A recent TV commercial made me laugh, and think. A young woman says, "I read an article online - well, I read most of an article online..."
It has been pointed out that my blog entries tend to be on the short side. There is a very good reason for this. I have a very short attention span, and I don't think I'm alone. Whenever I pull up anything online to read and I have to scroll through more than two pages, my eyes glaze over. It stops feeling like interesting information and starts to feel like homework.
I would rather condense my thoughts here to something you can read in a few moments and hopefully take something valuable away with you. If my posts tend to be too long, I'm afraid you might stop visiting. You'll see my post on Facebook and think, "Long-winded Knowles is at it again. No way I'm clicking over there to read War and Peace again." I'd rather you think, "I have a minute, let's see what Stephen has to say today.
So that's why these posts are short. Leave me some feedback on Facebook and let me know what you think. If you'd like more, I'll try to write more. If you appreciate the Nuggets of Wisdom format, I'd love to hear from you, too.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Kindling the fire
My good friend Tom Vorjohan wrote the Foreword for my new book and in it he used a word that struck me, "fervor." He was talking about my passion for weight loss and the way I attacked the goal and stuck with it. I decided to look the word up and see what it actually means. Like most people, I've heard the word used, but never really thought about what it meant.
Fervor means intense and passionate feeling. It comes from the Latin word fervere, which means to boil. That is an adequate description of how I felt as I lost the wait. I was on fire, I bubbled, I couldn't sit still. Like a boiling pot, I often let my enthusiasm spill over, telling anyone who would listen about how I was meeting my goals and how easy it was. I became imbued with a missionary passion for healthy living. I want everyone to share my excitement and to achieve their own goals.
Zig Ziglar said that the best way to get what you want out of life is to help as many other people as you can get what they want out of life. That's why I am writing this blog and why I've written my book. I hope to get you excited and help you along the way to a healthy lifestyle.
Now, about the Kindling the Fire part. I want to get you fired up, that's true, but the Kindle part is important, too. As of today, Fat's Not Funny is available on Amazon Kindle. If you have the e-reader and want to read my book right now before it comes out in print you can, for only $9.99. Just search for it by my name or the title, Fat's Not Funny.
Thanks to everyone who reads this blog and to all of you who have pre-purchased the paper version of the book. Keep reading the blog. I plan to share so much more as time goes by.
Live your dreams, and help others live theirs as well.
Fervor means intense and passionate feeling. It comes from the Latin word fervere, which means to boil. That is an adequate description of how I felt as I lost the wait. I was on fire, I bubbled, I couldn't sit still. Like a boiling pot, I often let my enthusiasm spill over, telling anyone who would listen about how I was meeting my goals and how easy it was. I became imbued with a missionary passion for healthy living. I want everyone to share my excitement and to achieve their own goals.
Zig Ziglar said that the best way to get what you want out of life is to help as many other people as you can get what they want out of life. That's why I am writing this blog and why I've written my book. I hope to get you excited and help you along the way to a healthy lifestyle.
Now, about the Kindling the Fire part. I want to get you fired up, that's true, but the Kindle part is important, too. As of today, Fat's Not Funny is available on Amazon Kindle. If you have the e-reader and want to read my book right now before it comes out in print you can, for only $9.99. Just search for it by my name or the title, Fat's Not Funny.
Thanks to everyone who reads this blog and to all of you who have pre-purchased the paper version of the book. Keep reading the blog. I plan to share so much more as time goes by.
Live your dreams, and help others live theirs as well.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Further validation
I don't really need a pat on the back for what I've accomplished. I feel better than I have in years, and the happiness I feel, the sense of accomplishment, is worth far more than a million "atta-boys."
That being said, it is very gratifying when I see an article on line that totally backs up everything I did to get where I am. The article in the link below highlights 10 fat fighting foods, and its funny to me to see how many of the foods were regular parts of my diet. I didn't eat much lentils, or kiwi, but I did eat some of both. The rest of the list were big parts of my diet.
I finished recording the audio book of Fat's Not Funny yesterday and will have it available within just a few days. The cover for the book is being designed today (I've already looked at one proof and made a few changes) and once it is done I will be ordering the first run of books and getting the book listed with Amazon to be available for Kindle readers. Thanks so much to all of you who have pre-ordered. If you've been thinking about it, there's still time to get in on the pre-publication deal.
Three people I do not know have ordered copies, too, so some of you have been sharing with your friends. Please continue to spread the word. Also, I've started the Facebook group Fat's Not Funny. Please join if you haven't already.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Better than anything I could write
The final hurdle for me is belly fat. People keep saying to me, "You've lost enough weight." I reply, "You haven't seen me with my shirt off." As I continue to work on my mid-section I've been doing a lot of reading online. This is one of the best articles I've read in a while.
http://shine.yahoo.com/vitality/25-ways-flatten-belly-summer-182700093.html
Also, don't forget to go on my website and pre-order my book. Thanks to all of you who already have!
www.fatsnotfunny.com
http://shine.yahoo.com/vitality/25-ways-flatten-belly-summer-182700093.html
Also, don't forget to go on my website and pre-order my book. Thanks to all of you who already have!
www.fatsnotfunny.com
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Snacks
Snacking is a way of life in America. We live to snack, when we are not living to eat heavy meals. Advertising bombards us with sweet snack cakes, salty chips and creamy filling on a daily basis, but we don't see many ads for apples. Of course, apples do have that nifty old saying about keeping health care workers at bay.
I have a radically changed my way of snacking in the last year. There are many things I just don't eat anymore, and many more that I have cut way, way back on. A few things I hadn't touched in years have also become my daily friends.
Candy is dandy, they say, but its also not the best choice for a snack on a regular basis. First of all, you have to eat over 300 calories of candy to really fill up, and those are sugar packed calories that shock your system, spike your insulin and leave you crashed a short while later. Do I eat candy? Sure, but only on occasion. It can't be an every day thing.
Fruit is a much better option. Its high in fiber, has friendly sugar for your system, is full of life-giving nutrients, and should be a daily choice. Nuts are also great, packed with beneficial fats and other nutrients. I eat one ounce of almonds almost every day.
I love hummus, which weighs in at a mere 50 calories a serving, but when you add pita or crackers or chips to the snack (which you have to, because hummus is way too strong to eat from a spoon) you end up eating over 300 calories. I suggest using fresh vegetables to dip instead. Celery, carrots, and pepper strips are all great, but my personal favorite is turnip. That's right, turnip. I peel it, then slice it into 1/8" chips which go great on the hummus. The entire turnip only has 35 calories on average, so with the 50 calories of hummus we are coming in under 100 calories for the very flavorful snack!
Get creative. Find ways to snack that are healthy and taste great. If you have any, please share them with me. I'm always eager to add more healthy variety to my diet.
Don't forget to check out my website www.fatsnotfunny.com to pre-order your copy of my book and to get the free bonuses.
I have a radically changed my way of snacking in the last year. There are many things I just don't eat anymore, and many more that I have cut way, way back on. A few things I hadn't touched in years have also become my daily friends.
Candy is dandy, they say, but its also not the best choice for a snack on a regular basis. First of all, you have to eat over 300 calories of candy to really fill up, and those are sugar packed calories that shock your system, spike your insulin and leave you crashed a short while later. Do I eat candy? Sure, but only on occasion. It can't be an every day thing.
Fruit is a much better option. Its high in fiber, has friendly sugar for your system, is full of life-giving nutrients, and should be a daily choice. Nuts are also great, packed with beneficial fats and other nutrients. I eat one ounce of almonds almost every day.
I love hummus, which weighs in at a mere 50 calories a serving, but when you add pita or crackers or chips to the snack (which you have to, because hummus is way too strong to eat from a spoon) you end up eating over 300 calories. I suggest using fresh vegetables to dip instead. Celery, carrots, and pepper strips are all great, but my personal favorite is turnip. That's right, turnip. I peel it, then slice it into 1/8" chips which go great on the hummus. The entire turnip only has 35 calories on average, so with the 50 calories of hummus we are coming in under 100 calories for the very flavorful snack!
Get creative. Find ways to snack that are healthy and taste great. If you have any, please share them with me. I'm always eager to add more healthy variety to my diet.
Don't forget to check out my website www.fatsnotfunny.com to pre-order your copy of my book and to get the free bonuses.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Launch day
It was 100 years ago today that the RMS Titanic set sail from Southhampton England bound on its way to New York. Of course, we all know how that ended. I'm hoping that my launch today has better luck.
I am proud to announce that my book, Fat's Not Funny, is entering the final stages before going to print. It will be printed and ready for sale before June 1, but I'm offering all my friends a special pre-publication deal. Check out my website, www.fatsnotfunny.com to find out more and to order the book. I also have a special deal for multiple copies of the book if you'd like to share it with your friends, and I have some really cool FREE bonuses for folks who order early.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Choices
I love the guy who comes on the Today show and talks about food choices. His name is David Zinczenko and he is the author of the Eat This, Not That series of books. If you haven't read them, you should. He shows how one meal in a restaurant might have 10,000 calories, while another option on the very same menu might have 300.
Knowledge is power, I've always heard it said, and I believe that is true. We are in a war folks, and its important that we know our enemy; poor nutrition. Find out what you are being offered and don't eat it if it's not consistent with a healthy lifestyle.
It is really a matter of choice. We choose to eat ice cream, or not. We choose how much ice cream to have. We choose what toppings we add and whether we lick the scoop when we are done. You must eat to live, that is true, but you must make healthy choices to live well. People often have a victim mentality when it comes to their weight, but the only one victimizing us is ourselves. No one has ever forced me to eat a donut. What kind of sick person would that be, anyway? Seriously, every donut I've ever eaten was my choice.
Today, I choose to eat in a manner that is consistent with the lifestyle I want to live. There are many great foods that I can eat. There are a many that I must eat in moderation, like one small scoop of ice cream, not a huge bowl. There are a few that I just can't eat at all.
Ultimately, it is my choice. It's your choice, too. How will you choose?
Knowledge is power, I've always heard it said, and I believe that is true. We are in a war folks, and its important that we know our enemy; poor nutrition. Find out what you are being offered and don't eat it if it's not consistent with a healthy lifestyle.
It is really a matter of choice. We choose to eat ice cream, or not. We choose how much ice cream to have. We choose what toppings we add and whether we lick the scoop when we are done. You must eat to live, that is true, but you must make healthy choices to live well. People often have a victim mentality when it comes to their weight, but the only one victimizing us is ourselves. No one has ever forced me to eat a donut. What kind of sick person would that be, anyway? Seriously, every donut I've ever eaten was my choice.
Today, I choose to eat in a manner that is consistent with the lifestyle I want to live. There are many great foods that I can eat. There are a many that I must eat in moderation, like one small scoop of ice cream, not a huge bowl. There are a few that I just can't eat at all.
Ultimately, it is my choice. It's your choice, too. How will you choose?
Friday, April 6, 2012
Diet Sodas and weight gain
There has been a ton written over the last few years about the dangers of artificial sweeteners, especially in diet sodas, and their link to weight gain. I'll be the first to admit, when I was obese I drank a ton of diet soda. Usually, I did so with a huge meal. I have heard so many theories and I just don't know what to believe.
Here is what I do know; most of us do not drink enough water. Water is necessary for life and diet sodas are not. When you look at it that way, you have to admit that diet sodas probably don't belong on the menu, at least not in the portions most of us drink them. Over the last month and a half I have eliminated them from my diet all together and I have to tell you, I don't miss them. I have had two servings of regular soda during that time, both of them only 8 oz, and I have had lots and lots of water. I've also had green tea and fresh fruit and vegetable juice.
When you consider all the great beverages out there that are beneficial, isn't it silly to be debating whether something is neutral? If there is a chance its hurting your health, shouldn't you just can it? (Pardon the pun.)
Out of curiosity, I googled the effects of diet soda on weight and found this very fascinating article on Webmd. Rather than try to paraphrase it, here's the link. I encourage you to take five minutes and read this fair, balanced assessment of the diet soda debate. As for myself, I'm skipping them, but read the article before you decide.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diet-sodas-and-weight-gain-not-so-fast
Here is what I do know; most of us do not drink enough water. Water is necessary for life and diet sodas are not. When you look at it that way, you have to admit that diet sodas probably don't belong on the menu, at least not in the portions most of us drink them. Over the last month and a half I have eliminated them from my diet all together and I have to tell you, I don't miss them. I have had two servings of regular soda during that time, both of them only 8 oz, and I have had lots and lots of water. I've also had green tea and fresh fruit and vegetable juice.
When you consider all the great beverages out there that are beneficial, isn't it silly to be debating whether something is neutral? If there is a chance its hurting your health, shouldn't you just can it? (Pardon the pun.)
Out of curiosity, I googled the effects of diet soda on weight and found this very fascinating article on Webmd. Rather than try to paraphrase it, here's the link. I encourage you to take five minutes and read this fair, balanced assessment of the diet soda debate. As for myself, I'm skipping them, but read the article before you decide.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diet-sodas-and-weight-gain-not-so-fast
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
The Secret of My Success
Everyone keeps asking me, "How have you lost all the weight?" The answer to that question could fill a book. Actually, it has. My new book, Fat's Not Funny, will be out next month. In it, I tell the story of my struggle with weight and how I finally broke free. I'll be offering a special pre-publication deal very soon on this blog, so keep looking.
There are many things that helped me; an understanding of the mechanics of weight loss, determination, goals, and a very handy tool called MyFitnessPal. If you haven't ever heard about it, check it out. If you already have the app on your phone or other mobile device, use it. It works! I go into more detail in the book, but believe me, it made taking the weight off as easy as balancing a check book.
Since March 4, 2011 I have lost 86.2 lbs. I've left several goals in the dust and am fast approaching my final goal. Read about the whole trip in my book. I'll be announcing the pre-publication deal soon.
There are many things that helped me; an understanding of the mechanics of weight loss, determination, goals, and a very handy tool called MyFitnessPal. If you haven't ever heard about it, check it out. If you already have the app on your phone or other mobile device, use it. It works! I go into more detail in the book, but believe me, it made taking the weight off as easy as balancing a check book.
Since March 4, 2011 I have lost 86.2 lbs. I've left several goals in the dust and am fast approaching my final goal. Read about the whole trip in my book. I'll be announcing the pre-publication deal soon.
Monday, April 2, 2012
New title, same purpose
I've slightly changed the name of the blog and the name of my book. The website www.fatisnotfunny.com was already taken so I got www.fatsnotfunny.com instead. To keep the whole process unified, I'm changing the title of the blog and the book to "Fat's Not Funny." Same meaning, and certainly the same mission.
I am excited to announce that I will be publishing the book within the next month and will be offering my friends on facebook and on the blog a special pre-purchase deal. I'll announce details in a few days.
Thanks for reading, and please, share this blog with your friends.
I am excited to announce that I will be publishing the book within the next month and will be offering my friends on facebook and on the blog a special pre-purchase deal. I'll announce details in a few days.
Thanks for reading, and please, share this blog with your friends.
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