The Life Ledger

Fitness is a way of life.

Weight Watchers ads this year are particularly masterful - they speak truths like “dieting doesn’t work” and show people eating in restaurants and lounging in coffee shops. Their message is eat what you want and still lose weight - and for a lot of people, it works well. However, when you consider the fee, it seems you are simply trading one consumption (eating) for another (spending money). At $17/mo plus the $30 join fee, participants spend a minimum of $235/year. I think it’s possible to reap the benefits Weight Watchers provides without spending a dime and joining the program by making some simple life changes - here’s how.

The lifestyle change - learn portion control.
I personally found the most important lifestyle change I made was portion control - instead of telling my body to eat more because something tasted good, I now listen to my body and stop when it’s full. Food is fuel - when I’ve topped the tank, it’s time to yank the hose. Here’s some strategies I use to help control my portion sizes:

• Drink water during a meal. When you fill up on water, you’re less likely to over-eat.
• Use small plates and start with small portions. You can always get seconds, but you’ll likely eat all your firsts.
• Eat slowly. There’s a slight delay between swallowing and recognizing satiety; slowing down your eating helps you recognize satiety before you over-eat.
• Split your meal in half. When eating out, split your meal in half and have them bag up one half before beginning to eat.

The points system - Learn how to visually recognize caloric values.
Many people succeed with Weight Watchers because it makes counting calories easier with a points system. Some weight-loss programs make counting calories even easier with pre-counted boxed meals. With a little effort, I found I could eyeball the caloric content of most foods by measuring or weighing basic ingredients in 200-calorie segments and remembering what that looked like. Sites like this one demonstrate the basic concept. For example, 200 calories of chicken is about the size of a deck of cards. Remembering how much food equals 200 calories is much easier than measuring caloric content for every meal.

The weekly meetings - Build your “accountability” community.
Eating in our country has become largely emotional - we eat at restaurants to unwind or enjoy family time, we eat as a way to deal with stress and depression, we eat special foods to celebrate holidays. The Weight Watchers program includes weekly meetings, which provides positive emotional support by stressing community and accountability - every week, members weigh-in (accountability) and talk with others struggling with the same weight-loss issues (community). Build your own accountability community by openly talking to your friends and family about your weight changes and weight struggles/accomplishments; start a walking group at work; start a blog and weight changes, struggles and accomplishments - there are many ways to hold yourself accountable to a community without joining Weight Watchers.

How about you - what are your thoughts on running your own Weight Watchers program without paying the fees?

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It’s that time of year again - time for reflection on the year past and planning for improvements during the year ahead. Or month ahead, at least. Last year, I put together a list of resolutions I wanted to follow. This year, I’m making one resolution:

Control My Consumption

One resolution. One hefty, multi-faceted resolution. Particularly in the face of my weight - I’ve slipped some on the past couple of months as emotions have been high for one reason or another. Ironically, I’ve noticed as my weight creeps up, so does my desire to make impulse purchases. Fortunately, I’ve tasted the sweet success that comes with beating consumption, and that is tantalizing above any short-term satisfaction I get from buying a DVD or CD. Unfortunately, impulse eating is harder to combat.

Of course, I also recognize “consumption” means much more than what I buy or what I eat, and as I’m battling my return to consumption, I’m finding other inter-related habits forming as well. So, for the next year, here’s the consumption I will strive to control:

• Drink more water.
  I’ve noticed I’m drinking much less water recently - where I used to drink 64oz a day, I’m now lucky if I drink two glasses. I used to enjoy drinking water - I was less hungry, my moods were more balanced, my sleep cycle was much more regular, and my productivity didn’t suffer swings as coffee buzzes waxed and waned. It’s all a matter of availability - I will add to my morning ritual filling a Nalgene bottle with water and keeping it at my desk.
• Control portion sizes.
  I’ve noticed my appetite has grown again - where once I portioned food according to calorie content, I am again worrying if a plate full of food will be enough to quell my hunger. It is time to retrain my appetite, to control my portion size instead of letting my appetite dictate my intake - particularly since my “hunger” is often emotion-based, not a true indication of my body’s need for fuel. Going forward, I will once again treat my body as a bank, allowing a daily caloric intake and controlling food choice and portion size accordingly.
• Exercise daily.
  This is pretty obvious. I will not be one of those statistic exercisers that fill the gym from the months of Jan to March. I’ll be the one breathing the sigh of relief as my exercise equipment of choice becomes available more often. It’s time to re-establish exercise as a priority when planning my day, and allocate time accordingly.
• Exercise fiscal responsibility.
  This is where I fared the best over the last year. Even with my recent slipping, I’ve resisted the returning desires for impulse purchases. Going forward, I’m ready to take the next steps - where before I simply remained aware of my account balances monthly, I will now create a debt reduction plan and monthly budget. Last year, I worked on not overspending; this year, I’ll work on saving.
• Exercise my brain.
  I used to be a voracious reader; until recently, I am embarrassed to admit my reading is almost completely relegated to magazines and blogs. Tonight, I finished a trilogy and am halfway through a Sudoku book - and feel once again exhilaration as I flex mental muscles. I will continue to make time to read and work logic problems.
• Control my information intake.
  My morning ritual begins at 5:30am, when I pour a cup of coffee and sift through RSS feeds and email while cycling on a stationary bike. Lately, I often suffer frustration as I have an overwhelming amount of information to sift through and not nearly enough time to do so. In Bloglines, I have 506 feeds - way too many! Even in an attempt to winnow the list down to a more manageable size by creating a “Daily” playlist comprised only of those feeds I think are important to read on a daily basis, I’m still left with 193 feeds. As I’m driven, almost compelled, to completely review the list, I realize my information owns me - by labeling an insurmountable amount of information as “important,” I have surrendered control, and my productivity suffers. Going forward, I will make notes of which feeds I actually find daily value in, and drop the rest. Information should uplift, not bankrupt.
• Consume peace, not anger.
  Emotions are like a self-hosted banquet where I serve as both host and guest, both choosing and consuming the fare. When I choose an angry emotional reaction to someone cutting me off in traffic, I consume my own anger, which feeds and inspires further anger and seething. Unintentionally, soon I’m not only consuming my own bitter angst, I’m also serving it to others around me, spreading my bad mood. In the new year, I will be more mindful of my emotional reactions, choosing the most peaceful reaction possible in every situation.

Control consumption. This year, my resolution will be my motto.

In March of last year, I wrote an article about Subway’s white and wheat breads, and whether the wheat bread actually is the healthy alternative. It turned out white was healthier. I noticed Subway modified their ingredients listing this month (and, I’m sure, several times between), so I wonder - since Subway still claims to be the healthy fast-food alternative, and people have a perception that anything “wheat” is the healthy alternative, has Subway stopped lying to its customers? Let’s find out.

First, here’s the old and new ingredients list:

Old list, quoted from my post dated 3/20/07:

WHEAT BREAD
Enriched flour (flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, whole wheat flour, high fructose corn syrup, wheat gluten, contains less than 2% of the following: wheat bran, yeast, salt, soybean oil, dough conditioner (acetylated tartaric acid esters of mono-and diglycerides, ammonium sulfate, calcium sulfate, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, potassium iodate, amylase (enzymes)], cracked wheat, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate, caramel color (contains sulfites), dried honey preparation (honey powder, invert sugar, wheat starch, soy bran flour, silicon dioxide [anti-caking]), mineral oil. Contains soy and wheat.

New list, dated 01/2008:

WHEAT BREAD
Enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, whole wheat flour, high fructose corn syrup. Contains less than 2% of the following: yeast, wheat bran, bleached oat hull fiber, vital wheat gluten, salt, soybean oil, dough conditioner, acetylated tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides, calcium sulfate, ammonium sulfate, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, potassium iodate, enzymes [amylase]), cracked wheat, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate, caramel color (contains sulfites), refiners syrup, dried honey, mineral oil. Contains wheat.

And the caloric information for the two breads, first dated 3/20/07:

And the new chart, taken from Subway’s nutrition information page on 1/4/08:

The only difference I see is wheat bread’s listed dietary fiber - up from 3g to 4g. The wheat bread still has more calories and fat than white bread, and contains high fructose corn syrup and lists a refined wheat as the first ingredient. Sure, there’s not a drastic nutritional difference between Subway’s white and wheat breads, but that’s just the point - not only is there not much difference, the white bread seems slightly nutritionally healthier. Just another reminder - “wheat” doesn’t always equate “healthy.”

I read a great article this morning written by Kathy Gates for Ian’s Messy Desk (found via Lifehack.org). Kathy lists 7 lies we tell ourselves that prevent success in achieving our goals or living our perfect lives. As I read each item on the list, I found myself directly relating it to weight-loss and emotional eating:

Giving up quickly? Check.
I’ll start tomorrow? Check.
Setting unrealistic goals? Check.

This is good stuff! I’ve used her titles and applied them to healthy eating, weight loss and emotional eating. Instead of copying her discussion, I encourage you to read her original list - it’s a great read and applies to life in general.

Lie 1: Expect Quick Results.
When starting out, it’s important to remember and prepare yourself (constantly) you will not have instant gratification. It took months or years of unhealthy eating habits to gain your weight; it will take months or years of practicing new habits and eating healthier before it comes off. Instead of focusing just on the scale, pay attention to other weight loss indicators as well - less fat around high-profile areas like the face and armpits, increased endurance, successfully ending a meal before getting stuffed, dropping clothes sizes. Focusing on all your successes, small or large, helps maintain a positive attitude and feeling of power.

Lie 2: Complaining is OK.
Complaining is addictive and harmful. While it can be comforting to place blame for being overweight on circumstances “out of your control,” it also reinforces a negative attitude and infects your support network like a plague. No matter how resolved and committed you are to losing weight and changing your lifestyle, hard times will come for the rest of your life. Even if you don’t talk to your support group members, sometimes the simple thought of how proud your friend would be with your choice to resist the ice cream cone is enough positive reinforcement. Maintaining focus on your accomplishments and discussing hard times objectively as hurdles to overcome is like Miracle Gro for your support network - everyone feels proud and positive to be a party to your success. Complain about all the crappy stuff you’re eating or doing and your support network will either begin to pull away or will reinforce your negative outlook. Think negatively enough about weight loss, and you may just convince yourself it’s easier and better to just live life the way you want, healthy or not.

Lie 3: Fix It Later.
Tomorrow is the worst day to begin losing weight. Start today, right now, by making small changes - drink 32oz more water a day, leave some food on your plate, and park your car further away from your building at work or use stairs instead of an elevator. By starting with small changes, you begin to practice evaluating your choices based on their impact on your health instead of any satisfaction or emotional comfort you may get. Practice those small changes for a week, and it becomes easier to take the next step. Before you know it, you’re eating salads with no dressing and actually enjoying plain water.

Lie 4: Having an *Idea* Instead of a Plan.
No matter how hard or often you think about eating less and exercising more, it doesn’t become a reality until you formulated a plan and set goals. Thinking about losing weight is daunting and overwhelming - you focus on the total amount of weight and life changes to be made. Formulating plans and setting goals is positive and actionable - by splitting the ultimate goal into small tasks, you establish a concrete plan for success. Working towards an ultimate plan gives you a higher sense of purpose - it’s comforting to know today, tomorrow and next week you have specific tasks planned ahead of time that lead to weight loss and lifestyle change.

Lie 5: Ignoring Your Talents.
Weight loss and lifestyle change isn’t about denying yourself things you love or pushing yourself to limits - it’s about choosing to live a healthy lifestyle, and you’re not going to live the healthy lifestyle if you don’t enjoy living the healthy lifestyle. Incorporate your talents or passions into your healthy lifestyle to make it fun. Enjoy blogging? Join Jason Calacanis’ started the “fatblogging” meme and have fun joining an active weight loss support network. Enjoy surfing the Internet and discovering interesting sites? Sign up for Internet-themed podcasts and listen to them while walking. Learn a new language, listen to an audiobook, find a local dance club. Wherever your passions and talents lie, use them to energize your weight loss.

Lie 6: Elusive Goals Instead of Do-able Goals.
Set yourself up for success - make your goals achievable. Specifically for weight loss, I recommend making three types of goals: a goal weight, daily goals and “dream” goals. Your goal weight should be practical and realistic - best case scenario, you’ll work with your health care provider to establish one. Daily goals should be easily achievable and designed to slowly modify your lifestyle through constant practice - examples could include drinking 64oz of water, walking one mile and maintaining a certain daily caloric intake. “Dream” goals are inspirational and should be activities and events you would love to participate in but never could, like running a 10k race at Walt Disney World (a personal dream goal of mine). I talked more about these types of goals, and setting goals in general, in a previous article.

Lie 7: Adopting a “What I Do Doesn’t Matter” Attitude.
Looking down at the scale and considering the total amount of weight to lose can be daunting and overwhelming - it’s easy to think no matter what you do you still don’t lose weight fast enough, so you may as well stop trying. To prevent being overwhelmed, set small daily goals you can easily measure, surround yourself with positive people, recognize every pound lost slowly is a pound kept off, and concentrate on making healthy lifestyle changes and shifting habits versus dieting the weight off and denying pleasures.

When you live an honest, practical and healthy lifestyle, I can’t promise you’ll never fight the “unhealthy food choice” impulse battle ever again, but you will have won the war.

A huge life change going on now, and I’m happy I’ve been maintaining my weight through it. A little emotional eating here and there, which led to a little over-eating, but I’m still within my alarm weight. I’m actually kind of surprised, to be honest. I chalk it up to food choices - even though I’m over-eating, I’m stuffing myself with salads (I’ve stopped using dressings, even), local-raised chicken, grilled vegetables, etc. Sit me in front of a pizza, and I don’t want more than one slice. It’s amazing how strongly life changes become ingrained habit over time and with awareness and practice.

Even though I’ve been maintaining my weight, I’ve been noticing a couple spots on my body that are collecting fat again - that must be huge drop in exercising lately. I biked 6.5 miles last week one day, but that was about all I did. Not good, as my 5k race is coming up quickly - June 1st. I don’t think I can even run that entire distance yet, let alone competitively. Fortunately, this is more a fun race than anything, so it shouldn’t be too embarrassing.

Hopefully things will calm down quite a bit soon. I’ve been enjoying blogging, and I have a lot of plans for this and a couple other sites that I’d love to get running. It’ll all come together with time - I’m just an impatient sort of person.

I also have to say - I literally have no time. I work two jobs, one full-time and one part-time. My day starts at 5:30am and goes full-bore ’til 10pm. I usually don’t even have time to take a lunch. I don’t mention that for pity’s sake, but rather for inspiration - I have no time, yet I am maintaining my weight. I am living proof the common “I don’t have time to lose weight” excuse is a cop-out - there is always a healthy food choice alternative to “fast food” and “unhealthy” foods. Sometimes it takes a little pre-planning - I buy a week’s worth of bars at the grocery store every weekend and store them both at home and my full-time job, for instance. But with a little pre-planning and foresight, you never have to eat unhealthy; rather, you choose to.

Besides, why would I want to victimize myself and claim I have to eat fast food because I don’t have the time to eat healthy, therefore my weight gain is not my fault? Displacing fault and blame on a situation that is not immediately fixable (and usually “isn’t my fault” either) is disempowering and causes a vicious downward cycle of despair. Taking responsibility for my choices and recognizing how my choices impact my life, however, was the first step to successfully living healthy and losing weight.