52 Simple Steps to a Better Life

By Mel O'Keefe

Mel O'Keefe has spent most of his adult life (35 years) as a health and fitness professional, with the exception of approximately 8 years in his thirties when ‘life’ got in the way and he lived each day as if he was celebrating his birthday. He is brutally honest about the fact that he was fat (obese) because he ate too much, drank too much and didn't exercise, even though it had been, and would once again be, his primary source of employment.
52 Simple Steps to a Better Life happened because Mel knew that he regained his health and fitness because he sought out the professional help of coaches and nutritionists. His successful return to competing in road races and triathlons would never have come to fruition if he had relied on his own knowledge, education, or willpower. This belief has been validated over the last 7 years as a certified personal trainer in a health club in Mount Pleasant SC. Members who hire a professional achieve results and members who choose the 'do-it-yourself' approach almost always fail.
This book is, as stated, simple steps anyone can take irrelevant of their level of fitness, age or access to fitness equipment. Mel starts with simple steps to better nutrition followed by exercise then motivation/inspiration and finishes with a philosophical look at how health is the most important aspect of the time we human beings spend on earth.
The accompanying ‘book 2’ is Mel’s (almost) daily diary that describes how the challenge of writing a book about how to lead a fit and healthy life mirrors the approach needed to lead that fit and healthy life! A book, just like a fit and healthy body doesn’t just happen. More importantly though both goals are, if the simple steps are followed, attainable to anyone. Because you’ll come to the conclusion that if a fat and lazy lump like Mel can turn his life around and compete in an Ironman Triathlon, run 18 marathons in 18 days, have kids in his fifties and write a book, then anyone can do it!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mel O'Keefe
• Release date: Mar 13, 2012
• ISBN: 9781452429489

Mel O'Keefe

When I left college some 30 years ago I was a fit and healthy athlete who never in his wildest dreams thought he would end up a big, fat and lazy thirtysomething year old! Life and it's travails took me by surpise and even though I still knew what I needed to do to lead a fit and healthy life I chose to live as if each day was my birthday. I ate too much I drank too much and I didn't exercise. Thankfully a series of events happened (that I detail in my book) and I got back on track. Now at the ripe old age of 53 I'm married with a four and a half year old and one year old - both boys. I went from being a lump to an Ironman Triathlete and I've taken that experience and used it to get thousands of people to lead the fit and healthy life they want for themselves. I also have a passion for writing and decided I could scratch 2 itches if I wrote a book that helped people lead a fit and healthy life.

Book preview

Preface

When I started working on this book I assumed that somewhere along the road I’d have the proverbial ‘aha’ moment regarding the title. I was about 90% finished and still had had zero inspiration. I wasn’t panicking - yet! Then it happened. Actually, they happened; 2 real, honest to God, aha moments within minutes of each other. One direct from the person synonymous with that terminology and the other from a completely different source - Inc. magazine.

My wife Lisa had decided to watch Oprah’s new show Life Class. I happened to be home one afternoon while she was tuned in, so we both watched that episode and agreed that it would be a good use of our television viewing time together. Of course that never really came to fruition: - Call it life getting in the way. Then one day she suggested I watch one specific episode that had Jim Carrey, Ralph Lauren and JK Rowling. What a perfect lineup for me. Three icons.

I watched it and was immediately convinced that this book I’ve written is perfect for me and the world. Most importantly though, one of the notes that I took while I was watching became the catalyst for the title. Shortly after Jim Carrey had said something that truly resonated with me, ‘visualization works if you work hard’, Oprah hit the nail on the head. I believe she said no matter who we are, what we do or what we’ve got we’ll always want a better life.

As those words were percolating in my head I decided to take a 5 minute break from the craziness of my life and scan the articles in Inc. to see if there was anything interesting to read when I had some real free time. And along came aha moment number 2. There was this nondescript picture of some woman with the wind blowing through her hair. She was wearing a leather jacket and listening to an I-pod. For some reason the title of the article jumped out at me - Stop faking It.

Her name is Tara Hunt and she’s the CEO and co-founder of the online shopping community Buyosphere.com. Apparently on her blog (and I love this name) Horsepigcow.com, she would implore other entrepreneurs to be more honest about their problems. And this is what she has to say: if nobody shares they are struggling, nobody will know anybody else is struggling. That results in a bunch of people feeling isolated and scared and like big fat losers.

Wow! Ms. O. is the inspiration for the title for the 2 books within these covers followed closely by an unbelievably perfect description of the content of the second book. And two remarkably honest and true opinions about this time you and I have on this planet. So with those words ringing in your ears I hope the thoughts, ideas and suggestions I’ve put down on paper in the 52 steps help you in your quest for a better life. And I hope the detailing of the struggles I have had to overcome to get this in print provide you with the opportunity to look around and know you’re not alone. We’re not losers; we just have a tough time expressing those struggles for fear of being brandished a freak. I, for one, decided to stop faking it, and I hope I encourage others to stop feeling isolated and scared as well.

To find the good life you must become yourself.

Dr. Bill Jackson

Introduction

I think the words of wisdom that have stuck with me the longest were directed at a former boss almost 30 years ago. I had just come to America and was working for a construction company in Hillsborough Oregon, a little town just outside of Portland. My boss was 27 or so at the time and had been married for about a year when I came on the scene. We were at his parent’s house one day when the subject of children came up. Marty said to his mum, Cheryl and I are thinking about having kids but have decided to wait a few years until we’ve put some money aside. To which she offered up the best advice I’ve ever heard. You may as well get started now because you’ll never be able to afford them.

Imagine how I felt when at the ripe old age of 48 and up to my eyeballs in debt I became a father for the first time. As I write this sentence I now have 2 boys; one 4, the other 7 months old. What the heck has that got to do with a book about health and fitness? Nothing and everything.

First things first though. I’m going to get a few apologies out of the way. Perhaps the last thing this world needs is yet another book extolling the virtues of leading a fit and healthy life. On any given day you can buy a whole host of magazines (out of a huge selection) at the grocery store (purchased at the checkout where they know your willpower is at the weakest) that guarantee the body and subsequent lifestyle of a movie star. Go to a book store and there are aisles and aisles of health, fitness and nutrition bibles catering to kids, parents and grandparents. Or you can sit through infomercial after infomercial promising miracles for your fat, flab, abs, buns and bust; and if you can’t afford the shipping and handling that’s more expensive than the product itself, you can go to your very own cable channel and get fit and healthy ‘on demand.’

So why is what I’ve got to say any different? To be honest, in many ways it isn’t. And that’s because it’s not so much what I have to say (although that’s very important) it’s more about how I’ve been be able to actually get these words down on paper; and in two different formats no less. If you’ve flipped through the book or have been told about it you’ll know that there are 2 separate but mutually inclusive books within these covers. One ‘style’ for want of a better word came about because I’m a big fan of daily inspirational sound bites, quotes or aphorisms. I’ve got a couple of amazing books I’ve read and reread (and still read on a daily basis) dozens of times, because no matter how often you read them you’ll always get something new and different out of them. If you’re in a good place in your life a quote or phrase may have no impact on you. But read the same words when you’re glum and it’s the ultimate panacea.

Both of the books mentioned above are what I’d call daily devotions or meditations. One is by J. Krishnamurti called The Book of Life - Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti. The other is The Promise of a New Day - a Book of Daily Meditations, by Karen Casey and Martha Vanceburg. For some reason I became more inquisitive about the ‘how’ rather than the ‘what’ these 2 books offered up; 365 pages of unique and insightful observations designed to inspire and motivate on a daily basis. How the heck do you think up such stuff, let alone write it? you may ask, and that personal inquiry was the catalyst for the second book within a book.

The ‘real’ book as I refer to it throughout these pages was designed to educate, enlighten and inspire you, the reader, to make the best choices possible so you can lead a fit and healthy life. The fact that there are 52 topics is a dead giveaway that reading one a week is the suggestion. Yeah, like that’s going to happen! My hope is that 52 rather than 365 topics is just the right amount to keep you engaged for long enough to be motivated to keep reading and re-reading, and, more importantly, to employ some of the techniques or suggestions inside.

Then there’s the second book, which is what I’d have to consider the ‘meat and potatoes’ of this missive. Once again it’s not rocket science; it’s me writing about me writing about me living my life. Initially this was meant to be on a daily basis, until I realized I wasn’t ever going to finish what I started out to do, so I reverted to a weekly update of boring minutia interrupted by the occasional aha moment or period of excitement. Life in a nutshell, and with a splattering of personal insights that may or may not resonate with you. As I said in the preface, my hope is that you’ll be able to see yourself and your challenges in the ones I face now as a healthy 52 year old as well as the ones when I was a big, fat and lazy lump. You’re going to read how I fail just as miserably now as I did then! Meanwhile nowadays I do my best to put on a happy face and get right back at it….and come out swinging again, because I know I’m not a loser. None of us are; we’re all just doing our best to get by one day at a time.

So, both books serve a purpose, which is a perfect segue for my next apology! I’m an annoying pain in the behind! Regarding health and fitness, I’m opinionated and dogmatic; because it matters. Let me put it in a different way to see if I can get my point across. I live in Mount Pleasant, a suburb of Charleston SC. If you didn’t know, Boeing recently opened a plant here. To say it was a big deal is an understatement. An economic windfall for the Low Country. The primary purpose was to build their industry revolutionizing Dreamliner plane.

It’s 3 years behind schedule! 3 years! That’s almost incomprehensible, but they’ve got some pretty sound logic as to why they chose not to put that thing up in the air. It’s literally a matter of life or death! Can you imagine how complicated it must have been to put such a monstrous puzzle together? We both know that there has to be hundreds and hundreds of ‘annoying’ supervisors working at Boeing who look at what those engineers, welders, electricians and other workers are doing and say NO, YOU CANNOT DO IT THAT WAY!! DO IT THE EXACT WAY IT WAS DESIGNED!

On the surface it looks as if there’s a huge difference between a supervisor over the assembly line of the Dreamliner and me as a personal trainer supervising a person’s exercise regimen and nutritional intake. If that supervisor allows one mistake or error in judgment by one of the people he’s in charge of it really could boil down to a matter of life and death. On the other hand, you choosing not to eat breakfast, even though I’ve got so much data that says it’s extremely important; life and death? C’mon Mel. Seriously? Yes it is, and you’re going to find out how my life has been affected by someone else’s bonehead decisions to eat crap and not exercise while you’re reading the pages of this book.

I’m going to wrap up this introduction by circling back around to my opening paragraph. I think it’s so true. You’ll never be able to afford kids so you may as well have them now - whenever now is. And there will never be a perfect or ideal time of your life for you to eat the way you should or exercise as much as is recommended or necessary. Some thing, event, experience, happening, drama, occasion, etc. etc. is always going to be prominent in your life. Or it may be a period of recovery after whatever the ‘it’ was, offering up excuse after excuse as to why ‘now’ isn’t a good time for you to focus on exercise and nutrition.

I wrote 52 topics because I’m convinced there’s valuable information available about health and fitness in print and on line, but the vast majority of it gets lost in the voluminous amounts of minutia that soak up our life like water in a sponge. So many great ideas, so little time! And it wouldn’t be all that bad if all we ever did was merely miss out on the opportunity to do something or be somebody with our lives. In fact, it’s way worse than that. We’re rendered inert because of an abundance of choices but flagellate ourselves because we missed out on so much of what was available. We’ve become a modern day Sisyphus. So I’m hoping I’ve got the correct number for you to read and apply in your life.

I have also written about my writing experiences/travails, so hopefully you will be able to come to grips with the fact that there aren’t enough hours in the day for me to accomplish all that I have. Yet I’m a slug compared to some of the people I’m inspired by and whom I mention honorably. Which brings us to you. You’re either a child or have children, or a brother or a sister, and without doubt you’re a colleague, co-worker or friend. Irrespective of what your relationship is to those people you spend your days with, it can be summed up in tChaptewo words - LOVED ONE. You are wanted and needed in the lives of others, but not as an ornament; as a participant. I believe our time on this planet was meant to be spent on the field of play, not on the sidelines, and I mean that both literally and figuratively. If you’re unable to be a physical part of a loved one’s life perhaps it’s time to stop and reflect upon why you believe you’re here. If it’s to lead a fit, healthy and active life, please read on.

Oh, by the way, let me offer up what may be considered a disclaimer. I think most people will agree that the 52 steps are really quite simple, as advertised, and like life really - you’re born, you live, you die! However, to describe these steps, as well as life, as being easy would be a misnomer.

"Mere longevity is a good thing for those who watch Life from the sidelines. For those who play the game, an hour may be a year, a single day’s work an achievement for eternity."

Gabriel Heatter

http://www.virtualfitnesscoach.com

Chapter 1 Introduction to Simple Steps 1-13 - Nutrition

When it came to the order of the four topics of this book my gut feeling (excuse the pun) told me that nutrition was the most important of them all. I allude to that in the exercise section when I cover the topic titled ‘I know you’re going to hate to hear this but, abs are made in the kitchen.’ Here’s the reason for my choice. If you take 100 healthy looking people and have them walk past you in shorts and a t-shirt you’ll probably be able to point out 15 or 20 who obviously exercise or workout on a regular basis. After that it’ll start to get a little grey or blurry around the edges, so to speak. That’s because I see my fair share of healthy looking people who are nothing more than mindful of their nutrition. In other words, they count calories; they watch their sugar and fat intake. They steer clear of fried foods; soda is a no-no, and dessert is a treat, not a requirement. In practice they do little more than walk the dog, garden or clean the house. Yes, they are those people who can honestly say that golf is a sport! No, they’re not going to place in their age group for the annual ‘Turkey Day Trot 5K’ on Thanksgiving, but they will walk it, followed by sensible food and alcohol choices throughout the rest of the day. I, for one, envy them and their self restraint.

On the opposite side of the spectrum are those obviously overweight, perhaps even obese people who are at the gym on a daily basis. They are those who we personal trainers refer to as the ‘fittest fat guys in the gym.’ Because their nutritional choices are so bad it’s impossible for them to spend enough hours in the gym to negate what they eat and drink. They are the speed demons at the 5K who seem to defy the laws of physics, not just in how fast they can finish a race but their incredible capacity to consume copious amounts of beer after the race and voluminous amounts of food and alcohol for the next 12 hours!

It’s highly unlikely you’re in the former category, unless you’re seeing if this book would be a good read for a family member or colleague. My guess is I’ve either hit the nail on the head with the latter (so much so that you’re wondering if I’ve been stalking you!) or it’s a very close description of you and how you lead your life. Let me rephrase that. I’ve described my former fat and lazy self as well as my current fit and healthy self.

You’ve probably guessed by now that I’m not one for dancing around a topic; especially the topic of obesity, and I can pretty much guarantee you’ll lose all the weight you want to lose if you take the next 13 chapters to heart. I understand if you’ve sworn off exercise for some reason or other, but I promise you results if you follow my suggestions. You’re going to lose weight, but not get fit. If you combine them with the second section - exercise, I think you’re going to be amazed at how simple leading a fit and healthy life can be: easy? No: simple? Absolutely.

"What great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?"

Robert H schuller

http://www.virtualfitnesscoach.com

Chapter 2 Whatever you do, don’t go on a diet - irrespective of how many you’ve done in the past!

If you look at the overall premise behind any diet (your choice) it will work; in theory. The reason is because the theory is that you consume fewer calories than you burn off. The reality is that diets never work in the long run because you’re basically trying to force yourself to eat what you don’t like or want, and not eat what you do like or want. If you can’t maintain or sustain it, it won’t work.

A lot of scientific pharmaceutical breakthroughs occur in labs using mice or rats and then in clinical trials on humans before the drug gets to us consumers. I’m not condoning that process I’m merely making the statement for a discussion on obesity. In one study researchers took fat lab rats and put them on a diet. Of course they lost weight. So the researchers did to the lab rats what we all do when we diet. They reintroduced them to the food they stopped eating on the diet to lose the weight. As can be expected they gained the weight back. They got the same result on the second go-around. Weight loss followed by weight gain. Then they experienced what is now referred to as the ‘Oprah Winfrey Effect.’ After the third or fourth go around of losing weight by restricting calories, they hit a plateau. No matter how much they dieted they stayed fat.

I’m sure Ms O might take exception to being likened to a fat lab rat, but it’s so appropriate it has to be said. Lab rats are placed in what has to be referred to as an ‘artificial’ environment. Their whole existence is subject to rigid structure. Guess what? That’s exactly how Oprah describes her life. Chefs, trainers, coaches and advisors ensuring that she follow a strict regimen until she achieved her goals. Diet 1 took her from 140 pounds back to her desired weight of 125. The next diet brought her back down from 212 pounds to 145 pounds (this was accomplished by her famous liquid diet). Last but not least in her litany of failed diets is her admonishing herself at 200 pounds 4 years after she displayed her picture on the cover of O magazine weighing in at 160 pounds.

In an attempt to simplify a pretty complicated concept, we human beings still possess the attributes we had thousands of years ago when we roamed the savannah. We’ve got the ability to withstand one or two famines in our life. If we go for a certain amount of time without food we inherently stop using fat to function. We store it instead. Just in case! Of course that’s not how modern day society is. Food is always on its way, but if we wait long enough we engage that ‘famine fear,’ and then it’s all over except for the shouting - in the mirror as we button up the dreaded fat jeans we swore we’d never wear again!

"Truth hurts - not the searching after: the running from!"

John Eyeberg

http://www.virtualfitnesscoach.com

Chapter 3 Seriously though, never go on a diet. Part Two

I love this quote by Winston Churchill - "If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time a tremendous whack." That’s why I decided it was necessary to continue with the ‘don’t diet’ diatribe. It’s that important!

In the book Willpower by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney, examples abound as to the damage done by dieting. One that hit home for me specifically was given the technical name of counterregulatory eating by the researcher Peter Herman. I prefer the colloquial term scientists came up with - the what-the-hell effect. I’ll expound upon it later but let me tell you how it came about. Researchers tested dieters and non dieters by giving them either no food, or a small milkshake or 2 large milkshakes. Then they wanted to test their willpower to resist snacking afterwards. What they found astonished them. The worst performing groups were the dieters who had 2 large milkshakes!

They repeated the experiment in different ways but the results were always the same. They ultimately realized that people on diets have limits of consumption they are allowed - duh! However as soon as the dieters go over that limit, irrespective of the time of day or the food they’re consuming, they immediately adopt the ‘what-the-hell effect.’ They know they’ve blown their diet so the day is a failure, regardless of what they consume during the rest of it. The ensuing binge they allow themselves to go on eliminates all the hard work they may have endured for prior days because (I can attest to this) when they go off the rails it’s usually an ugly sight!

Of course the researchers had a test for that as well, which indicated that we develop amnesia when we over indulge. In this experiment, researchers gave some dieters enough food so that they exceeded their daily caloric amount, while the other dieters had less, so, they hadn’t blown their diet. As usual there was a group who weren’t dieting who were given the same treatment. Later they served the whole group sandwiches cut into quarters. Afterward, and unexpectedly, everyone was asked how many sandwiches they ate. Guess who couldn’t remember how many they’d had? You got it; dieters who’d blown their diet - again.

Having, hopefully, beaten this horse to death regarding diets which are supposedly societies answer to weight gain, I hope to shed some light over the next 50 or more pages on effective strategies to lose and keep weight off forever. So please read on….

I'm not telling you it's going to be easy. I'm telling you it's going to be worth it."

Art Williams

http://www.virtualfitnesscoach.com

Chapter 4 Two simple words to describe healthy nutrition - Planning and Preparation

If you combine the 2 aphorisms ‘a goal without a plan is just a wish’ and ‘if you fail to prepare you prepare to fail’ you’ve summed up eating healthy, especially in this fast-paced, over indulgent society we live in. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happier now that I don’t have to eat bread and jam each and every day the way I did 40 years ago! Abundant choice can be a good thing, as long as you don’t leave your choices up to fate.

I’m at my most annoying when I ask clients about what they’re going to be eating over the next week. I feign shock, horror and dismay when they don’t know exactly what each meal is going to be, but it helps to prove a point. I’m guessing that 9 out of 10 times when a person goes into a day not knowing what they are going to have for breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid afternoon snack and dinner, they are going to end up taking one of the 2 paths of least resistance - bad choice or nothing.

Now I’m going to let you off the hook (to a certain extent) for your choices if you haven’t planned and prepared. It has been scientifically proven that making choices drains your energy and willpower. The same goes for making decisions. So if you wake up and start your day off with what should I wear you’ve already depleted your resources. Each and every time you think should I do this or that you run your decision making battery down, until it starts to lose power, and the only thing that can recharge it is energy; preferably in the form of glucose. Guess what the best source of glucose is. Crap! Or more accurately, white processed sugary or salty, artery hardening, TASTY, bad for you food! If you think I’m joking then check out the ‘Twinkie Defense’ in which attorneys claimed their client committed murder because of his eating habits! So as you can see, it’s not just a slippery slope you’re walking on, somebody keeps pouring hot water on your cold pavement. The solution is incredibly simple - plan and prepare. If you’re part of the moral majority your life is pretty much a litany of repetitive actions: work; kids at school; exercise; check emails and facebook; television; read etc. The easiest way to see how routine your life is is to look back at the last few weeks and see how many changes there were. I’m guessing not many.

Consequently you need to plan next week’s meals at the end of this week. Make a grocery list and go buy accordingly. Here’s what our weekly family shopping excursion looks like and sounds like. Do we have anything going on next week? Dinner out on Wednesday; friends over on Friday. Okay then, eggs, oatmeal and whole wheat grains for breakfasts; fruits, vegetables, cheerios, fig newtons, yogurts, granola bars for snacks; canned soups and deli turkey for lunches; chicken, salmon and pork for dinners; whole grain pasta or rice to go with dinner; salad fixings. Thank you very much…off we go! Yes, it’s boring, and I hate to tell you this but of the 35 meals or snacks you eat in a week, 30 of them are supposed to be simple, easy and boring. That makes those other 5 even more exciting!

"There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long range risks and costs of comfortable inaction."

John F Kennedy

http://www.virtualfitnesscoach.com

Chapter 5 Eat Breakfast Like a King, Lunch Like a Queen and Dinner Like a Pauper

If weight loss is your goal and you were to ask for one absolute, take it to the bank guarantee of success, it would have to be EAT BREAKFAST! In fact I’ve frequently offered free training for a month if someone doesn’t lose a pound a week by adopting the habit of eating breakfast. Of course we’re talking healthy - every morning, but I’ve never lost my bet! Those that follow the strategy lose: those that don’t, well they lose too - the bet that is!

There is probably not one single person who will pick up this book who has never been told, at some stage of their life, eat your breakfast. If you’re like me you’ve heard it from your parents as you grew up and are now hearing yourself say it as an adult to your children. If you think about it, it really is the ‘poster child’ in life for the ultimate hypocrisy; parents sipping a cup of coffee and telling their kids to eat breakfast. It’s for a different discussion but could that be part of the reason children rebel against their parents?

So, what’s for breakfast? Something simple and healthy. In the time it takes me to write this section breakfast for the family will have baked in the oven. Its oatmeal, milk, grated apple, sugar free maple syrup, cinnamon and craisins. It took 5 minutes to prepare and will be enough for 3 to 4 days. Guess what my 80 year old parents had for breakfast this morning in England? If you guessed oatmeal you were correct. Oh, and a banana. My mum and dad are still going strong and eating oatmeal or another healthy breakfast is part of the reason for their good health.

What about lunch? Something simple and healthy that you can pack at home and will save you enough money to send your kids to college (as well as pay for a personal trainer) A turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread or wrap, a couple of pieces of fruit and a low sugar yogurt. What!? Did I just say pack a sandwich, fruit and yogurt? Absolutely did. If you make it yourself you’re going to appreciate it more (that’s a given) and you’re also going to know exactly what you’re putting in your stomach. Can you say that about any restaurant you go to? Actually I know the answer is yes you can, especially in New York; but guess what? Only 26% of people who eat out opt for healthy choices, and that data is brought to you by the restaurant owners themselves. That’s why McDonalds is taking apple slices off their menu - nobody eats them!

As for dinner, it’s time to reduce the starches in lieu of protein. A balanced meal would consist of fish, chicken or pork with a sweet potato and side salad. Ideally you’re going to pass on anything white (duh!) and starches such as French fries, pasta, rice and bread; and here’s why they’re bad for dinner but great for breakfast. What is your life like after breakfast? Do you sit down and watch television or read a book, then go to bed for 6-8 hours? Heck no! You’re on the move. Kids, work, school, meetings, working out etc. Which means you’re going to burn off all of that energy you consumed first thing in the morning. Hence the reason why everyone loses weight if they eat breakfast, but they lose even more if they’re judicious with their selections and portion sizes for dinner.

"There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going"

Beverly Sills

Chapter 6 If you make it a habit to count calories as well as grams of fat and sugar in one day, you’ll be enlightened - literally!

To say that we humans have a tendency to ‘fudge’ when it comes to sizing is an understatement. Fisherman - you should have seen the size of the one that got away! Clothing companies - yes, madam that is a size 8 dress you’re wearing. Gym rat - that workout had to have burned off at least a thousand calories.

There was a viral video a few years ago where a woman was doing a comparison of serving sizes of every day food items; meaning she would have someone guesstimate how much peanut butter and jelly they would smear onto a couple of slices of bread to make it fit the suggested caloric amount of a pbj. I know I’d never come close. I’d either cheat by using what I thought I was supposed to use or embarrass myself by using what I really do and realize it’s probably double what I estimate it to be!

So here’s a very abbreviated look at a day’s nutrition To make things as simple as possible I’m going to use the ubiquitous ‘Nutrition Facts’ label on all manufactured goods; you know the one I’m talking about, the one you either ignore or say you don’t understand! But first I have to add a category. If you read the Nutrition Facts label on any food you purchase, the one thing that sticks out is the fact that you aren’t told what percentage of your daily allowance you should get from sugar. For the purpose of this chapter, let’s say that it’s the same as your allowance for total fat. So, for a 2,000 calorie a day diet you’re looking at 65 grams of fat and sugar.

Let’s take a look at a breakfast of 2 eggs, 3 rashers of bacon, 2 slices of toast with butter and a glass of orange juice. Here’s how that breaks down:

2 eggs = 200 calories and 15 grams of fat and 2 grams of sugar;

3 rashers of bacon = 210 calories and 18 grams of fat;

2 slices of toast with butter = 230 calories, l2 gram of fat and 4 grams of sugar;

16 ounces of orange juice = 280 calories and 60 grams of sugar.

So that’s a grand total of 920 calories, 44 grams of fat and 62 grams of sugar. I don’t know about you, but that’s not what I’d call a big breakfast! I could probably throw in a short stack of pancakes, which would add about 600 calories, 7.5 grams of fat and 48 grams of sugar. So a ‘hearty’ breakfast has now ‘eaten up’ ? of my daily calories, ? of my fat allowance and almost twice the amount of sugar I can eat.

And what does all this nonsense mean? Those numbers are there for a reason, just like speed limits, or maximum occupancy in elevators! Ignore them at your peril; and be prepared for the consequences! In this case you’re going to gain weight if your daily intake minus your daily outgo exceeds the suggested daily amount - period!

"A long habit of not thinking a thing is wrong gives it a superficial feeling of being right."

Thomas Paine

Chapter 7 Rev up your metabolism - the importance of eating 5 or 6 times a day

No matter how hard we try to defy certain laws of science, physics or mathematics, we finally realize we’re fighting a losing battle. E=mc squared, for example. An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion will stay in motion. There are also some very bright people out there who can explain why those laws are irrefutable. I, for one would fall asleep listening to the explanation. I merely believe. However a very important law for us all to learn is the Second Law of Thermodynamics or, Energy in equals Energy Out.

Because I’m the furthest thing you could