The Health Trail ebook sample

100 “If it’s so easy then why aren’t you doing it?” Sam said. Zak paused to think, but heard toads literally croaking from the nearby creek during the silence. Even nature is taunting me now? Give me a break! Zak thought. “Eating just to just 90% full will reduce your calorie intake by 10% and should result in weight loss. This assumes you limit your eating to no more than three meals a day and don’t snack between meals. Obviously, if you eat to 90% for a meal, then afterwards snack to make up the remaining 10% it would defeat the purpose!” “If you wouldn’t have said anything, I probably would have done that!” Zak smiled. “The key is start with a simple way to reduce calories and eating to 90% is a way to accomplish that without concern about what you’re eating yet. People have even lost weight eating junk food like Twinkies and people have gained weight eating healthy food too . It 22certainly doesn’t mean you want to continue eating junk food long-term, however, as that would invite all kinds of health problems. It’s just smart to start with simple changes to your diet that have the biggest effect.” “Ok, I guess that makes sense.” “Now, hear me out,” Sam said. “While the solution of eating only 90% sounds simple, the hard part is actually doing it— actually changing your behavior. People generally have a hard time being disciplined enough to stop eating before they feel full. That’s why we need strategies and a solid plan to succeed. Does that make sense?” Sam said. “Strategies?” Zak said. “Think of them as motivational tools to help you to stop eating before you eat the last 10% of food. There are eight ways to accomplish this and some may come as a surprise. Would you like to hear what they are?” Sam said.

101 “Ok, I’m ready…” “First, put less food on your plate and dining table. If you’re serving from a dish at home just put 90% of what you’d normally eat on your plate, not any more. Do not place any extra dishes or portions sitting on the dining table aside from one plate per person. Just dish the 90% portion from the kitchen and set that as your only plate for you on the table. When I say 90% of “normal” that assumes people normally eat until they feel 100% full— not uncomfortably full or sick, just full. The 90% method is to stop early before you’re full. You could potentially eat another 10%, but you choose not to for the sake of a more satisfying future,” Sam said. “Another way to reduce portion size is to use smaller plates,” Sam said. “Consider discarding your large dinner plates and use just medium size lunch plates for all your meals.” “If you’re eating out at a restaurant that has large portions, split the meal with someone, or if you are alone, you can ask the server to put half in a to-go container upfront and only serve the half-portion. You can also ask the server for a smaller plate. All-you-can-eat buffets should be avoided as the temptation is too strong to overeat,” Sam said. “Second, drink more water. Consider drinking a tall glass of water before and during your meal— more than you normally would; some aim to drink around 24 ounces. Take more frequent sips of water between bites of food. Sometimes people need hydration but tend to consume more food instead of water. Drinking more water will help keep your intake balanced and will help digestion. Drinking water a half-hour before your meal can help too . Of course if someone had already been drinking fluids 23prior to dinner and is already hydrated then that person shouldn’t drink as much. Over-hydrating can cause health problems too. If someone needs to frequently urinate and the urine is clear, it’s a sign of being too hydrated, whereas a solid medium yellow or darker is often a sign of dehydration. A pale, semi-transparent, light yellow

102 is the ideal color. Keep in mind that taking vitamin supplements can distort this test, however.” Who knew today we’d be talking about the color of pee? How lovely, Zak thought. He took out his phone and searched for ‘hydration urine color,’ but he didn’t have a connection. Maybe I’ll check this later, if I remember. “What about other types of drinks?” Zak asked. “While water is best, other beverages such as juice, high fructose fruit drinks, soft drinks, sport drinks, sugary iced-tea, or alcohol should be avoided if trying to lose weight. If someone can’t live without it, consider using smaller glasses or cups to reduce the portion to limit your calorie and sugar intake. It’s good to watch out for water sources that remove minerals or electrolytes too, because it can lead to a mineral deficiency. A proper amount of electrolytes in the water can help your body keep its minerals in balance.” “Third, eat twice as slow as you normally eat. If you take 1 second to eat your food from a spoon, take 2 seconds. If it normally takes you 5 seconds to eat meat from a fork, take 10 seconds. If you rapidly wolf down food, you may eat faster than your stomach has time to communicate to your brain that you’re full. This may 24result in overeating. By eating slower, you allow your body’s signals to catch up.” “You can accomplish eating twice as slow by counting and by making all your movements 2x slower, such as picking up food with a fork, lifting it to your mouth, and chewing. Secondly, if you’re savagely attacking your food at a rapid pace, even if you feel full, you may still remain in ‘attack mode’ trying to wipe out your food as if it’s your enemy on a battlefield. Eating slower can interrupt this process. In doing so you can savor and enjoy your food more.” “Fourth is to buy and use smaller eating utensils. Smaller spoons and forks hold less food at a time, slowing down the rate of consumption,” Sam said. “You may even consider using chopsticks.

103 If you’re not used to them, you’ll likely be uncoordinated initially and may tire from the effort involved, increasing your odds of eating a smaller portion instead of overeating. If you’re eating out at a restaurant, you can maintain this good habit by bringing your small utensils with you.” “Fifth, smell your food between bites. Believe it or not, your sense of smell is a significant factor in how your brain interprets the taste of food. With your food on your fork, spoon, or chopstick, hold it close to your mouth under your nose and take a deep inhale through your nose between each bite. Through the food’s aroma you will experience richer flavor in your food and enjoy it more. Who wouldn’t want that?” “Think of it this way— if someone hogs down food rapidly like a pig, he doesn’t get to enjoy the food as much. Eating fast like a wild animal makes eating less enjoyable as he can’t taste the food as much, plus, it shortens the dining experience. Why would someone who loves food want to spend less time eating, less time tasting, less time smelling, less time sharing, and less time actually enjoying the dining experience?” “Sixth, keep your food in your mouth twice as long. Spend twice as long chewing and tasting your food. If pleasure is derived from your tongue tasting and nose smelling the food then why not keep it there twice as long in your mouth for more enjoyment?” “Seventh, engage in conversation between bites. If you have the opportunity for others to join you for a meal, take advantage of it and make it social. If you are interacting with someone while you eat, you will be talking periodically between bites and prolonging the dining experience. This is beneficial both physically and socially. However, if you only kept your head down the entire time while shoveling food in your mouth like an excavator, besides being rude and disrespectful to your guest or partner, the overeating is harmful to your body.”

104 “Eighth and last, remove all extra food from the table and remove all junk food from your house. Don’t put any more food than the 90% you plan to eat on your plate. You’re actually making good behavior convenient, and bad behavior inconvenient.” Zak and Sam reached Metlako falls— their turnaround spot last time. The falls somehow seemed even more pristine than last time. They paused a moment and gazed at the surrounding tree-covered mountains and heard woodpeckers pecking and bluebirds singing while the 8 Ways marinated in Zak’s mind. They then continued walking along the trail at a slow pace. Zak noticed he had a bit more strength and stamina than before. Zak’s Criticism“Zak, what do you think of these 8 ways to eat 90%?” Sam asked. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but it seems a bit overboard and maybe a little childish. Do adults really need to treat themselves as children at a dinner table as if they have no control over what they eat?” Zak asked. “Are you calling something simple and effective as being childish?” Sam asked with a patient smile. “Would it be childish for everyone or just for you? Is the fear of doing something different and uncomfortable a good reason to not accomplish your life goals?” “Whoa, ok, I’m not sure how to answer that…” Zak already felt regret for dismissing Sam’s 8 Ways so quickly. He obviously spent a lot of time thinking about this and sharing it with me; should I give it a chance? “Pursuing a goal like losing weight is something to be proud of, not something to be ashamed of. If you truly want something, who is more likely to get it: someone who tries 100% of all the strategies to succeed or someone who only tries 10% and criticizes others for

105 doing more? The more of these tools you utilize, the greater the odds of success. Why not stack the cards in your favor by practicing them all? By this I don’t mean trying to accomplish multiple goals simultaneously, however. It’s best to aim for only one new habit-change or one single goal per 30 day period. But within each goal you can try a variety of motivational strategies to achieve it. Does that make sense?” “Do you mean that if I try the Window Diet for 30 days that I shouldn’t add the 8 Ways diet until after?” “Ideally, you just do the Window Diet for 30 days and during that time only if you feel the motivation and don’t feel overwhelmed, then you can try adding the 8 Ways, eating 75% vegetables, or removing sugar, for example, as long as it’s not your official goal. The idea is to keep your main goal simple and focused so you keep empowered. Pursuing one goal is enough of a challenge in itself. People tend to take on too much, get discouraged, then do nothing at all for their health. We want to avoid that scenario.” “Fair enough,” said Zak. “But how would I remember all this though? It seems impractical and overwhelming. Do you expect me to go to dinner with a large notepad or to mess with a phone app to tell me how to eat?” “The best way to practice the 8 ways and form a habit is to combine them into an 8-step sequence like this…” Sam handed Zak a sheet of paper showing each step . 25Zak nodded his head then noticed Sam hunch over and start writing on a notebook perched on his bent knee. Wait, what is he doing? Sam wrote quickly as if something just inspired him. Is he taking notes? But he’s the one giving me info! “Uh… what are you writing?” “I’m just recording some thoughts about the hike for my book…”

106 Ahhh, his hiking book! I forgot about that. But I wonder what he’s writing down exactly? The Falls Suddenly, Zak heard a distant rumble. The sound grew louder and louder and sounded like rushing water. “Is that what I think it is?” Zak said. “Yes, we’re almost to Punch Bowl falls.” “I’m gonna make it!” Zak said, before realizing it was the wrong falls. He wanted to see Tunnel Falls. “How far is Tunnel Falls then?” Zak asked. “That’s another few miles,” Sam replied. “Are you serious!?” Zak said. Zak thought how unfair it was that he had worked so hard to see the waterfall, but it still seemed so out of reach. But his sulking suspended when he turned the next corner of the trail and saw the view.“Isn’t it beautiful?” Sam said. “Whoa, more than I imagined!” Zak said. No, seriously, that’s super lit…and super dope! “It looks like a postcard.” “It literally on postcards,” Sam added. isA picturesque scene of a bowl of water surrounded by lush green trees and a beautiful 35-foot waterfall plunging down into the middle. But they weren’t alone.

107 They noticed someone down below the falls aiming a camera up toward the falls. Suddenly a kayaker appeared above the falls and was floating toward the waterfall. Oh no, I hope he knows what he’s doing! The kayaker then nosedived off the falls and disappeared into the cloudy mist below. A few seconds passed and the kayaker reemerged above the water. “Wow! I didn’t expect to see that today!” Zak said. “Nor did I!” Sam said. The two found a soft spot to sit for a brief snack break. Zak realized he needed to re-program his definition of patience and success. Maybe it’s ok to not get something right the first time or even second, third, or maybe even the thirtieth time, right? Why do I set such high expectations for myself and where do these expectations even come from?He previously didn’t want to try this hike for fear of failure of not making it. As it turned out, however, it was no big deal to just go just part of the way the first time and a little more the second time, and so on. It’s weird how I never even thought of doing that as a possibility. He then felt silly for having such an unrealistic expectation about himself that he wouldn’t even be willing to try something unless he 100% succeeded on some high level. He then remembered Sam’s advice to not beat himself up either, and to beware of perfectionism, so he decided to let his concerns go and be content with his new accomplishment. Reflection While he sat and enjoyed the view, Zak pondered the 8 Ways to Eat 90%, but didn’t feel completely clear on how to go about doing it. He had doubts and thought he’d clarify it with Sam.

108 “Sam, I’ve been thinking about eating 90% and the 8 Ways, but how will I know what 90% of full is? What if I’m not good at estimating and assume I’m at 80% but I’m actually at 90% so I keep eating until I’m too full? Maybe a small plate or small spoon won’t matter, because I’ll just keep eating the same amount— it just might take longer. Then maybe I reinforce failure to myself again, making me only feel worse and wanting to eat more next time,” Zak said. Sam laughed and hand-slapped his knee. “Why is that funny?” Zak asked while tilting his head and folding his arms. “You’re just as analytical as I am. It’s funny, because I can relate to your thought process. Just know that it will take practice and that’s great that you’re anticipating obstacles before you even start. True champions do that, so kudos to you.” Sam continued, “There is another strategy you can try to more accurately measure how to eat just 90% of normal, but I don’t recommend it for most people, because it adds even more complexity: weighing your food. Buy a food scale that goes up to 2 pounds or so. Place the 100% portion you would normally eat onto a plate and weight it. Then using a calculator, enter the weight and multiply it by 0.9 to get the new 90% portion. Then remove food from the scale until the scale display matches your calculator. Or, you can just measure out 9 ounces, which is a common portion for frozen meals and take 0.9 ounces away.” “Ok, good idea, but what if I don’t want to hassle with a scale?” Zak asked. “You can also dish a 100% normal portion onto a plate in the kitchen, then with a knife divide each food item into 10 pieces, then remove 1 of the 10 pieces, leaving you with a 90% portion,” Sam said. “But what do I do with the extra 10%, should I eat it?”

109 “Now you’re just being ornery!” Zak and Sam laughed as Sam gave Zak a slow punch to the shoulder. Zak realized Sam was becoming a real friend. Going Back The two finished their break near the falls, zipped up their backpacks and proceeded back down toward the trailhead. Partway back to the car the sweet aroma of the forest was suddenly overcome by a foul pungent smell. “What is that?” Zak said. “It might be a skunk.” “Ugh! It’s so rank!” It smells like it put its odor in a firehose and sprayed the whole forest, Zak thought. Alternative Strategies “Sam, what if I don’t feel ready to do the Window Diet or 8 Ways strategy? You previously talked about setting realistic and lower expectations so we’ll bag easier wins. What if I want to make a step toward change, but just don’t want to do it so quickly initially?” Zak said. “That’s a fair question. The Window Diet actually is very easy already. It’s so easy that initially you hardly even realize you’re on a diet. You literally make no changes the first day at all, but just don’t snack before your first meal or after your last meal,” Sam said. “Ok, maybe I could do that.”

110 “Secondly, if you want to force yourself to change in another way that’s simple, consider a ‘chopstick diet’ for 30 days. Just give all your forks, knives, spoons, to a friend to keep for 30 days and to not return it sooner under any circumstance. Then use chopsticks only for 30 days for every meal, however hard it is. Whether you’re eating pizza, burritos, salad, you must use chopsticks, not your hands or anything else. The idea is that you’ll tire of using them and eat more slowly and consume less food. But… if you’re Chinese this may not help much!” Zak and Sam shared a laugh while realizing they were now just a short distance from the parking lot. Suddenly Zak walked through a cluster of gnats and swished his hand, but one flew in his mouth. Aahh! He then hacked a few times with no result. He took an extra deep breath and coughed as hard as he could and gnat parts finally dislodged and shot out. Yuck, how annoying. “Extra protein, perhaps?” Sam said. “Funny,” Zak said. “Third, I’ll mention something similar to the Window Diet: skipping meals and fasting intermittently. Health professionals don’t all agree on this subject. For years articles have been written claiming that you should always have three meals a day and that ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day.’ It turns out that some false causations were assumed and some health professionals now believe the opposite is true. Some experience benefits when skipping meals and doing intermittent fasting. Many positive testimonies of weight loss from intermittent fasting are shared online, so we know this strategy helps many people.” “My health teacher said if we skipped breakfast that we’d gain weight as if more calories would turn to fat. So, this isn’t the case?”

111 “It depends on who you ask, but many health professionals don’t believe that anymore. But if you have diabetes you should be extra cautious. Have you been tested for it?” “No, I haven’t. Why, what’s the problem?” “Missing meals can cause erratic spikes in blood sugar levels for some with diabetes– it’s good to first research it and ask a doctor, but to not use it as an excuse to continue harmful eating habits.” Sam said. “Ok, so skipping meals is another option in case the others don’t work for me…as long as I don’t have blood sugar issues?” Zak asked. “Yes, the key is that Hunger is not an emergency. Hunger isn’t a bad thing for most people.” “Ok, I assumed it was; I ate whatever I could to quickly fix it.” Like fixing a leaky pipe…or a leaky chocolate fountain. He smiled to himself. “Many people assume hunger is bad without challenging it that idea. Now, you have four strategies to try for reducing calorie intake: the Window Diet, 8 Ways to eat 90%, the chopstick diet, and skipping meals and fasting intermittently. These are tools in your toolbox you can use and see what works best for you. The easiest and most important one to do first is the Window Diet, however.” Zak grabbed his iPhone from his pocket and entered the following… HUNGER IS NOT AN EMERGENCY .

112 A Challenge “Zak, as we conclude today’s hike, I’d like to challenge you to two things, is that ok?” “Sure, what is it?” “First, will you try eating only to 90% and applying the 8 Ways?” “Ok, I’ll try.” No, why did you agree to that? Zak’s irrational voice thought. “Secondly, will you weigh yourself before you go to sleep?” “Easy enough— I’ll do it.” But I don’t want to break the scale! I’m not sure I can count that high, anyway.“Great! By weighing yourself regularly you’ll start thinking more about your progress. The increased awareness will generate more motivation and desire to reach your goal. I enjoyed hiking with you today, would you like to meet here again next week for another hike?” “Sure, I can do that. Thanks for the hike and all your advice.” But do I really want to hike again? I’m not sure I do. The two got into their cars and drove away as the evening sun started to set. Evening Temptations As Zak was driving home he felt famished and longed to replace all the calories he burned. As he gripped the steering wheel he realized this would be a test of his willpower. He felt torn on whether to start implementing these new food portion-limiting strategies now or later. He didn’t feel ready, so he leaned toward postponing the decision so he could fill his stomach at the buffet.

113 But when will I ever feel ready? his rational voice wondered. He then remembered the lyrics of “Freewill” by one of his favorite bands, Rush. They sang, “If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.” That lyric penetrated his psyche as if he fell face-first into a cactus. While Zak badly wanted to gorge at the buffet he also didn’t want to feel guilty from overeating. He felt it could tarnish his feeling of progress and freedom. Even though he hadn’t done anything wrong yet, Zak already started to feel guilty for tentatively deciding to eat just “whatever.” He simply didn’t make a commitment. The choice was clear which was best for him overall. He knew he should do A, but he was currently going down the path of doing B. The question was if he would intervene and stop himself? Zak felt so conflicted. His internal thoughts felt like a parent and child squabbling with opposing priorities. The child wanted to have fun, be spontaneous, and be free from the oppressive parent. The parent realized he had a bigger responsibility to long term health and well-being, to friends and family, and to God. Would his internal parent let his child rule the house? Would this play out like the movie “Home Alone”… or “Misery?” Just take the exit for the buffet— you already know you want it and you’ll get it. Why waste time questioning it? his irrational voice thought. Stop it, numskull! I’ve struggled with my weight my whole life— here’s a guy with a solution— he’s given me the gift of his time and attention and just asks to follow a few rules, is that so hard? He’s my friend and I don’t want to disappoint him! Zak, why are you so concerned with what Sam thinks? You should do what YOU want to do, not what HE wants to do. You’re not his errand boy or his slave! his irrational voice retorted. Zak knew he couldn’t continue down the current path leading to health problems and great pain— both physically and mentally.

114 Even though he previously drew a line in the sand and was having this rare opportunity to hike with the wise old man, he really felt weak— his irrational and spoiled-brat-of-an inner-child was winning him over. Maybe I’m not meant to be a healthy or fit person? As that thought entered Zak’s mind he realized he didn’t fully buy that rationalization. He started feeling uncomfortable about his newfound awareness and moral guide— almost like an annoying bird perched on his shoulder preparing to squawk orders and cause guilt. Zak felt like he couldn’t win. He was in mental agony— at war with himself. What am I to do? “That’s it! I’m tired of this!” Zak yelled in his car. He pounded his fist on the middle of the steering wheel and honked the horn at himself. Yes… I knew you’d come around, let’s do this, his irrational voice thought. Zak swerved to exit the freeway and drove up to the Old Country Buffet. His tires squealed and a transient looked up and glared at him. Zak entered the restaurant and paid $14.99 for an all-you-can-eat adult meal, then proceeded to gorge at unprecedented speed. He filled his plates to the brim and paid no regard to the calories or portions or even anyone there. He kept his head down and became a harvester machine shoveling food in his mouth fast enough to win a speed eating contest. Zak fully gave into his gluttonous craving. While Zak reveled in rebellious freedom, part of him didn’t feel free. In the back of his mind a quiet consciousness grew; it knew he was harming himself and making life more difficult for his future self. This was an unsettling feeling, but he chose to suppress it.

115 After consuming four heaping platefuls, Zak’s stomach felt so bloated that he imagined it bursting open with an alien creature popping out and scurrying away. I’m such a freakazoid, he thought. Zak then forced down a chocolate lava cake before waddling to his car like a pregnant penguin. Zak left and flopped into the car like a beached whale. His abdomen felt so tight that he unbuttoned his fly. He felt his stomach expand to fill the space as if popping open a container of cinnamon rolls. Hope a cop doesn’t pull me over; I’d rather not explain this. While he drove the remainder of the way home clarity entered his mind like clouds parting and revealing a sunny and clear blue sky. I’m no longer hungry, but I’m not satisfied either. Why did I just eat all that trash? The taste only lasted a few seconds, but how long will the fat be stuck to my body now? Was it really worth it?At home, he looked in the bathroom mirror and he didn’t like what he saw. He felt deceived and dirty like a prostitute. He felt like he just sold his soul to Emperor Palpatine. Guilt began weighing on his mind and he proceeded to weep. “I can’t take this anymore!” he cried aloud, as he laid on his bed and held the pillow to his face. His tears soaked into the pillow cover. Zak’s eyes grew heavy. Suddenly he realized he forgot the two challenges of trying the 8 Ways of eating 90% and weighing himself. Aaggh! I’m such an idiot! I can’t do anything right. What am I going to tell Sam? He felt too lethargic to move. I probably don’t want to see the numbers, anyway, he thought.Zak’s calm rational voice whispered in his ear: Are you really an idiot? Be respectful. You’re a smart guy and you’ve done many things right.Oh, whatever…

116 8. TRIPLE FALLS Sedentary Home Habits Zak appreciated his days off hiking to sit on the couch and watch Netflix or play video games. He knew that some rest was good, but he wondered if he was too sedentary. He wanted to eat a little better, but struggled with what to change. He made no clear plan in advance of what he was allowing himself to eat. When it came time to eat he would easily give into more tempting, less healthy food. He wasn’t eating ice cream or candy quite as much, but grazed on chips and salsa and other snacks. Somehow it wasn’t as enjoyable since he began hiking with Sam. It no longer felt free. He imagined the ghost of a doctor lurking in the living room watching him snack, keeping score and scribbling notes secretly behind a clipboard. Sometimes Zak wouldn’t get up from the couch for a couple hours— just to go to the bathroom then sit back down again. He wondered if sitting for long periods wasn’t helpful to his back or neck, which was frequently sore. Zak tried to suppress the needs of his body, however, so he could partake in more TV bingeing. While he didn’t feel guilty watching so many hours of TV, he presumed it wasn’t necessarily healthy for his body or his brain. He didn’t want the stress of thinking about it though, he just wanted to relax and conserve energy for his next big hike. The night before the hike he went to bed feeling loaded up on carbs, but tossed and turned into the night. Anxiety about the hike was a factor. Morning came too soon and sunrays pierced through Zak’s thin bedroom curtains and illuminated the room. Zak showered, ate a blueberry muffin with coffee. He grabbed his backpack and threw in

117 a tuna sandwich, a package of chocolate peanut butter trail mix and two Red Bulls, then left to meet Sam at the Oneonta trailhead. The Hike Sam and Zak greeted and started up the new trail leading to Triple Falls. It gained elevation right from the start while zig-zagging up the forested hill. At the top of the landing Zak had to catch his breath while admiring a pleasant forest scene covered with ferns. Squirrels scampered below the forest canopy collecting various food. Sam then asked Zak if he was open to discussing motivational strategies. “Let’s bring it on…” Zak said. Make Good Behavior Convenient and Bad Behavior Inconvenient “Zak, one strategy that works well for a diet goal (or any other goal) is to make good behavior convenient, and bad behavior inconvenient,” Sam said. That phrase jumped out like a WWF wrestler and slapped Zak flat in the face. Surely, it’s not that simple! Zak thought. “Do you have some examples?” Zak said. “You bet. Let’s say someone has a problem eating ice cream at home. You simply don’t keep ice cream in the freezer!” Sam said. “Well, where do you keep it then?”

118 “Nowhere!” Sam chuckled. “If you don’t keep any ice cream in your house, you won’t be tempted to eat it, right?” Zak then remembered the phrase “out of sight, out of mind.” Maybe ‘out of sight’ isn’t far enough away for me; I might need it in another state, or another country! Zak reflected on his past struggles with this same temptation for so many years without any strategy to overcome it. He wondered how he could be so blind to these simple solutions. Surely overcoming this temptation isn’t that simple, he wondered. If so, I will feel like the biggest idiot! “If you don’t keep any ice cream in your house it would be quite inconvenient to drive a few miles to the grocery store to buy ice cream each time you’re tempted, do you agree?” Sam asked. “Yeah, I guess so,” Zak said. “Is that what you mean by making bad behavior inconvenient?” “Hey, you’re catching on!” Sam said. “Well, how would making good behavior convenient apply then?” Zak asked. “What if you only kept healthy food in your house? Keep fresh, unprocessed food, like fruits and vegetables, whole grains. Specifically: fresh spinach leaves, carrots, bananas, apples, grapes, watermelon, potatoes, whole oats, eggs, etc. So, if you are tempted for a snack and give in at least you will be eating something healthy instead of something unhealthy.” “Sure, but how will I remember this?” Zak said. “Take notes!” Sam said. Zak then lifted his iPhone, opened his notes app and entered in the following note:

119 SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THE POSITIVE THINGS YOU WANT MORE IN YOUR LIFE LIKE HEALTH FOOD ().REMOVE THE THINGS YOU DON T ’WANT IN YOUR LIFE LIKE JUNK (FOOD ). MAKE GOOD BEHAVIOR CONVENIENT AND BAD BEHAVIOR INCONVENIENT. “In fact, when people have an emotional drive to binge, these feelings are usually temporary. So by the time you drive all the way to the store, the craving could be gone,” Sam said. “What about food delivery services? This still lets me binge anytime I want, right?” “Yes, but by not keeping junk food in your house, car, or at work, you’re making it a bit less convenient and you’re less likely to binge. If you want to make it even less convenient, you can uninstall those food delivery apps on your phone and close your accounts.” “Ok, but what about workplaces, family gatherings, or social groups that celebrate birthdays with donuts and chocolate cake? How can anyone avoid that, I mean, isn’t it rude not to eat it?” “This is a common temptation, but remember, you don’t have a right to shove food in others’ mouths, do you?” “Of course not.” “Likewise they don’t have a right to shove food in your mouth, either. Are they truly concerned with what you put in your body or that you’re just there to celebrate or honor someone? The main

120 thing people should care about is that you’re there showing you care and are part of the team; it’s not so they can watch you feed your face. Are they really going to care in 1 week, 1 month, or 1 year from then if you ate cake or not that day? Probably not, but your body will remember. So, it’s ok to say ‘no’ and good to practice feeling empowered as a responsible caretaker for your own body. You have no obligation to anyone trying to peer pressure you into eating or drinking something for their own motives.” “But what if you live with others in the same house and they need the ice cream for their kids or guests?” Zak asked. “Do you really want to deny kids a treat from their grandma?” “First, that’s a nice use of emotional appeal—as if an artificial, sugar-filled, fat-filled, unhealthy processed substance from a factory is a human right,” Sam said with a smile. Sam continued, “You can just buy only enough ice cream for the social occasion and ensure there’s none leftover. If you miscalculate and have some left over, then simply ask your guests to take it with them when they leave. If they refuse, then you may leave it out for a pet or just throw it away. Keep in mind that this unnatural ‘food’ won’t be doing any favors to pets or wildlife, though. This strategy of not keeping junk food in your house is like a free insurance policy to prevent you from the temptation which leads you to fail at your goal. If your goal is to lose weight and you keep junk food in the house, you’re basically planning to fail.” “Ok, I guess that makes sense. It’s strange how the idea of losing weight comes down to these random mental tricks,” Zak said. “Exactly. The more of these strategies you set up, the more you stack the odds in your favor. Just like you should make good behavior convenient, and bad behavior inconvenient, you also want to reward your good behavior and discourage your bad behavior,” Sam said.

121 “Example, please?” Zak said. He couldn’t believe how simple these concepts were. His realization felt like he just walked through a car wash and had his face sprayed and mopped by a soapy pressure washer. “Let’s say your goal was to weigh 200 pounds by January 1st,” Sam said. “To reward yourself for your accomplishment, you could treat yourself to watching a new movie that comes out in that timeframe. Or, maybe you book a vacation starting then, buy a new accessory for your car, buy a nice shirt, or something you wouldn’t normally buy for yourself. Add healthy incentives to motivate you to do the right thing.” “What about going to a fancy dinner?” Sam said. “Just make sure your reward doesn’t conflict with your goal. For example, it’s usually unwise to reward less eating with more eating. Binging on a huge chocolate cake may not be a positive reward, for example. Imagine if an alcoholic celebrated one year of sobriety by getting drunk. Wouldn’t that be utterly heartbreaking and disempowering? Likewise, we want our reward to be empowering to our long-term goals, not disempowering,” Sam said. “So, what are some other rewards then?” “It would be healthy and empowering if you celebrated achieving your goal with running or walking in a 5k event. If you scheduled a massage or went to a fancy spa or hot springs facility, that would also be healthy. Maybe going out of town and staying at a nice resort for a couple nights. You could go to a lake and feed the ducks. You could sign up for an archery class, a foreign language class, painting class, or woodworking class— just something you’ve been interested in, but haven’t yet tried.” Zak grabbed his iPhone again and added a pithy note:

122 REWARD GOOD BEHAVIOR AND DISCOURAGE BAD BEHAVIOR. “Zak, just having awareness can sometimes be a deterrent for bad behavior in itself. Grazing subconsciously while watching TV is a common pitfall for many people. This may sound unusual, but one way to interrupt that is to begin a habit of calling aloud what you’re eating while reminding yourself of your goals. For example, if you are preparing to eat a piece of chocolate cake you can say to yourself, “Despite my goal of losing weight, I’m picking up a piece of chocolate cake and now putting it in my mouth.” Although this may seem strange initially, it may help you be more aware of your actions. It can help you realize how it impacts your future self and put a spotlight on any inconsistency in your goals.” 26If I had to call out all the bad stuff I ate, I’d lose my voice! Zak thought while cracking a smile. Ponytail Falls Suddenly a waterfall came into view: Ponytail Falls. “Whoa, we walk behind it?” Zak asked. “Yes, sir!” Sam said. Zak felt entranced as he approached the cavernous grotto behind the falls. A steady stream of cool water rushed off the basalt cliff 75 feet and crashed in the pool below.

123 Zak and Sam stood experiencing the loud rush of water flow over their heads and down into the creek. I’ve never seen anything like this! The mist from the falls made Zak’s face damp and feel refreshed like he was in a soft drink commercial. Perhaps too refreshed; the mist dampened his clothes and accumulated on the lens of his iPhone. They continued hiking along the trail which flattened out and showed scatterings of green ferns in the shade below large, old-growth trees. This place reminded Zak of the movie, Return of the Jedi, where Ewoks hid in the forest and were ready to throw spears and shoot arrows at any intruders. Suddenly, in the middle of the forest a metal footbridge came into view. This seems out of place. Crossing it revealed a deep and scenic gorge. Wow, that’s tight…

124 Creating Healthy Associations “Zak, what is your favorite food that’s bad for you?” Sam asked. “Probably all of them!” he laughed. “But if I had to choose one, I’d say chocolate peanut butter ice cream. I don’t dare look at the ingredient label!” “What positive things do you associate with that ice cream?” “I’d say fun, pleasure, experiencing the finer things in life; it helps me to cope and forget my troubles. It reminds me of my happy childhood at the fair with my parents.” “Sounds like you’ve made very positive associations with it. If you intend to change your eating habits, it’s helpful to take inventory of your current associations with the behavior you’re struggling with. This will help you see if your associations are realistic and align with your goals.” “Do my associations align with my goals?” “No, quite the opposite, in fact.” “How so?” “You just stated how much you love ice cream and how deep your positive associations are with it, right? As long as you feel that way, there’s almost zero chance you’ll want to change your ice cream eating. It would be unrealistic to expect to limit something that part of you loves and feels you benefit from. Doesn’t this conflict with the other part of you that thought you were desperate, worried about your size, worried about your health, worried how people perceived you, and worried about getting a date?” “I don’t see the problem.” “Your words seem to be in disagreement for what you want. The potential health benefits don’t seem to mean as much to you as the positives of ice cream. The downsides of eating it just aren’t painful

125 enough to change your behavior. The very positive connotations you have with ice cream will likely result in you continuing to eat it well into the future. Maybe ice cream carries more… weight.” “Nice. So, if my associations aren’t aligned then what associations should I have?” “People who are truly sick of junk food causing their poor health can start making negative associations towards it. What if they imagined every spoonful of ice cream as being one step closer to a heart attack… or their death? They might imagine all the artificial man-made chemicals and trash they’re eating which clouds their brain and clogs their heart, taking them closer and closer to a major heart problem. They might imagine growing more obese and disappointing their partner/spouse with each spoonful they lift up to their mouth. For singles, they might associate every bite they take with being rejected once more by someone they’re attracted to. Christians might imagine themselves disobeying God every time they take a bite and harming the body entrusted to them. They might develop an intense hatred towards the artificial garbage food. They may learn to despise the harmful food products and everyone it negatively affects. They may even get angry at the manufacturer for contributing to millions of people’s health decline and death; then they may become an activist against it.” “Wow, that’s a bit dark. Ok then…” Zak was startled by all that negativity. How can he be so hostile towards the things I love? “Did any of those examples seem inaccurate?” “Well…” Zak stopped to think. They sure seemed untrue, but somehow I can’t think of any reasons they aren’t. Maybe it’s a matter of opinion, or interpretation? Hmmm. “If someone is serious about making a life change then why not make serious effort and make serious steps toward his goals, including making better associations? That gives you a taste test of

126 the level of intensity and detail that can help change your associations.” Zak decided to leave that pun alone. It wasn’t punny enough, he mused. He whipped out his iPhone and entered a note… MAKE YOUR ASSOCIATIONS ALIGN WITH YOUR GOALS.Zak glanced up from the trail and noticed sun rays beaming through some dark clouds and illuminating part of the lush green forest like a scene from science fiction. Wow, it looks like an alien invasion, he thought. “Let’s look at another example of associations. Think of a common American fast food meal of hamburger, fries, and a Coke. Do you have a positive, neutral, or negative connotation toward this food?” “Positive— I like it. Most fast food restaurants have burgers and fries and I eat them quite a bit.” “You might consider watching the documentary, Super Size Me, which is free on YouTube. It shows what happens when you eat too much fast food. Have you ever thought about how a burger is made?” “They just throw the patties on a grill, right?” “In more detail, a cow is killed and its meat is cut into parts. Lower grade beef and beef trimmings are ground up and used for hamburger meat. A restaurant buys it, forms a patty, and throws it on a greasy grill to cook with butter or oil. The grill may contain old

127 charred food scraps which stick to the paddy, which is then served to you. Besides you eating some of the worst cow parts, this may inject grease and other crud into your body which can clog your arteries. With every bite of a heart-clogging, greasy hamburger you increase your chance of a heart attack. If your heart had a voice you can imagine it desperately crying and screaming “help! help!” with each punishing blow you inflict on it.” “That sounds just lovely.” He just ruined my appetite for a burger; thanks a lot.“French fries aren’t much better. They start as low-grade potatoes. They’re sliced up and chemical preservatives are added. They’re fried in recycled vegetable oil and smothered with salt and sugar. Imagine drinking oil from a murky, nasty fryer that possibly hasn’t been changed in months. Imagine injecting all that dark, dirty, thick oil into your arteries and overloading your heart trying to pump it through your body. Imagine it clogging your passageways and leaving a greasy residue. It’s like inviting a heart attack. Most people wouldn’t dare put such grime in their car engine, yet somehow people don’t think twice about putting it in their own bodies. Maybe these words will paint a slightly different picture and help you form new associations for these bad foods?” Yuck, I admit that sounds disgusting when described that way! “Well, how about Coke? It’s everywhere and is a normal part of meals, so how bad can it be?” Zak asked. “Soft drinks are advertised as being normal, but they are far from normal or natural. Large companies tricked the masses into buying artificially colored and flavored water with tons of sugar and caffeine at levels that are highly addictive. Even the sugar is low quality and chemically-synthesized from corn, called corn syrup, and the sugar content is sky high.” Sam continued, “Not everyone in the world considers it ‘normal’ to eat fast food burgers, fries, and Cokes, especially people from a few

128 hundred years ago or earlier. They may think people are crazy for choosing such artificial junk over real natural healthy foods. They might wonder why people would support such a corporation who manufactures and hurts so many people. So, why do you?” “I never thought about it. It’s convenient, so that’s what I drink.” If these companies hurt people, wouldn’t the real news cover this more? “If you knew that some Fortune 500 companies made billions of profit by selling addictive, high-fat, high-sugar, high-calorie, unnatural, chemically-laden products that took advantage, hurt, and sometimes killed its buyers, how would that make you feel?” “When you phrase it that way, it sounds wrong. I’d probably not want to support them.” “These companies spend millions of dollars in advertising to convince you that it’s normal and good, but isn’t that a lie? It’s very bad for you and if you believe it’s good, then you’ve been conned. Don’t you think everyone would be healthier, happier, and better off if those products never existed?” “People would need to spend more time in the kitchen then.” “Healthy food doesn’t necessarily take long to prepare though. Eating fresh vegetables doesn’t take any more time than driving to a fast food restaurant, waiting in line to order, and waiting for your food. Family members helping each other prepare a meal isn’t such a bad thing for relationships either.” “Maybe we’re just too lazy then?” “I don’t know the motive, but overeating fast food is a habit that can seriously harm people’s health. People sometimes pay the price for the rest of their lives through health problems. Sometimes they blame it on bad luck or blame it on God instead of their own eating choices.”

129 Zak nodded and swatted at a mosquito that just landed on his forearm. Great, now I have to watch out for these bloodsuckers. “People often choose the temporary pleasure of eating artificial trash instead of choosing long-term health. Often people claim they want the benefits of being healthy, but want the benefits of overeating junk food too. The decision of which is better for their lives should be a hands-down easy decision to make. The benefits are ridiculously lopsided, like 99.9% to 0.1%. Despite the benefits stacked highly on one side and an abundance of credible studies confirming one side as the superior choice, people often don’t choose that side. You can have the benefits of both if the junk food is in moderation, but most people don’t want it in moderation. Sometimes these decisions reflect inconsistent values, beliefs, and associations in what they want,” Sam said. “So if your values conflict, how do you solve it?” Zak asked. “Analyze them carefully. Put them through various tests to see if they are logical and in line with your overall goals and pursuit of happiness. I will offer an example if you would like…” Sam said. “Sure…” “People often treat friends and family with more respect than themselves. They are slightly less biased and can see more clearly when dealing with another person. Therefore, instead of asking if junk food is worth the cost to your health, ask if you would recommend junk food to your friends and family. For instance, if you got married, would you hope for your wife to prioritize junk food over her health? Would you want her to be in the habit of pursuing instant gratification through food? And if the habit made her obese, is there any point where her health would be of concern to you?” “Well, I suppose so,” Zak admitted. “What if she was willing to eat herself to the point of death, would that pursuit bother you? What if you discovered that your wife was

130 eating to soothe her pain, would that bother you? Would you enable her to eat more and more or would you prefer her to back off and seek emotional comfort through other more healthy means?” Zak rubbed his chin and looked up. Sam continued, “What if your wife was pregnant and about to have a baby— do you have any goals on what kind of parent you’d be in regards to your baby’s nutrition? Would you buy low or medium quality food to feed the baby, or would you buy only the highest-quality food for your baby? How would you feel about giving your newborn baby Twinkies and French fries? What level of care will you give your baby: high, medium, or low?” “I’d want to take care of the baby, so of course I’d get the high-quality food,” Zak said. “Often people will choose a high standard for those they love, but a low standard for themselves, which reveals inconsistent values. It could also present a lack of credibility as the child grows up and realizes you as a parent are not following your own advice. Would that seem hypocritical as a parent?” “I suppose it could,” Zak said. “Would you go to a doctor who you knew was in poor health? Would you put your hope, trust, and confidence in a sickly doctor who didn’t appear to take good care of himself? It doesn’t mean you can’t have great doctors who can still take good care of others, but when they don’t heed their own advice, doesn’t it undermine the credibility?” “I see your point.” Are parents really partly to blame for their kids’ obesity? Zak wondered. “But what if you just want to reward yourself with a treat? If you keep denying yourself, aren’t you also being mean to yourself?” “Are you really treating yourself or is it sabotaging yourself? If you harm your future self, are you truly treating yourself with respect,

131 dignity, and honor? Don’t you deserve better? Would you treat your best friend that way? If your friend worked hard to get to a certain point, would you reward him with the very temptation he was struggling to overcome? It’s better to decide what you want and whether a few seconds of comfort is worth living with long-term discomfort. Eating normal portions of healthy food isn’t being mean to oneself, but being kind to oneself. Overeating junk food isn’t being kind to oneself, it’s being mean and abusive to yourself. Remember how we talked about interpretations and how we can change them? We can likewise change our associations of things.” Sam said. Zak grabbed a handful of trail mix to eat but heard an eerie sound nearby in the bushes. What was that? Zak wondered. Did something just move? He held his breath and peered into the bushes. Oh no, please tell me that’s not a snake! Zak’s anxiety couldn’t handle not knowing. He had to know. As Zak leaned closer into the dark bush, he saw something lunge and Zak let out a scream while hopping backward. “Yeeeeooooow!” “What is it?” Sam asked. “A skull!” “What?” “Something… eating a skull?!” Zak fumbled his words trying to describe the horror he just witnessed. Please tell me it’s not human, he thought while leaning in and intensely staring into the darkly shaded area. Sam walked closer and used a large stick to peel back some of the bushes and revealing an ugly large bird, possibly a vulture, pecking at a bony mass.

132 “It looks like a deer carcass,” Sam said. “Ok, that’s gross!” Zak said as he put his tuna sandwich back in his plastic zip locked bag. The two backed away and chose to continue hiking up the trail. I wish I didn’t just see that, Zak thought. Problems from Obesity Despite the horrible distraction, Zak still wrestled with Sam’s last comment. He imagined the voices in his head as an angel and demon physically wrestling each other; he then imagined the demon pinning down the angel’s wings and poking him with a pitchfork. Oh, snap, I’m in trouble if I let him win! I’d better keep a close watch of my thoughts. “Sam, do you think that eating junk food and being a little overweight really gives someone lifelong pain?” Zak asked. “Unfortunately, it can and some don’t even realize it,” Sam said. “How so?” Zak asked. “First, some who are overweight struggle with self-confidence, self-esteem, and worry about how others perceive them. Life is hard enough already aside from obesity. But when obesity is added, it can only make life more complicated and difficult. Some don’t realize that it affects their self-esteem, but deep down people are usually affected. Sometimes they don’t like what they see in the mirror and that can feel disempowering.” “Fair enough, I don’t disagree,” Zak said. “Second, many people in this world respect and care for others, but there are some who use mean words, including negative remarks towards others who look different from them, including someone’s

133 size. Kids can be especially mean, because they don’t have much of a word-filter and sometimes make fun of kids who are overweight. Children who grow up being teased may have scars from verbal abuse and meanness from others. While it’s the fault of the mean kids saying that, and while part of the responsibility is also in the receiver’s own interpretation of such words, wouldn’t it be nice to avoid that situation altogether? Everyone will still likely get made fun of for their looks, behavior, or what they say, but being a slightly smaller target for the bullies could be one less thing to worry about.” A “smaller target,” Zak snickered to himself. Cute. “Third, overeating and getting overweight often causes health problems like diabetes. In most cases, this is preventable by eating less. Imagine someone going to frequent doctor appointments, paying thousands of dollars, plus getting prescriptions for insulin and blood testing equipment, plus spending time and hassle to constantly check his blood sugar level. These problems are mostly preventable by not eating as much and returning to a healthy weight. Imagine the feeling of never having to worry about diabetes or the hassle of checking glucose levels— wouldn’t that feel liberating?” Sam said. Double fudge chocolate cookie dough makes me feel liberated, Zak thought to himself to score quick humor points. He wasn’t sure he believed his own cynicism, though. “Fourth, there are countless other health problems that occur from being overweight, including circulation problems, increased risk of heart attacks, blood clots, edema, having a suppressed immune system that leads to more sickness, sleeping problems, knee and joint problems from carrying extra weight, among other ailments. So much pain and hardship could be avoided if one would choose to not eat so much— even 10% less— and in time one would feel lighter and healthier. Wouldn’t it be nice to experience life free of these health problems?”

134 Zak’s distracted mind recalled the Billy Joel song where he sang, “heart attack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack.” Come on, Zak, focus! he thought. “But easier said than done, right?” Zak said. “I’m here to help you take one step at a time, literally and figuratively,” Sam said with a smile. Triple Falls The two progressed through the forested trail around another hillside and eventually reached the three separate 64’ waterfalls which split from Oneonta Creek. “Whoa, it’s beautiful!” Zak said. Birds perched high in the surrounding trees looked down and sang their songs. Butterflies fluttered in the air and danced in the sunlight. He imagined it would be fun to dive off the top of the falls into the water below, but suspected it would be quite dangerous. There might be only 1” of water at the bottom, as far as I know. I’d probably die trying to just climb over there! Dinner Plans “Zak, you’ve burned a fair amount of calories on this hike and will likely have some choices to make for your dinner tonight. What do you plan to do?” “Well, I haven’t thought about it yet.”

135 “I bring this up because you are more likely to achieve your goals if you plan ahead. If you don’t, you may be more inclined to give in to temptations that don’t serve you well long-term.” Zak remembered his buffet experience last time and could relate more to this than Sam even knew. Maybe he’s right. I should plan this stuff soon. He felt unprepared to decide though. Zak suddenly reconnected with the pain that led him to this place. He remembered his emotion when sitting in Mrs. Nelson’s office. He remembered his tears. He realized that, yes, he does need to take positive action. He didn’t want to fall into any more traps. “I’m deciding to get a salad at the grocery store on the way home,” Zak said. “Good for you,” Sam said. “Will you try the 8 Ways again?” “I will. I’ll do better this time.” “Great. I’m pulling for you!” The two parted ways. Home Habits On the drive back, Zak felt fairly sure he was going to follow through with his plan, but still had doubts. Zak was tired of negative thoughts and wanted to kick them to the curb. He now had no choice, he thought, because he already told Sam what he planned to do. If he didn’t, he would feel awful, especially after how much effort Sam put into helping him. Zak didn’t want to risk lying or dealing with a guilty conscience over this either. Even though eating a salad sounded so bland and boring after burning so many calories, Zak realized he was already committed this time.

136 Just then Zak had a realization. He realized that the act of both deciding what he was going to do in advance and telling Sam his specific dinner plan made it seem “locked in.” These two small actions changed his motivation. Zak didn’t know he could do that so easily. Before this, Zak’s motivation would have gravitated back towards his normal eating habits, but after these two steps he “tipped the scales” of motivation towards the better choice. The significance of this discovery could be big, Zak thought. He decided to add it as an insight into his phone notes app. PLAN YOUR ACTIONS LIKE MEALS ()AHEAD OF TIME HEN COMMIT TO . TIMPLEMENTING YOUR PLANS. That evening Zak followed through with his plan and honored his commitment. He bought a salad. Hazelnuts and raspberry vinaigrette made it more flavorful and less boring than he expected. He also tried applying the 8 Ways to not overeat, although it failed, because he could only remember four of them. Maybe, I should write these down on a card and put them on the dinner table, he thought. Then he realized he ate half of his meals away from the house at school or fast food restaurants. Maybe I could add them more obviously on my smartphone’s background or write them on an index note card that fits in my front pants pocket to keep with me? In his bathroom, Zak stepped on the scale and gasped: 291. He lost 5 pounds. It’s working! I can’t believe it! I’m actually making progress.

137 As Zak lay down on his bed, he felt his sore body sink into the bed. He realized it wasn’t a bad feeling to feel sore. He felt good knowing he worked hard and felt he actually accomplished something today. He wasn’t beating himself up and felt no guilt. Suddenly, Zak remembered a pithy phrase Sam said, “Make bad behavior convenient and good behavior inconvenient.” Zak pondered for a moment then thought, wait a minute that makes no sense! I want “good” behavior to be convenient, not bad behavior! Maybe I said it wrong. Zak smiled as he sank his head into the pillow and closed his eyes. His active mind didn’t relax quite yet, however. Sam said this can apply to other things too. I wonder if he means it can help with drinking, smoking, or watching porn? Making sin inconvenient. But how…? Would that mean to not keep beer in my fridge? Maybe don’t have cigarettes around or don’t keep coupons for them? Maybe, I shouldn’t hang out with people who do what I’m trying to avoid, like smoking? How about porn— maybe only use the internet that blocks the bad stuff, like ‘family safe’ internet? Or, could I adjust the web browser settings to be on ‘restricted?’ Maybe I don’t use the computer alone or at all? Or maybe, I shouldn’t look at or buy movies, products, posters, magazines, or anything at all associated with these bad things? Hmmmm… Zak was baffled by these new connections he was making to overcome previous habits. Suddenly a saying he heard before popped into his head: if something causes you to stumble, chop it off… or something. Zak then Google-searched those keywords and found that it was actually a Bible verse in Matthew 5:30 and Mark 9:43, “And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.” Maybe that’s talking about the same thing— to make bad behavior inconvenient? Zak realized. But this goes beyond just saying to just

138 make sin inconvenient, but DO ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING NECESSARY TO STOP IT AND AVOID SEVERE CONSEQUENCES, EVEN CHOPPING OFF YOUR HAND! Zak didn’t know before how serious this sounded about avoiding sin and wondered how many Christians actually followed it? Zak wasn’t sure what he believed about God, Jesus, or the Bible. He went to Catholic mass with his parents a few times when he was younger, but didn’t pay much attention and didn’t remember much. He couldn’t deny some of the wisdom from the Bible and all the people who seemed to be helped by it, though. Maybe I should check it out for myself… one of these days, he thought. He had no idea what to expect for the next hike, but knew it would likely be father, higher, and harder. Will I be able to make it? Surely, I must have a limit.

139 9. ANGEL’S RESTZak grabbed a Reese’s bar, an apple, a muffin, and a 32oz Gatorade and threw it into his backpack. He left to meet Sam at the park and carpooled to the Angel’s Rest trailhead. This would be the longest and steepest hike yet. Zak wasn’t convinced he could make it, but knew Sam believed in him. It had rained that morning and the sky was overcast. The summit of the hike was supposed to be a viewpoint of the Columbia River. I hope we’ll get to see something if we make it up there, Zak thought. Zak wondered about the threat of lightning on a cloudy day like this at the top of a mountain. Oh, boy, this can’t be good… The two started up the steep dirt trail into the forest and began a deep dialogue. 5 Points of Motivational Leverage “Zak, if you’re willing, I’d like to share 5 points of motivational leverage you might find helpful as you strive towards your health goal.” “Sure…” “First, you can use social leverage as motivation to make it easier to accomplish the goal and harder to not accomplish the goal. For example, if you tell all your friends and family that you’re planning to compete in a triathlon this summer, you may start feeling pressure to succeed. You might otherwise feel embarrassed if people found out you were unprepared and failed to finish. However, if you finished your goal in front of your peers then your victory would seem that much sweeter. You might feel proud and a sense of

140 accomplishment if people cheered you on, watched you complete your goal, and celebrated your victory.” Upon hearing Sam say “harder to not accomplish the goal,” Zak’s ADD-like mind flashed to the movie Zoolander where he said, “they won’t be looking for... not us.” What a weird flick, he thought. “Zak, let me ask you this— if you had a friend who was trying hard to lose weight and wanted support, would you want him to tell you?” “Sure, especially if a close friend. I might feel bad if they didn’t tell me.” “Ok, and if your friend succeeded in his goal, would you be happy for him and offer your congratulations too?” “Of course, if I’m his friend.” “It might make you feel good to know that your friend trusted you enough to share his or her goal with you, right?” “Right.” “If that would make you feel good, wouldn’t your friends also feel good if you trusted them with your weight loss goal?” “Maybe.” “And if you didn’t, wouldn’t you be robbing them of an opportunity to be a friend and support you?” Zak felt a bit startled by this new perspective and tried to make sense of it. Would others really feel this way? It doesn’t seem right, yet, I kind of just admitted to feeling this way myself. Whoa. A bluebird caught Zak’s eye and swooped down almost making eye contact with him. Birds were chirping and singing in surround sound as the two hiked and resumed their dialog. “Zak, imagine if someone invited you to join their group for exercising and losing weight together? What if all your neighbors in

141 your community were doing it, would you be encouraged to join? What if people in your school or workplace were doing it and having success, would that motivate you?” “Well, if everyone else was doing it, I probably would,” Zak thought. “The good news is many weight loss groups and programs do exist if you look carefully for them. But if you can’t find one convenient for you, what if you were the one to lead and invite people into a group? Think of the motivational leverage you would have to lose weight if you were the organizer and had a group of like-minded and supportive people around you.” That could be scary! I’ve never done anything like that before. Oh… I guess ‘scary’ is just one possible interpretation, isn’t it? “You can add social pressure through other means too. If you hired a trainer you consistently met with, you may find more motivation to lose weight due to the trainer’s accountability. You may not want to disappoint the trainer and might feel compelled to do your exercises so you don’t feel embarrassed,” Sam said. “But this assumes you can afford it. Many people like me just can’t,” Zak said. “Glad you brought that up. If you paid $100 to get $300 in return, could you ‘afford’ it?” “Yes, I’d figure out a way.” “If it cost you $100 for a trainer, but saved you $300 in medical bills and medication, would you do it then?” “If I knew it would save me money, then yes.” “The same social leverage can apply by sharing your weight-loss goal with people you trust, whether in school, classes, work, church groups, or interest groups. Remember to share your personal goals with people who have your best interests in mind; you wouldn’t want to share with people who may try to undermine you.”

142 “I see. Does this mean that social pressure can be good if used to improve ourselves?” “That’s right. Second, you can use financial leverage as motivation to accomplish your goal. Let’s say someone with a 36” waist wants a 32” waist. He spends $200 on four pairs of 32” blue jeans that are too small to fit into yet. He now has financial pressure to lose enough weight to fit into those jeans so he doesn’t feel bad for wasting money. Using financial investments as motivational leverage further increases the odds of making your goal, as it gives you ‘skin in the game.’” “I never thought of that before…” “Someone can easily ratchet up the financial pressure too. Imagine a woman buying a several thousand dollar wedding dress in a certain size that she doesn’t yet fit into. She has a deadline she absolutely must fit into that dress by. She wants her friends, family, and guests to see her look her best, but she knows that if photos show her feeling fat and not fitting into that dress she might regret it for the rest of her life. Her day is so special, so important, and has so much at stake that she might summon a 10 out of 10 on the motivational scale to be able to lose enough weight to wear that dress. And when she meets her goal and slips on that dress for the first time, her victory would feel so much sweeter and so much more meaningful.” “That’s really going all-in,” Zak said. “But why put so much pressure on yourself?” “Don’t you owe it to yourself to go all-in when trying to reach your goals?” Sam said. “If you give yourself no choice but to succeed, guess what will happen?” “You might succeed?” “Yes!” Zak had to ponder this point. He still wasn’t totally buying it, yet he couldn’t refute it either and needed more time to process. He felt

143 like making more jokes to lighten the mood, but he was already mentally tiring. Maybe I’ll just see what else he has to say and review this stuff later, he thought. “Zak, another way to use financial leverage is to invest in a month of small group fitness classes in advance, for example. The idea of wasting money sounds awful, so you may feel more pressure and motivation to show up. You can invest in monthly deliveries of your food as well, which are to be healthy and in small portions. If you pay for it in advance and it’s delivered to you, there would be more leverage on you to eat it so it wouldn’t go to waste.” Zak was keeping an eye on the clouds above. Seeing them swirl around so quickly was making him nervous. He thought he felt a drop of rain, but after what happened last time, he didn’t want to rush to any conclusions. Maybe it’s actually a bird this time? Or maybe it’s a wet bird that few through a raincloud? Or maybe it’s my own sweat? “Third, consider using visual reminders as leverage to help you visualize your goal and serve as a motivational reminder. Just like a high school student having posters of Michael Jordan on his bedroom wall and visualizing being able to shoot a basketball like him, adults need the same kind of visual aids as reminders of their goals and dreams. The more you see something, the more you think about it. The more you think about it, the more you’ll want to achieve it,” Sam said. “Visual reminders can include writing goals on a notepad, whiteboard, making a collage of your dreams on a poster board containing drawings or photos of places you want to visit, activities you want to do, things representing what you want to accomplish, or the type of person you wish to become. You could make them yourself or clip pictures from magazines and glue on the board.” “Zak, have you ever wondered why video games or slot machine games are so addictive?”

144 “No, why is that?” “First, they offer immediate rewards when you do something good, like rewarding you with points, exciting graphics and sounds. Next, they display your progress regularly, such as your score, money, level, etc. Then, they offer competition and offer social incentives for winning. Since these elements boost motivation, what if you did the same thing to boost motivation toward your health goal?” “That would be nice, but how is that possible?” “You can first check for apps that game-ify your health goal. Fitness trackers, calorie counters, weight-trackers, and other health apps already do this. Phone apps and smart fitness swatches can visually show the benefits of your progress and can remind you of your goals, dreams, and benefits of reaching them. You may also consider making to-do lists, calendars, or charts you can track, monitor, and check-off, both electronically and printed-out. You can save visual reminders as wallpaper for your computer, or a screensaver or background for your smartphone, tablet, TV, or computer. You can put these visuals around your home on walls, doors, on your refrigerator, or in your car, in your locker at school, or anywhere you’ll see them often. If your reward for losing a certain amount of weight is to vacation in Canada, for example, consider putting up a poster on your bedroom door of the Canadian city or national park you plan to visit. If you want to look like Rocky Balboa, then post pictures of him or what you want to look like.” Ok, not a bad idea. Rocky, though? “If your goal is truly important enough, then why not absolutely saturate your world with visual reminders? Visually engulf yourself with images that motivate you, inspire you, and visually mark your progress. Make it inescapable. Everywhere you turn you are being reminded of it. You see it when you wake up, when you go to bed, when you’re eating. You see it multiple times every day, every hour. You might even get sick of seeing it and it might start annoying you that you haven’t accomplished the goal yet. You might even want to

145 reach the goal simply so you can take down all the annoying reminders!” “That’s funny,” Zak smirked. That might actually work, though. “You may consider a wrist band, rubber band, bangle, ring, necklace, bandana, hat, smartwatch, or any kind of reminder that you associate with your goal that can motivate you to success. Remember that what you see affects what you think about; and what you think about regularly becomes important; and if something is important, it’s much easier to be motivated.” Just then Zak realized he was wearing the bangle. Its meaning was becoming clearer now. He didn’t even remember putting it on— he never did. How weird!“Psychologists say they can easily determine the priorities of people by seeing what they spend their time on. Do they spend all their time at work? School? Video games? Do they spend most of it with or thinking of their spouse? If they are Christian, do they spend most of their time seeking God, reading the Bible, and ministering to others? Or do they spend most of their time watching TV, movies, or thinking about their stock investments? Do they spend time trying to accumulate material things or seek accomplishments in order to impress others and feel important? Do they invest most of their time giving and helping others or receiving and taking from others? How people spend their time is a reliable measure of what is most important to them. So, making visual reminders of your goals, and being reminded regularly of them will help solidify them as a priority to you and will leverage your motivation.” Zak listened quietly and wondered if he should be taking notes on some of this. He was surprised by the intensity and depth of the strategies Sam described. He looked up at the sky and noticed the clouds were getting darker. He thought he heard a distant rumble. Oh, just great, this is all we

146 need is to get zapped my lightning. Maybe it would shock some sense into me! “Fourth, you can use personal promises, commitments, and goals as leverage. What’s the biggest promise or commitment you’ve ever made to yourself or another person?” “Well, I’d have to think about that…” “When you think of one, ask what the characteristics of that promise were? You can use the same criteria for your weight goal. Some people sign documents of commitment, like a legal document. You could also write a letter to your future self. Explain to yourself why you chose this goal and how important it is to you and commit to take specific actions by a specific deadline. Sign and date the letter and save to read in the future when you feel weak or tempted to violate your goal.” Sam continued, “It can add leverage if you tie a special event to your goal. For example, you might choose to lose a certain amount of weight before a wedding. Maybe you want to be a certain weight at a graduation ceremony. Maybe you want to get in a certain shape for a vacation.” “You can also write encouraging notes for yourself and post it on the mirror. Then, as you’re preparing for work or school the next day you have something motivating to read. Let yourself know exactly what you need to hear to stay strong and hold the course. It’s empowering to keep your commitments and disempowering to break them, so include language for how serious you are about your commitment.” Wow, he thinks of everything, doesn’t he? “If you have a few trusted friends, you may consider asking them to write you an encouraging and persuasive letter also to open in times of weakness. You can also ask them to incentivize reaching the goal. For example, if you reach your health goal, maybe they will go on a trip with you or throw a party or do something special for you.”

147 “You can also add encouraging notes to your calendar. You can record audio or a video to watch later when you need the extra motivation and support. You can ask friends to do the same to help support you.” Maybe I could record some TikTok videos… “Zak, when you look for a job, whether paid or volunteer, what you choose can create leverage toward your health goal. For example, if you get a manual labor job working outside with tools, such as doing landscaping or building things, it will probably help you stay in physical shape, unlike a desk job. If you passed out flyers in the community for a charity fundraiser you would walk a lot and get exercise. If you washed cars as a fundraiser, or built homes through Habitat for Humanity, or helped kids at the Boys and Girls Club, you’d also get exercise. Each of these can force you into a position where you’re being more active and becoming healthier.” Ugh, work. I’m not too excited about that… “Establishing and formalizing a specific goal you set with a deadline is another way to create leverage. When you commit to a goal you probably won’t want to fail, so you will try harder than if you didn’t set a goal. Goals also create clarity. We can talk more about this on our hike today if you’d like.” “Yeah, sure,” Zak said. Zak felt a drop on his hand. Ok, I’m 100% sure that was rain. This isn’t looking good… “Fifth, physical distance can be used as leverage. For example, if you don’t keep junk food in your house, and if you live 100 miles from a store in the middle of a desert, you likely won’t eat much junk food. We can take that to an extreme too— if you were willing to travel to a foreign country for a month to a place with food served in small portions, such as Southeast Asia, then you may lose weight. If you travel to a country where you don’t like the food, you could also lose weight.”

148 Zak then remembered the movie, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where they travelled to a palace in India and ate eyeball soup, snake surprise, and monkey brains. I’d be as skinny as a rail if I lived there!“What’s strange is sometimes inconveniences can actually be convenient… to your goal.” “For example?” Zak said. “When going to stores if you park farther away in parking lots it forces yourself to get more exercise. These little decisions can add up. You can also limit how many items you buy at a grocery store so you go back more often. For example, if you only carry a handbasket instead of pushing a cart. This may result in getting out of the house and walking around more, giving you more exercise and burning more calories. Carrying the basket can also give you an arm workout!” Sam said. “Oh, I never would have thought of that,” Zak said. But I’d probably grow giant Schwarzenegger arms with as much food as I put in the basket.“Where you choose to live can impact your health too, believe it or not. Imagine that you’re looking for an apartment and you have a choice of one on the ground level with a parking spot directly in front or one on the third-floor only accessible through stairs on the backside of a building. Most people would consider this inconvenient, but imagine the convenience of getting regular exercise going up and down the stairs every day? It would give you no choice but to burn calories, strengthen your legs, and strengthen your cardio, just making you healthier overall. Being healthier means you’ll have a stronger immune system and not get sick as much; it can help you think more clearly and you can look and feel better. It might save money in doctor bills and prescriptions, too.”

149 If I had a third-floor apartment, I’d probably just install a slip-n-slide to get down or maybe call an Uber drone to carry me up and down to my car! Zak thought. “If you’re looking for houses, the choice of yard could indirectly affect your health too. Maybe you have a choice between one with a small, flat yard, or one with a big yard on the side of a hill which you would need to maintain. You may have a choice between a house with a mailbox attached to the house, or one a distance away. You may have a choice between a house with nowhere to walk, run, or bike, or one near a park full of trails. All of these decisions can impact your level of health over time.” Even if I lived above a fitness center I’d still never go! Zak thought. “If you remove yourself from your normal environment for a period of time that can also provide motivational leverage. For example, if you went to a weight loss camp for a few weeks where everything you ate was monitored and pre-portioned, you’d probably lose weight. It would be hard not to, as you would just be stuck there. You would be incentivized to get your money’s worth and you may also have social pressure— so you don’t stand out for not losing as much weight as the others in the group. You might also have pressure to stay to not look foolish for leaving early. Such a camp would have at least three sources of leverage, which greatly increases your odds of succeeding in your goal. Ideally, you would utilize all 5 motivational strategies.” I’d be the first person to break out and escape from a weight loss camp! Zak thought. He imagined himself in an action scene with military helicopters chasing him with heavy guns and searchlights while he flees to the nearest Krispy Kreme. “But don’t even need to go to a camp to get pre-portioned meals. You can already do this by relying on a meal delivery service, like Schwan’s, and just don’t keep any food in the house whatsoever.” An empty kitchen would be weird.