two times. But in the end I found myself back where I started and I believe it's because I never looked at WHY I was overweight or WHAT I was doing to myself? If you don't know what your bad habits are and address them then you really haven't met the real issue on in my experience. We can all say "now is the time" and impulsively run off to the gym for awhile banging iron and doing our impression of a hamster on a treadmill but it's the understanding or your personal habits and breaking them that will make the permanent difference in my mind.
I created this blog to do more than just weigh myself once a week and leave a trail of gym check ins. As I've been told many times before, "this is a lifestyle change." In embracing that ideal, I have committed myself to digging deep into my bad habits by studying those of others in my situation. Hopefully posting them can be a reminder to me and interesting to others who are looking to do the same.
The first ten bad habits I posted are what I felt got me here. The next ten are the ones that kept me here. All 20 I must learn to break!
1: Eating the Free stuff:
Looking back I noticed one of the biggest contributors to my flesh inflation was the free biscuits, chips, and breadsticks I mowed down before my meal even came to the table. Just out of curiosity I looked up the calories of a single breadstick at Olive Garden. The answer was a whopping 150 calories....PER STICK! I would tear down at least 450 calories in bread alone! So no more FREE stuff. Unfortunately that includes the rolls at Texas Roadhouse. I didn't have the heart to look that up.
2. Large Plates:
Going hand in hand was my use of large plates at home. More food....more calories. Learning to use small plates this week has been VERY enLIGHTening!
3. White Bread:
Part of what was on that plate was a huge chunk of white bread. I've learned that the whole grain alternative (in moderation) has more fiber and can even reduce abdominal fat over time. Awesome!
4. Eating to Fast
Whoofing down was not me loving my car stereo. I was always known as a fast eater. In ways, it was impressive to some. A parlor trick. But now I know better. On webmd.com it says that the brain takes 20 minutes to tell our body it's full after we finish eating. A study from MSN Health says slow eaters save 66 calories on 3 meals a day. There is another 20 pounds a year saved!
5. Big Bites
What led to the fast eating? Big bites. Mens Health says that large biters consume 52% more calories than small biters. Whatever the math, this one is going to be tough to kick.
6. Not Enough Water
I read in Mens Heath that a study in Utah had participants drink 2 cups of water before each meal. They lost 30% more weight than those that didn't. I've tried it this week and must admit feeling fuller and eating less!
7. Planning What I Eat
Haven't done this much as a traveler but when Im around a kitchen on the road I will.
8. Not Seeking Nutritional Advice
Everyone needs help and I'm no different. Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig have been teaching nutritional eating longer than I've been around. Probably would help me with my planning aspect too.
9. Not Using a Scale
Keeping myself on track with a weekly weigh in would give me more direction. Plus the Weight Watcher group I'm joining is big on it.
10. Don't Go It Alone
I've spent to long walking this road by myself. I've got Weight Watchers for guidance and my friends and family for support and a little guidance too. Once again, I would like to point out that Im not trying to come off like the mayors wife or a blowhard. I'm investigating and researching as much as I'm planning. Finding out what got me here and how this happened has been unbelievably insightful!
In the end I feel better going into this having a better grasp of what I did wrong to get here. But like all knowledge and logic, it's only as useful and powerful as diligence and dedication will carry it. That, I won't find on the Internet. It is the habit that only I have the power to break.
Resources used in a one month study period: Mens Health Magazines, Weight Watchers website, fitbie.com, MSN Health, Thin to Life by Anne Fletcher, Mens Journal and Mens Journal.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
20 Habits that made me Fat
HABIT: noun
1. an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.
2. addicted
What do you think of when you read this definition? Is it positive or negative to you? For me it's negative. I immediately say to myself, "yep, that's how I got this way." By "this way" I am of course referring to my current situation; being 100 plus pounds overweight.
After my initial blog (that set off this new journey of mine to lose 100 pounds in one year) I thought, "ok Papi what's the first thing you should look at out of the gate?" the answer of course is....me! After watching episodes of Celebrity Rehab the one thing Dr.Drew always does after each patient settles in is talk to them. He gets a history of their background and talks about their habits and processes that got them in his facility. Made sense to me to the same for myself.
How did I go from an athletic and svelte 6'1" 215 pound athlete and adventurer to a 340 pound sedentary loaf? What happened? Outside of the psychological reasons I went around and did a month of research on the internet and through magazines and books to find recurring bad habits of obese people. I found twenty that fit the bill with me. To some of you reading this, maybe you will see some similarities as well.
The 20 Bad Habits That Made Me Fat
1. Sitting:
Once I started traveling as a comedian I was driving anywhere from 600-1000 miles a week. Lots of time to be in a car. As my career propelled into radio and dueling pianos my sitting time got even worse. Mens Health says you interrupt your sitting every thirty minutes even if it's just to stand up. Our legs Femoral Vein will start clotting if we sit to much at ninety degrees. Circulation socks are good for travelers like me. You can get them for cheap at Walgreens. I've started using them and practice the thirty minute sit rule and have seen amazing results!
2. Eating Late:
I developed a habit of not eating much before shows and then gorging after them at 2-3am right before bed. OUCH! The body can burn flab when it sleeps but not if it's busy processing a full stomach.
3. Drinking:
I'm starting to notice already a lot of bad habits from my career alone and drinking goes to the top of the list. No wonder I had late night eating issues. I would take in at least 600 calories a night Thursday through Saturday. That was just the beers mind you. It is no secret that alcohol encourages your brain to grab food. Not good.
4. Activity:
The more I traveled the less unstable my regular environment became. Some cities didn't have gyms near the club and I simply gave up and started paralyzing myself watching "reality" tv.
5. Stress Management:
Unfortunately, none of us are immune to the ups and downs of life. Whether it's cars breaking down, job loss, or other hiccups in the road. For me it was career chasing which led to my eventual divorce. I was crushed emotionally from the loss of my wife which felt like a death and the end of continued living with my kids. I now had to learn how to be a summer and some dad.
6. Emotional Eating:
With all this bad news hitting me, I sat in a corner and BALOONED! My challenge now will be to find an automatic response to bad news that doesn't involve food. Perhaps a walk or a swim.
7. Sleeping Too Little/Much:
Once all this piled up my sleep schedule from partying and depression was WAY off.
8. Too Much TV:
As mentioned earlier my TV consumption went through the roof! I read a study that said reducing TV watching 50% can burn 120 calories a day on average!
9. Skipping Meals:
No breakfast for this guy and I STILL gained weight. My research showed me why. I found out that apparently your body "hibernates" if you don't eat small meals throughout the day. When you skip meals it stores fat as reserve. Oops!
10. Drinking Soda:
It wasn't long before I started drinking soda with alcohol and even slammed Mountain Dews while driving or staying up for flights. I found out on MSN health that even in diet sodas the artificial sweeteners trigger appetite cues that cause you too unconsciously consume more food at each sitting.
These first 10 bad habits produced the behemoth I became. In my next blog, I'll go over the final 10 that kept me there. This blog is already helping me tremendously. As I do the research and asking questions I am really starting to understand what brought me to an unhealthy lifestyle. It's not that I was a bad person or simply an over eating lazy sloth. Weight gain of large quantity is not something to finger point and mock.
We are people too just like you skinny folk. We just developed some bad habits during our time
of coping with life and it's obstacles. The good news is, bad habits can be reversed and
broken. Hopefully, this blog will guide me back to where I was before I got lost in indulgence.
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