Day 15 : Triggers

11/30/2015
Steps 10890
Water 6

Yes, Triggers. What makes you want to eat? What causes you to reached for the bag of chips, candy bar or hot dog?

So far, we've been focusing on what to do when you're eating to cut down on food intake, while enjoying it more. But how do you stay away from the stuff altogether. Well, basically, you can't. You got to eat.
But if you pay attention to the Triggers that give you the idea to eat, you can sidestep some of the problem.

For me, a big one is TV, and I suspect it is a major eating Trigger for a lot of people.
First off, you are doing nothing. You're just sitting there like a slug. The term “Couch Potato” is just one of many descriptive terms that have come into the English language since the invention of television.
While you're sitting there doing nothing, all your mind has to focus on is what's on that screen. And if you pay attention, you'll see what's on that screen is a lot of food.

Number 1 on the list is commercials. Not just the obvious promotions for every restaurant chain or food product that can afford the ad rates, but look at the secondary ads for diets, pills, potions and all that other stuff dealing with food. Even cleaning products. What are they cleaning up. Food!
Food spills, Food dishes, kids covered in Food, Food, Food, Food!

And since you got a couple minutes to kill until your favorite program comes back on, it's a quick trip to the fridge, because you are suddenly hungry.

Gina and I have neatly eliminated this Trigger many years ago by not having commercial TV. Yes, we don't have cable or a dish. Nowadays, it's almost UN-American. We only watch DVD's of programs and movies we like, but that doesn't mean were safe from food Triggers. No, if you pay attention, you'll see your favorite shows loaded with them. People eating, drinking, cooking and even selling food. You'll even see people eating while watch TV. How weird is that.
Just how do you handle all this?
Well, just like eating, you can cut back. Don't run the TV 24/7 like many people do. They tell me they like something playing in the background as they work around the house.

To me it's just self-imposed brainwashing.
If you need noise in the background, put on some music.
But just like any other Triggers in life, first you learn to spot them, then you learn to deal with them. This starts at the store of course. The less snack food you bring home, the less you can eat when the Triggers tell you that you're hungry.

Next, have healthier snacks. We use popcorn most of the time. No butter, salt, or cheese. Just plain popcorn. No matter what you grab, remember our rule of 1.

1 peace, 1 bite, 1 serving, etc. Don't bring a jumbo bag of anything to the couch!

KRASH

KrashsPlace.com

Day 14 : Celebration Time

11/29/2015
Steps 10388
Water 8

Wahoo!! We're two weeks into the Diet 1, and I'm still writing and you're still reading. We've got three new life Style habits slowly starting to take hold. Hell, If you're reading this, you're still breathing, and that is always something to be happy about.

There's an old saying...
"Someday we're all going to die."
"But every other day we're not."
 Think about it.

Anyway we got a pedometer and we're keeping track of every step, every day. I've popped the 10000 mark 2 days in a row. I haven't walked this much since Tasmania last March, when we had to walk a mile or so everyday to get Wi-Fi.

Yesterday, we just started counting water glasses. I managed 8.
I usually don't drink that much water on the hottest summer days.
Amazingly, the water shows the quickest improvement.
Just one day and I feel a noticeable drop in joint pain.

Finally our main habit, 1 that over the coming year and the rest of our lives, will slowly get the weight off, and keep it off.
Yes, that big black 1 on your thumbnail, that 1 popping up on your cell phone all the time, are reminders to eat small and eat slow.

In a few months these habits will become automatic. You'll take 1 small bite at a time, always setting the fork down as you chew.
You'll wash it down with a sip of water instead of gulping a big  super sized soft drink.
You'll take the stairs instead of the elevator, or park a few spaces farther from the store.

Whatever you do, you'll notice that life is slowing down a bit. It may be a bit less stressed. You'll weigh less. Maybe even have less pain.
You may even notice that face in the mirror looking back at you, is a bit different. A bit less puffy. Maybe a little bit more color. Maybe just a little something in the eyes. An energy that you haven't seen in years. Yes maybe even a smile :o)

BTW. This is my first blog post done completely on my cell phone.

KRASH


Day 13 : WATER

11/28/2015
Steps11421 (A New Record ) 
Water 8

WATER, I HATE IT, ALWAYS HAVE!
And I've been chronically dehydrated for years. Drinking mostly coffee doesn't help.
Especially in the cold months, as I sip it most of the day.

This probably started as a baby when I was bottle fed a formula of evaporated milk and Karo syrup.
Yes, the Boomer generation was weaned on sugar, a corporate and medical wet dream.

By the time I was old enough to pick up a glass by myself, whatever was in it had to have a large sugar content.
Catholic school didn't help either. In second grade, we got the option of chocolate milk at lunch, and by third grade, I never voluntarily drank cow's milk again.
Like most of my generation and the ones that followed, our liquid intake generally consisted of Coke, Pepsi or any product made from sugar and water.

Over the decades my system slowly rebelled, and I started to back away from sweeteners. But to this day, six decades later, I still hate the taste of plain water.
So now we start the next step of the Diet 1.

Water
First, get yourself a handful of juice glasses. Those ones that hold 3 to 4 ounces of liquid like at restaurants. The little ones they serve juice in because you can't afford 8 ounces of the stuff.

Now before you go to bed at night, line up three or four of these on the kitchen counter filled with water. In the morning, as you stagger into the kitchen to get your day going, down at least one of those glasses of water. Do it before your coffee, tea, toast or TV.

Do another on your way out the door. At work, have a juice glass with a big number 1 sitting on your desk, to remind you. And use it.

I'm writing this plan from the view of someone who hates the taste of water.
You may love it, lucky bastard! The point is to start adding a lot more water to your Diet 1.

In the morning, before you eat, and all through the day.
Take a picture of those glasses lined up on the counter and post them on your desk, desktop or phone.
And just like counting your steps every day, start counting glasses of water.
Disclaimer
This is not some crazy water diet. 
We are simple using water to help cut back on some our over eating, and to replace some of the sugar filled drinks we normally have.  
It has long been proved that the 8-8oz. glasses of water minimum per day, is a misnomer. 
One source is from a 1945 note from the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council that said adults should take in about 2.5 liters of water per day. They also noted at the time that we get most of that just in the food we eat. 
No one actually specified drinking water alone.
So, no wild and crazy stuff. Just slow down, eat small, and exercise more. 

Day 12 : The Day After, the Day After

11/27/2015 
Steps 8385

Still sorting leftovers?
Still thinking about what you ate that you shouldn't have?
Welcome to the club of guilt ridden over weight dieters. It's a rather large group, though few openly espouse its virtues.
Some join the club at an early age, seeking comfort from teenage social traumas.
Others, maybe yourself, join late in life, as the excesses of overindulgence begin to take their toll.

Chairs suddenly seem to be mandatory, and you can't remember the last time you ran, or even walked other than the few steps it takes from one seat to the next. Yep, this is a club you wish you were not in, and are reading this blog as your most recent and with some discipline, final attempt to quit.
This time around, 1 bite and 1 step at a time, you're going to finally cancel out your membership.

Next Thanksgiving for us, will be a walk in the park, or a day fishing, or cycling. Even if it's still a family get together around a dinner table stacked with way too much food, you'll take a quiet pride in knowing you have the most empty plate on the table. And for once in your life, you'll spend more time talking than eating.

One thing for sure, wherever you are next Thanksgiving, you will be in much better shape an a lot happier.


KRASH
PlaceMarkBooks.com

Day 11 : Black Friday

11/26/2015
 Steps 7536

Hi folks, anyone still alive out there?
Anybody not working today is sitting at home recovering from yesterday's pig out.
Wondering how they could be dieting and still eat what they did, and trying to figure out what to do with all those leftovers.
I'm right there with you.
I probably ate three times more than I should have, but only half of what I used eat on Thanksgiving.
So in that respect, my Diet 1 was a big success. Now it's back to more walking, less eating and trying to spread these leftovers out a reasonable amount of days.

Remember, studies show that on average any new habit takes about 3 months to become a habit. 
We are only on Day 10, so don't freak out yet.

KRASH
PlaceMarkBooks.com

Day 10: Thanksgiving Pig Out

11/26/2015
Steps 1471

Yep, at least in America, this is the first of the holiday season pig outs.
It's also the first big test of your Diet 1, and how good you can discipline the appetite, habits, and genetic influences that got you here!
First off, start today with your normal breakfast, don't try to compensate so you can load up at dinner. You're simply planning not to diet. You just want to keep it on an even keel, and keep it light if possible.

Get that number 1 drawn on your thumbnail. You may even want to do both thumbnails just to make it obvious.

Drink Water
Lots of water.
Start drinking waters as soon as you get up, and keep it going right through the day, any time you feel hungry.
Even if you're going somewhere else for Thanksgiving dinner, do the same thing. Try to down an eight ounce glass of water just before you sit down to the dinner table. This will help digestion, and jump start that full feeling that will slow down your intake of food.

Snacks
Try not to snack too much before dinner or after. Whatever snack you do decide to grab, try to make it a good choice. A piece of celery instead of a big lump of cheese.
If you are home. Think about it for a moment. What you are mostly after is warm comfort foods. It's chilly outside and you're smelling hot things being cooked. So you probably won't even want to look at that cold plate of cauliflower, celery, and so on.
Steam some string beans instead, and keep them on a hot plate, or even some hot pieces of turkey or ham. Just small warm snacks that are a lot less fattening than cheese balls, crackers and chips.

When it comes time for the big meal and they start serving all that food. Don't be the first one to start shoveling things on your plate. Take a moment and look around the table, watching other people serving themselves. Look for the skinny one in the crowd, if there is one. The skimpiest eater. Watch the portions they putting on their plate, and make a mental note to challenge that. See if you can do portions as small, or even smaller, just for the hell of it. And always keep that number 1 thumbnail in view.
Try to keep it down to 1 scoop of this or 1 slice of that. Don't just try to skip the butter on the dinner rolls, try to just skip the dinner rolls completely. You're not trying to starve yourself, just trying to sensibly cut back.

Now that you have it on your plate, try not to start shoveling it in. Remember your 1 bite eating rules. Take 1 small bite of something, set the fork down on the table and chew as long as you can then swallow.
Also keep in mind your the social atmosphere here, stay involved with the conversations around the table and chat as much as possible. This will help take your mind off the food and you'll actually eat less.
Anyone for seconds?
Nope, not me.
If anybody asks just push your stomach out a bit and say you're full up.
And here's a neat trick that not only saves you some calories, but adds some exercise and may pleasantly surprise the folks around you.
Just quietly get up and casually start clearing the table. Don't be pushy about it. Just look for empty plates or glasses and start taking them to the kitchen. While you are up ask other people if they need any of this or that. Offer to refill drinks, etc.

As you work, you are not only making a favorable impression on folks around the table, you'll also be helping them by slowly removing all that leftover food people like to nibble on while sitting there chatting.
At home, or at someones house, if your are comfortable around their kitchen, you can start cleaning up. Rinse off some dishes, start putting some leftovers in the fridge, etc.
You'll knock cut some calories, and impress everybody at the same time.
And you might add a couple hundred much-needed steps to the pedometer you're supposed to be wearing.

If the weather's nice. You might even go for a short walk before the the desert.

And now for Dessert
Probably the most dangerous part, for any dieter.
As they pile those pies, cakes and puddings on the table, relax, take a good long look at that 1 on your thumbnail and then wait.
Just like at dinner, sit back and watch other people start loading their plates. Don't be the first 1, to rush in and start scooping slices of pie. Give it a few moments and then pick out the pie you'd really like to eat and take a slice about half the size you normally take. Remember that rule. 1 slice, 1 piece, 1 serving, etc.
And the 1 rule when it comes to eating that slice. Take a small bite, put your fork down, and really enjoy eating that piece of pie. Like everything else you put your mouth, learn to really enjoy the flavor of it.
Leftovers
If you're at someone's house for Thanksgiving. Just try to not bring any leftovers home. If you actually can't resist, think of it as free food. Try to take home the best food for your system, like some of the veggies are meat. Let the rest of the folks load up on pies and desserts. You don't need those in your house or your body.
If you're polite and courteous, it really shouldn't be a problem. There is usually a scavenger who wants to take every left over to fill their fridge.

Likewise, if it's your house. Take all those really fattening leftovers like the desserts, wrapped them up and start handing them to folks on the way out the door.

BTW, If you think you are the only screw up on Thanksgiving, take another look at my step count for today. 1471

Day 9 The Holidays

11/25/2015
Steps 10466

The holidays,two crazy months of too much eating, spending, partying and praying.
You think it's crazy trying keep any kind of a diet going, just try squeezing out one of these damn blog posts every single day on top of it.

Yah, I got some nice posts coming up, but today I'm helping Mike load up his garage and studio and getting ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow.

So this is just a quick blurb to let you know I'm still here and still working on the Diet 1.

Tune in tomorrow for some advice on making it through Thanksgiving dinner.

Day 8: Thumbnail Reminder

11/24/2015
Steps 7218

Just another Diet 1 reminder.
Yep, that's what you need today, and every other day. Something that is with you all the time and will show up, just as you reach for that triple thick shake, or super sized fries.

This is a very simple one, I mean 1.
Take a marker, like a Sharpie, and draw a big black 1 on your thumbnail. I said it was simple.
 No rubber bands around the fingers or special bracelets. Just a big black 1 on your thumbnail.

This is not quite as simple as it sounds, because you need to draw that 1 on the thumbnail of the hand that you use to grab things. Which of course means you have to draw that 1 with the hand that usually doesn't do anything. So it might take some practice to do a decent job of it, but don't do it to good.

You want it to stick out, not blend in with an immaculately manicured nail.
You could get artistic when painting your nails, with a hand painted 1.
The whole point here is to have something that pops into your field of view every time your reaching for food, snacks or even shopping for them. It may not stop you from stuffing your face full of whatever, but every little reminder, day by day, will keep the idea in your head. And over time, with a little reminder here and there, and you might start listening.

Also that odd little number 1 on your thumbnail will get the attention of people around you, giving you another chance to explain that you are, in fact, dieting and they should pay attention.
No more coming by your desk at the office with the morning doughnuts. Or snickering at lunch when you decide to get a salad.
Actually, nowadays with the baby boomer generation turning into gray-haired bloated couch potatoes, and their grandchildren battling an epidemic of obesity, there's not too many people snickering about diets anymore.
Remember, You are the 1. You need to take care of your health. It is your future.
You are doing this because some thing is not right, and hasn't been for a long time. And if other folks around you can't respect that, just give them a “Thumbs Down” and keep moving forward.
KRASH
PlaceMarkBooks.com

Day 7: Don't Count the Money

11/23/2015
Steps 6226

That's right. When it comes to eating don't count money.
The only value food should have in your mind's is health. What it does for you and your body.

Thinking about what food costs, can really make it a pain in the ass to diet.
Here are a couple quick examples:

1. You buy a medium size ice cream, which you shouldn't be eating anyway. Halfway through it, you start thinking, “ I should've gotten a small.”
But you finish it off anyway, just because it costs three bucks and you don't want to waste the money.

2. You're in a restaurant or fast food joint and you see the salad on the menu.
You are thinking of your Diet 1, and telling yourself that the salad is healthier and a good move in losing some of that weight you've been piling on, but the bean counter in the back of your head is pointing out that it costs more than the junk food, and you don't get as much to eat.
So you opt for the burger and fries.

And of course there's the dreaded all-you-can-eat buffets, that seem to get more expensive every year.
Just to get your money's worth, you not only stuff yourself with enough food to last about three days, it's usually the most unhealthy food on the buffet.

Your best bet is not to walk in the door in the first place.
KRASH

PlaceMarkBooks.com

Day 6: Shopping

11/22/2015
Steps 2060

Grocery shopping that is....
Here's where you can toss it all out the window, or really make your Diet 1 work. Simply put, if you don't buy it, you can't eat it.

Here it's also an advantage being overweight, because as you get heavier, you lose energy and motivation. Things that take physical exertion are more of a hassle, and that includes shopping. If you are so heavy that even getting off the couch is a hassle, you won't want to spent a lotta time at the store. 
It takes a lot more energy to trudg through the grocery store, than wandering over to the kitchen for a snack. And if it's not in the kitchen, you can't eat it, and you won't want to go to the store just for a snack.

So when you're heading to the grocery store, a little more self-control and attention to your
Diet 1 will keep you from having that junk food in the house the next time you want a snack.

The first rule for shopping;
Always go right after you eat. Try never to go to the grocery store hungry. Or high. 

Next never take credit cards, debit cards or any kind of plastic shopping. Try walking into the store with only 10 or $20 in cash, the less the better.

And here's a trick I learned over years of being single. In fact I call it “The Single Guy Trick to Shopping
No shopping cart, and no basket. You only buy what you can carry. And with a little discipline, it won't be a 12 pack of beer.

As soon as you get in the store, go for essentials first. The heaviest, like milk, eggs and juice. Go up and down a few aisles with your arms full of these items, and you're not going to shop for very long or add much more to the pile.

Now head for the checkout before you're tempted to add some chips or salsa to that pile.

BTW. How many steps you got in today. I spent to much time on these blogs, only 2060 steps :(

Day 5: Eating Small

11/21/2015  
Steps 2760

People have a natural tendency to want to fill space!
If they see a blank page, they want to write or draw or paste something there.
If they have an empty room or garage, they will fill it, usually with junk they don't need. Then spend the ensuing years complaining about too much stuff and at the same time, finding excuses why they need to hang onto every bit of it. Even as they add something else to the pile.

If you think about it, even shelving is more junk, but with that lame excuse that it will help organize the stuff you already have and don't need.

FOOD
So why should it be any different at the dinner table.
You have sitting in front of you and empty plate the size of a hub, plus a salad plate, and maybe even a fruit bowl. Just like the closet, you can't add another thing to, you fill every container with as much as it will hold. Then you down everything in record time, so you can fill the hubcap again. This time with the food you like best. Usually the most fattening things on the table. Then, just like looking into that spare bedroom, that you can hardly open the door to, you let out a loud moan, hold your stomach and complain that you just can't eat another thing without exploding.

Smaller is Better
So here's the plan.
Start by leaving the dinner plates on the shelf, and using those salad or sandwich plates that have been collecting dust all these years.
Even if you pile them full, you won't get as much as the old hubcap.

This will be just another reminder.
That after all is one of the underlying principles of the my Diet 1. Unlike other diets that focus on calorie counting, special foods, famous people, and gimmicks. The gimmick of my Diet 1 is simple, a constant reminder to slowly cut down the amount of junk you are stuffing in the closet, your body.

The good news is this closet, unlike the one down the hall, will slowly get smaller and smaller as time goes by.

An added side effect to all this is a shift in your attitude about other things in your life. As you find yourself shoving less and less into your mouth and that bulge in your waste slowly shrinks, you may find that all those places around your house, stuffed full of things you don't use or need slowly start to empty as the fat in your life slowly slips away.


Day 4: Rituals to Habits

11/20/2015
Steps 10621

Are you a churchgoer? Do you hit McDonald's every morning on your way to work? Do you stagger down the stairs, zombie like and get the coffee going while you run through and unconscious list of morning rituals.

Well, over the decades most people developed dozens of these habits. Some mandated by nature, like staggering into the bathroom as soon as you drag your butt out of bed. Most are just repeated ways of doing this or that. Things we do, almost without thinking, that get us from one day to the next.
Some, like stopping for a beer after work, or chatting with friends at the local diner while we sip on coffee and munch a sandwich, make life more enjoyable.
But they often have unwanted side effects. Such as a slowly expanding waistline or clogging arteries. And that is why you are reading this blog.

For the next year we will start new rituals and change old ones, slowly turning each one into a lifelong habit.
One small step at a time.

Get a Pedometer
Yes, now we are going to walk a bit. Or, more importantly, think about walking a bit.
Remember our rules, no big moves, no drastic changes, just slow and easy.

Pedometers are everywhere now days, and cheap. Mine was supplied by the VA for free.

Take note of this veterans. The VA can help with lots of info, hardware and even programs to help you stay healthy, including their MOVE program.

Like many organizations and businesses, they have realized that healthy people save them a vast of amount of money in the long run.

But back to walking. Like I said, you're not going to get a pedometer and start walking 10 miles a day. That is work, and a great way to screw things up.
All we are doing right now is watching. For the first week or two, all we are doing is putting it on and watching how many steps we do in a day.
What we are doing here is starting a ritual that will become a habit, that will over time, improve our health.
The ritual is putting on the pedometer and checking it now and then. Our long-term goal is 5000 steps a day and 10,000 steps once or twice a week.
On average it's about 2000 steps to a mile. I know, 10,000 steps may sound like a lot, and probably is, if you spend your days glued to a TV or computer monitor. But when you start watching that pedometer, you'll be surprised at how fast those steps pile up.

For you more techy folks, there are dozens of apps for your smart phone that measure and keep track of everything from pulse rate to how far you walk and where. Go for it!
I like it simple. I am happy with my pedometer and a small notebook.

Remember, we are simply watching the steps we are taking during the day, not walking a marathon. What you'll notice as the weeks go by, is it's just like our 1 bite rule. The more you think about it, the more you do it.

You'll start thinking about walking here and there, not for the exercise, but just to watch the numbers go up on that pedometer. It becomes kind of a challenge, but one that is slow, and not very stressful or demanding. Just what we are looking for.

KRASH
PlaceMarkBooks.com

Day 3: Just 1 Bite

11/19/2015
Steps 7193

 Yes that's our first goal to work on.
What is 1 bite
Well in short, it's a plan to Slow Down your eating habits, and in tern reduce your intake.
Just 1 bite, then what???

  Put the fork down! Yes, after you take that 1 bite, put the fork down. And let go.
Don't play with your food or start loading it up for the next mouthful. Set the fork on the table, lean back and enjoy the food you already have in your mouth. Savor the flavors, and subtle differences in the various ingredients. 
  If you're eating a burger and fries, same thing. Take 1 bite, and set the burger down. Chew as long as you can, then swallow.

  What good is eating foods you like if you chomp on it a couple times and shove it down with the next mouthful. Or wash it down with what ever super sized drink you have at the time. 

  You more dedicated folks can try the one minute challenge...yes, chewing each bite for one full minute before you swallow. You never thought a minute could be so long.

  Like every thing in this diet, I don't expect you to do this all the time, for every meal. The idea, as always is to start working on it. Think about it! As you go on day by day, you'll just start remembering "Oh yah, 1 bite", and you'll do it a little more often each day. You will slowly build up the habit, 1 bite at a time. 

  As you may have heard before, if you slow down your eating, it gives your system time to catch up, and you get that "I'm Full" feeling long before you are stuffed. So unless you really like feeling uncomfortable, you will eat less.
  Chewing more also improves digestion and nutrient intake. You will actually get more out of the food you eat, quicker. Even junk food!

So, 1 Bite, Set the fork down, Chew, Swallow. Relax...