Front #1 – Scale

Front #2 – Career

Both faced separately difficult, but together daunting…

SCALE -

I am now the heaviest I have been in 8 + years and this was planned. PLANNED? Yes I planned to eat anything I wanted for a three week period after the Ironman. Thinking back, except for some vacations I have been very careful on what I eat for 2+ years training for these Ironman competitions. Now if you know me you might be questioning the word careful in that past sentence, because I talk about yummy foods like ice cream, doughnuts and hamburgers quite often. Gladly it is more talk than action. That doesn’t mean I don’t think about those foods often but once again it more thought than action.

I noticed three weeks after the Ironman was Thanksgiving weekend and I made a deal with myself; Eat everything and anything you want leading up to Thanksgiving, but on Black Friday you are done.

I am by no means unfit, overweight, not healthy but pigging out for three weeks I did notice my clothes were tighter and the body actually felt more miserable than me coming off a 140.6 mile race.

On Black Friday I stepped on the scale and the number 196.4 came up on the digital scale. Just to make sure I stepped on it two more times and it was the same result each time. 196.4 is the heaviest I had been for 8+ years.

So the game was on… I have a number of 185 or a bit lower as my goal. To hold myself accountable I also made it a goal to Facebook my weight every morning for the world to see. The plan is easy, eat smarter and exercise!

EATING SMARTER -

1. Stop the late night munching
2. Focus on portion sizes
3. To avoid eating out as much as possible, but when eating out happens portion sizes, portion sizes, portion sizes.

I have to say since Black Friday I have been a pretty good boy covering these three. Late night munching has disappeared, good! Portion sizes still needs some work and eating out has been cut in half, but when I do eat out I get the 6″ sub versus the foot long, pretty good.

November 25, 2011 – 196.4

December 3, 2011 – 192.00

I have misplaced 4.4 pounds and I am not really looking for them. Only 9 days in this places me ahead of schedule. Will this last? The goal is a pound a week, check in once in awhile to see…

CAREER -

Thinking back 8+ years ago I never would have guessed anything close to The Fitness Buddy. First let me say The Fitness Buddy is not going anywhere. The issue is I have taken it as far as I can financially, right now. It is time to put on the big boy pants and hit the career trail once more. I go into this career search more prepared than I could have ever imagined.

So here we go… Bring it…

I stare at this goal and it seems so much bigger than anything I have ever taken on in my life. Yes bigger than the Ironman, in fact it might make the Ironman seem like a weekend spa vacation. I am not trying to come off all negative, but look what is staring me down. We are sitting in the worst recession since the 1920-30’s, high unemployment and basically companies afraid to hire. All I can say is oh boy!

As I see it there is basically two ways this is going to work.

1. Go to companies websites, look for open positions, send in resume, and wait and pray.
2. Make a big bold move, network and keep the pressure on.

Both are going to be hard. Choice #1 might work, but all I can see between point A and B is a lot of frustration. Choice #2 I believe is the better of the two choices, still going to be frustrating but a much better choice. I have so many connections that I am just starting to use, Facebook, Linked In, former co-workers, former-clients and so on. So if you see me a bit down you now know why.

I mentioned bold moves, #1 is coming. I will be traveling down to Austin, TX next weekend to attend a trade show that holds 150 potential employers in an industry I have a passion for, fitness. The trade show is called The Running Event. Now I am sure talking to potential new employees is far down on the list of all these companies, but it is worth a shot. The goal is to walk away with a handful of contacts that I can build a network with. The companies will be all different sizes to huge companies like Nike to the smallest of the small companies. What I am look for is that next upcoming company. Not the smallest of the small that might not be around next year, but I really don’t want to look for a company that treats me like a number either.

So for those who read this, I need you just like I need you for the Ironman. Help me be strong! I will get knocked down often, please be there to help pick myself up. Just like you are in my thoughts during the whole Ironman experience, all of you will be there as I look for the next new career for the Fitness Buddy.

The Fitness Buddy is not going away, I have grown accustom to blogging and handing out advice. So keep checking back!

Until next time… Your Fitness Buddy.

I am at my highest (non vacation) weight in 8 years, 196.4 pounds!

OK it actually was planned, but still I look in the mirror and three weeks ago I saw an Ironman, not the skinniest Ironman around but still fit, healthy and ready to take on the world. Here was the planned part, I took three weeks off just to eat everything and anything I wanted to, because I simply had to watch everything I ate for 2+ years. My eating needed a vacation! Now there have been some breaks from time to time as mentioned vacations, but the difference this time is this: Coming off those vacations I knew I had some long distance race to train for and there in turn slowly that vacation weight would come off. WELL NOT THIS TIME! It has been eight years since I faced this weight issue, knowing it is just me against me.

I can take some comfort that -

1. I have been there before, remember way back when I was 250 lbs.

2. I know what to do.

Still I have a weight in mind of 180-185 being a healthy number to be when I am not racing. Ask anyone losing 11.4 to 16.4 pounds is not easy.

I also know what the problem is and it is not my workouts. I am already building back to 2 hour + workouts that encompass many different things. THE PROBLEM IS FOOD!

So I am going to use this blog similar to my journey through the Ironman. I am going to talk about it a lot. I will be sending updates for all to see, but mostly using this blog tool and a reminder of where I started and allowing me to look back when things get tough for support. For those who choose to, please join me and set your own goal. Having others around me can only help and I too will provide my support back to you.

My goal isn’t any ending number. I proven this in the past this is not the best way to look at weight loss. The bigger the number the more daunting the goal. Simple I am going to focus on a pound a week. Keep in mind this pound may not happen in some weeks, but there will be other weeks where it will be larger than a pound.

New journey, a new chapter…

Until next time… Your Fitness Buddy

Black Friday the day were people show there best behavior by getting to a retailer at stupid hours in the morning, rush through the doors, giving elbows, throwing punches all in the hopes to get some ridiculous price on an item they wouldn’t buy for themselves but deem it worthy to give to a loved one…

Don’t you just love the holidays?

Not the way I generally start my Fitness Buddy posts. I generally try to be uplifting, inspirational and hopefully thought provoking. I like a deal as much as the next person but I see this in a different light…

Being in the fitness industry for a little while it never ceases to amaze me where people place their priorities. Is a 42″ TV for $199 really more important than putting the $199 to something more important, say your health? I am amazed when people say they just don’t have the money to pay for a personal trainer, yet when it comes to a $199 TV surprise the money appears.

I know I am barking up the wrong tree and I know getting a 42″ TV is a great deal (PS if you love me enough to get a $199 42″ TV don’t… I rather get a $199 gift card to spend it on something that I feel I need. Now if it was a $1,199 42″ TV that is another story…). Why don’t people spend their hard earned money on something that can’t replace in a couple of years? You only get one life, one body, ONE CHANCE!!!!!

OK I am off my high horse, but I just had to get that off my chest…

What does Black Friday mean to me, this year?

It is actually different this year. I don’t have a scheduled long endurance race to train for!!!??? In the past I have used this time of the year to start training for the next Ironman, or perhaps a marathon or even a 5k. This year nothing (as of yet). So what am I going to do?

I recently finished Ironman Florida and I took the entire first week off, the second week I started to get back into the workout scene (I find those 45 minute to 60 minute workouts so cute), but as Black Friday approaches it is time to rev up the motor once more. Plus the 8 pounds I gained since the Ironman was a nice wake up call.

It is amazing how hard it is to get to the fitness level you need to complete an endurance event and how quickly the human body loses it once you take your eye off the goal.

Goal????

So I need a new goal, since I am not training for an endurance event…

Let’s see…

OK my new challenge is this. Lose 10 pounds. Whether you think this is a hard goal or not, this goal for me is as hard as training for an Ironman. Now, I am not by any means overweight, but I am 15 pounds heavier than I was at my true Fitness Buddy level. Now I did say lose 10 and not 15. I have to admit when I was 15 pounds lighter that made me look to skinny. 10 is a safer number especially for the off season.

I did mention losing 10 pounds is harder for me than training for an Ironman and I mean that it really is! The one bad habit that comes to me while training for such event is poor eating habits. I am not one of these athletes that follows a strict diet/eating program unless you think if you see food it must be eaten is a diet/eating plan. I have made it no secret that food will always be my downfall. I know what to do, I don’t need anyone to tell me what to do, now it is just a matter of doing it. I have been there before by losing 70 lbs. without any help, I can do this again!

This time I think the 10 lbs. might actually be a tougher battle than the 70. Only time will tell.

So as the Road to the Ironman posts go away for awhile I think it would best help me if I update my progress in getting this food issue under control. At the very least it will be out there that here sits a 2x Ironman, who is good shape struggles everyday with food. Hopefully it prove to all of you struggling with the same issue you are not alone.

A new journey…

A new chapter…

Until next time… Your Fitness Buddy

Each of the following entries weighs approximately 125 pounds—except for one. Can you pick out the imposter?

A. The most beautiful woman in the world
B. The world’s largest cabbage
C. A six-foot long shark
D. The amount of sugar you’ll eat this year

You probably guessed “D,” and you’re right. Jennifer Lopez, a massive green cabbage from Wasilla, Alaska, and Scooter the Shark—who lives at the Newport Aquarium in Cincinnati—all weigh about 125 pounds. But you couldn’t possibly eat that much sugar in a year, right? Think again: The average American chokes down more than 130 pounds of the stuff every 365 days.

A recent University of Minnesota study found that women consumed about 13 percent of their daily calories from added sugars, and for men that number was closer to 15 percent—a 38 percent jump since 1982. Not surprisingly, the researchers also found that increased sugar consumption mirrored the rise in the participants’ BMI, an indicator of obesity.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Great, now I have to cut sugar from my diet.” Not so fast. The American Heart Association says that women can safely consume up to 100 calories (about 25 grams) of sugar per day, and men can consume up to 150 (37.5 grams). The secret is finding sweet foods that quell your sweet tooth without blowing out your sugar quota—and that’s exactly what I’ve done here. Below you’ll find the results of our latest report on eight sinfully delicious treats that silence sugar cravings without adding inches to your waistline. Focus on these, and you’ll look more like Jennifer Lopez—and less like the world’s largest cabbage.

130 pounds! REALLY! What makes this more interesting we don’t do this pound by pound, but by gram by gram! Before I come off all high and mighty PLEASE! I am just as guilty as the next person. Ice Cream, Doughnuts, Cookies, Chocolate and so on… Good God I can’t imagine what I would look like if I didn’t do these little things called IRONMAN.

OK so what can you do if your sweet tooth is begging PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!

Here are some solutions to cutting back on that sugar.

DOUGHNUTS – Now if you are a donut connoisseur like me, these lovely yummy little bites of pure joy this can be a BIG problem. Should you cut these totally from your diet, YES, but that is not going to happen so the goal is to look for a better alternative and KEEP THEM AT A MODERATION (or for vacations like I do.)

The next time you find the urge for these little bites of joy stop and think. There is choice #1 and choice #2.

#1 – Entenmann’s Frosted Devil’s Food Doughnuts

#2 – Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnut

Well if you chose #2 that would be the smarter choice. 120 less calories, 7 grams less fat, 13 grams less sugar. Now I am not saying the #2 choice is a healthy choice, but if you are going down that road you might as well try to make it as less painful as possible. If you are familiar with the Krispy Creme versions that come directly from there store and how warm and fresh they are, the grocery store version simply doesn’t cut it. Pop a doughnut in the microwave for a few seconds and press toe! Remember there is nothing nutritionally redeeming about a doughnut. Those who know me, know this these are in my top five when it comes to food weaknesses. It is best just to say no!

COOKIES – Yep these babies are right up there for me, but unless my wife makes her Chocolate Chip cookies I can stay away from them, but you might not be AS STRONG AS I (forgot everything you just read about me and doughnuts.)

Choice #1 Kashi TLC Oatmeal Chocolate Cookie

Choice #2 Chips Ahoy! Big and Soft Oatmeal Chunk Cookie

Since both have healthy oatmeal in them it is a tie! WRONG! Remember a typical American (not you of course) is eating 130LBS of sugar of year! So the smarter choice is #1, saving you 50 calories, 3  grams of fat and 5 grams of sugar.  The Kashi also packs in 4 grams of fiber which is more than an orange. Keep in mind a serving size is ONE COOKIE, not TWO, THREE OR THE WHOLE BAG.

CANDY – Man it is like these guys are reading my mind! How did they know I have a weakness for candy? Here are your choices.

#1 Skittles Original Fruit

#2 Werther’s Original

One says fruit and the other tastes like butterscotch. Be careful, here is a hint. Hard candies last longer so they tend to satisfy better. So it choice #2. Let’s talk serving size. The Skittles you find in the candy holders as you check out your groceries is considered a serving size, not the size found at the gas station or movie theater. The serving size for Werther’s is 3 pieces. Here is the difference you save 180 calories, 10 grams of fat and 37 GRAMS OF SUGAR, and that is with the grocery store size. SIDE NOTE: Interested in save a few bucks? Slip a few Werther’s into a pocket when you are going to a movie, instead of paying the $3+ dollars for the Skittles at the theater.

CANDY BARS – I mean really are these guys following me?If it has the word Snickers, Milky Way, Crunch, Chocolate and so on these are just as bad as doughnuts for me! But when all is said and done THEY ARE JUST EMPTY CALORIES, that range from 200 to 400 calories. On a treadmill it will take me 25 minutes at a pretty good pace to burn off 400 calories. So if I eat one of these, my workout really begins at the 25 minute mark, not at the 0 minute mark. Ouch! Double ouch! Is it worth it? Sometimes but most of the time NO! Here are the two choices to see if you can make a smart decision if you need to have a candy bar.

#1 Hershey’s (yes I said Hershey’s) Take 5 Bar

#2 Nestle’ (yes I said Nestle’) Butter Finger

So the idea is to cut back on sugars, correct and if we save some calories and saturated fat along the way even better. The correct choice is #1. When waiting to check out at the grocery store the first choice IS NOT TO GRAB A CANDY BAR! What to do then? I don’t know read the interesting topics in all those wonderful magazines, I mean it is important that we know that Linsey Lohan is Charlie’s Sheen’s alien step child, right? If you have too make a choice the Take 5 bar saves you 70 calories, same amount of fat, but saves you 11 grams of sugar.

PUDDING – They did it again! Now if I could have pudding on top of a doughnut with a candy bar stick (hey now that is a good idea, oh wait I am The Fitness Buddy, sorry).

#1 Snack Pack Chocolate

#2 JELL-O Sugar Free Double Chocolate

Hint, this article is about cutting back on sugar. YES the sugar free JELL-O pudding wins! A plus to this I actually eat these and they are yummy, but the serving size is just 1! On a serious note of making smart decisions, most snack size puddings have the same amount of sugar, fat and calories of a candy bar. I know that is sad… SIDE NOTE: Two words ICE CREAM… wait… pause… wait… If you find yourself eating ice cream as you normal dessert after dinner, lunch or breakfast (Hey don’t judge me!) here is a tip. Save a bunch of calories, fat and SUGAR and sweeten your sweet tooth by eating ONE of the JELLO-O Puddings. PS, I am saving the ice cream topic for last.

FROZEN TREAT – Dove Bars, Haagen-Dazs, Eskimo Pies, Klondike Bars, I can keep going if you like… one more Bon Bon’s. Basically anything ice cream usually on a stick covered in a chocolate shell of goodness, right? Here are the choices and this one should be pretty easy to pick out.

#1 Fudgsicle NO SUGAR ADDED Fudge Bar

#2 Haagen-Dazs Vanilla and Mile Chocolate

I hope you picked #1!? Right!? For an example you could eat 7 Fudgsicles to every one Haagen-Dazs Bar. YOU SHOULDN’T but you could. By eating one Fudgsicle you will be saving 250 calories, 20 grams of fat, 19 grams of sugar. I know, it is sad, I am sad too but face the facts! Make smart choices! PS there is protein and fiber (I am not talking about the stick) in the Fudgsicle’s. If you don’t like chocolate there are plenty of fruit choices that make a good substitute.

LASTLY…

ICE CREAM – For me, the frozen treats, pudding, candy bars, candy, cookies and even doughnuts are just the warm-ups to ice cream. My ultimate weakness is ice cream! In fact I think I was separated from birth from my brothers Ben and Jerry. Up to the age of 30 I could all the ice cream my heart desired. I hate getting old!

#1 Ben and Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup 1/2 cup

#2 Edy’s Slow Churned Chocolate Fudge 1/2 cup

If you chose #1 and I told you you were right, would you believe me? Sorry it is #2, I know I am sad too! But let’s look at this logically. The Edy’s does have Chocolate, it does have Fudge and it is slow churned, so how bad can it be? I mean it is still ice cream! The numbers, Edy’s saves you 240 calories, 21 grams of fat (11 grams of saturated fat) and 11 grams of sugar. Edy’s also carries the name Dryer’s in some parts of the country, also Breyers makes a slow churned ice cream. All in all the topic is making smarter choices and I have to say sorry Ben and sorry Jerry!

OK that is the list. Remember the typical American is eating 130 pounds of sugar a year, gram by gram.

1 pound is 453.5924 grams

130 pounds is 58,967.012 grams

NOW THAT IS SCARY!

Until next time… Your Fitness Buddy

WHY?

Well there could be a lot of reasons, but I find the more truthful you are to yourself the better the chances are the weight will come off.

Truthful to yourself, not to me, not to your spouse, not to anyone but yourself. Look into the mirror, deep into your eyes and really ask yourself… “Are you really doing everything you can?”

If your like me this is always a battle. I find no matter how good I think I am doing there is always something I can do, if I am really honest with myself. Lately for me it is late night snacking. Why am I doing it? I am not really hungry but night after night I find myself looking through the fridge or maybe hunting through the pantry. No matter what you think about my frequent doughnut or ice cream references 9 out of 10 times it is just talk. I could only imagine if I ate as many doughnuts or ice cream I say I do. YIKES!

So as I write this article for you, I too am as guilty as most of you.

To lose 1 pound of fat equals roughly 3,500 calories. That means you have to subtract 3,500 calories from your diet or burn an additional 3,500 calories or some combination of both to lose that 1 pound.

One idea is to exercise an extra 3,500 calories a week but this is a lot of effort.

My example, on a good day I will burn 750 calories on an hour run, so lets do the math. 750 goes into 3,500 equals 4.67 more hours of running. Simply that means instead of 5 one hour runs for the week those runs now become two hour runs. If I run 7 miles per hour run that equals 35 miles a week. Doable for me, but if I have to turn that into 2 hour runs now we are talking 70 miles a week. Ah I am not an elite runner so that would be rather difficult.

So the better idea is to look at what one eats.

Rule 1 – Write it down – I know what a pain in the butt. Don’t change your eating habits for one week. Be totally honest! Write down everything that enters that pie hole is written down on a piece a paper. Now just don’t write down Mountain Dew. Write the time, amount, size and if available the calories (make sure you look for the serving size), the more information the better. After the week is done look back at the week. Are there any patterns? Is there anything that stands out? Remember this is done to help, BE TOTALLY HONEST WITH YOURSELF!

Summary:

1. Be honest with yourself.
2. One week write everything down and WE MEAN EVERYTHING.
3. Look for patterns.

Rule 2 – Size does matter – Time to pull out your money and buy your new friends, measuring cups and spoons. Here is a test. Take out your favorite cereal and pour into a bowl what has been your normal serving size. Now look at the serving size usually found on the box. It probably states something like 3/4 of a cup. Now pour that bowl into the 3/4 cup and see how much over flow you have, so your “150 calorie” cereal was probably 400 to 500 calories. Now before you say, “3/4 of a cup is not going to fill me up”, you are probably right. My answer you just saved 250 to 350 calories of processed food (most cereal is processed too some extent) use those calories up with a piece of fruit or a yogurt. Now it becomes more of a meal.

If you measure with your eyes there is a good chance every single time you eat you are over and probably way over the serving size. Another helpful tip about size, is use smaller plates and/or bowls. You fill the plate with spaghetti there is a good chance you will do what your mom taught you. You will eat everything on your plate. A smaller plate, simply means less calories.

Summary:

1. Purchase measuring cups and spoons. USE THEM!
2. Smaller plates and/or bowls.
3. Replace emptier calories (have no or very little nutritional value) with healthier options.

Rule 3 – Protein is your friend – Find out how much protein you need for a day, roughly a 150 pound person needs about 75 grams of protein. Why protein? Protein helps build muscle and more muscle the more calories a body burns. Now this doesn’t mean everyone needs to be the next Arnold, but the more lean muscle you have versus fat the more calories you burn. Protein takes longer to digest, you feel fuller longer, keeps the blood sugar levels steady so you don’t feel like you are starving and overeat. Does this mean everyone should be downing a protein shake right after a workout? Probably no, unless you just came off a 1 1/2 to 2 hour hard workout. One thing that protein shake may have that it doesn’t tell you is the amount of sugar in these drinks plus you should try NOT to drink your calories. Another reason there maybe more protein in that shake than you need. More protein for the sake of having more protein is not a good thing. The body takes what it needs and stores the rest as FAT.

So what are you suppose to do? Here I tell you need protein but now it sounds like I don’t recommend protein shakes. Well it goes back to a Fitness Buddy saying, if it comes the ground or comes from an animal eat it. If humans touch it between the plant or animal to your mouth try your best to avoid it. It is a short drive home a whip up something healthy from the fridge and pantry. There is a bonus, it probably will save you a few dollars each time you do this.

Summary:

1. Protein good.
2. Beware of Protein shakes, better fix something at home.

Rule 4 – Colors – Generally the more colors in your food the less calories you are eating. This does not mean eat more mint chip ice cream or put pretty sparkles on your chicken. Fruits and Vegetables! Hmm… that’s right fruits and vegetables do come from the ground, imagine that. Along with the lower calories, we are talking you will consume more vitamins and minerals you need to function. Plus they are rich in fiber so you feel fuller longer. I am just thinking what could you eat that has a lot of colors? How about a salad? Chop up some chicken breast (protein) and add it to the salad. Add a few nuts or flax/sunflower seeds and now we are talking about a meal. JUST DON’T DESTROY IT BY PICKING A BAD SALAD DRESSING!

Summary:

1. The more colors in your meal the better.

Rule 5 – Foraging or grazing, STOP! I have changed my mind on this a bit. I use to be on the side you should be eating 5 or 6 meals a day. Smaller meals, because if you do this, this means you won’t get hungry throughout the day. To certain extent there still is a part of me that believes this, but the more I think about it to say eat five or six meals a day maybe goes a bit far. If you are not hungry DON’T EAT! You are just putting extra calories into that body that at that moment you might not need. My only warning is do not go the other way. There are to many of you out there eating only once or twice in a day. That is just as bad, because you simply slow down the metabolism. Yes this is a fine balance and everyone s going to be different. Also those who graze or forage may think a smaller meal might be a bunch of crackers or cookies and those are just empty calories.

Summary:

1. Five or six meals a day may not be the right strategy for you.
2. Eat when you are hungry, not starving.
3. If you are eating five or six small meals a day make them count. Don’t eat empty calories.

Rule 6 – Plan the week. Do not go to the grocery store without a list. If you have a list stick to the list. Kim, my wife is great on this rule. She always plans two or three meals for the week that will carry us through the week, plus she makes one big pot of soup. She will also cook up a bunch of chicken breasts or turkey burgers so there is always something good and healthy to eat at our household. Like I said she is great. This does take half of a day, but before you say you don’t have half a day again be honest with yourself. How much TV are you watching? Healthy meals or worrying about who will be the next American Idol, which is really more important? How about have the family help, get the spouse and kids together. A family that cooks together, generally is happier and healthier.

The other benefit of having a plan, this means trips to the fast food joint are cut way back, there is always food for a brown bag lunch and there are plenty of choices of fruit and veggies in the home.

Summary:

1. Living fitter and healthier takes a plan.
2. Be honest with yourself, instead of saying I don’t have time to shop and cook you give up American Idol.

Rule 7 – You shouldn’t be a speed eater. Do you have a watch? Here is a test. Next time you sit down for lunch time yourself and see how long does it take you to eat what is in front of you. 5 minutes? 10? Simple rule the longer the better. It takes time for your brain to register that you are getting full. In fact it may take 15 to 20 minutes before the body says enough is enough. So if you are pigging out and that pig out lasts 15 to 20 minutes just think how much extra food is going in that pie hole.

1. Slow down. Don’t stand at the counter. Reintroduce yourself to an item of furniture called the dining table.
2. Avoid putting all the food on the table. AKA think Turkey day. If it is in front of you the chance you will eat more. Keep the food on the stove or on the counter.
3. Don’t eat alone. If you are talking the longer it will take to eat.
4. TV eating? Do not bring the bag to the couch! Measure the serving size, then bring it to the couch and eat.
5. Eat like eating at a sit down restaurant. Serve yourself a salad, eat it at the table. Then go back for the main course, eat it at the table. This takes longer!
6. Hungry? Don’t drive. Think about the amount of empty calories you eat in your car per week. This includes what you drink (except water). Try going a week without eating in the car. I bet this will be hard. THIS MEANS NO STARBUCKS! I know ouch.

Rule 8 – Weight loss takes time. When I mention the TV show The Biggest Loser, what comes to mind? For me it is how fast these people lose weight. There are some week’s where contestants lose 10, 15, 20, 25 or even 30+ pounds. FOLKS! You do know this is not real life, right? It would be great in real life this would be happen, but simply it doesn’t. Most of us do not have 2 personal trainers, 6 to 8 hours a day to workout, have our diets planned and generally have the food prepared for us. Right? We live in the real world. I love the show, especially if it finally gets a person to wake up, but it also leads to high expectations that just don’t happen in real life.

In fact, if I could I would take the pound number and throw it out the window. I hate asking that question. When you look at the overall picture this journey is about living fitter and healthier. How many times have I said that. It is about finding yourself, getting your head on straight and living life, instead watching it go by. The pounds will come off if you really are true to yourself. Look at these hints, WE ALL FAIL AT THESE! What matters is picking ourselves up, really look at our behaviors and then change for the better.

This is not suppose to be torture. Think how long did it take you to get in the spot you find yourself? I bet if you say 5 years, it really is more like 10 or 20 or a lifetime. So making the changes to make the arrow point in the other direction will take time and this will be with you for the rest of your life.

OK off my soapbox and back to the subject, it takes time. It will take at least 3 months to reprogram yourself out of these bad habits. It takes time to make good behaviors. After that time it will take another 3 months at least to practice these new behaviors. Quick-fix or fad diets do more harm than good. They reinforce bad habits without you even knowing it. Don’t believe me, does the Grapefruit diet really sound like a good thing? It doesn’t teach you a thing, you will sour (yes the pun was intentional) on the diet, give up. Gain the pounds you may have lost and gain back more.

In order for this to work you need a few things

1. Your food choices have to taste good. Try new things, introduce new textures, spices and flavors. An open mind will go along way in being successful!
2. Fine tune, fine tune and when your done fine tune. Guess what the fine tuning never ends. This goes for exercise and diet.
3. Don’t give up. You will fall off the wagon, IT WILL HAPPEN! You will have to learn that this will happen and you will have to learn CUT YOURSELF SOME SLACK! Stop beating yourself up, learn from it and move on. This also will happen in exercise. If you burn yourself out with a certain exercise, try something new. AN OPEN MIND HELPS IN THIS JOURNEY!

It is not easy, if it was everyone would be doing it. But if you are truly honest with yourself, honest with your diet, honest with your exercise changes will happen! It takes time and the journey will never end.

Until next time Your Fitness Buddy…

It is such a simple word, but a word that completly encircles my entire life.

Journey

Those who know me are probably familiar with and maybe even tired of me using this word.

Journey

Well, tomorrow is another giant step in that journey.

The Fitness Buddy is opening for business. Up to this point The Fitness Buddy was a little book that I wrote and put together. Up to this point The Fitness Buddy was a website that was designed to help motivate others to start on their journey. Up to this point The Fitness Buddy was a blog site that allowed me to babble, to ask interesting questions, and to follow my journey through fitness and health. Up to this point The Fitness Buddy was ALL ABOUT THE IRONMAN.

Well, tomorrow that is changing.

The first Fitness Buddy Studio is open. I will be taking on my first clients, four to be exact. I am honored that these people believe enough in me to allow me to help start their new journey’s. Some just want to become fitter and healthier and hopefully lose a few pounds along the way, others actually want to become runners, triathletes and maybe down the road enjoy becoming an Ironman.

The Fitness Buddy is going to be different. I understand that word ”different” is used a lot by many and usually means nothing. But those who know me and have experienced some of my ways already understand.

This means working around my day job, because they pay the bills. I am OK with that. Where will this lead? That chapter my friends is just about ready to be written.

So if you or maybe you know someone, looking to get their health and fitness back The Fitness Buddy is now open.

For those looking for some structure in their workouts The Fitness Buddy is now open.

For those wondering why they can lose the weight The Fitness Buddy is now open.

For those who simply have had enough and want their life back The Fitness Buddy is now open!

Until next time… your Fitness Buddy.

So on to the article and when I add something to the article I will make sure I note it.

Enjoy or be afraid…

Two out of three people in America today are either overweight or obese. That means every time you sit down in an airplane or a packed movie theater, more likely than not you’re going to wind up as the lean center of a fat sandwich. But as you look right and left and see nothing but heft, you can’t help but think, What happened?

How did we all get so darn fat?

Well, the simple answer is that we eat more calories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that American men eat 7 percent more calories than they did in 1971; American women eat a whopping 18 percent more—an additional 335 calories a day! But the harder question is this: Why do we eat so many more calories? Are we suddenly more gluttonous? Do we have some kind of collective death wish? Is the entire country hellbent on qualifying for the next season of Biggest Loser?

No. There’s an even crazier reason: It’s the food!

We’ve added extra calories to traditional foods, often in cheap, mass-produced vehicles like high fructose corn syrup. These new freak foods are designed not by chefs, but by lab technicians packing every morsel with maximum calories at minimum cost—with little or no regard to dietary impact. Indeed, Eat This, Not That! 2011 has uncovered the truth about some of your favorite fast food and grocery store items and how they’re causing you to pack on unnecessary pounds. It’s enough to kill your appetite, which—in these cases, anyway—would be a good thing.

Hello it is me again The Fitness Buddy, I like to add something here. Reread that last paragraph! This goes with one of my sayings, “If it grows out of the ground, comes from an animal, EAT IT! If a human touches it, BEWARE! If many humans touch it, DON’T EAT IT!” The less involvement our food has with human beings the better. Is it possible? Yes, but it is difficult but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put some effort into it.

OK back to the article…

THE FAST-FOOD HAMBURGER
The great American staple. Don’t worry, burgers really do come from cows—but have you ever wondered how those giant chains process and distribute so much meat so cheaply? And . . . are you sure you want to know?

The Truth: Most fast-food hamburger patties begin their voyage to your buns in the hands of a company called Beef Products. The company specializes in taking slaughterhouse trimmings—heads and hooves and the like—that are traditionally used only in pet food and cooking oil, and turning them into patties. The challenge is getting this byproduct meat clean enough for human consumption, as both E. coli and salmonella like to concentrate themselves in the fatty deposits.

The Fitness Buddy here again… Did you read what I just read? Heads, Hooves, meant for pet food and cooking oil, turns them into patties? Yikes… That is something I did not know… Double Yikes… Suddenly I will have to rethink my purchase the next time I go through a drive thru…

The company has developed a process for killing beef-based pathogens by forcing the ground meat through pipes and exposing it to ammonia gas—the same chemical you might use to clean your bathroom. Not only has the USDA approved the process, but it’s also allowed those who sell the beef to keep it hidden from their customers. At Beef Products’ behest, ammonia gas has been deemed a “processing agent” that need not be identified on nutrition labels. Never mind that if ammonia gets on your skin, it can cause severe burning, and if it gets in your eyes, it can blind you. Add to the gross-out factor the fact that after moving through this lengthy industrial process, a single beef patty can consist of cobbled-together pieces from different cows from all over the world—a practice that only increases the odds of contamination.

Ah… Oh that is nice…

Eat This Instead: Losing weight starts in your own kitchen, by using the same ingredients real chefs have relied on since the dawn of the spatula. If you’re set on the challenge of eating fresh, single-source hamburger, pick out a nice hunk of sirloin from the meat case and have your butcher grind it up fresh. Hold the ammonia.

I wish they were kidding…

BETTY CROCKER’S BAC-O BITS
We’ve all been there before: A big bowl of lettuce or a steamy baked potato is set before us and the sudden desire for a bit of smoky, porky goodness pervades. We try to resist, but we grab for the bottle anyway: Mmmmm . . . bacon.

The Truth: Not quite. If it’s Bac-Os you grab for, just know that there’s not the slightest whiff of anything pork-like to be found in the bottle. So what are those little chips you’ve been shaking over your salads? Well, mostly soybeans. The bulk of each Bac-O is formed by tiny clumps of soy flour bound with trans-fatty, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and laced with artificial coloring, salt, and sugar. The result is a product that’s actually less healthy for your heart than the real thing!

I am glad to say this Fitness Buddy has never had a BAC-O-BITS. Don’t you just love that description – “tiny clumps of soy flour bound with trans-fatty, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and laced with artificial coloring, salt and sugar. YUMMY in your TUMMY! Seriously!

Eat This Instead: Hormel makes a product called Real Bacon Bits, and as the name implies, it’s made with real bacon. And gram-for-gram, the real bacon actually has fewer calories than Betty Crocker’s Bac-Os. If Hormel can make a nutritionally superior product using real bacon, then why would you ever choose the artificial one that’s loaded with partially hydrogenated soybean oil?

PREMADE GUACAMOLE
When you buy bean dip, you expect it to be made from beans. And when you buy guacamole, it seems reasonable to expect it to be made from avocados. But is it?

The Truth: Most guacamoles with the word “dip” attached to the label suffer from a lack of real avocado. Take Dean’s Guacamole, for example. This guacamole dip is composed of less than 2 percent avocado; the rest of the green goo is a cluster of fillers and chemicals, including modified food starch, soybean oils, locust bean gum, and food coloring. Dean’s is not alone in this offense. In fact, this avocado caper was brought to light when a California woman filed a lawsuit against Kraft after she noticed “it just didn’t taste avocadoey.”

Well the same cannot be said about guacamole for The Fitness Buddy. I can make an exception, I do not believe I have ever had guacamole from the grocery store. It has always been at a restaurant or made at home. Does that mean the restaurant made it fresh? That is a good question! Next time I will ask or better want proof. I mean who doesn’t like green goo with fillers and chemicals?

Eat This Instead: Avocados are loaded with fiber and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Trading the good stuff in for a bunch of fillers is cheating both your belly and your tastebuds. Either look for the real stuff (Wholly Guacamole makes a great guac), or mash up a bowl yourself. Scoop out the flesh of two avocados, combine with two cloves of minced garlic, a bit of minced onion, the juice of one lemon, chopped cilantro, one medium chopped tomato, and a pinch of salt.

FRUIT ON THE BOTTOM YOGURT
It seems like the ideal breakfast or snack for a man or woman on the go—a perfect combination of yogurt and antioxidant-packed fruits, pulled together in one convenient little cup. But are these low-calorie dairy aisle staples really so good for you?

The Truth: While the yogurt itself offers stomach-soothing live cultures and a decent serving of protein, the sugar content of these seemingly healthy products is sky-high. The fruit itself is swimming in thick syrup—so much of it, in fact, that high-fructose corn syrup (and other such sweeteners) often shows up on the ingredients list well before the fruit itself. And these low-quality refined carbohydrates are the last thing you want for breakfast—Australian researchers found that people whose diets were high in carbohydrates had lower metabolisms than those who ate proportionally more protein. Not to mention, spikes in your blood sugar can wreck your short-term memory, according to a study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Not what you need just before your urgent 9 a.m. meeting with the boss!

This one was a gimmie. I knew this was more marketing, than about nutrition. How about this add in your own fruit? Oops I think they cover that below.

Eat This Instead: Plain Greek-style yogurt, mixed with real blueberries. We like Oikos and Fage brands—they’re jacked with about 15 to 22 grams of belly-filling protein, so they’ll help you feel satisfied for longer. And blueberries are another great morning add—scientists in New Zealand found that when they fed blueberries to mice, the rodents ate 9 percent less at their next meal.

TURKEY BACON
Pork bacon’s got a bad rap for wreaking havoc on your cholesterol. But is turkey bacon really any better?

The Truth: Stick with the pig. As far as calories go, the difference between “healthy” turkey bacon and “fatty” pig is negligible—and depending on the slice, turkey might sometimes tip the scales a touch more. Additionally, while turkey is indeed a leaner meat, turkey bacon isn’t made from 100 percent bird: One look at the ingredients list will show a long line of suspicious additives and extras that can’t possibly add anything of nutritional value. And finally, the sodium content of the turkey bacon is actually higher than what you’ll find in the kind that oinks—so if you’re worried about your blood pressure, opting for the original version is usually the smarter move.

Really? Next time I am at the grocery store I will have to check this one out. Hmmmm….

Eat This Instead: Regular bacon. We like Hormel Black Label and Oscar Mayer Center Cut bacon for some low-cal, low-additive options.

REDUCED-FAT PEANUT BUTTER
Nothing makes a PB&J feel less indulgent like a scoop of low-fat Jif. It’s low fat, so it must be better for you . . . right?

The Truth: A tub of reduced-fat peanut butter indeed comes with a fraction less fat than the full-fat variety—they’re not lying about that. But what the food companies don’t tell you is that peanut oil—the fat in peanut butter—is a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat that can actually help fight weight gain, heart disease and diabetes! Instead, they’ve tried to cash in on the “low-fat” craze by replacing that healthy fat with maltodextrin, a carbohydrate used as a filler in many processed foods. This means you’re trading the healthy fat from peanuts for empty carbs, double the sugar, and a savings of a meager 10 calories.

Maltodextrin? What? That has the same amount of letters as Peanut Butter. Start to look at labels, folks. If you see words you cannot pronounce, spell or just never heard of look for a better option.

Eat This Instead: The real stuff: no oils, fillers, or added sugars. Just peanuts and salt. Smucker’s Natural fits the bill, as do many other peanut butters out there. We especially like Peanut Butter & Co. Original Smooth Operator and Original Crunch Time.

Bonus Tip: The average American drinks 450 calories a day—a quarter of the calories you’re supposed to consume during an entire day!

EAT RIGHT RULE: If your food can go bad, it’s good for you. If it can’t go bad, it’s bad for you.

In closing all is not lost. Part of the fitness and health journey I speak of is making smarter decisions. Going to resources to find factual information is something we all can do. It takes a little more effort but in the end we are talking about the most precious item we have, OUR HEALTH AND FITNESS! Breaking it down to the most basic, it is more important than your family, more important than your friends, more important than you job.

Don’t believe me? What good are those three things if you are DEAD? Sorry to be blunt, but as the article states 2/3 of the US population is overweight or obese. Everyone knows this shortens ones life.

Start to make smarter decisions… Until next time Your Fitness Buddy.

I wanted to write up a follow-up and something I am doing about this eating problem I am going through.

See at Christmas my Mother-in-Law buys these boxes of these wonderful chocolate wonders and gives each of the kids at least one box. We actually get two (one is Kim’s). They might as well be mine. This is the ultimate cocaine for yours truly. On Christmas, one box was done and the final score was Jim had 80% and Kim had 20%. So now you may understand a little more my reason for writing the post. It was the chocolate box that finally broke the camels back.

So my answer…

The second box.

The motivation…

It sits here on my computer desk.

Before you say WHAT! Let me write the solution.

Yes it is sitting here directly in front of me, taunting me, laughing at me, pleading with me.

It is still wrapped in it’s Christmas package, but I added a decoration to the present.

I pulled out some tape, a marker and a post it note. There is a new message on this box.

In big bold letters it states… ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!! NO!!!

Anytime I feel a weak moment coming I simply look at the box. It just isn’t about chocolate, it is about all the food that is going into this mouth.

I will keep you up to date…

Journey…

Even The Fitness Buddy has his moments.

Folks I am in trouble.

What kind of trouble?

One word… FOOD!

Let’s go back a few years, actually a little farther than that now it is more like 5 to 6 years ago. It is hard to believe it was that long ago, boy time flies. I was a 250 lb. marathon runner (the runner term is used loosely). I changed my workouts and started to make smart decisions when it came to food. 18 months later I was 70 lbs. lighter.

Since that now famous race on September 12, 2010 food has become an issue. Maybe using the word issue is wrong. Keeping it simple, it is a problem. I haven’t faced this battle for a long time. It just proves food is my drug of choice.

So today is a new enough is enough moment!

I don’t HAVE to lose 75, 50 or even 10 lbs., I just have to get my eating under control and the pounds will take of itself.

What am I going to do?

Well the holidays are almost over that is good. The training for the marathon is hitting a high note that is good. Soon after the marathon the Ironman training begins once again and that is good.

WAIT! Looking over what I just wrote I notice something missing, there is no mention to how I am going to change the stuff going into my pie hole.

So keeping it simple, there is this word, it is a powerful word.

NO!

When faced with a decision “Do I eat it” or “How much do I eat”, unless I am hungry the simple answer is NO! I have been through this before, NO really worked for me. Of course a simple word doesn’t change a person, but it serves as a trigger keeping me focused. It is simple. Do something about it now or go back to the 250 lb. person six years ago.

I don’t want that, I am sure those who have come to know me in this journey don’t want that, so it is simple.

For those who these blogs, I hope this shows that the journey is not easy for me. I smile, I laugh, I inspire, but I too go through phases. The struggle with food will always be with me, this is just a moment where it seems to be kicking my butt.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Until next time The Fitness Buddy…

1. Fewer ingredients = healthier food
2. “Good source of” may mean “bad for you”
3. Work the edges
4. Look high and low
5. Beat the breakfast blues
6. Buy frozen fruit in cold weather
7. “Reduced fat” may make you fat
8. Check yourself out
9. Shop on Wednesday nights
10. Natural doesn’t mean squat

Now let’s move onto the next 10.

11. Bulk up when you can – Costco and Sam’s Club are great. I mean where can you buy tires for your car, the latest DVD and 10 pounds of chicken? These places can also be a huge danger to your fitness and health. If you need 100 rolls of TP or that 10 lbs. of chicken GREAT! The problem is the pallet full of Oreos or the 10 gallon pail of Cheetos. Next time you walk into these places slow down and look at the food assortment. I bet you find the majority of “food” in these places is full of ingredients you shouldn’t be eating.

12. Don’t buy the hype – Every year the food industry spends $30 billion on advertising and nearly half goes toward convenience food, candy, soda and dessert (pause desserts). This makes it that much more important to read the ingredient and nutrition labels.

13. Choose the chicken leg over breast – Yes the leg is mostly dark meat, but it is almost as healthy as the breast, but save you $.89 a pound. So if you are looking to save some $…

14. Ask when the next shipment arrives – Just a helpful tip especially if you want the freshest meat or fish you can get.

15. Look in unlikely places – I have been a big fan to farmer’s markets, but those of us that live in the great white north those farmer’s markets don’t last long. So where to go to get the fruit and veggies on those off months? Try Wal Mart, yes Wal Mart. They have been known as the low price leader for everything, which meant the food selection was not the healthiest. That has changed, they have made a big push to take produce serious. Which is good for all of us Wal Mart helps keep prices lower. As a side note here in the Midwest, Meijer is another good choice for fruit and veggies. Their selection is always bigger than the traditional grocery stores no matter the time of year.

16. “Lightly sweetened” could mean “sugar overload” -  Just another marketing term. There is no regulations regarding this term.

17. Don’t fall for diet drinks - Here is a big money saver and it is already in your home. The only diet drink worth anything is WATER! Better yet it comes right out of your faucet. If you don’t like the taste add a water filter or as a last resort most grocery stores have water stations that a gallon of water cost $.49. Diet soda is a stepping stone from regular soda to water. Otherwise it is counterproductive. Why? Well besides the artificial sweeteners (why would willingly put anything artificial in your body) plus all the other preservatives and ingredients that are found in that drink. The body is made up of 60 to 70% water!

18. Buy real juice – When is juice not juice? The answer most of the time! Most fruit drinks have only a fraction of real juice in them. Most are a combination of sugar and water. Look for labels that say 100% juice and no added sugar.

19. Don’t be 100 percent mislead – When you read this you might say in #18 you just said look for 100% real juice, didn’t you? Well I did, but just because it says 100% real juice doesn’t mean that you are getting 100% of that type of juice. Tropicana Pure 100% Juice Pomegranate/Blueberry is the example given. Pomegranate and blueberry do get top billing, but the ingredient list also includes pear, apple and grape juices. Why? These juices are cheaper that is why. Plus they are very sweet juices which means you come back for more.

20. “Zero grams of trans fat” may include trans fat! – Here is another one and I will say for you WHAT!?! The FDA allows trans fat in “non trans fat” products as long as the product has less than half a gram per serving. Here is the catch the food maker can make the serving size whatever it wants it to be. If the words partially hydrogenated oil appears anywhere in the ingredients bet on trans fats being in that product.

So that covers the next ten. There are some good ones in there, one’s I didn’t even know. Now that I know I can make even smarter choices moving forward in my food buying.

I will finish up with the remaining 5 and give a quick overall view on my thoughts on this topic.

Until next time Your Fitness Buddy…

Question? How many of you walk / jog / run on a treadmill?

Question? How many of you use the pre-cor, Stairmaster or some other cardio machine?

Come raise your hands…

Not there is anything wrong with these machines, but I have to ask one more question…How many of you look at the machines calorie count?

I have read that most of those machine are at least 10% off if not higher.

Here is another scenario that I have heard numerous times. If I walk / jog / run a mile that equals about 100 calories. That is only true if you weigh 139 pounds by the way.

If the key is calories in and calories out why are we guessing when every calorie counts!

So how do you maximize a workout and throw the guessing out the window. I remember asking myself the same question a few years back. I found that a heart rate monitor is a great help in your journey. There are plenty of companies out there to choose from with all different types of features so choose wisely. My success was helped by Polar. This doesn’t mean it is the correct choice for you, do some research before you buy.

I guess my point to this blog is this. Having an extra weapon against the battle of the bulge couldn’t hurt. There are so many things out there going against you, a heart rate monitor is something you can use on your side.

Until next Your Fitness Buddy…