Every year is a journey

Every year is a journey that your heart goes on. Staying healthy and strong along the path of life is a hope that each of us holds on to. And it is a hope that can become a lovely reality. 

Though the roads we take can sometimes be difficult, those are often the ones that lead to the most beautiful views. 

The world is amazing place, and life is an adventure that can surprise you every day. 

Many of the moments ahead will be disguised as ordinary days. But each one of us has the chance to make something extraordinary out of them.

Be good to your body. It is the only one you get.  Listen to the wishes of your heart. It always seems to know what is true, what is right, what to do, and where to go with your life.

In 2022, I wish you stars to reach for, dreams to come true, and memories more beautiful than words can say. 

There is more to life than the number on the scale.

Christmas 2021

The holiday season tends to be associated with food. Many of us got caught up in celebratory feasts and nostalgic treats and we lose track of regular, healthy eating habits that serve us so well the rest of the year.

While it is possible to enjoy special occasion foods in moderation and maintain an overall eating pattern that supports health, this year my approach was – don't let food stress you out more. It is the season to gather with friends, family — and good food! 

Eating is more than the delivery of nutrients. We have cultural and emotional connections with the food we put into our body. 

The holidays are not a time to add extra pressure on yourself to eat a certain way. I believe that spending time with family members or friends you don’t typically see should be an enjoyable experience. An occasional indulgence during the holidays isn’t something to stress about.

This Christmas, wife had had to travel, and no kids were coming to visit. I was going to celebrate holidays with my two dogs.  The day before, text message arrived from my neighbors Karen and James inviting me to their house for Christmas dinner. 

The experience was incredible. All dinner meals were Louisiana style foods that I never had before. The food was great, and I enjoyed their company. The names of the foods that Karen and James cooked were difficult to remember, so I asked James to write them down for me and I am posting them here.  

Thank you, Karen and James!

Eat your way to weight loss and health

Today can be the first day of your healthier, stronger life. Focus on what you are eating and drinking today. Eating your way to weight loss and health is about real, unprocessed food. Food that makes your body say, “Thank you. This feels so good!”. Eating real food will change your life. Practically every single aspect of your life is about to get a major upgrade. 

When you upgrade your eating habits, the shift is immediate and profound. Withing a week, you will feel and see changes. You will start to feel better. Withing two to three weeks, you will start looking different. With a month, your blood tests and lab results can reflect all kinds of positive changes. So much can change in a short span of time. You will be amazed.

If you want to pick up just one or two small changes, that is fine, and it is better than nothing at all. You decide if you want to go step by step or make a series of changes. Either way is best if it works for you. Cold turkey approach worked best for me. 

Real food does not have to be boring and bland. It can be delicious. Switching to real food does not mean you are sacrificing flavor. You are simply upgrading your ingredients for the best of the bets. Also, once you switch to real food, you will notice that your preference change. After about two weeks, your teste buds regenerate. 

Real food is not fussy and complicated. It is the opposite of complicated. It is simple. Eating real food is all about ease and simplicity. You don’t need to measure portions. You don’t need to be obsessive about calories. You don’t need to spend twenty-four hours in the kitchen, following complicated recipes with dozens of ingredients. BTW, I do not cook. The most complicated meal that I ever cooked was scrambled eggs. 

It is time to break the cycle, kick the habit, and step into your new life of health and well-being. It is time for a permanent shift, not a temporary one. It is important to remember that is not a “five-week diet.” It is a new lifestyle, not temporary blip.

Follow the principles that worked me and others, and it will lead you into a new way of eating and living.

Thanksgiving is one day

I am posting a picture taken in the kitchen this morning. If you have or ever had a dog, you will understand it. Now a few thoughts on Thanksgiving.

If you want to enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday and stay on track with you wight loss efforts you are facing an impossible task. 

Many traditional Thanksgiving dishes, like turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and other veggie side dishes are pretty healthy choices so theoretically you can have a balanced meal at Thanksgiving. 

However, if you worry about your food intake because of your body image struggles and/or try to avoid added calories like deserts and alcohol you may become frustrated, less happy and miserable.

You don’t want to dampen the celebration by focusing too much on calories or avoiding certain foods when you are with friends and family for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s just one day!  

Yes, Thanksgiving is one day. Don't let the big meal become a big month or more of eating and drinking too much. Instead, splurge for the holiday, but get back to your healthy eating plan on Friday.

I know it is a radical departure from the thoughts that I used to share with you at Thanksgiving.

I just think that Thanksgiving Day is not the best time to keep thinking about nutrition and your weight loss efforts. Losing weight is different for everyone and on this blog, I share what works for me.

Understand that no one is perfect

While holding yourself and others to a high standard is important, it is also important to understand that nobody is perfect – whether it be your friends, your family, your co-workers, or yourself.

No one is perfect, even if we believe that we do things for the right reasons. We look at situations from our biased viewpoint, and we want to believe we are right, even when we may not be.

Life is not black and white, and people will have different opinions and react differently to situations.

There are no people that are one hundred percent good or one hundred percent bad – instead, we are a mixture of the two.

See the good in people – if someone is opinionated, they are passionate, if they are stubborn, they have strength.

If people around you make bad decisions, then try to look at this objectively by understanding the context and what made them do this.

Also, remember that you may be far from perfect and realize that you have many traits that people can view differently. 

No one is perfect, and this includes the ones that we love.

Always look on the bright side, and appreciate what you have – your situation in life is better than many others, and it is important to appreciate this.

Action changes things

There’s no single best way to lose weight, but what all weight loss plans have in common is that they produce a calorie deficit.

A calorie deficit occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body expends, so you either eat fewer calories than you previously ate, or boost the number of calories you burn through exercise.

While physical activity is important for many aspects of health, it is much so much easier and more sustainable to create a calorie deficit through diet rather than exercise.

You should know that exercise doesn’t burn as many calories.

If you walk briskly for 30 minutes, you will burn just 200 calories. Since 3,500 calories is a pound of fat, you will need 17.5 days to lose one single pound.

To lose one pound of fat you will have to run 35 miles. If you were to run 7 days a week, you would need to run 5 miles each day in order to lose one pound of fat in a week.

So, what to do?

Eliminating sugar-sweetened beverages and consuming non-processed or minimally processed foods can help you reach a calorie deficit without calorie counting. 

Do not drink liquid calories. Replace sugar-sweetened beverages and replace them with water. Eat fresh, non-starchy vegetable and fresh fruits. Eating lots of vegetables every day will help you lose weight quicker.

Changing what you eat will bring about a large-enough caloric deficit to allow for a satisfactory rate of weight loss.

Take advantage of the motivation you are feeling today and start now. Everything that you need in is your hands.

Doing what works

Now, when you know that you need to do something about your weight, it is time to figure out what you are currently doing and what you want to change. 

This information will help you begin selecting your behaviors that you want to change.

You will then make changes that are designed to help you reach your goal. Of course, there will be challenges along the way. 

One potential roadblock might be finding the motivation or energy to keep going. And you will most likely experience things that make you stop. 

Buy as you move forward, you will begin to adopt techniques, strategies and daily routines to manage any initial discomfort and stress.

Expect some bumps on the road. If it were easy to lose weight, you probably would not need to read blogs like this one. But remember, as long as you keep implementing the changes and don’t give up, you are succeeding.

As your daily routines become less challenging and more satisfying, the process will become a bit easier and may even begin to feel a sense of mastery.

Seeing results will bring a healthy sense of accomplishment, keep you motivated and increase your chance of success.

The key to weight loss is to feel full by consuming healthy natural, non-processed foods and sugar free drinks without artificial sweeteners, with enough protein and nutrients to keep you satisfied and not tempted to overeat on the not-so-healthy stuff. 

Better understanding of ourselves

Human nature is a fascinating concept. 

I was always interested in all aspects of personality and social interaction, exploring the influence of interpersonal and group relationships on human behavior. 

I thought that learning that will make me a more effective person. 

Once we realize why we and others behave in certain ways - whether alone or in group settings - it becomes much easier to avoid stressful situations, reduce anxiety, make better decisions, and live a more fulfilled life. 

The way we perceive ourselves in relation to the rest of the world influences our behaviors and our beliefs. The opinions of others also affect our behavior and how we view ourselves. That is why our behaviors and decision-making tend to be different when we are in a group versus when we are alone. 

From the way we think to the way we behave; the mind is a powerful yet delicate tool. It must be nurtured in the same way we take care of our bodies. 

Gaining a greater understanding of human behavior and mental process will ultimately lead to better understanding of ourselves

Lose that lockdown weight

Has your waistline expanded since the pandemic began? You’re not alone. 

Sixty-one percent of U.S. adults report undesired weight changes since the COVID-19 pandemic began. 

Routines have been disrupted, stress has increased, and with the emergence of new variants of the virus at regular intervals. It is unclear when things will get back to normal. 

Emotional stress and improper sleep routines over the course of the pandemic have compounded the problem. It is ironic and even dangerous that people are gaining weight at this particular time. It has been shown that being overweight or obese makes it more difficult to fight the virus. 

Regardless how long the pandemic is going to last, the rest of your life is still ahead of you. We talk a great deal about safety measures—social distancing, face masks, and the sanitizing of hands. Maybe we also need to talk about the selection of the foods we eat. 

Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is important for well-being and quality of life. You want to keep your weight from getting too far out of control. 

Whatever your weight goals may be, now is a good time to assess your lifestyle and focus on all the things that keep you healthy. 

Lessons Re-Learned

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of things: schedules, the amount of time spent at home, stress levels, and eating habits. For me, the last one has not been for the better.

We’re only human and most of us are not perfect at everything. It is normal to get sidetracked when trying to eat healthy. However, eating processed food has consequences. Sometimes small consequences, and sometimes big ones.

It happened. I accepted it and I am doing something about it. I knew that the best thing I could do is leave the past behind and focus on moving forward. The rest of my life is still ahead of me, so I don’t look back, I look forward.

I revisited what motivates me and I am getting back on track. My best motivator - fear works very effectively.  Since the doctor told me that I am a good candidate for Type 2 Diabetes I immediately resumed better compliance with eating for health and weight loss. One huge plus to my method is that I see weight-loss results quickly.

A good friend of mine, who always tells the truth unless battery runs out of juice, is very supportive by delivering results with a 0. 2 lb. / 3 oz. accuracy displayed on LCD screen daily.

Another thing I re-learned is that staying on track is crucial to my success, but it’s not always about perfection as much as it is about consistency. I don’t have to be perfect to experience real change and improvements in my health. I am amazed again that so much can change in a short span of time.

Falling off the wagon doesn't mean having to stay off. Life happens. Lesson learned. 

Listening is a key

Listening is something we all do and something we can do more of.  Becoming a good listener is a learned practice. People can learn it. \

There is a difference between listening hearing. One is more active and requires effort, while the other is involuntary and natural. To master learning and communication, it takes both hearing and listening.

Reflect on an occasion when you had something to say, something important or vulnerable to share, and you knew you had the full attention of the other person. That level of attention, when you know the other person is really listening to you, makes you feel valued. 

Now think about a time when you had something to say, but you didn’t get that level of attention. The other person was distracted or disinterested, and you felt ignored, diminished, and inconsequential. 

A good conversation can be a learning opportunity but when we interrupt our conversational partner, we lose a valuable chance to learn. Some people are impatient and they only pretend to listen. 

When we listen, really listen to what others have to say, their insight may surprise you. When we don’t interrupt, but wait, allowing others to finish sometimes we learn that we can’t anticipate what they will share.  

No matter how good a listener we believe we are, it is possible to listen more closely. 

I know I could improve my communication skills to be a better listener.

Unsolicited Advice

People generally understand they should not tell other people how to live their lives. Somehow, though, we lose sight of this when it comes to overweight people.

Since more than 60% of women and nearly three-quarters of American men are obese or overweight that may occur quite often.

Whenever you have the urge to comment on what someone is eating, ask yourself: Did they ask?

You will save the other person grief by avoiding a conversation that is completely unnecessary.

People think they are being helpful with their comments, but they probably don’t know how harmful or unhelpful some of that unwanted advice can be.

Unsolicited advice signals to people that you have already made a certain judgment about the way they look.

If someone asks for advice that’s awesome. Go for it and give them all your knowledge. But leave everyone else alone.

Never stop learning

One of the great things about life is that there is always an opportunity to learn more. There are always things you don’t know, that other people know, that may be buried in books or articles or online courses. 

Every day, every interaction we have, every time we read something, we have the chance to gain new knowledge. 

You learn new things, figure out something that doesn’t work for you, and now you want to change that thing.

It’s so easy to fall into the rut of “I know enough” because, hey, sometimes learning can be exhausting.  

Learning can be challenging, particularly if you have a hard time accepting you might be wrong or need to change what you’re doing.

By staying humble and modest you will be more aware of the opportunities to learn, more likely to try new things and more open to hearing other people’s’ views and opinions.

Stay positive

In life we have a choice between two roads, the positive road and the negative road. The positive road will lead to enhanced health, happiness and success. And the negative road will lead to misery, anger, and failure.

The power of positive thoughts makes a difference in my perspective and life. It helps me take on daily challenges, peruse my goals and create positive momentum in my life.

It also helps to overcome negativity, neutralize naysayers and conquer adversity. I do not get mad at the naysayers. Instead, I realize that without them I would not be as strong as I believe I am. Negative people make me more resilient, wiser, and better.

Being positive does not mean that my life is perfect. Sometimes when I try to share my passion, enthusiasm and authentic experience with others it invites the very pushback I am trying to avoid.

Positivity is like a boomerang. The more we put it out there, the more it comes back to us. This applies at home, at work and every relationship in my life.

Being positive does not guarantee that you will succeed. But being negative will guarantee you will not.

Hypocrisy

For a long time, I did not practice some of the weigh loss supporting behaviors that I write about and I gained weight. It came to the point that I regained 57 pounds. 

Annual physical test results showed that my sugar reached pre-diabetic level. The doctor said "let's repeat the test, but if it comes the same way I would have to indicate in your records that you are diabetic and treat you accordingly."

Unbelievable!!! I regained more than half of what I lost in 2010/2011. How could I be so stupid to let that happen? 

Well, it did happen. 

My main motivator - fear is working again  so I started to practice more of what I write about and the weight started to decrease. As of today, I lost 27 pounds and have 29 pounds to lose. 

I apologize that I continued to write about healthy behaviors, while I actually did not practice them diligently enough.

"Hypocrisy - behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel" - Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Hypocrisy is the practice of engaging in the same behavior or activity for which one criticizes another or the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform.

Start losing weight immediately

First, answer this question. “Why do I want to lose weight?” or if you are there already, “why do I have to lose weight?” Be brutally honest with yourself and write your answer down.

 

This is not for the whole world to see it. It is not going to Facebook or on the fridge door. It is for you only. Do not answer generally like “better health.” Be very specific.

 

You know your WHY and as painful as it may be, write it down now. Looking at you answer will help you realize that losing weight is more important to you than anything else.  That will help you with motivation. Say it a few times to get used to it.  You will be repeating this phrase when it gets difficult.

If you don’t know where to begin, try these uncomplicated tips and you are all but guaranteed to see the results you want. 

• Stop drinking soda and booze; drink water instead.
• Stop eating junk food.
• Avoid hunger. One key to losing weight is eating weight loss supporting foods that keep you full. Eat enough filling protein and fiber.  This will help you avoid hunger

Stop waiting for the right time to start losing weight; it never comes. There is no reason you can't begin your weight loss journey right here, right now.

Start working a developing a healthy eating plan. It will have to be the plan that will work for you. 

Your ultimate goal is to establish new eating habits that can be sustained for a lifetime. Losing weight is a lifestyle change, not something you do until you reach your goal.

There is never a “best moment” to start losing weight. The best time is NOW. If you take the first step tonight, you will have done the hardest thing that you will need to do - overcome inertia.

Don't wait for the "right time". Do it now. Take advantage of the motivation you're feeling now.

If you want to see how I did it, please visit ilostweightyoucantoo.com

Smarter

Eating smarter and making some powerful changes to my lifestyle resulted in losing 91 pounds in 2010 and 2011. 

The transformation I experienced led to a deep passion to help other people experience the same things that I had. 

So, today, I want to remind you of that. No matter what you have been through, no matter how things might have gone in the past, today can mark a new moment in your history. 

You are powerful beyond measure to affect change in your life, and the power of food is one of the greatest tools to help you. 

I hope that what I share on this blog and my obscure website will empower and inspire you to improve your food choices, not just because of the impact they have on your weight, but because the right foods can help make you the best version of yourself.

Welcome Back

I did not post for a long time. 

The first reason was that I regained some weigh and I realized that it would be hypocritical to write about weight loss while gaining weight. 

Then, I got COVID-19 and after recovering, I felt that I deserved to allow myself to eat the “good” food.  

It is not the first time that I moved away from the healthy weight that I worked so hard to achieve eleven years ago. In my previous mini weight gains since then, when the scale showed that I am 10 or 20 pounds above 170, I would go back to stricter compliance with the approach that had led me to the weigh lose before, and it would bring the weight back closer to the 170 pounds point. 

Why would I let myself gain weight? The answer is simple. My arrogance. I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal if I gain a few pounds, because I was a positive example of successful weight loss and I knew how to lose weight if needed. 

Now, however the difference between 170 pounds and my current weight it so big that I am ashamed to write it here. Fear, my strongest motivation for weight loss, is forcing me to take action. My blood test showed that I am very close to diabetes. 

So, the weight loss journey starts again. It actually already started six day ago and I am relieved that it is working. Today, the scale shows that my number is 3.4 pounds lower than what it was on March 2^nd.