Yogurt is really pudding

"Yogurt with high fructose corn syrup is more like pudding (a treat) than a healthy food," stated Eliz Greene of Embracing Your Heart, whose seminar "Women's Heart Health" I attended last week. After hearing this, I had what Oprah would call an Aha! Moment. If yogurt is considered a treat, the majority of the food I eat is really a treat. I decided it's time I got serious about losing weight; to do this I need to change what I eat.

Background:
I have wanted to lose ten pounds for as long as I can remember. For the past ten years I have gained a couple of pounds each year; resulting in many of the classic clothes I purchased to wear year after year no longer fitting. I have never tried dieting; I didn't think I had to. I exercise religiously three times a week; pack what I considered to be a healthy lunch; a granola bar, yogurt, and a piece of fruit. For dinner I limited my red meat and usually ate sensibly. Following these steps I thought eventually the weight would just come off.

What am I doing wrong?
I don't eat enough for lunch. To compensate each afternoon around 3:00 I hit the snack machine or raid the candy bowl at work. In addition, in order to have enough energy to workout I almost always grab several handfuls of chips or a couple of cookies as I head out the door on my way to the gym. During summers I entertain frequently; consuming fattening appetizers, desserts and high calorie drinks.

What changes am I going to make?
After hearing that yogurt is a treat, I finally realized I need to be honest with myself about my food choices. First and foremost, I need to eat a more substantial lunch. Since I am not fond of sandwiches, I am going to add a large salad or soup to my lunch. I will substitute plain yogurt with real fruit instead of the yogurt pudding I've been eating and raisins mixed with nuts for the granola bars (which is really a glorified candy bar). A piece of fruit will be my mid-afternoon snack. Sweets and chips will be eliminated from my diet. When entertaining, I will attempt to include healthy appetizers and low calorie drinks.

What is my time frame?
I plan on immediately making these small food adjustments permanent lifestyle changes. I will keep you informed of my results.

Could it be Jack Welch's 20-70-10 model?

My company is hiring a new in-house HR Consultant. She is a personal friend of the owners and rumored to be good. In the past, our company's HR duties were split amongst the employees in my department. None of us are degreed in HR and most feel these activities to be time consuming and a burden to our department. So why does the anticipation of this new hire bother us.

Could it be Jack Welch's 20-70-10 model? In case you didn't know, Jack Welch used to be the Chairman and CEO of General Electric. During his tenure he developed a model which determined that 10% of his workforce was slackers, 70% were average, and 20% were top performers. Each year he would fire the bottom 10%, leave the 20% alone to do their thing and groom the middle 70% to become the next top performers. Over time his employees would shift into new categories. After the bottom workers were let go and the top performers left the company, a new group would move into the bottom 10% and the top 20%.

So that explains it, as this new hire with a stellar reputation joins our company she may just knock some of us out of the top 20% or worse yet push some of us into the bottom 10%.