Why my Weight Loss Program Works so Well

 The Satiety Index           Do you know how some food seems to be more satisfying and fill you up faster and longer than others?

Australian researcher Susanna Holt, PhD, studied this and developed a system to measure the ability of different foods to satisfy our hunger. For example, a 200-calorie serving of a baked potato satisfies your hunger more than a 200-calorie serving of potato chips.   Interestingly, all calories are not equal when it comes to satisfying your hunger.

Why some foods score higher on the satiety index than others has to do with their chemical composition, and the amounts of fiber, protein and water they contain. My Weight Loss Program has used this valuable information and formulated meal replacement foods and drinks so that they rate high on the satiety index. This helps to keep you full despite the low number of calories you eat.

In addition to eating foods with a high fullness factor, you are eating a high-protein meal (or meal replacement) every few hours. This helps to keep your blood sugar levels even, controlling hunger and cravings. This also works to maintain your lean muscle while you are burning that unwanted fat.

Transitioning from 2000+ calories a day to 1,400 calories or less takes commitment. Getting into the habit of helping your body maintain the fat-burning mode by walking 10,000 steps per day takes about an hour of focused effort, as well as not sitting while you talk on your cell phone, walk around whenever you can. Get moving again; maximize your body’s natural lean body set point. It will get you there and keep you there if you eat right and exercise more.  A good food program, a good coach, good curriculum to learn the science behind the program, and exercise can become a way of life.  After a while it seems so right and it becomes natural.

One Single Obstacle Sidetracks Most of us During Weight Loss--How to Conquer is the Best-kept Secret

Weight control is hard due to stress eating or emotional eating. It’s not exclusively our fault we eat too much; it’s one very normal human response to conflict. We look for a quick fix to the dilemma we are in, or the stress we are feeling. Chocolate, ice cream, or just plain old over-eating brings some immediate relief, so we indulge.

Recently I was in a high stress environment preparing for a monthly training meeting I would conduct/lead with my boss listening in from a 1500 mile away over a Polycom speaker-phone system. I have done these kinds of meetings on a large scale for years, but I still get anxious as I prepare. Speaking in front of a group is a huge fear for most of us. It’s a normal human response.

The secret is learning a long term strategy to deal with conflict in a new and more productive way. I have been winning most of these battles in recent months as I have lost over 41 lbs. Recently I lost my weight-loss focus and gave in to several luscious chocolate covered sugar cookies, and over the process of 6 hours to a snickers bar (drat, I do love those things), and a couple of bowls of sugar puffs with 2% milk. I hadn’t eaten any of these trigger foods for quite awhile.

By the time I went to bed I was feeling bloated, but not discouraged. My recent success losing significant weight helped me realize I would get back on the wagon and stay vigilant until my next official weigh-in. If you don’t mess up too often during a weight loss program your metabolism cleans out your system and keeps your body working toward success. My thinking was confirmed when I arrived at the day for my weight check. All was not lost, since my body was still in metabolic weight loss mode.

This morning I added some extra fiber to my 70 calorie shake, which helped clean out my over-full system. I have learned to really love those shakes about as much as my trigger foods. Dutch Chocolate, Strawberry, and Orange Shakes taste so good. And thus I am back on my nutrition program and not letting a short binge cause long term melt down. That has made the difference in my success on my program. I won't allow myself to get discouraged when I mess up and thereby continue the damage and slow my metabolism.

So to review, here is weight loss tip #2: Don’t get discouraged if you stray from your program. The added stress just perpetuates the problem of conflict eating. You have an escape route built in when you have developed the habit of six-small-meals daily. Your food is in place and you know how to enjoy each small meal.

One of my main reasons for believing so intensely in this approach to weight loss is how I have adapted to this lifestyle. It really has not been too hard after the first few weeks. I feel healthier and stronger. Gradually I have increased my activity. I am up to one hour of exercise 4 times per week with both cardio and weights. I am lifting 2 sets of weights for all my “old-guy” muscle groups. I no longer feel faint-headed when at the gym burning off 400-500 calories my daily allotment.

My desire is to maintain this eating style for the duration of my life. The calories per day will rise when I get to my goal weight but the 6 meals approach will stay in place. My stretching and exercise will increase. I will weigh in daily to keep monitoring any changes in my body-fat levels. If I notice weight gain beyond 3-5 lbs I will cut back on calories for a few days and get back to my goal weight.
Another secret; some of my “Lean and Green” meal have been from “Healthy Choice” microwavable prepackaged meals and steamers---yes, from the store. I started doing this while my wife Jeannie was away helping our oldest daughter who had some surgery recently. These meals come closest to the requirement for a “Lean and Green” with 300 – 350 calories. It is the one meal per day not provided by my program. Each costs about $3.00 if you look for the sales.  

Overall our food budget for me has not gone up much at all on this nutrition program.

So don’t get discouraged should you be normal and mess up for a few hours or even a few days. Just get back on your program as soon as you can. Every day is a new horizon and the future always looks promising.

Lift.do Questions and Answers

I have been surprised by the quick and voluminous response to my Health Challenge 2014.  My encouragement is to lose 20 pounds by the end of February 2014.  

Some of you have wondered how to use he lift.do website to help with weight loss goals.  If you click through from my blog it will go to the goals that I have set for myself and that I suggest for our group of weight-loss enthusiasts.  To use the site for your own goals you need to go directly into lift.do by pasting the url exactly as indicated in this sentence into your own browser. You will then be able to register and set your own goals.  

I am very interested in the goals you are establishing for yourself.  I hope you will share them with our group either through my lift.do/ site or in the comments section of my blog.  The more sharing we do the better.  Working with a group and a coach is far more successful than going it alone.  Thanks for your interest and participation.   

Take Back My Health Challenge 2014 --- Whose up for losing 20 pounds by the end of February?

Whose up for losing 20 pounds by the end of February 2014? 



Last time I made this challenge I invited friends to join me to make it more fun and to put more incentive into the process.  By reporting progress to each other we were able to stay on task and record a group loss of hundreds of pounds.  It jump started many lives toward better health.  This time I am expanding the invitation to all

my Facebook acquaintances as well.    

We start dieting on January 2, 2014.  You can be a visible contributing participant or just follow along quietly and get inspiration from the group posts and reports. 

To join the group ---  simply leave your email address to the right of this post and you will receive notification of new posts.  I won't give your email address to anyone else. Then go to www.lift.do/ , sign up, and see goals for helping weight loss.  You can share your progress and ideas in the comments section of the blog, including pictures if you so choose.   I hope you will join us.

  

Lost 34 pounds in the Past 4 Months

Even though it is the "Holidays" I am still losing weight at a steady clip, averaging almost 9 pounds per month.  My stomach has made the adjustment to small meals and just doesn't want to overdo it any more.  I weighed in at 226 a few days ago.  So that is 34 pounds lost in not-quite 4 months. 

My most recent effort to lose started at 260 pounds.  However, I first started this quest in 2011 after finding myself at 280 pounds.  Being big-boned no longer hid the fact that I was fat.  I started by getting help from a weight loss coach through "Take Shape For Life".  They provided 5 of my 6 meals per day. I learned new habits and changed my body chemistry. 

After awhile I started to provide my own food and continued my quest toward 199 pounds.  27 more pounds to go.  Here's a recent picture of me at 226.

Weight Loss Update ---- as of November 14, 2013

This morning I weighed in at 236.  I have lost 24 pounds in 3 months, with 37 more pounds to lose so I can get to my goal weight of 199.  I use the 6 small meals per day approach to dieting.  It has become my normal way of life.  My stomach has shrunk to where it is natural for me to eat smaller portions.  If I don't, my stomach lets me know I overdid it.  I am satisfied much sooner than I used to be.  Not far into my past it was easy for me to clear a whole plate of food and go back for large helpings of "seconds".

I learned this new life-habit by using Medifast meals and the "Take Shape For Life" system.  Having a coach during my first three months of dieting was the key to my success.  My nephew, Dr. Clifton Brady was my coach.  He specializes in weight loss for people who have 50 pounds or more to lose.  I'm sure there are other programs that work but for me this was the one that finally got me serious about weight loss.

The recent complication that could have thrown me off track has been a series of surgeries that have made it necessary to take pain medication over an extended period of time.  My stomach has rebelled.  Diarrhea, dehydration, cramping, and blotting have become concerns.  I apologize for the graphic details, but perhaps someone will benefit from my experience. 

My doctors have fortunately been able to teach me the three essentials for digestive-system health: 1) fiber, 2) laxative, and 3) stool softener.  I have learned how to successfully use Metamucil and Miralax to provide these three essentials.  I am so amazed at how much better my body feels now compared to 2 years ago when I weighed 280 pounds.  I wish success to all of my readers who may be engaged in or contemplating dieting.  It can be done.      

  

Berry Happy by Jean Snow VanOrden

When I was a newlywed, and we faced years of temporary housing arrangements, I heard a speaker talk about planting cherry trees.  His point was that it’s beneficial to present happiness to put down roots wherever you are and not delay working at projects that take time to come to fruition even if you don’t expect to stay in a particular location for long.  You just never know what will happen and it’s better to plant with the hope of harvest than to mark time and invest nothing in long–term rewards.  At my home in Eagle River, Alaska I procrastinated putting this idea into practice (as far as landscaping) for years but finally planted raspberries along the east side of the house.  The starts were free from a dear friend with a very productive green thumb and instead of having 10 years of mouth-watering, home-grown raspberry jam I only harvested berries for five summers and it took a couple of summers before we had a harvest sufficient to make jam. 

When we were looking for a home in the Boise area, we had dreams of a large garden where we could grow tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, melons, and even fruit trees.  We ended up on a windy hillside with a spectacular view and significant barriers to cultivating a vegetable garden.  But we were determined to produce something on our sagebrush littered hillside. The task was daunting so we started off small by repurposing a tulip bed at the back of the house for growing berries.  We made a trip to Fruitland Nursery where we bought strawberry and raspberry starts. 

In the past I’ve avoided planting a strawberry patch because I’ve seen one too many weedy grass choked beds of tangled strawberries.  Thankfully, the rich soil of our little flower bed, with the help of some Miracle Grow time-release fertilizer and a simple drip-hose watering system, produced five or six pickings of luscious glossy strawberries that taste better than any strawberries I’ve ever eaten.  My grandson can testify to that as he ate one whole picking all by himself. The berries are beautiful and I am grateful we didn’t procrastinate.

 The raspberries will not produce much until next summer but the few that ripened this year have such a rich color and flavor that we are motivated to expand our little berry patch into two separate beds next spring.  It will be well worth the work and at a very small expense give us a great sense of accomplishment and a tasty harvest. 

I have to confess that we also planted three fruit trees which did not survive our experiment but we are not defeated, thanks to our little berry patch. We have planted not just for ourselves but to the benefit of our grandchildren and whoever may own this home in the future.  Planting and harvesting breathes a little more pleasure, a little more hope, and a little more faith into every day.  Maybe it won’t be a garden we plant or fruit we harvest but investing in any long-term reward will make the world a better place for everyone.