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.

KRASH

Krashsplace.com

PlaceMarkBooks.com

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

Krashsplace.com

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

Krashsplace.com

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 :(

KRASH

Krashsplace.com

PlaceMarkBooks.com

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.

KRASH

Krashsplace.com

PlaceMarkBooks.com

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

Krashsplace.com

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...

KRASH

Krashsplace.com

PlaceMarkBooks.com