Step Away from the Calories

I'm now 16 months into this journey, and for the past 5 months or so, I've pretty much reached a plateau. To be honest, I'm actually happy with that. My goal when I started was to eat and exercise reasonably, and to see where that took me. It took me down around 150 lbs. Not a bad result.

I've not been able to be as active as I would like because of injury. Also, I've allowed myself to be a little lax on my eating. When I was running 15 miles a week or so, I could afford to do that. Right now, not so much.

So today, when we went through the drive-through at Krispy Kreme, I opted to NOT get a donut. Or to finish the half donut that Nathanael's friend didn't eat. At church, we have all kinds of delectable pastries available in the foyer. Again, I opted out.

I'm not telly you all of this to say, "Ooo! Look at me, I'm Mr. Willpower!" My point is simply this, by avoiding those three things, I lowered my caloric intake by almost 500 calories (I won't bore you with the math). I didn't starve myself or do anything drastic. I didn't really even diet in any way. I just eliminated the unintentional, casual grazing.

Often, it's that simple. I recommend periodically re-evaluating your daily food intake. Do another food diary, or just think back over the last couple of days. Where are you "grazing"? What calories are you picking up here and there that are just flat out "extra"?

Eliminate those calories, and you've got an easy win!

Celiac Disease and the Gluten Free Diet - Podcast Episode #18

This week the guys are joined by registered dietitian Lara Field. Lara is on the advisory board and an executive committee member of the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. They are also joined by Jennifer Perritte, who has been living with celiac disease for the past several years. Jennifer "asks the expert" the questions that every celiac would like to ask.

If you are living with celiac, know someone that has celiac, or just have questions about the disease, you don't want to miss this episode. Just click HERE to start listening!

Great resources:
Lara's website
University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center
American Celiac Disease Alliance

In the news:
Fit2Fat2Fit - A certified personal trainer packs on 70+ lbs, intending to lose it again.

Eat less:
Apples - a fantastic food. Good for you. Portable. Full of vitamins and stuff. I hear one a day is beneficial or something...that's what I hear.

Exercise more:
HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training. Google it!

Maybe You Should Just Be a Reasonable Guy (or Gal)

We stopped on the way home from the Tough Mudder today to grab some lunch (more on that later), and Joshua and I started talking about lunch choices at Arby's and whether or not mine would meet the 1 Meal - 1 Workout standard. I told him that I had gotten the small sandwich and the small fries with a diet drink.

Pretty reasonable, right?

That started a discussion about what's "reasonable". I told Joshua that I figured if I was reasonably active and ate reasonable meals, then it would make sense that I would be in "reasonably good" shape.

It's my guess that people that do one (eat reasonably or are reasonably active) but maybe fail on the other (eat poorly or are fairly sedentary), would be somewhat out of shape. People like me, that used to fail on BOTH almost all of the time, would be VERY out of shape. I think for most of us, we don't have to strive to be paragons of fitness with a 50 point workout plan, scales to weigh our food and an organic garden behind our house. We just need to work at being reasonable.

Thanks Coach! - Podcast Episode #17

This week the guys talk with Life Coach Jarian Rich. What's a "Life Coach"? Who needs one? Listen and find out all the answers and more! Click HERE to get going!

Get in touch with Jarian:
email: jarianr@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jarian

In the news:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Aaron featured!!

London Telegraph: Marathon runner caught bus to the finish line

Eat Less: Yogurt - milk’s not the only thing that does a body good. Yogurt is a great healthy snack, just watch the calories.

Exercise More: State Parks, National Parks, Dog Parks, ANY Park. Parks are great places to get out, enjoy nature, and get active!

Bootcamp Fitness - Podcast Episode #16

This week, the guys speak with Certified Master Personal Trainer Jason Carver of Dream Body, Inc.. He's also one of the driving forces behind the Active Atlanta Campaign, a non-profit organization comprised of a group of young health professionals who want to make a change in the health of millions of Atlanta residences.

Even if you DON'T live in the Atlanta area, there's still something in this episode for you, so give it a listen! Click HERE to get going!

In the news:
MSNBC: Running a Marathon Can Break Your Butt

Eat less:
We tend to make the worst choices when we aren’t prepared. Plan ahead, put some thought into your day. Especially snacks!

Exercise more:
Do a "squeeze-in activity". I’m not talking about your "cheeks". I’m talking about squeezing in a little activity. Find time to do 5 minutes of activity on an "off" day.

In the News(paper)!

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the main Atlanta newspaper, believes in promoting good health. To that end, they run a weekly "success story" about someone that has managed to lose weight and get healthier. Can you guess who last week's person was?

Did you guess me? Wrong! It was Alex Respess...he was on the show Extreme Makeover: Weightloss Edition.

Now guess who THIS week's person is!

You got it right! It was me.

If you're interested, you can run down to you your corner newsstand (assuming you live in the Atlanta area) and buy a copy...or you can just click HERE to read all about it!

Fun stuff!

Have You Seen My Motivation? - Podcast Episode #15

This week the guys discuss staying motivated: how to do it, what to do when something's stolen your "mojo", and more! Need a little pick me up? This might just be the prescription. Click HERE to get going!

In the news:
You're Only as Old as You Run

Eat less:
Meatless Monday
Spicy Foods

Exercise more:
Take a break...but be intentional with it.