It was a family place in the Upper Peninsula. Everyone there sounds a little Canadian, eh?

Anyway…I had this cousin who always seemed to be there.  He was an avid angler. A fisherman.

Well…actually he was probably more of a lazy bum who liked to fish.  A lot.

Right.   Really, I think fishing was his clever way to avoid being productive.   At any rate, he was fond of telling us (over and over again) about the time he caught a fish “THIS BIG”.  And for whatever reason, I remembered him and his stories today.

Well, yesterday I was thinking fondly of the summers up north.  And my  cousins fishing fables, when suddenly realized: tall fish stories are like the fat loss fibs people tell about losing weight on commercials.

Think about it.

When you watch a commercial for a weight loss product on TV you hear exaggerated claims of weight loss. Just like how fisher-folk like to spin yarns about giant fish that got away…   Seems to be human nature.

Which begs the question: what is reasonable?  What is realistic?  What is the truth?  Well…

If you are on a fad diet where you eat only 800 calories a day, your body will drop water and muscle like crazy.  At the end of your first week of starvation, your body can lose dramatic amounts of weight.  The scale will seem to show the most amazing success in the world.   The scale, if it could talk, would say, “WOW!” .

Now, at this moment of psychological triumph… it  is the perfect time for an unscrupulous marketer to swoop in and grab a video testimonial.  Which usually goes something like this: “My name is Jenny Lostalot.  In my first week on Super Fat Incinerator I lost 25lbs!  Friends all think I look the best I ever have. Blahbiddity fib-diddly fib.”.

And then 50,000 people rush to buy a bottle of Super Fat Incinerator and  the thigh master to sculpt their inner thighs. (Impossible to spot reduce…but that’s another post for another time)  All the while, knowing somewhere deep inside, that it is all a fabrication.

A hoax.

A bamboozle.

A fable.

Sigh.

It makes my job of being honest about body fat loss tougher.  And a lot less glamorous.  After all, I have to fight the colorful tales in the media and tell the truth.

You say you want the unvarnished truth?

Yay!  OK, then here it is.  Or at least this is what data says:

A good rate of body fat loss for permanent change is about 1 percent of your current weight per week or so.  So if you currently weigh 180lbs, you might expect–by following a properly constructed food plan, tracking calories with a food journal,  performing regular metabolic conditioning workouts (like boot camp), getting lots of motivation, accountability, and proper guidance –to lose approximately 1.8lbs per week.  Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less since body fat loss is never like clockwork.

Gee whiz.  I wish it were as easy as creating a pill or radical fad diet plan which would magically cause 25lbs of body fat loss the first week.  I’d be a billionaire overnight.  Because I’d patent that shinola.

But alas.  The only way I know to lose 25lbs in a week legitimately, is to amputate your leg.

Or throw back that giant tall-tale trout.

Coach D

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Chili Cheese Fries... oh boy. Photo by Robyn Lee

Every day he wakes up to the same day.

Ever feel like that?

If you find yourself waking up every day for months or years and don’t see any fat loss in the mirror, it’s might feel like that movie.

But there’s a shortcut to ending that cycle…

What is it?

It’s the one thing that separates the uber successful boot campers from the ones who just meander around.  It divides those who see body fat literally melt off their bones and those who lose a couple pounds here and there.

And it makes the difference between staying in boot camp for a year or more with little fat loss to show for it, or losing as much as 20lbs in a months time.

What is this miracle?

Writing down what you eat in your food journal.

Yes.

Once again, I’m here to say: “A food journal is the most valuable tool  you will ever use for fat loss.”

Why?

Because it is brutally honest mirror.  It’s your true friend who isn’t afraid to tell you the truth. It’s your spotlight in the fog.

Really.

Want proof?

Glad you asked!

A few years back, while training at 24 Hour, I had a client who was with me for 2 years.  She got ridiculously strong.  Very flexible.  Fast.  You name it.

But that wasn’t her goal.  Her goal was to SLIM DOWN.  She wanted to lose a meager 10lbs.

Ten little pounds.

Really, losing 10lbs is a breeze.

Well, time went on and I kept saying “write it down”.  And she kept saying, “OK, I will.”  And then finally… I’ll never forget it.  I walked up to her while she was warming up for one of our workouts and she said…

(yes, this really happened)

she said, “You know what?  I figured out why I’m not losing body fat.”.

“Really?” I replied.

“Yeah!  I decided to write down all the little bits of food I eat while making dinner.  And you know what?  I have been eating over 200 calories of snacky bits before I even eat dinner!”

Hot Dang.

Long story short, she started journaling and lost those pesky twelve pounds  pronto. (she had actually gained a couple over the 2 years) This time she did it all in less than a month.

Crazy.

So let’s look at this for just a second.

Pop quiz.

How many calories would you burn if you ran a crazy long way… like, say, 19 miles?

Cue Jeopardy theme…

Go ahead make a guess…

The answer is shocking…

Ready?

After running all that way…

and feeling like a truck ran over you…

you would have burned a meager 1900 calories.

So what does 1900 calories look like in terms of food?  Well, if you attended a big party at a pizza joint – and while you were busy celebrating you just ate with abandon you’d need to eat something like:

• A garden salad with dressing

• 3 bread sticks while you waited for the pizza

• 3 slices of pizza while you chatted with the party

• 2 12 oz beers

And you’d probably leave feeling very full.

Now…

To burn off those 3 bread sticks alone you’d need about 2 hours of walking or an hour of jogging.  To burn off those 3 slices of pizza you’d need to jog for another hour and half or walk for almost 4 hours. Those two beers are another half hour of jogging at least. And the salad would be another 40 minutes of jogging.

Ahhhh, hold the phone…

You’d never eat that much food in a sitting you say?

Maybe not.  But take a look at this:

1 single side order of chili cheese fries at Applebee’s is 600 calories.

Now that is just the side dish.  Or appetizer.  Yet you’d have to run 6 miles to burn that off.  Well perhaps you shared that with a friend so really you only at a few bites and only need to run a mile or two to burn it off.  But what if your main dish was a Sizzling Skillet Fajita Combo?  Well, my friend, that is 1400 calories or 14 miles of running.  And don’t forget the appetizer.  Even if you just had half, you are up to 17 miles now.

Wait…

I STILL know what you are probably thinking:

“I’m telling you, I DON”T eat that much food, Coach D!”

Fine.  Maybe so.

But let’s say you’re out with family.  Outback Steakhouse.  You want to be good and set an example, so you order the Atlantic Salmon with Seasonal Veggies.  That still comes in at a whopping 760 calories… or nearly EIGHT miles of running.

WAIT!

Wait!

I hear you saying, “But Coach, I eat at home, cook my own whole, healthy food and never eat out like that.”  That is awesome! Congratulations!  You are WAAAAY ahead of the curve.  But do you KNOW how many calories you are actually eating?  Or are you “eyeballing it”?  If you are eating a more than you burn for the day, your body fat won’t budge.

So what’s the lesson here?

It’s putting ink on paper and tracking what you consume.

Because…

Those 20 almonds you like to snack on while writing emails are 139 calories.  That single glass of wine is about 140 calories.   And those little scraps of food you nosh while cooking dinner are probably 150 calories.  And that’s before you sit down to eat.  Next thing you know, you are eating, and probably quickly.   And you’ve gone over the limit before your brain had a fighting chance to register just how much you have eaten, (it take the brain about 20 minutes to catch on, so chew slowly).

Here’s the reality.

If you aren’t writing it down in your journal you might forget you ate those little bites.  And perhaps you popped those almonds just a couple at a time while talking on the phone.  You may remember it as 5-10… but you really ate 20 or more.   Or was it 30?  At 827 calories a cup, you can’t afford to munch mindlessly on almonds.  And wine…who really drinks a single glass of wine anyway… isn’t there always another half glass afterward?  Maybe a couple extra on the weekend?  Not dissing wine per se, but do you know how many calories you actually are drinking?

Folks, we can’t do it all in our heads.  Memory is faulty.  Eyeballs and hungry stomachs conspire against you.   And yummy foods whisper your name from the cabinets as you walk past.

Hold yourself up to the objective scrutiny of a good old fashioned journal and ink pen.  And reap the fat loss rewards faster than you ever dreamed possible!

Need help with this?  Just ask.  I have a food scale and it’s such a breeze to use.

The funny thing is, when you actually start doing it, it gets very easy and even a little fun.  Try it. And if you forget,or if you fall of the wagon, or, heaven forbid, the wagon actually falls on you — just write it down and get back on.

It’s the closest thing to a “shortcut to fat loss” you’ll ever see.

Coach D

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If you have trouble staying consistent with your diet plan, find yourself eating emotionally, and need some extra willpower… then check this out…

Medical hypnosis has been shown to dramatically increase the ability for users to stay motivated and focused.

In fact, the winner from The Biggest Loser in season two used it.  But only medical hypnosis works.  Not stage “hypnosis”.

In a 9-week study of two groups, the the group using hypnosis kept getting results after two years.  The group without hypnosis did not. (Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1985).

Another study with 60 women using hypnosis got results too.  The hypnosis group lost an average of 17 pounds, while the non-hypnosis group lost an average of only .5 pounds!  That’s pretty dramatic. (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1986).

But there’s more.

I found this tidbit:

“In a meta-analysis, comparing the results of adding hypnosis to weight loss treatment across multiple studies showed that adding hypnosis increased weight loss by an average of 97% during treatment, and even more importantly increased the effectiveness POST TREATMENT by over 146%. This shows that hypnosis works even better over time (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1996).”

Anyway, I did a little poking around and here is what seems to be the best source:

http://www.hypnosisnetwork.com/hypnosis/weight_loss.php

And if you like to read, here are some of the studies:

Cochrane, Gordon; Friesen, J. (1986). Hypnotherapy in weight loss treatment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 489-492.

Kirsch, Irving (1996). Hypnotic enhancement of cognitive-behavioral weight loss treatments–Another meta-reanalysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64 (3), 517-519.

Allison, David B.; Faith, Myles S. Hypnosis as an adjunct to cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy for obesity: A meta-analytic reappraisal. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1996 Jun Vol 64(3) 513-516

Stradling J, Roberts D, Wilson A, Lovelock F. Controlled trial of hypnotherapy for weight loss in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. International Journal of Obesity Related Metabolic Disorders. 1998 Mar;22(3):278-81.

To your success!

-D

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My Dad used to get me so mad.

Whatever it was, I would say, “I don’t want to.” And he would say, “You don’t have to want to.”

I was just sitting here remembering that and it occurred to me…

…99 out of 100 people don’t realize — or are unwilling to accept — what it really takes to achieve a fitness goal.  Or any worthy goal for that matter.

The reality is, any goal has very specific steps and tasks that must be taken and completed.  These tasks are not “maybe tomorrow” or “when I feel like it” tasks.  Instead, they are tasks which absolutely must be done — no matter how you feel about them.

Like a child at bath time, you don’t have to feel like it.  You don’t have to want to .  You simply must.

No matter how you feel about the specific, necessary steps to reach your goal… know that by taking the steps, by completing the tasks, even when you don’t feel like it at all, you will eventually reach to your goal.

Lock step.

Think about that…

… the next time you are faced with eating a mind and body sustaining meal, or avoiding the meal and opting for junk because you “feel like it”.

Or when you don’t really “feel” like coming into boot camp and doing the work.

Or when planning your meals seems like “too much work”.

It IS work.

It DOES take time.

It IS tedious sometimes.  But choosing not to do it just because you don’t feel like it in the moment is disservice to yourself.

Avoidance of what needs to be done is rooted in the subconscious thought, “I don’t enjoy doing this particular taks, so doing it is incorrect.”.
Not so.

We often get exactly what we want by doing what we don’t feel like doing.

The results are worth it folks.

Ask yourself…

Is there some form of self-ravaging I am engaging in which is hampering my results or slowing down my performance?

Am I doing anything which is aging me faster?

What areas of my fitness lifestyle need attention and tweaking?  Food?  Boot Camp attendance?  Sleep?  Water intake?  Foam rolling?  Stretching?  Vitamins?

Take a moment to take stock and figure out the real score.

Be brutally honest with yourself and then take action doing exactly what you don’t feel like doing.

I promise, with each action you complete that you don’t feel like doing…but which brings you greater health and closer to a goal…you will grow in self-esteem and feel a supreme sense of accomplishment and earned pride.

And it all gets easier.

Before you know it, you have new goals which were invisible and psychologically untenable to you before.  But now become worthy challenges which you embrace willingly.

And then – quite suddenly — you WANT to!

Go for it.

Cheers,

D

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1. Give Yourself A Break

Sometimes you just have to have those chips, or maybe drink a beer…  the truth is we all are a little naughty with food now and again.  Yes, even me.

But here’s the thing, the occasional foray into uncharted food territory is not going to blow your entire plan.  It’s just a little left turn.

So chin up, and get back on the wagon the next morning.  Remember it takes about 3500 calories to gain a pound… so if you think you gained a pound from that one meal, you haven’t.  Just don’t do it often, OK?

2. ZZZZZZZZZZ….

Get your sleep cycle under control.  If you find yourself staying up late and getting up early, especially for a 530 boot camp, your hormones are going to be WHACKED OUT.

The next thing you know, you are reaching for a Venti coffee just to keep your eyelids off the floor.

Sleep is so vital that without proper rest you will eventually come to a grinding halt and lose your happiness, energy, and overall well being.  Not only that, but a tired mind will not have the will power to navigate proper eating at all.

3. Cheat.

Yes.  I said it.  Cheat.  Plan to eat a fun, tasty, yum yum meal once a week.

By planning to have a naughty meal once a week you can stay focused on eating the good stuff all the rest of your meals for your week… and look forward to the debauchery.

Plus, if it is a higher carb meal you’ll have stored glycogen (energy) for light years after.  OK, at least for the next boot camp.

4. Out of Sight, Out of Mouth

I wish I could say out of sight out of mind.  But when it comes to food, I crave stuff I can’t access all the time. The key phrase here is: STUFF I CAN”T ACCESS.

So… boot camp friends….clean out your kitchen of all the foods you KNOW are your weakness and then you can’t get to them.

What are you waiting for?  Go get it out of the house now.  Oh wait… do it after trick number 5 OK?  Because I have just one more…

5. Read the Menu

No!  Not the one at the restaurant… the one you created for yourself.

You DID write out what you are going to eat for the week right?

Hey, this only applies if you want to lose body fat.

But that’s not you is it?

It is?  Well then, stick to your plan.  Plan your cheat meal.  Clean out your cabinets and fridge of junk.  Get your sleep, and hey, if you mess up, give yourself a break and start again.

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"Get Fit at Boot Camp? What are you @#!!! Crazy?"

–

Today I talked with a great boot camper who confessed something.

She told me she had to break up with her boyfriend…

…over boot camp!

Wow.

Well…

You know…

So often, when people profess the desire to join Portland Boot Camp, they receive derision from so-called friends, family, or even spouses.

As soon as those unfortunate women so much as whisper they are joining, they receive derogatory remarks.  Sometimes the remarks are subtle.  The “friend” may pretend to feel concerned and say things like, “But you don’t need to lose weight – who wants to do all that exercise – it’ll never work – you’ve tried other plans and classes before, why waste  your money?”

Now, sometimes they are right.  Maybe the person HAS tried a lot of different things and they are expressing genuine concern.

But quite often the harsh reality is:

they aren’t concerned at all.

Instead, they feel threatened.

They know, subconsciously, if their target dares to improve themselves, then they will have to face their own feelings, insecurities, and growing self-dissatisfaction.

For them, the easiest way to avoid self-improvement is to attack others for trying.

Fortunately, there are ways to handle these  would-be success-interrupters.

Here are a few examples.

You could:

• Ignore them until they give up trying to bait you.
• You can firmly tell them you have made a decision and are sticking to it.
• Walk away from them and discontinue the relationship.

Let’s get real here: if someone wants to stop you from getting fit, they have issues.  And perhaps it’s time to think about whether they add value to your life or rob you of your right to improve your life as you see fit.

Here are a few favorite phrases of the fitness haters…

“Oh, come on.  One piece won’t hurt!”

“Just a bite!  LIVE a little…it’s so good you won’t believe it!”

Or…

“Running?  Oooh I hate running.  Why would you want to do that?”

“Oooh.  Exercise.  We’re all gonna die anyway.  What’s the point?”

The whole charade is designed to make the receiver feel guilty or negative about self-improvement.

But it’s all designed to give the antagonist psychological relief from having to exert EFFORT for self-change.

As they say, “Misery Loves Company.”

So true.

So true.

Stay the course.  Decide what is right for YOUR life.

And if it is Portland Boot Camp…

I will be there with you, and for you as always.

Live long and laugh a lot,

D

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But usually Mondays get most people down.

Well, that’s where things are a bit different around Portland Boot Camp.

We take pride in realizing that exercise has the power to brighten a sour mood.

Look, here’s what people refuse to accept or just don’t know…

Exercise actually makes you happy.  Working out hard makes you smile.  Doing the difficult makes the rest of life easier.

We choose to start the week of right.

With a healthy dose of good medicine.

Right?

Thanks for daring to be great.

And thanks for a great Monday, gang.

D

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Gosh golly.

Gee whiz.

Shucks.

I wish I know exactly WHY and HOW.

But I don’t .

Thing is…

I can’t tell you the exact reason it works.  (although I have some good theories)

But it DOES.

When you work out like we did today, your mind changes.

There is a shift.

A polarization.

A MOVE –

towards something greater.

Your body kind of…

remembers…

Or gets back to what it is built to do.

As you know:

I subscribe to the theory that our genome is built around:

1.  Regular low intensity movement. (not siting in front of the boob tube daily – but taking advantage of all the incredible NW has to offer.  Seriously, why are you reading this.  You should be out climbing Mt. Hood or something.  At least go for a walk.  It’s SUNNY out!)
2. Periodic rest and laughing (read: foam rolling and watching FUNNY films, going for nature hikes etc.,  or hanging out with light-hearted folk who aren’t interested in telling you how terrible their lives are, but, instead want to have a good time while we are on this planet for however long we get to be here… ever so briefly I might add… so get to it!)
3. Periodic high intensity( = Mon, Wed, Friday Boot Camp Classes.)

Anyway, all so-called humor aside:  periodic bursts of that level of intensity produce major changes in the body and mind.

SO…

COMMENT and tell me your latest changes.  How are you doing?

I really really want to know how you are doing.

Thanks my friends, and thanks for a GREAT WEEK!

Cheers,

D

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I remember the day pictured above like it was yesterday.

I spoke live at the Portland Women’s Show.

Now, what was interesting is this: even though I speak live daily,  and at the time I was on the air with my fitness radio show daily, I was a bundle of nerves before I got on stage.

The truth is, I was worried.   I thought I would forget what I needed to say…or that I wouldn’t be able to get my points across clearly.

Seriously.

Before it began, my wife Beth filmed me looking like I had just seen the ghost of someone yelling, “Go Home!”.

So the announcer introduced me…

I approached the stage …

And what happened next was amazing.

You see…

the moment my mouth opened, all jitters evaporated.

The words came out smoothly and clearly.

I forgot where I was.

How?

3 words…

I

was

prepared.

No… I didn’t memorize a script.  I just happened to be speaking on a topic with which I was familiar.  And didn’t want to read a mental “script”  — or sound… you know…  forced.

So how did I prepare?

The key was this:

before the show I used the power of my imagination to “preview” the future.

I pictured the crowd laughing.  I felt my feet planted firmly on the ground.  I saw myself smiling and felt myself enjoying myself.  I pictured myself as 50 feet tall. I imagined the scene exactly as I wanted it to be…picturing the end with everyone clapping and me feeling satisfied that I delivered helpful information.  And most of all… I pictured the people clearly understanding the message and feeling happy about that.

I made it as real as I could and didn’t let a single thought of failure wiggle into my mini mind-movie.

Now why did I do that?  What’s so special about mental movies and imagination?  How can imagination improve anything at all?

Well…

A long time ago, I decided the worst that could realistically ever happen was someone would yell “boooo” from the back row.

And I’ve come to realize.. ok, so what. I’ve carefully considered the law of averages.    And you know what?    The reality is, it’s as likely to get a boo and a hiss when you are prepared and in the moment as it is to get struck by an armadillo driving a bus.  Plus,  I figured I could handle it even if I did get a boo.  My life wouldn’t be over and I would get a second chance to improve and try again.

I would live.

So, when the time came my mind was free of mental roadblocks.

Guess what?

It was great!

We laughed… I got my points across and everybody won.

Not a single boo.

How can you apply these ideas to your life?  Your body?  Your weight loss efforts?

Are you stumbling blindly into life’s “stressful” situations?  Or do you clearly envision the outcome exactly the way you want it to be?

Do you prepare for your success by establishing and following a plan?  Do you foam roll?  Stretch?  Eat healthy foods?  Plan your meals?  Go to bed at a decent hour so you can have the energy for Boot Camp?

Expect the best of yourself.  Imagine it.  Let go and get out of the way of your mind.  Make a decision.

And charge boldly forth!

Cheers,

D

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Have you ever felt like this?

Just a quick message today about busting stress.

Most people struggling with food do so because of stress.  Could be childhood stress, family stress, relationship stress, life stress… the list is a long and varied one.

But here’s the thing.  Life is stressful.  No doubt.

Yet, remarkably, it is not the specific people, places and things that actually stress us… it is how we perceive and react to them that is the root of the stress.  It is our inner choices that actually shape our life experience.

Fortunately, as an adult, you can reprogram yourself–reprogram your mind and body–to react (or not react at all) to “stressors” differently.  You can learn to remain calm and relatively…or totally unaffected.

It starts with relaxation and – wait for it…

deep breathing.

For it is impossible to feel angry or stressed when you are totally, completely relaxed.

Think for a moment on how your body feels and how your breathe when you feel stress…

Take a deep breath.

Cheers,

Daniel

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