The Health Trail ebook sample

50 “Let me think…” Zak was tempted to give a sarcastic answer, but something reminded him of his cry for help in Mrs. Nelson’s office and that Sam posed no threat to him. Maybe I should cut him some slack, he’s probably just trying to be helpful, he thought. Maybe I’ll just try to answer directly and see what happens.“I’m afraid, maybe. I don’t want to try again and fail, and I don’t want to be seen failing. I’m just tired of it, feel overwhelmed, and it’s hard to see myself doing this. I would need more help and support,” he said. Zak felt stunned that he just shared that, as if he just emerged from a hypnotic trance. Is that really how I feel? He would never normally share such things, but somehow he felt comfortable with Sam. Something intangible about him seemed to draw it out. “Thanks for sharing that— you just revealed several insights there,” Sam said. “Zak, if you are willing, I’d like to untangle and analyze what you just said, because I think you will find it useful. Is that ok?” “Yeah, sure.” Zak wasn’t keen on the direction this was going but thought that, once again, he’d try to give Sam the benefit of the doubt. I can’t think of the last time someone really wanted to talk to me, especially like this. “Your explanation appears to have 7 parts,” Sam said. Afraid (of change) Afraid of failing Afraid of what others think Feel tired (of ineffective strategies) Feel overwhelmed Can’t see yourself doing it Need more help and support

51 “Sometimes thoughts seem less complex and less burdensome if you just write them down as a list,” Sam said. “Okay…” Zak said, now listening intently. “First, you said you feel afraid. It’s normal to feel afraid of change— it’s scary, but you can resist allowing that fear to control you. Fear alone has no power over you. Courage is actually doing things despite having fear. If everyone waited until they felt no fear, most everyone would wait forever and never do anything. Also, if you were to make a list of things you’ve done despite being afraid, I’d be willing to bet you could come up with a long list. Showing up on the first day of a new school, for example, is a fear to many. Let me ask you this: would it have been more comfortable to stay home instead of coming on this hike today?” Sam asked. “Yes, I felt like cancelling, to be honest. But now that I’m here, I’m glad I came.” “This means, you didn’t let anxiety or fear stop you from experiencing something— you demonstrated the ability to overcome it.” Zak offered a shy smile while staring down at Sam’s gray hiking boots. “Second,” Sam continued, “let’s examine the rest of what you said. You said you’re afraid to try and fail again as though failing is a bad thing. Why is failing at something bad?” “I don’t know. It’s frustrating and embarrassing. We’re taught to avoid it.” “If a five-year-old boy is learning to ride a bike and falls down several times, should he feel frustrated and embarrassed?” “Probably not, he’s just a kid. That’s a normal part of learning.”

52 “True. How about the parents— should the mom and dad watching feel ashamed at their son who has fallen down and ‘failed?’” “Nah, that might seem a bit overboard. That could discourage him.” “True. The boy could adopt the fears and negativity from his parents. So, if it’s ok for a kid to fall down when trying something new, why wouldn’t it be ok for an adult?” “I don’t know... Maybe society has higher expectations for adults? Fear of public ridicule or disapproval? Fear of being humiliated on Twitter or Facebook?” Zak said. “It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be mindful of what we share and how we conduct ourselves in public. But when people take a risk to try something new like a weight loss program and if they fall short, why can’t they just view it as learning and practicing like the kid on the bike?” “I suppose that’s possible,” Zak said. I actually never thought of it like that. Maybe it’s ok that I don’t do everything perfectly; I could always try again and learn from my mistakes. “Trying something new like a diet and not making it initially isn’t such a big deal with the right attitude and a positive outlook. If people just learn from it, keep at it, and build new habits, they’ll eventually succeed at getting what they want, right?” Zak nodded his head in agreement. “Persistence is key. Also, failure is not you as a person failing, but just an experiment failing. You are a successful person analyzing the outcome, learning from it, and taking corrective measures— that’s a healthy mindset,” Sam said. Zak lifted his iPhone and added the following note:

53 FAILURE IS JUST AN EXPERIMENT FAILING NOT A PERSON FAILING ,. PRACTICE BEING OK WITH FAILING. “Third, you expressed concern about what others think. If people avoid trying new things altogether based on fear of what others think, don’t they shortchange themselves? It’s good to listen to and evaluate criticism, but have you noticed that the most negative critics are sometimes the ones suppressed by fear themselves? Sometimes they project their own insecurity by criticizing others.” Sam continued, “When getting opinions, just know that their information is often limited, especially if it relates to you. How can you truly know what someone else thinks? You really don’t. People assume and are often wrong. People can sometimes give very bad advice. Has anyone ever falsely assumed something about you?” Sam said. “Yeah, one of my teachers assumed I had ADHD,” Zak said. “Some live their entire lives based on false assumptions. Even married couples can falsely assume things about each other and not realize it until years later. We generally don’t know what others are thinking, and when we guess, we often guess wrong,” Sam said. “But hearing criticism is just so embarrassing, especially when others are watching. This is why I don’t go to the gym. I’d rather avoid being seen unless I can first build confidence on my own,” Zak said. “I’m glad you shared this because that assumes a gym is the complete solution to weight loss, but in reality, it isn’t. Let’s first finish the remaining points and we can discuss this topic next.” “Ok, sure.”

54 “Fourth, you mentioned feeling tired,” Sam said. “Maybe you feel tired of trying things that don’t work, am I right?” “Yes, it’s exhausting,” Zak said. “Doing things that don’t work doesn’t automatically make you exhausted, but your interpretation of it can. Do you feel energized when you do things that do work?” Zak closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. “Fifth, you said you feel overwhelmed,” Sam said. “This can happen when you only look at something as a whole rather than separate and more manageable parts. Do you remember when I asked on the last hike if you could hike another five minutes?” “Yes.” “That was a small manageable goal, wasn’t it? But if I asked if you could hike for another five hours, that may have felt overwhelming, right?” “Definitely.” “So the key to not being overwhelmed is to break things down into tiny manageable parts to focus on one step at a time. Sometimes all you can do is just one step, and that’s ok. Sometimes taking that one step changes the perspective enough to allow a further step.” Zak started to say something but instead grunted then felt self-conscious. What was that about?! he thought. “If you think back a few minutes ago, are you happy with your answer for why you don’t feel motivated to lose weight?” Sam said. “Well, I just shared what’s on my mind; it felt jumbled and unclear.” Zak said. “And how did it feel after we broke it down into smaller parts?” Sam asked.

55 “I guess it did seem clearer,” Zak said, “It felt like seventy things in my head but actually was just seven.” Zak lifted his iPhone again and entered: THE CURE TO FEELING OVERWHELMED IS TO BREAK THINGS DOWN INTO TINY PIECES AND FOCUS ON ONLY ONE AT A TIME. Zak was impressed how Sam remembered virtually everything he said up until this point and automatically broke it into seven parts. Who does this? Is he a cyborg running an algorithm or something? “Sixth, you said you couldn’t see yourself doing it,” Sam said. “It’s hard to do things that seem inconsistent with how we view ourselves. So, a key to changing our behavior long term is to change how we see ourselves.” “But how?” Zak asked. “Visualization is one way. Start imagining what you’d look like at a certain size and weight. For example, if your goal is to be 180 pounds, then you actually visualize yourself being 180 pounds. At this weight what do you see when you look in the mirror? What does each body part look like? How does it feel? How does it change your interactions with others? How does it affect your self-confidence? What new activities could you do? What new opportunities might you have? Take time to deeply visualize it in extreme detail— to seeit as if it’s real.”

56 Sam continued, “To help you visualize, you can find pictures of bodies you want to look like and put your head on it. You use an app, Photoshop, or scrap pieces of paper from magazines. You can put these images as your phone’s background or desktop computer’s wallpaper or place posters in your bathroom. These reminders will help you visualize yourself being that person. It’s not a one-time thing, either; do it regularly like bathing… bathing your mind. The more you remind yourself of it, the more you think about it, and the more motivation you will create to achieve it.” “That sounds silly.” “Is it silly if it works? If it helps you overcome obstacles and accomplish a significant and meaningful goal, is it truly silly?” “Maybe not.” “Seventh and lastly, you mentioned you feel a lack of support. I’d like to offer my support to you— how would you like that?” Sam said. “Yeah, I don’t know what kind of help I need, but I just know that losing weight is hard for me and I can’t do it by myself,” Zak said. “Well, I’m happy to help. Few people can do such things by themselves; we all need support. Sometimes our own egos or pride can block us from genuinely seeking others’ help or allowing them to help us,” Sam said. “Zak, if you’re willing, I’d like to invite you to continue hiking with me regularly each Saturday. What do you think?” “Sure, that sounds great,” Zak said, but he wasn’t completely sure about it. Do I really want to commit every week to this? Ugh, obligations! Zak heard a big splash in the creek. He turned and saw nothing but ripples. What was that?! A salmon?

57 80% of Weight Loss is Diet “Zak, earlier you mentioned going to gym, but I’d like to share why a gym isn’t necessarily the best solution for weight loss.” “What do you mean?” “Experts estimate that 80% of your weight is determined by what you eat and only 20% is determined by exercise. If anyone believes 6that going to the gym is the primary solution to losing weight, it’s not. It only accounts for 20% of the problem. If you are tackling a problem and have limited motivation, would you rather focus your limited efforts on only 20% of the solution or 80% of the solution?” “Yeah, obviously I’d do the one that carries more… weight.” Zak smiled. “Good one! Another thing about gyms… people generally don’t pay much attention to others; they’re usually too busy thinking about themselves. People often have earphones on, are looking in the mirror, focused on their own exercise, and are generally tuned-out from others. If someone is worried about what others think, they can be assured that few people at the gym would pay much attention to you. You would be just one of many people trying to get exercise and everyone is in the same boat.” “Ok, I’d have to see it for myself then, but I can’t really afford to join a gym right now.” “You don’t have to go to a gym to exercise. You can do many exercises at home, at work, or nearly anywhere in the world 24/7. You don’t need to pay any money and don’t even need any equipment to exercise. If you don’t believe it, just search YouTube for examples.” “Lifting weights without any weights? Come on…” “I didn’t say weights, but exercise. Haven’t you ever done pushups or sit-ups before?”

58 “Yeah, maybe 100 pounds ago. I can’t do any now, so how does that help me?” “Ok, so you acknowledge you can exercise without weights and that some are even too hard for you currently. Those are only two examples— there’s countless more that don’t involve any equipment. They can still burn calories, strengthen your muscles, and include walking up or down stairs, twisting, squats, dancing, etc. You can also exercise while being productive like cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, gardening, painting. You can also watch free online videos of instructors leading aerobics, Zumba, or yoga classes that you can participate with. You can even exercise while playing video games. Remember the Nintendo Wii Fit?” “Kind of, I never tried it. Maybe I’ll check some videos out sometime.” Zak realized he just said maybe and sometime in the same sentence. That’s not very committing, is it? I already know I won’t do any exercise videos, plus he just said it’s not as effective as my diet, right?Metlako Falls Zak and Sam hiked until they reached a second viewpoint, one they had not stopped at in their previous hike. This one was higher up the mountain and even more spectacular as the first. Suddenly, there it was! Zak’s eyes widened and his jaw opened. Metlako Falls revealed itself in the distance in all its pristine glory. Whoa! That’s tight, he thought. Its clear beautiful water plunged 100 feet down into the peaceful Eagle Creek. Mist floated up into the air and made sparkles from the reflecting sunlight. Everything about it was photogenic.

59 Zak breathed in the sights, sounds, and smells of this mountain paradise. He forgot how beautiful nature was. How could I have overlooked this? This experience seemed to refill his motivational gas tank. He now almost felt foolish for dreading coming before, realizing that spending time playing games and watching TV paled in comparison. As they took a break at the viewpoint, Zak clutched the cable at the edge of the cliff overlook with both hands as he closed his eyes. He imagined himself soaring through the air like the scene from Titanic. The only difference was he didn’t dare release his grip of the cable and he didn’t have Leonardo DiCaprio breathing down his neck. Thankfully! He then tried to whistle the Titanic theme song, but butchered it; he blew out a few flat notes followed by soundless hot air through his dry, chapped lips. Sam glanced over at Zak with a funny look. Suddenly Sam darted away. Where’s he going? Did he see something?Sam walked ten yards away then stooped down in the bushes as if to pick up something. He put on gloves and used both hands to carefully pick up something slowly moving. It seemed to be convulsing in his arms. Sam turned to reveal a tired blue jay with an injured wing. “Oh, how sad!” Zak said. He walked closer for a better look. The bird’s eyes seemed heavy and were closing and opening frequently; its left wing was slightly extended. Its body appeared to be lightly shivering. “Let’s see if we can help this tired little bird,” Sam said. Sam gently held out the wing to pinpoint an injury. He couldn’t find any breaks, but found a spot on the wing that looked like an unnatural sticky glob. Tree sap? He then opened and shuffled around in his first aid kit. He grabbed a cotton ball and dabbed it

60 with water then gently stroked the wing to get the sticky residue off. It slid off! He then warmed the bird with a cloth and gently set it down in a protected area under a bush. “We’ll check back on you later, buddy,” Sam said. Zak seemed mesmerized watching this unfold. He really seems to care for animals; he really… loves them.Zak and Sam continued to relax at the scenic viewpoint for another few minutes before turning back. Things vs. Interpretations vs. Feelings “Zak, I’d like to share some info you may find useful for weight loss and more. It’s about our interpretations. A moment ago you mentioned that criticism is ‘embarrassing,’ right? “Right.” “The act of hearing criticism doesn’t automatically cause embarrassment. However, our interpretation of the criticism can lead us to a feeling of embarrassment.” “What do you mean by that?” “A thing, our interpretation of the thing, and our feeling about the thing are three separate things in three separate steps. This is useful to know, because if you feel stuck with negative feelings, it doesn’t necessarily have to consume and control you. Instead, you can change your feeling by changing your interpretation of the ‘thing.’ Once an interpretation is changed, your feelings will naturally change. It’s also called ‘reframing.’ This can be an empowering, breakthrough realization for people, knowing that they’re not stuck with their negative feelings. This realization can improve your efforts in weight loss or in all aspects of life.” “I’m still not sure I get the connection…”

61 “Let’s say someone wanted to lose weight and tried a new diet, but couldn’t sustain it and fell back into old eating habits? Is this a ‘failure’ that should prevent him from ever trying to lose weight again? What if he changed his interpretation from failure and instead viewed it as an educational moment? What if the resulting feeling could instead be the feeling of enlightenment or even excitement? Imagine spending more of your life feeling excited instead of frustrated. Do you remember Thomas Edison’s interpretation of his many failed light bulb attempts? He said, ‘I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.’ The famous painter, Bob Ross, said, ‘We don’t make mistakes, we have happy accidents.’ What if you did the same?” Sam said. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But that would probably take practice,” Zak said. He sure says “what if” a lot. Is that his way of looking on the bright side? What if I start using ‘what if’ to imagine more positive things too? Zak amused himself with his own cleverness. He then added this realization to his iPhone notes… USE WHAT IF“…” STATEMENTS TO UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL. “It surely does take regular practice. The negative messages we get from the media, TV, and movies can reinforce such negativity, so we have to fight against it. Just like we need to exercise our bodies to stay strong, we need to exercise good mental habits to stay mentally strong,” Sam said. “Ok, I’ll have to work on that,” Zak said.

62 Suddenly a hummingbird zoomed in and hovered like a helicopter only a few feet away from Zak’s face. It then shot away before Zak could raise his phone to take a picture. Wow, that little guy was fast!“Zak, do you remember earlier saying that it was silly to visualize?” “Yeah…” “That’s another example of an interpretation. The thing was the act of visualizing and the interpretation was that it was silly. But it could just as easily have been interpreted as empowering and inspirational, right? We need to beware of making negative interpretations of things as they can work against us.” “Oh, right,” Zak said, not realizing he did that. Maybe I should be more aware of what I say? “But what do you mean by ‘things?’” Zak said. “I mean, anything you perceive. A stimulus. Let’s say you get stuck in traffic on the way to school— that’s a thing. How you interpret it is up to you. You can be angry, discouraged, neutral, or even happy.” “Why would anyone be happy about being stuck in traffic?” “Haven’t you ever seen people smiling and happy in traffic before? Some sing to music, or enjoy a conversation with a friend, or are feeling proud of an accomplishment they had that day, or are even glad to be stopped so they can check their phone. Maybe someone just wants time to be quiet and think before showing up to work… or home. So, traffic isn’t a negative thing to someone with those interpretations. Plus, you can’t control traffic anyway, so given the choice, why not interpret it positively?” “Are you serious? I feel I don’t have a choice— traffic is something done to me and I’m the victim. I blame the traffic and the lunatics behind it!” “I used to feel that way too, but after I realized I could reinterpret it, I felt liberated. Some people hold unhelpful, irrational, or negative

63 interpretations for their whole life, but they don’t have to. It’s totally up to them to craft their own interpretation. Imagine the difference of two people— one who lives his whole life as a victim feeling he has no control of anything, or, one who feels empowered and believes he has control and a choice in many things. Who is more likely to live a positive and peaceful life?” “Gotcha. Can you give me some other examples of it, then?” Zak’s comprehension of this concept still felt fuzzy. This could be important, though? “If someone compliments you or if someone calls you a bad name. If someone gives you a gift or if someone cheats you. If someone accuses you of something or rewards you for something. If you lose your job, or start a new one. If your plans change due to the weather, a virus, a relationship, an accident, a financial problem, or some other surprise. If you try something and fail or if you try something and succeed. Basically anything and everything in life we choose our own interpretation of, whether positive, neutral, or negative. Based on our interpretation we have feelings and emotions about it. The ‘thing’ is step 1, our interpretation of it is step 2, then our feelings about it is step 3.” “So, if we have negative emotions about something we can change our feelings by changing our interpretation of it?” “Exactly. Have you ever heard someone say, ‘you make me so angry’ or ‘you make me so ____’?” “My mom used to say that to me!” “I’m sorry to hear that. That’s an example of falsely conflating the step 1 thing with the step 3 feeling. The fact is that no one makes anyone feel anger or any other emotion. Everyone has a choice of how they want to interpret things. The key is that you can change your feelings by changing your interpretation of things; that’s an empowering and life-changing fact to realize.”

64 That’s HIS own interpretation, Zak thought to himself, further amusing himself with his wit. Zak pulled out his iPhone and made the following new entry: THINGS OUR INTERPRETATION OF ,THINGS AND FEELINGS ARE ,3SEPARATE STEPS . WE CAN CHANGE OUR FEELINGS BY CHANGING OUR INTERPRETATION OF THINGS. “This one might take a lot of practice.” “That’s right. Just being aware of it is a good start. Upgrade your radar and start recognizing when you or others conflate things, interpretations, and feelings. You might be shocked how much you hear it.” “But feeling shocked is a feeling I can change, right?” Zak said with a smile. “Hey, that was sly, you’re catching on!” Sam said while giving Zak a slow shoulder punch. “Ok, but wait a minute. How exactly can I change my interpretations?” “We can talk about that next!” As Zak and Sam continued to enjoy the viewpoint, a large Tiger-Swallowtail butterfly approached. It fluttered close to Zak, circled around and landed on his head!

65 “Zak, stay still and take a selfie!” Zak slowly raised his phone and captured a beautiful but silly shot just before the butterfly flew away. “What were the odds of that happening?” 6 Questions to Challenge Interpretations “Zak, you asked how to change your interpretations. To do that we must challenge them. We want to put each interpretation under a spotlight and scrutinize it with direct questions. Imagine putting each one on a witness stand in a courtroom and evaluating whether it’s credible or not. If your interpretation is already accurate it can withstand being questioned, if not, it will likely fall apart. I’d suggest 6 questions to challenge your interpretations…” 71. What facts, clues or evidence supports this interpretation? 2. Is this 100% true, always true, and true for everyone? 3. Did I decide this independently or did I inherit this from others? (such as from work, school, or family) 4. Does this affect me positively? 5. What are other possible interpretations? Does it consider all perspectives, including the big picture? 6. How would someone I respect feel about this? (dad, mentor, friend, business leader, celebrity, Jesus) “Okie doke. You also mentioned a personal ‘radar’ earlier— what do you mean by that?” “I mean your awareness. If you’re looking for red Teslas on the road, you’re more likely to see them, because red Teslas is what you

66 added to your awareness, or radar. By watching out for this you might notice people saying things like that’s so annoying, or you make me sick, or that’s so cute or this is awful which are all interpretations and not necessarily reality. Unfortunately, some believe their feelings are reality, but that’s a false assumption.” “What do you mean that our feelings aren’t reality? They’re real to me, so aren’t they my reality?” “Good question. Have you ever been falsely accused of something or ever heard someone get the wrong idea about you? You said your teacher falsely assumed you had ADHD, right? You probably didn’t like it and maybe even tried to convince him otherwise, but it often doesn’t work, does it? People will continue to believe what they want to believe, even if it’s 100% false. Let’s say your teacher believed you cheated on a test, but you didn’t. He may have made assumptions or seen things he interpreted as evidence of your cheating then decided you were a cheater.” “Ok, I’ve never cheated on a test, just so you know.” “I believe you. This is only an example. But let’s say this teacher still had negative feelings that you were a cheater and nothing you said would change his mind. Do you still believe his feelings were reality?” “Maybe his feelings were real to him, but they were based on a false assumption about what is real. So, maybe feelings aren’t the same as reality then.” “So, now you understand. False conclusions and misinterpretations are made about others regularly and they often lead to great problems in life. Think of people who have been falsely accused, falsely labeled, even falsely imprisoned. We must be careful with our interpretations and assumptions about things.” Zak felt a drop of fluid land on his cheek. Is this what I think it is? Zak looked up in the sky and saw two birds flying by. Oh great, just

67 my luck! It figures this would happen to me. These evil birds are trying to punish me… or maybe God is. Suddenly it occurred to Zak that he just made an interpretation— a negative one! He then experienced negative feelings from his interpretation of the drop on his cheek— the very thing they talked about a few seconds ago! How embarrassing, Zak thought. Wait! This being ‘embarrassing’ is an interpretation too! Oh no, I’m hopeless! Wait, that’s also an interpretation! Zak felt like his brain was imploding from his conflicting thoughts. His radar seemed like it was on hyperdrive trying to play whack-a-mole with his newly spawning interpretations. I’m so… Zak’s radar then stopped him from making another negative interpretation about his own thoughts. Wow, I’m gonna have to reinvent my thoughts. Maybe instead of an upgrade I need a fresh reinstall! Zak amused himself with his computer humor. Hey, that thought finally wasn’t negative... Is there hope for me after all? Zak then felt another drop on the cheek. Not again! Why me? Then Zak realized a few wispy clouds had appeared in the sky without him realizing it. It was actually a raindrop. Wait…was the first drop not bird poop then? Zak then put his phone camera on selfie mode and looked at his cheek. Sure enough, it was only water. Zak then felt silly about having such a flurry of feelings over a false interpretation. Wait, why would I feel silly over this, though, that too is another feeling from an interpretation. Zak then laughed it off to himself. Wow, this “interpretation” business is tough! All of Zak’s thought drama occurred in only a matter of a minute while Sam was “watering the bushes.” If I can have such bad thoughts so quickly, what if I actually figured this out and improved my thoughts… long term? Couldn’t that make a big difference?

68 Zak then had a realization. What if most of the problems in the world were caused by distorted or false interpretations? Wouldn’t that be sad?He then imagined himself having a wife who was critical, judgmental, mean, negative, and abusive to him for a few decades. In contrast, he imagined a wife as a peaceful, loving, non-judgmental, supportive, positive person he could live in harmony with for the rest of his life. Zak had an epiphany. What if I have a choice of whom I want to live with… in my own head? Either someone mean or someone loving? What if I have the choice in how I talk to myself… in my thoughts. Would I want to live with a mean, abusive person? Who would want that?! I would do anything to get away from a negative person in real life, so why wouldn’t I do everything to get a negative person out of my own mind? Zak felt he was experiencing some mental and motivational breakthroughs, but didn’t yet know what that meant for him and his life. How would I even apply this? He would need time to let these concepts percolate through his brain. Before leaving to return back to the car, Sam decided to check on the wounded bird. He walked over to the bush, looked around and didn’t see it. “It must have flown off! That’s nice,” Sam said. “Oh, that’s great,” Zak said, still surprised by the whole encounter. Zak and Sam began hiking back along Eagle Creek while admiring the birds chirping in the trees, dragonflies zig zagging in the sunlight, and honeybees buzzing the wildflowers in pursuit of nectar. Sunrays beamed through tree branches and shimmered off the clear mountain stream. A gentle breeze politely swayed the branches to briefly illuminate darker areas of the picturesque forest.

69 Possible Solutions “Zak, would you like to talk about your weight loss goal for a moment?” “Yeah, sure.” “Am I understanding that you’ve already tried everything you’ve already thought of to accomplish your goal of losing weight and it hasn’t worked so far… right?” Sam said. “Yep.” “Using a logical process of elimination, we know that doing the same thing will not yield different results, but trying something different could yield different results, right?” “Okay...” “Since you feel you’ve already exhausted all possibilities to lose weight, and since you want to try something new, doesn’t it make sense to look beyond your own judgment and try someone else’s idea?” “Maybe so.” “This means that the most likely solution will be something you don’t expect and something you may not think will work, correct?” “Yeah maybe.” “This also means you may have already passed up a solution to your goal if you haven’t necessarily been receptive to trying new things before, correct?” “Ok…” “If our defenses are too high, it can sabotage our own dreams. Our defenses exist to protect us, but if out of calibration, it can prevent helpful ideas and solutions from reaching us. If they don’t reach us, we remain stuck in the same situation. Perhaps the key is to risk

70 being more open to others’ ideas so that when a possible solution is offered that we dislike, we don’t automatically shoot it down, but give it an honest try.” Zak reached for his iPhone and entered: IF YOU FEEL STUCK CONSULT EXPERTS ,AND TRY SOMETHING NEW OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE BECAUSE THE ,MOST LIKELY SOLUTION IS SOMETHING YOU HAVEN T THOUGHT OF AND DON T ’’THINK WILL WORK. “Does this mean if I really want to lose weight the key might be to get out of my comfort zone to try something new?” Zak said. “Yes, indeed. Also, if you look at people considered successful in nearly any field— music, science, arts, business, sports— it’s often the extra little bits of preparation and strategy that gives them the necessary advantage to reach their goals,” Sam said. “Some athletes meditate before competitions, right?” “Yes, Michael Jordan did. He got into a state of calm and focused awareness and visualized himself as a powerful warrior making perfect shots. Visualizing isn’t just a one-time event, though. It takes regular practice, ideally for at least 5 minutes every day for 30 days until it becomes a new mental habit,” Sam said. “Doing that increases the probability of you reaching your goal. And this is just one of many success habits. For each new success habit you add,

71 you multiply the odds of success in your favor, so why not ‘stack the deck’ and add as many as possible?” “So, instead of visualizing myself being fat, I should visualize myself as fit?” “You got it!” Zak added another entry into his notes app. PRACTICE VISUALIZING YOURSELF ALREADY HAVING ACHIEVED YOUR GOAL AND WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE . “This all sounds nice, but it assumes there is a solution for me to lose weight. I’m still not convinced there is one,” Zak said. “It doesn’t surprise me you feel that way, because maybe you’re looking at it through a lens of constant frustration, emotional exhaustion, and reinforcing disempowerment. While your feelings tell you it’s impossible, reality tells us it’s absolutely possible.” “How so?” “It’s a proven fact that if you burn more calories than you intake that over time you’ll lose weight. Your body is subject to the same laws of science as anyone else, is it not? It’s a fact that millions of people were once overweight and now no longer are. Countless before and after photos, videos, stories, and testimonies prove it. It’s also a fact that you have been motivated to accomplish things before. Therefore, it’s absolutely possible to find the key to your motivation and unlock your potential to reach your goal, if that is what you decide you want. No one is likely force-feeding you, so

72 wouldn’t that make you 100% responsible for what you put in your mouth and 100% responsible for your current weight, do you agree?” “Yeah, I guess so. Of course I want to lose weight and be healthy— who wouldn’t? But what if my natural body weight just happens to be 300 pounds?” “That’s not a natural body weight for your body type. Most NFL football players aren’t even 300 pounds.” “Really? Well it’s normal for my family.” “Is it possible your interpretation of normal is distorted? If you’d like a measure of how normal your body weight is you can easily check it by searching the internet for BMI calculator.” “What’s BMI?” “BMI is Body Mass Index; it’s just a calculation of your height and weight. The National Institute of Health says people are underweight if their BMI is less than 18.5, normal if 18.5–24.9, overweight if 25–29.9, and obese if 30 or higher. If their weight is too low or too high their health is at risk. If over 30 BMI, for example, people’s health is at great risk. “ 8“Ok, maybe I’ll check this later,” Zak said. But I probably won’t. “Zak, regarding your family, something common in your family doesn’t mean it’s automatically healthy, does it? What if your family members are actually experiencing a hardship over their habits but not sharing that with each other? Your family would surely benefit from adopting healthier habits too, right?” Zak tilted his head and slightly nodded as if the angle would help his brain’s processing. He imagined the information sliding down like Jell-O into different lobes of his brain. I have a weird mind, he thought.

73 While they absorbed the scenery, Zak heard the sounds of sparrows chirping all around him while a cool breeze blew through his bushy hair. Zak knew this hike was farther than he’s ever hiked before and felt uneasy about making it back. Please, don’t get a cramp or sprain… not out here in the middle of nowhere! The Special Strategy “Sam, during the last hike, you mentioned a ‘special strategy’ for weight loss and I have to admit you have me curious…” “Okay Zak, there’s a few health strategies I’d like to share with you, but what I’m about to tell you is the most important strategy I can share with you. If you only remember one thing in the time we spend together that would be the most valuable, this would be it,” Sam said. “Ok, I’m listening.” Zak leaned in close. That was a big set-up. What possibly is he gonna say? “Zak, we already identified that the trick to losing weight is not the science, but your habits. Among the habits are various diet strategies you can choose from to accomplish the same weight-loss goal: like a lower calorie diet, a lower carb diet, a lower sugar or no-sugar diet, a no-white-flour diet, a no-processed-anything diet, a higher natural-fat diet, fasting, exercising, eating pre-portioned prepared meals, and more. All of these options can lead to the same goal, but they all still depend on your own motivation to execute the plan. Of course, eating raw, unprocessed vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds are the healthiest, but to change one’s diet takes substantial effort and motivation. Among all the options there is one that stands out as best-suited for you at this time— would you like to know what it is?”

74 “Of course!” Zak couldn’t believe Sam’s buildup of this. Come on…tell me already! “What if I said you could eat whatever you want, not exercise, and still lose weight? Would that sound like a true or false statement?” Sam asked. “That sounds false. It sounds like a weight loss gimmick,” Zak said. Where’s he going with this? “Well, it’s actually a true statement, but it’s not for any weight loss products or anything you buy. It’s simple, free, and something you can start doing immediately,” Sam said. Here we go, it sounds like the beginning of a Weight Watchers ad. For the low, low price of $19.95… “So, I can eat anything I want?” “Yes.” “I really don’t have to exercise?” “Correct.” “And I lose weight?” “Yes.” “How can that be? Eating whatever sounds nice, but wouldn’t that be like cheating? You’re not talking about diet pills or throwing up, are you?” Zak asked. Is this the part where he reveals the big marketing pyramid scheme? Please tell me I’m wrong… “Nope, no medication, no special food or diet products, and you keep your food in your system. There’s no catch and it’s not cheating and it is highly likely to reduce your weight. You probably think it sounds too good to be true, right?” Sam said. “Yes, ok, you got me. I have no clue what it is, so what is it?” Zak said, while imagining the buzz of a drumroll. Brace yourself, buddy, the big ‘catch’ is coming…

75 “The solution is simple: just gradually limit your eating to a narrow window of time. “ 9“Huh? What does that mean?” “Let’s say you currently eat breakfast at 8 a.m. and are done eating dinner by 7 p.m. What you do first is lock in that range so you will only eat between the start time of 8 a.m. and the end time of 7 p.m. No snacks or drinks besides water are allowed outside that time, but we’re only talking about limiting food and non-water drinks here, not medication. Then, you delay your eating window start time by 10 minutes each day, ” Sam said. 10“How does that really work though?” Zak said. “Let’s say you’re starting on Sunday and you normally eat between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. The first day, you just don’t eat outside of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Water is allowed outside the window, though. Then on Monday you start 10 minutes later and eat between 8:10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Then, on Tuesday you eat between 8:20 a.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday would be from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and so on. You continue doing this for at least 30 days and beyond if you want to continue losing weight.” “I can eat anything and everything I want during this window?” “Yes, you can. Of course, you would make the weight loss much easier on yourself if you also limited junk food, sugar, carbs, and ate more healthy fruit and vegetables, but it’s most important to keep it simple and just get started with an easy goal initially.” “Does this schedule mean I can start eating dinner at the end time of 7 p.m., or do I have to be done eating by then?” “At 7 p.m., you have to drop your fork and stop eating. You would need to plan accordingly to start eating earlier to be finished eating by 7 p.m. Each day you just delay eating by 10 additional minutes.” “How long do you do this for? There’s got to be a limit, right?”

76 “You narrow the time window by 10 minutes per day until you’re happy with your rate of weight loss, then you can continue with the same limited window until you’re happy with your overall results.” “How does this cause you to lose weight though? It doesn’t seem like it would change anything.” “It works, because your stomach is only so big and has a limit for how much food can be processed at a given time before you’re hungry again. By reducing the time window of eating, it will result in consuming fewer calories overall. It will also result in more time for your body to rest before and after the time window. Some experts say there’s health benefits to letting your organs rest for longer periods of time between feedings, like going to sleep on an empty stomach so your body can fully rest instead of processing food through the night. “ 11“Surely you can’t do this forever, right?” “You can reduce the window until you’re satisfied with your rate of weight loss, then keep the window the same.” “But what if I’m not happy with my weight loss until I reduce the window to only 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. and eat only once a day. Am I supposed to continue with that? Is it even healthy to eat only once a day?” “You would need to monitor your own health up to that point and make sure your body is adapting safely. The 10 minute change per day is so gradual you will likely learn well-before that time if your body is successfully adapting. In the event you were to reduce your window to only 1 hour, you would no longer reduce the window. Most people won’t need to reduce the window near that much, though. From whatever point where you’re happy with your rate of weight loss you would just continue steady with that same window until you’re happy with your results.” “What about going out to breakfast or lunch with others? Does this mean I can’t ever do that?”

77 “Good question. If eating breakfast is an important social activity that you prefer to keep in your schedule instead of dinner, then you could instead reduce the eating time from the end at 7pm instead of the start. There are possible health advantages to that as some studies show that it’s healthier eating a big breakfast than a big dinner, but most people have more social obligations for dinner 12which is why this is first suggested as being more practical. Whichever you choose, it’s important that it fits with your lifestyle and is manageable. If someone can do this schedule, but absolutely must do a couple breakfasts per month for a social commitment, then you could either swap breakfast for dinner that day or you could grant yourself three wildcard days per month for such occasions. It’s best to anticipate any complications in advance so you won’t feel discouraged or disempowered by deviating from your goal.” “This sounds good, but I’m wondering why you’re not suggesting to exercise or eat better quality food?” Zak said. “Exercise and food choices definitely have a positive impact, but many health experts feel it does not make as much difference as simply eating less. Also, counting calories, changing a diet, or exercising is harder to accomplish by someone struggling with motivation. When people make a life change, it’s already difficult, so rather than trying to change multiple habits at once and risk complicating it, we target just one. We want to achieve the easiest goal with the biggest result. Remember that I’m only suggesting this based on your specific situation.” “Ok…” “Eating less, or portion control, is considered an easier way to trim weight than just eating healthy foods. If your body had a tachometer like a car, imagine your body in the red emergency zone ready to blow its engine at any moment. Reducing calories is the fastest way to lower your levels out of the danger zone. Does that make sense?” “Ok, I think I understand.”

78 Something about the wording of that spooked Zak. Am I really in the danger zone? I thought what I was doing was normal, but could I really be on the edge of “blowing my engine?” “Of course many studies show that eating fresh, natural, unprocessed, low sugar, low calorie diets helps for losing weight, but adding complexity adds the risk of taking on too much change and losing your motivation. Instead of monitoring calories and ingredients, we want to start simple with a goal that’s easiest to attain by just limiting the eating window .” 13“I get the eating less calories thing, but why not try as hard as you can?” Zak said. “You can, but it’s best to simplify and set easily-attainable goals. You can still try to eat better quality food and try to exercise more, but it just doesn’t need to be your official goal yet. So, if you try and something goes wrong you won’t as likely interpret it as a failed attempt, because it wasn’t your goal in the first place. It would only be a bonus that could help you achieve your main goal. In the meantime, you can certainly do more off the books to make weight loss easier if you want. Can you eat absolutely anything you want? Yes, but do you really want to? Yes, you can overload on the highest-calorie, highest-sugar substances toxic to your body, but do you really want to? You can also snack between meals to keep your body overloaded with sugar that may convert to fat, but do you trulywant to? Is that what your brain wants or what your body needs?” “So, if I try to do too much at once I risk feeling frustrated and overwhelmed and giving up completely?” “That’s right. If you forget everything else we discussed, please remember to try ‘window diet.’ It will positively affect your health 14the most with the least amount of effort. It’s the lowest hanging fruit of everything we discuss. The beauty of it is it’s so easy to start— you do virtually nothing different on the first day and only eat 10 minutes later on the second day. We know it usually takes 30 days

79 to form a new habit and it gets easier after that and doesn’t take long to see amazing results,” Sam said. “Actually, I have another question… shouldn’t I first ask my doctor about this before I change my diet in case of any health risks?” “The correct textbook answer is yes, because no one wants liability for someone else’s health. However, let me ask you something: did you get your doctor’s permission to overeat and reach your current weight?” “Well, no, I didn’t ask.” “Since you’ve already put your health in jeopardy without your doctor’s permission, why would you need your doctor’s permission to stop harming your health? This could be used as an indirect way of procrastinating, could it not?” “Um, I don’t know.” Zak wasn’t sure what to make of that exchange. Do I really use the doctor as an excuse to continue my bad eating habits?Diet and Nutrition “Sam, let’s say I do this window thing and find the motivation to make a tiny improvement in my diet too. If I were to change one thing about my food choices, what should that be?” “Avoid sugar. Processed sugar is practically toxic to your body. Most people already get enough glucose from natural sources like whole fruit. Processed sugar like high-fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, or white sugar often overloads your system and turns into fat, promotes diabetes, rots your teeth, and clouds your thinking.

80 Processed sugar is also linked to Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, and depression. “ 15“Depression? Really?” Zak’s eyes widened. This information hit close to home as he experienced those symptoms through high school and only recently realized what it was. I’ll probably keep this part to myself. Has my love of sweets held me down emotionally too… this whole time? “Really. Keep in mind that processed sugar is already in most American food, like pasta, bread, snacks, ketchup, sauces, baked beans, popcorn, juice, yogurt, pizza, soup, cereal, tea, and more.” “You’ve got to be kidding me! That’s basically everything I eat!” “You’re right, the American diet is chock-full of harmful sugar. It’s so much better to avoid it. If someone absolutely wants to sweeten something, you can use pure honey, stevia, or maple syrup without compromising your health as much.” Zak suddenly imagined himself in a swimming pool where someone sneaked up behind him and held his head down underwater. He flailed and kicked the water as hard as he could, but couldn’t break free. He gurgled water and was drowning. He called for his best friend to help, but couldn’t see him from his point of view. Where was he? Then he realized his best friend was the one holding him underwater. It was the ultimate betrayal. He snapped out of his trance-like-state. Whoa, that was intense! Is that what my love of sugar has done to me— held me underwater? Have I been keeping ‘Judas’ as my closest friend? “Zak, it’s worth noting that the typical American diet is also very acidic. Some even take antacids to mask the symptoms, but it doesn’t solve the actual underlying problem. The actual problem is an acid imbalance in your system from eating too much acidic junk food and not enough alkaline natural food, like leafy green vegetables. Coke, for example, is 10,000 times more acidic than water. Unfortunately, continuing an acidic diet for a long period of

81 time may overload your body and organs. Your body is saying ‘Hey, stop abusing me! Eat more healthy food!’ Your body tries so hard to compensate for your poor choices, but ultimately it will succumb to the punishment you inflict on it. The high acidity and pH imbalance may force your body to take desperate measures to compensate by taking calcium from your bones, or minerals from your muscles. Your bones may become brittle and your muscles weak and atrophied. You may become more susceptible to chronic diseases. “ 16“That’s a downer… and quite a downside.” Does eating junk food really cause all that damage? But I can’t really see my insides, so how would I know? “Imagine if you had a car and wanted to save money by putting cheap gas in it… really cheap, low-quality off-brand gas. It might work fine in the meantime, but long-term, you might someday notice a loss of performance and increased maintenance issues. The problems escalate until they become an absolute drain on your time and money. One day you inspect the car parts and discover there’s widespread corrosion. You tried to cut corners by using cheap fuel, but it ultimately cost you far more and ruined your car. Well, the same is true of the fuel you put in your body. You may not notice the damage that junk food causes to your body in the short-term, but long-term, you can develop significant health problems. The only difference is your car can’t heal itself. But your body is resilient and can sometimes repair the damage if you stop hurting it. It’s never too late to change and eat better food for better health and performance.” “Ok, I’ll give that some thought.” Man, this guy can be intense. “Zak, let me ask you… if you found out there was a new pill invented as a cure so you no longer had risk of osteoporosis, muscle atrophy, liver problems, heart disease, stroke, or diabetes, would you take it?” “Of course, who wouldn’t? I’d take it right away…”

82 “What if I told you this miracle cure already exists? And that it’s free and you can start taking it today… even right now, would you take it?” “Uh, yeah, I’d be thrilled! I’d definitely take it.” “Great. Now what if the cure wasn’t in the form of a pill, but in the form of vegetables, would you still take it?” “Oh… well… I don’t know.” “If you eat a large quantity and variety of raw and organic vegetables, especially leafy greens like spinach, kale, lettuce, and broccoli too, many experts believe it boosts your immune system enough to overcome most diseases. Americans usually eat less than 10% vegetables, but the aim for this would be to eat 75% vegetables. Not only could it protect you more from harmful sickness and disease, but it would solve the acidity problem.” “Ugh, I hate vegetables.” Why are the worst-tasting things supposed to be the best for me? Can I take back what I said?“So, you’d be excited to take it in pill form for the health benefits, but not in vegetable-form for the same amazing health benefits? Why is that?” “I don’t know. Maybe the taste? Maybe the hassle? I just don’t like them.” Zak wasn’t thrilled about the idea of changing his diet. I’ve never liked vegetables, but I need to do something different.“Of course, there are ways to make them taste better without losing the nutritional value. You can search this topic online. If you develop a habit of eating fresh, raw, natural vegetables you’ll realize it’s not as inconvenient as you might think and it’s inexpensive. Even if you’re on the go, you can still order vegetables through most fast food drive-thrus by ordering a salad.” “Ok, maybe I can give it a try.”

83 “Just remember to keep things simple and make just one change at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed or bogged down by food choices for now. The easiest way to lose weight is to eat less. And the easiest way to eat less is to gradually limit your eating window.” “Got it.” Zak decided that was worth adding into his notes app. THE EASIEST WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT IS TO EAT LESS ND THE EASIEST WAY . ATO EAT LESS IS TO GRADUALLY LIMIT YOUR EATING WINDOW.Managing Hunger Pain “Zak, keep in mind that when you eat less you will feel hungry more. To lose weight, you may need to get accustomed to feeling a slight empty feeling in your stomach for long periods of time; it’s not easy to cope with that. It doesn’t mean you should be starving with hunger pains, but you may feel mild hunger from a mild calorie shortage. If you feel that, it means you’re making progress and on track to burning fat. If you associate the feeling of slight hunger with burning fat and getting leaner, you can even learn to feel good when you’re hungry . There are also strategies you can try to 17manage the feeling of emptiness or slight hunger in your stomach.” “Such as?” “The best scenario is if your mind is focused on something else and you don’t notice or care that you’re slightly hungry. Have you ever

84 been so focused on a project that you forgot to eat or even go to the bathroom?” “Actually, now that you mention it, yes.” I actually have to now, that’s weird that I didn’t think of it until now.“People have the ability to endure significant discomfort, but may hardly notice it when they’re focused on something else. So, the first strategy is to occupy your mind with activities between meals. Maybe you’re not even at your house and not near food. Maybe you’re walking at a park, fishing, visiting a friend, taking a scenic drive, playing a game, building something in the garage, or watching a movie… as long as it doesn’t involve food. You won’t be as tempted to snack if you’re not reminded of it or even around it.” “Yeah, that makes sense.” Out of sight, out of mind. “The next strategy is if you reach a point where you can no longer handle the feeling of mild hunger, then consider eating a carrot . It 18has high viscous fiber and low calories that can help you stave off hunger . Other foods you can try are: celery, almonds, quinoa, oats, 19nuts, apples, cabbage, brussel sprouts, lettuce. If you want to give your hands something to do you may consider eating something like raw, shelled, sunflower seeds. It involves effort to crack and de-shell each one and is a lower-calorie alternative to normal snacking. “ 20Carrots and sunflower seeds? Ugh, how b-o-r-i-n-g! “Finally, there are things you can do to protect yourself from snacking habits. Watching TV makes someone especially vulnerable to snacking, because of it being sedentary. Commercials often remind you of food. One way to give your mouth something to do is to chew sugar-free gum. Even better is to break the conditioning altogether and occupy yourself instead with puzzles, games, conversation, projects, or exercise while watching TV.” A zombie apocalypse is more likely to happen than me exercising while watching TV, Zak thought.

85 “Also, consider brushing and flossing your teeth right after meals. Not only will you enjoy clean teeth, but you’ll be less likely to snack between meals, because the idea of wasting your efforts and dirtying-up your clean teeth is less appealing.” “Weird, I wouldn’t have thought of that,” Zak said. The trail flattened out and Zak now could see the fish hatchery in the distance near the trailhead. Thank God we’re almost there! I’m not sure I can handle too many more steps. He started to feel strange and wondered if he had overexerted himself. Zak Being Zak Zak’s mind felt clouded. He wasn’t sure he understood everything and his brain started shutting down. He slipped into a silly mode to temporarily postpone his burden of future responsibilities. This topic became almost as heavy as I am, Zak snickered to himself. “Many people try to do too much when aiming for a goal. Doing one small step and succeeding in one thing is far more empowering than shooting for ten big steps, failing at all ten, and giving up. Changing your habits is hard and it typically takes a month to form a new one. If you try to change too many things at once you risk feeling overwhelmed and disempowered. Therefore, we want to keep the strategy simple and choose the lowest hanging fruit.” “I’d rather just eat the fruit, especially chocolate covered,” Zak said with a chuckle. “Hey now…” Sam said with a smile.

86 “When I try to adopt a new habit I should keep it simple and go for easy gains? I don’t mean gaining weight, but losing weight. Gaining by losing,” Zak said. Am I even making sense? “That’s one way to put it. Some people bite off more than they can chew.” “I like the sound of that,” Zak said. Well that joke flopped, Zak thought. I’m in a weird mood. “Those who don’t succeed at their goal sometimes interpret it as themselves failing. This is a disempowering interpretation, especially if they assign and reinforce all kinds of negative labels to themselves. If people feel bad about themselves, they are more likely to seek food for emotional comfort to the point where they gain even more weight. This can result in being less healthy, drifting farther away from the goal, and feeling less hopeful,” Sam said. “Is this harder for people who like perfection, then?” “Yes, perfectionism and having unrealistic expectations for oneself only compounds the problem.” “Compounds the pounds?” “You’re on a roll, by the way.” “Cinnamon roll?” “You might have a future in standup comedy!” “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I’m ready to continue…” Maybe I should be writing my jokes down instead! Zak felt a slight pain in his stomach, but tried to ignore it. “Zak, it’s important you feel successful and feel empowered by setting smaller, easily-achievable goals in the short-term; this helps you feel proud of yourself each small step you make. It’s important to remind yourself of previous accomplishments and be a

87 cheerleader for yourself before tackling each step. It’s part of treating yourself and your body with respect, honor, and dignity.” “That makes sense.” Respect, honor, and dignity for my body? I’m far beyond that point! Zak glanced down at his soft belly. “Rather than expecting to meet a certain standard of eating habits and exercise, you can rest knowing that at this point you aren’t worried about it. But if you’re focused on your primary goal and choose to eat healthier food and exercise more along the way, that’s just icing on the cake.” Mmmm…Cake, Zak thought, but kept it to himself. His thought was interrupted by a sudden feeling of nausea. Something doesn’t feel right.Does that sound logical?” Sam said. “Sure, how best can I accomplish…” Zak asked. Suddenly Zak vomited a large chunky mass through the air like a catapult; it landed near Sam’s feet. He then heaved two more times in a gut wrenching, bent-over motion, with liquid shooting out of him. The smell of the stomach acid was atrocious. The mass looked like a partially digested breakfast. “Are you okay?” “Oh…” Zak clenched his belly. He took a minute to compose himself. “Not really, but I’m glad we’re almost back to the car.” Zak’s face turned red. Ughhh! Big breakfast… poor choice.The two finally arrived back at the parking lot. What a relief! That was hard and my stomach’s in a knot, but I feel good otherwise… in a strange, demented way.

88 A Challenge “Zak, did you know we just hiked 3 miles? Congratulations! Have you ever done that before?” “No, never. Before this the farthest I ever hiked was last week, how far was that?” “2 miles.” The two carpooled back to the original parking lot. Before leaving, Sam offered Zak a challenge. “I’d like to challenge you to 3 things tonight, one of which is new. When you eat this evening how would you feel about starting the first day of the Window Diet by simply not snacking after dinner? Secondly, would you consider weighing yourself so you know where you stand in comparison to your goal? Third, as a new challenge, would you consider taking 5 minutes to quietly visualize how you want to look and feel a year from now? Imagine you have already reached your goal and are at your ideal weight. Consider how your life would be, what would feel different, and what benefits you would experience on a daily basis. Would you be willing to try these challenges?” “Sure, I’ll try.” The two parted ways and Zak started his drive home. Home Habits At home, Zak microwaved several pieces of Domino’s pizza leftovers from the fridge and sat on the couch watching the local news on TV. He then ate a large bowl of cookie dough ice cream.

89 He wondered if he should start thinking about eating better. What do I eat though? We don’t have anything healthy here. Maybe we should go shopping for some better options?He whipped out his iPhone and searched Google for ‘healthy food’ and glanced at the results. He noticed a pattern of the same ‘superfoods’ recommended from multiple sites like broccoli, kale, spinach, walnuts, almonds, blueberries, beans, oats, flaxseed, and quinoa. Gross, I don’t like any of those! If these are toppings on pizza or ice-cream, maybe I could try it, Zak thought half-jokingly. Zak wanted to share his hiking experience with his mom, but she went to bed already. Why does she go to bed so early? I hardly see her anymore! While he ate, the TV news interviewed a woman marching for abortion who said it was her body and her choice and that aborted babies were just clumps of cells and not viable people. He felt annoyed how the news no longer covered just the news, but seemed to sneak in their own moral beliefs. He figured it wasn’t healthy for him to watch. This show makes me mad! Then, he remembered Sam’s lesson on interpretations. Alright, maybe it’s not the TV show itself that makes me mad, but the way they assume fetuses and babies have no value. My interpretation triggers me to feel upset, but maybe some injustices are ok to feel upset about? He turned off the TV and held his head down. A tear dripped from his eye. His mind flashed back to last year when his aunt at a family gathering had a couple glasses of wine and told him he “survived an abortion.” He squeezed his eyelids tightly as he remembered later that night holding a handful of painkillers ready to end his life, but eventually deciding to flush them down the toilet, instead. My mom wanted me dead and tried to kill me. If I was killed, these media people would celebrate it. Am I supposed to feel good about that?

90 He then had another realization— what if I used Sam’s 6 questions to challenge not just my interpretations, but theirs? If what they say is true, it can handle some analysis, right? Zak rubbed together his hands as if trying to build a fire, while trying to focus and summon his recollection of what Sam spoke about earlier. First, are all babies really the moms’ own bodies? What is the evidence for that? Is this 100% true, always true, and true for everyone? Let’s see…the baby is in the mom’s body, but it is only there temporarily. The baby has his or her own body with a separate heartbeat, separate organs, unique fingerprints, and unique DNA, so scientifically the baby is a separate human being from the mom’s body. Next, they implied the baby wasn’t a viable “person” under 9 months. So, at 8.9999 months it’s worthless, but a few minutes later, the baby is of high value? According to who? If unborn animals like eagles and turtles have value, then why wouldn’t unborn human beings have value ? 21Next was the mom’s “choice?” Her choice to do what… kill an innocent baby? Isn’t it wrong to harm or deny others of their rights to life? Finally, they called babies “clump of cells,” but I’m a clump of cells too; all living things are well-organized and well-designed groups of cells. Does that mean we don’t have value? Maybe the word “‘clump”’ is only used to dehumanize and justify killing defenseless little babies? Didn’t history class say the Nazis dehumanized the Jews in the same way? Zak scratched his head and wondered why people so often disagreed with what the truth was. How can truth be so hard to uncover? Do some people not want to know the truth? I may not know much, but I know truth can withstand scrutiny. If it can’t, maybe it’s not true.

91 Isn’t the real reason for abortion just so moms can get out of their parental responsibility? But they can already do that through adoption, so why kill the baby? He then imagined a 4-year-old child who was done playing with her Barbie doll, but didn’t want her younger sister to play with it either, so she tore it’s limbs off and buried it in a trashcan. Her sister started bawling, because of her cruelty, meanness and selfishness. Zak realized that was what mothers have done instead of letting loving families adopt, love, and support the baby’s right to life. So, because unborn animals have value, and because unborn babies have their own bodies, and because we all consist of cells, and because we all have a right to life, and because killing is unnecessary, and because there’s an easy alternative, how is abortion not… wrong? How is it not just murder and evil? What if this is the biggest tragedy of the world— worse than the holocaust? Zak didn’t yet apply all the questions before he saw the pro-abortion argument fall apart. He began to realize the value of questioning assumptions and interpretations not just for weight loss but for everything in life. He felt mentally tired, unresolved, and annoyed from all his thoughts. He worried he might forget the lessons he learned from Sam that day if he didn’t write it down, but he felt too tired. He also felt a need to shower before bed to rinse off all the sweat and dirt from hiking, but he couldn’t find a towel. He rifled through drawers and paced back and forth in his bathroom then stubbed his toe on a metal cat dish, making a loud clang and sending it tumbling and spilling bits of cat food across his floor. “Aaaaaaahhhhhh! Stupid thing!” He plopped down and grabbed his toe then pounded his fist on the floor in anger, which then hurt his wrist. “Noooooooo!”

92 Now Zak was worried about waking his mom and thought he heard a sound from down the hall. Please stay asleep! I can’t handle anything else right now. As Zak sat on the floor with a hurt toe and hurt hand, he remembered something Sam said earlier. If you feel overwhelmed, break it down to one thing at a time… Ok, I’ll just stop for a moment. Zak took a few deep breaths with his eyes closed. Maybe I should make a new list of all the things on my mind. He lifted his iPhone and opened the notes app. He thought for a moment and added: 1. Take shower, 2. Sleep, 3. Talk to mom, 4. Clean floor, 5. Make grocery list, 6. Start weighing, 7. Review notes? 8. Prepare for a hike next Saturday.After inputting these items Zak began to relax. His head felt less cluttered now. What seemed like 100 things was only 8. That’s better…He decided to go to bed. He walked past the bathroom scale, but it was tucked in the corner and unnoticed; out of sight, out of mind. As he laid in bed, he thought back to the encounter with Sam treating the wounded bird. I wonder if he thinks of me as a wounded bird? Why does he care so much? Zak’s eyes grew heavy and he was just about to doze off when he realized he forgot to do the 3 challenges. Oh, no! How could I forget? These were the only things I had to remember tonight and I forgot! Why didn’t I write it down or made a reminder? I’m such a dummy! He then dozed off in a deep sleep.

93 Following Days For the next few days Zak thought about eating healthier, but he only did for some of his meals. He ate a salad a few times, but otherwise, he enjoyed his usual habits and cravings. He didn’t try the window diet, because he just didn’t want to restrict what he already enjoyed. He continued his normal eating to bursting-at-the-seams-full at all hours of the day, but somehow he didn’t enjoy it as much as before. He now had a consciousness lurking over him that seemed to disrupt his liberties. Maybe one of these days I’ll get serious about the diet, he rationalized, but for now, I’ll pass.

94 7. PUNCHBOWL FALLS Morning Thoughts The alarm clock’s chirping was annoying to Zak as he woke up earlier than he wanted. Even though he appreciated learning from Sam, he looked forward to this Jedi training being over. He felt jostled like the rope in a lively tug-of-war game. He longed to continue his comfortable, guilt-free, unmonitored and unregulated habits of eating fast food on the couch with Häagen-Dazs, salt and vinegar Pringles, and watching 80s movies on Netflix. His mom shared and enabled some of the same comfort habits, especially, in the years since his dad’s passing. Zak felt ready to admit defeat. He was just a step away from texting Sam that he couldn’t do any more hikes. He thought it would make it more legitimate if he got sick or injured himself. Well, I stubbed my toe yesterday, so maybe I can hope something else happens today. Zak’s rational voice butted in, did I just ‘hope’ to hurt myself? Isn’t that twisted and wrong? He realized another failure could be the last blow to his self-confidence that he could handle. If I fail with this much support from Sam, how would I ever succeed in the future? I simply can’t do this anymore. Even though Zak never officially changed his diet or lifestyle, he already longed to return to his life without restrictions or accountability. He wanted to go back to his normal level of misery, because at least it was comfortable, predictable, and didn’t have the same burdens of responsibility. I’ll get more pleasure out of that than looking fit anyway, he rationalized. These healthy people must be from a different planet. It doesn’t make sense to go to all that effort just to look or feel a certain way. Surely these aren’t normal people with real feelings!

95 After making those rationalizations, a small, annoying, rational voice in Zak’s head asked, is that really true? Is that really true that you would get ‘more pleasure’ overall by being overweight than a healthy weight? Zak wasn’t sure how to answer his own question. He looked at the clock and realized he needed to make a decision quickly if he planned to still go hiking. Sam seemed like a disciplined person and Zak didn’t want to upset him by being late. Before leaving, Zak thought to hop on this bathroom scale, since he forgot to weigh previously. He couldn’t believe his eyes! After all the recent exercise the last couple weeks, he was the exact same weight: 296 pounds! “Unbelievable, what a rip off!” Zak winced and held his head. Nooooo! He imagined himself tearing into a large bowl of salty waffle-cut French fries to retaliate and get back at his body, at society, at nature, at God, or at least something he could blame externally— anything but himself. Maybe my body is cursed! Zak rationalized. He wondered if he was rebelling against the rigged system, against life in general, or against his bad genes. Part of him wanted to be miserable— wanted to feel like a failure. Part of him wanted something tragic to happen to him so he could gain sympathy and carry the banner of “see, I told you so.” Maybe I don’t belong here… maybe I’m better off no longer existing. Suddenly he felt an itch on his wrist. He looked down and saw the bangle. Oh, not that shtoooopid thing! He took it off and threw it across the room and into the hall. It bounced off a wall and landed in the cat’s water dish. Water splashed onto the floor. Too late. The shtoopid bangle had already reminded him of his thoughts. He was now aware of the party he had just thrown— the pity party— with only himself in attendance. Yay.

96 His flurry of competing thoughts and feelings was interrupted by another realization. He remembered Sam warning him against self-defeating thoughts. Zak recognized how miserable he felt on the inside— he simply couldn’t keep doing what he was currently doing— it was killing him, maybe literally. This time he had to try something different. He decided he would use Sam’s suggestions in practice and try to disregard his negative thoughts— to not give them power. The negative thoughts were telling him to give up, telling him to become a victim, telling him he’s a failure, telling him he’s unloved. He didn’t want to give into the lies. “Alright, I’ll fight this,” he said. He realized that thinking of his weight as a rip off or that his body was cursed was just an interpretation that Sam just warned about. That realization suddenly gave those words less power and less credibility. What if I just do the dumb hike today and make this the last time?he thought. He remembered how Sam said the hardest part is in the beginning and it gets easier and easier once your new lifestyle becomes a habit. What if that’s true? What if just around the corner it gets easier? He also remembered how psychologists said it takes 30 days to form a habit. What if I just make it through another week? Maybe that will be a success.Zak felt like a switch was activated in his mind. He continued to recall things Sam previously said that apply to his present situation. He recalled how Sam said to lower the bar so goals are more easily achievable; he should not try to do too much at once and set himself up for failure. Now I just need to take action and apply it, he thought. He also remembered how change would feel unnatural and uncomfortable; he needed to be willing to do things differently—

97 perhaps even think differently. He realized that if he truly had the answers he would have done it already. He admitted to himself that not having the answers is ok and that it’s ok to look beyond himself for help. Maybe it doesn’t mean I’m inadequate; maybe it’s normal for anyone to need genuine help from time to time? Zak was entering adulthood with a body he despised and he was tired of it. He realized his pride previously kept him from seeking help. How someone with low self-esteem can still have pride, I have no idea! He remembered previously justifying his condition— that the junk food was worth being overweight for. That’s not even true. I’ve been telling myself these lies just so I don’t have to change, he thought. I’m tired of this nonsense— I can’t do this anymore! Zak was frustrated with himself. Mentally exhausted from his thoughts, he again thought about cancelling, but time was running out. I have to decide... now. He imagined a devil on his shoulder enticing him to cancel so he could sleep in and then eat a big brunch. He feared Sam asking him about his current weight and being disappointed. Maybe he doesn’t have to know? I’m planning to lose 5 pounds in the future anyway, so what harm would a little fib do to tell him I lost it now? Maybe it’s like an ‘advanced payment’ for what will come. What he doesn’t know can’t hurt him, right? Zak’s irrational voice thought. Wait a minute! Zak’s rational voice fought back. That sounds like a lie! It would be cheating and cheating doesn’t “count.” Maybe I’d feel dishonest, guilty, and yucky. It could damage the relationship too; I don’t want to risk that. I don’t like others lying to me, so I don’t want to by a hypocrite and do that to others!For a moment, Zak put his car keys on the coffee table and sat down on the living room sofa. Then he picked them up again, thought for a second, then set them back down again. He realized he would never change if he didn’t follow through and try new things. The battle raged in his mind and he ultimately picked back up his keys

98 and decided to follow through with his plan and decided to be honest with Sam. He got up and grabbed 2 MilkyWays, a BabyRuth, a 16oz Dr Pepper, and a 12oz bottle of water, threw it in his backpack then left the house. The Hike Zak met with Sam and they carpooled to the Eagle Creek trailhead again. This time they would aim to reach the beautiful Punchbowl Falls— a bit farther than they hiked before. After beginning the hike, Zak’s morning grouchiness seemed to dissipate; he now felt optimistic to see the big waterfall. What if I actually make it? he thought. That would be really dope. Zak dreaded Sam asking about him doing his three challenges. He forgot to do them but didn’t want to foul up his unique opportunity. The two engaged in casual banter about school, family, current news, while they hiked. Then, Zak couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the first viewpoint. He was shocked they arrived so quickly— it seemed to take less effort— getting there nearly killed him two weeks ago so it didn’t compute how fast his body strengthened to enable him to do this. Maybe there’s hope for me after all, he thought. The two continued on the trail, not even stopping at the viewpoint this time. Zak was surprised Sam still hadn’t asked him about his weight. He had so much fear about it that morning and it was now looking like Sam wasn’t even going to ask him about it. Zak then felt silly for all of his anxiety about it over nothing. He then remembered a Zig Ziglar video he saw on YouTube that said FEAR is an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real and that at least 90% of our fears

99 are over things that never happen. I guess that’s what I just did, he thought. I worried and stressed myself out for nothing! Zak looked up from the trail to the lush green forest that shaded them. Sunbeams penetrated through the fir trees and made quite a magical scene. He was also ready for a magical discussion. I wonder what other health “strategies” he might have today?As they continued hiking, they delved into a deeper dialog. 8 Ways to Eat Only 90% “Zak, the last hike I mentioned the time window diet for limiting calorie intake. If you utilize that one strategy you’ll be successful in achieving your goal. However, I think it’s smart to also have more tools in the toolbox. More tools may also help make your weight loss go easier and faster.” “Sounds good so far…” “Another strategy I can share with you also involves limiting food portions. The upside is it can be done at any time and can help you enjoy your food more while losing weight. The downside, however, is it takes a little more discipline and is slightly more involved. Would you like to hear it?” “Sure!” Zak nodded with listening ears. “The overall strategy is simple: eat only 90% of what you currently eat,” Sam said. “That’s it?” Zak said. Huh? “Yep. In other words, eat 10% less food.” “That’s dumb,” Zak said. “Anyone can do that— how would that change anything?” Oops, did I just say ‘dumb’ out loud?