You Can’t Outrun Your Fork!

Huh? Here’s the thing. To lose a pound of weight each week through physical activity is pretty much the equivalent of running a marathon. Actually, the calories burned running those 26 miles don’t quite erase a pound, and that also means, not eating what you probably should eat to fuel those miles. It’s a conundrum. (What a great word!)

To be clear, I’m not at all saying physical activity doesn’t count. Where your health is concerned, it’s at the top of the list. But you can’t outrun your fork, and the calories you take in (and don’t take in) are what will ultimately determine how much weight you lose.

This is part of the challenge (and conundrum) people face when starting, or continuing on their weight loss journey, the idea that joining the gym and faithfully attending or running, or walking 5 miles a day will result in weight loss. It won’t, and the downside is, it often discourages physical activity when the scales don’t respond. We tend to give up. We feel we’ve failed, yet again. This is not good.  It’s not good on many levels—personal, societal, and yes, wellness and well-being.

Now, if we take physical activity out of the weight loss equation ... Your diet, the food you choose to eat on a daily basis, is responsible for about 80 percent of your weight (or weight loss) and consequent health. If your goal is to lose weight, the kitchen (and all the other places you find food)  is a better solution than the gym. But, and this is a really big but, for HEALTH, you need both.

It doesn’t seem fair, but then, so many things aren’t. Health, wellness and weight loss are not synonyms, but they are connected. What do you think?

The "ME" Project

We should all have one. Each of us is that important—important enough to warrant a special project that revolves around who we are. Sure, we can whine about what’s wrong—but we can—and should—also celebrate what is right. And, that’s certainly where the focus should be. That’s what we build from, and on. Right? That’s where change comes in and that includes the positive changes we set as goals.

Now think about this . . . if you re-direct your behavior often enough, you change your behavior. And, your attitude toward what influenced that behavior changes. You are thinking for a change. Literally.

But, change is not always a rational process. 

To change behavior, you have to address the conceptual “framework” the behavior fits into. “In one ear and out the other.” Sound familiar? How about, “don’t confuse me with the facts?”  (Don’t mess with my conceptual framework.) If ‘facts’ contradict a framework you’re familiar with (your current lifestyle behaviors are harmful to your long-term health, and in fact studies show those behaviors have a 75 percent chance of eventually killing you), your first thought will probably be, “that can’t be right. Those numbers must be wrong.”

We have an astounding ability to resist change. So, we have to change the framework where that behavior lies, and to do this, we have to create a new and improved framework that will accommodate our new behavior—and do it in a way that makes us feel really good about what we’re trying to accomplish (changing these few behaviors will improve your quality of life and long-term future, as well as that of your family). 

There’s absolutely no scientific reason we can’t change. You’ve probably changed jobs, cars, houses and apartments. Maybe you’ve changed careers. Maybe you’ve changed spouses. Most of us have changed our opinions on different topics. Some of us change political views, our tastes in music and art and even our tastes for certain types of food . . . ah ha! 

Now it’s time to apply those changes you want to make,  for yourself, to your very own “ME” project.

The Ritual of Food

Whether a habit, a rite, or a ceremony, most of us have food rituals. Do you tap the top of a can before pulling the tab? Do you eat the filling first and then the cookie? Do you dunk an Oreo in milk? Do you cut the crusts off of your bread? Do you slice your sandwich in half or at an angle? Do you stir your coffee exactly 12 times and then tap the spoon against the mug three times? 

If yes, you’re not alone. A recent study published last month in the journal Psychological Science finds that the little rituals you bring to the table make eating and drinking more enjoyable. Flavor is intensified and the meal enjoyed more.  

In the study, those participants who performed rituals reported they savored the items more than those who did not engage in rituals. The rituals that study participants exhibited boosted involvement in the eating and  drinking experiences. Here’s the bad news. The study also found that performing a ritual enhanced the amount consumed.

It seems the ritual becomes a mindset, a way we approach food. And, if it at least in part determines the way we think about and approach food, it also in part determines the way we eat it. Now here’s an interesting idea...

What if we develop new rituals? Rituals that revolve around healthy food choices. How about a broccoli or squash ritual? And, can rituals work in the other direction? What if we have negative rituals around white carbs, soft drinks, donuts, ice cream and cake? Well, it doesn’t sound like much fun, but it is food for thought—and maybe action. With a little practice, maybe a new habit is just waiting to become a future ritual. 

What food ritual would you develop? Let me know.

Thinking Two Steps Ahead

Can you see it now?  How exactly does planning ahead nudge us forward?  Planning ahead, thinking ahead, can mean the difference in meeting our goals and in how we  recover from setbacks. Visualization.

Thinking ahead means taking the present, looking at where we are, picturing where we want to be, and then using that to plan the future. It only takes two steps to make a difference in how far we can go. Thinking two steps ahead  means utilizing the present to make it easier to achieve our goals in the future.

What time do you have to get up to walk around the block? How about walk around the block twice? What do you need to pack for lunch to avoid the fast food solution? What do you need to plan to have on hand for when the afternoon (or mid-morning) “I have to have a snack attack” hits? What do you have to do now to prepare for when you most need to rely on your motivation, which might be exactly when you are least likely to make that choice that will move you forward?

First, take a few minutes to think about your actions. Take some time to envision yourself reaching your personal long-term goal, whether it's losing 50 pounds, competing in a triathlon or lowering your cholesterol. All of these big goals can be broken down into specific behaviors that over time will increase your health and wellness. Now, when you take it a step further, each of these action steps requires another plan or mini-goal.  Achieving these goals is easier when you start thinking ahead and preparing a process that fits into your schedule. And, we all have very different schedules. When you spell-out exactly what you’re working on, it will be easier to track progress toward your mini-goals and stay on course toward your larger goal.

You’ll also need to prepare a Plan B. There will always be surprise hurdles, traps and unplanned events that can waylay  your best laid plans. You can either wait for them to derail you or you can plan how to tackle them in advance. As soon as you’ve identified your mini goals, the next thing to focus on is finding where there’s room for flexibility. Having a Plan B in place before you need it means you're thinking strategically and will be more likely to stay on track.

You can be sure that the road to wellness won’t always be smooth and straight. It’s definitely a corkscrew. This is why it’s important to make friends with failure. When you experience a succession of small setbacks or changes in course, the bright spot is that it helps you hone your skills in dealing with those issues that are outside of your control. And, that really is a big help on your road to success.

We all fail. Sometimes we do it in a big, public way, and sometimes it’s a private affair. But, if we’re smart, determined and resourceful, we don’t let it stop us. This is what we mean by treating setbacks as guides not brakes. 

It’s not the failures that define who we are, and when we use failure to move forward in a positive direction, they can certainly nudge us into the person we want to be.

It’s a lifestyle choice . . . not a diet

Just the word “diet” conjures up some pretty distasteful emotions. Deprivation, doing without, giving up, cutting down, and cutting back. It also brings memories of past failures and mostly unpleasant experiences. There’s a reason “diet” is a four-letter word. And, there’s an even better reason why diets don’t work. A diet is usually, by definition, a temporary condition, until the weight is lost.  But if it isn’t part of true lifestyle change, that weight comes running right back home.

To help us come to terms with our overall condition,  the weight loss industry will see close to an estimated $ 65 billion in revenue this year. (That’s 13 percent of the almost $500 billion a year we spend on groceries.) It includes diet soft drinks ($21.15 billion), health clubs ($19.5 billion), diet books and exercise videos ($1.21 billion), artificial sweeteners ($2.52 billion), and the list goes on.

Now, what happens if we shift the focus from “diet” to, hmmm, say “lifestyle change?” When this happens, we’re also shifting our focus from a pretty negative relationship to a positive one.

So, back to that “diet” word. Consider that today about 72 million of us in the United States are on some kind of diet, spending that $65 billion we mentioned earlier. That’s a little more than $1000 spent per person “dieting” on average. What would happen if instead each of these 72 million people used that $1000 plus to make healthier and more nutritious food choices?  That averages out to about $20 per week. Now, leave out the soda, fast food, pre-packaged and highly processed choices. You’ve saved more still. 

Seriously, doesn’t a lifestyle change seem like a better approach? We know habits are, well, habitual. But we have the option, the choice, of deciding what we “make” habitual. We get used to doing things a certain way, and then it’s not an effort to continue doing them. We just have to decide what’s important and where we place our focus. For example, getting into the habit of eating whole grain products instead of refined grains. Getting into the habit of drinking more water. Getting used to less salty food over the course of several months through gradual reduction. Same for sugar. Making a fresh salad instead of thawing out the frozen pizza. Moving away from screen time and walking the dog around the block, several times. You get the idea.

Suddenly, your healthier choices become new habits, and you have a new food-lifestyle relationship. You’re not “dieting”—but look at the result! And, look at who is now in charge.