5 Diet Tips!

Here’s what’s working for me so far…

1. Eating the same things most of the time. It’s Rule # 2 in the Slow Carb Diet, “EAT THE SAME FEW MEALS OVER AND OVER AGAIN” I have heard Tim talk about this rule on podcasts before and when he elaborates it makes a lot of sense and it works for me. If I don’t have to think about what I am going to eat or make a new choice about every day, then I am more likely to stick to the diet plan.
2. Cutoff Time- for food in the evening. I like to set a specific time like 7 or 8 pm at the latest. Having this hard line is important for me mentally. I have found it the best way to control late night snacking which is usually a pitfall.
3. Breakfast-The Slow Carb Diet advises that you eat 30g of protein for breakfast in one way or another. I go for eggs, beans and spinach. There is some kind of science behind the combo described in “The 4 Hour Body” so read more about it there. Lunch is a key meal as well. Eating enough protein with every meal helps me feel full longer so I am not tempted by the Cool Ranch Doritos down in the vending machine screaming my name. They call to me around 2 o’clock and and it’s much easier to ignore if I am actually full from lunch.
4. Cheat Day– Some people love it and some people hate it. But for me I like knowing that I can have a day of freedom. When I want to turn into Taco Bell on my way home from work, I tell myself I can get it on the Cheat Day just not today. And believe it or not this actually works for me.
5. Exercise- I know it seems obvious, but no diet works well for you without moving your body. I eased into it with walking. I walk around the building during work breaks, and sometimes after dinner. I take longer more rigorous walks on the weekend when I have more time. I typically get up and go walk immediately on Saturday and Sunday morning before anything gets in the way. In my experience if I wait until later, then it doesn’t happen. So get up and go!

So, those are the basics that I have gone back to so far. I am at Day 6 and doing better each day. Of course I get off track here and there but that’s no reason to derail the whole train and end the journey. I just have to remember why I started. I listen to this song on my headphones when I don’t feel like working out much. Sometime I have to listen to it twice to get through the end. But it works!

Keep it Simple: 3 Things

Improve your life with these 3 simple things!

1. Make your bed. It sounds so basic and dumb but it’s been proven over and over by many of the most successful people in the world. Try it. What do you have to lose? This practice takes about 3 minutes in the morning and it makes a huge difference mentally; it sends a signal to your brain and gets things firing! There’s many reasons why, look them up but, save some time and trust me that it’s worth a try.
2. Spend 15 minutes working on a big thing. Do you already make your bed? Take 15 minutes a day to work on one of your BIG things. Maybe that’s reading a book, writing your story, cleaning out a closet, applying for jobs, cooking a meal, working towards a goal that is just yours! This project is usually something that feels overwhelming to start because it’s an enormous mountain to climb, but you can tackle it 15 minutes at a time. Set the timer on your phone and do something for you today!
3. Take a break from your phone. Yes, take a break, set it down, like all the way down away from you —even in another room, turn off the TV, close your eyes and just take a breath for however long you can stand it. Some of us are so attached to our phones we can’t even think about them in another room. Work your way up but start today with at least one break.

A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live. -Bertrand Russell

Day 1

I debated with myself on how to share yesterday’s lack of total success. I saw some strong points early in the day but really felt like a failure by the end. Last night I thought ” I will just start over tomorrow, so I’ll eat the cookie, and have late night ramen noodles to boot!” But this morning when I woke up I reconsidered and decided that I am not starting over, it’s not Day 1, today is Day 2 and I did do some things right. Maybe the C+ is generous but but I hate bad grades and did earn points with exercise.

This may all seem silly but the mental game we wage on ourselves can lead to success or failure in any situation. If I say I am starting over then I automatically feel defeated. I won’t do that to myself this time. I am going to keep going and continue to improve my diet which is clearly out of control or I wouldn’t be pushing 200 to begin with I guess. So onward and upward!

I am not planning to report what I eat every day but I thought in this case the accountability was important for me. I suggest writing down what you eat in a day as you get started just to face the reality of what’s going on with your diet. There’s something about taking inventory of the day’s food that serves as a reality check you can’t avoid. I knew I went bonkers with carbs at the end of the day for example, but when I wrote it down I can see that it in no way resembles any kind of diet for weight loss hahaha, so room for improvement! I’ll keep going!

The Gospel According to Tim

The gist of living better according to Timothy Ferriss

I have read “The 4 Hour Body” about 6 times. I check it out from the library a couple times a year because I am on a tight budget and I like free things. I have listened to the the author’s podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show for the last 10 or more years. Over the years I have listened to him interview the best of the best about their success in all areas of life. You might think I would be flying high on the rungs of success by now with all that great knowledge haha! Well, I have tried a few things and I have quit and failed a few things but I am here to start again. Because the biggest lesson I have learned from all the interviews he’s done is that success usually comes after multiple attempts or what we call failures.

I am not going to tackle them all in one post but the big thing for me right now is diet and exercise. I went and checked out the book again to review the plan and get going in the right direction.

The diet is a Slow Carb diet, so it’s like Keto but includes some carbs like beans basically. AND he promotes a 6 days on and 1 day off plan so you have a cheat day so to speak. These two things alone help ensure success because you have more to choose from and the variety in the diet is far more sustainable long term. The cheat day works because you don’t feel like you can NEVER have your favorite pizza or chocolate chip cookie again, you can have it just wait for your one day and plan to indulge then. I have done this diet before with a lot of success but for many reasons quit trying and gained back weight over the last few years.

Trust me I have a lot of good excuses like everyone else. I am an emotional eater, I do over indulge and I really quit exercising for the most part for a long time other than an occasional walk or bike ride. So beginning again is hard but it’s essential. I can’t keep buying the next size up and feeling uncomfortable in shorts and normal clothes. I can’t do it! So I started back with some basics and eased my way back into some scheduled exercise and over the last month I am starting to see some results. BUT I want to do better so I am going back to the advice and plans from Tim’s book and podcast.

Once you have selected the bare minimum to get started, get started.

Timothy Ferriss, The 4-Hour Body

It’s not outrageous or anything, it’s basic. Using The Slow Carb Diet, eating breakfast (goal of 30 grams of protein soon after waking up), and doing a small but effective set of exercises and cardio is the plan. That’s it really. So, if you want to try it out then look up more online about him, read his book or whatever but this is a resource book that I think everyone should read.

It’s not a should, it’s a must.

Tony Robbins

Another great resource for me in the battle to get back on track is any audio book read by Tony Robbins. Recently I listened to “Unleash the Power Within” and it got me moving in the right direction at least. I suggest audio because with him speaking, the motivational speech becomes hypnotic and transformational. He has a way of diving right in and helping you navigate around your excuses building some momentum to try whatever it is that you are wanting to do in your life to make it better. You can check out his audio books for free on library apps, or buy from Audible.

Every time I am in a rut I listen to his books and he just has a gift to inspire change and motivate people in an amazing way. So there are two great people to turn to if you’re like me and really need a kick in the ass to get going!

For the record and accountability purposes I am starting the diet and exercise plan which I will continue to track and share the progress. I eased into over the course of the last month and started to establish a workout plan and diet.

Here’s the truth: I am 45 years old , 5’3″ and I weigh 190 lbs (according to the scale) and it’s too much. That is an obese amount of weight on my short body. But I need to face it and do better, to look better and feel better. I have been working out and probably gaining muscle which added weight but now is the time to really make progress and shed the weight.

Friday will be my cheat day because that is when we have free pizza at work once a month and when I like to get pizza at home after the long week. Today is Saturday so I have 6 days to go!

Looking ahead,…in the next post I will share pictures and exercise strategy.

Let’s keep going!

Trying Again…

We all know what it feels like to fail, to quit, to retreat or give up on an idea. The idea can be so amazing in our minds thinking about the new endeavor, the journey or the risk. In our minds it lives like a wild animal with nothing to stop it from roaming and exploring all the possible avenues to explore. It sniffs the ground and air like a hound dog taking in every inch of the surroundings, bursting with possibilities. When you get an idea like that you’re flying high thinking how this is your moment! Then something happens, you get up and try. You brush off the dust of the journal, pull out the treadmill, strap on your skates, get out your paints, grab your equipment, your drawing pad or whatever it is and you’re doing this, it’s going to change your life. You can almost taste the rewards of success.

Sometimes, it doesn’t go as planned and sometimes you remember why you quit, it’s hard to try. It’s hard to put yourself out there and swallow your pride, get excited about something and keep going when everyone thinks it’s crazy. And here’s the thing everyone else likes it when you give up because it’s going to comfort their own insecurities of giving up too. Trying is harder. And when you are on the right path and feeling energized by your new direction and purpose this is the time to stay quiet for a bit while you gain momentum! The minute you speak your dreams a line forms to tell you why you can’t, why you won’t, why you are wrong, why it’s not that easy. And guess what? It’s not easy but you can do it and I can do it too!

I started this blog a long, long time ago and since then gave it up because I was feeling defeated and silly about the whole thing. Who wants to read this dumb blog anyways? But the thing is that when I looked back at my old articles or posts I remembered that I was having fun. I felt like I was getting somewhere and even if one person read it then I guess that’s enough. So, I am trying it again. I think the world could use a better blog. I want the posts to be mostly quick reads with a point of helping others while I help myself. We are all just trying to navigate the waters of the world in an attempt to make some kind of sense of the place and maybe feel some joy along the way! Let’s go.