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Why Change Is So Hard: Self-Control Is Exhaustible by Dan Heath from Fast Company Magazine

2010-06-03T08:14:00.001-04:00

from: http://www.fastcompany.com/video/why-change-is-so-hard-self-control-is-exhaustible

[transcript of video]

You hear something a lot about change: People won’t change because they’re too lazy. Well, I’m here to stick up for the lazy people. In fact, I want to argue that what looks like laziness is actually exhaustion. The proof comes from a psychology study that is absolutely fascinating.

So picture this: Students come into a lab. It smells amazing—someone has just baked chocolate-chip cookies. On a table in front of them, there are two bowls. One has the fresh-baked cookies. The other has a bunch of radishes. Some of the students are asked to eat some cookies but no radishes. Others are told to eat radishes but no cookies, and while they sit there, nibbling on rabbit food, the researchers leave the room – which is intended to tempt them and is frankly kind of sadistic. But in the study none of the radish-eaters slipped – they showed admirable self-control. And meanwhile, it probably goes without saying that the people gorging on cookies didn’t experience much temptation.

Then, the two groups are asked to do a second, seemingly unrelated task—basically a kind of logic puzzle where they have to trace out a complicated geometric pattern without raising their pencil. Unbeknownst to them, the puzzle can’t be solved. The scientists are curious how long they’ll persist at a difficult task. So the cookie-eaters try again and again, for an average of 19 minutes, before they give up. But the radish-eaters—they only last an average of 8 minutes. What gives?

The answer may surprise you: They ran out of self-control. Psychologists have discovered that self-control is an exhaustible resource. And I don’t mean self-control only in the sense of turning down cookies or alcohol, I mean a broader sense of self-supervision—any time you’re paying close attention to your actions, like when you’re having a tough conversation or trying to stay focused on a paper you’re writing. This helps to explain why, after a long hard day at the office, we’re more likely to snap at our spouses or have one drink too many—we’ve depleted our self-control.

And here’s why this matters for change: In almost all change situations, you’re substituting new, unfamiliar behaviors for old, comfortable ones, and that burns self-control. Let’s say I present a new morning routine to you that specifies how you’ll shower and brush your teeth. You’ll understand it and you might even agree with my process. But to pull it off, you’ll have to supervise yourself very carefully. Every fiber of your being will want to go back to the old way of doing things. Inevitably, you’ll slip. And if I were uncharitable, I’d see you going back to the old way and I’d say, You’re so lazy. Why can’t you just change?

This brings us back to the point I promised I’d make: That what looks like laziness is often exhaustion. Change wears people out—even well-intentioned people will simply run out of fuel.

VERY FIRST Betterness Webinar!

2010-05-19T10:39:00.002-04:00

Would you like to be part of the VERY FIRST Betterness Webinar? If so, Click HERE to register: http://bit.ly/EnergizeURBusinessEnergize your life by energizing your body! Live Tele-seminar - Tuesday 06/22/10 @ 7PM EST
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You Are a Spirit: Nine Steps to Heaven on Earth

2010-05-19T09:51:00.001-04:00

My Friend Stephanie Gunning and her co-author, Kayhan Ghodsi have created a wonderful book entitled, You Are a Spirit: Nine Steps to Heaven on Earth (Yaas Press May 2010) and it is NOW AVAILABLE on amazon.com. What is even better is that she has put together a remarkable offer for everyone who buys it during the first 72 hours.

Watch our video trailer and get details here: http://www.stephaniegunning.com/booklaunch

There is an old Persian proverb that says: "Only that which comes from a heart can touch a heart." In this new book, You Are a Spirit, clairvoyant spiritual teacher Kayhan Ghodsi (one of my meditation teachers) suggests nine spiritual considerations that touch the heart and open the mind to that which exists beyond
the five-sensory world.

Kayhan invites you to recognize your transcendent, creative, supremely powerful metaphysical self,residing in your body, whose sole purpose is to serve as a conduit for you to experience life. His "nine steps to heaven" are designed to lead you to clear your space of the energy of expectation and judgment, and trust your spiritual essence to guide your choices and actions.

What comes to light, according to Sarah Maria, bestselling author of Love Your Body, Love Your Life, is the "only secret you will ever need to know: Who you are is not limited in any way."

Better yet, if you buy the book between May 19th and 22nd you are eligible to participate in prize drawings for three valuable gifts, and you will receive over 20 really great bonus gifts from
leading experts, including me! Read the details:
http://bitly.com/WinBigMay19

Grand prize is a private 1-on-1 course with Kayhan, learning his personal style of energy-clearing meditation. Second prize is an energy-reading and healing session with Kayhan. Third prize, which is graciously offered by our friend Brenda Sanders, is a weekend stay in a charming guest cottage in California's wine country! Plus incredible gifts that nurture and pamper spirit-mind-body.

Buy the book and claim your gifts now!
http://bit.ly/Gifts4U

Laid out in what Ernest D. Chu, author of Soul Currency, calls "eminently readable practical steps," each ending with a simple meditative exercise from a "wise good friend," You Are a Spirit encompasses Ghodsi's unique and elegant perspective, gained from years practicing and teaching clairvoyant meditation, and offers, in the words of Howard Falco, author of I AM, "a great resource for those serious about engaging in a new and harmonious way to experience life."

Visit the book page for instructions on how to get your hands on a copy of this heart-opening spiritual treasure and learn lessons from the soul of a mild-mannered master.
http://bit.ly/LoveYouToday

You Are a Spirit is filled with gentle, respectful, and yet powerfully transformative guidance that is appropriate for everyone on a spiritual path seeking insights. Which is why his friends have gathered around to lend their support to celebrate the launch of the book with such great bonuses for those who want to
grow in spirit and self-love.

I became involved in this book project because Kayhan's teaching was wise and compassionate, and I felt an immediate shift when I began working with his considerations in my personal life. It has been my honor to work closely with him. I intend for as many people to benefit from the talents of one of my favorite spiritual teachers as possible. I would like to climb a mountain and shout from the top, "You are a spirit! You are the creator of your life! Love yourself!" in hopes echoes would be heard around the world.

Read about the book and Kayhan at: http://www.YaasPress.com
where you can claim a free Reader's Group Guide and sample the entire Introduction.

You Are a Spirit: Nine Steps to Heaven on Earth (Yaas Press, May 2010) is available online at Amazon both in a paperback edition and on Kindle. If you buy the book on May 19, 2010, and enter your receipt number on our book launch page you will be automatically entered into the prize drawing and also receive over 20 awesome bonus gifts. Click to Take Advantage of This Offer: http://bitly.com/LoveYouToday

Help Me to Heal

2010-05-07T07:52:00.000-04:00

If you are in the process of healing, in the process of helping a loved one heal, or have made healing your life's work, you need this book.

Help Me to Heal is co-authored by Yosaif August the inventor of Bedscapes(r) ( http://www.bedscapes.com/ ) which helps create healing environments for patients through the use of the soothing sounds of nature coupled with really cool cubicle curtains that are actually life-sized pictures of nature. For those of you that have been to my office, I had the "tropical" themed curtains separating my treatment tables.

I had the pleasure of spending three days this week with Yosaif at a Coach Training Institute event in Manhattan. When we met, we immediately hit it off. He told me that he was there to hone his skills as a health care coach. He said that he wanted to help people negotiate our complex health care system. He said that he wants to help them empower themselves to make better health care decisions, and ask better questions of their health care professionals. When he told me that he had actually written a book about it, I went right to my kindle and ordered it. Within seconds, it was delivered to my device and I was reading it on the Jitney home. From the preface, I was hooked. I have to admit, I am biased. Patient empowerment, a holistic approach to healing, using humor as a force for empathic healing! I am all over this stuff! As many of you know, these are the very things that I am working on as Executive Director of the Optimal Health Alliance.

The book begins by helping you establish your rights as an empowered patient.
book on three main principles:

1. You have the right to heal, no matter what your life experience has been.

2. You can create a healing team.

3. You can learn to become the master of your life's time.

As a professional, I found that the book helped me re-connect with why I do what I do. It helped me to cut through the accumulation of meaningless trash that has crept into my professional life and helped me to re-focus on what matters. . . helping people restore balance, richness and wholeness to their life.

As a former, and potentially future, "patient," the book helped me to remember that a time of illness is a time to gather your tribe. Assemble what matters most to you and use those resources (family, friends, pets, reminders, memories, affirmations and attitudes) for your healing. It reminded me of the importance of not suffering in silence. The importance of making the most of what you got and accepting those gifts as honest tools for recovery.

As a man who morns the loss of the most important man in my life, my dad- (the picture is of me and dad on "Shadow" sometime in the late 1960's)
- the book helped me to understand that healing really is about restoring wholeness. It is not about avoiding death. The book helped me to see that dad had a "good death" and that our love and support made him whole. Oh sure, I wish he were still here. I miss him every day - but my father died with dignity, honor, bravery and a love beyond all comprehension. This book validated much of that experience for me. I was so grateful to read that my part in my father's passing played a big role in him leaving me complete and whole. If you are caring for a loved one (even if it is you), I implore you to read this book.

Simple Food Rules Worth Following

2010-05-04T08:42:00.000-04:00

Please take a look at the newest book from Michael Pollan. I have been loving it!
This is what the NY times said: (source:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/health/02brod.html )

Mr. Pollan is not a biochemist or a nutritionist but rather a professor of science journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. You may recognize his name as the author of two highly praised books on food and nutrition, “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto” and “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” (All three books are from Penguin.)
If you don’t have the time and inclination to read the first two, you can do yourself and your family no better service than to invest $11 and one hour to whip through the 139 pages of “Food Rules” and adapt its guidance to your shopping and eating habits.
Chances are you’ve heard any number of the rules before. I, for one, have been writing and speaking about them for decades. And chances are you’ve yet to put most of them into practice. But I suspect that this little book, which is based on research but not annotated, can do more than the most authoritative text to get you motivated to make some important, lasting, health-promoting and planet-saving changes in what and how you eat.
Reasons to Change
Two fundamental facts provide the impetus Americans and other Westerners need to make dietary changes. One, as Mr. Pollan points out, is that populations who rely on the so-called Western diet — lots of processed foods, meat, added fat, sugar and refined grains — “invariably suffer from high rates of the so-called Western diseases: obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.” Indeed, 4 of the top 10 killers of Americans are linked to this diet.
As people in Asian and Mediterranean countries have become more Westernized (affluent, citified and exposed to the fast foods exported from the United States), they have become increasingly prone to the same afflictions.
The second fact is that people who consume traditional diets, free of the ersatz foods that line our supermarket shelves, experience these diseases at much lower rates. And those who, for reasons of ill health or dietary philosophy, have abandoned Western eating habits often experience a rapid and significant improvement in their health indicators.
I will add a third reason: our economy cannot afford to continue to patch up the millions of people who each year develop a diet-related ailment, and our planetary resources simply cannot sustain our eating style and continue to support its ever-growing population.
In his last book, Mr. Pollan summarized his approach in just seven words: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” The new book provides the practical steps, starting with advice to avoid “processed concoctions,” no matter what the label may claim (“no trans fats,” “low cholesterol,” “less sugar,” “reduced sodium,” “high in antioxidants” and so forth).
As Mr. Pollan puts it, “If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.”
Do you already avoid products made with high-fructose corn syrup? Good, but keep in mind, sugar is sugar, and if it is being added to a food that is not normally sweetened, avoid it as well. Note, too, that refined flour is hardly different from sugar once it gets into the body.
Also avoid foods advertised on television, imitation foods and food products that make health claims. No natural food is simply a collection of nutrients, and a processed food stripped of its natural goodness to which nutrients are then added is no bargain for your body.
Those who sell the most healthful foods — vegetables, fruits and whole grains — rarely have a budget to support national advertising. If you shop in a supermarket (and Mr. Pollan suggests that wherever possible, you buy fresh food at farmers’ markets), shop the periphery of the store and avoid the center aisles laden with processed foods. Note, however, that now even the dairy case has been invaded by products like gunked-up yogurts.
Follow this advice, and you will have to follow another of Mr. Pollan’s rules: “Cook.”
“Cooking for yourself,” he writes, “is the only sure way to take back control of your diet from the food scientists and food processors.” Home cooking need not be arduous or very time-consuming, and you can make up time spent at the stove with time saved not visiting doctors or shopping for new clothes to accommodate an expanding girth.
Although the most wholesome eating pattern consists of three leisurely meals a day, and preferably a light meal at night, if you must have snacks, stick to fresh and dried fruits, vegetables and nuts, which are naturally loaded with healthful nutrients. I keep a dish of raisins and walnuts handy to satisfy the urge to nibble between meals. I also take them along for long car trips. Feel free to use the gas-station restroom, but never “get your fuel from the same place your car does,” Mr. Pollan writes.
Treating Treats as Treats
Perhaps the most important rules to put into effect as soon as possible are those aimed at the ever-expanding American waistline. If you eat less, you can afford to pay more for better foods, like plants grown in organically enriched soil and animals that are range-fed.
He recommends that you do all your eating at a table, not at a desk, while working, watching television or driving. If you’re not paying attention to what you’re eating, you’re likely to eat more than you realize.
But my favorite tip, one that helped me keep my weight down for decades, is a mealtime adage, “Stop eating before you’re full” — advice that has long been practiced by societies as diverse as Japan and France. (There is no French paradox, by the way: the French who stay slim eat smaller portions, leisurely meals and no snacks.)
Practice portion control and eat slowly to the point of satiation, not fullness. The food scientists Barbara J. Rolls of Penn State and Brian Wansink of Cornell, among others, have demonstrated that people eat less when served smaller portions on smaller plates. “There is nothing wrong with special occasion foods, as long as every day is not a special occasion,” Mr. Pollan writes. “Special occasion foods offer some of the great pleasures of life, so we shouldn’t deprive ourselves of them, but the sense of occasion needs to be restored.”
Here is where I can make an improvement. Ice cream has been a lifelong passion, and even though I stick to a brand lower in fat and calories than most, and limit my portion to the half-cup serving size described on the container, I indulge in this treat almost nightly. Perhaps I’ll try the so-called S policy Mr. Pollan says some people follow: “No snacks, no seconds, no sweets — except on days that begin with the letter S.”

Think Better: How to avoid taking things too seriously

2010-05-03T20:41:00.000-04:00

I just had a client ask me if I knew of a book that would help her to not take things so personally - I think these might be good places to start:

Three Phases of Diet Disaster

2010-03-27T10:31:00.002-04:00

With my clients, I have observed that when they decide to lose weight they throw themselves into diet hell hoping for protection from a fragile shield of willpower. As their willpower shield melts from the heat of their descent, their retreat back into their old ways of behaving seems to go through three predictable phases.

*               Phase I: “Nope, Can’t Have That.” When you start a diet, you exclude all but “allowed” foods. It is the ultimate in deprivation. However, you are resolved and you have willpower! Oddly enough, it does not seem to matter what exactly the diet does allow, since most people focus on avoiding the huge list of what they can’t have. This works because your food choices are so limited that you simply eat less. Amazingly, by eating less, you lose weight. After a while, you even get tired of eating the stuff you can have. Out of pure gastronomic boredom, you eat even less food and you lose even more weight. This accounts for the weight loss claims of the absurd ice cream diet.
*               Phase II: “WOW, That’s on My Diet? I’ll Take 10 with Fat Free Whipped Cream!” You endure phase one for as long as you can, and then your boredom sends you on a quest to discover all the wonderful things you can have on the diet. As a result, you discover plenty of stuff you can (and do) eat guilt free because it’s “on the plan.”
The food industry is quick to oblige us in phase two by marketing huge lines of celebrity endorsed, “diet-approved“ food. During this phase, a person on a low-fat diet might eat an entire non-fat raspberry cheesecake a la mode (non-fat ice cream, of course). I know because I have been that person. Phase two is full of awareness avoidance. Sometimes, the truth really takes a dive and people start to believe that their version of staying on the plan entitles them to frequent rewards. They think it is just fine to eat fat-free cheesecake all week long and reward themselves with regular cheesecake a la mode with chocolate milk on the weekend.
*            Phase III: “This Diet Sucks, I can’t Lose Weight on This Diet.” Fresh from the wasteland of deprivation, and beguiled by all your new food choices, you end up eating plenty and gaining weight. Surprised, you give up, resolving that the diet failed you. As a result, you go out and get yourself some fried biggie combo meal and resolve never to eat fat-free cheesecake again.

Dan Gilbert on our mistaken expectations | Video on TED.com

2010-03-23T11:29:00.000-04:00

Dan Gilbert on our mistaken expectations Video on TED.com

The Quickest Way to Experience Lasting Weight Loss

2010-03-14T13:05:00.002-04:00

"He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Over the years, I have noticed that how I eat ultimately affects how much I eat and when I eat too much, it has an undesirable effect on me, my heath and my waistline. Therefore, I have concluded that HOW I EAT has a direct impact on my weight and how I feel about myself in general.

The question is why? Why does how I eat affect how much I eat? AND, another, even better question is, Can I use this knowledge to keep myself from eating too much?

To answer the first question, I would like to first ask another question, Why ask why? What difference does it make? Shouldn't I just give you some quick "eating better" tips and send you on your way? That would be better . . . right? WRONG! Easier, perhaps but better, NO.

I think what the relative success (or, more accurately, lack of success) of the diet industry to produce a nation of skinny people has taught us is that "tricks and tips" don't help a lot of people. While the INFORMATION contained within the trick and tips are at the heart of weight loss, they don't offer long-term solutions. Most of us "go on diets" full of tricks & tips only to lose some weight, "go off the diet" and gain it back again. While that might be weight loss, it is NOT weight loss success.

So, what is the magic bullet? What is my secret? In a word, "Purpose," "Meaning," "Belief," "Knowledge" and "Faith" . . . OK that's 5 words – big deal I can't count. But I do know this:

You will do things that YOU believe have purpose and meaning in your life.

AND

You will do the things that, either through faith or knowledge, has lead you to the belief that, by doing these things, you will get closer to your ultimate goal.

If you take a tip or a trick and commit to make it a life-long habit, then it is no longer simply a tip or a trick – it becomes part of your life, part of who you are. Weight loss success (Life-long weight loss) comes from changing who you are and, according to Betterness, you only need to do that one "tip or trick" at a time.

I have clients all the time that that say, "I should eat slower" or "I should sit down when I eat" but they just don't do it. To be honest, that goal probably just lacked a solid enough purpose for them. They are just not that committed to it. Understanding the "why" gives you the knowledge to have the faith to make the commitments necessary to get to a better YOU.

Effective goal setting is a true art and I encourage you to check out my latest article on purposeful goal setting in WLS lifestyles Magazine at http://bit.ly/purposefulgoals

So, why is it that how I eat ultimately affects how much I eat?

Experience Satisfaction!

Eating can, and should, be an experience of the senses - In other words, a "sensual" experience. When food is eaten in a way that truly delights the senses, satisfaction comes from the experience AND the food.

This includes eating slowly. Unfortunately, I sometimes forget this and mindlessly fall into the trap of simply filling my trap with food that does not really mean anything to me. Imagine how much weight you would lose if you only ate food that you truly enjoyed – food that not only tasted great but was an experience in itself. The truth is that, for me, much of my unwanted weight came from calories that I neither wanted nor needed. My pounds of fat came, mostly from forkfuls of food that were pushed into my stomach so quickly, my brain never got a chance to enjoy them. As I look back, I used to regularly consume food by shoveling forkful after forkful of food into my mouth, often while my mouth was still full of food. I must have looked like an eating machine.

To be truthful, you miss out on more than half the taste of food when you eat fast. As soon as food hits your mouth, the specific chemistry of the food excites one or more of the 5 basic taste receptors in your tongue and mouth which sends the message that the food is some combination of sweetness, bitterness, sourness, saltiness and savoriness (also called "umami" in Japanese). Now, I am no mathematician, but the way I figure it, with only 5 different types of tastes to combine, we humans should only be able to taste only about one hundred twenty different flavors. Since I know that I have enjoyed way more than 125 different flavors in my life, the math just doesn't add up. That's because science has shown us that "flavor" is actually a combination of what you taste and what you smell. If you take the time to smell your food before eating it, you get to experience the flavor without calories. In addition, when you eat slowly, the aroma of the food continues to enhance the flavor from inside your mouth!

I would also argue that the "flavor" of a meal can be affected by the entire circumstance of the meal. How it was presented, the atmosphere of the room and how you felt when you were eating. I have had this experience a lot. I know for me, any food tastes better after a long day at sea and salad always tastes better when it looks and smells like more than just a pile of lettuce.

Bottom line is that when you seek to make your food and "experience" you will be satisfied with less food. The larger size of the experience makes up for the smaller amount of calories.

The "Fullness" signal takes about 20 minutes to go from our stomach to our brain

It's a proven fact that if you wolf your food down your body won't have a chance to feel full. By the time the "full" signal reaches your brain, you have already had seconds, or thirds.

"We don't have immediate feedback from our bodies telling us we've eaten enough," says Janet Polivy, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, Canada. "It takes about 20 minutes for food to be digested enough that glucose gets into the bloodstream and the hormones start working."

So, now that you have a better idea of why how you eat ultimately affects how much you eat, maybe it's a good time to give you some tips and tricks. Just remember, you don't have to do them all. Try one or two on for size and when you find the ones that fit you . . . keep them forever. Also, these ideas are like clothes. Just because one might not fit you now does not mean that it won't fit you better after you have lost some weight. Don't be afraid to retry anything!

Set the table and make it nice. Take some time to plate your meal like they do in those fancy restaurants. Don't put all the food on the table at once. What we have come to call "family style" is really "too lazy to get up and get seconds" style. Having tons of food at the table will cause you to eat more and it makes your table resemble a farmer's feed trough.

Chew your food well and be sure to finish what is in your mouth before you take another bite

Put your fork down between bites.

Set a timer – As soon as you finish a reasonable portion, wait for 20 minutes (you can even set a timer). If you are really still hungry, have a little bit more. Chances are you will not be. Especially, if you take a walk or get involved with your favorite hobby within the 20 minutes. Sorry, TV watching does not usually work. For some reason (maybe the commercials) watching TV makes people eat more.

Cook with flavor not salt and fat. Replace a lot of the high calorie fat and unhealthy salt in your cooking with good old fashioned herbs and spices. Not sure how? Experiment! Take your favorite recipe and play with adding different herbs and spices . . . what's the worst that can happen? Crappy food? So what, at least you will have learned what does not work!

Sit down when you eat

Don't eat in the car. Nobody has ever starved while commuting to work. If you eat in the car and you drive a lot, you could lose about 20 pounds just by stopping this habit.

Eat off a smaller plate

Save your calories for FOOD – and stop drinking beverages that have calories

Savor your food; think about how you are enjoying it. Take beep breaths during your meal.

Don't eat in front of the TV. Again, for some reason (maybe the commercials) watching TV makes people eat more.

Invent your own ways to eat more for experience and less for VOLUME!

FREE TELEPHONE Weignt Loss CONSULTATION

2010-03-10T18:46:00.002-05:00

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Do you have a problem with eating too much at night?

2010-03-04T17:28:00.006-05:00

As I sit here in office, I am looking at the flip chart that I use when I work with clients. Frankly, it is barely legible. It represents a frenzy of ideas and thoughts that came out during my last coaching session. While it all made perfect sense as the session unfolded, to someone that was not at the session, it looks like utter chaos.

You see, as a life coach, I am a bit "unconventional." While working with me is all about getting better, it is also about having fun, laughing and being entertained. Coaching is about re-creating yourself. The way I look at it, if re-creation is at the heart of coaching - it should resemble recreation, and that is why "fun" is such an important part of how I do what I do. In fact, I have so much fun when I am working that many of my sessions run way longer than the agreed upon 30 minutes and nobody (not even me) seems to care.

At the top of the board is a direct quote from my client, "I eat all the time." and then under that a list of times.
9am breakfast
NO SNACKING
1pm lunch
NO SNACKING
5pm dinner
7pm to 10pm non-stop eating
(which is consistent with her Facebook post of the previous evening: "Why am I still eating" to which I responded "Step AWAY from the Buffet!" . . . and she did)

While my client felt that she was "eating all the time," the schedule that she described clearly showed that her "problem" really was just those critical 3 hours.

I think she thought I was crazy (an already well established fact in our coaching relationship) when I started jumping around the room telling her what good news this was.

I told her that eating too much at night was a very common issue and it was much easier to deal with than if she were actually "eating all the time." . . . and believe me, I get it. I am plagued with the same demon. I tend to eat more then I would like after dinner.

"Heck, now we have a target," I said "AND Isn't it GOOD news that a problem you thought you had (eating continuously for about 16 hours) was actually 80% less (eating continuously for only about 3 hours).Now let's focus."

The way I see it, we can approach a problem like this from four possible directions:
1. How much you eat (Quantity)
2. What you eat (Quality)
3.When you eat (Timing - sorry could not think of a "Q" word)
4. Quit altogether
(Yeah, kinda not an option for most of us . . . at least not at first)

1. If you are not careful, you can mindlessly cram a lot of food in your stomach in three hours.

The same things that mindlessly cause us to gain weight can also help us mindlessly lose weight.- Dr. Brian, Wansank Author Mindless Eating

If you were to simply SLOW down, you would eat less food in that same 3 hours. When you are in your car and you approach a speed bump, you slow down right? Well, an eat bump is a similar "helpful barrier" to eating. Often, you can hold on to the "habit" of eating after dinner - if you just eat less food. Try these suggestions for installing "eat bumps" into your night eating habit:

*Eat slowly (I use chop sticks) - it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get the "I'm full" signal from your stomach. If you are eating slowly - it gives your brain time to catch up to your stomach. PLUS, it gives you time to chew AND enjoy what you are eating. You should NEVER put food in your mouth while you are chewing food and it is down right wasteful to swallow food until you have gotten all the FLAVOR out of it. So, chew well!

*Take Breaks - this also helps you eat less - make sure you are not actually eating continuously. This behavior is called "grazing" and it is a HUGE problem for people who have had WLS like the Lap-Band. One way to ensure that you take breaks is to portion out your food - when the portion is gone, agree to wait at least 10 or 15minutes (yes you should actually time it) before you eat again.

*"Step Away From the Buffet!" - Try getting out of the house. Take a walk. Chances are, if you are walkin', you ain't eatin'! Also, being distracted with a hobby is good. Doing things that keep your hands busy are best. Sports like basketball and tennis are awesome. I like to kayak in the evening while my dad, on the other hand loves to carve and my mom is into quilting. I also have clients big into scrap booking. The key is remove yourself from food while keeping your mind and hands occupied.

*Portioning is REALLY important: Put your food on a plate and don't eat from the container or bag, use a small plate, only eat out of pre-portioned bags . . . and so on.

*Make sure you sit down to eat - that way you actually have to get up in order to get more food. Who knows, you may decide that getting out of the chair for food is not worth the effort. This is one of the few times when laziness can actually HELP you lose weight.

Another issue is that these "eating" episodes can look pretty nasty. I can only imagine what I looked like at 410 pounds as I stood in my kitchen, in my underwear, stuffing my face with cookies and cake (ala mode). I'm sure it was NOT pretty. What I decided to do was to imagine what my grandmother would think if she saw me as I was eating . . . when I did, I started to eat in a manner that was a bit more "civilized" and thus I put an end to a lot of the mindless "stuffing" of my face.

My colleague, Dr. Kelly Allison told me that she had worked with someone who thought it might be best to allow himself to eat whatever he wanted, as much as he wanted at night. So how did that solve his night eating problem? Well, what he also decided to do was to ONLY eat this "night food" while staring into the mirror of the dirtiest, nastiest room in his house. (the bathroom normally used only by his teenage kids) As it turned out, that helped him lick the night eating habit for good!

Another idea would be to simply write down everything you eat after dinner. Not all day, just after dinner. Research shows that many people will simply not eat something if they know they have to write it down. Either way, when you are done writing (and eating) for the night, you will have a much better idea of the severity of your problem.

The quality of what you eat. When I talk of quality, I not only talk of nutritional quality but I also talk of the ability of a food to fill you up for very few calories. To learn more about this, see my previous post When you understand calorie density, you could eat more and lose weight!

As the discussion with my client progressed, we explored new foods like hard boiled eggs. I explained to her that 1 hard boiled egg was 78 calories while, on the other hand, the same amount of EGG WHITES only was only 17 calories. She could eat an egg white omelette with some veggies OR make egg white salad (hold the mayo) with mustard or relish or add some spice like Tabasco. Also, we talked about her making the ShroomWah Mushroom infused Quinoa? from my last blog post:

Another option would be to make the worst food in the house inconvenient (like storing the chips in the basement or garage) or by keeping junk food out of the house by not buying it.

A major key to this plan would be to PLAN! Having good choices available is an excellent way to assure that you will eat the right things. Have pre-prepared "good" food ready to go and keep the healthy food in convenient places while the "less than healthy" food is decidedly "inconvenient." (remember eat bumps)

3. Timing. What I have found is that there are two approaches to this facet of the problem. One is to simply decide to not eat after a certain time of night. I call this the kitchen closed strategy. Honestly, the kitchen closed strategy does not really work for me. What does work is what I call the "fourth meal" strategy. As I deal with MY night eating issues, (Yes, I have issues) I simply have decided it best to plan for a very modest "fourth meal" (don't call it a snack). I have a very specific time for this "meal," I don't eat before the appointed time and if I miss my appointment, I miss the "meal." - No big deal. Sometimes, I don't even "need" the fourth meal.

Another way to ensure success is to get in the habit of eating a very light "3rd meal" (dinner) secure in the knowledge that you are going to eat a little more later in the evening.

While it is probably best to "Quit" eating late at night altogether, for those of us dealing with Night Eating Syndrome- that can seem a daunting goal.

I know a lot of experts will tell you that you CAN'T lose weight if you eat late - I'm not so sure that is true. While I do agree that eating BREAKFAST is super important, I believe that, for weight loss, controlling the amount of calories you eat is more important than controlling WHEN you eat them. When I talked to Dr. Allison about my "night eating" issues she said - "Listen, you said that you have lost the weight you want AND you have not gained any weight back. Perhaps you should relax a bit about the night eating. Keep an eye on your weight and if you begin to gain, look at your night eating patterns again. That is probably your Achilles heel but, for now, I wouldn't worry about it."

Rather than get yourself all worked up about eating late, try to remember the larger goal here - lose weight, feel great and . . . be a better, healthier you. Perhaps simply altering your night eating will be enough - certainly it will be enough to get started. Remember we are practicing BETTERNESS. Don't try to do EVERYTHING I mentioned. Just pick one or two to try. Maybe you will think of something even better. If you do, be sure to share it with me.

Honestly, if you simply eat LESS food, with more nutrition and fewer calories - YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT! Besides, simply altering a night eating habit is the first step to ditching it altogether.

If you eat late, you MAY be suffering from a disorder called "night eating syndrome." In fact, if you find yourself actually WAKING UP to eat, there is a real good chance that you have this problem.

So what exactly is Night Eating Syndrome? According to Wikipedia: "Night eating syndrome, or NES, is an emerging eating disorder diagnosis, which primarily characterizes an ongoing, persistent pattern of late-night binge eating.NES was originally described by Dr Albert Stunkard in 1955and is currently proposed for inclusion in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The diagnosis is controversial; its validity and clinical utility have been questionedand there are currently no official diagnostic criteria. It affects between 1 and 2% of the population.Although it can affect all ages and both sexes, it is more common in young women.People with NES were shown to have higher scores for depression and low self-esteem, and it has been demonstrated that nocturnal levels of the hormones melatonin and leptin are decreased . NES is often accompanied by or confused with nocturnal sleep related eating disorder, which is primarily a sleep disorder^" rather than an eating disorder, in which people are unaware of having eaten while asleep. There is debate as to whether these should be viewed as separate diseases, or part of a continuum.
^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_eating_syndrome}

To learn more about Night Eating Syndrome, check out the book: Overcoming Night Eating Syndrome . . . or take this online survey from the University of Pennsylvania at http://www.med.upenn.edu/weight/nighteatingform.shtml

Mushroom infused Quinoa?

2010-03-04T13:26:00.003-05:00

Oh man did I have a cool dinner last night! As many of you know, I have been taking some of the responsibility for caring for my dad while still working, treating patients and working with coaching clients. All-in-all it is a crazy time and Wednesday nights are particularity hectic because Jen, my wife, works late. Last night by the time I had finished tucking dad in and running kids to and fro, it was 7:30 before I had a chance to fire up the stove to make dinner.

Frankly, I almost had the inclination to order out but, it is hard to get an all natural, organic, vegan take-out meal at 7:30 at night in Cutchogue. So, Nikki, my aspiring natural chef daughter, and I opened the pantry and refrigerator to see whet we could see.

Nikki thought it would be cool to steam up some veggies in the wok. Within minutes she had peeled and cut a carrot, cut some broccoli, sliced some mushrooms and washed some spinach and opened a bag of snow peas. Then she decided to drop some Pacific Foods boxed mushroom stock into the wok with the veggies until they softened just a bit. While she was cooking she said, "Hey dad, can I put grapes in this?" to which I replied as I always do- "Gee honey, that sounds interesting - why don't you try it." The next thing I know she is cutting up some grapes and proclaiming, "Well, if they don't taste good, we'll just pick 'em out." Honestly, the grapes worked!! Go figure. They added just a bit of sweetness to the veggies. . . . way to experiment girl.

While I was excited with the sweet veggie medley, I was in the mood for Quinoa. The cool thing about Quinoa (or any grain) is that it can be cooked in any liquid. That means it can be made with broth, soup, juice, tea, water . . . or whatever. So, I decided to sweat up some sliced onions, a little minced garlic and some sliced mushrooms (you can even use canned mushrooms if you are really tight on time) with a little of that Pac foods mushroom broth. Once the onions were translucent, I added 1 cup of rinsed Quinoa, let it roast for a minute- and then added with 2 cups (remember the secret formula for cooking grains is 1 part grains to 2 - 2.5 parts liquid) of this really cool "Creamy Portobello Mushroom" soup from Imagine foods. I then added a can of rinsed chick peas (garbanzo beans) brought it to a boil and then let the whole thing simmer for about 20 minutes (stirring from time to time). When the I saw that the Quinoa had become saturated with the soup, I knew it was done. I added a bit more creamy portobello soup and I was in heaven. Quick, easy, healthy and delicious . . . all in less time than it would have taken me to go pick up take-out food. And, as an added bonus, my daughter and I got to bond in the kitchen. (My son played X-box - but we made him clean up - next time I think he will be cooking with us)

Have you ever met a “Self-Made” person?

2010-03-03T08:32:00.001-05:00

Have you ever heard of the self-made man? This is the guy who has achieved incredible success all by himself. He never needed anyone's help. He was able to live the American dream of wealth and riches without ever hiring an employee, going to school or having a mentor. I hear he is a pretty interesting guy. Have you ever met him? Although I have not, I understand that he is happily married to the tooth fairy, lives next door to Santa Claus and across the street from the Easter Bunny. He is so remarkable that his teenage children do not think he is a moron and his wife never needs to tell him his tie doesn't match his shirt. I hear the Greek god Zeus was one of those self made guys. I understand that he never had a weight problem and I also know that he is a myth. Unless your address is Mount Olympus, chances are you are like the rest of us and you will need some help to reach your goals. That actually puts you in pretty good company. Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Gandhi, Mother Theresa and countless others all have made good use of other people's help to get where they are. In Greek mythology, Zeus may have never needed anyone but our real world titans derive their strength from their ability to accept help. Even Jesus accepted help from his 12 apostles and, no matter what your beliefs about him, it is hard to disagree that he was a pretty amazing guy.

When you understand calorie density, you could eat more and lose weight!

2010-03-02T17:51:00.002-05:00

Water, water everywhere-- and you don’t always have to drink!

Did you know that the water contained in food actually counts the same, as water you drink? For instance: a Cucumber is 96% water. If you were to eat a cucumber that weighed 12 ounces, it would be just like drinking an 11 ½ ounce glass of water and because that water is part of the food, it stays in your stomach longer.

If you know the percentage of the water in a food item, you can easily find out how much water it actually contains. (12 ounces multiplied by .96 = 11.52 ounces). Most fruits and vegetables are just loaded with water. This makes fruits and vegetables are incredibly important for weight loss. High water content foods not only provide you with the water your body needs, but they also provide you the added benefit of filling your stomach while delivering fewer Calories! In the case of the cucumber, the water it contains makes it 96% CALORIE FREE!

And the story gets even better! Fruits and Vegetables are chocked full of essential vitamins and minerals as well as other vital nutrients. They are really good for you. This is not new information. The fact is that we eat very few fruits and vegetables in this country and we are one of the fattest countries in the world. When you do a W*A*N*D (What About Now is Different) test on the American diet, you will see that as we got fatter, our consumption of fruits and vegetables also decreased!

Table of the water content of various foods

Fruits Vegetables

Food % Water

Apple 84%

Broccoli 91%

Apricot 86%

Cabbage (green) 93%

Banana 74%

Cabbage (red) 92%

Blueberries 85%

Carrots 87%

Cantaloupe 90%

Cauliflower 92%

Cherries 81%

Celery 95%

Cranberries 87%

Cucumber 96%

Grapes 81%

Eggplant 92%

Grapefruit 91%

Lettuce(iceberg)96%

Orange 87%

Peas 79%

Peach 88%

Peppers (Sweet) 92%

Pear 84%

Potato (white) 79%

Pineapple 87%

Radish 95%

Plum 85%

Spinach 92%

Raspberries 87%

Zucchini 95%

Strawberries 92%

Tomato (red) 94%

Watermelon 92%

Tomato (green) 93%

Adapted from the text Bowes & Church’s Food Values, 1994

When the tide goes out the water goes with it!

Be aware that when you remove the water from food, it is gone. Sounds simple enough but many people don’t realize that the way you cook food can either add or subtract water. Obviously, if you dehydrate food you take all or most of the water out of it. Grapes have are 81% water while raisins contain almost no water. As a result, raisins, while still healthy, don’t have any useful water found in grapes. Because of the lack of calorie free water, the caloric cost of dehydrated food can be quite high. A cup of raisins, for instance, has 493 calories while a cup of grapes only has 62. When you can, stick with the grapes. They will fill you up fast and deliver a lot less calories. When you eat 10 grapes, you start to feel full while, on the other hand, when you eat 10 raisins you are just getting started!

The main advantage to dehydrating food is that it lasts for a long time and does not need to be refrigerated. I actually own a dehydrator because when I go hiking or camping I can bring healthy fruits and vegetables without worrying about spoilage. When you bake, you also remove water. Baked foods will have a more calories per pound than their boiled counter parts.

Cooking in water will increase the water content in food. When I get to my campsite, I often boil or steam my dehydrated food and, viola! It is as good as new! Steaming fresh broccoli will also increase its water content. Soups made from broth have a terrific amount of water and are relatively low in Calories. Soups made with cream tend to have less water and more fat when compared to broth based soup. As a result they will also have more calories per serving. For instance the low-fat chicken noodle soup at Panera bread has about 100 Calories per bowel while the cream of chicken & wild rice soup weighs in at 200 Calories for the same sized bowel.

Although the importance of drinking water can not be over emphasized for weight loss, the water from food is actually more important. As part of food, the calorie free volume of the water sticks around throughout the digestion process. You feel full longer and that will help keep your head out of the refrigerator.

Which is heavier a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?

Which is heaver: a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks? Answer: They weigh the same. Were you tempted to say a pound of bricks? It was a trick question. If you did say bricks, you had the right answer to the wrong question. You might have been thinking about the density of the bricks. Density is a measure of weight as it relates to volume. Bricks always seem “heavier” than feathers because bricks pack so much weight into a small package. They are actually just denser.

How about this question: Which takes up more space: a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks? Answer: The feathers! Imagine your stomach is an empty bucket. With this bucket in your mind, imagine it filled with feathers. This is your pound of feathers. Now, draw a line on the bucket at the place you think a pound of bricks would fill the bucket to. Where is that line? If it is fairly close to the bottom, you are probably right. What about a pound of wooden blocks? How much would they fill the bucket up? Chances are, that line would be somewhere between the feathers and the bricks. Now imagine that the weight of the bricks, blocks and feathers represent their CALORIES. Imagine that the pound of bricks is really 100 CALORIES. Now think of the bricks as fats. Fats have more caloric “density” than the other macronutrients at 9 Calories per gram. They are the bricks in your bucket. They don’t physically fill your bucket (stomach) very much but they do make it “heavy” with calories.

Alcohol (not a nutrient) can qualify as “bricks” too at an impressive 7 Calories per gram. Carbohydrates and protein are less dense at 4 Calories per gram and they are the blocks. Finally, because it takes up space in the bucket while having no calorie weight, the dietary feather is water. You may recall that fiber is that special kind of carbohydrate that helps to regulate how fast sugar flows into your system. As it so happens, it is also a calorie feather weighing in at just 2 Calories per gram.

Feathers Feed Ferocious Famishment

True hunger comes from having an empty bucket. How you fill that bucket determines whether you will lose or gain weight. If you fill the bucket with too many “heavy” calories, you will gain weight. By simply lightening your bucket a little at each meal, you will save calories and ultimately lose weight. In short if you eat more feathers you will have less room for the heavier calories. The best news about this system is that you don’t have to deny yourself anything and you don’t have to “count” calories. By simply classifying your food as feathers, blocks and bricks, you will have a pretty good idea of which foods you can eat a lot of and which ones should be taken in moderation.

The typical American diet contains way too many bricks (fats) and not enough feathers (fiber & water). As a nation, we are overweight partly because we take in too many “dense” calories. As a result, in order to feel full (fill our bucket) we eat way too many calories. Although the volume of food consumed is an issue, the calorie weight of that full bucket is the real killer. If you fill your bucket with bricks, you will gain weight.

In the real world, real food is usually not made up of just fats, just carbs or just fiber. Most food is made up of a little of each macro nutrient. For instance; a cup of raw carrots contains 45 calories. Based on the weights of each macro nutrient; of those 45 Calories, 42 of Calories come from carbohydrates (87%), 4 from protein (8%) and 3 from fat (5%). The remainder of the volume of that cup is taken up by fiber and water. For a mere 45 calories, you have “filled your bucket” by a cupful of volume. On the other hand, that same cup, filled with cheddar cheese contains 455 Calories. 6 of those Calories come from carbohydrates (1%), 112 from protein (25%) and a whopping 337 from fat (74%). When compared to the carrots, the cheese has very little water. The cheese is made of mostly bricks. When compared to carrots, filling up on cheese will cost you TEN times (10X, 110, 1000%!!) more in calories. Does that mean you should avoid cheese? No. Just make sure you fill up with some feathers before diving into the fondue pot. Because of its high fat content and low water content, cheese is a brick and should be enjoyed in moderation.

The carrots have a low caloric density because they are made mostly of “feathers.” In general, foods with a high fiber and water content have a low caloric density. Foods high in fat are the densest. The idea is to “fill your bucket” with as many feathers as possible leaving less room for the bricks. A very sensible strategy is to set up your plate with more, low calorie dense foods and to eat them first. This way, by the time you get to the higher density foods you will be well on your way to feeling full. By starting your meal with a big salad (light on the dressing), moving to a generous helping of vegetables (watch that butter!), and finishing with the meat, you will find that you will finish your meal satisfied BEFORE all the meat is gone! When eating in the real world, my advice is to eat your feathers first!!. If you were to approach a meal in this way, you would be able to eat more food and take in fewer calories. In essence you could eat more and lose weight! WOOWHOOO! This could be that secret you have been looking for!!Wanna learn more about calorie density?

MOM & DAD's Thanksgiving Thank you letter

2010-03-02T11:58:00.001-05:00

MOM & DADs Thank you letter

It’s early on Thanksgiving morning. It is the official kick off of the holiday season and it is a day to give thanks. Giving thanks - - that is what this holiday is about. It is not “Turkey Day”, or “over stuff yourself day” it’s THANKS giving day.

As I sit here by the warmth of my fireplace, preparing this morning’s Podcast, I got to thinking of how much I love where my life has lead, how I got here and how each day of my better life leads to new and exciting opportunities for the future. Much of what I have accomplished can be traced back to the selfless gifts from 2 of my very first coaches. – my mom and dad.

In addition to the obvious “giving me life” thing, they did all the other things that great parents do. They made sure I was always well provided for and made significant sacrifices to ensure that I received the best possible education – And, goodness knows, they made sure I was always surrounded with plenty of “stuff”.

But, Over the years I have come to realize that their legacy of love and support has had far more impact than anything that they every bought. This unwavering support has been provided to me throughout my life, on going, from the day I was born and through today. They never hold back - - always giving. When I was growing up, they were always present and available for me. To this day, they never fail to show up and be there when I need them. Their unconditional love and support has provided me with riches beyond value and by this example, they make me a better . . . Betterness Coach.

Although the all “stuff” they have given me was nice, it pales in comparison to this continuous and bountiful giving of their self. That said, I do recall two Christmas gifts that continue hold special meaning for me.

Hanging from the mantle just above the warm glow of my early morning fire is the walking stick Dad crafted for me. It is ornately carved and hangs from some crude leather straps. The stick is topped with the head of an eagle, a symbol of freedom and strength – how appropriate – dad certainly was a master giver of these. Within the staff is a "wood spirit." As understand it, a "wood spirit" lives in the wood. When the artist recognizes it, he uses its substance to refine it and make it the best it can be. Like the wood spirit, my dad has always seen the best in me and has worked with my substance to make me better.

Many mornings, before starting my day, I take a few moments to contemplate this humble walking stick as truly remarkable symbol of my coach dad. Just like any good coach, a walking stick is never ever oppressive. It does not force itself upon you. It is ready when you need it and it is available to you should you choose to carry it. It can be used as a simple support you or to help you pull yourself through the most difficult terrains of life. When things are at their worst the walking stick will always stand firm, at the ready and without judgment. My walking stick, my dad coach, helps me to stand . . . and more importantly he helps me to propel myself forward. Like a sturdy walking stick, he has helped me to stand tall when I could easily slump. By his sturdy example he has taught me commitment, persistence, and the importance of remaining steady and available for the betterment of others. As my walking stick, he has helped me to continue to move forward even when I did not think my legs could not carry me any farther.

When he gave me the stick he said: "I am sorry, son, it is not perfect but my eyes are not what they used to be." It seems to me, that his choice to make me this walking stick shows that his sight remains crystal clear. Dad, I appreciate the fact that through all your gifts, you will be walking with me long after I can no longer walk with you. I want to thank you for being my dad, my coach and my walking stick.

In my office, in the most prominent place I could find; there hangs the most beautiful assembly of old Hawaiian shirts anyone has ever seen. It has become known simply as "the quilt." It stands as a symbol of my most significant life challenge conquered – the losing of over 200 pounds. It stands as a reminder of how far I have come and the limitless nature of my future.

When I first lost the weight, I had a bag of old Hawaiian shirts that were 5 times too big for me. As far as I was concerned, they were a bag of rags, useless vestiges of a former life.

But my Mom, did not see it that way. In the same way that she always saw potential in me, she saw a quilt in those rags. She fashioned those tattered scraps into a symbol of unconditional love. Mom, like a warm blanket, has always protected me from the cold and made me feel secure. But this was no ordinary blanket, this was a beautiful assemblage of what I thought were rags. By crafting this quilt Mom reminded me not to be too quick to discard the little things in my life. This quilt is an unbelievable symbol of what can happen when you recognize the value of the small things in life and then take the time to put them together. As my coach, Mom specialized in showing me what I can make of myself, even when I was convinced that all I had going for me was a bag of rags. In the same way she assembled that quilt, she have showed me how to assemble what I thought were the scraps of my life into something spectacular. She always saw value in me and helped me to see it too.

Mom, I thank you for my for your unwavering belief in my potential, your unconditional love and for making me feel safe as I embark on new, uncertain, journeys. The quilt is a representation of you to me. I am glad to have you as my coach. I am proud to have your quilt with me every day so that I can show you off to all who enter my life.

The Calorie Monster -

2010-02-19T08:53:00.004-05:00

Not All Calories Are Evil

In their purest form, calories are units of life sustaining energy. When found in moderate groups, they are known to be benevolent providers of life, health and vitality.

Caloric Horrors of Science and Freaks of Nature

Unfortunately, due to excessive food processing and the frequent human manipulation of nature, some of these calories mutate into something ugly. These ugly calories are the scourge of modern society and they have been termed Calorie Monsters.

These Calorie Monsters are gross exceptions to the norm and tend to wreak havoc on your body’s ecosystem. They are taken to being exceptionally evil, grotesque, unreasonably strict and uncaring, sociopathic, sadistic, narcissistic, lazy and frankly, not that smart. The very word monster connotes something wrong or evil. In the popular sense, a monstrous being is: very morally objectionable, physically or psychologically hideous, or regarded as a freak of nature. These special monster calories fit all those criteria*

When these Monster Calorie things get into your body, there is no telling what they will do. It is best to try to avoid these things all together.

Don’t Crowd Your Calories

To make matters worse, these calorie monster mutations also occur when ordinary, law abiding, calories get overcrowded. Simply stuffing too many “nice” calories into your body all at once can make them cranky and turn them into Calorie Monsters.

* Adapted from Wikipedia the online

The Problems start when “All-or-Nothing” thinking leaves you with NOTHING

2010-02-16T11:46:00.003-05:00

"I am an all or nothing person." Is what my new client said. I knew instantly what that meant because I was an all-or-nothing person too. What I have come to realize is that when I defined myself like that, I usually ended up with a whole lot of "Nuthin." Then, Betterness® found me and, while I don't have it "all" (whatever that means) I do have a lot of what I want and I am getting closer to the things I have yet to achieve. All-in-all, it's pretty cool. Now all I have to do is help my new friend re-define herself from an "all-or-nothing" person to a "Betterness" person.

Bett•er•ness: (bet-ēr-nes) n. an accumulation of small, positive changes that achieves major life improvement. Antonym: All-or-Nothing

As it so happens I just talked a lot about re-defining oneself in my last post – so go back and read "You Are Who Think You Are and You Become Who You Think You Can Become" if you haven't already. I'll wait. . .

Ok, now that we are all on the same page, I will continue.

A lot of my clients get stuck when they can't achieve their goals. In other words, by not doing it all they get frustrated into doing nothing. This is actually pretty common. The truth is that it is OK to fail. In fact failure is a necessary part of learning. Think back to your best learned lessons of life. Chances are, the ones you will never forget were the ones that you learned from experience. Experience is just a word for re-engineered failure. The people who tend to succeed are those who simply do not see failure as failure. They see it as a message to do something different.

One core belief or self definition that seems to be holding people back that they harbor doubts about their abilities to achieve their vision. Not everyone, however, is limited by this kind of limited thinking. Some people not only believe that lasting change is possible for them; they see it as natural and inevitable. They believe that who they are right now is temporary, a function only of the here and now. For such people, all change is an energizing ingredient of learning and growth. They truly believe that every moment is simply a passageway to a better them. In her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Random House, 2006), psychologist Carol Dweck describes her extensive studies of people who think in this manner. She describes them as having a growth mindset. You may call them successful. Personally, I call them betterness thinkers.

What Dr. Dweck observed is that people who understand the nature of change see possibility in everything. One reason people who don't believe they are capable of change get stuck is because their blindness to possibility causes them to miss opportunities. Betterness thinkers have fewer limitations on their potential than people that don't think they can change. The way they think literally programs them for success.

What she also observed is that no one needs to be stuck. Betterness thinking is learned. No matter what, you can un-stick your weight loss success by becoming a betterness thinker. All you need to do in order to free-up your thinking is to believe that you are capable of real, lasting, life alteration. When you do, all sorts of possibilities unfold right before your eyes and your life will change.

By definition, Betterness thinking does not have to come all at once. When you believe a small change is possible, you are likely to make that change. I used a series of small successes build my betterness thinking. Barriers to belief disappear once your mind sees success by any measure. Success is the brain food of belief. Your success is the most solid proof on earth that you should believe in yourself.

The Science of Betterness Thinking

If the evolution of your own life is not proof enough that you have untapped potential, look at what science has to show. In the past, certain human attributes like personality, hand dominance, and the tendency to be fat were thought to be established early in life—essentially unchangeable. Now, technologies are emerging that allow us to see how the brain is continually developing. Advanced science has proved that when the brain focuses on new thoughts and radical ideas it exercises the gray matter causing it to grow like a muscle lifting weights.

Scientists call this phenomenon neuroplasticity. Their new understanding of brain building is blowing the lid off our old ideas about how many new tricks our "old dog" brains can learn. The research shows that even when significant parts of the brain are irreversibly damaged, people can use their thoughts to literally transform and grow the remainder of their brain to fill the gaps. This concept of the brain's expandability by mental effort is now being used to help train people who were previously thought to be beyond help. With mental focus, hard work and belief in possibility, stroke victims are re-connecting their damaged brain with their muscles, Alzheimer's patients are improving their memory, under-achieving children are becoming more competent in school, and, yes, people with life-long weight problems are re-inventing themselves toward a better life.

Betterness thinking has privileges

If you can see yourself as a betterness person, you will get weight loss and a whole lot more. It seems that the perspective of betterness people gives them an edge in controlling their destiny. As you become a betterness person you will see that your new perspective changes the way you interact with the world. Here are some examples on how betterness people live better, more effective lives.

Better Living Through Re-invention

Betterness people have no problem re-inventing themselves because they know that the people they will become are the direct result of what they do. They work hard for their goals because they believe that their hard work will always pay off. When betterness people hit a roadblock, they don't get discouraged because their heightened perspective allows them to see beyond it. When a betterness person sees a roadblock, they don't see it as an obstacle, they see challenge. They see life as a puzzle to be solved and they are energized by the challenges they face. There are very few "unsolvable" problems and options are always available. Since betterness people know this, they don't panic when they get stuck. They take a step back, take a deep breath, and look at the problem from a different angle. The late Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture (Hyperion, 2008), was a betterness person. He summed up this attribute by saying, "Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people."

Fear of failure causes people to avoid or stop trying. Betterness people don't let fear stop them because they have a different concept of failure. They see disappointing outcomes as opportunities to learn. That doesn't mean they don't get upset when things don't go their way, it just means they learn from the experience. Betterness people believe in MAGIC. By this I mean, they believe that Mistakes Accomplish Growth If Changed.

Think about it: Failure, or simply not getting something right the first time, is the way everybody learns. True growth actually comes from a mastery of failure.

Two MAGIC WAND Questions

Add the word "failure" to the list of words that no longer fit into your worldview. It is just another one of those words that clouds your perspective. Whenever you catch yourself thinking something you did was a "failure," substitute the word "mistake." Then ask the two following WAND questions to draw lessons from that mistake to accomplish growth. As you do, you will be performing betterness MAGIC.

• WAND Question #1: What About Now Differs? If a mistake has occurred, ask, "What about now differs?" By comparing the mistake you made today (eating a Twinkie) with a mistake you might have made a week ago (eating two Twinkies), you can determine how much progress you've made. Your answer should help you to see that your mistake is not a total disaster When people see a mistake as a total failure, they feel guilty and de-motivated. They often use that failure as an excuse to give up. If you can't see the betterness in your mistake, keep looking. Just the fact that you are reflecting and analyzing it is improvement. Focusing on how even your mistakes are getting better will free your mind of guilt. Without guilt, you will be able to step back from the mistake and use it as a learning tool. All mistakes teach valuable lessons. Always think about what the mistake can teach you.

• WAND Question #2: What Accomplishes New Directions? If you are in the process of making a mistake, stop and ask, "What accomplishes new directions?" When you recognize you are in the process of making a mistake, you are at a literal crossroads. By asking this WAND question, you get to decide on a new direction for your life and limit current and future damage. For instance, if you are halfway through a sleeve of cookies when you ask this question, you might just throw the rest away. Since betterness thinkers always use mistakes to learn, we never believe that we have blown our diets. We simply toss away our cookies, and then go back and ask ourselves the first WAND question. Since the answer is that we did not eat the whole thing, we emerge from the incident proud that we have grown instead of feeling shameful.

Learn From Your Past, Watch Your Present and Create Your Future

Betterness people are never stuck in the past, but we do learn from it. In the Disney film "The Lion King," Rafiki, the sage mentor to the young lion king, Simba, teaches him a lesson about the past by smacking him with a stick. "What did you do that for?" the impetuous lion cub screams. "It doesn't matter. It is in the past!" the wise old monkey says, as he takes another swipe at the lion. When the lion ducks to avoid this second blow, the monkey continues, "The past can hurt, but the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it. " Rafiki was training Simba to be a betterness person . . . I mean lion.

Try this Think Better- Awareness Tool

Take a moment to look at your dieting past. To begin, take a blank paper and make two columns. Label the left column "age" and the right column "weight." Write down some of the weights you remember from your past and how old you were at those weights. Make sure to include all of the highs and lows that you remember. You do not have to be that accurate. Approximate ages and weights will do.

Next, purchase or download a piece of graph paper to plot your weight loss history. The short side of the paper is for age and the long side is for weight. Plot those numbers on the graph. As you connect the dots, a "visual display" of your weight loss history will begin to develop. You will not only see the highs and lows, you will see when you were losing, when you were gaining and when you were maintaining your weight.

Next, jot down some of the feelings, circumstances and influences that you feel contributed to the peaks, valleys and slopes of the graph. What you end up with is a snapshot of the influences in your life that have helped you to lose and gain weight. Post the completed graph where you can see it and look at it as a learning tool.

Betterness Thinking Opens Channels to Learning

Betterness people are not embarrassed when they are confronted with things they don't know. They don't see their gaps in knowledge as ignorance, they see a lack of knowledge as a temporary condition that can be cured by awareness. They are never afraid to hear the truth because they know the truth is going to be there whether they know it or not. They are perpetual learners. They have an almost pathological need to ask why or how. They are intense listeners, who are interested to learn from the perspectives of others. They maintain an open mind and never assume they absolutely know anything.

Betterness people are not afraid to ask for help. They don't look for helpers that will do everything for them, however. Rather, they look for helpers who will enhance their learning. Since they crave learning, they are constantly on the look out for people to fill that role. This acute awareness allows them to recognize helpful influences as soon as those teachers present themselves. Once help arrives, they accept it, learn what they need to learn, and use that knowledge to grow. Walt Disney, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, and countless other people whom I would identify as betterness people are all examples of people who made good use of other people's help to get far.

Betterness people enjoy taking responsibility for their lives. Betterness people don't generally believe that their weight problems have been caused by their spouse's grocery shopping habits or menu at their favorite bistro. The belief their efforts determine their destiny prevents them from blaming external forces for their circumstances. Accepting full responsibility for the course of their life has taken gives them the freedom to set the course of where their life is heading.

Maybe Betterness thinking is the next new Miracle Weight Loss Cure . . . Who knows. It works for me.

Wishing YOU Betterness too - Russ

You Are Who Think You Are and You Become Who You Think You Can Become

2010-02-16T10:46:00.002-05:00

I talk a lot about the importance of defining yourself and then redefining yourself. When I say "define yourself" what I really mean is that you should become more aware of how you already define yourself. I had a very interesting chat with a client yesterday who said "I'm a couch potato . . . a 'sitter,' really. I sit around a lot." I remember when I used to consider myself a "couch potato." I believe that part of the reason that I sat around a lot was because my body was taking orders from my subconscious mind. My core beliefs ("I'm a couch potato") made it really difficult to imagine a world beyond the couch. Without that image, my default position was sitting. Now, I am a walker, a kayaker and a rock climber. Those are the things that define me. That is why I never "forget" to take the stairs and why I have some business meetings while walking through central park.

One thing I have learned is that the most important beliefs you hold about yourself are your beliefs about your abilities. When it comes to weight loss success, what are your true beliefs about your ability to change your life? If your beliefs are telling you that you can't, you will be needlessly stuck. You can unlock amazing potential to lose weight if you simply erase the word "can't" from your thinking. I can trace the beginnings of my successful long-term weight loss directly back to the single belief that it was possible.

Removing "can't" from your vocabulary isn't enough. It needs to be removed entirely from your beliefs about your ability to reach your weight-loss goal. Doubting possibility leaves nothing except for impossibility. The problem is that this doubt hides. Doubts about your ability to achieve your goal, whether you are aware of it or not, act as a constant false reminder that you are powerless to lose weight. As a result, you are powerless to lose weight.

Try this Think Better- Awareness Tool

Write down the number of pounds you feel that you need to lose. Then, take a moment to ask yourself, "Do I truly believe that I can lose the weight I want and keep it off?" Don't just ask the question superficially. Dig deep into your thoughts. Of what do you really believe you are capable? Then write your answer in the betterness planner.

As you survey your beliefs about losing weight, be on the look out for thoughts that place your ability to lose weight outside of your control. While certain aspects of your life are out of your control, many people underestimate what they can control. Phrases like "I can't," "It runs in my family," "My wife feeds me too much," and "I'm addicted to food" will be disempowering to you and counteract your efforts.

When your subconscious mind is weighed down by the false beliefs of impossibility, it will constantly whisper, "What's the use?" whenever things get tough. Let's face it, nobody likes to be wrong and that goes double for your subconscious mind. If you are convinced that you were born to be fat, your mind will look at every setback as an I-told-you-so moment. This process is tough enough without that kind of baggage.

I believe that you can, and will be able to, lose weight but my belief is not going to cut it. In the conclusion of this chapter, I intend to help you see things my way. In order to do that, I need you to be open to the possibility that you are capable of more than you currently think you are.

The best way to get started is to match your expectations with your beliefs about your expectations. If raising beliefs proves overwhelming right now, then you must work to adjust your expectations so they are comfortable. If you don't believe you can lose all the weight you want, find a goal you can truly believe in—even if it is a small one. This process will work if you are constantly shooting for targets you know you can hit. It is imperative, however, that once you hit those targets you raise your beliefs. At a top weight of over 400 pounds, I had over 200 pounds to lose and I honestly did not believe I could do it. Every time I focused on the goal of losing all the weight I needed to lose, I lost momentum—but not pounds. I attribute my success to the constant matched escalation of beliefs to goals. Years of little successes followed up with raised expectations leading to more little success proved to my brain that I had been selling myself short about my abilities—not just with weight loss, but also with everything. My success at losing weight helped me to restructure my entire way of thinking about all of my limitations.

Ten years ago, my palms used to sweat whenever I had to write a letter. I couldn't type, my grammar was awful, and I was a crappy speller. I was convinced that I was just not "a writer." Tackling a seemingly impossible goal like weight loss gave me proof that, with focus and effort, I can do anything, even write a book. What I now believe is that if any other human being has done it (whatever "it" is) so can I and so can you.

In the past, I had limited my weight loss success with low expectations. Even when I lost weight, my mind convinced me that I was "born to be fat" and "fat" is where I always seemed to end up.

Success is one form of proof that always elevates belief. If you start by modifying your goals to match your beliefs, you will reach those goals. When you use that success to raise your beliefs about your abilities, you will be free to set much higher goals. When belief is elevated, previously 'impossible" goals become quite attainable. As you repeat the process, success breeds more success. Every success you have today will set the stage for you to make a better tomorrow. It won't take too many tomorrows to prove the validity of this concept.

I would like you to start looking within your own life for the proof you need to believe you are capable of incredible change. Chances are that proof is not that far off. All you need to do is take a look at some accomplishment from your past that of which you are proud. Remember that client that was a "couch potato?" In that same conversation, I asked her if she drank a lot of high calorie drinks and she said, "Oh no, I'm a water / unsweetened tea person." She actually said it that way. Here was evidence of a truly healthy self-definition and, as I was about to learn, it gets even better. She then said that she used to be a 'soda person.' She admitted that she had kicked a very serious soda habit a few years ago and that she was very proud of the accomplishment. As well she should! What this shows is that she is capable of major life change and that, when completed, it feels pretty darned good! Not only that, it demonstrates how powerful these statements of definition can be. She would not even think of having soda now – she does not crave it because she wrote it out of her subconscious. She would no sooner have a soda than rob a bank. Seriously, she thinks herself an honest person that drinks only water and tea. So it is a given that she neither drinks soda nor robs banks, steals candy from babies and so on.

"Change is inevitable, growth is optional." —Walt Disney

If you have trouble seeing yourself as a fit and healthy person, consider how adaptable humans are. As a species, we pulled ourselves out of caves and built empires. That's not bad for a loose band of naked apes. Remember, if another human has done it (whatever "it" is), so can you. Take, for instance, the amazing nearly 450-pound weight-loss story of the former Ringling Brother's fat lady Dolly Dimples. After a near fatal heart attack in 1949, she dropped from 555 pounds to 112 pounds. Although she lost her circus job, later she authored a diet book, made it into The Guinness Book of Records for weight loss, and lived to the ripe old age of 81.

Even if you don't believe that you are world record material, consider how many ordinary people achieve their weight loss goals. The National Weight Control Registry (http://www.nwcr.ws/) is a list of almost 5,000 such people, whose weight losses have ranging from 30 to 300 pounds. The list was started as a research project in 1994 and it is full of ordinary people like you who were able to lose weight and have been successfully keeping it off for as many as 66 years and counting.

Try This Think Better Awareness Tool

Find someone in whom you can see that your incredible success is possible. Maybe you don't know anyone on the National Weight Control Registry and maybe you just can't identify with a woman that achieved world-record weight loss 50 years ago. Find someone with whom you can identify, who has accomplished what you want to accomplish. Write this individual's name or paste his picture in your betterness planner. Refer to him as proof that it can be done.

No matter who your role model is, the role model is just an ordinary person like you. In reality, there are very few remarkable people in the world. The world, however, is full of ordinary people who have done remarkable things. When you find this role model, don't try to do exactly what he did, rather look upon his accomplishment as proof of your capability. You need to find your own path.

Sometimes, when you are looking for proof that you are changeable, you are your own best role model. When you think about it, you have been radically changing since the day you were born. Take a moment to think back about the life you led when you were a teenager, when you were in your twenties, thirties, and so on. As you review the list of beliefs, perceptions, behaviors, and preferences that defined you during each stage of your life, you will see that you are not who you used to be.

I am certainly not the same person as I was in high school, college, before I was married or before my wife and I had children. The passage of time and the events of my life have changed me, and I have also changed myself.

Life changes everyone. So the person you are today is not the person you will be tomorrow. Whether the you of the future is better or worse than the you of today remains to be seen, and remains for you to decide.

Scientists call this phenomenon neuroplasticity. Their new understanding of brain building is blowing the lid off our old ideas about how many new tricks our "old dog" brains can learn. The research shows that even when significant parts of the brain are irreversibly damaged, people can use their thoughts to literally transform and grow the remainder of their brain to fill the gaps. This concept of the brain's expandability by mental effort is now being used to help train people who were previously thought to be beyond help. With mental focus, hard work and belief in possibility, stroke victims are re-connecting their damaged brain with their muscles, Alzheimer's patients are improving their memory, under-achieving children are becoming more competent in school, and, yes, people with life-long weight problems are re-inventing themselves toward a better life.

Eat Better: Snack on The Clock!

2010-02-14T12:43:00.007-05:00

Here is a cool tip I learned while I was at the Dr. Oz show: When you get hungry between meals, try setting an ordinary kitchen timer for 15 minutes and grab a small glass of water. If, when the timer goes off, you are still hungry, grab a healthy snack. Have your healthy snack planned in advance and don't wolf it down. When you take the time to plan and enjoy your snack you will feel satisfied.
Email Doc Russ with YOUR Comments or Input

Move Better: Make "Exercise" time Fun time

2010-02-14T12:41:00.001-05:00

One thing I learned from Richard Simmons this week is that exercise should be fun! (actually, I knew that already) The honest truth is that is you link your "exercise" routine to a feeling of enjoyment, it won't be work. Try watching movies, or walking with good friends. Sports are fun for some people but, not everyone. If you don't like to hit the basketball or tennis court, try hitting the dance floor or yoga class. If you explore all kinds of new ways to move you might just find your new passion. I found kayaking and I have another friend who found her way to to condition, heal and express her self through a movement and sensation dance called NIA and my new friend Richard Simmons gave me his newest Sweatn' to the oldies DVD.

The Complete Collection of Sweatin' to the Oldies

by Time Life Records

Directors:E.H. Shipley

Starring:Richard Simmons

DVD ~ Release Date: 2008-01-08

List Price: $49.95

Our Price: $27.87

Buy Now

Firms of Endearment: How World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose

2010-02-14T12:40:00.000-05:00

Worth The Read

Firms of Endearment: How World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose

by Rajendra S. Sisodia by Wharton School Publishing

Hardcover

List Price: $34.99

Our Price: $21.84

Buy Now

Quote from the book: "I define Love as the selfless promotion of the growth of the other."
I was intrigued by the relevance of this quote to Betterness. To fully engage in Betterness, you must have love. Whether it it the Betterness of yourself or the Betterness of others you need to have love for the person you are trying to help . . . even if it is you.

Betterness Success resources

2010-02-14T12:38:00.002-05:00

I also had a great conversation with a new mentor, James Komsinski. James is the CEO of a non-profit called Coaches Care. Through Coaches Care, James hopes to create a world where positive change is delivered through the transformational gift of coaching to those individuals, communities and organizations most in need.
James and I immediately hit it off and we had a wonderful conversation in which he introduced me to the concept of the "Biggest Winner" club as an answer to the less than palatable reality TV show "The Biggest Loser"

My New Friend Bethany Butler and I will be teaching a cooking course at the Marble Church on Feb 25th. I think you will hear a lot more about her. She is full of excitement and energy!

Getting A Strong Start With Coaching Questionnaire

Blank P*R*O*G*R*E*S*S Goal tm Worksheet

Setting P*R*O*G*R*E*S*S tm Goals Quick Start Guide

Betterness® Recipes

The C*R*A*P*P*Y Diet
The Funniest (& Worst) Diet Ever

The Wonderful Blizzard of Oz!

2010-02-14T12:37:00.002-05:00

This was quite a week in the world of Betterness! I was invited to the Dr. Oz Show to be part of an audience of 100 people that lost over 100 pounds for Dr. Oz's 100th show.
It was inspiring to sit in a room with over 100 people that have had major weight loss success. Each person had an incredible story to tell. Each person was a true expert on weight loss. It was truly a "Biggest Winners" show. I also got to sweat to the song "Hit the Road Jack" with Richard Simmons.
Until I met him, I don't think I truly appreciated his commitment to helping people lose weight. He is truly a remarkable man. Dr. Oz is a cool guy too! I got a chance to talk to him a bit as well.
Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt. ~William Shakespeare

Email Doc Russ with YOUR Comments or Input

Betterness Success Story

2010-02-14T12:36:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Debbie for submitting this story of purposeful betterness:
In 2004 my marriage had gotten to the point where I knew things had to change. I had 3 small children...a newly renovated house...things from the outside to the rest of the world would have looked like everything was wonderful. Far from that. I felt lost and alone and very afraid. I started to work on my body in order to strengthen my mind. I was about 40-50 pounds over the weight that I would like to have been and resigned to the fact that I was just going to be a size 12-14 forever...and that was ok. I began by waking up 45 minutes earlier each day and riding my exercise bike...watching the news...catching up on the "real world"...as I started to feel physically better I began to feel mentally stronger. I had more energy and I could see clearly that changes needed to be made and I was strong enough to make them. As my divorce progressed I kept taking care of me...making healthier choices...physically and mentally. I surrounded myself with positive people. I focused on the changes I could make and made them. Sometimes I felt a little selfish that the times that I could have been doing more housework...or work-work...I was working out on my physical self...but it made me stronger...I felt better...I looked better...I was becoming the person I remembered. Many changes took place over the last 6 years...some of them were not always easy to handle and some of them really hit hard...but I always remembered to take the time to take care of myself a little each day not only for me...for my chidlren because they deserved more from me...and a stronger me meant a better mom for them. My outward appearance changed...and I am a firm believer that as we become happier inside...it's reflected on how we appear to the outside world. My health and fitness isn't something that I have to work at now...it's how I live each day. Something that I was unable to see 6 years ago...came into focus as I cleared out the toxic things in my life and bettered myself for the benefit of my family.

If you have a story of how you are improving your life with Betterness, I wanna hear about it. Simply email your triumph to betternesscoach@gmail.com and I will celebrate you right here. .Big or small - every triumph counts. No matter what it is, if you are proud of it . . . send it in!

Does food really make you happy?

2010-01-26T10:25:00.001-05:00

In his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience,
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi notes that Aristotle observed 2300 years ago that more than anything men and women seek happiness. In this book, Csikszentmihalyi (psychology, Univ. of Chicago) examines flow and describes it in terms of the connections between satisfaction and daily activities. He defines a flow state as one that ensues when one is engaged in self-controlled, goal-related, meaningful actions and it is often described by the person experiencing it as the sense of complete, purposeful, satisfaction that is generally recognized as happiness.

What I thought was really cool was how much he talks about food and happiness. Our need for food is pretty basic. If you want to survive, you have to eat, but to simply surviving does not make us happy. In fact, for those of us that battle weight, food ultimately makes us unhappy. So, the question is, how can food make us happy? Can food produce flow? I think it can.

To begin, I think it is important that we come to some basic understanding of meaning of pleasure and enjoyment. I'm going to ask you to set aside your personal definitions of these words so that we can all speak the same language.

For our purposes, pleasure can be described as a situation in which we do something that fills a basic physiological or psychological need. When this happens, a little pulse of electricity goes to one of a few "pleasure centers" of the brain. When that happens, you feel pleasure. When the electrical impulse stops, however, it's over. While pleasure is powerful, it's temporary.

Enjoyment, on the other hand, is not directly tied to an external stimulus. Enjoyment is more closely tied to accomplishment and true satisfaction. Enjoyment hangs around to serve us breakfast in bed while pleasure leaves as soon as . . . well, you get the idea.

To quote the book,

"Enjoyment is characterized by this forward movement: by a sense of novelty, of accomplishment. Playing a close game of tennis that stretches one's ability is enjoyable, as is reading a book that reveals things in a new light, as is having a conversation that leads us to express ideas we didn't know we had. Closing a contested business deal, or any piece of work well done, is enjoyable. None of these experiences may be particularly pleasurable at the time they are taking place, but afterward we think back on them and say, "That was fun" and wish they would happen again. After an enjoyable event we know that we have changed, that our self has grown: in some respect, we have become more complex as a result of it.

Experiences that give pleasure can also give enjoyment, but the two sensations are quite different. For instance, everybody takes pleasure in eating. To enjoy food, however, is more difficult. A gourmet enjoys eating, as does anyone who pays enough attention to a meal so as to discriminate the various sensations provided by it. As this example suggests, we can experience pleasure without any investment of psychic energy, whereas enjoyment happens only as a result of unusual investments of attention. A person can feel pleasure without any effort, if the appropriate centers in his brain are electrically stimulated, or as a result of the chemical stimulation of drugs. But it is impossible to enjoy a tennis game, a book, or a conversation unless attention is fully concentrated on the activity."

In short, enjoyment takes effort. You need to work a bit to achieve enjoyment. When it comes to food, may enjoy that gourmet meal you painstakingly cooked, presented, served and ate slowly and with intention, but you generally won't find enjoyment when you inhale a bag of potato chips.

The key here is that enjoyment is the key to happiness and that all forms of pleasure may not need to be invited to the party.

The “American Diet” Invades Okinawa

2010-01-17T11:17:00.001-05:00

Last week, I stumbled on this really neat paragraph while surfing the net.

"The Japanese have a great expression concerning healthy eating habits: Hara hachi bu.
Hara hachi bu means "Eat until 80% full" (literally, stomach 80%). This is excellent advice and it's pretty easy to follow this principle in Japan as proportions are generally much smaller than in places like the US. Using chopsticks also makes it easier to avoid shoveling food in and encourages a bit of a slower pace. I have found — ironically perhaps — that if I stop eating before getting full I am more satisfied with the meal, I'm not sleepy after lunch or dinner, and I just generally feel much better. (Source http://bit.ly/6c4yb4)"

So, thinking I was cool, I posted this comment to my facebook

Hara hachi bu is a cultural habit practiced on Okinawa. Okinawans live longer and healthier than any other people on earth.

Within minutes I got this response from an old high school friend now living in Chicago.

Karen Drescher Jenn

Okinawa... land of Pork, pork fat, and Spam. Didn't the Swiss (butter, cheese, cream) beat out the Okinawan's on longevity last year?. Think it was 84 versus 82.9....

To which I replied . . .

Russ L'Hommedieu

Ah - good point. As the world becomes more homogeneous, the eating cultures of places like Okinawa are becoming more "western" and, oddly, their life expectancy is decreasing. In response to this the Okinawan culture is evolving. They have now replaced the mantra of "Hara hachi bu" with "anatano shinzou gaku i gaanatano geka wo yotei surumade tabe nasai" which I believe translates to: "eat until your cardiologist schedules your surgery"

. . . and she agreed.

Karen Drescher Jenn

LOL. But yes, it is unfortunate that the life expectancy of Okinawans is now decreasing. For the first time ever, many young Okinawans wont live as long as their parents because of the Westernization of their food. All native, indigenous cultures have long, healthy life spans until they adopt the Western diet... return them to their ancestral diet and their health returns.

If you want to learn more about my three rules to eating healthier (like an Old-Fashioned Okinawan) – read my article "Food Without Fear: 3 things to remember" @ http://bit.ly/nofoodfear

If you want to read more about the value of eating slower, check out my article Speed up Weight Loss by Slowing Down: Spend quality time with your food. Let it fill your senses and feed your soul. @ http://bit.ly/8XSjNW

Beat Your Gorilla of a Weight Problem for GOOD!

2010-01-15T08:45:00.001-05:00

I want you to imagine yourself in New York City, on 5^th Avenue between 33^rd and 34^th streets. Now, imagine you are confronted by an 800 pound gorilla. Instead of being dominated by this beast, you muster the energy to beat it down and in a fit of triumphant rage; you toss it 1,500 feet into the air above Manhattan. All-in-all, it's a good day. The question is what happens next? Does this gorilla remain floating above 5^th avenue or does it come down to flatten you after all? The truth is that it is all up to you.

When it comes to weight loss, the old expression "the 800 pound Gorilla in the room" could be used to describe the seemingly unstoppable force of a recurring weight problem. For those of us that have lost weight only to gain it back again, it seems that no matter how many times we beat this nasty gorilla it always comes back to flatten us.

While the notion of encountering, confronting, beating and tossing an 800 pound gorilla in the mid-town Manhattan is absurd, it is even more absurd to expect that gorilla to stay in the air . . . or is it?

Last night I had a client make a comment about my incredible discipline. Honestly, I don't have superhuman willpower. Yes, I was able to beat my gorilla (that being the 230 pounds I have "let go") and, to get it out of my way by tossing it into the air. What confuses people is how I manage to keep it there. As I thought about the comment, I realized that one of the reasons that I have been so successful is that I am not worried about this problem falling out of the sky and flattening me. I don't have a "chicken little" like fear that my weight loss sky will fall. As I thought about this, I realized that none of these realizations were going to help my client. I needed to understand why and how I was keeping that gorilla off my planet.

And then, as I was walking down 5^th avenue between 33^rd and 34^th streets, it hit me (the answer, not the gorilla). As I looked up, I realized that I was walking past the Empire State Building. As I contemplated the structure, I thought about Danny. Danny is a 90 year old retired iron worker and the son of an iron worker. I remember he told me that the Empire State Building was about 1,500 feet high, that it took about 14 months to complete and that it was built one brick, one girder, one rivet at a time. You know . . . the old fashioned way. So, what does this have to do with my gorilla?

Just 2 years after the completion of the Empire State Building, a movie director named Carl Denham helped the world imagine the possibility of a 50 foot gorilla in perpetual suspension 1,500 feet above 5^th Avenue. While I'm quite sure most people don't see the movie King Kong as a how-to guide to weight loss, I think there is a lesson to be learned here.

The answer lies not with the gorilla though. The answer is the building. When you build your weight loss the old fashioned way, slowly and one good habit at a time, it will become an incredibly strong foundation that will keep your gorilla suspended out of your world.

Now, in response to statements about my incredible weight maintenance discipline, I simply tell the story of how I let each of my small habits "set in stone" before I placed another habit on top. Habit after habit, I built a structure that comfortably supports my new life. It is not hard to maintain because I built a solid foundation and then a solid building. When you look at it this way, the notion of suspending anything 1,500 feet over Manhattan or maintaining incredible weight loss doesn't seem absurd at all.

Butternut Squash makes Great Soup and MORE!

2010-01-10T16:48:00.001-05:00

There are a lot of reasons to love Butternut squash. It's a relatively inexpensive (like .99/pound) type of winter squash that is similar to pumpkin. In fact, you can use butternut squash in any recipe that calls for pumpkin. Although it is available all year, the local (Long Island) season is from late fall through winter. If you see it at the market, don't hesitate stock up. Thanks to its thick, hard skin it will keep for over a month if stored in a cool dry place.

Like all squash, the butternut is actually a fruit. It has a sweet, nutty taste that combines well with other fruits like apple, cranberry and pear. It is also well complemented by most nuts and many seasonings like cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, rosemary, allspice and coriander. It even goes well with the hot stuff like cayenne and curry.

Not only can this humble fruit/squash be combined with a ton of other flavors, it also lends itself to a myriad of presentation options. It can be boiled and it can be broiled. You can roast it, toast it, mash it and smash it.

You can stuff it into ravioli or a pastry puff. It can be found on salads and in soups. It bakes well so you can make it into a pie, a casserole, bread, or muffins.

I think it even tastes good cold. My cold squash experiments have yielded some awesome chocolate / banana / butternut squash pudding and I have even been planning to break out the old ice cream machine and try making a dairy free butternut squash frozen dessert.

I think what I love most about this squash is its nutritional qualities. One cup of mashed squash has 2 grams protein and 18 grams carbohydrates (don't freak out, these are "good carbs"). The stuff is also packed with riboflavin, iron, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium and Magnesium, as well as plenty of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese. To make the deal even "sweeter" this same cup weighs in at only 80 and calories and just 1 gram fat. If you were to eat an entire POUND of this stuff (that's a lot of squash!) it would still only cost you about 180 calories. There are more calories than that in a HANDFUL of nuts!

One of the most universal ways to prepare this squash is to make a purée. This purée is simple to make and, if left thick, can be used as gravy or diluted to make a wonderful soup. Often, I will enhance the flavor and nutritional quality of the soup by adding a cooked grain such as Quinoa. When I do that, my soup becomes an entire meal!

As with all recipes, this one is simply a guideline. I encourage you to make this recipe your own by adding some of your favorite flavors.

To begin, prepare some mirepoix (pronounced meer pwah). Of course this is just a fancy French way to say chopped onions, carrots, and celery. The French use this particular combination of "aromatics" to begin many classic soups and sauces. I find it works real well here and I tend to use the traditional ratio of one part carrot, one part celery and two parts onion. Occasionally, I will substitute leek for the onion and, if I want to add sweetness, I will double or triple the carrots. For the liquid component, I usually use vegetable stock although I hear chicken stock works just as well. When I make a large pot, I tend to refrigerate the thick purée in mason jars. This leaves me open to blend in baked, puréed fruit, thin it with coconut milk, or add peanut butter or. . . and the list goes on. Once I have the purée in the fridge, I have about 100 different meal options.

Ingredients:

*1 large onion, diced (Remember, you can also use leeks. Shallots are also a nice addition)
*4 cloves garlic, minced (Optional)

*4 carrots, sliced
*3 stalks celery, diced
*2 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped
(or, simply cut squash in half and roast, once cooled the squash can be scooped out of skin. I find roasting first enhances flavor and saves me the trouble of peeling and dicing.)
*5 cups vegetable broth (Varies depending upon desired thickness)

*2 tbsp chopped fresh sage (Rosemary is also nice, I have also used thyme. If I plan to make a stock purée, I go light on the seasonings.)

*Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a large soup pot, sweat the onion and garlic in vegetable broth until onions turn soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the carrots and celery and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the squash and add enough vegetable broth to cover the softened veggies and sprinkle in the sage. (For a thinner soup, simply add more broth.)
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a slow simmer.
Allow to cook for at least 25 minutes, or until squash is soft (that is, if you did not roast it already).

While you can certainly use a potato masher or a large fork to mash your creation into gravy, I prefer POWER TOOLS. As many of you might remember from the kitchen disasters chronicled in my article "Real Men Make Hummus - With Power Tools!", I love my immersion blender. If you don't have one of these wonders of modern kitchen mechanization, you can still use food processor or blender to puree the mixture but, the immersion blender is much more fun! Just be careful, if you don't take it off the heat before you puree it, the thickened liquid will bubble up on you and it will spit and sputter hot squash all over you and your stovetop. A word of advice, have the cover to the top at the ready! As with many soups, the taste appears to improve if allowed to set in the fridge overnight.

Remember, be creative! I often add pears, apples, raisins, cranberries, sweet potato, parsnips, turnips and even rutabaga to the soup (not to mention a wide range of herbs and spices) and I am rarely disappointed with the results of my experiments. The idea is to have fun. One word of caution is that you pay close attention to the calories of what you are putting into this soup. While the basic soup is only about 200 calories a POUND, you could easily make a 500 calorie cup of soup by adding peanut butter or too much walnut oil (by the way a few drops of walnut oil is very nice). One way I deal with the peanut butter problem is by adding powdered "de-fatted" peanut flour instead of peanut butter. I find it gives me all the flavor of peanut butter with far fewer calories. If you want to learn more about peanut flour, send me and email at betternesscoach@gmail.com

Hey! Don’t throw away those squash seeds!

2010-01-10T16:45:00.002-05:00

Did you know that all squash seeds are edible and delicious to eat?

Your butternut squash seeds are not trash! They are a great healthy snack and a delicious addition to salads, granola or trail mix.

Parboil:

Separate as much of the stringy squash membrane from the seeds as you can. Then take the remaining fibers and seeds and place them in a pot of water that has been seasoned with salt and spices (You can use Adobo, Cayenne Pepper, Old Bay or any seasoning blend that strikes your fancy).

Next, bring water to a boil, reduce heat and allow to it simmer for five minutes.

Once boiled, carefully place whisk into the pot and spin the whisk between the palms of your hands and spin whish. Be extra careful not to spray yourself with boiling saltwater. Then remove the entire mess to a colander, and continue to use the whisk and a little water to free the seeds from the membrane matter. It is OK if some membrane remains because once they are dried out in the oven, the seeds separate very easily.

To roast or toast: Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake in a 250 degree F. oven for about 1 hour, checking every 15 minutes. They are done when they are light brown in color and will have a puffed appearance. If you are short on time, the roast just as well in a microwave for about five minutes.

Additional seasoning ideas:
Try additional seasonings on your squash seeds: Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, Tobasco®, soy sauce, and garlic salt are some of the many possibilities. If you want an even more intense flavor, add additional seasoning after boiling and before roasting.

Storing: Store baked squash seeds in an airtight container.

Substitute them in for your usual nut or seed topping or grind them into a fine powder as a garnish. It is important to note though, that at about 126Cal/ounce or 2023Cal/pound, your squash seeds pack a high calorie punch.

Examine How You Define Food

2010-01-08T07:34:00.001-05:00

Think Better - Examine How You Define Food

I was working with a client a few weeks ago and he said something that struck me as incredibly insightful. He said that when he and his wife (who never seems to struggle with her weight) went to a party she looked around at all the gooey, cheesy pasta dishes and the assorted gravy coated meat choices - and said rather matter of fact-ly: "There is no food for me here."

This perplexed and annoyed my client. As he looked out over the buffet, he saw sweet temptation. He saw FOOD. Lot's of food. He envisioned sitting behind multiple, heaping plates of heart stopping, artery clogging, food. In his mind, it was all good and it was all calling his name.

He was conflicted because his mind was telling to both eat and avoid this smorgasbord. Even though he knew that most of these choices were bad for his Betterness, his mind said: "It's all food to me."

What annoyed him about his wife could look out over this veritable feast and not see the food! How could she not see it? It was all over the place.

I thought about it for a moment and I immediately recognized that his definition of food and his wife's definition of food were radically different. I told him that he and his wife were reading from completely different food dictionaries.

A food dictionary is a mental list of what is food and what is not food to you. A lot goes into making up your food dictionary. It is a complicated mental document and your final decision about what you eat is based on a lifetime of acquired tastes, beliefs, culture, emotions, memories, aromas, feelings and knowledge about food and health.

When you think about it, just about ANYTHING can influence what we consider food. If you are religious, food may not be food to you unless it is kosher or maybe you grew up in a world where meat was not considered food on Fridays.

Certainly, a food allergy will drastically change your definition of what is food and what is not.

Both research and personal experience may tell you that keeping the weight off once you lose it is as much (if not more) of a struggle. Why is that? As many of you know, I have lost over 200 pounds and have been keeping it off quite nicely for a number of years.

What is my secret? Well, I will tell you that it is NOT willpower. I do not have an iron will. I credit much of my ability to keep my weight steady to my food dictionary. Like most people, I eat food and I don't eat things that are not food . . . to me.

To get an idea of how this works, try this: I am going to give you a list of words and you tell me if they are food or NOT food to you.
1. Diesel Fuel - Food or NOT food?
2. Antifreeze - Food or NOT food?
3. Crickets - Food or NOT food?
4. Cockroaches - Food or NOT food?
4. Popcorn - Food or NOT food?
5. Popcorn with extra butter from the movie theater - Food or NOT food?

If you are like most people, your answers probably looked something like this:
1. Diesel Fuel -NOT food!
2. Antifreeze - NOT food!
3. Crickets - NOT food!
4. Cockroaches - Food NOT food! NOT food! NOT food!
4. Air Popped Popcorn - Food!
5. Popcorn with extra butter from the movie theater - Food! Food! Food! Food!

Without even realizing it, you consulted your food dictionary on each and every one of those answers.
Why is diesel fuel not food to you? Probably because it tastes bad and it is bad for you. What if it tasted good and was still not good for you? Would it make your list of food? What if I were to tell you that in the summer I fueled my 2002 Volkswagen diesel on all the left over imitation butter we had from when we owned the ice cream store? Well, that stuff is pure transfat, it is not good for you and makes a perfectly acceptable diesel fuel. Is it still food to you? Well, It's NOT food to me.

Ethylene Glycol is a bright green, syrupy, sweet tasting type of alcohol and is a chemical compound frequently used as automotive antifreeze. It does not make the list of food because it is poison and will kill you within just a few hours of your first sip. No matter how sweet it tastes, you are not tempted to go out and drain your radiator onto your stack of pancakes - - even when you run out of maple syrup!

Something about the deadly nature of Ethylene Glycol puts it firmly on your NOT FOOD list.

In some cultures, both crickets and cockroaches would have been defined as food where you might starve in a room full of these vile bugs because they are so not food to you. Why is that? - if other people eat them, they must be edible - yet they remain NOT FOOD to you and nothing I can say is going to change that definition for you.

What about air popped popcorn? If you have ever had it right out of the popper, you might agree that it is an "acquired" taste. It tastes nothing like that stuff loaded with salt and dripping with diesel fuel . . . I mean imitation butter, from the movie theater. You may call it food but it is not a "preferred food" to you. That is because your food dictionary is complicated. It compares foods on a scale that starts with: "I'll eat it if I'm starving" and tops out at: "I just can't get enough." Your definition of what makes a great, "can't get enough" popcorn keeps you from exploring and enjoying the better, whole grain alternative air popped variety.

My food dictionary as a healthy, 180 pound man - is vastly different the food dictionary of my former 410 pound self.

Ironically, this food dictionary includes more food items now than it did before. Sure, I have written off a lot of food that I used to eat regularly but I have evolved to think of all sorts of new, healthy, things as food that I never even knew existed before. For instance, I would never have eaten marigolds when I was heavy. Now, I grow them and toss them in a salad from time to time. Although marigolds are probably not food to you, they are food to me. I don't eat popcorn at the movie theater because I no longer define it as food.

My food dictionary is also far more sophisticated than it was when I was heavy. Before, if an item was defined as food, it was like a mental green light. Not food was a red light - that was it - I had no yellow light of caution. My old dictionary only had two speeds: eat and not eat. The bigger me would see chocolate and think: food or not food? Food: OK, good - Green light - eat, eat, eat and when it is gone . . . go find more chocolate.

Now, Chocolate is still food to me but it comes under a yellow light of caution. It comes with a very sophisticated heading in my dictionary.
The definition looks something like this:

choc·o·late (chô'kə-lĭt, chôk'lĭt, chŏk'-) n., Food . . . most of the time & under the following conditions:

Only the best chocolate is actually food~

Chocolate that is food should be expensive.

Chocolate sold in bulk is NOT FOOD

Chocolate with a cartoon celebrity endorsement is NOT FOOD

Chocolate that tastes like wax is NOT FOOD

Chocolate that has been drowned in fat and sugar is NOT FOOD

Chocolate that is food is an intense, rich flavor experience with complexity and depth.

For clarification: see Doc Russ' food dictionary entry: fine wine.

Like fine wine, chocolate is to be experienced, savored, enjoyed and respected.

Chocolate that is food is not designed to be eaten; it is designed to be enjoyed slowly and thoughtfully.

Also like wine, Chocolate is best enjoyed infrequently, with purpose and in moderation with a full awareness of where it sits on the Betterness® eating alert system.

Betterness® Eating Security Advisory System:
(a five color food warning system that has been ripped off from the U.S. Homeland Security Advisory System)

YELLOW LIGHT - Enjoy with caution, be prepared to stop.
Calorie Density: High about 150 calories PER OUNCE.
Taste: Under the right circumstances - exceptional 10/10 - and that can be a problem!
Health Benefits: Antioxidants in chocolate have healing properties- That does not erase the caloric damage though.
Dangers: High Calorie, can be addictive, available EVERYWHERE and in mass quantities, is often turned into NOT FOOD through heavy industrial processing where it is mixed with fat and sugar which increases calories and masks taste.

Source: Doc Russ' Betterness® Food Dictionary of the English Language, First Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Betterness® University Press.

Becoming aware of your current food dictionary is an important step to weight loss and making positive changes in that dictionary is the most important step in maintaining a healthy weight. As part of my book on how Betterness® can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight, I am including a worksheet that helps the reader define and re-define what is food for them. It proves to be a powerful weapon in the highly personal war on obesity.

Email Doc Russ with YOUR Comments or Input

Group Coaching, An Affordable Choice!

Group Coaching

Save on costs and learn from others' experiences at the same time by participating in group coaching. Groups are limited to 4-6 individuals. Sessions are 30 minutes in length. You must purchase an entire 4 week session. To take advantage of our group coaching, you can form a group of friends and family or we can help you join up with a newly forming group.

CLICK HERE for GROUP COACHING PRICING

'Two Thumbs Down' for Movie Theater Popcorn

2010-01-08T07:33:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know I had this last week as well - but it just fits so well for this week too!!

If I were to ever get arrested, it would be at the movies. You see, I am a criminal when it comes to sneaking food into the movie theater. I know it's "illegal" for me to bring in "out side" food, but I ain't eatn' the stuff they sell. They may say it's food but it ain't. I also know that I could go without eating for 2 hours AND I know that nobody has ever STARVED to death while watching a movie at the theater, but it is the movies and I do like popcorn. I just pop it at home in my airpopper, shove it under my shirt and I am good to go. My friends think I'm crazy, but I know that many people have died of heart attacks at the movies while shoveling handfuls of the fat-soaked popcorn into thier mouth. Too Dramatic? Maybe, but new Lab Tests of Movie Theater Popcorn Show It's Still the Godzilla of Snacks.

It's hard to picture someone mindlessly ingesting three McDonald's Quarter Pounders with 12 pats of butter while watching a movie. But according to new laboratory analyses commissioned by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, that food is nutritionally comparable to what you'd find in a medium popcorn and soda combo at Regal, the country's biggest movie theater chain: 1,610 calories and three days' worth-60 grams-of saturated fat. (Nutrition aside, that combo costs $12-for raw ingredients that must cost Regal pennies.)

In a study, published as the cover story in the December issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter, updates a famous exposé the group conducted 15 years ago. For Regal and AMC, CSPI tested samples from theaters in the Washington, D.C., area. For Cinemark, samples came from Texas, Illinois, and Maryland.

Click Here to read ENTIRE ARTICLE

Create a Clear Vision of YOUR future YEAR!

2010-01-08T07:22:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year from the Betterness Institute. I hope you all are doing well and are looking forward to a wonderful new year. As you project over the next 12 months I want you to try an experiment that I learned from Ben Zander the co-author of "The Art of Possibility".

When Ben teaches music, he begins each semester by giving EVERY student an "A" - The student earns the "A" by writing an essay as if it were the last day of class describing, in detail all the things they did to earn their "A." This is not about what they will do to get an "A," it is a letter to describe what they DID to get the grade. Ben is very specific when he challenges the students to actually write the letter as if they ALREADY had lived an extraordinary semester.

When the students write their letter, they are forced to envision what it feels like to have achieved excellence. While they are writing, the students are visioning their better future and, in Ben's experience, they usually make good on their vision.

What I am proposing is that you write your vision letter. Forget resolutions this year - define your vision of the best you! When you have that vision clear in you mind, go there and live in that vision long enough to write yourself a "Thank You" letter. Believe you are who you intend to be and think of all the things you did to get there and give yourself a well deserved dose of gratitude. You deserve it. Don't rush through this, your vision is going to set the tone for your entire semester . . . uh, I mean year!

The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

by Rosamund Stone Zander by Penguin (Non-Classics)

Paperback

List Price: $15.00

Our Price: $7.00

Buy Now

You can see a bit of what Ben does if you follow this YouTube Link

The Purpose Well

2009-12-27T11:44:00.001-05:00

You just can't manufacture a new, better, life. It must be cultivated. Imagine that the new life you are growing is like a rose garden. Truly beautiful roses do not simply grow by accident. All roses need the nutrients of the soil, an ample supply of water and the support of a trellis. Most of all, roses do not grow overnight, they take time. If you were to try to rush your rose along, the rose would seem to defy your best efforts and still not grow any faster. You would surely become stressed and frustrated. You may even want to give up on your rose altogether. Neglected roses are left to die, often before they bloom. It would be a shame to see all that potential beauty turn directly to compost.

Goal setting is the cornerstone to the cultivation of this garden of new life. Each goal is a rose in itself. Each one contributes to the garden. Although they do not each have to be perfect, they do need to be allowed to grow to their own full potential. Occasionally, in pursuit of the perfect garden, a few roses are pruned back and discarded. This is true of goals as well. The best way to grow a beautiful garden is to keep it manageable. Focusing on a few goals at a time will, absolutely, lead to an awesome goal garden and ultimately to a new and better life.

As roses mature, they will require less attention to maintain them. This is also true of goals. The best way to expand the size of your garden is to plant new roses only after you have the starter garden under control. By this analogy, as your goals mature, they will require less attention from you. This is a great time to make new goals.

The Purpose Well

The water needed to cultivate each a rose comes from a well. For the purposes of this garden, imagine each rose has its own well. The ability of that well to produce water will determine the ability of that rose to flourish. Without the water from that well, the rose will die.

In the same way that the rose needs the water, your goals need purpose. For you to continue to cultivate a goal, this purpose needs continuous replenishment. Every time you are confronted with one of your goals, your mind needs to make a decision to do it or not. At the very moment this decision is made, your mind goes to the well of purpose. If the well produces water, the goal is kept. If the well is dry the goal is not. The ability to keep true to your goals is more about purpose and less about willpower.

If your purpose well goes dry, your goals will die. The deeper a well, the more water it can produce. Often, shallow wells go dry because they draw from small underground pockets of water. Deeper wells, on the other hand, tap into large pools of water called aquifers. An aquifer is like an underground ocean. The key feature of an aquifer is that the water you take from the well does not necessarily come from directly underneath the well. Because of their size, aquifers collect every drop of water that hits the ground for miles around. The water you ultimately take from your well could have come from just about anywhere.

When your purpose well only taps into a shallow pool, it will often run dry. The key is to recognize that the well is drying up and deepen it. For instance, your initial purpose for exercising might be to fit into a certain size dress for that high school reunion. After the reunion the purpose for getting into that dress dries up and your workout routine suffers. To keep your interest in working out, you need to deepen your purpose. One way to deepen your purpose is to tie the goal of working out to how great it makes you feel. Deepen it further by connecting it with the benefit it provides to your overall health. Drill a little deeper and you strike the "age gracefully" aquifer. The deepest wells of purpose are those that are beyond you. If you believe that your morning exercise routine will provide a better life to those you love, your well will never go dry.

A stretch? I don't think so. My daily exercise gives me energy to spend time with my wife and children. I can do things with them that I could never do before. Furthermore, it makes me feel good mentally. It helps me focus on what is really important in my life. Because of the increased blood supply that exercise brings to the brain, it really does prevent depression and improve mental function. I can use that mental focus to enhance the lives of those I love. You can't get a deeper well than that.

Thinking Better (or at least more positively) will actually improve your life.

2009-12-16T11:31:00.002-05:00

Science is now showing that positive thinking not only improves you outlook on life, it actually improves your life! According to the book, "Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive," If you can harness your happiness you can transform your life. Backed up by impressive lab research, positive psychology pioneer Barbara Fredrickson lays out the core truths of positivity—joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe and love. While it is easy to see the subject of "positivity" as both disdainful and Pollyannaish, this book keeps it real. Dr. Fredrickson does an impressive job of providing scientific evidence to illustrate her findings. One of the most enlightening notions is how easy it might be to become an "effective optimist." According to the author, simply maintaining a 3:1 positivity ratio of positive thoughts to negative emotions creates a tipping point between languishing and flourishing. The book includes compelling case studies, concrete tips, a Positivity Self Test and a tool kit for decreasing negativity and raising the positivity ratio. Although many of Fredrickson's methods and theories (notes on meditation and karma) will seem familiar to anyone versed in yoga or eastern religions, the scientific foundation of her arguments and additional online resources (www.positivityratio.com) will give you a chance to experiment with positivity and very possibly lead a "better" and richer life.

Moving Better actually makes you Think Better

2009-12-16T11:30:00.002-05:00

I just finished the book "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain" by Dr. John Ratey. This book is a fascinating exploration of the connection between exercise and the brain's performance. You will be amazed as you read how new discoveries in brain imaging uncovers compelling evidence that shows how even moderate exercise supercharges mental circuits to beat stress, sharpen thinking and enhance memory. Dr. Ratey does an unbelievable job researching the science behind how exercise alters brain chemistry and helps reduce depression, manage attention deficit disorder and avoid Alzheimer's disease. He even discusses how a little exercise can help decrease PMS, the effects of menopause and post partum depression. As it turns out, exercise really is like a "super drug." SPARK will change forever the way you think about your morning exercise or, for that matter, simply the way you think.

Touching People through Betterness®

2009-12-16T11:29:00.001-05:00

Even though Karen lives in another state and we have never met face-to-face, she is a coaching client and she has become my friend. What impresses me most about Karen is her remarkable transformation. When we first started coaching together, she was shy and withdrawn. I knew we were on to something when she told me that she was not only feeling "better" she was also feeling better about herself. She mentioned that she started finding herself striking up conversations at the grocery store rather than doing a duck and cover into the nearest aisle when she saw someone that she knew. Now, with her new found betterness, she is not only a regular social butterfly, she is a regular at the gym. What I found most exciting is how Karen has combined the two. Last week, while she was leaving the gym, Karen noticed a woman at the desk agonizing over the decision whether to join the gym or not. "The woman kinda reminded me of the old me," Karen said, "so I walked right over, touched her elbow and started to tell her what a wonderful gym this is and how comfortable I am here. After we talked for a while I got the feeling that she felt better about joining." The funny thing is that Karen "touched" that woman both physically (on her elbow) and emotionally (by truly caring). Because of Karen, one more person will likely start moving better and feeling better. The best part about betterness is that it is so "spreadable." When you are feeling good, you want to tell people about it. As you become an ambassador of betterness, you really will be touching people as well.

Appreciative Inquiry

2009-12-16T11:28:00.001-05:00

This past week I was in Longboat Key Florida taking a course on a new way for organizations and businesses to approach change. The system is called appreciative inquiry or, simply AI. AI is an incredibly powerful system that invites everyone in an organization to invest in the process of positive change. Drawing from the relatively new science of positive psychology and the age old practice of discovery through the crafting and asking of clever questions (Socratic Method), the process begins with a series of interviews focus on what is "right" about an organization rather than the problems. This creates an energetic and creative environment that empowers people to innovate in ways they never imagined. What makes AI even more powerful is that it draws everyone in to the process. AI encourages participation from all levels of leaderships, frontline workers and even consumers of the organizations products or services. Everyone gets a voice and because every person's input is developed together as part of the inquiry, the plans and solutions truly belong to the group. This level of investment and commitment really helps when it comes down to the hard work of getting things done. It is the vision of the originator of this system, Dr. David Cooperrider, to see the AI used to truly make the world a better place. As part of the certification process, I get to be a researcher in the "Business as an Agent of World Benefit" appreciative inquiry project. The project has been designed to search into what it means for the business sector to be an agent of benefit to society. As a researcher, I will be searching the world for stories of business-driven social innovation. It is my job to find the people in business that are really making a difference in the world and interview them.

Turn Your Frustration into INSPIRATION!

2009-12-16T10:10:00.003-05:00

People are always asking me how I manage to read so much. The truth is that I am a painfully slow reader. In fact, reading is more than a bit frustrating to me. When I read, I either lose focus and my mind drifts or I become fatigued and find myself falling asleep. One of my "betterness" habits is to force myself to read at least 30 minutes each day. While I consider that time highly focused and mindful, I generally don't get through a significant amount of material at those sessions. To compensate for this, I use a combination of audio books from audible.com and my Kindle. While some may call it "cheating," Audio Books enable me to absorb a massive amount of content. To paraphrase a line from the book, "The Power of Appreciative Inquiry, A Practical Guide to Positive Change," I have turned my frustration into inspiration. In addition to traditional Audio Books, the Kindle, allows me to either read the book on the screen or I can set the machine's electronic voice to recognize the text and "read" it to me. I enjoy "reading" by listening. When I listen, it is actually easier for me to focus and I don't have the same fatigue issues. I don't see it as cheating at all. For me, reading by listening has been both liberating and empowering. I firmly believe that the road to personal success and enrichment is paved with the written word and the more you "read" the better of you will be. I discovered reading by listening and that lead to me making a commitment of time to develop a "conventional" reading habit. It is now my habit to be engaged in at least one printed book and one audio book at the same time. When I have a free moment I read, write or listen. As a result, I feel as is if nothing is out of my reach. Audio Books opened that door for me. While I may have cringed at the notion of finishing a conventional book a few years ago, now I just keep reading until it's done. . . even if it takes a while.

2009-12-05T17:00:00.001-05:00

What is a Betterness® Coach? Bett•er•ness: (bet-ēr-nes) A Betterness^®Coach is a person that is dedicated to helping you make your life better. Betterness^® is defined as an accumulation of small, positive changes that achieves major life improvement. It is a system that allows you to literally reinvent yourself one small step at a time and your Betterness^®Coach is your guide to this reinvention process. The idea of achieving incredible results from focusing on, persevering at, and building upon small, attainable, and sustainable changes is not new. References to the self-healing power of Betterness^® as it is defined here are evident in the writings of many modern gurus and ancient sages. The reason the concept has endured for so long is that it really works. The proof is in the science Until recently, it was a common belief that the brain grew rapidly throughout childhood and did not change much throughout adulthood until the inevitable decline of old age. These beliefs lead conventional medicine to the assumption that significant brain growth was unlikely or even impossible once a person aged beyond childhood. This idea also lead to the notion that aging brains were doomed to rapid decline and damaged brains were destined to remain damaged. Now, with the emergence of new highly accurate brain measurement tools and advanced brain imaging technology scientists can actually “see” the human brain as it grows. With over 50,000 scientists looking at how the brain grows, our brains can’t hide from us anymore. In fact, we are finding that the brain has an incredible capacity to adapt, grow and change throughout life. The evidence is showing that the way a person thinks and how they choose to live their life has a profound impact on their brain growth. Finally, after thousands of years, the wisdom of the ancients is looking a lot less like mysticism and a lot more like science. Your brain will grow in amazing ways if you cultivate it. Science is proving that you (yes, you) can indeed change. Your brain is designed for you to reinvent yourself (and your life) positively and permanently. You can become the person you want to be. Your Betterness^®Coach understands this science and helps you to use the power of your brain to maximize your potential. True, lasting change takes time and patience. Research has shown that the human brain adapts best when it is given time to adjust to change. True change can last for a lifetime but, it requires persistence and patience. There is specific evidence for this with regard to weight loss. The data shows that people who lose weight slowly and on their own terms tend to be more successful over the long haul. Betterness^® makes use of this science by helping clients to engineer highly personalized systems of gradual change that fit perfectly into the context of their life. It is your Betterness^®Coach’s job to help you to stay engaged and motivated when the going gets tough. Your Betterness^®Coach is your expert resource The coach you choose should be an expert in whatever it is that you want to accomplish. They should be highly trained professionals that are committed to life-long learning about things that matter to you. They should not only talk the talk, they should also walk the walk. When you look at your coach, you should be able to see proof that your success is possible. To paraphrase business writer Peter Drucker, your coach will help you to align your strengths so as to make your weaknesses irrelevant. Your Betterness^®Coach will not only help you to plug you into and focus on your hidden inner strengths he will enhance your toolbox of strengths. Your coach will connect you to the best information, tools and people to facilitate your success. Your Betterness^®Coach is your personal mentor, close friend, trusted guide and biggest supporter While it is advisable for you to choose a coach that has achieved success similar to what you wish to achieve, expertise is not everything. It is also important for your coach to be a true mentor. Mentors are truly immersed in your process with you. They help you clarify and then take full stock in your vision. They truly believe that you will succeed. They will help you to build your own plan, find your own way. They are there to support you not to carry you. They give advice when needed but prefer to guide you to your own wisdom. To borrow from the words of Socrates, your Betterness^®Coach will “lead you through the field of your own knowledge, and then by pointing out analogies to what you already know, persuade you to an awareness of a wisdom that was previously hidden from you.” (adapted from “The Economist” ) Coaching and the lost art of listening The true elegance of coaching comes from the highly personal relationship that you develop with your coach. Your coach has been trained to truly listen to you. The most important skill for your coach to possess is the ability to be totally present for you and to listen intently. Your time with your coach is yours. It is your coach’s job to listen to you as if you were the only person on the planet. You are all that matters to your coach during your session. It is through listening that the coach can provide you with the clarity of your own inspiration. As your coach listens, he reflects your words back to you. With your coach as your mirror, you will be amazed to see how truly wise you are. Your coach gives you a fresh perspective on your world.

Positive thinking is not only for the birds In fact, this is not all fluff and feathers. Research shows that people who routinely maintain an internal dialog of at least 3 positive statements to every 1 negative will likely flourish and be successful. One reason for this is that positive people are more likely to see possibility where others see impossibility. Simply stated, positive people allow themselves more options for success. Another reason that positive people do so well is that they don’t give up easily. By re-framing failure as simply learning experiences, they are freed from the guilt and shame of failure. Without this excess baggage, it is easy for them to keep trying. Finally, positive people get more help. They understand that asking for help is actually a sign of strength, not weakness. Also, because of their sunny disposition, people want to be around them. Other people want to help them. Most people enjoy their positivity and want to be near their energy. Your coach will help bring out the positive energy in you. Your Betterness^®Coach will teach you to ask the right questions One of the reasons that coaching works so well for lasting change is that it goes way beyond the simple application of tricks and tips for success. As the relationship between you and your coach develops, he will be training you to be your own coach. As your coach works with you, the way you look at your world will improve. You will see things differently; more clearly and more positively and this perspective will help you to make better decisions and better actions. You will be guided through this journey of self-awareness by the questions your coach asks you. Every question is a powerful activator of change. The moment you are asked or you ask a question, your world changes. The proposition of the question alone begins to alter your perspective and, depending on the question, worlds of possibilities either appear or disappear. Because of this power, the questions themselves are vitally important to success. It not just about asking questions, it is about asking the right questions. One of the most valuable tools you will gain on the road to mastering your world is the ability to ask the right questions of yourself and those around you. Your coach will help you to ask better questions. Betterness®Coaches provide a framework on which your personal success will be built Coaching is a scientifically proven, highly personalized, support system that will help you to discover your hidden potential. Betterness^®Coaching is a results-driven process and your coach will give you the specific tools you need to build the success you desire. Betterness^®Coaching is not “therapy.” Betterness^®Coaches do not diagnose or treat mental illness. Another difference between coaching and therapy is that therapists often work to identify and resolve underlying issues of the past while coaches generally help clients maintain a focus on the future. Coaches are constantly looking to keep their clients moving forward. They help clients develop practical approaches to achieving the goals that are most important to them by helping them to move forward from where they happen to be right now. That does not make coaching better or worse than therapy, just different. Dr. Russ L’HommeDieu holds a Bachelors of Science in Health Sciences, A Master of Arts Degree in Physical Therapy, Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy and an American College of Sports Medicine / Well Coaches^® Coaching Certification. He is not a Medical Doctor, a Psychiatrist, Social Worker or Mental Health Therapist. As a coach, Doc Russ works with clients who want to improve their lives in specific ways, such as weight loss, changing careers, finding a healthy relationship, taking their business to a new level or deepening their self-understanding. He helps clients deal with stress management as well as time management, goal setting and other key areas of change to help his clients lead more balanced lives. He helps clients clarify their personal values and priorities and helps them to make decisions that will bring them a life that better reflects those values and priorities.

2009-12-05T12:47:00.002-05:00

What is a Betterness® Coach? Bett•er•ness: (bet-ēr-nes) A Betterness^®Coach is a person that is dedicated to helping you make your life better. Betterness^® is defined as an accumulation of small, positive changes that achieves major life improvement. It is a system that allows you to literally reinvent yourself one small step at a time and your Betterness^®Coach is your guide to this reinvention process. The idea of achieving incredible results from focusing on, persevering at, and building upon small, attainable, and sustainable changes is not new. References to the self-healing power of Betterness^® as it is defined here are evident in the writings of many modern gurus and ancient sages. The reason the concept has endured for so long is that it really works. The proof is in the science Until recently, it was a common belief that the brain grew rapidly throughout childhood and did not change much throughout adulthood until the inevitable decline of old age. These beliefs lead conventional medicine to the assumption that significant brain growth was unlikely or even impossible once a person aged beyond childhood. This idea also lead to the notion that aging brains were doomed to rapid decline and damaged brains were destined to remain damaged. Now, with the emergence of new highly accurate brain measurement tools and advanced brain imaging technology scientists can actually “see” the human brain as it grows. With over 50,000 scientists looking at how the brain grows, our brains can’t hide from us anymore. In fact, we are finding that the brain has an incredible capacity to adapt, grow and change throughout life. The evidence is showing that the way a person thinks and how they choose to live their life has a profound impact on their brain growth. Finally, after thousands of years, the wisdom of the ancients is looking a lot less like mysticism and a lot more like science. Your brain will grow in amazing ways if you cultivate it. Science is proving that you (yes, you) can indeed change. Your brain is designed for you to reinvent yourself (and your life) positively and permanently. You can become the person you want to be. Your Betterness^®Coach understands this science and helps you to use the power of your brain to maximize your potential. True, lasting change takes time and patience. Research has shown that the human brain adapts best when it is given time to adjust to change. True change can last for a lifetime but, it requires persistence and patience. There is specific evidence for this with regard to weight loss. The data shows that people who lose weight slowly and on their own terms tend to be more successful over the long haul. Betterness^® makes use of this science by helping clients to engineer highly personalized systems of gradual change that fit perfectly into the context of their life. It is your Betterness^®Coach’s job to help you to stay engaged and motivated when the going gets tough. Your Betterness^®Coach is your expert resource The coach you choose should be an expert in whatever it is that you want to accomplish. They should be highly trained professionals that are committed to life-long learning about things that matter to you. They should not only talk the talk, they should also walk the walk. When you look at your coach, you should be able to see proof that your success is possible. To paraphrase business writer Peter Drucker, your coach will help you to align your strengths so as to make your weaknesses irrelevant. Your Betterness^®Coach will not only help you to plug you into and focus on your hidden inner strengths he will enhance your toolbox of strengths. Your coach will connect you to the best information, tools and people to facilitate your success. Your Betterness^®Coach is your personal mentor, close friend, trusted guide and biggest supporter While it is advisable for you to choose a coach that has achieved success similar to what you wish to achieve, expertise is not everything. It is also important for your coach to be a true mentor. Mentors are truly immersed in your process with you. They help you clarify and then take full stock in your vision. They truly believe that you will succeed. They will help you to build your own plan, find your own way. They are there to support you not to carry you. They give advice when needed but prefer to guide you to your own wisdom. To borrow from the words of Socrates, your Betterness^®Coach will “lead you through the field of your own knowledge, and then by pointing out analogies to what you already know, persuade you to an awareness of a wisdom that was previously hidden from you.” (adapted from “The Economist” ) Coaching and the lost art of listening The true elegance of coaching comes from the highly personal relationship that you develop with your coach. Your coach has been trained to truly listen to you. The most important skill for your coach to possess is the ability to be totally present for you and to listen intently. Your time with your coach is yours. It is your coach’s job to listen to you as if you were the only person on the planet. You are all that matters to your coach during your session. It is through listening that the coach can provide you with the clarity of your own inspiration. As your coach listens, he reflects your words back to you. With your coach as your mirror, you will be amazed to see how truly wise you are. Your coach gives you a fresh perspective on your world. One of the benefits of careful listening is that it allows your coach to help you see your world from a new perspective. Coaches are particularly skilled at helping you to re-frame your circumstances in a more positive light. They are not cheerleaders; they just help you to focus on the solutions within your situation rather than the problems. Coaches do not sugar coat anything, they simply help you to re-evaluate your situation as it truly exists. Even when things seem impossible, your coach will help you discover and maximize the hidden opportunities of your life. If you get into the habit of seeing the world from a positive, solution orientated perspective, the problems often become irrelevant or simply take care of themselves.

In this cartoon, the client is working hard to reach what he believes is the only solution to his problem. It is the bird’s job as his coach to help him to see that, while the door is indeed locked, the cell has no walls.
Positive thinking is not only for the birds In fact, this is not all fluff and feathers. Research shows that people who routinely maintain an internal dialog of at least 3 positive statements to every 1 negative will likely flourish and be successful. One reason for this is that positive people are more likely to see possibility where others see impossibility. Simply stated, positive people allow themselves more options for success. Another reason that positive people do so well is that they don’t give up easily. By re-framing failure as simply learning experiences, they are freed from the guilt and shame of failure. Without this excess baggage, it is easy for them to keep trying. Finally, positive people get more help. They understand that asking for help is actually a sign of strength, not weakness. Also, because of their sunny disposition, people want to be around them. Other people want to help them. Most people enjoy their positivity and want to be near their energy. Your coach will help bring out the positive energy in you. Your Betterness^®Coach will teach you to ask the right questions One of the reasons that coaching works so well for lasting change is that it goes way beyond the simple application of tricks and tips for success. As the relationship between you and your coach develops, he will be training you to be your own coach. As your coach works with you, the way you look at your world will improve. You will see things differently; more clearly and more positively and this perspective will help you to make better decisions and better actions. You will be guided through this journey of self-awareness by the questions your coach asks you. Every question is a powerful activator of change. The moment you are asked or you ask a question, your world changes. The proposition of the question alone begins to alter your perspective and, depending on the question, worlds of possibilities either appear or disappear. Because of this power, the questions themselves are vitally important to success. It not just about asking questions, it is about asking the right questions. One of the most valuable tools you will gain on the road to mastering your world is the ability to ask the right questions of yourself and those around you. Your coach will help you to ask better questions. Betterness®Coaches provide a framework on which your personal success will be built Coaching is a scientifically proven, highly personalized, support system that will help you to discover your hidden potential. Betterness^®Coaching is a results-driven process and your coach will give you the specific tools you need to build the success you desire. Betterness^®Coaching is not “therapy.” Betterness^®Coaches do not diagnose or treat mental illness. Another difference between coaching and therapy is that therapists often work to identify and resolve underlying issues of the past while coaches generally help clients maintain a focus on the future. Coaches are constantly looking to keep their clients moving forward. They help clients develop practical approaches to achieving the goals that are most important to them by helping them to move forward from where they happen to be right now. That does not make coaching better or worse than therapy, just different. Dr. Russ L’HommeDieu holds a Bachelors of Science in Health Sciences, A Master of Arts Degree in Physical Therapy, Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy and an American College of Sports Medicine / Well Coaches^® Coaching Certification. He is not a Medical Doctor, a Psychiatrist, Social Worker or Mental Health Therapist. As a coach, Doc Russ works with clients who want to improve their lives in specific ways, such as weight loss, changing careers, finding a healthy relationship, taking their business to a new level or deepening their self-understanding. He helps clients deal with stress management as well as time management, goal setting and other key areas of change to help his clients lead more balanced lives. He helps clients clarify their personal values and priorities and helps them to make decisions that will bring them a life that better reflects those values and priorities.

Better Patients Better Practice Better Lives

2009-11-08T11:02:00.001-05:00

Check out this weekend's SlideShare Presentation:

Better Patients Better Practice Better Lives 11 7

View more presentations from BetternessCoach.

Quinoa - An Almost "Perfect" Whole Grain!

2009-11-08T07:59:00.000-05:00

Quinoa is billed as a grain, but it's actually a high-protein, gluten-free, super-nutritious seed. It is as tasty and versatile as it is healthy. The quinoa seed is high in protein, calcium, and iron, and is a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. It is reputed to contain an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. One quote from a researcher that I came across about quinoa boldly states: "While no single food can supply all of the essential life-sustaining nutrients, quinoa comes as close as any other in the vegetable or animal kingdoms."

Ingredients:

1 Cup Quinoa

2 - 2.25 Cups HOT, Salted, Water, Tea or Broth

As with any grain, quinoa can be cooked in just about any liquid at a ratio of about 2:1 liquid-to-grain. Broths, juices, sauce, teas & infusions all provide additional flavor possibilities. Quinoa can be cooked within a soup or can be added later, after it has been cooked.

Procedure:

Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a small strainer or by running fresh water over the quinoa, scrub with hands and drain

Quinoa seeds are covered with saponin, a soapy, resin-like substance that is extremely bitter. To remove the saponins the hand-scrub it and rinse thoroughly through a sieve.

Place the quinoa in a medium saucepan over high heat. Roast the quinoa, being careful not to burn it by keeping it moving in the pan. Shake, toss or stir the seeds frequently until they begin to pop and crackle rapidly.

After about 3 minutes, they will brown and begin to smell nutty.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for a minute or two.
Add liquid and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook until all water is absorbed (10-15 minutes). The quinoa is done when the water has been completely absorbed and the grains are tender and fluffy. Also the seeds will appear translucent and the germ ring will be visible.

Serving Recommendations:

Often, quinoa is fluffed with a fork and served as a hot cereal with fruit. It can be added to soups, casseroles and salads. Quinoa is a very versatile ingredient and can be used in any recipe that calls for rice, millet, oats, amaranth, buck wheat or any other grain.

Roasting quinoa is not necessary but it does give it a deeper texture. If you are short on time or patience, you can skip this step. It is advised, though, that you start with HOT water to soften the outer covering of the seeds.

Nutrition Facts: Quinoa
Serving Size ½ Cup (Cooked)
Calories                  127
Total Fat                 2g
Sodium                    10mg
Total Carbs.            23.5g
Dietary Fiber          2g
Protein                    4.5g
Potassium               251.5mg
Nutritional Data
from www.calorieking.com

Your one-stop Internet diet stop? Maybe.

2009-11-08T07:56:00.000-05:00

The site is http://www.fatsecret.com/

I don't exactly love the name but they offer a ton of cool tools, such as mobile applications for iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile and Blackberry, as well as iGoogle Gadgets and a FaceBook application. They will help you manage calories, journal your success, track your weight and record your exercise. And they even have a ton of really good recipes.

To make the deal even sweeter, they have really powerful social networking tools that allow you to find new friends or connect with people you already know that are trying to lose weight.

I think what I like most about this platform is that it is so robust. What I mean is the site offers a lot of features and applications that will appeal to computer geeks while remaining user-friendly enough to makes the rest of us happy.

One feature I thought was real cool was the Challenge section. Here, I found all sorts of cool things to strive for, with names like "30 min. of exercise 5 days a week," "Nothin' after Nine (p.m.)," and "Unstuff for the holidays," among others. Even cooler is that when you join a challenge, you get to fight the good fight alongside other members who offer support and encouragement.

They also have a section on how some top popular diets are performing based on FatSecret members' own experiences. See, something for everyone.

Another important feature (Okay, THE most important feature) is that it is TOTALLY FREE!

Yup, FREE. Not only that, but they are soliciting input from weight loss professionals and the food industry so their database of foods is HUGE!

You not only have access to complete nutritional information about nearly any name brand food, but you can also get the nutritional dirt on what you order at your favorite restaurant. These are just a few of the chains I was able to pick up right on my Blackberry AND on their website:

Applebee's, Au Bon Pain, Arby's, Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, Ben & Jerry's, Burger King, Chuck E. Cheese's, Cheesecake Factory, Chipotle, Dunkin' Donuts, Denny's Del Taco, Fazoli's, Five Guys Fatburger, Godfather's Pizza, Hooters, Hardee's, IHOP, In-N-Out, Jason's Deli, Jack in the Box, Krystal, KFC, Little Caesars, Long John Silver's, McAlister's Deli, McDonald's, On The Border, O'Charley's, Olive Garden, Panera Bread, Panda Express, Pei Wei P.F. Chang's, Quiznos, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill, Ruby Tuesday, Red Lobster, Starbucks, Subway Schlotzsky's Deli, Taco Bell, Tasti D-Lite, Taco Time, Uno Chicago Grill, Whataburger, Wahoo's Fish Taco Wendy's, Zaxby's . . .

What about store brand food?

Well, they have that too. You can get the nutrition information from stores like: Albertsons, Compliments, Central Market, Fresh & Easy, Food Lion, Giant Eagle, Great Value, Hannaford, HEB Hy-Vee, Kroger, Kirkwood Kirkland Signature, Market Pantry, Meijer Member's Mark, No Name, Publix, Pathmark Private Selection, Ralphs, Schnucks, Safeway Stater Bros., Trader Joe's, Wegmans, Whole Foods Market, Winn-Dixie . . . .

And exercise?

Fatsecret also has some cool exercise features like charts that list Calories Burned By Exercise Type as well as a Fitness Topics Forum where members ask questions and get answers about their fitness needs. Or you could just check out what others are chatting about.

There are many great diet-based websites out there like www.calorieking.com, www.nutritiondata.com and www.obesityhelp.com, but no site I have found puts all these features in one place.

If you become a member, you can be my buddy. My user name is . . . . can you guess?

BetternessCoach

521 Fifth Avenue | Properties | SL Green Realty Corp., New York City's largest commercial office landlord

2009-10-28T06:32:00.000-04:00

521 Fifth Avenue is the NEW Manhattan Home of the Betterness Institute - Check it out!

2009-10-28T06:29:00.000-04:00

Just me and my Pickle

GETTING A STRONG START BY ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

2009-10-25T14:12:00.001-04:00

I once heard it said that the process of change begins at the moment a question is asked. Certainly, contemplating a well worded question can immediately cause us to alter the way we think and subsequently act. When a question is well crafted, it can create a joyful, positive, focused state of mind. When your mind is a resident of that state, you are primed for success. Have you ever heard a question that sent you on a journey that changed your entire life? I know I have.

Below are some questions that I, and other coaches, have crafted for their clients. They have been designed for you. They are not indented to test or challenge you. They are designed to set your mental compass toward success. Please consider these questions and e-mail your answers to me ahead of our initial session. Think deeply, be truthful and above all - have fun with the inquiries! You can be free to enjoy the process because this is your time to become better. I'm looking forward to exploring with you how you can live your best life.

Answer The Questions OnLine by clicking here:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDlKblRVdXdOVWFZcDNlZ1JkWUthZUE6MA

Describe your three greatest accomplishments to date?

What made these accomplishments stand out for you?

What things from your past successes do you still incorporate into your current actions?

What can be learned from your past accomplishments that will help you right now?

What is a dream you have that's worth working for, starting now?

What are you passionate about?

What are you good at?

Who are your role models?

What attributes of these role models do you admire and most appreciate?

Who are the key supportive people in your life and what do they provide for you?

What is the one thing you do that gives you the most energy, makes you feel most alive?

What are the five most positive things in your life right now?

What would you like to contribute to the world?

What consumes your time and energy that most contributes to a fulfilling present or promising future?

What 3 really important things would you like to accomplish beginning RIGHT NOW?

What 3 really important things would you like to accomplish within the next 90 days?

What 3 really important things would you like to accomplish within the next three years?

On a scale of one to ten, how ready are you to make substantial changes?

On a scale of one to ten, how confident are you that you will be able to make these substantial changes?

Name a substantial change that you are proud of completing in the past.

What are your most important gifts, talents, strengths?

What motivates you?

Anything else you want me to know about you that will help me in coaching you?

What do you expect from me as your coach and from the coaching relationship?

What challenges are you facing now?

SIMPLE ONION / LEEK / MUSHROOM SOUP

2009-10-24T09:33:00.003-04:00

The Betterness® Weight Loss Solution:

Small Steps, Big Changes by Russ L'HommeDieu, DPT.

SIMPLE ONION / LEEK / MUSHROOM SOUP

(Yields 4 servings)

Description: This soup makes a great base for the creation of more complex soups or can stand very well on it's own as a rainy day lunch. It is simple and quick to make.

Nutritional Data calculated from "Living Cookbook" software

Calories     132.08

Calories From Fat 15.93

Total Fat     1.79g

Saturated Fat     0.40g

Cholesterol     1.81mg

Sodium     885.55mg

Potassium     453.97mg

Carbohydrates     26.12g

Dietary Fiber     2.74g

Sugar         8.91g

Protein     4.75g

Ingredients:

2 Medium Onions, sliced

2 Leeks, halved and sliced

2 Cups Mushrooms, sliced

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

½ Cup Balsamic Vinegar or Marsala Wine (divided)

2 Cups Mushroom Stock

3 Cups Vegetable Stock

2 teaspoons dried Thyme or 2 tablespoons fresh*

*Because of their more intense concentrated flavor, dried herbs can be substituted for fresh herbs at a ratio of 1 to 3. While dried herbs are convenient and can be great for longer cooking times, they don't generally have the same purity of flavor as fresh herbs and they go stale quickly. Ensure dried herbs are still fresh by checking if they are green and not faded, and crushing a few leaves to see if the aroma is still strong. Always store them in an air-tight container away from light and heat.

**To sweat an onion is to cook it slowly in a small amount of liquid until it releases some of its moisture and becomes slightly translucent. Adding a small amount of salt during cooking will draw the moisture out more rapidly. Sweating can be accomplished a bit quicker, without liquid if a non-stick pan is used.
Procedure:

Cut off root end of leeks and discard.

Halve leeks lengthwise and thinly slice.

Soak leek slices in several changes of water to rid of any sand.

Peel, halve and thinly slice Onions, lengthwise

Rinse and slice Mushrooms

Dice Garlic

Heat 1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar (or wine) and 1 Tablespoon of either stock over low flame in a medium saucepan.

Sweat** Onions and Leeks by adding them to the pan with the liquid

When the Onions and Leeks turn translucent,

add Garlic and Mushrooms; sauté briefly

Add broth and remaining vinegar and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and cook, partially covered, for 20 Minutes.^***

***To develop more texture, you may simmer up to 4 hours. After 2 hours, though, check regularly and add liquid as necessary. Do not add too much or soup will lose that velvety texture that comes from slow reduction.

Salt and Pepper to taste

Serving Recommendations:

Serve hot with a slice of your favorite bread (Remember, bread has Calories!)
Remember, for the most part, recipes are simply guidelines. I encourage you to experiment and substitute. Add ingredients, subtract ingredients, play with their proportions. In the end, it is a matter of taste. For this recipe, consider adding more onions if you want a more oniony soup, more mushrooms . . . . well, you get the idea. At home I sometimes use all mushroom stock but, 100% vegetable stock works just as well and, for those carnivores out there, beef broth brings a certain depth to the dish. I frequently substitute Marsala wine or Sherry for the Balsamic vinegar which subtly changes the flavor. One cool thing to remember is that most vegetables "go together." Try adding ½ cup of diced tomatoes, spinach, corn or other whole grain. My recommendation is to start with the original recipe and then exercise the three most important rules of cooking: "taste, taste, taste" to get what you want.

Warm Corn / Bean Salsa

2009-10-11T21:10:00.001-04:00

1 can Red Pac Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 can Black Beans
1 medium zucchini, diced
3 cups frozen corn, thawed and drained
1/4 cup cilantro
3 Tbs lime juice
3 Tbs Diced garlic
1 medium Onion, diced
1 medium red bell pepper seeded and diced
1/2 cup white wine

1. Drain and rinse Petite Diced Tomatoes

2. Drain and rinse Black Beans

3. Heat Wine Medium Brassier or Sauce Pan

4. Sweat Onions and Garlic in Wine until the Onions are translucent

5. Add Tomatoes, Pepper, Beans, Corn, Lime Juice and Zucchini

6. Cover and allow to simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes

7. Add Cilantro toward the end of the simmer

8. Can be served over rice or quinoa

9. You can even mix cooked quinoa into the dish at the end of the simmer

10. You can even poach 4 - 6 ounces of fish on top of the mixture for the last two minutes of the simmer

11. Add more wine if you want, Salt and Pepper to taste.

12. You can heat it up with hot sauce or crushed red pepper.

13. Try different kinds of beans -

14. Experiment and have fun!

Accountability is Stage 2 of the Betterness System – So Why Not Start a Betterness Blog?

2009-10-11T14:33:00.005-04:00

What the heck is a blog?

Well, according to the folks over at Google, "A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world. Your blog is whatever you want it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules.

In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not.

Why should I have one?

In his book, Fire Your Therapist, Joe Siegler, MD talks about how helpful it is for coaching clients to start a blog. I think he makes a great point. You can use your blog as a journal to track your progress toward goals and the evolution of your thoughts as you progress through the coaching process. It is an awesome way to keep aware of issues that you want to work on. It will help you keep focused on your goals and help you to track your progress.

Importance of writing stuff down.

In a 1953 study conducted at Yale University it was discovered that only 3% of Yale graduates had taken the time to write down their goals. 10 years later, those "goal writers" became far wealthier than the other 97% of the class combined.

In his book, "What they don't teach you at Harvard Business School" Mark McCormack, talks about survey given to the 1979 graduating class the Harvard Business School's MBA program when they graduated and then again 10 years later. On the initial survey, when asked: "Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?" Only three percent of these graduates had written goals and plans; 13 percent had goals, but they were not in writing; and 84 percent had no specific goals at all. These are HARVARD GRADUATES!!

The findings of the follow-up survey were shockingly predictable. Ten years later, the members of the class who had goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the ones who had no goals at all. The minority of students that actually wrote down their goals blew their classmates away by earning, an average of ten times as much as the remainder of the class put together. Hmm. I wonder if people that write down their weight loss goals lose 10 times the amount of weight as those who don't? I write my goals down. I have notebooks I refer to daily. I design myself goal forms, send myself emails and stick post-it notes all over the house and, yes, I have a blog. I have not only lost 100% of my excess body weight, but I am successfully maintaining it. I wonder if there is a connection?

The good news is that it is NEVER too late to start. If you really want to accomplish something write it down. If it is worth doing, it is worth making the contract. If you are not ready to write the contract, you are not ready to accomplish the goal.

I once bought a racing kayak paddle from one of the top racers in New England. When I got to his house in Newport, RI, I immediately asked to use the bathroom. (I drink A LOT of water, and it was a long ride.) While I was washing up, I noticed that he had written: "When you are NOT training, someone else is!" on his mirror. This guy was already at the top of his game and he was still writing reminders to himself!

Why not just a book, piece of paper, post-it note or bathroom mirror?

While it really does not matter where you write your goals, aspirations, thoughts and affirmations, your blog is marvel of technology. Blogging is about more than just putting your thoughts on the web. It's about connecting with and hearing from anyone who cares about you. With a blog, you control who can read and write to your blog — let just a few friends, your coach or the entire world see what how you are approaching Betterness!

It is not only a tool to write down your goals, track your progress it can even help you to be accountable to your coach. When you set up your blog, you decide who can read and who can write to your blog. I use a group blog with multiple authors as a communication tool for my group coaching. If you want to keep it private, you can create a private blog as your online space for collecting news, links, and ideas, to keep to yourself or share with as many readers as you want.

As for accountability, you can set it up so that every time you post an entry, your coach gets an email, or not. You can even set it so other people in your support network know when you are writing, or not. You get to decide how you set it up. No matter what though, you will never have to worry about forgetting your goal sheet or journal when you and your coach meet. If your coach has access to the internet (and you give him or her permission) they will be able to see your blog.

Ok, how do I get one of these "blog" things?

Although there are many options for getting a blog, I use a Google service known as blogger. While you certainly can get your blog from any provider, this video will help you get started with Blogger.

What about setting it up so that Doc Russ gets an email every time I write in my blog?

If you are a coaching client with unlimited email support, you can email me and I will send you a link to a video on how to set this option including a special email address that will insure that I see your posts.

Thanks -

Helping People Makes You Feel Good!

2009-10-10T08:07:00.001-04:00

It was one of those golden moments of parenthood. Nikki, my 13 year old daughter and seasoned child care professional, had just connected one of her friends with her very first baby sitting job. Although the family originally called for her, Nikki was already committed. As she sat at the dining room table, I could hear the excitement in her voice as she declined the job. "I'm sorry, I can't do it" she said "but I have friend. She is a great kid and she takes care of her little sister all the time. I think she is available and she would be perfect. Can I call her for you?" Then she hung up the phone and with a giddy screech said, "I gotta call Laurel!"

Over the next few minutes, she worked the phones like a pro. She put the whole thing together and when she was done everybody was happy. The family had one more babysitter they could count on, she was free to go to her other commitment without guilt and Laurel had her very first real babysitting job.

When Nikki finally got off the phone, she was ecstatic. With energy that only a 13 year old girl could muster she proudly hopped around the kitchen and announced "Helping people really makes me feel good!"

It was a moment of parental bliss. It's nice to know that we have someone who feels that way living in our home and Jen and I like to think that we might have had something to do with her development of that attitude.

Later in the week I met Karen for the first time. Although we had been emailing for awhile, we had our first phone coaching session on Friday night. It was an awesome session and we both learned a lot. One thing that came out was that she really enjoys the company of the people in her Weight Watchers group. She described them as a group of nice, supportive and compassionate ladies. She told me that she enjoyed going to the meetings but avoided going on weeks where she felt she did not do well with her weight loss. She said she felt as if she was a disappointment to her friends and she did not want to be seen as a failure in their eyes.

I asked Karen, "If someone else came to the meeting and had a really bad week, let's say they gained 5 pounds. What would you think about that and what would you do?" Karen did not even hesitate. She actually perked up. She said, "I'd be right there for her. I would probably be the first one find something encouraging to say!" I could hear the energy in her voice. I knew Karen felt the same way about helping people as Nikki does. Helping people makes you feel good.

I then asked Karen if she believed that her friends felt good when they had a chance to support each other and she wholeheartedly agreed. Finally I asked if she thought it might actually be an act of kindness toward her friends for her to go to the meetings when she, herself needed support. I said your friends want to help you, they want to support you and when you don't go because you had a bad week, they don't get that chance.

After of a brief moment of silence I said, "I bet you didn't see THAT coming!" and Karen replied "I never thought of it like that."

So the take home message is that nice, supportive and compassionate people actually are happy and energized when they have the opportunity to help others and simply showing up when you need help is your way of helping them feel good. As an added bonus, you get the help you need. Thanks Karen and Nikki, I learned a lot this week and I feel pretty good too.

Mission Statement: The Betterness® Institute Inc.

2009-09-19T06:02:00.000-04:00

The Betterness® Institute Inc. was incorporated in the state of New York in June of 2009 as a company committed to providing health and lifestyle education and support services to healthcare providers as well as to the general public. Its CEO, Russ L’HommeDieu, MAPT, DPT, is an ACSM recognized wellcoach (r) and NYS licensed physical therapist with 20 years experience.

Our mission is to facilitate success in life and improve the overall health of our people who wish to become better. We provide top caliber learning opportunities and personalized support to clients, as well as professionals seeking to enhance the success and health of their own clients. We accomplish this by developing educational and supportive outreach to the general public and by developing educational and supportive relationships with professionals in the fields of health, wellness, life management and success skill building. Drawing from our broad knowledge base and an ever-expanding network of experts, the institute offers educational programs, consulting and personal coaching in the fields of health, medicine, business and life management.

At The Betterness® Institute, we strive for life-long relationships that keep our members and clinical partners focused on progressing successfully into whatever area is most appropriate for them. We guide our clients through the process of accumulating both large and small positive thoughts, attitudes, behaviors and actions for the purpose of achieving major life improvement. We help our clients and our professional partners set realistic targets and then provide exemplary support and assistance to help them achieve those goals. We strive for significance through compassion, commitment and living what we teach.

How to make your pen the mightiest weight loss sword!

2009-09-08T12:07:00.000-04:00

The second part of the Betterness® Weight Loss Solution is accountability. Accountability is the acknowledgement, acceptance and assumption of responsibility for the awareness that you acquire from the first stage of Betterness®.

One of the best tools of accountability is to keep a tangible record of some kind as you work on your goals. The easiest way to accomplish this is to write things down. Recording your weekly weight is one example. Another technique is to keep a food diary. Some people drive themselves crazy counting every morsel and calculating every Calorie and gram of fat. If you can do that, you are awesome, keep up the good work. For most people though, this is an impossible task that puts their brain on overload. I did it for a while. When I did, I used my PDA and it worked great! The activity really did its job. I lost weight, I learned a lot about the foods I ate and it was cool, for a while. Then it just became too much.

Now, when I feel as if a certain part of my day gets out of control (like after dinner), simply make a promise to myself (aka: a goal) to write down everything I eat after dinner. I don’t record the Calories, just the name of each food. I keep a notebook in a magnetic holder on the refrigerator. It works great because I force myself to read the night's list before I add another food. It helps me to stop BEFORE my “night snacking” gets out of control and it allows me to see my progress in kicking the late-night picking habit. It’s simple and works.

If your problem is the cocktail hour at that fancy party, try holding onto all of your old toothpicks, shrimp shells and chicken bones. As the pile of carnage grows taller, your mind will help you to say no to the next round of food.

I had a client who had an issue with seven-eleven coffee (milk and sugar). One day he decided to save the cups. By his next visit, he had a stack of cups from the floor to the ceiling in my office. When we calculated what it was “costing” him in calories, he was so appalled, he immediately kicked the habit. He didn’t even have to think about it. It just clicked.

This weekend, my schedule got a bit out of hand. As a result, I worked out at the Betterness Institute instead of paddling the bay. As I was stretching, I looked up and noticed my Schwinn Air-Dyne bike. This is the very bike on which the 400 pound me started to exercise.

That bike doesn’t owe me a thing. I have logged countless hours on it and now it is here helping a new crop of Betterness Weight Losers. Then I noticed this cool little laminated labeler we have in the office.

Remembering how important it was for families in the 1970’s to decorate the old station wagon with bumper stickers from all the places they visited, I wondered how cool it would have looked to have a dated sticker on my Schwinn for each day I had exercised. Considering I had used it every day for almost 5 years, it would have been pretty impressive. That could be motivating!

Maybe you want to give it a try. Keep a workout journal, slap a label on your exercise bike or throw a penny in a jar for time you work out. As you fill notebooks, cover entire pieces of exercise equipment or fills jars with pennies, you will be pleased to see how far Betterness has taken you.

Thank You for the kind words, Dr. Apovian!!

2009-09-03T07:17:00.001-04:00

"After hearing Russ speak at a recent conference I can recommend him as a coach to anyone. He is very motivating and has a voice and connection to life and doing that will rivet your attention immediately. The audience was mesmerized by what Russ had to say about his experience and how he became a better person by taking control of his life."

~Caroline Apovian MD Director, Nutrition and Weight Management Center Boston University School of Medicine and Boston medical Center

Gluten Free for Weight Loss and Health? Maybe . . . maybe not. Gluten Free or NOT Gluten Free . . . That is the question.

2009-08-31T06:31:00.001-04:00

According to the August 2009, Scientific American, celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder triggered by ingestion of gluten, a major protein in wheat, or of related proteins in other grains like barley, rye and (sometimes)* oats.

Additionally, essentially the same trio of grains, a genetic susceptibility and something called a "leaky gut"—seems to underlie other autoimmune disorders as well like rheumatoid arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica.

The prevalence of celiac disease seems to be on the rise. One of the reasons that more people are being diagnosed is because of an increase in awareness, more people are being tested. Many people suffer for years with celiac (also known as spru) without ever even considering that gluten is the problem because celiac disease does not behave the same in all people. For some, eating gluten means an upset stomach, while for others (like me) it means a day of incapacitating fatigue and full body pain. To complicate matters, some people can tolerate more gluten than others. I, for instance, got sick the day after the pasta making lab in culinary school even though I brought my own gluten free flour, was at an isolated station and hand cut my pasta. The stuff was in the air.

I have been getting the impression lately that people are seeing Gluten Free as the new Fat Free. It is NOT. A gluten free diet is not a weight loss diet, (some celiac sufferers actually gain some weight after going gluten free) nor is it necessarily a healthier diet. If you have a sensitivity to gluten and you go on a gluten free diet, you will feel better. If you do not have a sensitivity, you will be putting yourself through an unnecessary dietary hell. Gluten is everywhere. Because wheat is so cheap, they use it in almost all processed foods. Barley makes malt and if you like beer, malt vinegar or soy sauce, you are out of luck. One of the best comprehensive resource books I have read on how to stay gluten free is "Gulten-Free Diet" by Shelly Case.

As for weight loss, your gluten free diet may cause you to lose a few pounds because you stopped eating most of your old favorite snack foods. You will lose weight because you ate less food, not because you ate less gluten. Be careful, as you discover the world of gluten free cookies, cakes, brownies and high calorie crackers, if you think they are going to help you lose weight because they are "on the diet," you will be headed for real trouble.

The good news is that there is way more to life than wheat, rye and barley. Quinoa, oats*, rice, amaranth, millet, buckwheat (no relation to wheat) flax and teff are all great examples of very tasty, healthy, alternative grains and seeds. Don't forget that corn has no gluten and is a whole grain. I also use nut and bean flour in baking.

Last February, Jen and I went to the Dr. John McDougall 3-Day Advanced Study Weekend in Santa Rosa, California. It is a wonderful event for getting up to date on maintaining healthy lifestyle with an emphasis on nutrition. While at the program, all meals are provided and, no not everything is gluten free.

One of my favorite gluten free choices was his quick tamale pie. When I got home, I downloaded the recipe and then changed it. I added an awesome whole grain crust as well as some veggies and black beans. I encourage you to try this very quick and very easy recipe whether you are a celiac sufferer or not.

QUICK TAMALE PIE- From Dr. McDougall

Bake this in a covered casserole dish. It may be made ahead of time and refrigerated until baking. It reheats well and is delicious the next day.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Resting Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4-6 5 cups frozen corn, thawed
½ cup masa flour (for tamales)
¼ cup vegetable broth
1 4 ounce can chopped green chilies (or fresh cut peppers)
1 to 1 ½ cups shredded soy cheese (Optional)
¼ teaspoon salt (optional) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the corn, masa flour and broth in a food processor (oh baby MORE POWER TOOLS!). If you have a small processor, you will have to do this in batches. My food processor is "contractor grade.") Process (obliterate) until fairly smooth. Scrape into a large bowl. Add chilies, shredded soy cheese and salt. Mix well. Turn into a casserole dish. (To prevent sticking, lightly oil the dish first with a small amount of oil on a paper towel.) Cover and bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with salsa on the side, or make a sausage topping with a package of ground soy meat mixed with a package of taco seasoning. I add veggies like yellow squash, diced onion, diced tomato, broccoli, and / or cauliflower which really punches it up nicely. I also add black beans as well which gives me all the protein I need - be creative, have fun!!

Here is the whole grain Crust Recipe
Heat some broth or olive oil in skillet (obviously, I go for the
broth) - add ½ cup minced onions and 1 tsp minced garlic. Cook and
stir until onions are tender. Transfer to a mixing bowl add 1 ½ cups
cooked quinoa or rice, 3 tbsp parmesan cheese (optional) , and 2 tbsp
egg or flax egg replacer (2parts warm water to 1 part ground flax
seed, let sit 5 min) . Spread evenly over bottom of baking dish and
press down with the back of a spoon to make crust. For extra "crustiness," you can bake the crust until brown at 375 degrees or just add the tamale pie mix and bake it together.

*Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Thompson T. Gluten Contamination of Commercial Oat Products in the United States. N Engl J Med 2004; 351:2021-2022) states that celiacs can safely eat moderate amounts of oats, but most celiac disease organizations don't encourage consumption because the concern of finding gluten-free oats. Wheat, barley or rye may contaminate the oat product in the process of harvesting, transporting, milling and processing.

(Source: http://www.glutenfreeoats.com )

Man Discovers Fire, Power tools and Hummus in his kitchen!

2009-08-18T11:04:00.001-04:00

Most men keep their favorite power tools in the garage. I, on the other hand, keep mine in the kitchen. When I first started cooking, I was amazed to discover all the cool tools I got to play with. First there were the knives, then the food processors, the meat grinders and the slicers! I had no idea the kitchen harbored so much potential for dangerous adventure.

By far my favorite kitchen power tool is the immersion blender. Also known as a stick blender, this thing is basically an electric drill with a rotating blade that operates like your standard marine outboard motor. It's portable and its range is limited only by the length of the power cord so you can stick it just about anyplace and make a huge mess.

When I first got mine, I started experimenting. I was stickin' it in all sorts of stuff within three feet on an electrical outlet. As a result, I made some spectacular messes, but I also discovered some really good food. I am now a pureeing fool. So far, I have worn out three of these things. Now, I hear they even have cordless models. Sadly, Jen, my wife won't let me have one. Considering some of the indelible stains I created in our kitchen with the corded model, I can understand her concern.

This past weekend Jen asked me if I could make her hummus. Since I never miss an opportunity to fire up the old kitchen outboard, I jumped at the chance.

At the heart of all hummus are mashed, cooked, chickpeas which are also known as garbanzo beans. Because chickpeas are relatively low in calories and good for you, hummus makes for a very healthy food. If you want to read more about exactly what these magic beans can do for your body, check out this article on the Whole Foods website (http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=58 )

For convenience, I use canned chickpeas. Canned beans are already cooked and, with the help of about 110volts of electricity, I can go from zero to finished hummus in about five minutes. Even though the high temperatures and long cooking time of the canning process minimally reduces some of their nutritional value, the convenience is worth the trade off. As for added salt, I read labels and buy the beans with the least amount of sodium. I also make sure to rinse the beans well before I blast 'em with the blender.

Ok, step one open can. Step two mash beans. It doesn't matter how you mash the beans. Don't worry if you don't have one of my cool immersion blenders. You can use a food processor or a standard blender. Heck, you can even mash them by hand with mom's old potato masher. (yeah right). I have to be honest- my first attempt at making hummus did not go well. Actually it was really bland. It turns out that there is more to hummus than mashed beans.

Real hummus always starts with the same basic ingredients.

Chickpeas (obviously)
- 2 cans, drained and rinsed. (FYI chickpeas are 34 calories an ounce. 2 cans are 28 oz = 945calories)
Tahini, which is just like peanut butter but made with sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons (Be aware – this stuff has 178 Calories per ounce or 89 calories per table spoon)
Olive oil
- 3 tablespoons (although you can go a little less, olive oil has 240 calories an ounce or 120 per tablespoon)
Garlic, crushed – This stuff is stupid good for you, and very low in calories!
- 1 clove (or MORE)
Lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons
Salt and pepper to taste
- I like Adobo and like Mrs. Dash (I also like the hot stuff like Tabasco)

All you need to do now is fire up your "masher" of choice and smooth the whole thing out to a nice consistency. You can use it as a dip with crackers or, lower the caloric damage by dipping some raw veggies! Yeah Baby!

OK – now that you got your basic hummus, let's have some fun.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus:

Take out ½ the chickpeas from the basic hummus and substitute equal amount (about 14 ounces) of jarred roasted red pepper

Artichoke Hummus:

Take out ½ the chickpeas from the basic hummus and substitute equal amount (about 14 ounces) jarred Artichokes

Roasted Red Pepper AND Artichoke Hummus:

1 can of chickpeas (14 oz.), drained with liquid set aside
14 oz of artichoke hearts (1 can) drained
14 oz of roasted red pepper (1/2 jar) drained
3 tablespoons tahini
4.5 tablespoons olive oil
2 clove of garlic, crushed
3 tablespoon lemon juice

This is not rocket science – Don't be afraid to experiment and don't be afraid to make a mess!
You can add stuff, take stuff away – I made an awesome pesto hummus by adding pine nuts (pignolias) and fresh basil. All that matters is that it tastes good. As you cook / blend, taste often! The THREE most important rules of cooking are: TASTE! TASTE! TASTE!

Never content to leave things as they are, I had some fun and fired up the oven. I put my hummus in a baking dish, topped it with a few onion slices and dusted it some home-made roasted garlic powder – and baked it at 350^o for about 20 minutes. Man was that good. Then I added some chopped onion and baked another one – even better. My nephew, RJ, came in and tasted it. He loved it, but he did say he thought it would be even better if we added diced Canadian bacon – sounds possible. Last night I made the whole baked hummus m

I also mixed my hummus with my famous home-made salsa. (diced tomato, diced red and green pepper, diced onion, minced garlic, lime juice and cilantro) for a new twist.

I also add my hummus to soups as a nice way to thicken the soup and add flavor – very nice.

I encourage you to try almost anything. Don't bother trying mint chocolate chip ice cream hummus though – that's just nasty.

Next, I'm gonna tackle re-fried beans!

You Can Do “it” (Whatever “it” is)

2009-08-08T17:31:00.001-04:00

"Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right,"

—Henry Ford

The most important beliefs you hold about yourself are your beliefs about your abilities. When it comes to weight loss success, what are your true beliefs about your ability to change your life? If your beliefs are telling you that you can't, you will be needlessly stuck. You can unlock amazing potential to lose weight if you simply erase the word "can't" from your thinking. . I can trace the beginnings of my successful long-term weight loss directly back to the single belief that it was possible.

Think Better- Awareness Tool

I believe that you can, and will be able to, lose weight but my belief is not enough. In the conclusion of this chapter, I intend to help you believe it. In order to do that, I need you to be open to the possibility that you are capable of more than you currently think you are.

The best way to get started is to match your expectations with your beliefs about your expectations. If raising beliefs proves overwhelming right now, then you must work to adjust your expectations so they are comfortable. If you don't believe you can lose all the weight you want, find a goal you can truly believe in—even if it is a small one. This process will work if you are constantly shooting for targets you know you can hit. It is imperative, however, that once you hit those targets you raise your beliefs. Most barriers to belief disappear once your mind has solid proof that it should believe. Success is one form of proof that always elevates belief. If you start by modifying your goals to match your beliefs, you will reach your goals. When you use your success to then raise your beliefs about your abilities, you will be free to set much higher goals. With your beliefs elevated, those previously 'impossible" goals become quite attainable. As you repeat the process, success breeds more success. Every success you have today will set the stage for you to make a better tomorrow. It won't take too many tomorrows to prove the validity of this concept.

At a top weight of over 400 pounds, I had over 200 pounds to lose and I honestly did not believe I could do it. Every time I focused on the goal of losing all the weight I needed to lose, I lost momentum—but not pounds. I attribute my success to the constant matched escalation of beliefs to goals. Years of little successes followed up with raised expectations leading to more little success proved to my brain that I had been selling myself short about my abilities—not just with weight loss, but with everything. My success at losing weight helped me to restructure my entire way of thinking about all of my limitations.

In the past, I had limited my weight loss success with low expectations. Even when I lost weight, my mind convinced me that I was "born to be fat" and "fat" is where I always seemed to end up.

As it turns out, my low expectations aren't universal. A lot of my clients get stuck when their goals exceed their beliefs about their abilities. Not everyone, however, is limited by this kind of limited thinking. Some people not only believe change is possible for them; they see it as natural and inevitable. They believe that who they are right now is temporary, a function only of the here and now. For such people, all change is an energizing ingredient of learning and growth. They truly believe that every moment is simply a passageway to a better them. In her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Random House, 2006), psychologist Carol Dweck describes her extensive studies of people who think in this manner. She describes them as having a growth mindset. You may call them successful. Personally, I call them betterness thinkers.

No one is born a betterness thinker. Betterness thinking is learned and it takes practice. Practicing betterness thinking has allowed me to change my entire life. I now decide who I want to become, and now I am always evolving into the person I want to be.

Thursday May 07th 2009 Betterness Coach.com 15 Minutes of Betterness with Doc Russ the BetternessCoach

2009-05-08T11:04:00.002-04:00

Bett·er·ness: (bet-ēr-nes) n. An accumulation of small, positive changes that achieves major life improvement.

Good morning welcome to BetternessCoach.com. Today is Thursday May 07^th, 2009 –I'm your host Dr. Russ L'HommeDieu. I want to thank you for stopping by and giving me the pleasure of bringing you fifteen minutes further down the path of Betterness®. If you want to lose weight and feel great . . . everyday, then you have come to the right place.

As most of you know, I spent a few minutes this weekend re-designing the Betterness^® logo. I want to thank you all for filling out the short survey I sent and, if you haven't gotten to it yet- I do value your input. You can find the survey by clicking here: Take the survey

You can also just check out the logo on the podcast announcement email, the blog or at iTunes and then send me your opinion by email to docrussPT@gmail.com

Remember, in order to get "The Betterness Weight Loss Solution; Think Better, Eat Better, Move Better and STAY BETTER!" published, I need as many people as possible on the email list so please ask your friends to sign up. I really appreciate the help!

This week I am working on another new idea: Betterness Practices. These are short activities you can do to help you to Think Better, Eat Better and Move Better. When the book is published, it will be jammed full of these practices and I thought it might be nice to let you take a few of them for a test run. Give them a try and then let me know what you think. You can even share some of your best betterness tricks by clicking on the "Contribute to Betterness!" link on the right side of the blog or Click HERE to get started!

By the way – the blog has now been officially moved to www.betternesscoach.com

Think Better: The Dangers of They Say

Richard Feynman, arguably one of the most gifted physicists of our time titled his biography: "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out." I believe his success in his work came from this passion, this pleasure for finding things out. To get the most success out of life, it is really important for you to find things out for yourself. The Betterness system has been specifically designed to help you along the often difficult path of self exploration and discovery. In these podcasts and in my coaching practice, I not only provide a better understanding of obesity as a disease, I often explore some of the best available science on psychology of change. I make every effort to cite the research behind what I say and often contact the authors and experts themselves when I have a question.

I believe it is important for you to know where your information comes from. It is impossible to avoid the massive volume of weight loss information that bombards us our every waking moment. Some of this information is true, some is ½ true and some is not true at all. Often, by the time the information goes from the original scientific research to you, it has gone through a global game of telephone. If you have ever played this game, you know how easy it is for the truth to be twisted, contorted and squeezed out of even the simplest statement as it passes from person to person. Unfortunately, when it comes to diet advice, much of what we hear no longer resembles the legitimate science from which it came or worse yet, the statement never had any science behind it at all.

When it comes to legitimate science, it seems that the least reliable source I have ever encountered is "they." I don't know who they are but they certainly have a lot to say. They not only say all sorts of things about diet, nutrition and exercise, 'they' also are also often heard spouting off about just about anything else. If you have ever heard someone support their advice by saying "they say . . ." be careful. Unless you know who they are, they could be a bunch of idiots, fools or bold faced liars looking to get into your wallet. I often have to warn clients about the dangerous trap of "they say." Don't get me wrong, just because you don't know the source of the information does not make it false. What it means though, is that you don't know for sure. When you hear they say, you don't have to ignore it but you may have to take it with a grain of salt. (whatever that means)

If you hear yourself saying things like: "They say I should have more omega-3 in my diet." You have been the victim of the partial truth of they say. When you act on it by pouring olive oil, at 240 calories an ounce, on everything you eat you, gain weight. (and, no, by the way, light olive oil has does NOT have fewer calories. Light refers only to the color of the oil) If you do not fully understand why you are doing what you are doing, find out the truth or focus on what you do know which is to find ways to eat a little less and exercise a little more. In the case of olive oil, the truth about its ability to make you fat is printed on the label.

The key to getting trusted information is to get as close to the source of the information as possible. If you have a question, ask it. Email or call manufacturers of food products or find a true experts by checking out real research. Research reports from universities and colleges are great sources. The most accessible form of nearly accurate information is the nutritional information on the back of food packages (Generally, the words on the front of the package are to sell you and not exactly based on facts). You can even use that internet thing to find credible sources. Here is a hint though, the word 'miracle' is rarely used when summarizing scientific research and legitimate experts don't have buy it now links to the one pill that does it all.

Practice Thinking Better:

Next time you go out to eat, do some people watching. Observe how they eat. Are wolfing down their meal? Do they look like eating machines? Is there anyone in the room that is eating in a way you would consider civilized? Is there a correlation in what people are eating, how their eating it and their body size? How would you like to look to those watching you? And finally, try eating in front of a mirror at least one time this week and do a little people watching on yourself.

Eat Better, that's all, just eat better

It is so easy to become overwhelmed with the very concept of good nutrition. It seems that "eating right" is as technically complex as taking a trip to the moon! Eat less fat! Eat more "Omega 3" fat? Eat any kind of fat that you want, as long as you don't eat carbs! Avoid eating carbs? Eat more whole grains! Wait, whole grains are carbs, right? Eat more protein! Eat less protein! Drink green tea! Take supplements! But there are so many! Which one do I need? Oh, forget supplements! Get more fiber! Don't mix your proteins with your fats! Huh? Eat fruit only before 9:30am! Will I gain weight if I have an apple with lunch? Eat 40%proteins, 30% carbohydrates and 30% fats! Uhhh – does that even add up to 100%? Do I lose more weight if it only adds up to 75%? Eat more fish! Don't eat farmed fish! Fish can grow on a farm? I have never seen a fish tree. Red meat is evil! Evil? Can meat be evil? Are chicken nuggets OK? How did primitive man ever survive? Want the truth? The truth is; that eating perfectly is almost impossible. Just attempting to digest the information can make you sick. Eating perfectly may be a great place to end up but it is certainly no place to start. If you start out by diving headfirst into all the diet and nutrition advice out there you will end up drowning in confusion. It seems that every time we get new information, it contradicts the information we got just last week. It is not that the information is always wrong, it is just complex, confusing and often has gone through that global game of telephone I talked about earlier in the podcast. And - Ok, sometimes it is just wrong.

Let's introduce a new concept, a new paradigm, a new way of thinking about the nutritional world. This is it: EAT BETTER! For now anyway, forget about "eating right." I am not even sure I know what "eating right" really is and I am sure I have no idea how to eat "perfectly." The main issue when it comes to losing weight is that we routinely eat too many calories. If you can get rid of just 100 calories a day, every day, from your life, you WILL lose weight. Pick one food related problem that you know you know can change, set a goal and begin to change it. I know I must have lost about 20 pounds by simply deciding not to eat in front of the TV. In the words of Curly from the movie "City Slickers: "Just one thing. You stick to that and the rest don't mean crap." But, what is the "one thing?" "That's what you have to find out." It may just be a "Hollywood moment" but, that is how this whole process starts. Once you find your one thing, focus on it, master it and then add "one new thing" to work on. Keep repeating the process and you will be eating much righter - - - right away.

Practice Eating Better:

I really believe that I lost the last 30 pounds of that 230 pound weight loss by eating slower. As it so happens though this is really hard to do. One thing that I noticed is that when I eat sitting at a well set table with fine, soothing music playing – I eat slower. This weeks eat better practice is for you to try is to eat at least one meal with some music playing. I like jazz or classical music. As you listen take time to enjoy your food as you enjoy the music. Be aware though – this does not mean watch TV while you eat. Research shows that watching TV while you eat seems to make people eat more.

Move Better: Make today the first day . . .

It has been said that there is no time like the present and when it comes to adding a little more movement to your life, this is especially true. If you have been thinking about starting an exercise program, try making today your first day. If the thought of getting into exercise overwhelms you, think about this: The ONLY purpose of the first day of exercise is to have a second day of exercise. Regular, consistent movement should be your main focus. Don't worry about breaking a sweat on the first day. This is about establishing a new action habit. All you need to do is simply get up and get moving. For instance, set aside a time to go for a walk. Walking is one of the best exercises you can do, almost everyone can do it and it requires no special equipment. Over 2400 years ago, Hippocrates said: "Walking is man's best medicine." So what if it is raining. If you don't want to get wet, take a few laps of Walmart or Home Depot. They have plenty of indoor walking space.

Try these tips to set yourself up for success in getting your new walking program started: Set a specific time to go, decide how long you are going to go for and then—go. It should not be strenuous and it should not be difficult. A walk of just 5 minutes is all you need to overcome the first hurdle and get started. Honestly, it is difficult to think of a REALLY good excuse for not taking a FIVE minute walk.

If you examine your excuses honestly, most of you will find they just don't hold up. I mean really—it's just 5 minutes. CAN'T do five minutes? How about three? What about just getting up and walking to your front door? Surely you can do that. If you did, you would be making a step to starting a walking habit. Just setting aside a time each day to get up off the couch and then doing it – no matter what - is send a clear message to your mind that you mean business! It is not so much about what you do as it is about establishing the habit of doing. It is amazing how powerful this concept of slowly building a habit can be. I once had a colleague tell me that she had a client who went to the gym and sat in the parking lot everyday for a week. After a week of doing that, she was ready to actually go in. It may sound a bit strange, but sitting in that parking lot lead her directly to action; strange or not, there is nothing to be ashamed of in that. Whatever you do, if you do it today AND tomorrow you will be developing a habit you can build on. Just a few minutes of movement are an investment in your future that can be compounded daily! When I started my ritual of an evening walk, I frequently "just did not feel like it" and I had some GREAT excuses! "I had a rough day at work." "It is too cold." "It is too hot." "My underwear is riding up." As you can see, really quality excuses. The problem with excuses is that they grow like weeds and the only way to get rid of those darned things is to start pulling. So, I decided that if I really could not bring myself to walk, I would at least get up and go to the front door, open it and stand there for at least 30 seconds. Silly? Maybe, but so is the underwear excuse. What happened is that after a few times of standing on the porch counting to 30, even my best excuses began to evaporate. I felt like such a fool standing on my porch counting that it just made sense to take a walk. Besides, my neighbors were starting to look at me funny. Now, I look forward to my walk and, as an added bonus, my walk acts as an end of day "mind cleanse" for me. Best yet, when I am walking around the block, I can't have my head in the refrigerator. It is amazing how effective simply removing yourself from a food source is as a way to avoid eating when you are not hungry!

Practice Moving Better:

Well, this is obvious – take at least one five minute after dinner walk this week.

If you want to hear more of the cool jazz featured in this podcast, check out the Chicago based jazz quartet, kick the cat at www.garageband.com

You would like a transcript of this show– just go to http://www.betternesscoach.com/ and shoot me an email or log onto my blog @ http://www.betternesscoach.blogspot.com/

Thank you and good bye for now.

BetternessCoach.com. Today is Tuesday April 28th, 2009

2009-04-28T10:05:00.002-04:00

Good morning welcome to BetternessCoach.com. Today is Tuesday April 28th, 2009 –I'm your host Dr. Russ L'HommeDieu. I want to thank you for stopping by and giving me the pleasure of bringing you fifteen minutes further down the path of Betterness®. If you want to lose weight and feel great . . . everyday, then you have come to the right place.

This week I have GREAT news! The FARCE book is DONE and ready for purchase!! Now you can be the envy of all your friends by being the first to own the newest miracle diet. This book cuts right through the uncomfortable truth about losing weight and breaks new ground by telling you EXACTLY what you want to hear about dieting. Place your order today at: www.foodfarce.com

Don't forget, in order to get "The Betterness® Weight Loss Solution" published, I STILL need your help!

If every person how hears this podcast or reads this email gets just two or three people to sign onto my mailing list, we would easily have enough people to get the attention of a mainstream publisher! So, keep up the good work by getting as many people as you can to sign on. All you need to do is to forward people you think might benefit from Betterness the Pod cast announcement or send them to the blog web site. Make sure they hit the sign up button and enter their email address. That is all they need to do and they will not only be helping in getting the book published, they will be eligible for special discounts on books, audio programs and betterness events.

Think Better: I have a question. How do you know when you're done with dinner? According to research conducted by Dr. Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating, When people in Paris France are asked that question, they said things like: "when the food no longer tastes good to me," "when I feel full" or "when I'm just not hungry." When he repeated the question here in the US, the Midwesterners he asked said things like: "when the plate is empty," "when everybody else is done," "when my drink is gone," and "when my show is over." Almost no one said they stopped eating when they were full. It seems we are programmed to eat more based on what is going on around us than how we feel inside! What if we could lose weight just by changing our environment?

Apparently, Dr. Wansink had the same question. In another research project, he actually showed that people consistently eat less when they eat off a smaller plate. Obviously, when you eat less, you will lose weight. Imagine how simple it would be if you could lose weight simply by eating off a smaller plate, turning off the TV or by being the last one to sit down and eat. Well, I believe you can. According to the National Weight loss registry, successful weight losers watch less TV than they did when they were heavy. Coincidence? I don't think so. By sitting down at the table last, you will have less time to eat before everyone else is done and the table gets cleared. As a result you will eat less. If you eat slowly, you will eat even less.

Dr. Wansink is so committed to his belief that eating off a smaller plate will cause weight loss, he has issued the 30 day small plate challenge. All you need to do is to eat off a smaller plate for 30 days. To take Dr. Wansink's 30-day small plate challenge go to http://smallplatemovement.org/ and check it out.

Eat Better: Eggs-actly!
People are always asking me about eggs. Are they healthy? Do they raise your cholesterol? Do they make you fat? All good questions and the answers have certainly been debated by all kinds of experts. My answer is one of moderation. Eggs certainly qualify as food and, in moderate amounts; they can be an important source of protein. The problem is that they can also be a significant source of saturated fat and cholesterol. The good news is though that all that saturated fat and cholesterol is in the egg yolk. The egg whites, on the other hand, are low in fat (none of it saturated) and have NO cholesterol. What makes egg whites even better is that they have a very low calorie density. What that means is that a large, belly filling, egg white omelet will have many fewer calories than the same sized regular omelet. By comparison, one once of egg white has only 15 calories white an ounce of egg yolk packs double the calories, almost an entire gram of saturated fat and 120mg of cholesterol. In the case of deviled eggs, the damage of the egg yolk is doubled by the mayonnaise. (The recipe for mayonnaise, by the way is just egg yolk and oil)- The problem is that a lot of people just HATE egg whites- NO PROBLEM – how about you add only one yolk to your next 3 egg omelet? You still get all the egg yolk taste with 2/3 less fat and calories. Additionally, you can explore foods that traditionally contain yolk with the yolks removed. Yolkless egg noodles come to mind and a yolkless deviled egg recipe that I have included in this weeks transcript is pretty tasty. It uses high in protein and ridiculously healthy chick peas for the filling. Trust me – you will never miss the egg yolks!

Food FARCE:

Food Farce: Hey, have you ever wished that some of your favorite foods had no calories? If you are like me, I'll bet you have! Well, you can stop wishing! Did you know that if you let it, your mind will build a world just for you where any food can be CALORIE FREE? It's called lying to yourself and it is destined to become the newest diet craze. That's right, simply by telling yourself an endless stream of blarney about eating, you can ignore the caloric cost of some really great food. Let's face it: self deception is quick, easy and, if you are like most people, you are probably already pretty good at it. In fact, if it weren't for that pesky reality thing, most of us would prefer to live in our own little world. As it so happens, this is particularly true when it comes to food. I have called preference for nutritional fiction the Food Farce where F.A.R.C.E. stands for Fact Alteration with Reality Creation for Eating – Whatever you want

Here is a Calorie Free fact especially for those of you in Law Enforcement. Did you know that all the food you consume while seated in a police car is completely FREE of Calories!

Yes, it is absolutely true. So, next time you are busy manning the radar gun, feel free to break out that double glazed Krispy Kreme. Have two or even ten. As long as you are in the cruiser, you are totally immune from the fat AND the sugar.

The reason is that Calorie Monsters just love party hardy. Although they have no problem being part of the occasional misdemeanor they have no love for the free ride in the police car that follows. Let's face it; once you are face down in the back of a black and white, the party is over. Based on their past experiences, when the Calorie Monsters see a police car – they run for the hills leaving all the food that goes into the car—calorie free. As a result, the police officer in the car can eat all he or she wants and never gain a pound. The problem comes, when the cop get out of the car. The Calorie Monsters have no problem catching up with these guys when they change shifts at the seven-eleven or the local donut shop which leads to some pretty tight gun belts.

For those of us not wearing a badge, the good news is that the calorie free benefit of this particular mode of "public transportation" is not restricted to those in uniform. Even the criminals get a calorie pass as soon as the get thrown into the back seat of the car. So, next time you get arrested, have it catered. Make sure you get the full Viennese table and enjoy the meal completely guilttttt -- - ummmm - - I mean calorie free.

WARNING: Nothing in this report should be considered medical advice, nutritional advice, diet advice, dating advice, academic advice, parenting advice or advice of any kind for that matter. The contents of this book has been deemed Completely Ridiculous And Preposterous. In a word: C.R.A.P. It is a compilation of absolute idiocy that is the result of the author's healthy disregard for the truth, a quirky way of looking at the world, an overactive imagination, a penchant toward balderdash and way too much idle time on his hands. Believing that this is an actual weight loss diet has been clinically proven to cause weight gain in unsuspecting laboratory animals.

Move Better: The Return of warm weather.

This past Saturday, I had a lot to do. I was at Cornell last weekend talking to Dr. Wansink and, frankly I was all jammed up with stuff I should've done while I was away.

But, it was a beautiful day. So, when my daughter asked me to go kayaking with her, I jumped at the chance. She enlisted the help of her brother (no easy task) got her kayak out of storage, cleaned it up and was ready to go in less than a half-an-hour. We suited up with our life jackets and, paddles in hand, we carried her boat the short walk to our community beach.

Within less than in hour I went from "could I?" Sped right through "should I?" and landed squarely in the seat of my kayak for what turned out to be the highlight of my weekend: About an hour of father-daughter time and my first kayak since January.

So, as you listen to this story, what were you thinking? Did it sound like I had a nice afternoon? You bet I did. Did I once mention "exercise?" No, I did not. But, I was lifting boats, walking and paddling. Aren't they are all great exercises? Yeah, as a matter of fact, they are. I was thoroughly engaged in the most gratifying form of exercise: It's called fun and family.

When I was at Cornell, I participated in a lunch as part of one of Dr. Wansink's experiments. After lunch, ½ of a group of about 30 went for a nature walk around a lake. The other ½ went on the same walk and were told it was going to be an exercise session. After the walk, we were given a survey to rate our feelings about the walk. Although it was the same walk, it appeared that the nature walk group felt very differently about their journey. I know that I feel very differently about kayaking than I do about running on a treadmill and a lot of it comes down to the fact that I don't consider kayaking as exercise. Even though I work harder when I kayak, I don't mind doing it. Apparently a rose by any other name does not smell as sweet and, to many of us, when you call it exercise – it begins to smell like an old gym sock.

The take home message here is, now with the warm weather – get out and get moving Call it an evening walk, or a stroll in the park – as long as you don't call it exercise – you just might do it.

This is Doc Russ the Betterness®Coach signing off this thought

"Our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers."

—M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled

If you want to hear more of the cool jazz featured in this podcast, check out the Chicago based jazz quartet, kick the cat at www.garageband.com

You would like a transcript of this show– just go to http://www.betternesscoach.com/ and shoot me an email or log onto my blog @ http://www.betternesscoach.blogspot.com/

Thank you and good bye for now.

Low Fat Chick Pea Deviled Eggs

2 cans Chick peas

1 cup low fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup mustard

1/2 cup onion, finely diced

1 dash salt

1 dash black pepper

1 dash tabasco

1 dash balsamic vinegar

1 dash celery seed

1 tbs minced garlic

1 dash paprika

6 eggs

Place drained chick peas in a food processor and pulse to blend

Place spicy brown mustard, mayonnaise, garlic, onion, balsamic vinegar and celery seed in the processor with the pureed chick peas - pulse until smooth.

Add salt, pepper, Tabasco to taste and reserve

Hard boil 6 eggs, cool and peel

Cut in half and remove yolks

Spoon or pipe chick pea mixture into egg whites

Sprinkle with paprika and serve

Yield: 12 deviled eggs

Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success Dr. Russ L’HommeDieu, DPT

2009-04-19T14:39:00.000-04:00

Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success Dr. Russ L’HommeDieu, DPT

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

By: Dr. Russ L'HommeDieu, DPT
Category: Dr. Russ L’HommeDieu, DPT

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I just finished a really cool book called: “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” As most of you know, the Betterness® system for losing weight and feeling great is about weight loss success not simply losing weight, so a book with a title like that was a must read for me! As it turns out, I was not disappointed! Dr. Carol Dweck, the author, has spent years studying the differences between truly successful people and those who just can’t seem to get to where they want to be in life. What she discovered was that these two groups of people had radically different mindsets when it came to the issue of change. According to Dr. Dweck “my research has shown that the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life. It can determine whether you become the person you want to be and whether you accomplish the things you value.” Through her work, Dweck identified two types of people in the world, those with a fixed mindset and those with a growth mindset. Fixed mindset people believe that their qualities are beyond their control and unchangeable. They do not believe change is really possible for them. They live by the mantra: “I am who I am.” For these people, change is a struggle. Growth mindset people, on the other hand, believe that who they are is simply a function of current time and place. They see themselves as in a constant state of evolution and understand that who they become is the direct result of what they do. For these people, change is an energizing process of learning and growth.

She found that successful people were generally in a growth mindset. Since growth mindset people have the core belief that they are infinitely changeable. They believe that who they at the moment is simply a stone in the foundation of who they will become– a function only of the here and now. They truly believe that every moment is simply a passageway to a better them. This mindset allows them to be open to endless learning and growth opportunities because they truly believe that life is a work in progress. These people never wonder when they are going to be “done” growing because they see growth as part of who they are.

Fixed mindset people, by contrast, see themselves as basically unchangeable. They believe that they are who they are. They allow themselves to be restricted by self definition that allows little room for real change. Fixed mindset people often have a hard time achieving weight loss success because, deep down, they believe that they were born to be heavy. They are trapped by this core belief that simply can’t change that much. A fixed mindset self-definition simply does not include the idea that a total life makeover is even possible while with growth mindset self definition re-inventing oneself is just part of who they are.

The most exciting part of the book for me was Dr. Dweck’s observation that people can, and do, change from the stifling fixed mindset to a liberating growth mindset. What she also observed was that when this shift occurs, it’s like the gates of success have swung open for these people and their life magically begins to move forward.

I know this because; years before reading the book I recognized this shift in belief in my self. I had no idea what it was called or how significant it was, but I did know that I no longer thought the same way about change.

I remember this epiphany came to me during one of those conversations with my then 14 year old son AJ about the nature of things. AJ’s interest and insight into how the human mind functions makes him a particularly good sounding board for my thoughts and self revelations on how I can best coach people toward better lifestyle habits. As this particular discussion meandered along, we began to discuss how our different our family life was as compared to before I lost weight as well as my work with clients and on the Betterness® book. As we got to talking about the mind’s capacity to change and learn, it hit me: “You know son,” I said, “I used to honestly believe that people did not and could not change that much. I now know that I was wrong. I remember when I really felt I would always be pretty much the way I was. That is not to say that I thought I would never change. I understood that I was in control of my life as a whole but when it came to things like my weight and my capacity to learn, I had very limiting beliefs about what I was capable of. Now, I believe that with the right effort and guidance anyone can change. I have seen it in myself, I have seen it in you and I have seen it with my clients. Change is absolutely possible but only if you believe it is possible.”

Although I didn’t know it, I had shifted from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. I thought the shift was a result of my life change but, after reading this book, now I know better. I had it backwards! You see, my incredible life change was not only made possible by this shift from the fixed to the growth mindset, it explained why I was able to sustain it. This opened up the realization that a growth mindset is a pre-requisite to achieving lasting change.

This was particularly evident during a coaching session last week. The client, although clearly desiring change, was stuck. Suddenly, I realized that I had no idea what her core beliefs were regarding change. I stopped with my “business as usual” agenda setting and asked the client if she believed that they could actually change. They said “not really” and WOW, it was like getting hit with cold water. It was a bit shocking, opened my eyes and woke me up! I immediately shifted the focus of the session to orientating her to the concept of changing to a growth mindset and you know what? She immediately got it. You should have seen the look on her face as she uttered the words: “I had no idea I had been holing onto such a limiting belief.” The session improved from there.

So this is your Betterness tip of the week: I want you to try to become aware of your fixed mindsets, accept how they may be holding you back and consider what actions you can take to grow those mindsets into something that allows you to achieve true, lasting Betterness®.

Did you know Doc Russ has his own Blog and Podcast? Check him out at www.betternesscoach.blogspot.com

Dr. Russ L’HommeDieu, DPT

Betterness Institute

633 East Main Street - Riverhead, NY 11901

Local: (631) 727-9212 - Toll Free: (888) 4Doc-Russ

www.BetternessInstitute.com