Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

Remember in yesterday’s post when I said that things always work out better for me if I am my own cheerleader? It turns out that there is science behind the idea of keeping your goals to yourself. This talk from Derek Sivers at the TED conference explains it:

Think of your personal biggest goal. Imagine deciding right now that you’re going to do it. Imagine telling someone that you meet today what you’re going to do. Imagine their congratulations and their high image of you. Doesn’t it feel good to say it out loud? Don’t you feel one step closer already like it’s already becoming part of your identity? Well, bad news. You should have kept your mouth shut, because that good feeling will make you less likely to do it.

That backfiring of every compliment I receive when I lose weight is something that happens to ALL of us. Announcing our goals makes us feel like we’ve actually accomplished them, so from now on, I’m keeping my mouth SHUT!

Whenever I get back on track, I tell everyone that I know that I am back to eating healthy and that I need a little encouragement. All the people who love me are really good at cheering me on, but there is something about getting that feedback that backfires on me. After every compliment and every positive remark, I lose steam. I don’t know what it is about having a cheerleader that makes me slack off, but I’ve definitely noticed a pattern.

This time, I’ve kept my mouth shut.

I’ve been working on the simplest of things: tracking my food every day, staying within my caloric restrictions and following five out of my seven healthy habits every day. If I do all three, I get another day added to my “food sobriety.” I’ve been food sober for over ten days now, but I haven’t really talked about it with anyone. Having a family of cheerleaders isn’t nearly as helpful for me as being my own cheerleader.

If you have noticed that every time you tell someone about your eating plan, you blow it, then try NOT telling anyone anything. Maybe you’ll see more success if you be your own cheerleader.

I love Michelle Obama for her style and her grace, but I love her even more for the Let’s Move Campaign. They have great tips for parents:

• Keep fresh fruit in a bowl within your child’s reach to grab as a quick snack: I would add that you need to clarify to your children that it’s okay to eat the fruit, even if you eat the last piece. Assure them that you’ll keep it full for them.
• Take a walk with your family after dinner: Or a bike ride or play a game of basketball. Whatever kind of activity you do together that gets the blood pumping is awesome.
• Plan a menu for the week. Get children involved in planning and cooking: This is essential. Not only does it teach your children about eating healthy, you teach them important life skills. How many college students are out there who don’t know how to cook anything but mac and cheese? Your kid won’t be one of them.
• Turn off the TV during meals and share some family time: This is a great way to teach children how to savor the food they’re eating, but it also gives them time to talk with you. I can’t count the number of times I overate because I didn’t have anyone to talk to about my problems.
• Talk to the principal about organizing a school health team: This is the only tip that seems lame. I don’t want the school getting involved. There were so many times that the five food groups talk at school devolved into a teacher commenting on my weight that I think schools should just mind their own business.

Remember that children look to YOU for their role models. If you are eating healthy and exercising regularly, they’ll want to parrot your actions. The first step toward healthy children is healthy adults.

In January, Sara Rue started on Jenny Craig in the hopes of getting back to her 2005 weight. I talked about it here:

• Starling Fitness » Sara Rue And Jenny Craig

Although I’m sure it didn’t feel quick to her, nine short months have flown by and she is now at goal and looking AWESOME! I haven’t followed Weight Watchers at all during the same time, so I look exactly the same. I am so glad that Jenny Craig worked for her, but at the same time, I’m angry with myself for not doing as well as she has done.

After seeing this advertisement, I seriously thought I should join Jenny Craig. Unfortunately, they don’t have a gluten-free option, so I can’t follow their program. Mike was very pragmatic about it. He told me:

If you want to know what it’s like to lose weight on Jenny Craig, just restrict yourself to eating Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones for every meal.

The thought of doing that made me feel immediately deprived and I realized once again that Weight Watchers is the best plan for me because I can work any food into my program instead of relying on prepackaged meals.

Now, I just need to religiously follow Weight Watchers just as faithfully as Sara followed Jenny Craig and I’ll be able to see the same results as her.

I loved this comic from Johnny Wander.

The thought of exploding fruit is always funny, but you might be a little disappointed if you are expecting armament from this fruit. Flavor grenades are pluots, which are a hybrid of plums and apricots. You can read more about them here:

• Flavor Grenade Pluot
• Pluot – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here’s a little video about them:

Next time you’re feeling bored with your diet, add some interesting fruit that you’ve never tried before, like a Flavor Grenade, dragon fruit or star fruit. There are so many interesting and healthy foods out there to try out, there is no reason for you to get in a rut with your program. Enjoy the flavors of new foods and you’ll be able to keep on your plan.

The next time you’re considering skipping your workout or eating something that isn’t on your plan, remember this photo of Keanu Reeves:

Sure, he looks a little older, but because he has stayed so physically fit, he is a doppelganger to his former self. If you are missing your former self, remember that you can look almost as young as you used to be by getting to a healthy weight.

Photo via: Classic Keanu – ROFLrazzi

This advertisement looks like business as usual to me.

It reads:

Why be stout?

When you can reduce your figure by a Natural, Easy and Healthful Mehtod which makes your unwanted fat a thing of the past.

Dr. Paul Bouchaud’s Flesh Reducing Soap

which is delighting the over stout and proving a GENUINE REDUCER to all who use it, will absorb all fatty tissues from any part of the body, and bring back natural slimness even to the worst case. All unhealthy flabbiness of muscles regain new life under the influence of this specially compounded flesh-reducing soap. It takes away from LARGE HIPS, DOUBLE CHIN, UNGAINLY ANKLES, ARMS, LEGS, BUST and WAISTLINE, reducing and slendering any part of the body you wish to reduce. It is perfectly safe and proves the needless use of dangerous drugs, dieting, steam pack or exercises.

It seems laughable now that anyone would believe that a soap could make fat go away, yet there are literally HUNDREDS of creams on the market today that claim to do the same thing. The anti-cellulite cream market accounts for millions of dollars in revenue and NONE of them have been scientifically proven to reduce fat.

The next time you’re tempted to try a new “flesh reducing” cream, remember Dr. Paul Bouchaud and save your money.

Advert via: vintage_ads: Dr Bouchard’s Flesh Reducing Soap, 1926

Victoria Beckham is fantastically thin. At thirty-six years old, she still rocks the fashions in the smallest of sizes. She is so incredibly thin that you might think that she never steps foot in a fast food restaurant for fear of fat clinging to her body through osmosis. I imagine her eating regime to be something akin to air, mugs of hot water and lemon juice.

That’s why it was so surprising to me to see her at Subway with her family. The photo doesn’t actually show her EATING, but she and David are there enjoying family time at the local sandwich shop. If she DID eat, I would love to know what she ate. Was it the veggie sandwich? Did she skip the huge bun? Was it a salad with only vinegar? Inquiring minds want to know.

I know from experience that it’s possible to eat out every day and still lose weight. There is a healthy option at almost EVERY fast food restaurant in the U.S. if you’re willing to ORDER it. The biggest problem is the tempting food at restaurants can override your best intentions. You need will of steel to order the salad at your favorite restaurant instead of the super fatty burger and shake.

The next time you’re at a restaurant and you’re tempted to order food that doesn’t fit into your program, remember Victoria Beckham and how she keeps her slender figure, even though she goes to fast food restaurants just like you.

This advertisement for Skechers Resistance running shoes in one of my fitness magazines puzzles me:

It reads:

Helps increase postural muscle activation up to 85%

Helps increase gluteus medius muscle activation up to 71%

Helps increase calf muscle activation up to 68%

Helps burn up to 13.2% more calories

That all looks technical and scientific to me. So many numbers and percentages means they MUST have research studies proving that, right? I looked at the Skechers Resistance Runner website and videos, but there were no links to any studies. The video features the designer, a runner and the founder of the company, but not a doctor among them. They show people running on treadmills hooked up to machines and computers, but WHERE is the research data?!

Without access to the actual data, I’m not believing it and I’m CERTAINLY not going to pay a hundred and fifty bucks for a shoe that might be no better than the twenty dollar trainers at Payless Shoe Source.

Shoe companies have been promising a workout in a shoe for a LONG time. Dr. Scholl’s Exercise Sandals promised beautiful legs to my grandma and she never once saw results from them, even after YEARS of wearing them.

I’m not going to believe that the Skechers Resistance Runner is any more able to “increase muscle activation” than the Dr. Scholl’s Exercise Sandal unless they actually SHOW ME THE DATA.

This postcard from PostSecret made me feel sad.

It reads:

I think my husband loves me “the way I am” because he doesn’t want me to lose weight & be attractive to other men.

This thought is very dangerous. It doesn’t matter whether your spouse wants you to stay fat or not. Thinking that your loved one doesn’t want you to be attractive is a very defeating idea. It gives you an excuse to live an unhealthy lifestyle. It makes you fearful of getting stronger because you might hurt your partner’s feelings.

Even worse, it makes you scared of being all you can be. The idea that the opposite sex will suddenly start to find you interesting when you get to a healthy weight is scary if you aren’t equipped to fend off advances. In all honesty, people can tell when you don’t want them to hit on you.

If this secret hit home with you, let’s make a deal. You start eating healthy and exercising regularly. When you get to your goal weight, make sure you give the “don’t even try it” vibe. If the opposite sex still makes passes at you, then here are some resources you can use to protect yourself:

• How to Politely Turn Down A Date
• How to Politely Turn Down a Guy | eHow.com

Don’t let your worries about social awkwardness get in the way of your health. You owe it to yourself to live a healthy lifestyle. Move past this fear and you will feel stronger physically AND emotionally.

PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.