Uh, like, DUH! lol. I’d say that afterward we could eat at “Fat Ones”, but I just Googled it and it says it’s permanently closed. Dang it!
Yes!! They were the soundtrack to so many college step aerobic classes…
If I’m being honest, my life is pretty boring, so that’ll probably be the winner for the week.
I haven’t but I’m going to check it out for sure! Thanks for the rec!! #BoyBandFansForLife
Haha yes! It’s a date! I’m sure we’ll find something better than hot dogs. Although I bet Fat Ones were amazing since he and Guy Fieri are buddies.
That is a step class I would absolutely attend.
Ha! I don’t buy it. You radiate delightfulness all over the internet, which is a good indicator of a purpose-filled, awesome life.
Also, this is random, but I just finished the book, First Lie Wins and figured you’ve already read it since you’re a bibliophile. But it blew my mind!!! It was the type of book that made me go to bed early and enjoy waking up in the middle of the night.
Any time! HAHA great hashtag.
The more we study this stuff, the more we learn that just working hard, consistently over time is the only magic. That and diet and recovery and super supplements of course. But still just that.
HA!! That’s a great point made funny. You get 10 bonus points for the day. 
So good, right?? That one got a 5-star review from me! I am a sucker for a good psychological thriller and that one checked all the boxes.
Today’s Workout
Yesterday’s Bowling Pin Practice
This Week’s Protein Recipe
Hi! I’m being nosey and checking in on you. It has been quiet, and that sets off my parental alarm. 
Kidding. Hope all is well. 
Awwww thank you so much!! Crazy schedule. My girlfriend and her hubby are in town for a few weeks, so we try to cram as many activities in as possible before she has to leave, and in the middle of her visit, I had to make a trip to AZ to see my parents. So I’m in southern Arizona right now. My dad is having a minor heart surgery next week.
I also did another competition on Tuesday night — mainly for feedback and guidance — and got some really good practice. It’s a little less intimidating each time.
I saw the win you posted a couple days ago, and was so stoked for you! I planned to comment but couldn’t think of anything smart or witty to say since what you do is completely over my head.
Thanks again for the check in! 
I’ll say a prayer. Ive had a couple of those myself, and its great to have the care and support of loved ones, even for the minor ones. 
Sending so many prayers!! 
Prayers to your dad. My dad finished his radiotherapy last week and this week had his operation to remove the prostate. All went well and he is home now. It’s hard when you are 16,000km away but I can at least catch up with him on face time later today.
Thanks so much for the reassurance. That means a lot! It’s just an ablation which seem to be pretty common, so I’m confident it’ll go smoothly.
Thank you sweet friend! 
Thank you so much! I sure hope your dad is feeling better after all that. Wow! Definitely praying for his speedy recovery. Congrats to him for finishing radiotherapy!
Uncomfortable Social Situations Involving Food
Anyone else have awkward stories from interacting with people who don’t have their same health-conscious lifestyle? Here’s the most recent of mine:
My mom and I met with a friend at a coffee shop. I adore this friend and have known her since I was a teen. Amazingly, she’s lost well over 100 (maybe 200) pounds and she keeps active.
So when she came in, she brought chocolates to share with us from See’s Candies. She told us that her relative gave them to her for her birthday. But my sweet friend knows herself well enough to share this huge box of chocolates because she struggles with the desire (and history) of binging such things. She’s trying her best to get them out of the house without wasting food.
Now, chocolates don’t do anything for me, and I had already eaten a huge high-protein breakfast, so I said, “No thank you, I’m good,” but then as she and my mom were eating theirs, she kept pushing them on me and saying, “You have to eat these. I’m not going home with them.”
So I straight up lied, “Okay, I’ll save them for after dinner tonight.” And she finally accepted that answer. No biggie, right? But there are two things about this situation that I’ve got to get off my chest:
Thing 1. Her relative is an inconsiderate turd. Who gives a huge box of chocolates to a formerly morbidly obese person that’s actively trying to maintain their weight loss?!
Thing 2. Pressuring people to eat something they don’t want is also inconsiderate. I get it. It’s just accepted that if someone is enjoying something, they want their friends to have the same enjoyment. But trust us when we say, no thanks… because that means we actually won’t enjoy it.
And I can’t help but notice this social phenomenon a lot more among those whose philosophy (whether they know it or not) revolves around the calories-in and calories-out model. They see junk food as something you ought to have on occasion in moderation, so they have no qualms about pressuring others to do the same. They think, since I crave it, you must be craving it too.
But I don’t. And I shouldn’t have to lie.
That particular situation at the coffee shop isn’t a big deal, but it does suck that certain friends put me in that position. It’s a pattern with a small handful of people. It also makes me mad at myself because I haven’t had the courage to firmly say, NO or even something as simple as, that doesn’t appeal to me.
I lie to protect other people’s feelings, and that’s not good. I haven’t quite come up with the right script to get someone off my back in these situations. But it’s tough because if I’m not careful, I could seriously damage a person’s soul with my words. There are plenty of mean things you could say in a scenario like this. I won’t even share them here because they are poison.
So is there a way to be kind and honest… but also effective in getting someone to stop forcing their food choices on you?
Dr. Ken Berry provides a quick kill of saying “When I eat that stuff, I experience swelling”. You don’t have to explain that it’s swelling of the gut and butt: it’s still honest and gets some folks to back away. But if it’s someone you have regular contact with, they’ll call you out if you ever eat a sweet in front of them.
He actually does a full video on this
I am a fan of saying “That looks really good, but no thank you”. Often, when we just say “no thank you”, to the giver, it looks like we’re saying “Your offering is not good enough”. They take it personally. By saying “It DOES look good, but I will refrain”, you are now demonstrating that what you are doing is a sacrifice, rather than your preferred choice. It gives them validation: “Hah! My offering is so good that they SUFFER when they decline it”.
The biggest thing for all parties to keep in mind is that the food is offered out of a spirit of love and tribal unity. Sharing of food has always been a big uniter. It’s difficult to navigate around an offering of love that way. The same with the relative the gave them the chocolates: I am sure they know full well that this person has these issues, but they also most likely aren’t equipped with other ways to show love. I know providing is my love language, whereas I struggle with just saying the things I feel. I’ve been given MANY food gifts that I’d never eat, but I still very much appreciate the thought and intent behind them, and I tend to find someone else that might want to receive it.
My father likes to buy discount candy and send us giant boxes of them. So valentines candy in March, Easter candy in June, Halloween candy in December. I used to stick them on the shelf in the laundry room and use it if my kids had to bring something for a birthday party, but then the little sugar monsters figured out where the boxes was. So now I just toss them in the trash without opening them. If it’s not in the house, it doesn’t matter. Then I call him and tell him thank you. So that’s just straight-up lying.
I had some strategies to deter people giving me alcohol, but could translate to any other unwanted food, it just requires some planning.
1.) I wore a shirt that had “Designated Driver” printed in bold words. No one tried to give me a drink. Maybe something like “Team Weight Loss,” or “Diabetes Awareness” would work.
2.) I’d fake them out. Diet tonic water with a slice of lime is terrible, but when people saw I already had something in my hand that looked like a cocktail, no one tried to give me anything. Maybe have a box of chocolate protein bars and whip it out to show you already have too much chocolate. Or if you have a purse just use decoy candy and keep it in the side pouch.
3.) The other trick was getting a big bag of Doritos, and munching on it. When someone tries to offer you something to drink, you offer them the chips first. They normally grab a handfull and fore some reason a different taste made them forget about the original think. So maybe giving a healthy snack to the group will make them re-think giving out junk.
4.) I would make jokes about having to call my probation officer officer later to check in, so also a lie. But I have joked with people that I need to keep my child-bearing hips, or something stupid like that with food, and the humor redirects the conversation.
This has been my TED talk on food-based psychological warfare.
This is 100% analogous to my experience in recovery from substance abuse.
I’d like to elaborate a bit, but I’m at work at the moment. I’ll share a little bit later this evening.
As the person who makes unhealthy foods, a lot of times it’s ignorance about the other person’s goals/struggles. I stopped offering treats to my friends/cohortmates/professors who tell me they’re trying to eat healthier and people have stopped trying to offer me things too.
In your case, I think the best option is to be upfront and not concede.
is a great way to politely do it.
If you concede, they get a false signal of your preferences and will continue. If my friends don’t say “no” or tell me about their efforts, I am not a mindreader or a stalker. I don’t know about their goals
I think people in general have trouble saying and accepting “no” too
Ha! That’s a good line. Oh dang, he calls it “the sugar-pusher!” I will definitely consider some of those responses. I do want to be honest though, so many of his responses are for those who are diabetic or allergic.
This usually works for me too, but it just doesn’t with a few female friends who insist that you must not suffer by passing it up. Women are relentless. When they want to eat something, they won’t stop pressuring you until you eat it with them.
I’ve seen a few social media skits which show that this is common among wives when they want to eat dessert but their husband doesn’t. 
So true. This is exactly what makes it challenging. And there are occasions when I will enjoy a high calorie, high carb meal during a social gathering. But I want to do that on my own terms, not out of guilt or peer pressure.
Oh that’s a valid point. She’s just gone though so much, and now she has to white-knuckle her way around that stupid box of candy. Couldn’t a greeting card have worked?
That’s a fascinating thing to mull over.
I also think it’s cultural. There’s this idea that if we don’t do what’s traditional and expected, then we can’t possibly be happy. So we show love through high-calorie, highly-insulinogenic food. It’s pretty weird, as are many outdated traditions.
Sometimes it seems like people never sit down to think about why we have certain traditions and whether they make sense anymore. When Chris and I got married we realized that wedding cake was bullshit so we skipped it. And since then, I’ve deliberately passed up dozens of traditions that are cultural, but not meaningful or practical.
Those are all brilliant strategies.
I don’t think so! You’re thanking him for his effort, not for the food you ate. So I think it’s a smart strategy if the person isn’t there to see you eat it. A food pantry might also be a good option. But that’s pretty wise.
I hate these… China has too many