For the second time in the past few months, I’ve shared a row on a commercial flight with a person so overweight that they had to “ring the bell” to ask the flight attendant for a seat belt extender.

For most, that would be motivation enough to make some life changes. To quote a a 30-ish female I overheard on the next aisle seat… “the alarm would be ringing!” and I would agree that it is time to be alarmed about 40-ish fitness and especially weight loss and maintenance.

Aging and Obesity

Based on this study, over 1/3 of U.S. adults are obese! 1 out of 3! And worse than that for us 40-ish guys and girls the number is a staggering 4 out of 10. Not just overweight, but OBESE – defined as having a BMI over 30. BMI for in shape people may not be the best measure, but we’re talking about reality and most people aren’t in shape so I think it is close enough.

Levels of obesity in America continue to rise from year to year…now more than ever we are hearing about childhood obesity… Even children between 6-11 years old are overweight….It’s no wonder that America is getting larger and larger.

KISS – Portion Control

Why are we getting OBESE so fast in the good ole USA? Keeping it simple, one of the major, and controllable, factors is portion sizes!

• Portions are massive
• Convenience is a must
• America is a wealthy nation (in comparison)
• Our over busy schedules lead us to fast food choices instead of a healthy meal

We all fluctuate weight from time-to-time. Don’t beat yourself up if you want a large –fill in the blank– once in a while, but whatever that vice or cheat meal may be, make it a choice and a one time a week choice, not every meal needs supersized.

My question today is:
At what point does the warning bell go off in your head, letting you know it’s “Go Time“? How much weight do you need to lose when the weight loss voices begin to talk? For most it is after the holidays when we begin to look forward to pool/lake/beach season.

The only alternative is to decide at what point do you just throw in the towel (or doughnut) and say to heck with it? Lean over to That Guy in the seat next to you and mutter – Can you reach up there and sound that alarm for me – my fat arm won’t let me reach it…Gimme dat seat belt extender!

The goal today is to set my internal bell to ring prior to making bad eating choices. A preemptive strike on my waistline! Target is in sight and my battle strategy in place.
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Game on and 6 pack strong!
See you at the beach!
That Guy