food glorious food: the back by popular demand version.

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I give you the man who needs no further introduction & who put his own unique twist on our MizFit Food Musing Thursday.

How do you eat an Elephant?

Question: I have around 100 pounds to lose. I am questioning the best way to start a program with so much weight to drop. I have never tried to lose weight before and I am ready. I am turning 30 next month and I am only 4 feet 10 inches. My main concern is what will happen to my skin when I start dropping weight. I don’t have to money to surgically remove the extra skin. Can you help me?

– Overweight and worried

Answer: Have you ever heard the anecdote: How do you eat an elephant?… One bit at a time. Well that’s the way you need to lose fat. Take bites out of the fat and not worry about how much you have to lose. The number 100 alone is over whelming when dealing with anything even if you liked to do it. If I told you to go run 100 miles, would you be able to do it?…probably not. How about eat 100 cupcakes…maybe you would try, but again…probably not. Riding 100 miles on your bike?…probably, not.

Now if I told you that it was a cumulative goal and you would only have to walk, eat, ride only five of whatever you needed to do it would be much easier to accomplish. We as a society take on too much and expect it now…fuggettaboutit…it’s not going to happen. Set a plan up that allows you to perform full body strength training movements, throw in some interval training and exercise portion control and you can plan on 1.3 pounds of body fat shedding your body each week. Think about it in 6 week intervals and set each six week goal to lose 7.8 pounds and in one year you will have lost 67.6 pounds. I’m not saying all this is easy but it is easier to digest losing 7.8 pounds every 6 weeks than worrying about 100 pounds that will never come off because you view it as a mountain to high to climb.

Thanks Rocco. You’re a character for sure & (at least we like to think so anyway) you’re our character. Welcome to the Bumbling Band.

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Comments

  1. Great point.
    The goal is still the same, but the mind process is muc more attainable and realistic to help you achieve the goal.

  2. That is so true! It’s easy to forget that the weight didn’t just come on overnight (although sometimes it seems that way!)

    We need to be realistic and making smart goal choices like you suggest is a great start.

  3. I’m always encouraging my students and my fitness friends to not get overwhelmed by a big looming goal, but to set mini-goals to work towards the larger picture.

    If anyone told me I could be exercising 6 times a week or running 10 miles at a time several years ago I would have fallen over laughing in disbelief, but after a lot of baby steps, I’m doing it!

    I even do this on runs when morale is getting low. “just run to that tree.” “OK, now you can make it to that light post, right?”

  4. good point/reminder Mercedes.

    I just wrote an article on interval training (walk/jog) talking about how you can use mailboxes as interval gages if you, like I, rebel against enforced timing.

    Your comment started me thinking about how the same concept mightcould be used for eating healthycleanWHATEVS.

    ‘If I can just eat well at lunch I’ll go from there….’

    One mealmailbox at a time.

    M.

  5. Good advice! I also do what Mercedes mentions on runs – convince myself to just make it to that tree, or corner, or telephone pole…then the next one, and the next one. It really helps!

  6. We already know I’m a fan of the ‘tippy-toe’ approach, so it’s no surprise that I loved this advice. In fact, I’ve made a lifestyle of it. 🙂 It’s all so much more manageable tliving in the here and now and letting tomorrow (and the days after) take care of themselves.

  7. It is soooo true! “Little by little” is the key phrase and applies to EVERYTHING. Cleaning a mess of a house – start little by little and eventually the whole house is clean. Remember though, the dirtier the house the longer it should take, but as long as a you keep at it, the house will be clean. I have a “dirty house” and I’ve got to clean it. It might take a while to lose the 100+ pounds I am hoping, no wanting to lose, but I’ll get there eventually, and eventually I worry about anything else.

  8. Elisa? I adore that:

    The dirtier the house the longer it *should* take.

    M., who, alas, is living the literal sense of your words and foresees a longa** cleaning stint ahead.

  9. 100 lbs is a lot to think about. I agree with setting small goals. I do Weight Watchers and they make you set your 10% goal first. 10% of my body weight was about 20 lbs. How wonderful it felt when I hit that mark! Keeping goals in mind will help make the monstrous number more approachable!

    With losing the weight, I set up little reminders all over my house. My fridge has a picture of my ex boyfriend’s ex girlfriend eating a cheeseburger. She’s fat and sloppy and that picture serves as a reminder of what I never want to look like (I am aware of how crazy this may sound) My fridge also has a list of reasons why I want to lose the weight (a positive list including: being healthy, wearing a bikini, avoiding health issues later) I have an exercise calendar and I give myself a sticker every time I move for 20 or more minutes, be it intense house cleaning or the gym. I’ve also planned a few non-food rewards when I hit a goal, for example: a massage or a manicure or a tattoo (when I hit my next goal)

    While I dont have much to add about fitness and eating I hope some of these ideas help out!!!!

  10. Great point! This is one I’m trying to apply to my work life right now, and it is equally applicable to pretty much every aspect of life.

  11. gena, I entirely agree with you and thought often yesterday as I read the comments:

    this all applies to fitness, sure, but (for me) also *so* applies to my world-of-work!

    (and life in general)

    M.

  12. This is so true!

    In some ways, I think programs like “The biggest loser” can set people up to have REALLY high expectations, which can actually mess with their heads and make realistic weight loss harder. You don’t gain an extra hundred pounds in a few months–you’re not going to lose it that fast either. Stopping the gains and reversing the trend, however gradually, makes so much more sense and is way more sustainable.

    I believe the excess skin problem is MUCH less of an issue with gradual weight loss than it is with surgery or crash diets. And if/when the need arises, it will be far enough away that who knows, it may be much cheaper to take care of by then.

  13. Great advice! I do the mailbox thinig as well, it really helps to keep me going strong. And I am thankful when they are closer together!

    (and “Little by Little”—very easy for me to remember. Wiggles anyone?)

  15. You guys are too dang cheerful this morning. One of you peppy go-getters bring me a coffee, and my mail, since you seem to be intent on making it to the mailboxes…

  16. Amen!! I need to apply this technique to healthier eating. Start off with one thing at a time instead of trying to redo my whole diet.

  17. The Bag Lady lives in an area where there are no mailboxes, or light posts, so she uses cows. (If I can just make it that next cow…) Of course, cows don’t like it when you run – they tend to run away – and those suckers can move when they want to, so the Bag Lady just walks. And walks.
    Loved this post. This method can be applied to so much in life. Exercise, weight loss, work, housework (bah, humbug)… well, except perhaps weeding the garden. Those suckers grow so fast, you gotta get in there and get at it.
    Speaking of which………

  18. Baby steps are the way to go. Sort of similar to what Mercedes said, sometimes I’ll give myself a little pep talk partway through my workout when I’m starting to feel tired or whatever. I say that I just need to finish this one exercise, and then when I’m done that one I tell myself that it wasn’t so bad and that I’m totally capable of doing the next one, and so on. It really works!


  20. Greta, it feels that way to some of us sometimes doesn’t it.
    (Movie? Anyone?)
    I feel ya.
    Hang in there.
    One meal, one hour, one moment at a time.

    M.

  22. As someone with 70 lbs to lose, I really appreciated this post. Thanks, question-asker & MizFit & Rocco! I like the idea of increment losing. It’s goal-oriented, but in a more manageable way.

    Also, I can relate on the saggy skin worries. I make sure to moisturize my skin with lotion after every shower and I also agree with Crabby in that it seems like “slow” losing is less damaging. All of that being said . . . I totally used to work myself up into a depressed frenzy about “what if I look like crap when I’m thinner because of the skin thing” . . . and ultimately I’ve decided not to torture myself too much with what-ifs that may not even be issues. There’s no way of knowing what that future outcome will be, so why worry just yet? Good luck with everything!

  23. How do you lose 100 lbs?

    Celebrate each pound down. Even half a pound is cause for a bit of a smile over the scale.

    Make the best choices you can. Don’t beat yourself up when you screw up, ’cause you will. Try to find ways to exercise that you enjoy – why bother doing something for the rest of your life that you hate?

    Find support. Bloggerville is a great place to find it.

    Granted, I’m only trying to lose 84 lbs, but when you take it one pound at a time it’s all the same right?

  24. Super advice, and so good to keep in mind… Setting a series of small goals is so much more manageable. In fact, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from working at a nonprofit, it’s that sometimes the best goals to set are the ones you’ve already achieved…e.g. for the person who’s 100 lbs overweight, start with “My first goal is not to be any more than 100 lbs overweight.” Done!

  25. it’s all about the SMART GOALS huh? We’re revisiting those on monday (and visited em already CLICK HERE).

    babysteps to greatness (wink)

    M.

  27. Hear hear! The big goal is so overwhelming. I always think back to my days of working with addicts – we talked about 1 day at a time and when that was too much we broke it down further to 1 hour or 5 minutes at a time. Whatever is manageable. When I have this baby, if I contemplate how much total work I have to do to get back to being a normal human being, I will hide under the bed and cry. But I can focus on just eating a healthy lunch today or just going on a 30 minute walk this evening.

  28. Has anyone ever listened to the Motivation to Move podcast? I think his name is Scott Smith…anyways, his big thing is “take one step, then repeat.” Although his show is sometimes a little too touchy-feely hypnotic for me, I think that message rings true for a lot in life — eating well, weight-loss, exercise, heck even getting through a difficult project at work or enduring dinner with the in-laws. One step at a time…

  30. I agree with everything that everyone has said in regard to smaller goals to continue with motivation. I also think that she should set up non-scale related goals as well. When January rolled around and I found myself 25lbs higher than I wanted to be, I started looking towards the pants that I own that didn’t fit as milestones to strive for in my weight loss.

    Also, I think this was touched upon by another poster, but the loose skin thing may or not be an issue. There are so many factors that figure into this (skin elasticity, rate of weight loss, age, heredity), that she should consider it more of a *cross that bridge when I come to it* issue. (And, I think that some insurances do cover excess skin removal when it is medically warranted.)

  31. I have lost over 100 lbs (probably quite a few times ;-). The last (final) time, I totaled 130 lbs weightloss and kept it off by the ‘one day at a time’ sort of mantra — just like any other addict though I didn’t join a group. I admitted I had a problem, picked a short goal, and still refocus daily.

    P.S. Thanks for your comment yesterday at my blog.

  32. I tend to do really well for about 4 days and then fall prey to the thought, “I’ve been doing this FOREVER!! How much looooonnnnnnnngerrrrrrrrr???? /whining.

    (I am an instant-gratification gal, in case you hadn’t guessed.)

    But I found something that helps, especially when I’m dealing with a long-term goal (like an eating-habit overhaul). I print out a blank calendar page of the month and every day that I accomplish my goals, I put a big X through the day. It accomplishes three things: one, it reminds me 4 days in that I really HAVEN’T been doing this forever. Two (and in the long run more importatnt for me), as I see those days stack up, I realize that I really CAN do it, and instead of losing enthusiasm and momentum as time goes on, I gain it. I find myself doing better 2 or 3 weeks in, because I can see all those days where I did it! Yay me! Third, those calendar days keep me honest. If I eat cake every day, I can’t put an X through the day, and seeing those days stack up motivates me to get back on track pretty fast. Conversely, if I’ve got 6 or 7 or 8 Xs in a row, I know I can have a margarita or skip a workout without it being a disaster.

    I will say that since I’m prone to beating myself up if don’t do something “right” I tend to set very small, manageable goals, and just add a new one every month. Seriously, one of my goals was not “drink 8 glasses of water every day,” but simply, “have an extra glass when I get up and one when I go to bed.” Small goals, added in small increments, with progress showing on those calendar pages. LOVE IT.


  33. I know. I know. I say it all the time but methinks that among all of us…the entire Bumbling Band we SO could solve the world’s problems.

    you guys never cease to amazeimpress me.

    M.

  34. I am all for the mini goals as well. When I started running, my first main goal was to complete each week of the couch 2 5 k program. Then it was to continue on running until I hit 3 miles. Then I would enter a 5k race. I have set mini goals for each step. If I started off by saying “I want to run 6 miles a day”, then I would failed at the start. Good advice!

  35. I like the approach of starting slow and seeing some results, and building from there. There is nothing like seeing a few pounds drop off from just some simple changes to get you convicted to work harder for even better results.

    For example if I were to answer this question I would begin like this…

    Step 1. Eliminate one or two unhealthy high calorie foods from your diet (for most people soda and some for of snack). Also start walking two or three times a week. Take it slow.

    Step 2. Go through the pantry and throw out any food with high fructose corn syrup, enriched white flour, or partially hydrogenated fats, or sugar in the first four ingredients. Restock with healthy foods- i.e. lots of fruits and veggies. Also start walking 3 – 4 times a week.

    Start some limited resistance training.

    Step 3. Drop most of the red meat and replace it with turkey and chicken. Start walking 5-6 times a week. f you want begin a couch to 5k program. Expand your resistance training program.

    etc., etc.

  37. I would say the biggest thing for me was accepting the fitness/getting healthier goals as a long term process. This is not something that you can do in a safe way overnight. Shit yea its frustrating! How can I work so hard, change SO many eating habbits and yet only see a 1/2 pound loss at the end of the week. Then I ask myself how many weeks would it take at a 1/2 pound. Its a LONG time. But hey, is it work it? Damn skippy. In actuallity I’ve lost more in some weeks, gained in others, etc but over a 6 month spread am hoping to average 1lb/week. At that rate it will take me a year to get to my goal, which I’m realizing may need to be re-evaluated once I get there, but hey, I’m already half way there and there is no stopping me now.

  38. I think it’s really important to give yourself credit for every good choice you make — whether you see it immediately reflected on the scale or in your clothing or not. Being healthy is a reflection of all the little choices we make on a daily basis. It also takes a lot of the pressure-filled “I have to meet this goal by this time” out of it.

    It’s great to have long-term goals, short-term goals, just for today goals and in the next five minutes goals. But that’s just me 🙂

    Believe me, I had enough of the pressure-filled approach last year!

  39. John? thanks so much for the thoughtout & helpful response.

    Mallory? SHIT YEA mightcould be my new catch phrase (replacing the ever UNPOPULAR around here of RIMSHOT! when methinks Ive made a funny.)

    Dara? I. Have. No. Idea. How. You. Did. It. Last. Year.

    M.

  43. Great Elephant analogy. Thanks.
    Another take on this…..if you hate the way you lose weight and can hardly wait until your diet is ‘over’, you can pretty much guarantee the return of your 100lbs.
    Take time to modify your lifestyle in ways that you enjoy and will continue with as weight loss is a journey not a destination!

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