Hamenopi

When you have goals, it's important to find others who's beliefs line up with them. Is not it easier to communicate with those in agreement? Imagine getting fitness advice from someone who doesn't care about fitness. Don't surround yourself with the wrong people and expect the right results to fall in your lap. Dumping Friends Then should you dump friends who don't share you views? Just because your friend doesn't share your interest in fitness or weight loss doesn't mean you can't share other interests. I know many gamers who don't care about weight loss. No problem! I still love them and we still frequently hang out. Of course, if they ever do become interested, they know who to talk to. Imposing Views The issue arrives when their goals impose on your goals. If you struggle with overcoming an addiction to sweet deserts and your friends keeps offering you ice cream, their goals are imposing on your goals. Listen, it may be a good intention in...

"You are a product of your environment. So choose the environment that will best develop you toward your objective. Analyze your life in terms of its environment. Are the things around you helping you toward success - or are they holding you back?" - W. Clement Stone Would you hold a weight loss meeting in a donut shop? How about an Alcoholic Anonymous Meeting at a bar? How about a smoking cessation class at a cigar lounge? Environment matters But environment isn't just location, it's also the people you surround yourself with. Are the people you surround yourself with helping you reach your goal or are they holding you back? Maybe it's a good time to take inventory .

I will never fully understand the life of an Iranian in Tehran during the regime change. No matter how many books read, movies watched, nor people interviewed I can never truly be a product of that environment. But your environment does not define you. It also doesn't have to be static. Your past doesn't have to dictate your future. Sure, your past is important, but not nearly as important as your vision for the future Or rather the way you see your future is more important than what's happened in the past. But changing your environment takes a conscious decision, it requires conscious effort, and sometime the results are also not immediate. Circle of Friends “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” - Jim Rohn The people you spend the most time with have the greatest influence on you. Those are the people you surround yourself with. Your environment. Look at them? Where are they in life compared to you? Typically most of them will be aroun...

But not foolish. It's great wanting to lose 100 pounds in 1 year... But trying for 2 pounds a week for 25 weeks is hard when you struggle to lose 1 pound a week. And what do you do when you start hitting your plateaus? Progress isn't linear. Do you eat less? If you're already are your minimum viable calorie consumption, you're starving yourself. Fasting is great, but it's not a long term solution. Starving yourself is a great way to retain water, compromise liver and kidney function, and throw your hormones out of whack. Consider the alternative. If you have been gaining weight, first learn to stabilize your weight. Try a weight stabilization diet for a few weeks and find out what's sustainable for you which also achieves the goals your are looking for. Once you learn how to maintain your weight, practice losing 1 pound a week. That about a 500 calorie deficit a day. A combination of dietary habits and increased exercise will get you there easy.

On my About Me page I mention how I was depressed without hope and I believed my family was falling apart before my eyes. Looking back, I realize I was deceiving myself, devouring unhealthy thoughts. I started to believe my family was against me and began self fulfilling the negative prophecy in my mind. False Narrative With the false narrative, I added to my 10 ton bag of lies and began to misplace blame. I started looking for reasons why my family was 'broken'. Days they didn't have energy to clean, I'd fill my plate with the fruit of resentment thinking. "If only they loved me, they'd help me pick up this house." What's more, when Anne Marie mentioned how I also forgot to finish a chore, I would be quick to anger, pointing out how it was me always bending over backwards. Busting my butt. Cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids. Relationships But it's not easier to fit a square peg in a round hole by pushing harder. I was planting ...

My friend Gregory states "Pokemon Go is the greatest social game to date". That's high praise but he has a point. For years MMOs kept him, myself, and millions of others in our houses. We were connected in MMOs, but only virtually. Physically we were hidden in dark hideaways double clicking relentlessly at a glowing monitor. Not a sterling definition of social. But now millions of people are leaving their house and heading to parks and community centers to catch them all. Millions of people are now outside, walking every single day, meeting others they would have never met otherwise. There are already reports of Pokemon Go couples. Players who met chasing Pokemon now going on dates. Like I stated in Pokemon Going , it's only a matter of time until Pokemon Go is mentioned in wedding vows. What's more, savvy businesses owners are capitalizing on the craze. They are intentionally placing Lures at PokeStops near their location to attract potential customers. ...

At work Michael mentioned he uses a mirror to determine his fitness. I had to ask him, "So what does fit 'look' like anyway?" What does fit look like? Lying Mirrors I realize many people do it. I know I have. But when we determine our 'health and fitness levels' by looks, we are doing our self a huge disservice, physically and mentally. The body is a fast fading facade. Don't slide down that slippery slope. PS By the way, mirrors don't lie. It's just the stories we tell ourselves looking in mirrors aren't always accurate.

When I suggest batch meal planning, the most common opposition is "I get sick of eating the same thing over and over!" But aren't you also sick of being unhealthy? Following my proven plan will save you time, money, and stress at the expense of being nutritionally repetitive. Following no plan will cost you time, money, and stress. You'll likely also have a harder time tracking nutrition and will probably lose less weight. So what are you more sick of, being unhealthy, strung out, out of time, and broke? Or being nutritionally repetitive a few times a week? While you're thinking about it, let me introduce you a secret weapon I call Mrs. Dash .

My wife decided this week to rededicate herself to weight loss. She want to lose 50 lbs by years end. This is an aggressive plan. Losing 2 pounds a week for 25 weeks is not a cake walk. I'd love prayers and well wishes. One of the way I'll be supporting her is by counting my calories with MyFitnessPal . If you don't use a calorie tracking app and are looking to lose weight, I highly recommend it. If you do have it, please connect with me. My user name is Hamenopi . I'd love to encourage you on that platform. What more, I'm continuing my journey to from over 300 lbs to under 200 pounds . Currently I'm at 218.5 lbs. I'd love for you to motivate me past the finish line.

You might not know Pokemon stop locations originate from Ingress Portals. Since I played Ingress, I knew where the local stops were most cluttered for efficient play. So today at lunch, I had a quick bite and headed over to one so called location. It's name, Fullerton Park. Fullerton Park was alive with people walking the perimeter! Every so often, the people in turn would look down at their phone, swipe a few times, then keep walking. Young people, old people, healthy people, and no so healthy people; they all were there. I saw at least 10 people, more than I've ever seen during the heat of the day before. What more, they were all waving and nodding to each other. From time to time, they'd stop for a quick chat before continuing. I talked to three of them for a bit, walking with them around the lap for some time. We talked about locations they've been and strategies they used. We talked about teams they're on and other interests we shared. I had a great time ...

I think back to when I was a kid. I remember clearly still the original Pokemon. I loved that game! I played that game for MONTHS! So of course my attention diverts when facebook erupts in Pokemon pics and chatter. Shortly after that, I see walls upon walls of Pokemon GO hate. It alarmed me some of the people with such strong negative opinions about the game. Apparently this game turn people into zombies and idiots! So I got curious and I installed it to see what the rage was all about. I also wanted to see if I was the very best, the best there ever was. So far I noticed these interesting things about the game... The application doesn't run unless you tell it to. It doesn't force you to stare at the screen. It doesn't order you to run out into traffic. It doesn't compel you to capture Pokemon while driving. In the end, Pokemon GO is just an application. It's the user who applies it. Analysis The application doesn't create anything except an experie...

Last week, I shared how by using simple accountability principles, I was able to identify certain key problem areas in my weight loss journey. By identifying them, I was able to increase my weight loss an extra pound a week. That is insane! What's more, I also was able to enjoy better brain food via books and get more well needed sleep. 1 stone, 3 birds. Another thing I noted was how I was just throwing away food. Leftovers accumulated in my fridge, tossed week's end for a fresh supply. Houston! We got a problem here! I'm here hemorrhaging food and money while complaining about the price of organic produce! It not something I could just bandage. Some were just small portions but others could be re-purposed into new meals with ingenuity. Come on! There has to be a better way! Luckily I was building my nutritional play book and found a few. I want to share them with you. Food Hacks Every week I was discarding Italian style ground beef to make room for Mexican style...

An interesting part of accounting is you can build a nutritional play book. You also end up learning a lot about yourself. One thing I found out is I'm far more likely to consume a ton of calories after 10 pm. 2 tons when watching TV with my wife at night. Popcorn appears. Wine appears. Chocolate appears. It's there. It's convenient. It's easy. So it's consumed. Mindless. Without Account. Destroyed Progress I started tracking and accounting for it. You know, the whole accountability part. I woke to a glaring hole in my diet, a devious deficiency in my nutritional strategy. I was a late night food druggie! No matter how good I did during the day, when I watched TV after 10, without thought I'd destroy all my work! Boob Tube Zombie If you're anything like me, 4 hours vanishes every time I look at a TV. I'm not even saying Binge watching from time is bad but when it's the norm, that's the issue. Last year, a decent sleep was the actual ...

Just like food, you consume thoughts. Consider that for a minute. Every second a hero's feast of thoughts lies before you. Some thoughts are your own while others are from those you know. Still others from origins not immediately obvious. They all sprinkle across the table before you, ready for consumption. The question is... With which thoughts do you feed yourself? Like food, not all thoughts are healthy. Some can even make you physically ill! Healthy and unhealthy, positive and negative, good and evil, life giving and toxic! Your tables is a smörgåsbord of different thoughts. Which ones are you eating? A Mental Harvest Thoughts dictate emotions and emotions dictate actions. When you consume a seed of thought, you bring it into your own body. Once within, you water and grow the seed into a plant of emotion. Eventually, those emotions bud flowers and bear forth the fruit of our actions. I ask you, Does an orange tree grow apples and an apple tree grow oranges? No! The seeds ...

Okay, so logging your food is tedious and boring. I get that. I feel you. I felt the same way. At first it is going to be tedious and boring. The gold is worth the dig. Risk out on it and you'll see. I just want to go over a few perk I found on my personal accountability journey I think may convince you to pick up your mental shovel and start sifting. The week you lost 5 pounds. You don't have to work to remember what you ate to get there. It's written down. The week you gain 5 pounds. You don't have to work to remember what you ate to get there. It's written down. You become more aware of the food you consume. You are able to assign nutritional and caloric values to food. You can review and begin learning what foods are a great fit for your goals and what foods are a bad fit for your goals. The Fun Stuff This is when you can start hacking the system in your favor. This is where the Nutritional Rubik's cube finally makes sense. This is where you rea...

I would eat healthy for 3 day in a row. I'd get my greens in and eat grilled chicken or fish. With Quinoa! I'd get ground turkey instead of beef for taco tuesday. I'd even make it a lettuce wrap instead of a tortilla! I was doing good! Then on the 3rd slam down a greasy 1000 calorie burger for lunch. Of course, on the 4th day I woke up full of regret and was certain I ruined my diet for the week. I was bloated and cranky and felt like a bleeding failure. So I did what any sane person would do, I gave up on my diet until next Monday. Giving Up I've wrote previously in my newsletter how lack of consistency wasn't my biggest problem but my perception of myself when I wasn't consistent was. I want to expand on that. When I tripped up in my diet, I mentally and emotionally started to sabotage myself. After a bad day, I woke up and saw myself as a failing fat guy who couldn't figure out how to lose weight. I'd step on that scale and see all the...

I advocate accountability groups and parters. In fact, I have a few of both. But the biggest game changer for me has been developing personal accountability. Before you run for the hills, let me break it down so you. Accountability is not punishment Accountability does not mean eating a snickers, feeling regret, then running to the gym for 3 hours of HIIT. It does not mean eating a reeses, hate crying yourself into the fetal position, then promising to fast the next three days. That's called punishing yourself! Punishment HIIT and Fasting have their place in health and nutrition but it shouldn't be punishment. Just like Snicker's and Reese's have places and it shouldn't be shame. That's driving down resentment road with your emotional brake lines cut. These stories don't have happy endings! Note: HIIT and fasting is not necessary for weight loss. Neither are Snickers and Reeses. I'm using hyperboles to compare and contrast. Accountabilit...

Recently Tom Ziglar asked me these amazing questions: What has been the most helpful thing on your journey to keep you moving forward? What do you do daily, even when you may not feel like it? Wow! Right? They aren't easy to answer, that's for sure. But I did and I feel others could gain value from my answer so I'm posting it here. My Response That is a really good question Tom! Also it's a pleasure to get an email from you! Blown away! I sat on this question and let my mind take me on the journey. After a while the answer became so crystal clear you could make a telescope out of it. Then I realized it's one of those secrets everyone knows but no one does. It was logging my thoughts and actions. Note taking. Personal accountability. Once I realized it, my memory jumped to your dad's lesson on how note takers were so much more likely to close than those who didn't. It made sense! I mean it's really hard to improve on something you don't track...

"You run the day or the day runs you." Take inventory of your day Find out what exactly are you doing with your time. Are you being efficient with your day? Are you running your day? Or is the day running you. Are you so busy playing catch-up, you feel like a professional juggler? Your Day Take inventory Find out what you do, when you do it, and why. Once you discover your routine, start to tweak it. What's really important and what's wasting your time? Are you utterly inefficient with your time? I was. Found Time Now I'm amazed at what I can do. I found time to cook healthy, real food with 3 kids. I found time to exercise I found time to devote to those I love. I found time to learn new skills. Don't Wait Find ways to optimize your available hours But waiting for your available hours to optimize themselves is waiting to lose. Don't wait to lose. Take inventory and start winning. Related Posts The Most Important Thing 1 Gamschanging Sym...

Picture this. Texas man in the middle of a meat fast on taco Tuesday. Not a pretty picture, eh? But I wasn't going to allow that ground round crackling on the stove to tempt me so I invented Baked Cauliflower Picante . At first taste, I melted but after recomposure, I knew what had to be done. I knew what would elevate this already amazing dish to Olympic proportions. Guacamole! Combining these 2 awesome dishes into one meal was amazing, you just got to try it. But first, you need to know how to make it. Ingrediants 2 Avocados Rotel Chili Diced Purple Onions (or Onion Powder) Minced Garlic Lime Juice Pink Rock Salt Cracked Black Pepper Directions Peel and mash avacados into a serving bowl. Stir in Rotel, Onions, Garlic, Lime Juice, Salt, and Pepper. Season to taste. Chill for 15 minutes. Thoughts That's it! It's that simple.... But the taste is divine! It's a great dish by itself but married with the Baked Cauliflower Picante , this pair would make famous ch...