The Blame Game

Who Do YOU Blame for Eating the Kids Cheetos?

Today I want to talk to you a little bit about what I like to call the "blame game".

When we fail to reach our goals, fat loss or otherwise, the easiest thing to do is to blame everyone but ourselves. The wife, the baby, the kids, not having enough time, stress, the tv, the list goes on and on. If you're a regular reader here, you've definitely heard me go on and on about accountability and how it's a key factor when it comes to fat loss.

The truth is that no one is the innocent victim of a "drive by" feeding. We're all responsible for how flabby (or firm) our belly's are, like it or not.

However, there are many factors that sneakily sabotage even our best laid fat loss plans.

How do we fight these saboteurs? Easy. Identify them then figure out how to fix them.

Here are the "biggies" for me:

The Wife

The facts: Researchers studied 6,949 people and found those who got hitched were more than twice as likely to become obese than those who just kept dating, according to a study published in the journal Obesity.

Researchers have also found that men and women usually gain 6 to 8 pounds in the first two years of marriage. This is probably because once you're married you probably:

• Go to the gym less often
• The need to impress is gone
• Go to parties more frequently
• Sit on the couch and snack with your spouse more often

The cure: Try the following to counteract that post-marriage belly:

• Ask your spouse (or you yourself) to stop bringing junk food into the house
• Next time you're about to prepare a snack, ask yourself "Why am I eating this? Am I bored? Is it a habit?" Unless you're truly hungry, skip it. Have two cold glasses of water instead.
• Impress him/her. Imagine you were about to meet someone you really admire or want to meet or maybe that really cute guy or gal at work. Ask yourself what they would think of your gut if you met that person with your shirt off.
• Skip the typical post-dinner ritual of sitting on the couch and watching tv. Go for a walk instead, or even better, take the action to the bedroom.

Furthermore, University of Connecticut researchers claim that dieters can subconsciously influence their spouses to lose weight. They found that when one partner was involved with a weight-loss program, the other was more likely to eat fewer calories, too. So since you're the one reading this, start setting a good example today.

The Baby

The facts: In the first year of a baby's life, new dad's gain almost 5 pounds. Mom's of course have to deal with all the weight they gained during their pregnancy. And of course, with every additional child, the cycle repeats.

The cure:

• Both mom's AND dad's to be would do well to pick up and read pregnancy books. There are often some very good nutritional tips in there when it comes to maintaining the proper weight during pregnancy and what to do afterwards.
• If you're a soon to be mom, don't use your pregnancy to eat whatever you want, whenever you want ( of course, while pregnant, there will always be exceptions). That's a recipe for disaster and will make it MUCH harder to lose the weight afterwards not only because you've gained so much, but also because you've developed 9 months of unhealthy eating habits.
• If you're a soon to be dad, you need to adopt a very simple policy "She can have it, but I shouldn't".
• Make sure that whether you're a soon to be a mom or dad, that you continue to workout regularly, your routine might change (length and intensity of workouts, time of workouts), but make sure you don't stop (and if you're a soon to be mom, make sure you consult with your doctor first).

The Kids

The facts: Kids in the house means that they're is a MUCH greater chance that there is junk food in your home. With more junk food laying around, the more likely it is that it will end up in your mouth. I admit that every so often I give in and start looking around the house for some of the kids snack foods...not good!

The cure: The next time you begin to cave, think about this: That same snack that's going to sit as a fat deposit in your gut is easily burned off in about an hour by an active child. It's also important to lead by example and explain to your kids that junk food should not be a daily thing, but something of a treat. Limit your consumption and theirs to once or twice a week.

The "Boob Tube"

The facts: Staying up late watching TV and leaving the TV on while you sleep are both big no-no's. Sleep is extremely important to achieving your fat loss goals and your overall health. Not getting enough deep sleep inhibits the production of growth hormone. This in turn can:

• Lead to abdominal obesity
• Reduce muscle mass
• Reduce strength
• Diminish exercise capacity

The cure: Try these tips to get to help you sleep and get some sound sleep:

• Workout in the morning or afternoon instead of the evening
• Turn off the computer and the tv 30 minutes before bed time
• Read 30 minutes before bed time
• If you can't make yourself turn off the tv, turn it down really low and set the timer to shut off in 30 minutes

"No Time"

The facts: The number one reason people give for not exercising it that they don't have enough time. Hogwash. In 99% of cases (based on my completely unscientific non-study), that's bs.

The cure: You don't need to spend hours a week at the gym or hours a day on the treadmill. Stick to high intensity full body resistance workouts 3 times a week. Throw in 2 or 3 15-20 minute high intensity cardio sessions and you'll literally melt the fat away.

So stop blaming others and your surroundings and take some proactive steps to get rid of that extra weight around your mid-section.

I'd love to hear who you end up blaming, post below and let me know! Unless of course you don't blame anyone, then good for you! :p

Posted by George Louris, CFT at 9:20 AM

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