In this episode, Ean talks about a new years mentality that could be keeping you overweight. Plus some of the concerns he has with Paleo.
Tag Archives: workout
I Was A Teenage Sugar Addict
I love sugar. In fact, some might consider me a recovering sugar addict. While I have overcome my addiction though mental effort and proper diet, I still have quite a sweet tooth.
Was I Really An Addict?
I’m not really sure I could classify myself as an “addict.” However, I did eat a lot of sugar. This consumption was particularly pronounced during my teenage and young adult years. While I do not know how much sugar I consumed on a daily basis, I have an interesting story from my past that will help illustrate just how much sugar I would use.
I think I was about thirteen years of age at the time. During this period of my life, I would often have two bowls of cereal for breakfast. One bowl would be a sugar cereal. Some thing like Captain Crunch or Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The other bowl would be a “non”-sugar choice. Something like Wheaties or Cheerios. I would add sugar to these latter choices because I just could stand the taste of them with just milk.
One morning I decided to eat the “non”-sugar cereal first. And of course I added my regular amount of sugar to the bowl. I ate the cereal and drank the milk. I was ready for my second bowl. It would be the sweet cereal this time. I did not need to add sugar because they were sweet enough on their own.
Upon taking my first bite, I realized that the milk was rotten! I had eaten an entire bowl of cereal and sour milk without even realizing it. How could I have not noticed? I had added so much sugar to my cereal that it covered the taste of rotten milk! That is a lot of sugar.
In a Better Place
Reflecting back on how much sugar I use to eat makes me appreciate how much healthier I am now. I still love the taste of sweet things. But now my cravings are under control and the future is looking good. I never want to go back to being a sugar addict.
A Mind For Fitness, Post Holiday Report
A new episode of A Mind For Fitness is available. In this Episode I talk about how much weight I gained during the holiday season and what I’m doing about it. Also, my new motivation for the new year. Hope you enjoy!
Getting Yourself Motivated For the New Year
When it comes to weight loss and working out, different people are motivated by different things. For example, someone can sit and watch a documentary on weight loss (like My 500 Pound Life) and not be motivated to change their life at all. While others, cannot even sit still through such a show. When the documentary ends, the latter group will be motivated to take action and change the condition of their health.
Today’s blog is going to be somewhat autobiographical. While I cannot address what motivates everyone to take steps toward fitness, I can talk about one of the things that motivates me. The truth is there are lots of things that motivate me to strive toward fitness. Today, however, I am going to address just one–workout equipment!
What I Got for Christmas
This is particularly relevant to me because I just got a slue of equipment for Christmas. And none to soon at that. I have let the holidays get the better of me and have gained between 7 to 9 pounds. I am ready to get back to it! And now I am motivated as well.
I love receiving workout equipment and helps. I just get so excited over it. I am one of those people who have to tear into the stuff right away and start using it. This year I received (from my loving family) a ten-pound medicine ball,
lift grips for better push ups,
A DVD set on working out,
and…the mother of all…. a Weider Pro 6900 that does just about everything.
A Consideration For the Reader
I know what it takes to motivate me. One of those things is (as I have mentioned) new workout equipment. Knowing this about myself has helped me keep my weight and fitness in check. There have been several times when been less enthusiastic to work out or stay on a healthy eating plan. Picking up a $4 work out DVD has kicked my butt back into gear on several occasions. So my questions for the reader is this: What motivates you to take action? And how can you use that knowledge to take help yourself action today?
A Mind For Fitness, Episode 7
A new episode of my podcast, A Mind for Fitness is now up. In this episode, I talk about how to tell when you need professional help with weight loss. A good topic considering many people are going to try to lose wight at the first of the year. Hope you enjoy!
Starting Early on 2015
It’s the day after Christmas and I have a week to go before the new year. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were absolutely filled with abusing myself with food. And again, it is one week before the first of the year. It’s a week that I could enjoy all those foods I thought I had been missing out on. But I have decided not to do that. I have decided to get started on my weight loss goals before the new year.
Why have I decided to do this? Well, the simple truth is I am sick of unhealthy food. As many of you who frequent my blog know, I am a big proponent of a low-carb, high-fat diet which included scheduled cheat days. Cheat days are for both health and psychological reasons. And through this method, I have lost more than 60 pounds. However, during this season, I have just had too many high-carb foods and I can feel it in my body. I feel sick and am having a difficult time thinking clearly.
Being sick like this has brought one thought into my mind. That is: I cannot believe I use to eat like this all the time! When I was over weight, most of my meals were largely made up of carbohydrates and it did not bother me at all! Now, I can really feel it after just one full day!
So I am back to the diet that makes me feel and look great! My challenge to you is to start early too! You do not need to pig-out this week just because it’s a week before the new year. Start now! It’s worth it!
Cheating During the Holidays (Written)
On my podcast, A Mind For Fitness, I shard how to cheat during the holidays with minimal damage. I thought the information was important enough that I should share it in written form. I do this because I know not everyone will listen to the podcast and I would like to help people during this troublesome time of year.
So here it is: How to Cheat During the Holidays With Minimal Damage.
Make It a Cheat Day
The first way to cheat during the holidays is by coinciding your holiday feasts with a cheat day or meal. This is difficult for most because there is more than one opportunity to eat bad food during this time of year. For example, there is Christmas Eve and Christmas Day right together. In addition, there may be company and family parties not to mention New-Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. So I understand if having a cheat “day” is not realistic for most.
However, for some, only eating bad food for one or two days it is not impossible. There is a large segment of society who only celebrate Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is a normal work day. And the same goes for New-Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. If you can limit your cheating to those two days, then great. But it is understandable if you cannot.
Intermittent Fast
The next step is intermittent fasting. For example, I have a birthday for a family member, a company party, a Church party, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day all in the span of about ten days. In addition, there is also the New Year celebrations. What I have found to work is not eating until the party. So here’s how it will go: On the day of the first party, I will fast. I will not eat anything but coffee and water. Then I will break the fast at the party. The next day I will fast until the evening meal and eat sensibly. Then the day after that is the birthday party. I will fast on that day too and cheat that night at the party. Are you getting the picture? On the nights you cheat, fast the day before and the day after.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are a wash. I will cheat both those days, but again, I will fast on Christmas Eve until around 6 PM. The same can be said about New Year celebration.
Eat Something Good for You First.
All these parties I will be attending will have more than just junk food. There are always good options available. What I do is eat the good options first. And I try to eat as much of the good foods as I possibly can. So that by the time I get to the cookies, I cannot put as many of them away as I would have if all I ate was cookies. Again, the second key here is to eat the good stuff for you first. Then if you still want some junk food go a head.
Eat Slow
Finally, eat slow. Start eating slow with the good food and continue to eat slow with the bad food. Eating slowly causes your satiety signal to set in with less food. Put simply, you will not be able to eat as many of those cookies.
Work Out
Continue to work out and workout hard. I recommend a HIIT workout along with heavy weights. This is particularly helpful if you work out during your fasted state and before your big meals. This will clear your glycogen out and make prepare your muscles to soak up the glucose from your blood stream.
Results
I followed a very similar regiment last year and only gained four pounds which I lost (plus more) after the first of last year. The year before that, I did not gain any wight at all. And, again, I began to lose wight as soon as I went back to a strict low-carb diet. I am predicting the same thing will happen this year. I will keep you posted.
Cheating During the Holidays
A new episode of A Mind For Fitness Podcast is now up. In this episode, Ean Carlin gives you six ways to minimize the effects of all that cheating you are going to do!
Hey! I’m On a Diet!
Letting others know that you are attempting to change your eating habits can be challenging. This is particularly true for those who have extensively yo-yo dieted. Speaking from personal experience, I would often keep my diet a secret from my family and friends. Why? Because I did not want to publicly fail–again. It is embarrassing to let everyone know you are trying to lose weight only to have it not workout. However, letting people know you are changing your eating habits is a great technique that will help you make a permanent change. Here are two reason why:
Getting Help
If you do not let others know that you are on a diet, there is no way they can help you. In fact, not letting others know can lead to some unavoidable compromises. For example, a client of mine neglected to tell anyone that he was going on a low-carb diet. when he went over to his mothers house for his regular Saturday-family meal, he found himself with no low-carb options.
Of course, his family may not have adjusted their eating plan according to my client’s needs. But it does give them the option to help rather than hinder.
Gives You an Out
Letting others know about your dietary changes gives you the upper hand in case you find yourself presented with high-carb temptation. What do I mean by this? Let’s say a friend invites you out to lunch, and he offers to pay. But he wants to go to a place where there are not a lot of low-carb options. If you have not told him about your dietary change, then asking to go to a different restaurant could seem a bit rude. However, if you have told your friend, then you can say something like, “That sounds great, but remember I had mentioned that I’m on a low-carb diet. I’m really serious about being healthy. Could you help me out by going to a restaurant with more low-carb options?”
In Closing
There will always be people who want to see you fail. That is to say, there will be people who do not want to help you even if you have told them about your dietary changes. For example, your friend might be inviting you to lunch because he wants to insure your failure. However, those who want to see others fail normally act indirectly. Letting others know about your dietary needs puts the responsibility on them. They either have to be honest with their desire to see you fail, or they have to acquiesce to your dietary needs.
Making Time or Making Excuses
Out of work late today.Now I’m rushed. I still have to think of what to get for dinner and a host of other family chores as well. So here is the question: Do I go to the gym or not?
I could feel the weight of the excuses piling up. To blow off working out would be easy and understandable. There is always tomorrow, right? But I had to decide: Was I going to make time or make excuses?
It’s easy to let life run over the top of you. And the truth is there is always an excuse to not do what needs to be done. Whether it’s working out or staying on a healthy eating plan, there is always an excuse to do the wrong thing.
Not letting this happen is a matter of realizing that one must make the time to do the things that keep one healthy. In fact, sometimes you have to fight for the time.
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