Today I found and old teaching aid that I use to use in all my classes. After all, we have to believe we can lose weight if we are going to lose it. The first step is to believe in ourselves.

The problem is the fact that we are over weight, and when we look int the mirror we someone who has made bad choices, and is suffering the consequences. We need to realize that underneath those added pounds lies a champion who is slowly chiseling themselves out of this body and into a healthy body one day at a time.

Some days its easier to see the champion than others, but you have to believe that it is in you if you are going to bring it out. You can do it.  Say to yourself "I can do it."

I wish I knew who the author was of this article, but I love it.

Anything is Possible

If there were ever a time to dare,
to make a difference,
to embark on something worth doing,
it is now.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily—
but for something that tugs at your heart,
something that’s your aspiration,
something that’s your dream.

You owe it to yourself to make your days here count.
Have fun.
Dig deep.
Stretch.

Dream big.

Know, though, that things worth doing seldom come easy.
There will be good days.
And there will be bad days.
There will be times when you want to turn around,
pack it up, and call it quits.
Those times tell you that you are pushing yourself,
that you are not afraid to learn by trying.

Persist.

Because with an idea,
determination, and the right tools,
you can do great things.
Let your instincts,
your intellect,
and your heart guide you.

Trust.

Believe in the incredible power of the human mind.
|Of doing something that makes a difference.
Of working hard.
Of laughing and hoping.
Of lazy afternoons.
Of lasting friends.
Of all the things that will cross your path this year.

The start of something new brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible.
There is only one you.
And you will pass this way only once.

Questions From the Sacramento Bee

Thanks to report Sam McManis of the ww.sacbee.com

1. How long have you been doing it and, more importantly, WHY did you start the blog and podcast?

I've been doing it for a year. I started it because about three years ago I dropped over 20 lbs. Like many adults I found the weight I lost. So I got set to lose it again and thought I would inspire people with my story. The fun thing is being older (I'm 43) the weight isn't dropping off as easy as it did a few years ago and people are finding inspiration in the fact that I am not quitting in the face of adversity. Their faith and encouragement leads me to keep going with the podcast which then encourages them. It's a great community.

2. Do you have a way of tracking how listeners you have? And what type of feedback do you get from people?

I use a system at podtrac.com where I see many of my episodes have over 1500 downloads. I communicate through a toll free voicemail line, and then address those voicemails in the podcast. I also have a forum section at the website, and people can email me. My podtrac numbers show listeners from US, Canada, the UK, Australia, Philippines, European Union, Mexico, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, France, China, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Japan, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Brazil, South Africa, India, and Portugal.

3. Do you imagine people listening to your show while working out? Or maybe while eating a sandwich

Yes I do. Many of my listeners talk about how they listen on the treadmill. I know many listen in the car on the way to the gym, or while they are out walking. Podcasting is a conversation delivered in a time shifted manner. I can provide information, and someone may not download it for weeks. Then they can add a "Hey I had this situation.." and I may hear it days later. We all have different schedules, time zones, etc but its not stopping us from supporting each other.

4. What other weight-loss podcasts do you listen to (there are a lot out there!)?

There are a ton. I only listen to one other one at the moment (I've unsubscribed from a few). That is fat to fir radio (http://www.fat2fitradio.com/) if you listen start about the 6 minute mark where they quit talking about what they did all week. Likewise there is about a minute of music at the end that I skip.

Support This Show

This episode is sponsored by the Tony Little Sprint Master for more information go to tony.logicalloss.com

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I've obtained a copy of Eat This Not That from my local library. I didn't really know what to think when I first opened this book. it's got lots of pictures and I wasn't sure if there would be any real "meat" to the book (pun intended). You can read this whole book in about 30 minutes, and you will get some great insights. It's not about depriving yourself of food (which only make you hate dieting), but about making msarter choices in places where there are many bad options.

The concept here again is "pennies make dollars" if you eat Whopper's alot, try switcing to a Big Mac as it is "healthier" than a Whopper. The small improvement from one food to another will lead up to weight loss. Realize this book is NOT saying a Big Mac is nutritious, but just that it is better than the whopper.

They hit all the major reataurant chains, and blow the whistle on those who don't make their nutritional values public (or disclose everything).

I got this book from the library, but plan on buying it as a reference. You can find it in our online store (courtesy of Amaxon.com at http://shop.logicalloss.com ). If you are starting your holoday shopping, please check out www.supportthis show.com

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When I set up my website, I had it alert me if someone alerted me about comments on the website. I never got them. Today I found them and I share them. This show originates at www.logicalloss.com (this is show #41).

Here are some of the great tips from our listeners

1.  If you are eating food just to get a new taste in your mouth, try brushing your teeth.

2. Preston picks something to give up for A YEAR. Why not take a baby step and see if you can give up something for a month. If this makes your life miserable, maybe think twice. We don't want losing weight to bring up feelings of hatred and pain.

3. Pam says quit eating after 9 PM. Quit eating pasta after lunch.

4. Some great weight tracking sites: www.bodydeamon.com and www.calorieking.com

5. Car From Wolverhampton England has seen results in his Mother who like Paul McKenna of "I Can Make Your Thin" fame.

6. While Exercise is great, you may want to ask yourself, "Is the food I'm eating worth the extra time on the treadmill?" In most cases you may find out its not.

Thanks to everyone who sent in their comments. You can communicate with the Logical Loss Community in our Forums

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My brother and I have a running gag at birthdays and Christmas. We like to buy gifts that WE would enjoy. So if I want to hear the new James Taylor CD, I buy it for him. If he wants to hear the new Metallica CD, he buys it for me . With this in mind, when it comes to weight loss why not look at the Nintendo Wii at BestBuy.com and buy it for your kids? They are $249 and a lot of fun. We play alot of Wii sports (where you get up and bowl). If you over do it you may end up with "Wii Shoulder" so start off slow. The bad news is this is "THE" game this (much like last year) so you bette rstart shopping early to make sure you get one before they are all sold out. There is a huge selection of Nintendo Wii: Hardware & Games  as well.

I got an email from a listener who gave me a nice "atta boy" email and inspired me to keep on going. I will be reading that in a future episode. One of the things he did recommend is a book called, "Eat This Not That." There is even a Eat This Not That For Kids. I've added both of these to the books section at shop.logicalloss.com

Thanks for the emails, and the recommendation. It's currently numer 34 at amazon.com

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Today I update where I am in my weight loss goals. Once again I see where tracking things is helping me see things that need to change.

I eat less on the weekends because I'm with my girlfriend, and I am a bit more active. Then during the week I tend to fall victim of emotional eating. The bad news is I just seem to lose control and I eat somewhat healthy snacks (like 60 calorie jell-o pudding). The bad news is I will eat 4 of those during the day. So if you can't control yourslef the alternative is to stop buying it. If its not in the house, I can't eat it. This is a sad realization, but its true.

The road I drive to school is packed with fast food locations. Consequently, I've been driving a different route home to afford temptation. I am also packing a lunch so I'm driving paste these places when I'm hungry. It's all about planning ahead.

The other thing I noticed is the "problem time" for me. It's typically after 7 pm I start snacking and just keep making return trips to the refridgerator. Again, this is fruit, and other low calorie snacks. The bad news is you have 6 or seven of these the calories add up. I don't know if I'm bored, I don't know if I'm stressed, but the bottom line is I am falling apart in the evenings. My solution? I'm going to exercise during this time. This will give me a postive and make me feel good for doing the right thing. I won't want to go snack and "undo" all the good that I did by exercising. So for now, I'm going to be exercising during my times when I appear weak to food.

The bottom line is if you can see your weaknesses you can come up with a plan to change them. Don't get hung up on the fact that you have a weakness. It's going to be temporary.

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OK. Its official. I am an emotional eater. I just read the book "Are You Ready!: To Take Charge, Lose Weight, Get in Shape, and Change Your Life Forever" by Bob Harper and its really got some good tips on overcoming emotional eating. He deals with your baggage and fears that are keeping you fat. You learn to reconnect with your body and forgive yourself for what you've done to it. He talks about the value of a food journal (which we've been preaching about since day one. He has chapters on eating right and lots of pictures of exercises. In terms of emotional eating, its one of the best books I've read. 

I was listening to the Dave Ramsey show where people call in and tell their success stories. I'd love to hear how you are succeeding. Call in 888-563-3228 and let me know what you're doing.

Tips On Overeating

Look at your watch and eat every four hours. We hear so much about "Starvation mode" but according to Bob's book you have to eat less than 1200 calories to get your body to go into starvation mode. Be sure to notice how you feel at four hours. This is physical hunger.

If you find yourself going to fridge and it hasn't been four hours ask yourself "How Do I feel? What is happening right now? Why am I turning to food?" and this is the hard part. STOP. Go for a walk instead. He has all sorts of ways to beat stress that don't involve Dairy Queen.

If you have emotional issues (in Bob's case he had issues with his Father) you may need to face those, and in many cases acknowledge that its not your fault, and move on.

Find one thing about yourself that you like. Remember that, and focus on that. This will be the one thing that you will use to build your confidence.

If you need a food journal, I've heard good things about www.thedailyplate.com

Are You Practicing The Wrong Things?

In every book I read, they all say don't beat yourself up if you "fall off the food wagon." I say "no, feel a little bad." You need a negative consequece. If there is no negative consequence it makes it easier to do it again. Just like anything, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. You want this pattern when you are doing the right things. I think the point is don't make yourself feel so bad that you quit. That I understand, but don't make it easy for yourself to do the wrong thing.

Bad Dating Experiences?

I'm helping my girlfriend launch a podcast about dating online. If you've had any "Dates From Hell" be sure to call them in 888-563-3228  (or if you want to email them in send them to datesfromhellshow "at" gmail.com ). Please only use first names.

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Today I'm playing with the Omron HEM-790IT Blood Pressure Monitor. High Blood pressure can cause things like headaches, seizures, heart attacks, fatigues, shortness of breath and more. It is not something to take lightly.  According to Webmd.com

There are several categories of blood pressure, including:

• Normal: Less than 120/80
• Prehypertension: 120-139/80-89
• Stage 1 hypertension: 140-159/90-99
• Stage 2 hypertension: 160 and above/100 and above

One of the causes of hypertension is smoking, and (you guessed it) being over weight.

Who Is More Likely to Develop Hypertension?

• People with family members who have high blood pressure.
• People who smoke.
• African-Americans.
• Women who are pregnant.
• Women who take birth control pills.
• People over the age of 35.
• People who are overweight or obese.
• People who are not active.
• People who drink alcohol excessively.
• People who eat too many fatty foods or foods with too much salt

So today I show you the Omron HEM-790IT Blood Pressure monitor. It's got some great features. It can store up multipe users, and it keeps track of when your pressure was checked and stores it into memory. It comes with software so you can effortlessly keep track of your weight loss (it's the same software that works with the 720ITC pedometer so you can track your steps, and blood pressure in the same place.

There is an interesting feature where the unit will autmatically measure your pressure three times in a row and average the three. When I did this I measure at 133 over 82 so I would be classified as Prehypertension.

By lowering your blod pressure you decrease your chance of stroke by 35-40%, heart attack by 20-25%, and heart failure (more than 50%). (source webmd.com).  To reduce your chances of having high blood pressure, some key steps are lose weight, quit smoking, reduce the salt in your diet. do aerboic exercise a few times a week (30 minutes), eat a well blanaced diet such as the DASH diet.

For me, I needed a reason to keep me motivated. I needed a "Why am I exercising?" and this is it. I have borderline high blood pressure, and to me high blood pressure equals heart attack. With this unit it's easy to measure, and with the software easy to track your blood pressure. It retails for around $70 at amazon.com This is money well spent, and could very easily save your life.

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This weekend I found some exercising that is both a great upper body workout, and really relaxing. I took my girlfriend out in a canoe. We paddled around for about 3 hours. This burned about 750 calories (according to http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist.htm ). The best part of this exercise is it was very relaxing. We saw some swans, fish jumping out of the water, and just enjoyed the breeze and sunshine (while burning calories).

Today we also have an article from www.sparkpeople.com about over doing it. If you are really exhausted you need to make sure you're getting enough sleep. Your body needs that time to repair itself. You may do more harm than good if you're pushing yourself when you need rest.

We read a listener email who says having a pedometer keeps him moving as its just a gentle reminder to keep moving. I start my day by taking 5000 steps. Then I find that through the day I'll get between 1500 and 4000 steps. This way towards the end of the day I'm close to 10,000 (my goal) and I will take a short walk to get to 10,000. Find pedometers at http://shop.logicalloss.com

One of the keys of avoiding "fast food" (McDonald's, Wendy's) is to have FAST FOOD at home. My favorites are the steamed vegetables from birdseye. You get home, pop it in the microwave for 5 minutes, by the time you pet the dog, and get the mail, your vegies are ready. Now when you pass a McDonald's you know that you will be eating as soon as you get in the door.

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I mentioned previously how I'm not going to have as much time exercise as I would like. So I thought, "How do I maximize my exercise?"

So logically I thought, "Muscles burn calories when we move." So if I want to burn more calories, one way to do it is to have bigger muscles. While I may not have time for my walk today, I have 3 minutes to do some leg lifts, some sit ups, or other exercises. You may think, "Oh these are doing any good." Then you wake up the next day and say, "Hey I feel something there." So by having bigger muscles, when I DO exercise I will burn more calories than before.

So I may not have time to do my hour long walk, but when I take my 10 minutes to walk while I'm talking on the phone I will burn more calories because of the strength training I've done in just minutes at a time.

Believe in yourself. It's not who you are that holds you back, its who you think you're not. - anonymous.

Here is the "Plank" exercise I was speaking of.

 Here is a great list of exercises at Spark People

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