100 Things I Learned in the Last 100 Days

Not in any specific order...

1. I can, indeed (despite numerous failed attempts), lose weight.
2. Drink lots of water.
3. Drinking half your weight 'in ounces' of water (240 pounds = 120 ounces of water) every day is harder than it sounds
4. Nuts have lots of calories.
5. Avocados have lots of calories.
6. So does cheese.
7. Andrea got me a membership in the "Cheese-of-the-Month Club" for Christmas. Go figure.
8. Going 'public" and telling 3,000 of your closest friends and customers that you're going to do something is a great way to feel (and be) committed!
9. Regarding #7 above: Despite getting me a membership in the "Cheese of the Month Club", Andrea is not just a great wife, she's a great friend... and a GREAT COACH!
10. Never shop when you're hungry.
11. You WILL hit plateaus when you're dieting, so do be surprised and get discouraged when they occur.
12. When you do, mix up your food intake and exercise routine.
13. Having organized exercise classes to attend are better than just going to the gym and working out on your own.
14. You can lose 1.2 pounds of water in 30 minutes in the sauna... but you will gain it all back drinking a single large glass of water when you get out!
15. Every choice you make, no matter how small, makes a difference.
16. If you fall off the diet, get back on immediately.
17. Fat free food can still make you fat.
18. I hate doing crunches.
19. But I love what doing crunches does for my core.
20. Peanut butter has the devil's fingerprints all over it.
21. Snacking on peanut butter is like injecting 'liquefied lard' directly into your veins.
22. SLOW DOWN when you eat. Give your brain time to get the message that you're full.
23. Eating from smaller plates works, but only if you limit the number of small plates of food you eat!
24. You CAN lose weight during the holidays - even Thanksgiving! But I'm convinced that the devil created Christmas stockings.
25. Lettuce has negative calories.
26. Lettuce has negative taste, unless you put lots dressing on it.
27. Dressing has lots of calories.
28. Where did we start? Oh, yeah, lettuce.There is an entire section of the grocery store dedicated to health food. Who knew?
29. There are entire stores that sell athletic clothing and equipment, too - whole chains of them, in fact.
30. Nike now sells socks that are 'foot specific' (one for your left foot, the other for your right) that actually have an "L" and an "R" on them. This means that if you have two pair of socks, and you lose the "L" from each pair, you're screwed.
31. The ad says, "Friends don't let friends drive drunk." I say, friends don't let friends eat cheese."
32. Too many happy hours can make you sad.
33. Posting your weight loss goal on the refrigerator is fine, but all the 'goal setting' in the world is useless if you don't change your behavior.
34. Cotton is better than cotton/polyester blends when it comes to breathability.
35. Never exercise in a green rubber suit with the erroneous belief that you'll sweat off extra weight. All it does is block your pores (which prevents evaporation) and makes you look like a giant jogging pickle.
36. Muscle weighs more than fat.
37. Weight lifting is only half the job; you also have to put them down SLOWLY to get the full benefit.
38. It should be called weight-lifting-and-lowering.
39. The reason most people go to the gym for years but never make progress is that they work until they 'get tired' when they should be 'working to failure.' There is a BIG difference.
40. Building muscle is a process that starts with destroying muscle, which (during the repair process) is repaired and rebuilt stronger than before. And then doing this again and again and again.
41. You cannot lose a significant amount of weight by cutting your hair, unless you have a significant amount of hair.
42. Taking your dog for a brisk walk can be a great form of exercise. Taking your cat for a walk will only slow you down.
43. Prunes do what they say prunes do.
44. Never eat prunes before giving a major presentation.
45. You still have to eat if you want to lose weight - otherwise your body will think you're starving and shut down your metabolism.
46. I used to blame my metabolism (and my parents) for my weight gain ("It's not my fault, it's genetic). But now I know that, even if your genes are conspiring against you, YOU can conspire back.
47. You need a full 7-8 hours of sleep every night, otherwise your metabolism gets disrupted.
48. Wine truly IS the primary "trigger" that causes me to eat too much, and if I want to control my wight in the future, I must control how my alcohol consumption.
49. I actually do like fruit!
50. I actually do like seafood!
51. I actually do like yogurt!
52. I really do not like raw vegetables.
53. Breakfast really IS the most important meal of the day (lunch and dinner are VERY jealous!)
54. Never eat anything that starts with the letter "C" (cookies, candy, chocolate, cheese, cake, cheesecake, crackers, cupcakes, corn dogs, and on and on)
55. The letter "P" isn't much better: pasta, pizza (especially with pepperoni), popcorn (especially if you butter it), pastries of almost any kind (especially of the "puff" variety) and, oh yeah, did I mention peanut butter?
56. Exceptions to #54 & #55 above (corn, carrots, coffee... pears, pomegranates, prunes)
57. Coffee has no calories - it's the cream that kills you (another "C")
58. 40 pounds = 6 inches in my waistline (44 to 38)
59. A 100 Day Weight Loss Challenge can save you lots of money on dining out. If I told you what we used to spend dining out you'd die.
60. You must learn to strengthen your "core"
61. The best core training is AB WORK, BACK EXERCISES, YOGA and PILATES (which does it all!)
62. Muscles bur calories, even when you're sleeping, so if you want to lose weight, build muscle!
63. The typical bag of marshmallows contains about 1,500 calories... even if you toast them
64. One has no idea just how much weight they've gained until they lose it!
65. Nothing tastes as good as 'thin' feels
66. Eating a single Snickers bar requires 40+ minutes on the treadmill to work off
67. Be kind to your hips and knees - you'll miss those suckers when they're gone
68. Great friends are good to have, especially when you go about tackling a big challenge
69. I found out that Andrea doesn't put up with any $#!+ when I make public commitment, and then want to 'cheat' (and that's a good thing!)
70. Did I mention that peanut butter is evil? I'm pretty sure that if jars of Skippy Extra-Chunky were hanging in the Garden of Eden, Adam would have been the first one with his hand up in the branches.
71. I've spent the last 12+ years carrying the equivalent of a large bag of dog food in my arms. No wonder I was always tired!
72. Scrambled eggs with cheese in them may taste good, but it triples the calories (there's that damn cheese again!)
73. Contrary to popular belief, you heart won't automatically EXPLODE over 140 beats per minute (200? That's another story, but 140 is exhausting but pretty safe)
74. There's a new piece of exercise equipment called an 'Elliptical' machine (well, at least it was new to me)
75. Just because a stocking has someone else's name on it, that doesn't mean the candy in it
76. John F. Kennedy, during his famous 1962 "Moon" speech, said: "I believe we should commit to put a man on the moon and return him safely to earth." The 'return safely to earth' part is important. Therefore...
77. I'd like to amend my original declaration of "Get under 200 pounds" by adding "and keeping it off."
78. I...
79. will...
80. never...
81. weigh...
82. over...
83. 200...
84. pounds...
85. again.
86. Next January 1 I will send you an updated photo!
87. You can do anything you set your mind to, even if you've tried and failed over and over and over before.
88. Oops, forgot to mention 'Cashews' and 'Pretzels'
89. Getting snowed-in can really make things challenging because there's nothing to do but work... watch TV... and EAT!
90. I now need new clothes, but that's a good thing
91. I do have some old stuff I've been saving for when this day came, but it's all 'out of style'
92. Staying on a diet while traveling CAN be done!
93. The seats on airplanes seemed to keep getting smaller over the last decade, but now they seem to be getting bigger again. Or is it just me?
94. My back problems seemed to go away as my weight reduced. A coincidence?
95. I could have lost 50 pounds if I had been "perfect" (but who is complaining?)
96. It didn't take 100 days to feel good about yourself. I started feeling good the day I "decided"
97. You can't hire someone to do your push ups for you.
98. Watching exercise shows on TV while laying on the couch burns exactly 4 calories per hour. Actually getting up and doing the exercises burns more.
99. I you've got weight to lose, it doesn't matter where you start from - just start!
100. It can change your life.