AFTER YOU REACH A GOAL...SET THE NEXT ONE!

At the end of the day I think weight loss it all about setting goals you can keep.

If you have a goal that is realistic and you are SERIOUS about it...you will make it happen.

The thing is though...we sometimes fall apart after we reach a goal. Have you ever noticed I tend to reach my weight goals the day before I go on vacation? By the time I get back I tend to be back where I started.

It is not the end of the world. I have usually enjoyed my vacation and as much as I don't relish starting again I usually feel it was worth it. It just sucks that it takes sooooo long to get back where you were.

The important thing is that you re-focus as soon as you can and set a new goal.

Just because you have reached the end of the road does not mean the journey is over.

My last goal was to lose enough weight to pose for the picture in the upper right corner of this blog. I did it...and then I went on vacation.

I was 189 pounds in that picture. As of my last weigh-in I am 192 pounds so I am almost back to that point again...but this time I will not be going on vacation...thank goodness!

My current goal is to get back to 189 pounds and I already know what my next goal after that is.

Current Goal: I hope to reach 189 pounds by April 4th. It isn't totally in my control (no matter what I do sometimes the body tends to do what it wants).

Next Goal: I want to reach a weight of 185 pounds by April 28th.

April 28th isn't an arbitrary date. It is the date I enter into a two day intensive program which is the most significant portion of the training I will receive to become a Weight Watcher's leader.

I am looking forward to this (yes...with a bit of fear), but I want to be in top form when I enter that training weekend and in top form when I hold my first solo session in early May.

I find solid goals...that have a completion date...and purpose...are the most effective goals.

Having said that...if your "goal" is a weight goal...the date may not always work in your favour...sometimes life just happens....so if you don't reach your goal weight by the date you set...don't spend a second fretting about it. As long as you are going the right way...just keep on going.

As soon as you reach your goal...set the next one.

Be healthy!

Alan

Only 436 Days To Go!

The time is getting near.

In only 436 days until I enter into the "post 50" era of life.

I think it is exciting. In a way I am looking forward to it.

I think the primary reason for this is because my long term goal is to be the healthiest I have ever been at age 50. I am already the healthiest I have ever been but I can still get healthier. It will feel like an accomplishment and that is so much better than feeling old.

My partner thinks I am a contradiction. He says that I say I am not upset about getting older but then I spend so much time trying to look younger. He doesn't believe that getting older does not bother me.

From my perspective it is not a contradiction. Getting older doesn't bother me BECAUSE I feel like I look pretty good for my age and I feel like I am pretty fit for my age. I am ahead of the game.

Often I am at the gym and I look around at the perfectly fit boys with totally ripped muscles and not an ounce of fat and I feel a tinge of jealousy...I think..."why can't I have a body like that...I am working just as hard as them"....and then it occurs to me that they are in there twenties and thirties.

When I compare myself to people my own age...I think I can stand my ground.

So for me aging is like a game. As long as I can stay ahead of the game I feel like I'm winning....and when one is winning how can one possibly feel bad?

I guess it simply boils down to maintaing a heathy attitude.

Last night I put a "count down to 50" clock on my blog. I have 436 days left to age 50 and I am looking forward to reaching my goal: "Fit at 50".

Stay positive, and be healthy!

Alan

What Is A Healthy Weight For You?

Determining a healthy weight can be a difficult thing. There are so many variables involved.

The Canada/US health guides define it by BMI but they are quite clear that it is a "guide" and there are limitations. Specifically, the Canadian Government says the following on their website:

Groups for whom the body weight classification system may have some limitations include:

• young adults who have not attained full growth;
• adults who have a naturally very lean body build;
• adults who have a very muscular body build;
• adults over 65 years of age;
• certain ethnic or racial groups.

So what is a healthy weight?

It is an individual thing.

I also think that there is such a thing as a "healthier" weight rather than a "healthy" weight.

Few could argue that a 300 pound individual who has lost 100 pounds is not healthier. 

Perhaps they are healthy enough.

The person mentioned above who now weighs 200 pounds may be way over their BMI but they may also very well be "healthy enough" for them.

When I lost weight once before I went down to 176 pounds. My maximum "normal" BMI weight according to the charts is 179 pounds. It was the perfect weight for me at the time.

Now...several years later...and many many sessions at the gym later...I think it is very unlikely that I will ever be that weight again. Look at my picture in the top right side of this blog (I am 189 pounds in that picture) and tell me I need to be thirteen pounds thinner than that?  I don't think so...

yet that is what the "normal" guidelines say.

Or is it really? 

It is not.

Why? Because we tend not to read the detail and the detail for me is quoted above where it says:

"Groups for whom the body weight classification system may have some limitations include:

• adults who have a very muscular body build"

I have worked out so much that I believe in my case a "normal" weight is not "normal" for me.

Your normal weight might not be normal for you either...for any one of the above mentioned reasons.

The good thing is we don't need to be "normal" and although many weight loss programs will use the BMI as a guide, programs like Weight Watchers allow you to decide that a higher weight is just right for you.

Of course you can't just pick a weight out of the blue. It has to be logic based and it is best you consult with a health practitioner to decide what is indeed right for you.

I did just that this morning. I saw my Doctor and he determined that with my body and exercise regime anything up to 197 pounds is perfectly healthy for me.

That is a far cry from the 179 pounds stated in the BMI guide...a full 18 pounds higher...but it is ok for my "normal".

The great thing is that Weight Watchers will accept the normal weight of 197 pounds for ME, as a Weight Watcher's Member, with a supplied Doctors note.

Having said that I want to be below 197 pounds. I would prefer to be 189 pounds (as I am in that picture above right) but it is nice to know I have a buffer built in with the 197 pound Doctor's note.

Things are slightly stricter for WW leaders (as they should be) as I cannot be a leader with a BMI over 27 but even this gives me the flexibility to go up to 193 pounds so all is good.

The point is an important one. 

You do not need to get hung up on BMI "normal" weight ranges or the generic guidelines issued by the Canadian and US government, Weight Watchers and other programs. Even they say they are "guides". Consult with a health practitioner, figure out the weight that is right for you, and get it in writing. Then make the "right" weight for you the right weight for you. 

Be healthy!

Alan

Seeing What It Is Like To Be A Woman

Hi all!

This week I have decided to find out what it is like to be a woman. It is part of my self-imposed "research" for becoming a Weight Watcher's Leader.

You see...men are kind of lucky when it comes to Weight Watchers. We get a higher points allowance then women. I, for instance, am getting 38 points a day right now (it will decline to about 34 as I get closer to goal). Many women, however, only get 26 points a day.

I have always thought that there was no way I could live on 26 points a day!

Given, however, that I will soon be telling many females that that is exactly what they have to do...I decided that...as an experiment...I would ry to live that way for a while myself.

So, since last Thursday I have been eating 26 points a day plus my 49 weekly points allowance. This is exactly how many points many women eat on the plan (not all women...there are many factors that determine your daily points allowance).

The 49 weekly points were eaten at a function last Saturday night so they are now gone.


I must say I am surprised. Granted, I have only done it for 5 days but it isn't as hard as I thought. I usually eat one stupid thing a day that disappears down my throat in two seconds, has no redeeming qualities, no health benefits, and does not fill me up. The bottom line is that now I no longer get to eat that stupid thing that adds nothing to my health or day.

Perhaps 26 points a day is actually a good thing. It certainly encourages me to eat more fruits and vegetables (which are primarily zero points)

Still...I am going to trust Weight Watchers and go back to eating my proper points allowance after this weeklong experiment is over. Although I may find I can do it...it does not necessarily mean it is the best choice for me.

Be healthy!

Alan

I Guess It Is Official! I Am Going To Be A Leader

Yesterday I mentioned that I was meeting with the Territory Manager for Weight Watchers.

Well...I met with her...and I am starting the training process to become a leader. I will likely only do a meeting or so a week as I don't have time for more. I do, after all, have another job that takes priority.

So on April 19th I am doing a training webinar, then a full day of training April 28th and 29th, another webinar May 16th, and for five weeks I will do some receptionist work weighing people in etc. at meetings. From there my leader sessions start with a mentor present for a bit.

There is a catch though...I still need to lose more weight. I don't have to go as far as I thought I did. In the picture that I posted February 10th (also on the upper right side of this blog) I was 189 pounds. I thought I had to go to 179 pounds.

I could do this but I wasn't sure I could (or wanted) to maintain at that weight. The good news is I am permitted to maintain at 185 pounds. Co-incidentally that was exactly the weight that I had already decided I wanted to maintain at anyway. Perfect!

The only thing that is not perfect is that I am no longer 189 pounds. I am 198 pounds after my vacation and last weekend's eating binge.

So...I need to lose...again...and I need to do it following the WW plan. If I am not doing the plan right then how can I be an effective leader?

So...here goes....

Be healthy!

Alan

  

Considering Becoming A Leader

It could be an interesting day for me.

I have been in discussions with Weight Watchers lately about the possibility of becoming a leader for them.

If I did it I would likely only do a meeting or two a week as I need to ensure my main focus remains Real Estate...and it will. This would be more like a hobby.

I do think that I would enjoy it, and having to get up in front of a group of people every week would definitely keep me "in check" weight-wise.

I am not sure how women (which is the primary audience) will feel about having a male leader but I do know there are other male leaders and perhaps if more male leaders exist more men will join. They need to be healthy too!

Anyway, I am meeting with the Territory Manager for Weight Watchers today. We will see how it goes :-)

Be healthy!

Alan

Confessions Of A Mad Man

Sometimes I feel like a liar.

Not a liar in the moment, but more of a hindsight liar, or perhaps an "absent" liar.

When I wrote my last blog I mentioned that I had used my weekly points and that meant I pretty much had to stay "on program" the rest of the week. I didn't think it would be too tough as I had no social events planned.

So here is the real deal....we don't NEED social events to fall apart.

I managed to fall apart this weekend in a big way. I also chose not to write my blog as that would involve facing my reality and I wasn't ready to do this.

Actually, to say I fell apart is an understatement. I became obsessed with eating. My food intake over the weekend includes the following:

1) Big Mac Combo
2) Caramel McFlurry
3) Two Mama Burgers and a Root Beer at A&W
3) 20 Swedish Meatballs and French Fries at IKEA...and one of their ice cream cones.
4) About ten chocolate digestive cookies (there is nothing "digestive" about these).
5)  Popcorn With butter and a coke at the movies, oh...and a bag of Malteesers.
6) Sweet and sour fried chicken balls with white rice and Saporo beer at a chinese restaurant
7) A bottle of wine
8) About a box of crackers.
9) A Wendy's double cheeseburger.
10) Two egg McMuffins and an order of Hotcakes (with extra syrup) at McDonalds

I wish I could say that was all but I am sure there is stuff I forgot.

Let's just say: "I LOST IT"!

To be honest I have another problem though. Many would say it is not a problem but I think it is.

At Weight Watchers they say that if you fall off the wagon you shouldn't feel guilty about it. What is done is done...you just get back on the wagon and keep on going.

My problem is I never feel guilty. Perhaps if I did I would learn more from it.

I will get back on the wagon and keep on going but if I haven't learned what good does it do me?

I am thinking that perhaps after all that crap I should do a cleanse...but have not yet decided if I have the willpower right now.

At the very least  I will be back to healthy eating today.

Be healthier than I have been,

Alan

A Day of Food And Drink

OK Yesterday wasn't good...I mean it was GOOD...but it wasn't good.

I had a great day and enjoyed the company of good friends with wine to follow.

Dinner wasn't really tremendously bad. We had steamboat (also known as Hot Pot) where raw vegetables, meat, fish balls, and shrimp, are put on a table and then slowly dumped into a bowl of boiling broth, removed and eaten (after being dipped in a peanut sauce). It was good.

We also had wine, and chocolate, and half a box of Triscuit Parmesan and Garlic Crackers ( I mean half a box FOR ME) and...of course...I had also eat throughout the day before dinner...and not particularly well.

So now I look back on yesterday and think..."How the hell do I even begin to calculate the weight loss points for this to put in my tracker?".

The thing is though...sometimes you don't have to. If you know you have used up all your daily points and all your weekly points then it doesn't matter whether you ate 90 points worth of food or 500 points worth of food. The point is the "points" are gone and what is done is done. Beating yourself up will do you no good. I had a good time...that is what I choose to focus on.

So I will assume I ate my daily points and my extra 49 points and enter that in my tracker. My tracker will then inform me that I have zero extra points left for the remainder of the week. That is all the knowledge I need to have. I do not need to know I have negative 200 points. That won't help me.

Knowing I have zero extra points just means...get back on the normal plan...and eat healthy the rest of the week.

Right now it is cool because I really don't have any more social functions planned. If something does come up though...I won't say "no". I will say "yes" and do the best I can food-wise at that function...and if I blow it...who really cares? It just means my weight would be up a bit and not down when I weigh in next Wednesday.

When you are in this for the long term, one week up or down doesn't change a thing....as long as the weight ends up being "down" more often than it is "up" over time...all is good.

Be healthy!

Alab

Weight Loss Isn't Always About What You Eat

Yesterday my friend Wendy completed here first week of Weight Watchers. Although she was sure she had blown it, and that this first week would be a "wash" she was actually down four pounds. Congratulations Wendy!

I think it just goes to show you that weight loss isn't always about what you eat. Sometimes it is about what you don't eat.

I believe that while Wendy (and yes...I do have permission to talk about her on my blog) was worried about the fact that her point totals might not have been "perfect" everyday, she didn't really realize that for better or for worse, tracking everything she was putting in her mouth was keeping her aware...and that keeping her aware was keeping her on track.

Yes she ate chocolate...but she ate less chocolate.

Portion sizes matter...they matter a lot.

Portion sizes are the only reason Weight Watchers is able to say that no foods are off limits.

Does this mean I always eat the right portion sizes...gosh no...if I did I wouldn't need this blog and my life...from a weight perspective...would be perfect.

Even when I am not tracking my portion sizes (like when I was on the cruise) I am aware that I should be...and I think as long as we always at least stay AWARE of what we are actually doing to our bodies...for better or for worse...eventually things start to go in the right direction.

I got myself going in the right direction this week too. I was down 2.8 pounds...only 8 more pounds to go to undue the weight gain of the cruise. No worries...it will happen.

Be healthy,

Alan