Why do we have to give up so much to be healthy?

When it comes to weight loss, why is it more about deprivation than enjoyment? Why is it more about hard work than just getting by? Why can't it be smiles and balloons instead of crying and cravings?

One of the most common complaints I hear when someone starts a weight-loss program is the deprivation factor. The fact that they cannot eat like they used to. The fact that it is so hard to get workouts in a busy schedule. The fact that they can never have a certain food again, ever. But is it really forever?

• Do you have to give up the 'forbidden' foods forever? 
• Do you have to give up having an occasional treat of sugar or alcohol? 
• Do you have to work out every day for the rest of your life? 

NO.

But, do you want to lose weight or what? 

No, you don't have to give up the 'forbidden' foods forever. But, what's wrong with limiting them for a short period of time and seeing if you can overcome the EMOTIONAL obstacles associated with that food. Instead of thinking of it as a chore to 'give up' that food, look at it realistically. Could that food or over-indulgence of that food be stalling your weight loss efforts? Sometimes you don't have to give it up. Sometimes you can just limit or moderate it. But other times, it seems to have a hold over you. Why? If you have been trying to lose weight for many, many years and what you have been doing DOESN'T work, then doesn't it make sense to try something else that may work? Think about it...

No, you don't have to give up having an occasional treat of sugar or alcohol. But, again, what's wrong with limiting them for a short period of time and seeing if you can overcome the EMOTIONAL obstacles associated with that food or drink? We are a give-me-everything-now society and what has that done for us? We have what we want when we want it. We don't take care of what we have and we get rid of things we don't need to. Is it working for us? No, we are more overweight and more obese as a society. So, if it's not working for you, why not try something else.


No, you don't have to work out every day for the rest of your life. But are you trying to lose weight or are you trying to maintain your weight? I have been lucky enough to maintain my weight for the last 10 years and I can tell you, I haven't worked every day during those 10 years. I've taken days off, sometimes weeks off. But, I am not trying to lose weight. When you make the commitment to LOSE weight, you are going to have to do something different. So, if you had to work out 5-6 days a week for a short period of time to lose the weight, is that so bad? It's not going to kill you. It's going to save your life. It's going to make exercise a habit and help your body so much.

Why do we have to give up so much to be healthy?

Who is giving up? When you make the commitment to lose weight, you are not giving up your life. You are living it. You are changing it. You are proud of it. You are becoming the person you were meant to be. So do it. Will you?

Gwinnett's Losing It! takes it to another level

Weight loss is hard. Permanent weight loss. Not the temporary, here take this pill or drink this shake 3 times a day weight loss. The kind of weight loss that changes your life. With our national obesity rate rising every year along with the increase marketing and promotion of "special" products designed to help you lose weight, why is it so hard? If all of these pills, shakes and workout equipment worked, then wouldn't we as a society be healthier? We can be. It starts with the inside and Gwinnett's Losing It! is a good example of that.

A second round of Gwinnett's Losing It! started August 15, 2001 in Gwinnett County and ends 12 weeks later on November 4, 2011. 20 participants have 12 weeks to change their bodies, and their lives. How do they do this?

• By learning how to incorporate strength training into their workouts
• By learning how to do effective cardio workouts
• By learning proper nutrition strategies for their daily life
• By attending weekly teleconference calls
• By attending monthly group meetings
• By competing against other people with the same goals and same frustrations

The participants met for an afternoon at Lake Lanier Islands Resort for a kick-off in August, which included a boot camp workout and hike, a healthy lunch and emotional boot camp workshops. They train for a 5K in September, in which many complete for the first time. They attend another boot camp workout in October and conclude at a ceremony in November to celebrate their success.

But let's hear it from the participants themselves:

•  "The past eight weeks have been very exciting. They flew by and I am wishing this contest was much longer as I am having too much fun! Training for the 5K unified us as a team. I am extremely proud of myself that I have worked hard to consistently lose 1 lb a week and pushed myself to run the entire 5K. I am feeling healthier and happier."
• "I have not lost a lot of weight during this contest, but I am losing inches and gaining muscle. I am wearing two sizes smaller. This contest has helped me 'like' myself again. Overall, I try to be a positive person around other people and they think I am happy. When I am by myself, I do not smile much. I have been unhappy with myself for quite a while. Because of this contest, however, I am eating right, treating myself right and seeing some results. The other day, I caught myself smiling inside."
• "My workout routine is now becoming a way of life. I never realized how important weight training was before but now I plan to make this a forever thing. I can't and don't even use the term 'diet' anymore. I still enjoy an occasional bite of dessert or special 'family' food, but really don't enjoy stuffing myself with bad nutrition choices. It has been very valuable to me to know that I'm not in this battle alone!"
• "I am learning how to take better care of myself in various ways. Learning to jog has been great. Running the entire 5K with my friends was very special and motivating. Seems like I am surrounded by sick people, however I am staying healthy and strong. Sometimes, I just giggle to myself about what I am becoming. I like her."
• "When the 12 weeks are up, I will have a plan that I can continue to follow and that I can live with. Because I am not in this just for the 12 weeks. I am in this for the rest of my life. I am not on a diet, I am living healthy. Sure I will still have days when I will struggle to get my workouts in, I will still forget lunch and be tempted by those chicken fingers, but I have learned that I have to be a priority in my life and that taking care of myself is as important, no really, more important than anything else I do. And I think I have made strides that will make this easier in the future." 
• "I am so excited by my week 8 results. I have lost a total of 9" and lost 24 lbs. I completed my first 5K race and ran a mile for the first time in 30 years. My blood pressure remains normal and migraines appear to be a thing of the past. While these physical changes are impressive, I have found the emotional changes to be even more important. I have learned how to really push myself. I have consistently planned and cooked healthy meals for my family, even when fast food restaurants called to me on the drive home from work. I have found an inner strength that I never knew I had and intend to use that strength to achieve my weight loss and fitness goals long after this competition is over."
• "The past eight weeks, I have made major improvements to my nutrition. I have completely cut out soda and junk food. I think making the decision to cut those two things completely out has been one of my best decisions ever. Knowing that my life will and always be changed from doing this competition. I can't wait to continue my life on the right track."
• "It has been an amazing eight weeks. I have dropped 14 lbs in a plain ol healthy way with good food and exercise. The best part is I have done this in a realistic approach that I can live with. I have not done any extreme fad dieting, taken any pills or even extreme workouts. I have not given up every food I've ever enjoyed, I'm simply learning how to use moderation in my eating. This time is different. I have no special occasion goal, I have a life goal. I am learning, slowly but surely, how to 'start with the inside' and I am confident that I will continue losing at least 1 lb a week until I'm at my goal and maintain it." 

Congratulations Gwinnett's Losing It! participants and good luck during the last three weeks! Cannot wait for the Finale Celebration on Wednesday, November 9th at 550 Trackside in Lawrenceville! Stay tuned for more details.

Why so hard on chocolate and candy?

It's that time of year again, time for October and chocolate overload. The stores are jam packed with chocolate candy bar bags, candy corn, candy pumpkins. All designed to lure you [and your kids] to the other side. The candy sugar side. Don't worry. Only 70% of our population is overweight and obese. Sugar has nothing to do with it. Chocolate is good for you. They keep telling us that.

So why is Sandi so hard on chocolate and candy?
Why does she have to ruin all the good chocolate holidays?

Because I have a job to do and I do it well. I do my research, I love my job. I deal every day with overweight and obese people who are addicted to these things. I deal every day with overweight and obese people who have bought into the idea that chocolate is good for you and helps with PMS and helps you get antioxidants into your body. Because I have been there myself. As a chocolate devotee myself, I know the devastating affect it can have on your body when you are trying to be fit and healthy. Now don't get me wrong, I have chocolate. But not like I used to. And not all the time. I believe in moderation in all things. HOWEVER, there are times when you have to take it a step further than moderation and steer towards elimination. Temporary elimination. Why?

• Chocolate/candy is a trigger food for you. Meaning you have one and you want another one immediately.
• Chocolate/candy is an emotional food for you. You eat it when upset, or when PMS strikes, or when you celebrate. The food is linked to good times and bad and it is a HABIT.
• Chocolate is a unhealthy food for you. The chocolate in today's candy is NOT the healthy chocolate all the research articles are talking about. The cacao bean is healthy, but the FORM of cacao bean that they are talking about, the healthy one, is not even present in today's chocolate. It is full of preservatives, unhealthy additives and unnecessary ingredients to make it palpable for our sweet-loving palates.

I know, stop already. I'm like a chocolate nazi.

I don't care. I am going to keep speaking the truth, even when it hurts. I care about my client's health and well-being. I care about our children and the unhealthy habits we carry on to them. I care about our nation's obesity rate and the link between unhealthy foods and habits.

Hence the No-Candy Pledge. What started as a joke last year around this time became a fun thing to do. Could you not eat candy or chocolate for one month? Would it be good for your health? Would you be willing to try? If chocolate is a trigger food or problem for you, I challenge you to try it. Visit my fanpage on Facebook to download the pledge. Print it out, sign it and put it somewhere so you can see it. Challenge yourself. And then tell me what it does for your health. Will you?

What to do when everything goes wrong

Life is hard. Weight loss is hard. Put the two together and yikes, double-hard. Everything goes okay for a while, and then bam - chaos happens, somebody dies or gets hurt, people change, events happen - and before you know it, everything seems to be going wrong and you lose focus. Or lose your mind. Or so it seems.

I see this all the time with my clients. In reviewing their weight loss history, there always seems to be a time when everything goes wrong. Something happens that sets them back - an event, a person - something happens to them and they just let themselves go. They lose priority in their lives. And their health suffers. I deal with this all the time - trying to help clients overcome the emotional chaos that keeps them from living a healthy life and having a fit, healthy body. It happens to everybody, it happens to me.

In July, everything pretty much went wrong. At least it seems that way. Less than two weeks out from doing a tri with a client and coming home from a great ride with a friend, I crashed my bike. Totaled it. No big deal, right? At least that's what those around me said. "Just get another one". Um, I don't just ride any bike. It's my baby. I ride 100+ miles a week. It's my workout partner. I love my bike. And it's expensive. Boom, just like that, starting over. I ended up backing out of the tri because I am too stubborn to borrow a bike from anyone and ended up letting down my client as well.

Just like the United States right now, I am having debt and financial difficulties. Like everyone else around me. Every time I hear something about the US debt in the news, I think about my situation and how to apply what they are doing to what I am doing. It doesn't work that way. But the pressure is on and I feel it all the time. It feels overwhelming and never seems to end.

Ups and downs in relationships. I don't believe in true love because it's too much work. Seriously, when will I ever get a fraction back of what I give? I know, that's not the intent of love. You are supposed to give and give and give and not worry about getting back. But crap, you'd think I'd get a little something back more than this. I see relationships around me crumble and wonder if I am next?

So through the stress and the time when everything goes wrong, what happens to my health? What happens to my fitness? Nothing. I don't win in the triathlon with my great bike. I don't pay off all my bills in a flurry. I don't get the love I deserve. I just muddle on through it. I'll figure it out. I still eat clean, pretty much anyway. I had a brief sorrowful return to the 'ol ice cream solitude, but got over that quick. I still get in my workouts. Dropped the tri schedule, quit the bike rides, but found some other workouts that I hadn't done in a while, so kept moving. I'll figure it out. Kept doing the things you are supposed to be doing. Kept my family intact and kept my faith that someday I'll be rewarded for doing good. I'll figure it out.

It doesn't all have to make sense. But you can't lose your health over it. You can't just stop working out because things happen. You can't just start eating crap because things happen. You can't just give up because bad things happen and everything goes wrong. You just have to pick yourself up, believe in the good in people and situations, and go on. You'll figure it out.

It's August and I still don't have a bike yet. I'll figure it out.
They cancelled my upcoming Olympic tri in September [who cancels a tri?], so now I am raceless goal-wise. I'll figure it out.
The bills keep on coming and I keep paying them. I'll figure it out.
The relationships keep going up and down. I'll figure it out.

But while I'm figuring it out, I'll stay healthy, I'll stay fit. I'll keep living a healthy lifestyle because otherwise, I'm just a statistic that happens when everything goes wrong.

The big egg debate

We are approaching Easter weekend and the eggs are plenty, which brings us to the big egg debate. Yes, big egg debate. Okay, you knew it was coming. I'm taking on the "Cadbury Egg". You expect as much, right? Not only did I author the "Candy Pledge" during Halloween, call for moderation during the holidays and the ever-popular "Let's find an alternative healthy present instead of chocolate" on Valentine's Day, but now I am attacking another sacred holiday, Easter.

• Chocolate Easter bunnies
• Chocolate Malt Balls
• Jelly Beans of every color and size
• Marshmallow Peeps
• And of course...Chocolate Eggs, Reese's, Cadbury, Russell Stover, just name a brand, they have chocolate eggs galore

Let's look at the regular egg. Okay, we decorated it up a little bit for the Easter celebration.

Nutrition Facts:
90 calories
7g fat
0.4g carbohydrate
6.3g protein
Ingredient: Egg

An egg is a healthy food, right? Let's compare it to one of our friendly chocolate counterparts, a Reese's chocolate egg...

Nutrition Facts:
180 calories
11g fat
18 carbohydrate
4g protein
25g sugar
Ingredients: Milk chocolate made with sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, nonfat milk, lactose, soy lecithin and PGPR [emulsifiers], peanuts, sugar, dextrose, salt, TBHQ [preservative].

Okay, a little bit of difference. Yes, calories for our little Reese's chocolate egg are double that of a regular egg. Yes, there are more carbs and less protein. Yes, if you have attended my Healthy Shopping 101 class, you know that the chocolate egg has some "-ose's" in there and what that means. You have to come to class to find that out. Okay, I'll give you a clue. If an ingredient ends in "-ose", it is a processed sugar. You can remember that by -ose = Gross.

But, let's take it a step further. What's the most important part of this comparison? The ingredients! What's in an egg? Yes, that's right, an egg. No additives. No preservatives or emulsifiers. What's in a chocolate egg? Not only that, but picture eating an egg. How is that egg processed through your body? Picture eating a normal egg. It's natural, it breaks down easily, it goes thru your body. Picture eating a chocolate egg. It's processed, it sticks, it doesn't go thru your body easily. Oh, and the chocolate egg has 25 grams of added sugar. 32 grams is daily recommended. That could be a problem.

Here's the hard part. We as a society are programmed, marketed heavily to, convinced that "chocolate is healthy" and that eating one of these sales and marketing wonder eggs is going to make us healthy. But it's not. And most of the time, we can't just eat one. If you eat one of these, fine, but what about 2 or 3 or more. Multiply that 25 grams x the amount you eat. And now we are talking sugar overload and guess how your body processes that? Ever wonder why when you wave goodbye, the upper part of your arm goes with the wave? Ever wonder why when you walk up the stairs, somethings jiggle a little bit more than they should? Ever wonder why you look in the mirror and are unhappy with your body and the way it looks?

Hey, now I am not blaming the lowly chocolate Easter egg for all of those things. But, it plays a part. The egg, the natural egg, is healthy for you. The chocolate egg, the processed egg, is not healthy for you. So if we know that, then the next step is finding out how we can convince our mind so that when we are at the grocery store, we reach for the healthy egg and not the unhealthy one. And then when we are at a friend's house for a meal and there are chocolate eggs abound, we use moderation or control because we care about our bodies. And then when we decide what to give our kids pretty Easter baskets filled with goodies, we use moderation and control and focus on the reason for the holiday, or the reason for showing our love to them.

Love does not equal a chocolate egg
Love does not equal a chocolate bunny

Still with me? I know this is hard. I know I am attacking something that is very near and dear to people's hearts - chocolate goodies. It takes time to overcome a habit and eating chocolate eggs is and has become a habit for many people. It's just something we do every Easter. And then beat ourselves up because it makes us feel awful. There is an easier way. There is a way to overcome our chocolate obstacles and it start with the inside. What are our emotional ties to chocolate? What are our emotional habits? Why are we afraid of being good and sticking to what we know we should eat?

There is no real definite answer to these questions. All you can do is start today. Start doing what you know you should be doing. Start making healthier choices for your body, your health, your life. And no sales and marketing company is going to do that for you, you have to. So my question to you is, will you? 

Gwinnett's Losing It! Videos

Here are the links to the two videos that were shown on the Finale...

Yes, it's the "Rocky" theme, you know I was going to put that in it! The participants talking about what they want to accomplish and why during the 12-week contest. Honest talk from honest people. Can you relate to any of them?

Another theme song, this time from "The Biggest Loser". This time after 12 weeks. Do they look different to you? The 14th participant is "Miss Kit", my black and white kitty who is a prima donna and who wanted desperately to show off for the camera. Notice what the last participant Vicki says at the end of the video, "I AM GOING to be..." Wow.

Celebrating Success - Part Two

An update for Gwinnett's Losing It! continues...

Gwinnett's Losing It! is not just about losing weight. It's about changing your body and improving your health. The participants in this program were judged on four criteria:

• Weight, starting and ending
• Photos, starting and ending
• Essays, including goals and 3 other essays every 4 weeks in the competition
• Progress Reports taken every 4 weeks, including measurements, clothing size and bodyfat percentage

This is important to remember because losing pounds alone does not make you a healthy person. Our society places too much emphasis on weight alone, when we should really be looking at the whole health of the person as well, which is what this contest was striving to do. So, while the person who lost the most amount of weight did not win 1st place, he certainly made a lot of other changes as well.

January 2011

After 12 weeks

Winning 3rd place is Mickey Hamilton. Mickey is married and has 3 daughters and 2 grandchildren. As the only man in the competition, he has enjoyed it immensely. His goal was to live longer and be here for his family and friends and to start walking 3 miles a day with the family and liking it. His obstacle was travel and eating in restaurants. His biggest accomplishment for this competition was conquering the nutrition challenge. Mickey has lost 52 lbs., 12% bodyfat and untold amount of inches in this 12-week competition. While the weight loss is impressive, even more impressive is the fact that Mickey has drastically reduced his diabetes medication, he has made remarkable progress in that when he started he could not walk for short distances and recently, he just completed his first two 5K's. He is amazing! He has truly changed his life and I look forward to working with him even more as he continues his weight loss/health journey! These photos are of his legs when we started and after 12 weeks.

Winning 2nd place is Velma Busby. Velma has been married for 30 years. She has 2 sons and 3 grandchildren. Her goal was to lose weight and get healthy and make this a permanent loss and lifestyle change. Her obstacle was to not give in and eat the way she used to. Her biggest accomplishment for this competition was learning how to eat clean and put workouts in her everyday life and enjoying it. Velma has lost 24 lbs, 10% bodyfat and 8 inches. Velma is a hot grandma! When Velma started with me, she was discouraged about her body and her energy level. She is not now! Velma has stuck like glue to her workouts and nutrition changes and has really changed her life. She no longer has to take medication for diabetes, high blood pressure, and has truly made the changes to better her body and her health.

Winning 1st place is Vicki Rice. Vicki is a widow and has 2 sons and 3 grandsons. Her goal was to be able to do the exercise program and reach set goals. Her obstacle was food and eating out at restaurants. Her biggest accomplishment in this competition was running a 5K and reaching her weight goals. Vicki has lost 26 lbs, 8% bodyfat and 16 inches. Vicki is a powerhouse. 6 years ago, Vicki's husband died unexpectedly. She took it hard and was not good to her body. This contest changed the way she looked at her body. She overcame bad habits and learned new ways to deal with the hurt in her life. She, like all of the 13 contestants, learned to share with our group in a private, safe setting, the hurt that has held her back for so long. She let it go. And in doing so, she flourished in this contest. My nickname for Vicki is "Ms. Consistent" because she is. She is consistent in her workouts. She is consistent in her nutrition. She is consistent in setting and meeting her goals. Week after week, she continued to make progress and set the standard high for herself and those around her. I am so unbelievably proud of Vicki and her accomplishments. And she was on the front page of the Gwinnett Daily Post, which I absolutely loved!

There is so much to tell you about this contest that I think I will have to do a "Part Three" to truly show you what we accomplished as a team. So I will do that. But in closing, I want to point out that these three individuals have many things in common:

• They are all grandparents [can you believe that? Do you understand why I always say that AGE is just a number!]
• They all had obstacles and they overcame them. 
• They all had goals and they met them. 
• They all had to deal with special situations-traveling, stress in the job, eating out at restaurants, time constraints, life. And they did it anyway. 
• They are all winners - they have their bodies and their lives back. 

I hope when you read their profiles, you see something that strikes you - either for you or for someone you know - that gives you a glimmer of hope. Hope that you too - or that someone you know - can finally overcome the obstacles of losing weight. Hope that you too can set and make weight loss goals with success. Hope that you too can change your body and life. So, now will you?

Our next Gwinnett's Losing It! will be August 15, 2011 through November 4, 2011. See my website for more details. Part three to come...