My First Ever Survey!

Who reads my blog? I really don't know. And because I don't know, it is hard to provide the best possible information.

I created a short (10 question) survey, and it will only take a couple minutes to complete. It is totally anonymous.

Please help me out.  I will close the survey on Monday, Feb 2, 2015.

My MakeYourSomedayToday survey.

Thanks!

Five Secret Tricks to Regain Control of Your Eating (Part 4)

Welcome back to this series of life-changing tips which are very simple to use!

To recap, we use going to use the “Half Plate Habit” everywhere, chew gum while shopping, and move temptations at the office out of sight.

But many of us eat one or more meals away from home and office. What about when we eat at a restaurant? How can you use the “Half Plate Habit” when you are not in charge of plating your food?

I will offer a few simple actions. Oh, I know, you already know the trick about having the server pack up half the entrée before they even bring it to the table. That will prevent you from eating the entire meal without thinking.

(Do you do that? I don’t. I should, but I don’t.)

And we probably should order all those “heart healthy” foods. You know, those foods with the little heart logo. But do we? Not usually. Sometimes those foods just don't look appetizing, or the portions seem too small, but for whatever reason, we ignore those options.

So what can we do? I have three simple suggestions.

• One is seating location. Ask for a seat near a window or a well-lit location. When people sit in a booth, in the far corner, dark and isolated, people tend to order more and then eat more. Sitting near a window or on the outdoor patio, generally helps people make healthier choices. When you can be seen, you will usually do what you “should do.”

• The second step is when you order a meal, remember to use the “Half Plate Habit”. Instead of a starchy side dish, ask for extra vegetable or a side salad. And when the server arrives, immediately ask for a glass of water with a lemon or cucumber slice, and ask him or her to not bring the dinner roll basket.

• Lastly, you should try to limit alcohol consumption. Not only is alcohol empty calories, but one of the first effects of alcohol is to put our “decider brain” into a deep sleep. That is why we tend to eat when we drink. But if you are sitting near the window you probably will also not be sitting near the bar, so that decision will be easier. 

If you really want to throw caution to the winds, and bypass everything we've learned so far, order food while sitting at a dimly lit bar, during double-bubble happy hour, and with 2 televisions going.

But if you really want to do that, we will need to have a one-on-one session.

And just a reminder, if you do not want to wait, you can listen to last week's podcast, where I list all five suggestions. The show is about 30 minutes long, and you can find it here. You can also subscribe to my podcast in iTunes (for users of Apple products) or Stitcher (non-Apple devices.)

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I want to acknowledge Dr. Brian Wansink and both of his excellent books, “Mindless Eating” and “Slim By Design”. His research and more importantly, his well-written and easy to read books were the source of these suggestions. 

Achieve Success on Your First Attempt!

“Character consists of what you do on your third and fourth tries.” James Michener, US author

How many people reading this have tried to lose weight just one time and achieved permanent success?

Has anyone ever grabbed their skateboard and landed a 360 kickflip on their first try?

How many people started a blog, podcast or any online business and immediately became a success?

Anyone?

I didn’t think so. Weight loss,  skateboarding, blogging, and podcasting, like almost everything in life, is not smooth, easy, and predictable. It requires the ability to try and try again, repeating it over and over if needed. What do you think about the person who attempts something difficult and quits the first time they encounter an obstacle? Maybe you mentally label them a “quitter.” Maybe you look on them with scorn and tell yourself that you would be stronger than that. Maybe you feel pity for them, because you are sympathetic to their plight.

But does anyone look at that person with increased caring and concern? Probably not. But here is the kicker. No matter how other people look at the person, no matter what label we apply, that is nothing compared to what he/she feels of themselves. It is utter failure. Again. It is further proof that we are not good enough, that we don’t deserve success.

And that is what tarnishes the character of the person. Their self-doubts, their assumption of inevitable loss, their inability to stop looking backwards at previous attempts, all play a role in future failures. I know. This is not my first attempt at weight loss. I felt all those feelings. I understand the feelings of defeat and despair.

But this is my first successful attempt at weight loss. (I won't claim success in launching my podcast quite yet.) I don’t know how to put into words what was different this time. I think I finally reached my breaking point. I think I started looking at things with a sense of realistic dread of what my path was leading to. I didn’t want to be the patient in the ER who required four people to move in bed. I didn’t want to have a heart attack or stroke. I was developing uncontrolled high blood pressure, so high that the Red Cross continually deferred me from donating blood.

Some people would call it an epiphany. I just call it life changing. I decided that I didn’t care how many times I had failed to reach my goals; I was not going to stop this time. I would not let anything deter me. My goal was my priority. It helped me make difficult decisions, and it kept my focus laser-sharp. Honestly, I was scared. I was fat and scared.

I don’t know if I would have been as successful losing weight without LoseIt and Fitbit. Maybe I would have, but I’m glad I don’t need to find out. I am almost 18 months at or below goal weight. I will not go back. It isn’t even an option. My entire being is now focused on the idea of staying where I am, staying healthy, and enjoying life. With that attitude, choosing to not get an ice cream cone is easier. (Not “easy”, just “easier.”) It also helps that I still use LoseIt and Fitbit, and will forever (or until LoseIt goes away.)

And I must thank my friend Meron Bareket and his Podcast Starter Kit because that is how I was able to launch my podcast. Meron didn't promise success. No one can promise you success in anything. But Meron, and I, give the tools that are needed to work toward goals. You still need to add the magic ingredients: determination, drive, and the right effort.

My character used to be defined by my failures, by my willingness to quit when it got challenging. Now it is defined by my successes. Everyone here has those same choices to make. You can decide to take the easy way out, stop measuring your food, or log only occasionally, or drive when you could walk. You can choose to have a “cheat day” (which then can become “cheat days”) or you can decide this isn’t fast enough and find something else. Or you can decide that your health and well-being are more important than that extra donut at the office, and that happiness with yourself is worth more than sitting on your butt and watching TV.

Our actions and choices create our character. How do you want to define your character?

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Note: the links to LoseIt, Fitbit and the Podcast Starter Kit are my affiliate links. That means if you click on those and buy one (or all) I will receive a small commission. It does not change your cost at all, but it will help me continue to provide recipes and advice here and in my podcast Make Your Someday Today. That is the only firm of payment I have here, or in the podcast. I tell you about tools that worked for, and if you belief they can help you, your purchase keeps my work going. And for that, I thank you!

Note: the links to LoseIt, Fitbit and the Podcast Starter Kit are my affiliate links. That means if you click on those and buy one (or all) I will receive a small commission. It does not change your cost at all, but it will help me continue to provide recipes and advice here and in my podcast Make Your Someday Today. That is the only firm of payment I have here, or in the podcast. I tell you about tools that worked for, and if you belief they can help you, your purchase keeps my work going. And for that, I thank you!

Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com and Victor Erixon.

Unsplash License:  "All photos published on Unsplash are licensed under Creative Commons Zero which means you can can copy, modify, distribute and use the photos, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission."

How to Make Crispy, Crunchy Fried Chicken

Crispy, crunchy, breaded chicken is easy. Simply deep fry it.

But if you are looking for a healthier version, that requires baking it, and sometimes the results are not as crisp or crunchy as desired. I tried several versions, and found that the secret ingredient is Panko Bread crumbs. (My preferred brand is Kikkoman.)

Panko Crumbs adds an excellent and light crunch to everything!

In both versions, I used a buttermilk wash and seasoned flour. I baked the chicken on a cooking rack to allow airflow around the chicken, but the pieces that were given a second coating with panko turned out demonstrably crisper and crunchier.

These pieces had a crisp and satisfying crunch and that contributed to the excellent flavor.

This was very flavorful, but lacked the crunch.

The specific details:

I used chicken legs (thighs and drumstick.) I left the skin on (because sometimes I just want all the flavor possible.) I think this technique would work with skinless chicken, and I will run that test soon.

I seasoned 1 cup whole wheat flour with 

• 2 tsp onion powder 
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper 
• 1 tablespoon rubbed sage. 

My wash was buttermilk.

The flour-only version was dipped in buttermilk and rolled in flour. The panko version was rolled in the seasoned flour first, then dipped in buttermilk and coated in panko.

Bake on a cooking rack in another shallow pan (I used a 10x15in jelly roll pan) at 425F/225C for 15 minutes, then 375/190C for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temp is 165F/74C.

Don't bake solely based on time. If you remove the chicken at 165F/74C, you will have perfectly cooked chicken that isn't dry. However, the downside of this is you don't get the beautiful golden-brown color of deep-fried chicken. (I can live without the color!)

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This recipe was requested from Tosha, one of the listeners of my podcast, Make Your Someday Today. In MYST 53, Tosha left a message on my voicemail system (Speakpipe) which you can find on my home page. If you have a question, please give me a call!

I Love Writing to You, But I Have a Request

I do. I really enjoy the process of putting my thoughts on paper. It helps me get organized (because often I experience rambling, stream-of-conscious thoughts, sort of ADD and ...oh, look at that squirrel outside!)

(Joke.)

Seriously, I do enjoy the writing process. It is simultaneously energizing and relaxing.

But.

It takes time. Food posts are relatively easy. I take a picture and pair it to my already recorded recipe and BOOM! A new post.

Writing a thoughtful post takes more time. And since I never know how long my post will be, or even the exact topics my post will cover, writing tends to consume a lot of time.

So, I am asking for help.

Are you a blogger, one who writes about topics that you see here? Food, motivation, inspiration, and the frustrations of daily life?

If yes, would you like the chance to be a guest blogger here? Depending on the response to this proposal, I might need a guest blogger once a month or once a week. I just don't know. The blog posts would be cross-promoted to my podcast, as well as my Twitter and Facebook.

Here is my podcast links to various sources. You can listen to see if the content will match yours.
iTunes  http://MakeYourSomedayToday.com/iTunes
Stitcher http://MakeYourSomedayToday.com/Stitcher
TuneIn http://MakeYourSomedayToday.com/TuneIn
Player.FM http://MakeYourSomedayToday.com/Player.FM

If you are interested, send me a message to my email Trevor@MakeYourSomedayToday.com If you know someone who might be interested, send them a link to this blog post or just tell them.

There won't be any cash involved, but you will earn my happiness and respect, and I will spread the word of your message as far as I can.

Success Is Internal, But The Growth is External

“A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.”

Ayn Rand

My wife and I are re-watching the TV series “Mad Men” and one of the characters likes Ayn Rand. I like her quote above, but I would replace “creative” with the word “successful”.

My awesome wife, Tammy!

We are competing internally. I don’t care how many challenges you join on LoseIt, the battle for weight management is a fight with your own body and mind. The battle for success in the field of podcasting or blogging lies inside you, with your ability to create a quality product and connect with your audience. It does not matter who else is podcasting or how many other blogs exist. Their success will not diminish your potential success. 

True success occurs because you want to become the person that you really are, not by wanting to lose weight faster than your neighbor, or publish more blog posts. If you entered a marathon, would you prefer to define your personal success based on how well you placed compared to the other runners, or based on the percentage of improvement over your last marathon? Why would it be any different here?

Achieving success is more than a number on a scale or download numbers on iTunes. It is being part of a group effort, of working for the common good. My guess is that people who are not interactive here and in the forums are the people who rapidly give up. When we post to each other and respond in the forum, we are all doing what we can to support someone else. We sometimes give them a new idea to try. Sometimes we are the bucket of cold water trying to bring some reality to the situation. But in either case, we are part of a team and looked at from afar, everyone gets better.

Looking back at running for a moment, which is run faster, four people competing in a one mile race or a team of four running the 4x440 relay as a team?  It is the same distance, but the relay will be completed MUCH faster, because each person does their part for the whole team.

The people of “Mad Men” competed externally and internally. They were all afraid of losing business to another firm and they all wanted to be the most productive account executive for personal rewards. They generally succeeded but I just wonder what they could have accomplished if the various departments and people acted as if they were integrated rather than separate units. If everyone were part owner instead of a salaried employee, there would be incentive to make sure you help the person next to you instead of sneak behind them for personal glory.

Make Your Someday Today is all about individual choices and responsibility, but it is also about everyone helping someone else. We all have knowledge and expertise. We all have needs and weaknesses. We can all participate in making others successful, because choirs sing best when many voices are singing the same song.

Personal experience: I would guess that many people reading this know the song “Piano Man” by Billy Joel. My wife and I attended a Billy Joel/Elton John concert back in 1995 at Milwaukee County Stadium with 54,000 people in the stadium. At the end of the concert, in the final curtain call, both singers came out without their bands and backup singers. They sat at their respective pianos for two final songs. The first song they both sang was “Good Bye, Norma Jean”. It was beautiful. And then they both played “Piano Man.” I love that song. I always have and always will. It is a beautiful solo ballad. But to this day, I still get a shiver down my spine when I think of 54,000 people rising to their feet and singing “Piano Man” in unison. I will never hear anything like that again. It wasn’t a planned sing-along. The performers didn’t invite us to serenade them. It was a spontaneous event.

There were good singers in the crowd. There were also singers who sang like me. And I am sure we sang in many different keys. None of that mattered. Our combined voices created a one-of-a-kind choir. The applause afterwards was deafening, because we were applauding ourselves for helping each other be better. There were a few tears, as well, for no apparent reason other than beauty takes many unexpected forms.

We can all do that here. Everyone here can be helped and at the same time be helped. The only saying is that the rising tide raises all boats.  Be part of the tide that raises everyone around you.

(Post-script:  As I sit here proofing this essay, with my iPod on shuffle, “Piano Man” begins to play.)

Accepting Praise for Your Successes

Brian Dunning is from the podcast Skeptoid.com, and he was the most recent guest on my podcast Make Your Someday Today.

Success will bring recognition. In business, that could be in the form of a pay raise, a bonus, a promotion, or a bigger office. In sports, that could be medals or sponsorships. Those are relatively easy to accept. They are tangible rewards, something that is measurable and comparable to other people.

In weight loss, the recognition is different. People will say things like "Have you lost weight?" or "You are getting so thin" or "You really shouldn't lose any more weight." Those can be handled with a simple "Yes", "Not really" and "My goal is to be healthy", respectively.

But what do you say to people who give verbal praise? (This can be in any of the above successes.) Peers and family who are unable to give that tangible recognition but are only able to say "You did great on that project" or "You were the fastest in that race" or "You look great!"

Think about those comments. What are your first responses that come to mind. Most likely the response will sound something like "I was just doing my job" or "That's just because I practiced a lot" or "Oh, I didn't lose that much!" People tend to be humble when presented with praise. We downplay our successes. We try to not seem boastful.

That is really wrong. In my Booster episode from today (May 8, 2014) I talk about this problem in greater detail. Listen to the entire show for my rationale and a challenge that I am putting out to everyone. You can find the show in iTunes here, in Stitcher (for non-Apple devices) here, and directly from my website here.

Also, I gave a few more shout-outs to reviewers. Do you want to hear your name? Give me a rating and review on iTunes today!

A Success Story! Have You Heard It Yet?

This is a shameless plug for my podcast.

You can easily find MakeYourSomedayToday (in iTunes) or (in Stitcher). If you like what you hear, please leave me a review on one of those sites (or both!) Ratings and reviews serve to demonstrate to each company that my podcast is worth promoting. That is the only way I can grow--if you, my readers and listeners give feedback to iTunes and Stitcher!

I am asking for everyone here to listen to a show or two (or all 10?) and then give me honest ratings and reviews.

The next show that I will promote here is the most recent episode, and it will feature a few unusual foods. If you listened already, you know what I am talking about. I will show pictures and give basic recipes.

By the way, if you want to hear my story, you can find it in MYST Episode 1 at either of the links about or directly from my website.

Have You Listened Yet?

My podcast is now available on iTunes and Stitcher. 

Have you listened to it yet? If not, please go out to one of those sites (iTunes if you use an iPhone, iPad, or iPod) and Stitcher (if you use an Android phone), subscribe and listen.

I want to grow my audience, but the only way that will happen is if more people can easily find it. And that only happens if I can make--and maintain--an appearance in iTunes New & Noteworthy. New & Noteworthy is only possible for the first eight weeks of a podcast's life. Just 56 days. And Make Your Someday Today is already 10 days old.

Podcasts are measured by the number of subscriptions, ratings and reviews. Can you be my superhero and save the day for me? 

After you help me by subscribing, rating and reviewing, drop me a line on Twitter and tell me, okay? @TrevorLaRene

The Podcast is Up and Running!

I rarely directly ask for help here, but I AM asking now! I need everyone's help!

I want to let everyone know that my podcast has launched successfully, with three episodes published, and the fourth to be released on Monday, Apr 14. I have 8 more interviews recorded, edited and scheduled for weekly releases, every Monday. I am recording more people every week to stay ahead of schedule. This podcast will run smoothly, with at least one new episode every week.

Make Your Someday Today is available on iTunes right now. 

I am waiting for acceptance to Stitcher, Windows, and Blackberry. You can also listen to it, or download it directly from my website. To be totally honest, the website is rough, but it works. Now that I have a grip (slippery, but it is a grip) on the podcast, I am going to focus on the web page.

When you listen to the show, please go to the website and leave comments on the show notes. If you download from iTunes (or any of the other sources mentioned) please go back after listening, subscribe to get future episodes automatically and leave me a 5 star review!

A few details:

The podcast is focused on helping you succeed, in any goal. I believe that reaching success requires the same steps whether you are trying to lose 50 pounds, write a book, run a marathon, or get A's in school. It is an interview-based show (most of the episodes, at least) so you won't be listening to me for the entire show, but rather others who faced challenges and yet persevered to reach success, and now are returning that success to others. You may know of some of my guests, especially if you already listen to podcasts, but the majority of my guests are going to be people like you and me, who set a goal, worked hard, and achieved success. We will learn their strategies.

Most of the interview shows run about 40 minutes. The non-interview shows run 15-30 minutes. The first episode was rough (in terms of sound quality) but I quickly got better.

• The first episode is my story, and why I feel that I can help you succeed in your goals.
• The second episode is about how the podcast will work, and the four key steps in succeeding at anything.
• The third episode is a podcaster/entrepreneur who had plenty of challenges, and stepped outside his comfort zone to help create success for others around the world.
• The fourth episode (available Monday, Apr 14) is a major blogger (250K hits a month) and cookbook author, who teaches a common sense way to enjoy life and still lose weight.
• The fifth (available Monday, Apr 21) is the first LoseIt member. Many LoseIt friends will make an appearance on the podcast over the next 2-3 months.
• The sixth episode will be a podcaster from Wisconsin who experienced a ton of challenges, and yet rose to become a successful business woman and entrepreneur.
• The seventh will be a LoseIt member from Canada.
• The eighth is a science podcaster, with 180K downloads a week.

If you want to know more, you need to subscribe and listen! And if you like what you hear (and so far, everyone is giving me good reviews) PLEASE tell others about the podcast in your preferred social media platform. (And a second reminder to leave a 5 star review on iTunes. That is critical to helping others find me easily in the iTunes directory, because placement is based on reviews.)

Do You Need Motivation? Then Find Your Why!

Why?

A powerful question. If you want to achieve something, knowing "how" is important, knowing “what” is important, but knowing "why" is the make-or-break question.

If you currently are working, why are you working? The most likely answer is that someone pays you to do some form of work. If suddenly, the manager of your workplace informed you that beginning tomorrow, no one would get compensated in an way. Everyone would become a volunteer worker. Would you keep working at your current job?

Are you a marathoner? Why? What drives you to run 26.2 miles? Is it because you find enjoyment and fulfill a sense of purpose when you run? Why do you feel fulfilled when you run?

Why do you drive the car you drive? If it is a new car, why are you driving a new car? A ten year old car will get you where you need to go. You drive your specific car because it fills a need, whether it is social need or has capabilities that other cars lack.

If you own a home, why? There are certainly apartments that you could rent or condos to own, but you own a home because it offers something that other buildings don't

If you are losing weight--or want to lose weight--why?

When you know WHY you need to do something, you will also have your motivation. Webster says that "motive" is "an emotion, desire, physiological need, or similar impulse that acts as an incitement to action." A motive incites action. It isn't something that you are assigned. It isn't a societal standard. It isn't a wish, or hope, or dream, or prayer. All those are passive. A motive must lead to an action, otherwise is a merely a thought.

I read often on LoseIt, "I need to lose X pounds. Please motivate me!" We can't motivate you. We can inspire you with our personal success. We can suggest courses of action. We can provide encouragement when journey gets rough (and it will get rough.) But we can't tell you WHY you want/need to lose. If you don't know why, you have just placed a large obstacle in your path.

Do you need to lose weight for health reasons, like me? Then your motivation is to regain your health. Do you want to lose weight so you can fit into your favorite outfit? Then that dress/suit/whatever is your motivator. Do you want to go on a flight and not need to ask for a seat belt extender again? (That happened to me in 2005. It was bad, but not enough for me to take action.)

Everyone has a WHY. You need to look inside and honestly ask the question "Why am I doing this?" When you have your answer, you have your motivation. 

However, the next question is "Is my reason important enough to make permanent changes?" That special outfit might not be enough of a reason to take action. That too-short seatbelt was an embarrassment, but it didn't make me change my actions. After all, you can buy a larger suit. You can ask for a seatbelt extender. (I didn't...but I could have.)

But you can't take back that stroke. Or heart attack. Or the loss of a toe to diabetes.  You can't ask for a do-over after the fact because you were too big to play football with your children, or too embarrassed to go on the beach with your family while on a once in a lifetime vacation.

When you know your WHY and when you know your why is so important that nothing else can stand in your way of success, you will achieve success. Until then, you are just dreaming.

I told you my "WHY". What is your "Why?" Tell us below.

Today, in History

What happened on this date in history?

Barack Obama was inaugurated as 44th US President (2009)
Australia beats India 2-0 to win the Wold Cup (1992)
First federal holiday honoring Marting Luther King, Jr (1986)
Pittsburgh Steelers beat Los Angeles Rams, 31-19 in Pasadena and Terry Bradshaw was the MVP (1980)
"Meet the Beatles" album is released in the US (1964) (I have an original copy!)
FDR is sworn in 4th consecutive term as US President (1945)
Hostilities cease in US Revolutionary War (1783)
First English Parliament was sworn in by Earl of Leicester (1285)

And in 2012, I reached my weight loss goal!

And they all lived happily ever after, never regaining an ounce.

Yeah. Right.

Oh, please don't misunderstand me. I am still wearing my new size in clothing. (Specifically, my shirts went from 3XL w/18" neck to Medium w/15 1/2" neck, my waist 48" to 34", and my suit from 54 Portly to 42 Regular.) They are not even tight (except for that one shirt--there is NO WAY that neck is actually 15 1/2 inches as labeled!) Over the past 2 years, I lived in my "success range" which is about my goal plus or minus 3 pounds. Actually, for about the first year, I actually slid down another 6 pounds from my goal, and was living at "G minus 6 pounds". That was fine. But towards the end of 2013, my weight started to climb. To G minus 3...then G...then G plus 3. Still...I was within my success range, so it was all good, right?

Wrong!

I was getting complacent. Not lazy, but relaxed. I haven't regained too much, but I am at the top of what I consider to be successful. I don't have any more room to wander up. So, what am I going to do differently?

Nothing. And everything.

I never really stopped measuring and logging my foods...but I also starting overlooking those extra couple hazelnuts or walnuts at the holidays. I love nuts, and seeing a bowl of them was an "attractive nuisance". And since I only ate one or two nuts (at a time), well, maybe I didn't bother logging them. Of course, the problem was that I would walk past them several times a day, and the "one or two" became "10-15".

And I know that having two HUGE bags of candy in the garage was a mistake. We had a bag of "Christmas Crack" was simultaneously terrible and delicious, and I know I didn't honestly log everything I ate from it. After all, how could a small handful hurt? I mean, it is only Chex mix, with butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and cashews? (Oh, I can almost taste it yet.) I also found it difficult to walk past the Caramel Puffcorn without doing "quality control". Every day.

Here's how bad it was: I remember Tammy coming home from work one day, and she asked me about my day. I told her that I felt it was successful, because I spent the whole day at home, and I didn't eat any of those treats.  Guess what I did that night immediately before brushing my teeth prior to going to sleep? (But it was only small double handful!)

Fortunately at least this year we didn't make our Hot Buttered Rum mix! (Ice cream, butter, powdered sugar and brown sugar.)

I am back to carefully logging everything. I put the nuts away. (The Christmas munchies are thankfully long gone!) I am staying on budget. Not under budget. Not over budget. But at budget.

It's deja vu all over again. Measure. Log. Move.

Success is possible. Success is an eternal quest, and it can be fleeting. If you forget, even for a little while, old habits can come crashing back. I'm not telling you this to scare you, or to make you feel as though this challenge is impossible. I am telling you so that I remind myself that this challenge is just that: a challenge. It only becomes impossible when you surrender to it.

Today, I am still within my official success range. And I am going to stay there.

New Year's Resolutions!

Pop quiz: This year, my New Year’s resolution is: ___________

How many of you already have an answer for that question? I’m willing to guess that many of you answered that question by saying one or more of the following:

·         More Exercise

·         Better Calorie Control

·         Eat Healthier Foods

·         More Water

·         Quit Smoking

You may even have resolutions to:

·         Start That Blog

·         Write Your Book

·         Start a Business

·         Start Your Own Cold Shower Therapy Challenge (Okay, probably not that.)

Those are very good goals. I wish power and success for you to help you reach your goals in that you will start in 2014.

Wait. What?

As I write this, it is Tuesday, December 17.  The New Year is 15 days away. Why are you waiting until January 1 to start working on your resolutions, which is really only another word for “goals”?

Are you going to magically have more strength, willpower and decision-making skills in 2014 that you don’t already have? Will it be any easier to buy healthy foods in 15 days than it is now? Is 2014 the “Year of Guaranteed Success” but only for journeys that are started in that year?

Pretty ridiculous ideas, aren’t they?

No, the real reason is that right now, for the next two weeks, you will be bombarded with feasts, parties, events, meals and gifts of foods. The temptation of food will be omnipresent. You will be focused on all those activities for the next 2 weeks. Those temptations will steal time from you and you will be unable to go out and walk in the morning, or up a flight of stairs at work. You won’t have the opportunity to say “No, thank you” to that second (or third, or fourth) cocktail at the office party. You won’t have the budget to drink water instead of your daily  Caramel-Mocha-Mint-Latteccino (venti size, of course.)

Pretty ridiculous excuses, aren’t they?

You will have the same time, energy, budget in 2014 that you have right now. However, in you will be missing one thing that you currently have: 15 more days to work towards your goal, if you start right now! That is two weeks toward reaching your goal, two weeks toward creating a new habit, two weeks closer to success.

Additionally, in 2014, you probably will have an additional 1-3 pounds around your midsection from all the eating that you will do. (Great--more weight to lose!)

But here is what will happen to most people. You are going to wait to start your resolutions. And then, on New Year’s Day, you are going to wake up, and say, “Well, today is a holiday, and all the college bowl games are on, so I’ll start my resolution tomorrow.” The next day is a Thursday, and you all know that the best day to start anything is a Monday, so let’s just wait until…2015?

I am optimistic by nature, but a realist by experience. Most people quit on their goals. Many never even start. And that is too bad, because I believe that anything is achievable, as long as you start and never quit.

By the way, for any goals/resolutions such as weight loss, increased activity, smoking cessation, do you know the absolute best to start working toward that goal? No? The best time was any time before right now, so that you wouldn’t have as far to go before reaching success.

But since I don’t have a time machine, I can’t send you back into the past to let you restart, so the next best day is today. Right now.

If not now, when? If not you, who?

But even I have a resolution, effective today. I will avoid eating the delicious Caramel Cashew Chex Mix that I made last Sunday in preparation for upcoming holiday parties, and now stored in a 2.5 gallon Ziploc bags out in our freezing garage. And, like many people working toward goals, I am going to remind myself of that resolution/goal every day. (Because this morning I was unsuccessful in holding myself to this resolution.)

What is YOUR goal (not a "resolution")? When are you starting?

Cold Showers: Why DO I Take Them?

Today was Cold Shower, Day 52, and the water temp is down to an even 48F/9C.

At a neighborhood party last Friday, a few neighbors wanted an explanation of my practice, and I tried to give them one. A few were polite and made comments of semi-understanding, but one guy was blunt and said, "No offense, Trev, but that is just stupid." We all laughed. I wasn't offended at all. I realize that my cold shower habit is "non-standard". That's okay, I can live with that.

But do you know what else is "non-standard"?

Losing 87 pounds and keeping it off for 22+ months in definitely “non-standard.” Statistics (I don’t have the reference in front of me) show that only 5% of people who achieve a weight loss goal maintain their goal weight for more than 12 months. That means those people are truly “non-standard.” Losing weight and then maintaining that loss requires a different mentality. It requires a different type of focus. It needs drive, determination, and the internal motivation to defer short-term immediate pleasure for long term success.

Am I saying that you can't lose weight and maintain if you don't take cold showers? Hell no! (THAT would be a stupid statement!) But I am saying that continued success needs a constant and definite focus, and for everyone that will take different forms. One of the LoseIt moderators, Eve, is a marathon runner (she ran in the most recent Boston Marathon.) The ability to run 26.2 miles also requires drive, determination, the willingness to accept discomfort, and internal motivation. (She has also been maintaining a successful weight loss for 11 years.) Diana Nyad swam from Cuba to Florida in 2013. Philippe Croizon swam the English Channel in 2012 as a quadruple amputee. Erik Weihenmayer climbed Mt Everest in 2001. He is blind. Those people and many more, live the “non-standard” life. All chose a task that was truly challenging and something that most people would probably not encourage anyone else to do, let alone try themselves.

I am not comparing my success to climbing Mt Everest, nor saying cold showers are the same as the English Channel. But I am saying that to achieve goals, sometimes one must be willing to accept discomfort, difficulty and the willingness to stand up and say “I am non-standard, because I will accept nothing less than success!” My cold showers, in a small way, are my daily reminder that a little discomfort is a fair price to enjoy for ongoing success.

So, find your own personal "non-standard." Everyone can succeed. We can change that statistic to a number more than 5%. But you need to go outside the norms to achieve a goal that it not the within the norm. Embrace it. Color outside the lines—in fact, to hell with lines, draw your own picture! Use it to fuel your motivation, to keep your eyes on the goal and to never, ever quit!

What is YOUR "non-standard"? How is it helping you reach your goals? Please share your thoughts here so that others may learn from you.

You Can't Do That! It's Impossible! It's Crazy!

"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure." Paulo Coelho

For those of you keeping track (you know who you are!), today was day 7 of my Cold Shower challenge.

My what????

Joel Runyon, entrepreneur and adventurist, founded a company based on the idea that nothing is impossible and to reach their goals, people need to be willing to endure some discomfort on the way to success. Part of this is a challenge to take a 5 minute cold shower, every day for 30 or more days.

Yes. I know. I am crazy. That has long been established. Now that we have that label applied and out of the way, how do I survive the shower? I fire up my iPhone, get some music pumping, and turn the shower on cold. No hot water at all. (Currently, the water temperature is about 63F/17C.)  That's the key. Start cold. Don't start warm and then turn it down. Just get in and confront it. (I would say “Man up” but as a nurse educator, I teach my students to always be gender inclusive.) Climb in. The first 30-60 seconds are terrible. Seriously. It’s cold, but it burns, too. It will take your breath away. If the phrase “WTH am I doing????” doesn’t repeatedly go through your head, then you probably don’t have the water on ice cold.

Then what? Jump around (safely). Pump your arms. Shadow box your ice cold opponent. Maybe let loose a Norse battle cry. (Or whatever.) Do whatever you need to do to get through that first minute. Because at about that time, your mind’s voice gets tired of shouting obscenities at you, and your body starts adapting. It becomes less cold. It will never get warm, but it becomes tolerable. Really. That is not my hypothermic brain talking, you really will begin to get used to it.

Actual water temperature

It is cold. It is not impossible. In fact, it is incredible how you feel when you climb out, NEVER having turned on the warm water. I am energized! I think the reason hot showers are relaxing is that they sap energy away. Cold brings it on!

But it is not about the cold water. The cold shower is the merely vehicle through which you begin to train your mind and body. Enduring the cold is about making a decision to purposely do something that is uncomfortable. We all avoid things that we know are uncomfortable. We postpone writing that paper (or grading one.) We avoid the dentist or doctor. We decide to sleep in instead going to a walk/run.

Every time we make that decision to remain comfortable, regardless of the context, it makes avoiding discomfort easier next time. And sometimes, the discomfort is the price of success. Likewise, the longterm price of immediate comfort can be devastating (increased stress on the job from an ever-increasing workload, poor health, and weight gain.)

I tell my students that you cannot learn by staying within your comfort zone. Learning and growth occurs when we step beyond what we have already mastered and risk failing at something new. I try to "walk the walk" and lead by example.

We purposely eat less than we want and less than we have in the past (which causes some discomfort) and we exercise more (which may be major discomfort). However, because we voluntarily endured discomfort, we lose weight. If you are in sales, making cold calls can be very uncomfortable, but if you don't do it, you won't sell anything. No sales means no income and that can be even more uncomfortable! We stay up late into the night when we would prefer to be sleeping so that we can finish an important assignment. We are frequently given choices, and sometimes the temporary discomfort is the price we must pay for longer term happiness.

Avoiding pain and danger makes sense, but cold water isn't painful nor is it dangerous. And it gives you the frame of mind that says "What else can I conquer today?"

Has it been a dream of mine to take cold showers? No! (What are you, nuts? I LOVE hot showers.) But I also want to grow beyond my current limits, and I want to help others grow, too. That WILL require me to step outside my comfort zone. I am training myself now so that I am mentally prepared for my future challenges. And we all experience challenges.

• Why not start learning to face challenges head on, right now?
• Why not show yourself that discomfort is temporary but conquering it is empowering?
• What impossible challenge are you going to attempt today?

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.” Tommy Lasorda

For more information, go to Joel Runyon's website:

http://impossiblehq.com/cold-shower-therapy-guide

http://impossiblehq.com/cold-shower-health-benefits#comment-192832

http://impossiblehq.com/manifesto

************
By the way, I learned of Joel Runyon and his Cold Shower Challenge on Meron Bareket's "Inspiring Innovation" podcast #29 http://meronbareket.com/how-to-do-the-impossible/

If you haven't listened to Meron's podcast, you should give it a try! He interviews entrepreneurs who we may not have heard about (yet), and reveals their success stories, providing weekly life lessons that we can use to improve our lives and empower us to achieve greatness. (Yeah, I am a fan!) 

Change is an Ongoing Process

If you want to change something, there is a defined process or set of steps. Everyone takes all the steps. Sometimes the time lag between steps is brief, and sometimes the duration of one step can be very long. Some people repeat a few steps, but every step is always part of the process. Since I--and many others--are in the "weight change" process, my examples will all refer to that decision.

Step 1: Pre-contemplation
At this point, you don't even think about a change. Life is happening and you are riding along. You rarely consider your weight, because it is not interfering with anything. Changes only occur when someone decides that an improvement can be made. At this point, you are content.

Step 2: Contemplation
Something has happened. You had an "a-ha!" moment, and it might have been an unpleasant finding. Maybe you were invited to a nice event and when you went to try on your favorite slacks, you found that you needed to coat your legs with bacon grease (why do you have so much bacon grease on hand?) and stand on the dresser while your significant other holds them open so you can jump in. In my case, my blood pressure was up to the point where the Red Cross started deferring me from donating blood. And since I worked in an ER, and knew what happens to overweight guys with very high blood pressure, I suddenly saw the problem and realized the gravity of it. In this phase, you do nothing, but you understand that something needs to happen.

Me, at about 290 pounds, in July 2006

This is a step that many people linger on. It is easy to say "I need to..." but making the decision to do something and acting on it, is much harder. And scary.

Step 3:  Preparation
At this point, you have decided what to do and have started. This can be the most exciting step! You finally are addressing the problem and very often, you quickly see initial results. Maybe you join Weight Watchers. Maybe you join a gym. Maybe you buy a bicycle. But whatever you choose, you decide a course of action and begin. In my case, I found a diet plan (The Sonoma Diet) which was very Mediterranean and looked like I could do it. I started eating the Sonoma/Mediterranean way. And I started to lose weight! In the first eight weeks, I took off 47 pounds. Then....

Step 4: Activation
This is where the action step you chose is in full swing. You are firing on all cylinders. You are making progress, and continuing to follow the plan. You may develop a support system around you, finding strength in numbers. At this point, success becomes a self-supporting machine. It gets easy. Until...you...begin...to falter.

Maybe the action plan becomes boring. The food--the same foods every day--becomes tasteless. The bike ride becomes a chore, and now the seat really starts to hurt. You start finding reasons to skip the gym. The losses slow down, and maybe you stall. These are all the mental obstacles that pop up because you have lost the excitement of the Preparation step and forgotten the "a-ha" event that sparked your Contemplation step. This is where the support system is critical. When you find yourself standing in front of the donut display, and you are thinking "will anyone notice if I lick the display case?" you can send a text message to your supporters and gain the resolve to walk past.

But without that team effort, progress can stop. Regression begins at this point, and again, without a cast of supporting characters in your life, the regression will gain speed.

April 2009, after losing 70 pounds.

For me, this did not happen until I was nine months and 70 pounds into the plan. I just sort of stopped. I thought, "Huh. I guess I'm done now." I didn't know about the next step, which is...

Step 5: Preservation
I thought that once I reached my goal, I was done! But in this step, you will continue to learn new habits to lay on top of your bad habits so that you can preserve your success. That takes time. And effort. And you need to keep your focus now, just as when you were beginning your action plan in the Preparation step.

Me? Over the next eight months, I put most of the weight back on. This is not uncommon, and was another "a-ha" moment, which made me re-enter the change process at the Contemplation step and restart from there. Again, this is a common detour that many people make. And like me, many people enter into a repeating loop at this point. I restarted three additional times over the next 13 months, until May 2011 when I found the LoseIt application on my iPod. Once I had my fourth "a-ha" I found a method that has served me well into the Preservation step.

May, 2011, back up to 265. How did THAT happen???

July 2012, about six months at my goal weight, about 185. 

I am still at or under my goal, 15 months after than picture was taken.

Step 6: Termination
This step applies to many changes, but not all. If you are building your home, eventually the builders give you the keys and you move it. Or you find that your retirement fund is large enough that you can stop working, so you turn in your retirement papers and move into the next phase of your life.

Weight loss is a different change, because we keep adapting our thought process. We don't get a hair cut just once, in the style we like and never get it cut again (unless you are my oldest son), because other changes happen around you, and your hair doesn't stop growing. We might continue to work, even into retirement, but the definition of "work" may change.

When we reach our goal weight, the Preservation step may need to become permanent. You may need to carefully consider what you eat for the rest of your life. Or, maybe you can stop being so vigilant. We are all different. Personally, I have been at or under goal weight for 19+ months, and I still measure my food and log everything I eat. It is not a burden, so I have no issues continuing. And my LoseIt app is my security blanket. I know that as long as I am able to log my foods, I can keep the weight off. I worked too hard to go backwards. Might that change? Probably. But I am in no hurry to move to the true Termination step.

Where are you? How many times have you looped back? We need to always remember that restarting is not a failure. Failure is when you never loop back and never restart the change process.

Question: What change you working on? Where are you in this process? Give us the answer below so we can all gain more confidence and success.

Also, go to my Make Your Someday Today podcast and stay current with my changes by clicking HERE.

What Do You Do To Improve Your World?

This isn't a food-related post today, just something that popped up on Sunday's walk.

One of our neighbors is hosting a "Little Free Library" (thanks go out to Naralyn Deloach Durbin for starting this) and another is about a half mile away near the village fire station. My wife, Tammy, is a Literacy Coach and I have loved reading since I first learned to read. We both appreciate the idea of books freely available to anyone and have an extensive personal library at home.

If you are unfamiliar with the idea, anyone can host a library. The Library can be mounted permanently to a post. Or in this case, it is mounted to a children's wagon. It is filled with a variety of books, and other people can contribute more books to fill it. It is a simple way of helping improve the neighborhood.

If you don't want to have a library in your front yard, what else can you do? I regularly donate platelets at the local Red Cross. My son has volunteered for a local food pantry. Tammy helps lead the education committee at our local zoo and works to promote literacy though the annual Literacy Marathon.

We all need to make our neighborhoods, cities, states and countries better. We don't need to do a lot. We just need to do something.

What do you do to make your neighborhood a better place?

No stress. Nope. None at all!

The television cooking segments are two days away.

I decided to make Seared Tuna BLT, Baked Zucchini Fries and for dessert, the Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar.

Thanks to Adrianne Ewald, Bushman, Fog and Flare, Andrew Carpenter, Louise Ciarleglio, and Chuck for helping me to set the menu. I appreciate your feedback here on the blog and on my Facebook page.

For those of you who live in the Green Bay area, this will be on WLUK Fox 11, on "Good Day, Wisconsin." My segments are at 7:50am and 8:50am and will last 3-4 minutes. When the show is done, I will post links here (unless I can embed the video segments here directly. I will look into that.)  Watch for that probably on Sunday evening. As soon as I am done cooking, I need to drive home, pick up my family and go to a family wedding 100 miles away. It will be a bit hectic and I am not sure I will have any time to post anything here on Saturday.

I am really excited about this opportunity, and can't wait for you to see it, too. Besides, you've seen pictures of me, but you haven't seen me live or even heard my voice (except for a few here who know me.)

Who Is Your Greatest Fan?

Do you ride a motorcycle?

I don't. To be totally honest, they scare me a bit. But I like the way they look. There are many brands and models. Dirt bikes, scooters, crotch rockets, three-wheelers, and big cruising bikes.

Quick! Think of one brand.

It was "Harley Davidson", right? It is the iconic motorcycle, originating in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and you will see those bikes anywhere people ride. They have a distinctive look. They have a distinctive sound. They are not inexpensive, but if you love Harley's, you don't care. You won't buy anything else.

Name another company--anywhere--that has fans who not only buy logo gear and clothing (everyone does that!) but has the logo tattooed on their body?

You think there are many Golden Arches tattooed on someone's butt? (It would be appropriate, though.) I can't imagine many tattoo artists have put the Coke or Pepsi logo on people. And seriously, you are either a Coke person, or a Pepsi person, right? (Me? Coke, when I have one, which is rare.) But even if you are a die-hard Pepsi drinker, I doubt that you would get that inked.

But Harley-Davidson? Lots of people get that logo inked. They don't like H-D. They don't love H-D. They live it. I doubt that anyone who has owned a Harley Fatboy Apehanger or Softtail has ever sold their bike and bought a Honda Goldwing. I just can't see that happening. They are the biggest and most loyal of fans, they are the greatest fans.

Where am I going with this?

Who is your greatest fan? Who would be willing to get your logo or image tattooed on their body? Spouse? Maybe. Child? Less likely, but possible. The next door neighbor? Okay, that might be creepy.

However, I hope your greatest fan is yourself. I hope that you believe in yourself, and believe that you can succeed. You are worthy of success. If you don't believe that, and if you aren't your greatest fan, who is?

I want to see everyone here, all my readers now and the readers yet to come, become more confident in their abilities because self-confidence will bring success and increased self-worth. You will find out that you are your greatest fan, your greatest asset. (Because we all know the converse is true. Frequently you are your own worst enemy. Self-doubt and lack of confidence will prevent successes from even being possible.)

So, don your leathers and get on your figurative Harley, and ride to success. Ride along side with me as we find our successes.

Today's question: Do you ride a motorcycle? What do you ride right now, and why?

Oh, Just To Make It Official...

Hi!

I have had a few people ask me via email if it is okay to post my recipes ot Google+ or pin them to Pinterest, or otherwise share them.  My answer:

Sure!

In fact, if you like my foods, I hope you share them! (To paraphrase the voting philosophy that used to apply to Chicago, "Share early and share often.")

My entire goal with my blog is to help all of you enjoy life, reach your goals and eat great food. If you pass these recipes on, either by pinning them to Pinterest, copying them to Facebook or Google+, tweeting them, or linking them on your blog, you will only help me reach more people and potentially help more people. (And I think I've made that easier by adding the appropriate buttons at the end of each post.)

It may sound idealistic, but I truly believe that if you help enough people, the benefits will be greater than the sum of the individual parts.

I am going to leave you with a simple question, but I hope you take the time to write an answer:

What is your favorite comfort food?

Thanks! I can't wait to see what everyone prefers.