"Quit Digging Your Grave With A Knife and Fork!"

In January I was a size 22, perimenopausal, tired and miserable. It seemed there was no stopping my weight. It just kept going up, up, up.

Then I figured, what the heck. I found a book called "Quit Digging Your Grave With A Knife and Fork!" by Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas Governor.

Mike Huckabee lost 110 pounds after being diagnosed with Type II diabetes, suffering a mild heart attack, and destroying a chair he sat in at the State Capitol building. Now he has kept the weight off for 4 years and has run 4 marathons.

It's not a diet and exercise program; it's a lifestyle change. It's self-taylored, meaning you do what WORKS FOR YOU. (Weight Watchers, Sugar Busters, Curves, etc., etc.) It's not a weight loss program; it's a HEALTH AND FITNESS program. In other words, focus on health and fitness, and the weight loss will follow.

At this writing I have lost 34 pounds so far and am almost into a 16. The menopause has reversed itself. My blood sugar and cholesterol are all back to normal levels. I am lifting weights, speedwalking and riding a stationary bike--all exercises I love--4 times a week, an hour+ per day each.

This book focuses heavily on STOPPING bad habits ("The 12 STOPS"), and that health and fitness is a lifelong process. Mike Huckabee knew he'd turned a corner in his lifestyle habits when he was less interested in what the kitchen was serving up and more interested in what time the fitness center opened.

I highly recommend this book. Well worth the read.

thanks for sharing that - and congrats on such great progress!!!

does Gov. Huckabee delve into political or faith issues at all in the book, or does he stick to fitness and nutrition?

Hey Lady,

Congrats on your weight loss & continued success. I too have lost 30 lbs since January. Lifestyle change.

I'd be interested in knowing what "The 12 Stops" are.

Thanks.

Cindy

Great job! I totally agree with what Gov. Huckabee has said by your post. I haven't read the book but heard about it yesterday. I've lost 65 lbs doing what you described. If I can do it anyone can!

You should be proud of yourself! :D

Congratulations on your weight loss! :)

It's so inspiring when people like Mike Huckabee and so many women on this board can lose so much weight on their own, without resorting to surgery.

It proves that it's possible with determination and patience.

I've only lost 7 lbs but I already feel so much better. I've stopped craving afternoon naps. I can hardly wait to start going up and down stairs without feeling like I'm carrying an extra ton of bricks. I'm sure my knees will thank me. :D

does Gov. Huckabee delve into political or faith issues at all in the book, or does he stick to fitness and nutrition?

Gov Huckabee talks very evenhandedly about his experiences as Governor and how such a busy schedule can be challenging for a lifestyle change. Don't worry, nothing partisan. He is very much into personal responsility. He discusses what he believes should and should not be the government's role in health and nutrition. I will say that he believes the government should stay out of our kitchens and let us make our own fitness decisions.

Though Gov Huckabee is also an ordained Baptist pastor, the closest he comes to faith issues is toward the end, in which he discusses how there's a good reason why you should take care of yourself, so that you can look toward your future, and that you were created for a higher purpose than to let your body fall apart.

The 12 "STOPS":

1. STOP Procrastinating (It will never get any easier to change your life)

2. STOP Making excuses (The former Governor of Arkansas can offer all kinds of excuses why not to change his lifestyle, yet the diabetes and the heart attack still came)

3. STOP sitting on the couch

4. STOP ignoring signals from your body!

5. STOP listening to destructive criticism. IOW, hang around people who will encourage you, and avoid those who tell you there's no hope.

6. STOP expecting immediate success. Probably the best line out of this book was, "You have the rest of your life to get this right."

7. STOP whining! After all, that midnight chocolate buffet pales in comparison to feeling better and getting compliments! Trust me!

8. STOP making exceptions.

9. STOP storing provisions for failure. IOW, get rid of the junk food you've been hiding, etc.

10. STOP fueling with contaminated food.

11. STOP allowing food to be a reward. (This was a big one for me, but all that money I've saved from missing snacks is going on this cruise!)

12. STOP neglecting your spiritual health.

Hope that helps. And congratulations to all of YOU! Whatever you do, it's worth the effort! :D

Lady Patriot ~ Thanks for posting the 12 STOPS. I sure a lot of people on this board read them. :)

Lady, congratulations on your weight loss. Like Sheila, I've also lost close to 100 lbs. by changing my WOE and lifestyle. Keep up the good work. And thanks for posting those STOPS!!!

Thanks, Host Miriam and WeirdEyes. I was not sure whether I could add a link to the book itself, but if you plug in the title and do a search, you will find more.

And congratulations to the both of you on your HEALTH AND FITNESS (Notice the weight loss follows?) :cool:

Ok I just ordered a copy of this book. I cant wait to read it. It was only 2.00 plus shipping for a brand new copy on amazon.

You won't regret it, Andy. I wish you the best.

Wow! Only $2 plus shipping now? I think I know what I'm getting some folks for Christmas!

Thanks for the good advice! I am printing these up and putting them everywhere (my fridge, school folders etc)

Thanks Lady Patriot, I ordered my book Saturday from Amazon.com for 2bucks and it shipped yesterday!

I can't wait to start reading it:p

Annie:)

WOW!! Those Twelve Stops are awesome advice for all of us....I think I'll have to order this book, too...Thanks for sharing....

You are so right Swansonia! Numbers 8 & 11 are my old faithfuls:o I can find any reason to make an exception and food is always an old stand by for a reward. I am working on both of them, but seeing them in black and white are stark wake up calls! I am thinking of another reward, besides new clothes (I have to buy clothes for my job so no big deal) I have a bottle of wine that I have been saving for a special occasion (too expensive for just a week-end) so I have decided to open it when I reach my first 10% goal! I know it's kinda like a food, but soooo much more enjoyable:D I will have it with a sensible meal, of course:p

As for making exceptions, today we were short handed at work so I ordered pizzas for our gang and I didn't touch a slice! Oh, I started with the old (having a hard day and I need some comfort food) but I ate my lean cusine that I brought this morning knowing I wouldn't get out for lunch. I am proud of myself and I am sitting here tonight NOT feeling like I have failed AGAIN. All I can do is take it one day at a time, that's all any of us can do.

I also like number 6, thus the brainchild for this thread. Just take it 10% at a time. We didn't get this overweight in one day and we can't expect instant results......let's all say it again:p

Well, enough rambling for one night.

Annie:)

Annie ~ Good job staying away from that pizza! :D

Thanks Lady Patriot, I ordered my book Saturday from Amazon.com for 2bucks and it shipped yesterday!

I can't wait to start reading it:p

 

Annie:)

My pleasure. Getting into my new SMALLER swimsuit was definitely worth missing all the potato chips, candy bars, pop tarts, and anything else I gave up!

Thanks for posting the 12 steps Lady. It's all about mind set.

Annie, congrats on avoiding the pizza and knowing what you did was the right thing. You should feel proud of yourself.

I also want to thank you for taking the time to post ... It's very liberating to finally take control over the urge to eat ... this last cruise, one of my high lights was to get up early in the morning and do a fast walk around the track (totally invigorating) and then to do the little bit of Tai Chi that I remember.

I told my DH that I was going to spend my life being "selfish" as it finally dawned on me that in order to be the best for others, we all need to be the best for ourselves. At 54 I am enjoying this newest adventure. I wish everyone the best for their own journey. Jan

It's all about the mindset, and I like those twelve steps..they are really just basic common sense.

Like I always say, "Who NEEDS to eat 12 oreos when you can have just one?" Nobody NEEDS to overeat. The problem is people say "well, my stomach is still hungry if I dont have more than one serving"..reality is your stomach is STRETCHED OUT and of course it's going to start complaining about less food,until you get used to eating less!

I am still an advocate for cooking at home and eating out less, so you can have control. I am so used to it now eating out isn't as enjoyable as it used to be, I can't stand the taste now of "chemical food" (ready made food, food from boxes, etc.) It takes planning and prioritizing but it can be done.

Thanks for posting the 12 steps Lady. It's all about mind set.

 

Annie, congrats on avoiding the pizza and knowing what you did was the right thing. You should feel proud of yourself.

I'll add some things that I thought really stood out to me:

Excuse #1: "I don't have time. I'm too busy."

Mike Huckabee was the Governor of Arkansas, to whom 16-hour workdays were the norm. If he had an early morning meeting, he simply set his alarm for 3:30 a.m. instead of 4:30 a.m. He always MADE time to work out. It's a matter of priorities.

Excuse #2: "I travel a lot and don't always have control over what I eat." Mike Huckabee got several soft-sided coolers to carry around and packed his own lunches (though with a Governor's staff at his beck and call, he could have had someone else do it, but he considers health and fitness to be his personal responsibility)

Excuse #3: "Eating healthy is expensive." Probably not as expensive as insulin, diabetic footwear, hospital bills, medication, wheelchairs, and finally, early funerals. Personally, I'm saving about $35 per month on medication co-pays because I'm off 2 of the 4 medications I'd been taking. The only thing that has really cost me during this time is getting all my clothes altered down. That's something I don't mind paying for, though.

Excuse #4: "I'll get funny looks carrying around a cooler and working out all the time!" I bet you got even funnier looks when you were overweight!

Again, don't forget that this is FOR LIFE!! Just like you won't grow back new teeth (or anything else you've had removed), health and fitness is for the rest of your life.

"Nothing tastes as good as it feels to be thin." --Mike Huckabee

Hope some of that helps.

Well said Lady Patriot....Dittos!