FatBlogger

What if you were thin?

Its an interesting concept, one that I have heard and read about in various forms over the years. The thought is that to be a thin person, one should act like a thin person. Of course, that is easier said than done for many, lucky for us that Rachel Young has figured it out. 

Rachel has lost over 80 pounds, thats right...80 pounds! All through a method she learned while growing up in Japan called "kaizen". In her words...

You see, the Japanese use the term “kaizen” to describe small steps that can be taken to achieve

large goals. I used this concept to learn the language (speaking and writing), to try and discover

new local foods, to live and love the country I was being raised in.

It's an easy to read, no nonsense approach, full of good advice, a unique approach to losing weight sensibly and for life, I enjoyed reading it. Those of you who know me well, know I do NOT recommend many diet books, but this is one that I can, whole heartedly! To read more about Rachel and her kaizen approach to weight loss, go to her website...

What If You Were Thin?

The PINK is back baby!

I'm going pink for the month of October to show my support for National Breast Cancer Awareness. And my infamous pig is pink, so.\, it all just kind of made sense. 

This was NOT an easy decision, pink is my least favorite color...except for this month. 

I got an early start today and squeezed in a 3 mile walk in the park. The weather was finally cool here and it was very pleasant. All this month I will be focusing on the exercise, getting that habit going again, doing what I can to keep it going for a life time, instead of intermittently between attempts at weight loss.  There have been more reasons than a lack of motivation for why I have been slacking, seems like everything came at us all at once. And after the half marathon last January, I was really racked up with some serious foot pain for a long, long time (more on that later). So anyway, it felt really good to get out there again, to feel a bit stiff afterward, and to get it done early in the morning too. 

While I was looking over the NBCAM website I came across an article they had on there about how diet can raise or lower a woman's risk of breast cancer. Not surprising information really, has a decent plant based diet EVER been linked to bad health? Not that I have seen so far. It is worth a read though if you need that extra motivation to make a few changes in your diet. 

Prudent diet linked to lower breast cancer risk.

Not sure what I will be doing this weekend, but I won't be posting here. Would like to visit some of you though! I'll be around and have a nice weekend!

FatBlogger Recognizes National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). Since the program began in 1985, mammography rates have more than doubled for women age 50 and older and breast cancer deaths have declined. 

This is exciting progress, but there are still women who do not take advantage of early detection at all and others who do not get screening mammograms and clinical breast exams at regular intervals. 

·          Women age 65 and older are less likely to get mammograms than younger women, even though breast cancer risk increases with age.

·          Hispanic women have fewer mammograms than Caucasian women and African American women.

·          Women below poverty level are less likely than women at higher incomes to have had a mammogram within the past two years.

·          Mammography use has increased for all groups except American Indians and Alaska Natives.

 “If all women age 40 and older took advantage of early detection methods – mammography plus clinical breast exam – breast cancer death rates would drop much further, up to 30 percent,” says 

“The key to mammography screening is that it be done routinely – once is not enough.” 

For more information about NBCAM, please visit www.nbcam.org.  For additional information, please call one of the following toll-free numbers: American Cancer Society,

(800) 227-2345, National Cancer Institute (NCI), (800) 4-CANCER, Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization, (800) 221-2141.

 The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month program is dedicated to increasing public knowledge about the importance of early detection of breast cancer. Fifteen national public service organizations, professional associations, and government agencies comprise the Board of Sponsors, who work together to ensure that the NBCAM message is heard by thousands of women and their families.

Time to get moving again

OK, I just walked 2 miles. First time in a looooooooong time, and if felt rather good I have to say. October always seems to motivate me to get moving. Its November through the following September I have troubles with!

October always seems to get me exercising, and exercising, or at least moving around more, is always a good place to start getting healthy. 

Healthy is the key word, because that is my main goal now. Yes I need to lose weight, about 60 pounds to be exact, but that is just one part of improving my health.  Believe it or not, there are others as well. 

And even tiny steps will get you there right? Eventually?

OK, there is much to do this October, or should I say...ROCkTOBER !!! 

Much more later

I'm still here....

Just trying to get through this plague that seems to have descended on my house since the kids went back to school. Sickness after sickness...everyone sick except for me. Weird. I can only chalk it up to fish oil pills, because I sure as hell don't do anything more healthy than that right now.

More soon, when I have time and don't have to nurse 3 people back to health. 

Follow Me On Twitter

Yes, yes, now I am hip too. I signed up for the dang thing awhile ago, hardly can remember to use it. But I do see the value in actually getting it going, being able to track others progress and show mine...if when I actually make some progress that is.  

So if your into this type of shallow communication of 140 characters or less, you follow me and I will follow you, as long as your not too creepy....or needy. I need my space, and believe me, I need A LOT of space. 

Top right, if your interested. 

Or just click here. 

The Pros and Cons of Counting vs Abstinence

Counting Calories

Pros:

1. I am familiar with it.
2. Writing down what you are eating in a journal is a proven method for losing weight.
3. I can be sure that I am not eating more calories than I need.
4. If I can stick with it, I know it will work.

Cons:

1. limits the freedom to eat what I want.
2. Can be a pain on special occasions.
3. When I stop counting, I binge or over-eat.
4. I have never been able to maintain it.

Abstinence

Pros:

1. Admits that I have a problem that goes beyond food and calories
2. Is a very simple alternative to counting calories.
3. Targets the main problem area I have.
4. Does not have to be turned "on" or "off', can be used on any occasion.

Cons:

1. I have never, ever, been able to do it.
2. Seems like it might be a very hard thing to do for a lifetime.
3. There is no guarantee that I won't create another "problem area" to compensate.
4. I don't know that I can trust myself with it.

The Dilemma

Essentially there is probably only one way lose fat, and that is to cut down on your caloric expenditure. Now within that simply formula there is a whole host of paths one could take, but the bottom line remains the same..burn more than you take in.

For me, knowing what I know about me, my experience with losing and gaining weight over the decades, there are only two ways to do this really.

1. Count calories. This I have done with success at times. Though if you measure success by the fact that you KEEP doing it year after year, then no, I would be a failure at it, like so many others. 

2. Addiction strategies. Admitting you have an addiction to over eating and making one simple rule to remove the problem area. An alcoholic would have a no alcohol rule, an addictive over-eater like me might remove a certain food for life.

But for me, removing one food is not the answer, my problem area is not a single food, it is a single time frame, after dinner to bedtime...the dreaded "4th meal" if you will. What makes me obese is just 500 extra calories a day, and I get that routinely by eating after dinner, nearly every night. 

My last post I said I was going to try to eliminate it, but it proved MUCH harder than I thought. I needed something, anything, and when I took a little something, it invariably turned into a BIG something.

It is what some psychologists call AVE, or Abstinence Violation Effect. In for a penny, in for a pound kind of thing. 

So for me the dilemma comes down to trying again what I have tried so many times before, and hope that I am a little wiser and better able to carry if off, or try something new that seems like a colossal struggle, but no less what a drunk might go through giving up booze...simple, but difficult.

One Simple Rule?

You have probably seen the ads..they are everywhere..."I lost X pounds using one simple rule". The simple rule turns out to be Acai berry juice that they want you to buy. Apparently they claim that it can suppress the appetite and at the same time flush the "sludge" from you intestines....sounds wonderful. Honestly, I do not understand the fascination that America has right now with being "regular". from Activa to Acai, we somehow think that ridding our body of waste product is actually losing weight?

If I was going to put up an add like that, my one simple rule to lose weight would be this;

"Don't eat after dinner"

Its one rule I wish I could keep myself. I am convinced that I would lose all this excess fat if I could just stop myself from seconds, thirds or desert. You know the drill, you are relaxing and sitting in front of the TV and you want something to enhance the experience, so you reach for the leftovers, or the ice-cream, or the chips.

Now, perhaps if one was to adhere to such a rule, one might overeat to compensate during the day? And of course there is no nutritional rule that might govern what you eat either. But all things being the same, and the fact that those extra calories at night are what has applied the extra fat to MY  ass, probably yours as well, that one simple rule could very well be all we need to get it off.

I have often felt that over-eating is an addiction, with severe ramifications for you and your family, not unlike alcohol and drug use. Over-eaters often complain that "they can't stop eating", like an alcoholic can "just stop drinking", or a smoker can "just stop smoking". Perhaps that one simple rule could be a substitute for such abstinence, something to be adhered to religiously like 12 steppers. 

DON'T EAT AFTER DINNER

I'm going to give it a try, and see just how hard it really is.

Perhaps we NEED each other.

Maybe I can't do it alone like I want. Maybe I need a little help, encouragement, goading, a whack with a stick of compassion. Maybe I just need company.

Hey, I am married, half my life is over already. Where is the motivation to not be fat? Who in the hell actually gets MOTIVATED by simply wanting to improve ones health?

Sex was always a good motivator...and worked too. But like I said...I am 19 years married...nuff said.

It is difficult...near impossible actually... to change tracks, or habits, in middle age, with out a shock of reality to jolt one out of themselves.

The alternative is to seek others with the same problem, join the herd..excuse the pun. There is strength in numbers...sometimes there is even motivation in numbers.

I have no idea how many people come here anymore...but if you are out there...and like me...maybe we can do it together...walk this tough path together. I am willing to give it a try if you are.

What have we got to lose...except fat?