Well after a much needed vacation (been three years already) I have had some thoughts. My wife finally convinced me to go “home” whatever that is. I was opting for taking a trip to Thailand or India or Dublin or Greece or Argentina or Cape Town or some other great place I have not yet seen… but the winning argument was that my folks have never seen the baby and hadn’t seen the oldest since she was a baby.

So while I was back home I could not believe how overweight people are. Consistently I was counting 8 out of 10 people were over weight, 2 of which were grossly obese. My wife didn’t even believe my decleration until I said check it out for yourself. then she really started to look and was like ” Wow your right ”

I understand that typically asian people tend to be ectomorphs but this isn’t always the case just look at sumo wrestlers and the people who frequent McDonalds (not kidding… if you want to see a fat Japanese person go to McD’s) The one difference I have to say though is that the diet we eat here in Japan is drastically different. Lots of veggies, lots of raw fish, a little beef, a little chicken, a little tofu and a small bowl of rice with every meal. The food here has not been mass produced by agribusinesses using NPK and GMO. While “Certified Organic” is not as big of a deal here, a lot of the food here is organic anyways, there just isn’t a great need to get certified.

Now for the hard truth. I kinda did crude experiment. I am a pretty lean person, after a fight Iwill take a week or two off of training. Not totally off but I give my body some time to recoup. So I will put on two or three pounds. Not really a big deal. So while home on vacation I pretty much said I am just gonna relax. I am not gonna hesitate on moms good ole apple pie, baklava, brownies, and pecan pie. Or my sisters cheesecake ( she also makes a mean bowl of mashed potatoes), or my dads grillin two full cows. I decided I am gonna actually have a real vacation and just let the discipline slide. I’m not going to mention the Mead and Beer my family makes.

The hard truth is that American food has caused me to gain 17 lbs in 6 WEEKS!!!!!!!

Now this doesn’t matter to me because already back into training for the last week I have lost 5 lbs. Now that jet lag is over I can actually train unhindered. The fact is the American way of life will KILL you. I can’t see it any other way. Pay attention to what your putting into your body. You can do it!

Cnn.com had an excellent article discussing Why We Eat Too Much an How to Gain Control. The three reasons they gave are all reasons I cna relate too and are the main reasons why I’ve had such a hard time droping the weight this go around:

1. You’re not getting enough sleep

Missing out on your zzz’s not only puts you in a mental fog, it also triggers a constellation of actual metabolic changes that may lead to weight gain. A lack of shut-eye harms your waistline because it affects two important hormones that control appetite and satiety–leptin and ghrelin…According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, people who slept only four hours a night for two nights had an 18 percent decrease in leptin (a hormone that signals the brain that the body has had enough to eat) and a 28 percent increase in ghrelin (a hormone that triggers hunger), compared with those who got more res

How to get control:

When we’re exhausted, we hunger for just about everything in sight, especially if it’s sugary or high in carbs. That may be because these foods give us both an energy boost and comfort (since lack of sleep is a stressor), Knutson says. To quell the urge for fattening foods and still get the energy kick you need, reach for a combination of complex carbs and protein.

2.  You’re sabotaged by stress

Constant stress causes your body to pump out high doses of hormones, like cortisol, that over time can boost your appetite and lead you to overeat. “Cortisol and insulin shift our preferences toward comfort foods–high-fat, high-sugar, or high-salt foods,” says Elissa Epel, Ph.D.

How to get control:

When we’re exhausted, we hunger for just about everything in sight, especially if it’s sugary or high in carbs. That may be because these foods give us both an energy boost and comfort (since lack of sleep is a stressor), Knutson says. To quell the urge for fattening foods and still get the energy kick you need, reach for a combination of complex carbs and protein.

3. You’ve got fatty foods (literally) on the brain

We’re hardwired to hunger for fatty, sugary, salty foods because, back when our ancestors were foraging for every meal, palatable eats meant extra energy and a leg-up on survival, says Dr. David A. Kessler, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and author of “The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite.”

How to get control:

Avoid eating your favorite treat if you’re in a particular mood, if it’s a certain time of day, or if you’re in a specific place; this will prevent you from creating a triggering link between those feelings or locations and that treat, Kessler says. And since the smell and sight of fatty, sugary foods is pure temptation, try to keep yourself from passing the bakery or ice cream shop you can’t resist.

Read the rest of the article. I can definitely relate to the first two reasons. The lack of sleep combined with high levels of stress had me craving  every fatty, salty, sweet thing I could get my hand on. I learned that eating protein helped quell my hunger and drinking lots of water helped kill the cravings for salty/sweet things. It’s been helping, especially as I get my stress levels down an have ben geting more sleep.

Can you relate to this article?

What are your strategies for dealing with sleep and stressed induced hunger?

The experts have identified seven common diet mistakes most people make and how to fix them.

1. Underestimating how much you’ve eaten

Studies show overweight people tend to underestimate significantly how much they eat, and the bigger their portions, the more their calorie calculations go off track. One recent investigation by Dr Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think (Bantam Dell), found that people who supersize fast-food meals actually underestimate the calorie content of their burger and fries by as much as half.

2. Discounting the effects of peer pressure

Findings from the Framingham Heart Study reveal that when one person in a family or network of friends gains weight, others tend to gain weight too, perhaps because it becomes more socially acceptable to be chubby.

3. Distracting yourself from eating

Wansink’s studies show that environmental distractions, such as watching television, talking on the phone, reading while eating and eating with others, can be a big disconnect. In one study, he learned that even stale popcorn can lead people to overeat at the movies, not because they’re hungry, but simply because the bucket is there. This occurs as much due to the fact that you’re not paying attention to what you eat, as to a habit you’ve developed of multitasking while munching, he says.

4. Eating too many different foods

The more choices, the more you tend to eat — just think of all the temptations at a food buffet and the overwhelming desire you have to sample it all.

5. Not weighing yourself enough

“We have exhaustive evidence that people who weigh themselves daily lose more weight than those who don’t,” says Dr George Blackburn, associate professor of surgery and nutrition at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, and author of Break Through Your Set Point: How to Finally Lose the Weight You Want and Keep It Off (Collins). People who watch their weight are more likely to closely monitor their eating and exercise behaviours and regain control of their diets quickly if they gain weight.

Keep readng the rest of the article. There’s some great information and tips there.

Weighting yourself daily is something I do and something I’ve recommended before on this blog as a way to maintain your weight. People have a tendency to ignore the tightness of their jeans, but if you see the weight go up on the scale a couple of pounds you’re more likely to adjust your diet or workout to lose the weight as opposed to waking up 20 pounds heavier trying to figure out how you got there and how you’re going to drop the pounds…again.

Now I know I’ve been guilty of all of the above habits. However, as far as peer pressure I am usually the biggest in my group of friends, so you’d think that being around the skinny crew would make me slimmer – yeah not so much – lol. Although I will say that I’m from a big city (by big I mean the average person is chunky) and that makes me the “skinny” girl here, so it’s easier to be heavier and not stress about it as much.

So, which of these bad habits is keeping you fat?

How do you work your way around them?

If these aren’t your bad habits what are the habits you have that’s preventing you from losing wight?

I know I’m fat when…

I have back fat…Damnit.

The only other time in my life I had back fat I immediately whipped out the “Get Rid of Back Fat ASAP” plan and in two weeks not only got rid of the back fat but whittled my waist down a couple of inches as well.

Unfortunately my reaction this time hasn’t been so…uh…proactive. Now it’s: Oh my. Let’s just make sure the back fat doesn’t grow.

SMH.

Sigh.

Today’s Link Love

1. A Big Butt and a Smile is asking if Lil ‘Wayne’s man parts are made of platinum.

2. Conquer Weight Loss gives you the top 5 ways to naturally lose the weight.

3. Crayon Writer explains why she’s breaking a cardinal rule of blogging.

4. Just check out Dance Floor Mayhem.

5. Fitness Equipment Solutions has tips for easy weight loss for the over 40 set.

I’ve been promising regular contest updates and obviously I haven’t been doing them, but I’ve managed to write myself a little editorial schedule so posts should be be coming regularly from me for now on..or at lest through the month of May..lol.

Anywho on to contest updates:

Personally, I got on the scale the yesterday and it said 169lbs which would mean I’m down 2lbs from my (biggest ever) weight of 171lbs. I wasn’t trying and part me just says it’s water weight, but I’m trying to be more Tigger these days and less Eyore so I’m gonna be happy about it:-)

You regularly know how Tracy is doing weight wise. Let’s just say she’s blowing the rest of us out of the park:-(

Joking…I’m happy for Ms. Tracy:-)

As far as everyone else:

1. tnt5150 – 27lbs

2. northshore barbie – 23lbs

3. QueenTracy – 22lbs

4. KSansha – 5lbs

5. MahoganyRain – 5lbs

6. Pisces33 – 3lbs

7. Cenjefjor09 – 2lbs

Seems like Ms. Tracy has some competition (hehe) and I’m down there tied for 7th with my measly two lbs. But since I’ve gained weight since the whole contest begin I’m actually in negative territory (shudders)…oh well.

Anyway, I need to hear something from ya’ll. A post. A vid. A something. I won’t announce a winner come the end of June if no one has posted about their weight loss journey on the blog and remember an essay is required to be in the running for the $10,000 with the 50 Million Pound Challenge contest.

Today’s Link Luv

1. Angelika doesn’t understand the lazy bloggers yet serious Entrecard droppers

2. Black Fitness Blog reviews Lifetime’s new show “Cook Yourself Thin.”

3. Black Tennis Pro talks about Venus whooping ass as usual

Every year, whether you are fat or thin, whether you lose weight or gain, 10 percent of your fat cells die. And every year, those cells that die are replaced with new fat cells, researchers in Sweden reported Sunday.

The result is that the total number of fat cells in the body remains the same, year after year throughout adulthood. Losing or gaining weight affects only the amount of fat stored in the cells, not the number of cells.

Well, hope all of you had a great holiday! I know I did! I racked up on the gifts, and dodged a few New Years Eve bullets (btw, it is not legal to shoot off your guns on New Years, I checked!). I had a quick but dangerous fling with an old lover…..bread!! It was……magical! But like all quick and meaningless flings, this has to end.

It was supposed to end on the First, but then I couldn’t have the bbq or the pie that I made for New Year’s day. And of course, the stress of going back to work after all of those vacation days I had, oh and then a good friends birthday was on the 8th, and there was the luncheon that I had to prepare at work…… OK OK Next week for sure!!

Allright, update! The contest was officially over on January 4th. I weighed in at 229 – a total loss of 15 pounds! Yay! Well, almost yay! I was up 10 pounds from the last weigh in but I still had a loss!

Soooo – for ’08, I am 15 pounds closer to my goal, which is 160! I really don’t have a choice now because I have thrown away all of my bigger clothes. The 20′s are getting a little snug, so time to put down the donuts and get back on treadmill!

Right now, I’m all up in the primaries, and got a few things going on the romantical side, so I am a little distracted, but I will be keeping up the posts and reporting in with the weekly weigh ins! So, stick with us here folks, I promise we will be more entertaining than the Biggest Loser!

Til next time – I CAN DO… is that an eclaire?!?