We’re #1! We’re #1! We are the most obese nation in the world!

Hey people, Darrin here again with Darrin online coaching.

I’m back at it again to talk about where we are as a nation when it comes to fitness; that is as opposed to where we should be.  

I, of course, am a huge fan of people getting fit.  That has a lot to do with my background in sports as well as my military experience.  As a former Marine I believe a person should always be prepared to do what’s necessary.  Regardless of the situation, whether it is serving our country or taking care of your family, you should always be ready.  That being said, we are not ready! To do anything! We used to be #1 in just about everything! We were world leaders in almost every category!  America, what happened?  I’ll tell you what; we took another number one spot:  the gold medal in obesity.  

Yes!  We are finally back on top!  No, not in sports, academics, or industry; we are # 1 in being fat!  Nobody in the world does it better than us apparently!  We are the most obese nation in the world!  Look, I know I am poking fun at a serious problem but you have to wonder, what happened to us.  Why have we have fallen so far so fast that we are now dragging our kids down with us?

Why is it ok to be overweight?  Why is it ok to be obese?  Why does it seem like we’re not doing anything about it?  These are serious questions that deserve serious scrutiny.  This is the road we find ourselves on, so buckle up; we are about to forge a new route on this journey.  We will be correcting the misinformed and misguided ways of the fitness mindset in America.  

This is not intended to put anyone down but, it is meant to be constructive criticism.  Self-reflection and evaluation are going to lead to a call to action!  America: The land of the free to be obese.  We will put  a stop to this, together.  We will help America understand how important it is to be healthy.

Fast Food vs. Healthy Food Obesity & Discrimination

Darrin back again with Darrin the online coach!

Be warned, I am going to be very direct in this article.  It’s time to talk about the elephant in the room (no pun intended), which is obesity.   Please understand it is not my intention to make anyone feel, bad but I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t speak openly and honestly about the problems that fast food and obesity are causing for adults and our children. 

This is a national problem on multiple levels, including economic and social.  Obesity and all the health issues associated with it, represents one of the largest financial burdens on our health care system.  A negative impact on our wallets due to expensive healthcare gets a nationwide reaction, but nothing is being done to prevent the problem in the first place.  

Fast food corporations prey on people.  The marketing techniques they use make it seem as though the $5 salad or turkey burger is a healthy choice.  Do you really believe they could mass produce that salad with healthy greens instead of iceberg lettuce for the same price?  Would you care to discuss the health benefits of the cheeses, processed meat products, croutons, and dressings they offer with these fast food wonders?  And what about that turkey burger?  Ground from the leanest cuts with no fillers, and low sodium, right?  Let’s not forget the bun and special sauce that make it so delicious.   

I have been fortunate enough to travel to several different countries in my life including, England, France, and Africa.  In my experience, aside from France, nobody adores money and an appealing physique more than we do here in America.  Obesity, however, paints a poor picture of Americans.  We went from being a super power to being a super-sized power.  The images we see on TV show everyone being depicted as fit and sexy.  In reality, those people represent the minority.  I challenge you to go to any mall, look around, and tell me what you actually see.  Three out of every five people will be overweight or obese.  How do you think that affects self-esteem, confidence, and our ability to function in society?

It may seem unfair, but the simple truth is that first impressions are lasting impressions.  When you meet someone for the first time, you remember if things went poorly.  When you are meeting that special someone’s family for the first time, no matter how confident you are, you want to make a good impression.  Well, what about a job interview?  What about the college graduate who is 5’4 and weighs a soft 200lbs?  What about the recently displaced 40 something year old who is starting over at about 75lbs overweight?  It may sound harsh, but body image is a factor.  A corporation looking to hire someone who will represent their company wants someone who cares about how they present themselves.  And please know that a Human Resource Manager is considering your impact on the company’s health insurance costs (but they won’t tell you that…). 

We have faced many battles stemming from discrimination over the years ranging from sexism, to racism, to classism, to ageism, to homosexuals in the military, and more.  Now we face obesity, which is an equal opportunity problem for everyone.  Society may judge what is on the outside, but you need to judge what’s going on inside.  Why are you here?  What are you going to do about it?    

Fast Food vs. Healthy Food They Supply What You Demand

Darrin, back with Starting Over Online Coaching!

Let’s look at eating from a different perspective.  A lot of people who are making an effort to watch their weight do so by trying to make better restaurant choices i.e., “I’ll go to Chick-fil-a instead of Burger King, or Subway instead of McDonald’s”.  You’re probably thinking that’s a step in the right direction right?  Actually, that’s wrong.  Are you really making healthier choices, or do you just assume that you are? 

Many people think that simply choosing one type of fast food restaurant over another to will aid in their quest for fitness.  The problem?  You still have to account for how the food is prepared, and what’s in it.  Fast food restaurants are in business to make money, which they can’t do if no one is buying.  Their goal is to make the food taste good for the lowest cost possible, so things like sodium, fat, and sugar are often added to your favorite foods at very high levels, without your ever knowing.  Many chains have given in to public pressure and are now making the nutritional information about their menus available upon request, but make no mention of the artificial flavors, colors, fillers, and preservatives that are also commonly used. 

Which is more likely to be a topic of discussion and garner more interest; a new fast food chain opening in the neighborhood, or a healthy foods grocery store?  How many grocery stores do you see in a one mile radius compared to fast food restaurants?  It is a lot simpler to go through the drive thru on the way home than the produce section on the way to your pots and pans.  If you’re not using the pots and pans, there are no leftovers to take to work the next day for lunch, so what do you do?  Make a quick run, and besides, the “dollar” and “value” menus make it a little easier, don’t they? 

When you prepare your own food, you control what goes into it, thereby controlling what goes into you and your family.  Baking and broiling are better than frying.  Low-fat ground turkey and chicken are better than red meat.  Herbs and spices are better than salt.  It is also important to know how the food you consume was tended to before it went to market.  How many hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides were used on the ingredients in that sausage egg and cheese biscuit?  You know all this, right?  Well, what are you getting in the drive thru? 

You can’t help how you were taught, but you can help what you learn and what you do from this point on to change your life and your health for the better.  No one is saying there won’t be an occasional drive thru in your life.  The trick is to make it the exception rather than the norm.  It may also encourage the “suppliers” to answer the “demand” for healthier options. 

Fast Foods vs. Healthy Foods Are We Products of a “Quick and Easy” Environment?

Hi folks, it is Darrin, back again with Darrin starting over coaching “food for thought” moment. 

Trainers spend a lot of time educating clients on why they should eat certain foods, why it is important to eat so many times per day, and why it is important to stay hydrated.  Time after time, clients will disregard what we teach them to look for a shortcut to losing weight, believing they can find an easier way to succeed.  It is completely understandable to want things to happen quickly, but we all know “quick and easy” never lasts when it comes to the body.  What you’re trying to repair didn’t happen overnight, how can you expect to undo it overnight?

So, how do we overcome the obsession with “quick and easy” ways to weight loss success?  Concentrate on our environment.  What do I mean by our “environment”?  We have moved away from the traditional American culture of working hard for what we want, and immersed ourselves in the newer idea of shortcuts being the answer to everything.  We require our phones to be high speed computers, businesses must provide us the services we want yesterday, the fast food drive thru is a “quick and easy” answer, and even the food prepared at home must be microwavable and done in 5 minutes or less.

“Quick and easy” is how we prefer to live our lives, but, does it work for losing weight and getting in shape?  The weight loss industry would like you to think so.  Consider all the quickie weight loss plans and miracle pills that are available.  It is easy to fall into this trap because society tells us “quick and easy” is better.  Not so.  

Here are some basic fitness tips:

1.      When you lose body fat too fast, your body thinks something is wrong, so it does everything it can to gain it back.

2.      Your body responds to rhythm; therefore, if each day you have a different calorie count, your body will have a harder time responding.

Your body can utilize healthy food from a grocery store better than processed junk food from a fast food restaurant.  Your body is a natural machine.  It knows what to do with natural food.  Artificial dyes, fillers, and preservatives confuse the natural process, so the only things the body can do is move it around through your system where it wreaks havoc, or store it away (on  your waistline) until it figures out what to do with it. 

When you try to take the “quick and easy” route, at some point you’ll end up back where you started, and reaching your goal ends up being more work in the long run.  So why not take the time to do it right the first time and learn what is needed to lose weight and get in shape for life?

Fast Food vs. Healthy Food It’s just calories, right?

Hi people!  Darrin back your starting over coach

One of the main misconceptions my clients delude themselves with when we do our fitness assessments is that fast food is just excess calories, and that as long as they do portion control, they’re fine.  No.  If they only eat half now and the rest later, that’s good.  No.  It is a very popular (and abused) idea used to justify eating fast food. 

Eating half now and saving the rest for later sounds like a good idea, right?  May I ask the last time you actually did “save the rest for later”?  I’d also like to inquire if you research what you’re actually consuming.  How many calories, fat grams, carbs, sodium, sugar, and fillers are in that meal?  The average fast food meal has 1300 calories. Take a look at the video link below from the Today Show to see an example of what you know vs. what you think you know.  By the way, 1300 calories can equal 4 healthy meals with grilled chicken, broccoli, and brown rice.  Hmm, one fast food meal split in two vs. 4 satisfying healthy meals.  I know which one(s) I’d choose…

Again, this is all about weight loss and being healthy.  There are so many things we take for granted or simply ignore when it comes to how we eat.  Would you like to know why you can’t go all day without eating (because you’re “cutting calories”), then eat a quick/easy/convenient 1300 calorie fast food meal without expecting your body to store it?  Come talk to me and we’ll cover all the bases.

Lets Be apart of the #HealthISWealth Campaign