Carole Carson

AARP's FAT-TO-FIT WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE

AARP’S FAT-TO-FIT WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM
CHALLENGES AMERICANS TO LOSE 10,000 Pounds

“Fat-To-Fit” Program to Track Weight Loss and Lifestyle Changes over Three-Month Challenge

Today (June 21, 2010), we launched AARP’s second annual “Fat-to-Fit Summer Weight Loss Challenge,” an online program challenging people to make positive, permanent lifestyle changes to improve their health. The Fat 2 Fit challenge will be hosted on AARP’s website (www.aarp.org/fat2fit). I will lead the Fat 2 Fit online community members through the summer-long program.

Studies show people are more likely to stick to exercise plans when they have support, and the Fat 2 Fit program will focus on personal interaction with both me and other participants through the Fat 2 Fit online community, which already boasts more than 4,600 members. Here participants will be able to access free diet and fitness tips, informational articles, videos, recipes and more.

Unlike diets and other weight-loss programs, the Fat-to-Fit Challenge is intended to help people make permanent, positive lifestyle changes–not just drop 10 pounds and then return to their old habits. Our hope is to help people break the diet-relapse cycle for good.

Beginning today, visitors to www.AARP.org will be invited to join the Fat-to-Fit Summer Weight Loss Challenge. Participants record their weight and activity and strive to lose pounds. Every time a user updates his or her weight, the Fat 2 Fit site shows how much weight he or she has lost since joining and how many pounds the Fat 2 Fit community has lost collectively. Participation in the Fat 2 Fit online community is key to the contest. Participants are urged to post frequent updates and to exchange ideas, encouragement, recipes and moral support.

The challenge will run through September 6, 2010. Throughout the challenge, I will select weekly prize winners, and when the challenge ends, I will select the top five overall winners. Winners will be selected on three criteria: serving as a role model for the entire community, facing and overcoming challenges, and demonstrating the principles of the Fat 2 Fit program. The first-place winner will receive a one-year Gold’s Gym membership, with six months of personal training, and also receive a trip to Orlando, Florida, where the winner will participate in a health session with me at AARP’s Orlando@50+ National Event and Expo, September 30-October 2, 2010. Official rules and details are available at www.aarp.org/fat2fit.

The Health Benefits of Being Happy

Are you happy? Admittedly, enjoyment and pleasure can be important components of happiness. But there's more. Beyond gratification is a level of happiness that psychologists describe as "eudaimonic well-being." At this point, positive emotions arise when an individual is working toward a meaningful goal. This person is continuing to learn, taking on new challenges and living purposefully.

Eudaimonic happiness is as good for our bodies as it is for our outlook. Dr. Carol Ryff, professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin, reports that women who tested high for this quality weighed less, slept better and had fewer stress hormones and markers for heart disease than those reporting hedonic happiness. Dr. Richard J. Davidson reinforces this idea: "Eudaimonic well-being is much more robust and satisfying than hedonic happiness, and it engages different parts of the brain. The positive emotion accompanying thoughts that are directed toward meaningful goals is one of the most enduring components of well-being."

I think this is what Helen Keller meant when she said, "Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."

This is why I encourage anyone interested in becoming fit to join a community, like the AARP Fat2 Fit online community. Contributing to others involves us in a worthy purpose: supporting each other in achieving fitness. This research assures us that our delight in helping each other helps us as well.

Photo courtesy of Rayko Swensson

What is Your Dangerous Idea?

What do you believe but cannot prove? What is your dangerous idea? What are you optimistic about?

These intriguing questions are the subjects of books whose author, John Brockman, challenges our thinking about almost everything. Each is a collection of essays from some of the smartest people on the planet. When exposed to the innovative thinking in the essays, I remind myself that ideas once considered radical, even heretical, in one century are widely accepted in the next. If nothing else, reading the essays stretches my imagination.

So what’s my dangerously radical idea?

My idea is that just as obesity is contagious, so is getting and staying fit. Becoming fit can be a fun-filled, lifelong adventure. I cannot prove this idea, although I can offer evidence in support of it.

When I chronicled my own fitness and weight-loss efforts and told the stories of others who had undertaken similar efforts, residents in our small community took notice.

When I issued an invitation in the local newspaper to join a weight-loss program, over 1,000 people showed up. Each week attendance grew, until we had over 200 teams. We lost nearly 4 tons in 8 weeks. From my perspective, that phenomenon demonstrated the truth of my idea.

Our local experiment triggered the next question: Will this idea spread? The increasing number of community weight-loss programs springing up across the country is a good sign.

According to an article by Michael Shermer in the September 2007 issue of Scientific American, several elements are needed for a movement or an idea to gain acceptance:

1. The idea takes a stand for something, not against something, and is based on a positive assertion.

2. The idea uses an intelligent, rational approach to tackle myths and raises consciousness and awareness.

3. The idea embraces the uniqueness of self and others, and it requires us to respect each other.

4. The idea encourages exploration, experimentation and a sense of adventure.

If I look at my idea for these characteristics, I think it passes the test.

First, my idea does not argue against obesity, poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles; rather, it asserts that getting fit can be fun, educational and enjoyable.

Second, my idea challenges the myth that losing weight involves dieting, deprivation and boring exercise—all requiring heroic amounts of willpower and discipline. It also challenges the myth that weight is inevitably regained. Instead, my idea is based on rational decisions about what and how much healthy, satisfying food to eat each day and how many hours to devote each week to fun-filled exercise.

Third, my idea acknowledges that the path to fitness is unique for every person, depending upon his or her age, size and time of life. Given that “one size does not fit all,” my idea requires respect for others’ choices.

And fourth, my idea asserts that the pursuit of fitness involves exploring new foods, experimenting with different exercises and learning new, healthful habits. The journey to fitness is a personal adventure.

Is my idea taking hold? I don’t know. But what I do know is that I’m having lots of fun promoting fitness and hope that more people will adopt the radical idea that getting fit is contagious and fun! (539)

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Dubbed “An Apostle for Fitness” by the Wall Street Journal, Carole Carson is the author of From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction, which chronicles her own 62-pound weight loss and the Nevada County Meltdown. Visit www.fromfat2fit.com for more information.

Soul Food—The Weigh to Thinner Peace

When we’re focused on waist management, sooner or later we must address the question of why we consume more calories than our bodies burn on any given day.

Our environment is a minefield. We have continuous access to quick meals from fast-food restaurants. Refrigerators at home and vending machines at work are stuffed with a variety of temptations. Adding a sedentary job and a disinclination to exercise regularly could explain those extra pounds.

I don’t think, however, our environment is the underlying reason so many of us are overweight. As Shakespeare wrote, “The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars but in ourselves.”

Were I to categorize my overeating, I’d begin with recreational eating. How fun it is to dine out with friends and enjoy a special meal. And I found that vacation eating is a kissing cousin to recreational eating.

“How can I resist,” I ask myself, “the hula pie?” I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve researched which restaurant serves the best. I’ve spent hours hiking, ocean bobbing and playing tennis, so I should be able to eat what I want, right?

Another favorite is convenience eating—as I’m running errands, I realize I’m starved and buy whatever is handy at whatever store is nearby.

Comfort eating is also high on my list. Items in this category include my favorite foods, like garlic mashed potatoes and homemade bread.

Preventive eating is also important—that is, I’m about to go out the door and realize I won’t be home for several hours. I’m not hungry, but I think I’d better eat something just in case I get hungry. How crazy is that rationalization?

Craved foods represent a particular temptation. Nothing calls my name as loudly as chocolate-covered raisins sitting in a jar on top of the refrigerator do. And I can’t forget starvation eating which occurs when I exercise heavily, go too long between meals and become hungry enough to “eat a horse.”

My most common mistake, though, is to eat for energy. Geneen Roth, a regular contributor to Prevention magazine, asserts that “rest is a basic human need, like food and sleep and touch.” I run myself ragged, thinking I’ll rest when I get everything done. That moment, of course, never comes. Instead, to keep going, I fight fatigue with food.

Geneen recommends an alternative approach—to become a “steady rester.” Her approach requires us to give up the notion that each moment must be spent accomplishing something worthwhile.

Geneen also suggests borrowing the McDonald’s slogan You Deserve a Break Today. But she suggests a nonfood break-taking time to relax, putter, experience stillness or gaze out the window. A successful break renews our sense of self and well-being. Inner peace, rather than a piece of chocolate cake, is what we crave.

                I must learn to be a human being instead of a human doing. Otherwise, my next book will be titled From Fit to Fat: How I Turned Myself into a Weapon of Mass Expansion.

What Is a Holistic Approach to Weight Loss?

A delightful part of my job as coach for the AARP Fat 2 Fit Community Weight-Loss Challenge is interviewing experts who share their insight on issues involving fitness. One such expert is Dr. Kay Judge, a board-certified internal medicine specialist who brings her interest in traditional and holistic medicine practices to her patients. (See her full biography below.)

I asked Dr. Judge, “What is a holistic approach to weight loss?” Her answer follows:

“We all know that ‘calories in versus calories out’ is the key to weight loss. But the human body can be more complex than a mathematical equation. If one is having a problem losing weight, then a holistic approach to weight loss may be beneficial. Holistic medicine recognizes that the mind, body and spirit all play a role in creating good health. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Am I eating to fulfill a need other than hunger?

2. Are there certain people or environments that cause me to overeat or underexercise?

3. Do I derive comfort or pleasure from eating? Does eating reduce my stress?

4. Am I eating foods that nourish my body?

5. Do I participate in activities that are good for my body?

6. What is missing from my life that food is replacing?

Answers to these questions will point you in a direction that can create a lasting solution to bringing your body in balance holistically.”

These questions can trigger self-insight and can be reviewed again and again, especially when overeating threatens to derail our fitness goals. The questions also address the underlying motivations and rewards that keep us from realizing our fitness goals. Thanks, Dr. Judge, for sharing your insight.

Biography of Kandeel “Kay” Judge, MD

Dr. Kay Judge received her medical training at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. Kay is the coauthor of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Secrets of Longevity (November 2009). She currently practices internal and holistic medicine at the Sutter Downtown Integrative Medicine Program in Sacramento, California.

Kay spent five years in India, where she discovered a passion for alternative treatment including meditation, yoga and ayurvedic medicine. Kay helps her patients find the balance between mind, body, emotions and spirit so that they can attain their fullest potential. She gives health recommendations based on a combination of conventional (Western) medicine, health and lifestyle modifications and alternative treatment options.

"Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole universe--the trees, the clouds, everthing."                        Thich Nhat Hanh        

The Challenge of Divine Discontent

No one is a bigger fan of positive psychology than I am. I make a point each day to stop and give thanks for the many gifts I receive including the two most important ones—my good health along with the love and support of my family and friends.

Yet as much as I try to savor each passing moment, I do not walk around in a state of bliss. I experience moments of frustration and stress. I may wake up irritable for no particular reason. I can be discouraged by a setback on a project. Or I can be disappointed by the actions of someone I’m close to. Although these events trigger a sense of discontent, the associated feelings are transitory. I quickly bounce back to my positive outlook.

Divine discontent, however, is another matter. When divine discontent breaks through to my consciousness, I know that I need to make a change in my life. Instead of resisting or ignoring the uncomfortable emotion (hoping it will go away), I’ve learned to embrace it. Based on past experience, I now know that divine discontent signals that it is time for my heart and mind to grow and learn. It functions as an impetus for change and precedes a burst of creativity that results in a more satisfying life.

I begin by focusing attention on the condition that triggered the divine discontent. At this point, I feel as if I am entering a black tunnel with no light at the end of it. Yet if I am willing to enter the tunnel and keep walking, I emerge into brilliant daylight. I discover new goals, I have a renewed sense of excitement about the future and I feel my daily decisions are once again aligned with my heart’s desires.

Two examples come to mind. First, when I approached my 50th birthday, I realized that while I had succeeded professionally, I lacked a partner with which to share life’s journey. Although I tried to convince myself that I was happy being single, I longed for a solid, stable relationship with a spouse. Being alone on this milestone birthday made me very sad; however, the moment I acknowledged my divine discontent, I shifted my perspective. Nine months later, I met my wonderful husband, Dick, who personifies the qualities of stability and loyalty. Eighteen months later, we were married. Had I not acknowledged this discontent, I probably would still be single.

The second example led to a decision to lose weight and become fit. One ordinary morning, I stepped on the bathroom scale, and it broke. In that instant, I realized that I had been unhappy with my weight for my entire life. For years, I had tried to persuade myself that my weight didn’t matter. But it did matter, and the broken scale symbolized my broken promises to take care of my body. Acknowledging my divine discontent triggered a commitment to eat more healthfully and exercise regularly for the rest of my life.

Had I not acknowledged my discontent, I would have continued on the same path—one that ultimately would have led to serious medical problems or perhaps my premature death.

In both cases, once I embraced the divine discontent, I made different choices, and these new choices created conditions in my life in closer alignment with my core values. William Samuel, writing about this phenomenon, says it is like “pushing a canoe into a river where it is quickly caught up in the silent and effortless flow” or “like putting a seed in fertile ground.”

If you are in a state of divine discontent, particularly if you are unhappy with your weight or the condition of your body, take heart. Divine discontent is a message we send to ourselves that keeps us from standing still when it is time to learn and grow.

Listen to the message embedded in your discontent—the challenge is to grow something beautiful from this emotion. You can be confident that embracing the discontent will cause you to make different choices. These choices will result in a more fulfilling and joyful life—one that is consistent with your deepest needs, cherished values and highest vision.

"There is no security on Earth, there is only opportunity."             General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964)