OBESE NO MORE – DAY 0

OBESE NO MORE:  DAY 0

Congratulations Mississippi!  You are the fattest state in the Union.   Approximately 34% of the people in Mississippi are obese; but don’t get too smug California and Hawaii you are not far behind.   In both states 23% of the population is obese.   Over the past 10 years the number of obese people in all states has increased alarmingly.   If you want to see a very scary graphic, follow this link (http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html) to the CDC map on obesity.  It charts the average weight of the population of each state over the past ten years.   The map changes from light blue (normal weight) to orange/brown (obesity) in just a matter of years.  I am ashamed to say that I am part of this color change.

But before I go to “my obesity”, let me state three very important, true but cruel points:

1. The number one cause of death in the U.S.A. is heart disease…not cancer.  And the number one cause of heart disease is obesity and the artery clogging grease that comes along with it.
2. Technically, obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (B.M.I.), a number derived from your height and weight, over 30.   But you don’t really need a BMI to know if you’re obese.  Do you?  You know.
3. There is no such thing as being obese but healthy!   Describing yourself as such is just finding an excuse to eat more donuts.

I tried to make the last point a little humorous (albeit true) because losing weight requires a bit of humor; a bit of lightness if you will.  Pun intended.  There is little doubt in my mind that we become obese because to some degree we are depressed.  Call it “stressed” if it makes you feel better; but we use food as a sedative; and a damned good one it is too.

Last year, while writing “The Acid Reflux Solution” (which comes out March 27, 2012 and is on pre-order now on Amazon.com   Plug.  Plug.  Plug.)  I was living the recommendations I wrote about in my book.   I lost over thirty pounds and brought my BMI down to an average level.   I was eating solely from the recipes that we created for the book and from the simple recommendations.  But since finishing the book, life has become hectic and I have abandoned those lifestyle changes and myself.   My weight has slowly crept up.  Not all the way to where it was, but I am on a slippery slope.  So today, I am putting an end to that slide and I want you to join me.

Every few days I will write a blog about my progress and I will explain more about nutrition and how to incorporate healthier habits into your life.   There are 21 days until Thanksgiving and I plan to lose at least 6 pounds by then.   You can too.

Here are the first six rules that WE are going to follow:

1. NO FAST FOOD   Seriously…no fast food!   Do not drive through and place your order in the clown’s mouth.   Most, if not all, fast food is cooked with sugars and oils that your body does not metabolize.  It ends up slowing down YOUR metabolism.   Cook at home or go to a restaurant.   We will talk about portion size in the near future.  For now, take murderous fast food out of your diet.
2. NO EATING AFTER 8 PM  What your body can’t burn it stores.   Might as well tape that pint of ice cream to your butt because that is where it’s going if you snack at night.
3. CUT YOUR CAFFEINE IN HALF  (Or better yet, stop it all together)  This is a tough one for me, since I’m Cuban and we love our coffee.   But, caffeine stimulates insulin.  Insulin not only uses sugar as energy, but if there is too much sugar around it will store it.
4. DRINK WATER.   Drink at least 6 glasses of water a day.   Water is necessary to burn fat.   It is cold water you actually burn extra calories.
5. EXERCISE 20 MINUTES A DAY, AT LEAST THREE DAYS A WEEK   I don’t want to hear any excuses about this one.   You don’t have to go to a gym.   Just walk.   But let’s start getting that heart pumping.
6. BE GOOD TO YOURSELF   Do not take anyone or anything too seriously.  This is not the end of the world.  This is not about deprivation.  This is about having more in your life than you have ever had before:  more energy, more happiness, more joy.   Learn to say NO.   Right now, you must be your first priority.   If no one can do your job, then make sure you are healthy enough to do it.  If your family can’t live without you, then be sure you are healthy enough to be around for them.  So say NO to extra work.  Right now it is about you.  Be at peace with yourself.

Tomorrow is Day 1.  Weigh yourself tomorrow morning.  Follow my suggestions for a few days.  On Day 3 I will blog again and let you know how I did.  Let me know how you did too.

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