Рецепт The Problem with Weight is NOT Losing It – book giveaway!
If you’re like me, you’ve read a lot of books on weight loss. In fact, you probably have a few gathering dust on your bookshelf right now. Well, before you think, “Oh no, I’m not going to read about another diet and exercise weight loss plan,” let me introduce you to Marty McGee Bennett and her weight loss book, The Problem with Weight is NOT Losing It.
What’s unique about her approach is that she uses lessons she’s learned from working with animals and applies that to weight loss and maintenance. Her secret is what she calls the Balance Differential.
Marty believes it’s about making small, consistent changes in your diet and exercise routine so you’re at your desired, healthy weight. She also shows you how to maintain that weight as you get older, which is important for us who are starting to experience that middle age spread. The Problem with Weight is NOT Losing It is full of testimonials from “The Balance Bunch,” and features numerous pictures of Marty working with llamas, alpacas, dogs and even a cheetah.
The book's a delight to read, so check it out.
What an animal behaviorist can teach us about balancing our weight
I’ve battled with my weight since age 15. I’ve lost 30 to 40 pounds at least eight times, and five to 10 pounds too many times to remember. But I kept gaining the weight back, each time feeling more frustrated and defeated.
In 2007 - at age 50 - I realized that the answer was right in front of me. I’m a professional animal handler and trainer, specializing in llamas and alpacas. I teach people how to work successfully and without force by using small, almost imperceptible signals to keep animals in balance.
But, while I was helping animals stay in balance, I wasn't paying attention to my own balance. In fact, I was doing JUST the opposite. In the quest to lose weight, I tried every diet I met, and extreme exercise regimes.
In essence, I was purposely putting myself OUT OF BALANCE. Rigorous dieting is the animal handling equivalent of a corrective jerk on the dog collar. Our bodies may respond temporarily but we haven't actually learned how to be in balance. The momentum created by self-denial causes us to CAREEN back the other way and overeat.
Armed with my new revelation, I decided to try a different approach on my own animal - MY body! Inspired by the way I teach people to work with animals, I began making small changes in what I ate, and in my activity level. I also used a simple math equation, which I call the Balance Differential.
The Balance Differential
The Balance Differential equation takes into account your age, height, weight and activity level. After calculating it for your current weight, you make the same calculation again using the weight you'd like to be. The difference between the two is your Balance Differential number.
When I did this for myself, I was shocked to discover that my Balance Differential number was just 103 calories. So, how did I end up 20-30 pounds overweight, over and over again? I was slipping ever so slightly out of balance. One extra cookie, three extra crackers or two extra spoonfuls of dinner a day had been my undoing. That extra 100 calories a day meant at the end of just one year, I would be between 8 and 11 pounds heavier!
Rebalancing as you grow older
Even if you've never had a weight problem, it's important to rebalance as you age. On average, we need nine calories less per day for every year we age. Eat and exercise the same way for the 10 years between ages 30 and 40, and you will weigh an additional 10 pounds when you blow out the candles on
your 40th birthday cake.
As we deal with holiday eating, busy lives, and as we get older, it's easy to get off track. Learning to be in balance is a skill; getting good at it takes practice and intention. Once you learn the skill of weight maintenance, it’s easy to enjoy life and stay in balance.
Win a copy of The Problem with Weight is NOT Losing It
Marty’s giving away TWO of her books! Here’s how to enter:
If you have a blog, feel free to post about this contest on it for ONE entry.
Spread the word about this giveaway by submitting a link to this post on Twitter for ONE entry. You must leave your Twitter username in your comment so I can check.
If you have done any of these activities you MUST come back here and leave a comment telling me what you did. I will be checking!
Maximum amount of entries at This Mama Cooks! is FIVE – leaving a comment here (1), posting about it on your blog (1), signing up for my enewsletter (1), signing up for my RSS feed (1), and using Twitter (1).
You have until midnight MT on Monday, November 22, 2010 to enter.
TWO winners will be chosen at random.
You must be willing to send me your full name and mailing address so I can forward it to Marty’s publicist so she can mail out your book.
I will also announce the winner on this blog. I will not share your mailing info with the public, just your name (first name and last initial). If you have a blog, I will link back to it when I announce the winners.
Giveaway is over. Congrats to our winners Gianna and Rachel at Texas Kitchen.
About Marty McGee Bennett
For over 25 years, Marty McGee Bennett has taught people about animals and animal handling, with a specialty in training and handling llamas and alpacas. She’s appeared on the Oxygen Network (“What's My Line”) and the Today Show.
In 2007, after years of being frustrated with her own weight issues, she started applying her techniques for nurturing balance in animals to help her balance and sustain her own ideal weight. In her book, The Problem with Weight is NOT Losing It, she and her colleagues, The Balance Bunch, share their experiences, including practical tips on how to use a simple equation and make small changes for ongoing weight maintenance. Published by Raccoon Press, The Problem with Weight is NOT Losing It is available online at theproblemwithweightisnotlosingit.com.
A resident of Bend, Oregon, McGee Bennett lives on a 10-acre farm with her husband, Brad, two dogs, two cats, five llamas, 11 alpacas, and super composting red wigglers, number unknown. She has a degree in animal behavior from the University of Georgia. Her animal training experience includes working with dogs, cats, horses, llamas, alpacas and camels. She’s also one of 12 instructors worldwide of Linda Tellington-Jones' T-Touch method.
Check out the The Problem with Weight is NOT Losing It blog and read more about Marty’s book.
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Disclosure: This post was sponsored by the author.