weight watchers

Five New Year Weight Loss Tips

Don Grier

Happy New Year!   I have culled through my content on the Wellness Leadership blog, podcast, and this blog to find the five best tips for those starting a weight loss journey.  Hopefully, these tips will lead you to a healthier, happier New Year.

Visualize Your Why for the New Year

The first thing this New Year is to define your purpose.  Each morning, wake up with a “why” in your heart and head, sometimes two!  What is a “why”?  A “why” is the motivation for taking on something difficult and the purpose for doing so.  A why drives you forward even when you can’t go on.  Why’s are imperative to change a bad habit or get out of a rut.

It is important to have a visual representation of the outcome you want to obtain. This representation will remind you why you are making the change and help keep you motivated when times get tough. One way to do that is to create a Vision Board, a series of pictures and text snippets that visualize your goal. 

Below is the visual representation of my first “why” that I created at WW on the Hay House Vision Board app (located here: Hay House Vision Board).  As represented in this Vision Board, I wanted to lose weight, look decent for my reunion, and get healthy in memory of my parents.

New Year weight loss Vision Board
Make A Vision Board

You can take concrete steps daily this new year to wake up with your why. I accomplish this through journaling and meditation. I use the Gratitude Journal (located here ) to help prompt me to realize my why. 

So, do not wander and wallow in the unknown this New Year.  Instead, visualize your why and build a better future for yourself and others! To read more about developing your why, read this blog.

Put One Foot in Front of the Other this New Year

On January 2nd, you see the same thing in gyms worldwide each New Year. Membership jumps as everyone tries to lose the pounds they put on over the holidays. The February phenomenon follows that as gym attendance takes a significant nosedive.

Often, people who join the gym and leave early in the new year start too fast out of the gate. They decide to try to sprint instead of walk and injure themselves.  

Others failed to take the second step after joining the gym.  Perhaps they were too self-conscious about their appearance in their exercise clothes or afraid to ask for help on the weight machines.   Either way, they did not follow the cardinal rule when starting.  You need to put one foot in front of the other. 

I have experienced the need to take it slow but still go. Weighing over 350 pounds when I started ten New Years ago, I could not walk far because of my joints, so I did low-impact water aerobics. I then progressed over time to the elliptical trainer. By the journey’s end, I was doing four hours of Spinning nonstop or walking 50 miles in one day. Remember, start with baby steps and then progress.

So, like the Winter Warlock in that old holiday favorite – Santa Claus is Coming to Town, just put one foot in front of the other, and you will soon hit your wellness goal. To learn more about this topic, read this blog.

Be Consistent Like Army Football

Army football had a great year, except for that one loss to Navy.   The key to their success is the same key to a positive weight loss journey: consistency! 

The Army football team does not have many plays, but what they do have is run consistently. Each player knows exactly where to block in their Flexbone Triple Option set. This scheme is run only at the Service Academies and requires discipline and consistency. Due to the smaller size of the players, each player needs to execute flawlessly. 

This consistency also served me well, as I lost over 170 lbs! I did not have a lot of plays in my weight loss arsenal, but I consistently did what I did have (tracking points, walking, mindfulness). Each day, I tracked my food, walked a mile, and meditated for at least 10 minutes. Much like the Army team pounds the football down the field, I pounded away the pounds with consistent execution!

To learn other rules of wellness from Army Football, read this blog.

THINK Before You Speak in the New Year

We all know the adage: Think before you speak.   However, take it a step further and follow the acronym THINK this New Year.  

  1. T – Is It Truthful? Here is one of the thoughts that ran through my head when I was 358 lbs.  “I do not have any willpower, and I am too tired to break out of this rut!”  That statement was not truthful, and on second thought, I realized it.  I had jumped out of planes at Airborne school and passed the strict discipline of the black hats.  I had the willpower, so it was not a truthful statement.  If you focus on falsehood instead of the truth, you attack yourself, others, and the wrong problem.
  2. H – Is it Helpful? Do not dwell on the mistakes of the past.  It is not helpful to dwell on the Quarter Pounder you ate.  Instead, it is beneficial to think about what triggered the momentary lapse and plan how you will do better.
  3. I—Is it Inspiring? I cannot tell you how much reading inspiring books and quotes has changed and fashioned my inner dialogue. Don’t preach to the choir; Be Inspired when you communicate to yourself and others!
  4. N—Is it Needed? Too many random, negative thoughts clutter our inner and outer dialogue.  Do not cloud your thoughts with unneeded worries or fears; focus on what’s now and needed!
  5. K – Is it Kind? This is the most critical part of the acronym: Be conspicuously kind to yourself and others.  A kind act to yourself will allow you to drive to improved health when you have a momentary setback.  Being kind to others will have a double whammy.  It will bring you joy and lower stress. 

Stop The Negative Talk, Take a Walk, and Be Thankful.

Some say the key to health is reducing calories, while others say exercise is the key. Both are important, but controlling negative thoughts is the key to weight loss. A positive outlook and a can-do attitude work wonders on your body and soul. 

When striving to get well and be a better leader, you should first stop the negative talk. You must replace “can’t do” with “can do.” 

Also, you need to stop the practice of “worst casting.”  The racing voice inside your head blows the simplest setback into a full-fledged downward spiral. The best way to stop the negative talk is to take a walk.

When your mind is racing, and you’re feeling stressed, don’t reach for a Whataburger – take a walk!  Preferably outside.  It will do three things for you. 

First, it will relieve stress and calm you down.  Especially if you are out in nature, hearing birds singing and smelling the flowers. 

Second, it will allow you to catch up with your thoughts and combine them coherently. One thing that helps with this second one is listening to a relevant audiobook. I cannot tell you how often I solved the latest problem or came up with a blog story by listening to a book.

The last rule is to focus on thankfulness instead of worry and anxiety.  No matter the difficulty of the situation, you can be thankful for the learning experience.  To read more on this topic, check out this blog.

A New Year, A New You

Hopefully, these five tips will help you improve your wellness this New Year. 

7 Essential Books for Wellness and Personal Growth

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My Wellness blog today is a little bit different. I will discuss the importance of reading, writing, and arithmetic in keeping healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Reading

I am and have always been a voracious reader. I read everything from science fiction to poetry, historical fiction, wellness books, and the latest David Baldacci book. Reading has been key to my Wellness journey for two reasons.

First, audiobooks have helped entertain me as I worked out. It is called learning while burning.  I walked 10 miles while listening to Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers. I was so enthralled with the book while learning to talk to unfamiliar groups that I didn’t mind the Texas heat.   The book improved my civility as I sweated off the pounds.

But I do not always listen to audiobooks. Sometimes, to retain more information, I relax and read a written book. This helps bring about wellness in a different way. In this case, I read for retention and relaxation. Some spiritual books even help me with the practice of mindfulness and prayer.

“Waiting on the Word” by Malcolm Guite is one book I am reading now. If you do not know Malcolm, I highly recommend him. He is an Anglican priest, poet, commentator, songwriter, and singer in a rock’n’roll band. Here is his blog page.

Waitning on the Word by Malcolm Guite helps my wellness
Waiting on the Word Malcolm Guite

“Waiting on the Word” is a series of poems with associated commentary and reflection for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. I am reading this Advent, which has helped me with my prayer life.

Seven Books for Wellness

I also read books to inform myself on different aspects of wellness. Here are seven books I’ve read in the last few years to help me grow in this area.

1. Bill Bryson’s “The Body” is essential for anybody trying to heal their body and improve their overall health. The book is excellent. It gives insight into the human body, from the brain down to the toes and everything in between.

2.  “From Strength to Strength” by Arthur C Brooks is perfect for those who are getting older and want to figure out their next mission. It talks about how you use the fluid intelligence of your earlier years differently as it becomes more crystallized into wisdom.

3.  “Essentialism” by Greg McKeown discusses simplifying your life by breaking it down to the essentials. In this way, you relieve anxiety and do not become as focused on the minutiae of life.

4.  “Think Again” by Adam Grant talks about how you can constantly improve by changing your mind. The book provides the best techniques to change direction and discern where to go.

5.  “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg and “Atomic Habits” by James Clear are essential to understanding how to use habits to improve yourself.

6. “Green Lights” by Matthew McConaughey is a surprising book about how Matthew accomplished his success in life by chasing the green lights instead of fretting about the stoplights.

7. “10% Happier” by Dan Harris gives insight into the simple tasks you can do day-to-day to feel more fulfilled and, in general, happier.

I could go on with many others. If you look at just my audiobooks, I’ve listened to over 250 books in the last five years.

What About Actual Reading

I read a lot less in physical form, but audiobooks are a good way to get an initial survey of a book that you may want to dive into deeper. And if you want to go on a long walk to lose weight, nothing beats “The Game of Thrones” in audiobook form while walking long distances.

Writing for Wellness

Enough about reading, so let’s move on to writing. Writing is excellent for wellness in three different ways.

Journaling can be an excellent way to relieve stress and anxiety while remembering what you are thankful for and the lessons you learned that day. I have kept a journal for the last 10 years and have somewhere along the lines of 40 fully completed journal books. The journaling book I am currently using is the Gratitude Journal, and I like it because it has both a day portion and an evening portion, so you can plan your day and see how you did during the day. It also provides a weekly challenge and a quote that inspires you daily.

A second form of writing that helps with wellness is blogging. It is helpful in several ways. First, it enables you to cement new ideas and concepts as you learn them. I find myself reading my older blogs to remember lessons I have learned and reinitiate those practices.

Second, it distracts you from the TV and other mind-numbing activities that don’t help you improve.

Lastly, it allows you to play it forward in part by sharing the lessons that you have learned so that others can succeed. I also find inspiration in writing, especially poetry. It takes my mind out of the day-to-day minutiae and lifts it to contemplate something larger than myself in my petty once it needs the hour.

Arithmetic and Wellness?

Most of you can determine why writing and reading are essential to wellness. But I may have questioned what arithmetic has to do with wellness.

I have not previously blogged about this, but I teach high school math part-time. I have found that preparing for my lessons has sharpened my mind and problem-solving abilities. Solving a math problem also gives you a sense of immediate satisfaction and accomplishment when you get it right. It also helps you exercise that most important muscle, the mind, as you struggle with an algebraic concept that you may have known forty years ago but had forgotten. It is also rewarding to pass on the love of math to another generation.

Your 8th Grade Teacher Was Right!

I also love studying the algorithms and math behind wellness applications such as WW and Noom.  Call me a geek,  but knowing how WW Smart points are calculated and how those calculations have changed over the years has made me more nutritionally aware.

So there you have it. Your 8th grade teacher was correct when they told you reading, writing, and arithmetic would make you a better person. So, grab a good book, write down your learning, and exercise your mind with math puzzles. I promise you you will improve and change well. You can hear this blog with some additional information on our Podcast Page.

Five December Tips for Reducing Stress This Holiday Season

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Five Wellness Tips to Make It Through December

The Delight and Difficulties of December

I love the holidays in December, but the month can be full of stress for recovering food addicts like me.  The cookies, candies, and cakes that are a fixture of Christmas and other December holidays can make it hard to stay on track with your weight maintenance.

December can also be stressful for mental wellness, especially for those who recently lost loved ones. It can also be lonely for those away from family and friends.

Shopping, preparing for the company, and closing out work before departing for the holidays can also cause stress. When the kids were younger, my wife and I left work and rushed around frantically, trying to get the last Furby or the latest Pokémon game. Equally stressful was Christmas Day, when we showed the kids how to get Pikachu through the cave in the game we had just bought.

Despite all of this, I love Christmas. I look forward to the holidays each year, but I often worry if I will make it through December with my fitness and sanity intact.

Image of song parody video - If we make it through Christmas and December with the holiday stress we will be fine.
If We Make It Through December with Our Wellness intact.

It is Like a Country Song

It is like that old Merle Haggard song, “If We Make It Through December.”  Here’s a new chorus and verse of my devising.  You can hear me sing it on the latest version by clicking this link to the Change Well Podcast or view it on our YouTube video here

If we make it through December,

Everything is going to be all right, I know,

It’s a stressful time in winter,

And I shiver when I see the falling snow.

If we make it through December,

Got plans to exercise when it comes summertime,

Maybe even do a burpee,

 If we make it through December, we’ll be fine.

Got stuck here down at the office,

My boss wanted me to do some extra things,

Got so stressed by the late departure,

I went out and got some onion rings.

I don’t mean to gain weight in December,

It’s meant to be the happy time of year,  

But that lady just took the last Furby,

So I went to the bar, and I had a beer.

I apologize to Merle’s legacy. The original song, If We Make It Through December, can be read about by clicking here. 

However, the sentiment is true. Making it through December is challenging for those who are watching their wellness. Here are five tips to help you stay on track this holiday season.

Don’t Be Afraid to Say No This December

The season is not only the time of giving but also the time for just saying no. I know it’s difficult when grandma comes to you with her latest treat and says you must eat – you’re getting too thin. But you know that’s not the case, and you have already eaten three treats. So, as hard as it is to say no to grandma, you need to keep your weight under control.

How do you say no to grandma? Well, it won’t go well if you don’t practice. You need to say no diplomatically. For example, tell her that her fruitcake was so good that you only needed one piece.

Finally, you need to set boundaries with your family and friends. This is especially important if you are an introvert. Your uncle George may want to talk to you for the first hour, but when he rambles on for the second hour, politely step away and take a walk. Everyone needs their space.

Don’t Wait Until Summertime to Exercise

I know it is hard to exercise when it is cold out. Finding the extra time during this busy season to keep up your regular exercise routine is tricky. But you must exercise and do not wait until summer comes and the weather changes.

Finding an indoor venue is the best way to exercise when cold out. There is always a way to exercise inside, even in the coldest places like Des Moines, IA. I once exercised in Des Moines when it was ten below zero and a Blizzard by walking in their heated skyway at 6:00 AM. You can read more about this by clicking this link.

Another way to exercise during the holiday season is to gamify shopping. See how fast you can run down the aisles with your shopping cart and get the groceries or presents you need. I once did this in 10 minutes with two kids in a shopping cart, and they loved it. We called the game Crazy Cart.

One last thing that’ll make exercising easier during this holiday season is working out with a friend. This lets you catch up before the festivities and get your sweat on. You can read more tips in our previous blog

Work Can Wait This December

Another person you must say no to is your boss, which is problematic. When they come up to you with a last-second request, you must remember that they probably will not recall that you did this for them one month later. But your child will remember the Christmas concert you missed their whole life. I know this from experience working throughout the holidays on several proposals.

Tell your boss up front your expectations for time-off. Plan with them the time that you will need to take off. Also, work with them to prioritize tasks to hit quarterly targets while reducing time away from family and friends. In my experience, most bosses will work with you if you do this forthrightly and diplomatically.

The Best Gifts Do Not Need to Be the Hottest Gift

My mom had a great observation on Christmas gifts, especially for little children.  She said you could get the best toy, but toddlers usually play with the bow on the package. 

You do not need to stand in line for an hour or be stressed that Amazon will not deliver the hot toy on time.  How much fun is a Tickle-Me Elmo after you tickled it a few times? And trust me, a Furby can get downright annoying with its gibberish and constant need to be fed.

The best presents I received during childhood were thoughtful surprises, many made by hand. The one I remember the most is a chemistry set my parents got me without asking.  I was no Young Sheldon, but my parents knew I loved academics.  I completed every experiment in that kit.

Remember The Reason for the Season

Holidays are meant for fellowship, family, and celebrating something higher than ourselves. My family celebrates Christmas each year, when Jesus, the light that came into the world, was born. Other faiths have Festivals of Light, including Hanukkah, Diwali, and Kwanza, to name some. This joy is to be shared among friends, family, and neighbors! 

The light of these holidays may seem a bit dimmer this year.  We struggle to find peace with the ongoing conflicts in the world.  Don’t give in to the stress of the holiday season and the world. 

The best way to stay on track this December is to be thankful and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.   Say a prayer for someone in need.  Donate to charity.  Most of all, we should honor the light that has come into the world with peace, giving, and kindness.

In closing, here is a poem I wrote on the meaning of Christmas.

God and man intertwined,
He chose us and left Heaven behind,
To dwell on Earth and bring death to sin,
This is when our true life begins.So, today, when you open boxes, bows,
Think of the gift where all time flows,
God seeking us, come down from Above,
In the heart of a babe, overflowing with love

Six Amazing Tracking Tips for Weightloss and Wellness

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Last week’s blog was a little out there even for me.  I enjoyed tying the ideas and lives of Winston Churchill and David Bowie about purposeful change together.  If you have not already, you should listen, even to hear me imitate the musical chameleon, Bowie.  But for today’s podcast, I decided to reel it back into a topic a little less out there, a little more meat and potatoes!   That is the importance of tracking your wellness journey, whether it be the meat and potatoes you consume, the steps you walk, or those moments of serendipity that bring you happiness each day!

Some in the wellness industry give tracking a bad name. Some firms even want you to buy prepackaged foods, mixes, and pills so you can avoid what they consider the mundane practice of tracking. Buy our food, lose weight, and leave the monitoring to us! Do our specific exercise routine and watch your muscles grow and your stomach shrink. Better yet, take this pill or shot, and you don’t have to exercise or watch what you eat. 

Let me debunk these claims of the wellness industry.   First and foremost, people like to choose their food and want variety. You should feel liberated in your food choices, not restricted.  Also, what you gain in convenience from prepacked food, you lose in knowing how to eat nutritionally for your body type.  Lastly, when you run out of money for the next shot or order of prepacked food, you have no habits to fall back on and gain weight.  Trust me.  I am the guy who tried every prepackaged diet and exercise routine until I went old-school and decided to take matters into my own hands.

Today, I track the food I eat, my daily exercise routines, and even the beneficial habits I want to adopt and the bad habits I want to limit. It may seem like a lot of work, but trust me, it’s worth it.  Like a science experiment, you must track all variables in your wellness journey. And just like in business, you can only improve what you track. This is not just a personal journey but a proven method that I urge you to consider for your wellness journey.  

The human body is one of the most complicated organisms on the planet.  New things are discovered daily despite being the most studied topic since the existence of science.  Also, no two people are exactly alike.  What works for one person may not work for you.  Therefore, owning your wellness and tracking your habits and the outcomes they produce is essential. 

For ten years, I have tracked my activity, food intake, habits, mindfulness, and sense of well-being. The result? I lost half my body weight, eliminated sleep apnea, improved my disposition, and became more fit.    Here are some recommendations for those of you initiating a tracking habit.

1.  Track everything you eat or drink. 

The best way to lose weight is to track what you eat.  You will better understand portion control and the trigger foods you need to avoid by consciously tracking your food intake.  You use this and weekly weight tracking to determine what works and what foods to avoid.  That way, you can focus on what works rather than trying everything that doesn’t! 

2. Track before you attack. 

The first rule is always to figure out what you will have before departing.  Most restaurants now post nutritional values on menus on their website.  Read the menu, pick your menu items, and record the calories before departing.  Like a good soldier, never eat without a good plan of attack. This preparation gives you a sense of control and confidence in your choices.

3. Indulge but count.  

You can indulge a bit on vacation or a celebration.  While on Vacation, I shared a few desserts with my wife for the first time in a long time.  But I also carefully tracked everything I ate to know I was in striking distance for the week.  By monitoring and not attacking the buffet line, I could enjoy some of the colonial recipes and comfort foods in Virginia on a recent vacation in a controlled manner.  I was able to indulge and avoid the bulge!

4.  Gamification.

Tracking your food, habits, and activities can become mundane, so make a game of it.  I use the Fitbit application and the WW application to track food activity.  In the WW application, I try to get a blue dot award (staying in a recommended point zone) five days a week.  By striving for the Blue Dot, I had fun and learned different approaches to balance activity and food intake.  Likewise, I have step contests with my friends on the Fitbit application and engage in friendly banter and competition.

5. Listen to Your Body and Record Your Well-Being. 

Your body knows what it wants.  That is the reason too many hamburgers and fries cause you to indigestion.    Feed your body with the good stuff.  Choose vegetables and fruit over candy and sugar.  Remember, just like listening to someone, you must listen to your body closely to understand what it says.  Then, record your well-being and compare it to your activity, habits, and food intake. You may think your body is saying I need sleep when, in reality, your body is saying I need to exercise and get energy, or I am dehydrated and need water. 

6.  Three Applications that Help You Track.  

Here are three applications that have helped me track.

WW application.   I am amazed at this application and consider it one of the best mobile applications I have ever used.  This is coming from a guy who built applications for a living.  The best feature is its tracking application, which allows you to scan food bar codes and track the WW points that you use.  It also has a Connect feature that will enable you to connect to other people on the Weight Watchers journey.  In addition, it has a feature that allows you to reach a Weight Watcher employee any time of the day through instant messaging to answer questions and provide inspiration.  This feature once prevented me from eating a seemingly healthy wrap, which was half my allotted food intake!  This application has a monthly subscription, but it is worth it if you want to lose weight.  My Fitness Pal is an alternative free application, but I like WW’s features.

Fitbit is a fantastic application and tool. I use it daily to track my exercise, measure my heart rate and sleep, and participate in competitions with my friends. I no longer have a watch; instead, I wear my Fitbit as a watch. It also has a feature to track the number of glasses of water I drink daily, another critical element of weight loss. One of my most prized possessions from Fitbit is the 100,000-step Olympian Sandal for walking 50 miles daily. 

Happyfeed is a simple but powerful application! Each day, it reminds you to log three things you are happy about. This helps you think of the good stuff and not get depressed. The app also has a feature that allows you to add pictures and look at history.

Streaks allows you to set repeating habits and track them daily. Establishing habits and tracking them is vital in achieving goals related to weight loss and other areas. Some of my habits that help with weight loss are journaling for 15 minutes daily, writing a blog weekly, and praying daily.

In closing, you need to track to keep on track and change well.  You can only change what you measure, and by tracking, you better know what habits you need to change.