weight loss tips - Weight Loss and Leadership

Let in Snow! 3 Tricks to Stay on Track Despite Travel Woes

2020-01-14Don Grier1 Comment

Keeping on track with your weight loss journey is tough when traveling under the best circumstances. It can be doubly so when your plane is delayed or even cancelled on a Friday. But it does not have to be! You can stick to your healthy habits with these three tricks.

1. When it snows, find a Skywalk! Getting stuck overnight in a hotel because of a blizzard can curtail your weekend exercise routine. I do not know about you but walking on a treadmill just does not get it for me. I like my walks with some scenery and adventure. One way to switch it up if you can’t get outside is to find a mall or even an indoor Skywalk. Last weekend I was stuck in Des Moines, Iowa when my plane was cancelled. Luckily, I did not have to miss my Saturday Morning walk. I found an entry to the downtown Skywalk about a block away. After a brief bout with the sub-zero wind chill, I was soon walking and getting lost in the Skywalk. It was quite an adventure trying to find my way back through the maze of corridors. Also, felt a bit like Maxwell Smart with all the automatic opening doors. When I was finally done, I had five miles in, while braving the cold for only a few minutes.

2. Don’t stress, catch up on your rest! Missing your flight home due to weather can be stressful if you let it. But it also can be an opportunity to catch up on your rest. If you can’t get out of your hotel, catch up on your snooze time. Most of us are sleep deprived anyway and a few extra hours of rest can do wonders for your metabolism. On the flipside, overly worrying can lead to stress eating.

3. If your late, just meditate. You do not have to get caught up in the noise and bustle when stuck in an airport. Most airports have a chapel, lounge or quiet space where you can meditate or pray according to your practice to clear your head. Here is a guide that can help you out. https://www.sleepinginairports.net/

One of my favorite places is the chapel at DFW. But you can also find one of the gates that does not have a flight for an hour. For just type of these delays, I keep meditation applications Headspace, Calm, and the podcast Christian Meditation on my iPhone.

A plane delay or cancellation does not need to be a reason to go off the wagon. Use these three tips to keep on track when travel sets you back!

Mediterranean Magic: 5 Ways to Maintain Weight on Vacation

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Recently I and my wife went on a ten-day Pilgrimage to religious sites in Israel, Palestine and Italy. While I looked forward to the trip, I was worried about gaining weight. We went on a tour in which each moment of the day was planned to include where and when to eat. Hearing stories of how people gained 10 or more pounds on a tour had me worried. I was used to controlling my eating habits by eating primarily at home and tracking my food intake and timing consistently through the WW application. Having lost over 150 pounds on this regimen and keeping most of it off for 4 years, I was facing the unknown. I did not know what food would be offered nor did I know if I could even spell it to find in the application! Also, I knew the all breakfasts and dinners would be offered buffet style. I had avoided buffets since losing the weight because they always have been my nemesis. I had images of Golden Corral with numerous desserts and heavy American food and I was worried I could not control my eating habits.

Well, I should have rested easier, especially in Israel and Palestine (although Italy still posed problems due to its Pastas). The buffets at the Israeli hotels in Tel-Aviv, Nazareth and Jerusalem were a lot different than their US counterparts or those on cruise ships. There were five main distinguishing factors that made the buffets healthier than their US counterparts on the trip:

1. Vegetables, vegetables, vegetables! At each hotel there was an abundance of vegetables. They were fresh and varied. They also were front and center taking the place of the heavier entrees that are in US buffets. Another change were vegetables were available for breakfast along with fruit. For a devoted WW, it was a zero-point heaven and I loaded down with new and varied tastes. I loved the Israeli peppers and pickles that tasted different than those used in the US.

2. The best Hummus anywhere. Sorry Greece. Israeli Hummus is incredible and varied. In the morning there was about 5 types and the evening 7. In the US, I can tolerate Hummus, but it is not my favorite. In Israel, it is a different story! It tastes so fresh and tasty. Sorry American Greek restaurants, Israeli hummus it is where it is at!

3. Kosher food and whole foods. All the food in the Israeli buffet is Kosher and is prepared to exacting standards. It is not processed like its US counterparts and you can taste the difference. In addition, whole foods are bountiful. Nothing processed. Indeed, for the first time, I enjoyed a fish cooked whole from the Sea of Galilee (see below). I was a little nervous but was able to figure out how to eat correctly from a YouTube video! It was delicious.

4. Portion control. I was really worried about the dessert table, but I should not have been. Although I enjoyed a desert each meal, I did not have to worry about overindulging. No large ladles dipped in Apple cobbler or big slices of cake. The deserts were smaller so you could have a dessert and not be tempted by overindulging. The only problem on portion control was the coffee. We had to get up early each day and the coffee cups were small. Also, for some reason, Israeli’s love instant coffee and seldom could I find brewed coffee. Oh well, you can’t have everything.

5. Fish, fish, fish. I usually do not like fish but here it was varied, plentiful and the main offering. I even ate fish for breakfast! Had my first taste of salmon and pickled herring in the morning and it was surprisingly good!

At the end of my ten-day vacation, I had only gained .2 lbs. while still eating dessert each day. I think I would have lost wait if the entire trip was in Israel, but we also traveled to Italy for 3 days. I cannot resist Gelato and pasta. Also, an Italian cappuccino blows is cheaper than the US and is about 10 times better. Still, gaining only .2 lbs. while indulging in the Gelato’s for three days is quite a coup!

March Back to Fitness!

2019-08-23Don Grier

Back in my Army and West Point days, I never thought of marching and carrying a ruck in fitness terms. It was a necessity. What you carried on your back is what you brought into combat. The more you put in, the more you were weighed down. The less you put in, the more you ran the risk of being ill-prepared.

Recently, however, I realized the fitness benefits of rucking for civilians. I started carrying a weighted ruck in preparation for the Shadow West Point March back that happened last week. The March Back coincides with the annual 13-mile march back of the United States Military Academy’s Plebe Class at the conclusion of summer Cadet Basic Training. I and about 15 fellow members of the West Point Society of Central Texas finished the march last week. The March included loaded Rucksacks and the Texas Heat! See the picture below. The Weather Channel even filmed a piece about us! I will let you know when it comes out.

Rucking has many benefits and is my latest fitness obsession. There is even a community of Veterans that go on rucking events. It is called GoRuck and raises money for Veterans dealing with PTSD. I am currently training for the next major event near Austin.

Here are the five major benefits of Rucking:

Low Impact. Unlike running that puts stress on your joints, rucking is low impact especially if you pack your ruck correctly.
Burns Calories. It burns 3 times the calories that walking does (even more in Texas heat).
Carry your Hydration. A ruck provides a convenient compartment to store water and remain hydrate. I fill up the bladder from my Camelback in my ruck. It adds weight and prevents me from passing out int the Texas heat!
Low Cost. I bought my rucksack for less than 40 dollars on Amazon. There is no need to get a specialized rucksack unless you want to. To weight it down, I just evenly distributed 5 lbs. weights that I already had in pouches.
Fun and social. I loved marching with fellow members of the Long Grey Line and being out in nature.

Marching with a ruck is not just for the military. Pick up your ruck, lace up your shoes and march back to health!

Coffee Cups Are Not Just for Coffee, Anymore!

2019-08-21Don Grier

I have a secret weight loss weapon when traveling on the road – coffee cups. This wonderful tool is ubiquitous at hotels. Here are three simple weight loss hacks related to coffee cups:

The first is the obvious one – use it for coffee. Nothing gets the constitution working better than coffee. I drink one cup and you are ready for the rest room. But stop at one or two or you will have the opposite result since coffee is a diuretic. Also, if you are older like me and walking to the office you may not make it to the office a second time!
The perfect hard-boiled egg container. Almost as ubiquitous as coffee cups at the hotel breakfast counter are hard boiled eggs. They are a perfect source of protein and a great way to satisfy mid-morning snack or for lunch. A standard coffee cup can hold 3 large hard-boiled eggs. Place a lid on it and label it and now you have a ready-made free lunch to stick in the office refrigerator! See picture below of my friend adopting this new craze. Coffee cups can also serve as containers for the fresh fruit that is often set up on the breakfast buffet (don’t forget bananas and apples in your backpack). You could also use coffee cups for oatmeal. All three serve as wholesome snacks and lunch on the run. You also can save money if not on an expense account (or save your expense account to splurge on dinner!)
Larger cups for infused water. I love that a lot of hotels are now providing fruit infused water at the hotel. But I do not love the little dinky plastic cups with no lids. Answer – use coffee cups with lids and get 16 ounces of delicious water (to wipe away the effects of the second coffee).

There you have it. Coffee cups are not just for coffee anymore. Instead, they are a secret weight loss weapon for people on the go!