All Aboard!

Yesterday I took the day off to go hunting with my father-in-law.  Unfortunately I am still recovering from a sinus infection so I decided to stay home instead.  It was a pretty productive day!  I spent most of the day putting out Christmas decorations with my two year old. Our biggest accomplishment was setting up a train we got as a Christmas gift last year.  It's amazing how exciting little things can be when you are two years old!  She had a blast all day!

While I was busy around the house the TV happened to be on.  At one point there was a talk show on (sorry I don't know which one).  I didn't catch the whole show but the part I did overhear was talking about being overweight.  It was interesting because they were talking about celebrities who have gained weight and are "proud" of it.  There was talk about the need for those people to advertise for "plus" size women.

So without trying to offend anyone, I'll ask the question....Is it good to portray the idea that being overweight is "beautiful" or acceptable?

It’s an interesting and controversial topic.  Magazines, movies, websites, and advertisements are full of men and women who have the “perfect bodies”.  It’s the acceptance of these “Barbie doll” figures that leave us feeling depressed about our own bodies.  These feelings often lead to unhealthy behaviors.  It’s especially dangerous to our younger population who are easy to influence. I agree this is not healthy!  

On the other hand we know that being overweight carries with it other potential issues.  When I work with a person who needs to lose weight my focus isn’t on how they look.  It’s most important to me that they become healthier.  I want them to have a better quality of life.  Studies show that obesity increases our risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Carrying extra weight places increased stress on our bodies and joints.  It has also been shown that losing weight, even as little as 10%, can have a huge impact on reducing our disease risk.   Knowing these facts, why would we want to convey that is OK to be heavy?

It's unfortunate that we live in a society where people are quick to judge someone who is overweight.  It's often thought that these people are lazy, sloppy, and have poor hygiene.   We know this isn't true.  Being overweight has nothing to do with beauty or intelligence.  There are many beautiful and brilliant people in this world who happen to be overweight or obese.  That doesn't define them.

I would never judge someone because of their weight.  There is much more to a person than how they look.  Being overweight is not who you are.  It doesn't define you.  It shouldn't decide your happiness.  

So back to the question at hand.  Is it good to portray the idea that being overweight is "beautiful" or acceptable?  It's my opinion that we need to look at this as two separate issues.  The first issue is our physical appearance and the second is our physical health.  

I do think we need to teach people to see beneath the level of our skin or body fat and look at who we really are.  Real beauty is more than how we look.  However,  I do fear that this concept can be misinterpreted by those who struggle with their weight.  You do run the risk of people accepting their obesity as being OK.  At this point they may be convincing themselves that the associated risks are not real issues.  As a health professional I just don't believe it's a good thing to promote anything that makes us less healthy or places us at increased risk for disease!  

What do you think?

Black Friday

“Black Friday” is one of my favorite days of the year and it has nothing to do with all the money saving deals you can get waiting in line at 5:00am.  In my house the Friday after Thanksgiving marks the return of the magical Ernie the elf.  Our “Elf on the Shelf” has become our seasonal friend who keeps my three “Angels” in line.  This time of year they need to think twice before fighting with their sisters, pouting, or destroying their rooms.  I still believe Ernie was responsible for potty training my middle daughter when she was two and a half.  It’s amazing how kids will behave when they know that everything they do is reported directly to the big guy, Santa!  There is too much to risk by misbehaving and who knows if you’ll get a second chance?

When it comes to weight loss, it would be nice if we had an “Elf on the Kitchen Shelf”.  Someone to report all the inappropriate food choices we make.  Someone to hold us accountable for the extra calories we put in our mouths.  It is easy to find extra calories lying around this time of year.  Nothing better than chocolate chip cookies!

It’s easy to justify our choices during the holiday season.  “It’s the holidays.”  “I had to taste the cookies to make sure they were ok to serve.”  “I’ll get back on track tomorrow.”  “New Years is coming and I’ll get back on track then.”  It’s easy to think we can fix our mistakes later.  “It’s ok if I gain a few pounds now because I know how to lose them.” What if it wasn’t that easy?  What if, like my kids with Santa, there were no second chances?

Many people fall into this pattern of thought.  Always planning to fix their mistakes at a later date.  The problem that I often see is that “later” never comes.  Tomorrow becomes the next day, the next day becomes next week, next week becomes next month, next month becomes our New Years Resolution.  We all know what happens to resolutions.

As I mentioned before you need to create a plan and then stick to it!  In this “plan” you need to account for holidays.  I am a firm believer that there is no food that you can’t have!  That doesn’t mean you can have as much as you want whenever you want it.  You need to account for those “cheats” you have.  You can’t pretend you didn’t eat those extra calories just because nobody else saw you eat them.  Instead imagine Ernie the elf saw you eat them and will be telling weight loss gods to store the unaccounted for calories on your hips or waist. 

Every calorie you eat needs to be accounted for.  Weight loss always comes down to calories in vs. calories out.  For a program to be effective you need to be totally accountable.  Be accountable to yourself.  Create a food log with concrete goals.  A food journal is a great tool but without concrete goals it is not very useful.  Writing down the same mistakes day after day, week after week will get you nowhere.

Here are some ideas when it comes to journaling:

1.      Make a plan that includes clear goals.  (how many calories you need to eat, how much fat, protein, and carbs, exercise, etc…)

2.      Make the effort to follow your plan. (plan meals and your day out ahead of time)

3.      Log your food intake and exercise routines.

4.      “Grade” yourself.  Does you journal match your plan?

5.      If it doesn’t….fix it!

6.      If you are consistently missing your goals figure out why.  Fix those behaviors!

7.      Don’t be afraid to let others know of your intentions.  Don’t hide the fact that you are trying to create a healthier lifestyle.  It’s easier to stay on track when you have the support of others!

This is a wonderful time of year!  It’s my favorite time of year!  ENJOY IT!  That doesn’t mean you just throw your weight loss plans out the window.  You may need to make some adjustments to your plan.  

HERE IT IS!

Well here it is......my first blog  post!!!

After so many months of planning it's finally time to write a post.  I began thinking of this blog site almost a year ago.  I always thought it would be a good idea but I wanted to make sure to do it right.  I have a very busy and active life and I wanted to make sure I started this when I really had the time to dedicate to it.  After all, I want it to be successful.

I think it took a few weeks just to come up with a title.  So many good ideas have already been taken.  I wanted it to speak to the content of this blog.  With a lot of thought, and some help from my wife and friends, I decided on "Healthy Skinny U".   

I have a M.S. in cardiac rehab and exercise science.  I've grown to understand the importance of taking care of our bodies.....that's the "Healthy."  The primary focus on this blog is weight loss.  That's the "Skinny".  Finally I really want people to learn from this site.  I want to educate people so that they can take care of the most important thing, YOU!  That's the "U".  So there you have it...HealthySkinnyU!

After the title was done my attention turned to the overall appearance of the site.  What colors will affect viewers the appropriate way?  What gadgets should I include?  What should the header look like?  I have to admit this took the longest.  I finally decided to keep it simple and clean.  I chose blue for no other reason than it's MY favorite color!  I hope you all like it!

Next I wanted to include a little information about myself.  You can click on the "about me" tab to see more. I also wanted to explain my opinions about what I believe is the "healthy skinny way".  Click on that tab above to read more as well.

Now with nothing else left to procrastinate about, it's time to write this first post.  SO HERE IT IS!  I've decided that developing this blog site is very similar to developing a sound weight loss program.  

1. You have to want to do it for the right reasons.  
2. You have to educate yourself so you do it the right way.  
3. You absolutely have to plan, plan, plan! 
4. You have to be realistic in your expectations!  
5. Finally, You have to realize that you will not be perfect!  But you can do it!

Just remember that it's not always going to be easy.  It will take patience and time.  You will need to be consistent and remain dedicated.  If you do this you will lose weight and be a healthier, skinnier U.