An Inspiring Story

I’ve been writing posts about weight loss, dieting, and exercise for almost 12 years now. Today I want to tell you why I write. 

I’ve had a weight problem most of my life. I think it’s kind of a mid-life thing that most of us go through. My daughter went through a similar period in her life and did gain a lot of body fat after her third child. But then a strange thing happened, instead of retaining the weight in her late 40’s she vowed to lose the weight. I didn’t think she could do it. It’s extremely hard to lose weight for a woman that is turning 50. 

I was able to lose weight when I was in my 50’s and then again in my 60’s and 70’s. I was 220 pounds when I was middle age and all the exercise and dieting I did couldn’t help. I finally started to lose weight when I decided to change my diet. No, I didn’t try a new low-cal diet, I just change what I was eating. I decided to eat healthy instead of eating a lot of restaurant food. Now I weigh 155 and I maintain it by eating the same way.

But let me go back to my daughter, she was never one to exercise. She stayed thin throughout school and ever college. I think when she got married she only weighed 120. But after the second child, it was harder to lose and then she had a third a few years later and after that her weight didn’t change. She was about 165 in her mid-40’s and wanted to lose but nothing worked. 

This really isn’t unusual for a woman but at age 50, she decided to get healthy. I thought to myself “good look”. She started to eat better foods and stayed away from the carbs. It was the beginning of the same battle I went through. At first, she thought if she made a small change in her diet she would start losing but that wasn’t working. We talked about it and I explained that she still had to watch out for the calories. Everything you drink has calories too. Months went by and still to progress. We talked again and I explained that 1200 calories a day may be too many for you to lose weight. When you work at a desk all day and get very little exercise you might have to cut back to 800 calories. Just try it for a few weeks. 

She did and it seemed to work for a while and then she stopped losing. I understand I told her, you hit a plateau. You might stay there for some time just stay with the plan, you might have to cut more calories. I attribute her success to the fact that she never gave up. After almost two years, she dropped below 130 pounds. I couldn’t believe all the newfound energy she had. I think she lost 20 years. I could see that 30 year old again. She’s always smiling, her job doesn’t bother her any longer and she’s more confident. 

I’m very happy that her life is turning out the way she wanted. Dropping weight and getting back to the way you used to be will be the best thing you can do for yourself. Life is hard enough without complicating it with health problems that you can avoid.

Look for my podcasts on anchor.fm, or the podcast app on your cell phone. Search “howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight”.

If you really want to lose your body fat then look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.

How Much Sitting Do You Do?

This is a great post you should read. Some of us still shake their head and wonder why we can’t lose weight, but if you read this it will spell out the problem that most of us have with our weight.

What’s the Worst Time of Day for Sitting Too Much?

By Wendy Bumgardner

Prolonged sitting is a risk factor for heart disease, even if you exercise, according to studies. Now that so many people are wearing activity trackers, Fitbit looked at anonymous aggregated data from over a million users to see who sits the most and when. It is enlightening.

The Worst Times of Day for Being Sedentary

Fitbit’s data showed three times of day were the most likely to find you sitting or slumped at your desk.

Afternoon from 2 pm – 3 pm
After-coffee/before lunch – prime work/meeting time of 10:30 – 11 am
After work and after dinner, specifically from 7:30-8:30 pm.
10 Tips to Stop Sitting Still: If you know when you are the most likely to be inactive, you can literally take these steps.

If you know when you are the most likely to be inactive, you can literally take these steps.

Work and Sit More, Retire and Sit Less

The stereotype is that you retire to your armchair, but Baby Boomers never did like to be conventional. Total sedentary time decreases after age 55 and right around retirement age from ages 58-66, people sit less.

This reflects on what happens when you enter the workforce. The Fitbit data found that people from age 20 to 25 had their total sitting time go up an hour. Sitting time continues to increase by 30 minutes from age 24 to 30 and up another 30 minutes between the ages of 30 and 55. That’s a total of two more hours of sitting compared with their school-age years. This is concerning because one study found that for each hour of sitting, heart disease risks rise 14%

30 Easy Ways to Walk 2000 More Steps per Day: Use these hacks to ensure you are getting up and moving around for 250 steps each hour of the workday.
Which Countries Sit the Most?

Oddly enough, it is in Spain that people are the least inactive during the workday, even though many still observe siesta in the afternoon. They are inactive for only 5 hours, 2 minutes before 6 pm, which is 45 minutes less than the average for the USA and China. It could be that a siesta break from sedentary work is what keeps them moving. Combined with a tradition of going for an evening walk, paseo, it could be that Spain is ahead of the game for reducing sedentary time.

Hours of Inactive Time Before 6 pm by Country – Fitbit Data

US: 5:47
China: 5:45
New Zealand: 5:35
UK: 5:29
Canada: 5:25
India: 5:23
France: 5:15
Italy: 5:12
Australia: 5:10
Spain: 5:02

Figure out what time of day is bad for you and do something about it. When you add the time you spend in bed to the time your sit, most overweight adults are on their feet fewer hours than the hours sitting or lying down. As a matter of fact, some adults are only on their feet about 4 hours a day. I put this in bold for a good reason. Even a one-hour workout can’t erase the damage we do with that much sitting. 

So what’s the answer? Work from a standup desk with a stool so you can stand or sit. This isn’t a new idea, many people work this way today. Our grandparents worked this way. Many blue-collar workers work this way now. Anything that will cut down the number of hours we sit. The desk that we sit at has been the biggest contributor to our health problems. This type of inactivity combined with a bad diet has ruined the health of millions of Americans.

Look for my podcasts on anchor.fm, or the podcast app on your cell phone. Search “howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight”.

If you really want to lose your body fat then look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.

Don't Diet

 I was listening to a morning show today and they were interviewing James Corden the Host of The Late Late Show on network TV. He is a very funny comedian and I wish I could stay up late enough to watch, but I usually turn off the lights before 11:00 and that's Central Standard Time. 

He lost 75 pounds and he was talking about his weight loss. He said he had tried all the diets known to man and the weight always came back. He explained that he had lost some weight with some of the diets but at some point, you stop dieting and return to your old way of eating.

He lost his weight and the weight didn't return after he stopped dieting and simply started to eat healthily. Fill up on healthy food like vegetables, fruits, nuts, a small amount of meat, and only low-fat dairy.  

I did the same thing but I was a little smaller. I weighed 220 pounds at the highest point and over a few years, I dropped down to 155. And I did this after age 60. Don't let anyone tell you you can't do it. Your too heavy or your too old or that women just get heavier as they get older; you can't do anything about it, it's normal it happens to everyone.

All of that isn't true, anyone can lose body fat, simply by eating the foods that help you burn more fat. You won't exercise away body fat. Your body will burn body fat if you eat the right way. No pills are necessary. The only exercise I did every day was walking. Do more walking, try to limit your time sitting. Your body will actually go into hibernation after about 20 minutes of sitting. 

But changing your diet is 80% of losing weight. Some of us have no idea where to start. Your doctor will be a good place to start. If you tried that, try a dietitian. Don't waste money on a trainer unless you want to build bulk. Trainers want you to exercise to lose fat and that might work, but will you get slim and fit, maybe.

Look for my podcasts on anchor.fm, or the podcast app on your cell phone. Search “howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight”.

If you really want to lose your body fat then look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.

Can Excess Body Fat Cause Cancer?

Yes, it’s proven in several different studies done by many different health organizations all over the world that excess body fat can cause Breast Cancer and Colon Cancer, but that’s only the Cancers that have been positively proven. Many other Cancers are attributed to a poor diet.

I wrote in a previous post about Ideal body weight;  “How can I find my Ideal Body Weight?”  In order to avoid Cancers caused by being overweight, most Doctors will tell you to reduce your weight to the lowest end of the scale that is recommended for you. I can give you an easier way to find that perfect weight.

Remember when you were 20 years old, do you remember how much you weighed? When a person is fully grown, which usually happens between the ages of 18 and 22, that’s your ideal weight. You should maintain that weight throughout your adult life. Now, I know that sounds impossible. It might be more like 18 for women and 22 for men and your organs might take a year or so longer to fully develop, but the range is close enough. As you gain weight over the years you’re putting extra stress on your body and aging your body faster than your years.

New Studies recommend that adults remain as lean as possible through their adult years. The fact is that putting on weight can increase your risk for cancer, even if you're still within the healthy range. So the best advice for cancer prevention is to avoid weight gain, and if you are already overweight aim to lose weight.

Avoiding certain foods in your diet will also help you avoid cancer. For instance, there’s evidence now that processed meats including ham and bacon will cause colorectal cancer. If you consume any of these, do it sparingly. Red Meat is also a big cause of colorectal cancer and should be eaten sparingly. You should not eat more than 500 grams a week of meat cooked or about 1 pound a week, that’s about 1 1/2 pounds of raw meat.

Dietary supplements are not recommended for cancer prevention. There’s more evidence than ever before that drinking alcohol will increase your chances of cancer.

The finding of this report is a real milestone in the fight against cancer. These recommendations are not based on just one study, but these findings are compiled from the findings of 7000 different studies. In trials around the country, progress has already been made in school children by tackling obesity with improved physical conditioning and healthier lunches. The best improvement has been in grade school where the new diets in the lunch program have been a big success.

Losing body fat will lessen your chances for cancer and also increase your life span. There should be more talk about the importance of losing body fat, increasing your activity and eating healthy.

Look for my podcasts on anchor.fm, or the podcast app on your cell phone. Search “howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight”.

If you really want to lose your body fat then look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.

Yoga For Weight Loss

While walking around your city, you’ve probably seen a variety of yoga studios—everything ranging from Bikram to Anusara, Jivamukti, and Vinyasa yoga. Bikram is known for hot rooms and sweat-dripping bodies, while vinyasa is all about the flow of movements.

If your goal is to get lean and lose body fat, you might be wondering whether, or how, yoga fits into your program. There is a multitude of benefits to practicing yoga, but does yoga help with weight loss?

Yoga Only Burns 3-6 Calories Per Minute

In order to lose body fat, you have to create a deficit of calories. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight, and one pound of fat is equivalent to about 3500 calories.

Yoga classes often endure for about 60-90 minutes. According to research done by the American Council on Exercise, the average individual burns about 3-6 calories per minute practicing yoga, which equates to a total of only 180-360 calories burned during that class. In contrast, a kettlebell workout burns about 13-17 calories per minute, which equals about 800+ calories burned in an hour. That’s a significant difference in calorie expenditure.

While it depends on the type and intensity of the class– certain styles of yoga are much more rigorous such as power yoga, hot yoga, and vinyasa, whereas yin yoga, restorative, and hatha yoga are more gentle and slower-paced. Regardless of the intensity of the yoga class, circuit training is still superior in terms of overall metabolic boost and calorie burn.

But even with the calorie difference, yoga has other benefits that can help the weight-loss individual. Yoga will keep you flexible. Yoga involves stretching and it will get your blood flowing. Morning Yoga is best, I feel awake and invigorated after a morning with Yoga. The soreness I have when I wake up will disappear and I feel like I’m younger, I have more energy.

From 2000-2002, medical researcher and yogi Alan Kristal, in association with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, conducted a study on the effects of yoga on weight loss. The study surveyed 15,500 middle-aged men and women about their physical activity and weight over time, controlled for factors such as diet, health, and other forms of exercise that could cause changes in weight. The study found that both overweight and normal-weight adults who regularly practiced yoga for at least 4 years were less likely to gain weight than those who did not practice yoga. In fact, those who were overweight and practiced yoga actually lost an average of 5lbs during the four-year period, whereas the overweight non-practitioners gained about 14lbs.

If calorie expenditure didn’t account for weight maintenance or loss, what did? The researchers found a strong association between regular yoga practice and mindful eating, which they did not find in other activities such as walking or running.

How Can Yoga Help You Lose Weight?

Reasons that yoga might help the weight loss process include:

Effective stress management, reducing the likelihood of stress eating
Increased body awareness, specifically relating to hunger and satiety
Mindfulness and mindful eating
Although practicing yoga doesn’t burn the most calories, it might still have a place in your workout routine. An effective fat loss program that encourages the maintenance of lean muscle and maximizes calorie burn should be founded on a combination of resistance training and cardiovascular activity. However, yoga could be used as active recovery and flexibility training between more intense workouts. The benefits of stress reduction and mindfulness associated with yoga could lead to improved sleep, better-eating habits, and increased self-awareness, which could mean more weight loss and improved maintenance of weight loss results over time. Regardless of the exercise, you’re doing, however, good nutrition is essential. If you’re not paying attention to your diet, you won’t see the results you want. Exercise right, eat clean, and you’ll be able to realize your goals.

Look for my podcasts on anchor.fm, or the podcast app on your cell phone. Search “howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight”.

If you really want to lose your body fat then look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.

We Only Have One More

We got past Christmas, now comes New Year's Eve. I don't really do much eating on New Year's Eve but there are parties. And we are expected to attend. There will be drinks and some food, mostly finger food. I'll tell you how to avoid some of the calories.

Most people will avoid food all day so they can splurge that night, don't do it. That's the best way to eat a lot of food that you would never eat normally. Get back to your normal diet right now. I will discard or give away any of those cookies, pies, or cakes I still have in the frig. Yes, I know it's not easy especially if you bought them. If you don't and you eat those desserts you'll hate yourself later. That's way too much sugar. Remember that you can't exercise away a bad diet. Excess calories will turn into fat, you can't avoid it. 

I always eat before I go to a party. Sometimes you're expected to eat especially if you have relatives over or you're going to a relative's home. In that case, eat very little, taste a few things. Avoid the desserts or just take a bite. Don't fill your plate, only take small amounts and only eat half. Remember the rule, always eat before the party. Eat something healthy, and eat a normal size meal about 2 hours before you arrive. 

Following these simple rules, you can avoid eating a lot of fattening foods when you go out. Also, drinks contain calories too. Cocktails might be the worse or the highest in calories. Wine comes in second with about 150 calories per glass on average. Beer is about the same as wine, some light beers are 100 calories, others can be as much as 200 calories. If you want to have a drink that is low in calories and almost organic or as organic as alcohol can be, drink a good clear Tequila over ice. They are made from the Agava cactus with no additives. Clear Tequila is about 100 calories per ounce. Always drink the 100 proof Tequila. Don't waste your money. A good Tequila is as close to organic as you can get. You won't need more than one double. 

Look for my podcasts on anchor.fm, or the podcast app on your cell phone. Search “howbaddoyouwanttoloseweight”.

If you really want to lose your body fat then look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com, just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.

It's The Season

It’s the season, and we shouldn’t go hog-wild and overeat or consume too much Holiday Cheer, but we shouldn’t avoid parties and other gatherings because we’re trying not to gain weight.

The holidays only come once a year so enjoy it, taste those things you like, just don’t overdo them. What helps me keep my weight is at parties and other gatherings I stand as much as possible. Staying on my feet helps me burn more calories.

Enjoy the season, be happy, I’ll be back on the downside.