FatBloggers.net A little push to lose the tush.

Time once again for the sensation that’s sweeping the nation… stepping on the scale at your WeightWatchers meeting.

Last week wasn’t so great.  This week on the “Bad John” list, a couple days worth of bad choices that sent me well into my ‘grace points’. But on the “Good John” list, I mowed two lawns in 75+ degree heat AND ended the week with 14 grace points.

Anton, drum roll please…

Week 18 Loss: 3 lbs.
TOTAL LOSS: 31.8 lbs.

Only 7.2 lbs. until I meet my 10% Goal!

** Yes, I know… if you do the math you will know my initial weight. I’m working up the courage to post the number.

OK. A shameless plug is coming your way… but first…

I need to say that I struggle with discipline and allocating the appropriate time necessary for whatever I have committed to — work, church, family, hangout time, sports, dieting, etc…

This is mainly why I’ve been sitting aloof on my “couch” not making much headway into the realm of becoming healthier and participating here at FatBloggers.net. Gratefully, in one year’s time, I have managed to lose about 10 pounds and keep it off (17 pounds in about 18 months). Right now, I’m STILL hangin’ around at 207 pounds. But I want to lose more and ultimately break the 200 pound barrier.

Still, I can give any number of excuses – legitimate ones — as to why I’ve not been diligent in pressing toward better health, but I won’t do that here. The point is, I want to jump back in… but motivation comes slowly.

[cue music for the plug...]
I posted on my own blog that I am starting anew with a personal challenge to lose weight. The neat thing about this challenge is that it also enables me to raise money for Invisible Children while I’m at it. And therein lies my motivation — the idea that every over-indulgent bite is taking money away from the opportunity to help these kids is a hard one to swallow. It’s a small exercise in sacrifice, twice over (to eat less and to give $), to move toward better health and to make a difference in someone else’s life.

A blogging buddy on the West-side, Bobby, came up with the idea and after some online dialogue, we put a quick promo-type video together and are gonna launch into the “TRI to Lose” campaign starting May 16 and go for three months.

Both Bobby and I are committing to $3 per pound we lose and would love for you to either sponser us or to start your own three month campaign with us. We’d love for anyone and everyone to join us in losing some weight together while raising funds for a worthy cause (among sooooo many other worthy causes).

We’re still putting some pieces together, but we wanted to give the world a heads-up and give you an opportunity to jump on the bandwagon… Won’t you jump on and be a part?

Thanks to everybody for casting your vote to see how often we weigh ourselves.  It looks like we’re fairly evenly divided as to when and where we weigh ourselves.  Like I mentioned before, I have pretty strong feelings as to the best time for me, and I will post something along those lines fairly soon.

Our next poll pertains to the content of this blog itself.  As we bring on more contributors and generate more content on this blog, what topics do you feel are most valuable to you?  If you have any thoughts/ideas about this subject beyond a single-choice vote, feel free to leave a comment here and let us know what you’d like to see more of.  And conversely, maybe what you feel is less valuable to you as a blog reader.  Our numbers are GROWING on a weekly basis, and we want to be able to deliver more of what you’re showing up for. 

Technorati Tags: fatblogging, polls, weight loss, dieting

Courtesy of Mens Health

The great ones have great strategies for success–Odysseus hiding in the Trojan horse, Ali using the rope-a-dope, Bugs Bunny dressing in drag.

Your weight-loss strategy should be similarly inspired. Willpower alone won’t shrink your waist–you need facts and wisdom on your side if you’re going to maintain the resolve you showed in January.

There are scientists who study weight loss so the rest of us can keep track of the important stuff, like spring training and Rotisserie drafts. These researchers regularly come up with good advice, the latest and greatest of which we’ve gathered for you. Pick a few tips, put them in your lineup, and get back in the weight-loss game.

1. WEIGH YOURSELF OFTEN

Time was, experts said to stay off the scale–it can be discouraging. But after studying 3,500 individuals from the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) who’ve maintained 60 or more pounds of weight loss for at least a year, researchers found that 44 percent weighed themselves daily. Unhealthy obsession? No, says James Hill, Ph.D., NWCR cofounder and director of the center for human nutrition at the University of Colorado. “They use it as an early warning system for preventing weight regain,” he explains. “If your goal is to keep your weight at a certain level, you have to have feedback to see whether you’re successful.”

2. TURN OFF THE TV

Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York recently determined that simply seeing food can trigger a physiological “feed me” response. In the study, visual food cues caused brain activity to jump by 24 percent–mostly in the orbitofrontal cortex, the area of the brain related to drive and acquisition. So a constant barrage of pizza-delivery ads on TV could test your limits. And don’t get us started on the Food Network.

3. PRAY THE FAT AWAY

Christian men who report feeling greater intimacy with God through prayer are more likely to be physically active than other men, according to research from Cornell University. “Studies have shown that those who have more social support move more, and being closer to God may give men that support,” says lead researcher Karen Kim. Another possible reason: “General religion in the United States encompasses theological teachings about the body as a temple, which may also lead to the consumption of a healthier diet and increased physical activity,” she adds. Amen to that.

4. BEWARE TASTEBUD BETRAYAL

“Hunger increases healthy men’s taste sensitivity to sweet and salty substances,” says researcher Yuriy Zverev, of the University of Malawi. This means vending-machine snacks (which come in two flavors: sweet or salty–coincidence?) will taste even better when you’re hungry. You could trust that you’d savor the flavor by eating only a small amount. (Right.) Or you could sidestep this land mine altogether. “Eat offensively,” says Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “Eat regularly during the day to stave off cravings and the bingeing that can result.”

5. SNACK ON ALMONDS

Seventy per day, to be exact. That’s the number that people in a City of Hope National Medical Center experiment ate daily for 6 months, in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet, to drop 18 percent of their body weight. Study author Michelle Wien partially credits the satiety factor. “Almonds are a nutrient-dense food that provides healthful mono unsaturated fat, protein, and fiber, which together contribute to feeling full,” she says. Go for whole almonds in their unsalted, raw, or dry-roasted state. Fifteen to 20 will do the trick for a quick snack. Try 50 as a meal replacement.

6. GRAB THE DAY

Long summer days can help you lose weight. “The best time to start a diet is in May, because the days are very long, which makes your energy levels go up and your food cravings go down,” says Judith Wurtman, Ph.D., a nutrition researcher at MIT. “You’ll eat less and exercise more.” So if you get home and it’s still light, go for that run. Conversely, resolution-crazed January is the worst time to diet–the short days knock your serotonin levels out of whack, causing cravings. An Apollo Health goLite P1 lamp (apollolight.com/golite) can help your body adjust to the dark days of winter.

7. POUR A BOWL OF CEREAL FOR LUNCH

A study from Purdue University shows that eating cereal in place of meals helps you lose weight. Participants consumed an average of 640 fewer total daily calories and lost roughly 4 pounds during the 2-week intervention. According to study author Richard Mattes, M.P.H., Ph.D., R.D., the approach teaches portion control with a convenient, easy-to-use food. Stick to filling, high-fiber cereals, like All-Bran or Fiber One, and eat them with low-fat milk.

8. GO UNDER THE NEEDLE

When Polish researchers examined acupuncture as a diet aid, they found that people who got needled lost 10 more pounds and ticked 2 additional points off their BMIs compared with those who merely cut calories. Marie Cargill, a licensed acupuncturist in the Boston area, explains that pressure points on the body–mostly on the ear–work as a switchboard to the brain, triggering electrical pulses that suppress appetite. “The ear system is very effective for addiction treatment,” she says.

9. EAT A COW’S WORTH

Of dairy, that is. Reports of the benefits just keep coming. Recently, a University of Tennessee study found that people who ate a daily 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium from dairy lost an average of 24 pounds, or 11 percent of their total body weight. “When you don’t have enough calcium in your diet, you’re more efficient at making fat and less efficient at breaking down fat, causing a bigger, fatter fat cell,” says lead researcher Michael Zemel, Ph.D. Get the just-right amount by taking in two 8-ounce glasses of low-fat milk (699 mg), a cup of low-fat yogurt (338 mg), and an ounce and a half of cheese (287 mg).

10. GAMBLE ON YOURSELF

Take a cue from the poker craze and wager against a buddy to see who can shed the most pounds. “Men do really well when they make weight loss a competitive game,” says New York City nutritionist Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., author of Cooking with Joy. “Have a 6-month and a 1-year check-in–none of that 2-week garbage.” Or try it in teams, as on NBC’s The Biggest Loser, and you’ll double the incentive–you’ll want to win the bet and avoid letting down your team. “Healthy competition can bring out the absolute best in people,” says the show’s red-team trainer, Jillian Michaels, owner of SkySport and Spa in Beverly Hills. She recommends that the team take on a swimming relay or a 5-K run. “That way, it’s not a scenario like ‘Who can lift the most?’” she says. “Losing weight is ultimately about better health. For $100, somebody might do a pulldown that’s way too heavy and end up tearing a rotator cuff.” It’d be a shame if, after you’d lost all that weight, you still couldn’t button your pants

Down 1.2 pounds for a grand total of 32.8 pounds lost.  My Weight Watchers leader said that my weight loss would likely slow down from this point out.  My goal right now is to average a couple of pounds a week from now until July, and that should get me within earshot of my ideal weight. 

Here’s an interesting chart I created in Google Docs:  My average weight loss has gone down each week, except for one, since I started this thing.  It’s to be expected, I suppose.  Take a look:

Courtesy of Discovery: Health

(HealthDay News) — Binge eating occurs when a person habitually overeats.

A person with the disorder often eats quite rapidly, may not stop eating when they are full, and usually feels unable to stop.

These actions often are a response to stress, anger or being emotionally upset, the Nemours Foundation says.

The foundation offers this list of common warning signs:

• Eating very quickly.
• Eating until extremely full or uncomfortable.
• Eating large amounts when not hungry.
• Being too embarrassed to eat around other people, or eating alone.
• Feeling guilty or disgusted after binge eating.
• Excessive weight gain.

I guess this is confessional of sorts. This has always been a problem for me. I used to say that sometimes I feel like a bulimic that forgets to purge.

The way is works is a cycle… depression/anxiety leads to “self medicating” which leads to nausea and ultimately, self loathing. The funny thing is that the self loathing sometimes leads back to step one.

Can any of our dear readers or contributers offer suggestions or ‘tricks’ that work?

• Has it almost been a week already since my last weigh-in? 
• Not sure I’m down very much this week.  I didn’t go off program except for one evening at outdoor school last Thursday.  Still, it just feels like I haven’t lost much.
• I’ve exercised more this week than any other since I began this thing.  Long hikes at outdoor school included.
• School is going to be out in a month.  Handling meals during the summer months will require some changing on my part.
• Wait a minute, scratch that.  I’ve been changing this whole time. I can handle this summer no problem.
• If I continue to lose weight at the average pace of my last 8 weeks, I will be down to my ideal weight some time around the end of June.  I’ve got a vacation and a conference to put on between now and then, though.
• If I continue to lose only 2 pounds a week from here on out, I’ll be down to my ideal weight by the last week of July.
• That’s the week of Creation Northwest.
• Barbecue hamburger on a sesame seed bun, 10 points.  And worth it.
• I never thought I’d say these four words:  I like Crystal Light®.

See you in 24 hours or so with my Week 9 weigh-in.

Thanks everybody for taking part in our latest poll.  We had 21 participants, and it looks like more than 85% of us have been at this for a year or less.  That’s great information to know.

Here’s our next poll:  How often do you weigh yourself?  Some people are obsessed with it, others just do it when it’s necessary, others not at all.  I have some strong feelings about how your weighing frequency can help you stay motivated to lose weight, but I’ll save those comments until the end of our poll. 

Technorati Tags: weight loss, dieting, weighing, blog poll

Hey everybody, hope you’re having a great weekend.  It’s beautiful here in the Pacific Northwest.  Our prayers to those of you affected by the tornadoes in the midwest this weekend.  I’ve added a few sections to our blog:

• FatBloggers store:  This is actually just an experiment I was trying at CafePress.  There’s actually a WordPress plugin to integrate things you create in CafePress into your WordPress blog.  I don’t get a dime from the items you see listed there.  It’s just a fun way to promote things.  I thought about marking up some of the items to cover my expenses here, but at the end of the day I’m only spending $4 a month on this thing.  I can handle that.  In the mean time, let me know if you order anything.  Maybe we can do some prizes or something at some point.
• RSS Basics:  I think it’s a good idea to spread knowledge of how RSS works, so I’m doing our part to get that done here.  It’s only been in the last couple of years that I have figured out how it all fits together.  I’ve included a really cool YouTube video at the bottom that does a great job of explaining the basics in a video format in just a few minutes. 

Do we need a “confessional” category for our posts?  John and Heath have both had confessions of sorts, and I should probably throw my own in here, too.  At outdoor school, I was definitely “off program” the night of our barbecue.  I might have made up for it the next day with our 2 hour hike, but I guess all of that will show up one way or the other at weigh in next Tuesday. Let me know what you think one way or the other.

Have a great rest of the weekend. 

Technorati Tags: weight loss, dieting, RSS, CafePress, WordPress, blogging

I read about The Diet Pulpit’s Honesty Challenge on Healthy Honi’s blog. I hope I am the first of the FatBloggers to post their ‘Ten Reasons”. Not being one to pass up a good meme, here we go!

List the 10 reasons you HONESTLY want to lose weight. It can be positive changes that will need to be made, or it can be the reasons deep down you want to make these changes.

1. I want to feel better in my40’s than I did in my 30’s.

2. Since you don’t see Willard Scott wishing a Happy Birthday to a fat guy, I need to make a change.

3. I was always embarrassed when my fat parents would show up at school events. I wanted to crawl into a hole when my friends would ask, “Are they your parents?”. I don’t want to put my kids through that more than I already have.

4. Just ask my wife, I love to buy clothes. Do you realize how much MORE fun that would be if I could buy ‘off the rack’?

5. After losing just 30lbs. my knees don’t hurt as bad and I have more energy. I want to see what it will feel like to lose 100 lbs.

6. I want to do Cycle Oregon.

7. I want to be able to fit behind the wheel of my dream car, 1966 Mustang Fastback.

8. I want to fit comfortably in the rides at Disneyland.

9. I want to ENJOY traveling with my wife in retirement, being those retired couples that walk along the beach wearing matching blue windbreakers.

10. I most definitely still want to be enjoying the “marriage bed” when we get back to the Winnebago.

TAG… you’re it.