DIET DIET

Where do you go to get anorexia? ~Shelley Winters

I've been on a constant diet for the last two decades. I've lost a total of 789 pounds. By all accounts, I should be hanging from a charm bracelet. ~Erma Bombeck

It’s no secret that I could lose a few pounds. I along with too many people have become a society out of control. I’d read that more people die now of eating too much than eating too little. Excess weight has become a prevailing health issue among many people, including me. Whether a person is a few pounds overweight or truly obese, excess weight can detrimentally affect mental and physical health. Weight control is a misnomer by any definition.

Our attempts to control our weight are due to many motivations, some good and others not so good. We want to look better for a date, or reunion, or wedding. We fear heart attacks, personal rejections, and career frustration. We view any excess weight as a personal failure to control an important part of our life, our body.

We look for answers to conquer this failure. We struggle through unhealthy diets, expensive health plans, risky operations, and supplemental drugs in an effort to rid our bodies of undesirable pounds. Billions of dollars are spent, and millions of dreams are dashed as we struggle to resolve our dilemma.

There is hope for all of us. But first we must understand our body and mind. We need to understand how we make mistakes and how we allow others to make mistakes for us. This is your body, your choice, and your life. I’m not sure you should take diet advice from a guy that loves Krispy Cremes, but hopefully the concept makes a little sense. I call my wellness program the DIET/DIET.

DIET/DIET is a simple concept. However, the application will take a lifetime, hopefully a long lifetime.

DIET/DIET is a question you must ask yourself everyday.

DIET/DIET is a dual acronym designed to balance healthy food choices and exercise.


Do I Eat This?

Did I Exercise Today?

Our food choices are the primary culprit in weight gain, and preventing loss. You should see a nutritionist or find a few good books to insure you are eating the right foods. It’s difficult to eat right with our busy lives and the availability of poor food choices. Essentially, you should be able to answer the question “Do I Eat This?” every time you take a bite. Find out if you don’t know. Here is a GREAT website that can help with food choices: http://mypyramid.gov/

Exercise can be as simple as taking and extra walk or joining a gym. (AND GOING!) You need to exercise at least 3 times per week. I often hear there isn’t enough time. My theory is any time spent exercising doesn’t count against the time you live. Here is the proof to my theory.

Research has indicated that your life expectancy will decrease by 3 years if you are 50 pounds overweight. So I figure each pound lost will add 22 days to your life. You should lose 1 pound with 7 hours of exercise. That’s right – work out for 7 hours – live another 22 days. And you don’t have enough time – give me a break.

I understand that’s a bit simplistic – so let’s look at a long term exercise investment. Let’s exercise 4 hours per week for 60 years. (15 to 75). Assuming you work out every week for 4 hours, you would invest 10,400 hours over 60 years. In return for these 10,400 hours of exercise, you live another 3 years or 26,280 hours. That means you add 2.5 hours to your life for every hour you exercise. So, ask yourself everyday “Did I Exercise Today?”

I’ve always joked that I’d rather be happy for 65 years than miserable for 70 years. However, you don’t have to be miserable. It’s just a matter of balancing your food choices and your exercise. Easier said than done – maybe I’ll have to write more about motivation later – but that’ll need more research.

I'm not including too many pictures this week - you don't need to see it.

The biggest seller is cookbooks and the second is diet books - how not to eat what you've just learned how to cook. ~Andy Rooney

Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not! ~Author Unknown