Egads! What sorcery is this? Holy Atomic pile, Batman!!

[James Newman]

Greetings to all those who are Livin' Large at JPF!

The weather has been warming up nicely here in Oklahoma. I have been enjoying my daily walks to work at the hospital. There is just something about this time of year that really energizes me. Don't get me wrong, I like my walks in the woods in the fall, but this is my season.

If you haven't done so already, now is the time to decide and make the commitment to a healthy rest of your life. Thats right, I said "rest of your life." If that is a little tough to wrap your head around, how about the rest of the year? Month? Week?? Come on, you can do it.

People tend to do make decisions and set goals around New Years but as the months rock on they forget about these commitments. Now is the time! Set some goals, make some plans, and get into action.

Here are some tips to help you along the way.

1. Have a plan AND stick to it. Yogi Berra once said, "you have to be very careful because if you don't know where you're going, you might never get there." Those who have been most successful in reaching their goals have had a plan. You need one too. Start today and map out your nutrition and fitness plan for the ENTIRE summer. (Note: Your plan should be evaluated every 2-3 weeks and may need some tweaking but plan for success anyway) Be sure to include a plan for "food support systems" as Dr. Berardi mentions here. If you need some help, there is an abundance of resources available all at your fingertips. Just Ask!

2. Use a 90/10 Philosophy. This mentality has been popularized in the past several years by many of the world's greatest nutrition minds because IT WORKS. The idea is simple: adhere to your plan 90% of the time. For the other 10%, feel free to deviate. Simply calculate the number of meals you eat in a week and multiply by 10%. This will give you the number of meals you can plan to "cheat" on. If tragedy or an office party strikes, you are prepared. Be sure to factor these exceptions into your weekly considerations.

3. Don't try to boil the ocean. After you have created your plan, tackle things one day at a time and one workout at a time. Ask yourself what you can do to enjoy the process of what you are setting out to achieve. Don't allow yourself to become overwhelmed or angry for too long. Institute a 3 minute rule. Feel whatever you want to feel for 3 minutes and then move on. Focus on accomplishments and progress no matter how seemingly insignificant. Try not to simply pay attention to a number on a scale. Consider how you are feeling. Do you have more energy? Can you perform daily tasks or exercises more easily? Are your lifts and training sessions improving? Don't dwell on any mistakes you might make just get back to work - don't let a momentary lack of discipline derail you from success.

4. Seek out a Sidekick. Sidekicks are not only for comic book characters. We all need someone we can turn to in a time of need. A Sidekick can prove to be an exceptional source of encouragement and accountability. This sort of relationship has been shown beneficial time and time again. Find someone. Find a group. Make it happen! Consider this: There is a Super Hero inside of you.

5. REC out. Take one hour each week and do something you find Relaxing, Energizing, or Creative. Recreation is important. Maybe you'd be interested in doing some gardening, shooting some hoops, taking a walk in the park, or picking up the guitar you've been neglecting. This is also a good opportunity to learn new things, read new books, meet new people. No matter what it is reserve 1 hour to do something purely enjoyable.

This is going to be the Summer of Someone....why not let it be YOU? I am interested in your plans. Feel free to share with us, ask questions, or otherwise lurk.

Until next time.... LIVE LARGE!

Newman

[Sign]

The weather has been warming up nicely here in Oklahoma. I have been enjoying my daily walks to work at the hospital. There is just something about this time of year that really energizes me. Don't get me wrong, I like my walks in the woods in the fall, but this is my season.

In my opinion a lot of people are affected by S.A.D (Seasonal Affective Disorder) at least a little. It's amazing how much difference more sunlight, and warmer weather can affect our motivation and energy levels. I know that personally when spring/summer rolls around I have boat-loads more energy then in the winter. The hard part is keeping energy levels up through the winter.

3. Don't try to boil the ocean. After you have created your plan, tackle things one day at a time and one workout at a time. Ask yourself what you can do to enjoy the process of what you are setting out to achieve. Don't allow yourself to become overwhelmed or angry for too long. Institute a 3 minute rule. Feel whatever you want to feel for 3 minutes and then move on. Focus on accomplishments and progress no matter how seemingly insignificant. Try not to simply pay attention to a number on a scale. Consider how you are feeling. Do you have more energy? Can you perform daily tasks or exercises more easily? Are your lifts and training sessions improving? Don't dwell on any mistakes you might make just get back to work - don't let a momentary lack of discipline derail you from success.

All your points were great but I think this is a big one. With all the information out there, even on this site alone, it is easy to become overwhelmed. It is also easy to let a minor mistake throw you off track, I have witnessed many people myself included, that have made some small mistake; either missing a workout, or eating something unclean and thinking , "Oh well, I messed up, might as well scrap the day." This is dangerous thinking and is a fast way to sink back into old habits.

[Lost Dog]

Originally Posted by James Newman

1. Have a plan AND stick to it. Yogi Berra once said, "you have to be very careful because if you don't know where you're going, you might never get there." Those who have been most successful in reaching their goals have had a plan. You need one too. Start today and map out your nutrition and fitness plan for the ENTIRE summer. (Note: Your plan should be evaluated every 2-3 weeks and may need some tweaking but plan for success anyway) Be sure to include a plan for "food support systems" as Dr. Berardi mentions here. If you need some help, there is an abundance of resources available all at your fingertips. Just Ask!

This is a biggie for me. Have enough confidence in your plan to see it through for a certain period of time. How can you know after a week if you're losing fat? Everyone has ups and downs, bloating and unbloating (i'm sure there's a better word), etc.

Your plan is good, right? It looks good on paper? You wouldn't have started it if it didn't, right? Stick it out long enough to truly know (that 2-3 weeks that Newman alluded to, for instance). If it doesn't work, no need to bail, fine tune or make a logical adjustment or two. Then continue on the modified plan.

[James Newman]

Originally Posted by Lost Dog

This is a biggie for me. Have enough confidence in your plan to see it through for a certain period of time. How can you know after a week if you're losing fat? Everyone has ups and downs, bloating and unbloating (i'm sure there's a better word), etc.

Your plan is good, right? It looks good on paper? You wouldn't have started it if it didn't, right? Stick it out long enough to truly know (that 2-3 weeks that Newman alluded to, for instance). If it doesn't work, no need to bail, fine tune or make a logical adjustment or two. Then continue on the modified plan.

This has also been very important for me. When I was first starting...before I found TAP, I really had no plan. I had no clue what I was doing. I was using the shotgun approach...put as much out there as I could and see what happened. Strategic Planning is one of your greatest assets in the war on Fat. I think the 2-3 week evaluation period is significant because there is so much tendency to change, to give up, or otherwise falter. We don't lose weight, gain weight, build muscle, etc realistically in short periods of time. We want what we do to last. The 2-3 week review allows you to tweak things responsibly and either ask someone else for their opinion or make changes yourself that will get the results you want.

Newman

[RacerBill]

Count me in on that one, too. For years I knew I was overweight and without any serious understanding of what and how to eat, I really had no idea what I was doing. The newspapers and MH published conflicting advice about fat and carbs and what was healthy and what wasn’t. All that info was confusing and rather overwhelming. Granola bars and low-fat cookies and ice cream are good, right? Nuts, Avocado and olive oil were fatty and bad, right? Okay, I've learned a lot since then! But trying to eat well according to "conventional wisdom" or "they say that..." really doesn't work.


I really needed the structure and meal plan of TAP to get things going and really eat with a solid nutritional plan. Once I developed the right habits, the hows and whys developed and I could keep going.

[Lost Dog]

We don't hear much about TAP anymore, but TAP was my start to healthy eating and lifting weights, too. And, it led me here.

[RacerBill]

Originally Posted by Lost Dog

We don't hear much about TAP anymore, but TAP was my start to healthy eating and lifting weights, too. And, it led me here.

Rodale's published newer books since then, but I still think TAP's a great intro for a clueless newbie like I was. You buy one handy book, it explains the basic principles, and then says "do this exercise plan and eat this" for nine weeks. Once you stick to it for those nine weeks, you've established the basic habits that you can keep with you.

One of the toughest things for me (and I still feel this way) was that anyone can read JB's Seven Habits or other guidelines, but actually creating a week of meals that complied is quite a challenge if you have never eaten that way before. TAP kept it simple with a shopping list, menu and recipes.

Eventually, though, you do need to "graduate" and figure things out for your future eating plans. And that goes for finding solid workout plans, too.

[Sign]

TAP was my introductory to lifting and eating clean also. It led me to the MH forums which in-turn led me here. I know others that have borrowed my TAP book and used it as their starting point also.

[Lost Dog]

Is it just me, or does the title of this thread seem tawdry and cheap? Like I'm on summer vacation at the beach, and some hottie's lookin' for love. She points. "Hey you with neon shorts. You'll do."

[James Newman]

Originally Posted by Lost Dog

Is it just me, or does the title of this thread seem tawdry and cheap? Like I'm on summer vacation at the beach, and some hottie's lookin' for love. She points. "Hey you with neon shorts. You'll do."

LOL. I am admittedly poor with title creation.

Were those speedo neon shorts? and how about the leg warmers? I agree, it needs a better title....

LOL Is this any better?

Newman

[Lost Dog]

Much better!

[SpacecityPaula]

*lol* I won't even mention what an atomic pile reminds me of

[James Newman]

HAHA... hopefully I made you smile!