Attitude For Weight Loss or Change

So, you started a journey to lose 20, 30 or 50 plus pounds. You are exercising and trying to do better with your food choices. The time comes for you to get on the scale and it has not budged that much. What is the first thing you do? Cuss yourself and wonder why you are doing all this work to show only a few pounds lost . . . so far. You then sabotage yourself and eat whatever because to you, it doesn't matter anyway. You may also ask, "Why aren't MORE pounds coming off QUICKER??" When I hear this, there are so many factors that vary from one person to the other, but what is common is those 20, 30 or 50 plus pounds did not show up in just a few months. When I ask the individual to think about how long their unwanted weight appeared, it usually has been years . . especially for higher weights. If this relates to you, no matter what the goal is you have to understand that healthy weight loss is no more than 1-2 pounds per week IF you are doing everything you should. This includes:

• Count calories or points. You have to be conscious of everything you put in your mouth and record it daily.
• Increase daily exercise to 30 minutes with a combination of strength training and cardiovascular activity. Three to four of those days should increase to vigorous activity where you are sweating and not being afraid to increase your heart rate.
  
• Eliminate sweets, fried or processed foods and snacks.
• Reduce fat intake to less than 30%.
• Increase lean proteins and fiber
  
• Increase fruit and vegetable intake
• Increase water intake
  
• Decrease portion sizes
• Eat at least 3 smaller meals a day with 2-3 snacks.
• Eat every 3 hours

Ok, so the above list is what I call the tangible list. Things you can do and check off to say, "I did this or I did that one." Or in the optimal scenario, "I do all of these." However, weight loss and change goes deeper than just a checklist. This won't come easy unless you really want it and do not let anything OR anyone stand in your way. This has to come with the right attitude and mindset. You can have all the support from friends, family and fitness professionals, but if your self-esteem or self-worth is low, you're long term success is potentially compromised. You tend to focus on everything negative and don't think success is possible.
You have to take a look in the mirror, face yourself and ask what it is that you want (and why) when it comes to weight loss. Is it health benefits, aesthetics or just to move better? Then you have to ask what is holding you back from your success. Is there anything underlying that you are not acknowledging? Or maybe there is someone holding you back, as well. Friends or family can support, but they can also create stress, which will hinder your progress. The bottom line is you have to face yourself and be willing to overcome those internal (or external) obstacles to make your weight loss journey as smooth as possible. Focus on the goal, focus on success, focus on the positive.

Spot Reduction On My Arms?

I recently received a question if concentrated weight work will help firm up the upper arms. The individual states; "My arms are not flabby but they are too big to feel comfortable in sleeveless clothes for the summer . . . It just makes me look so much heavier with these arms dragging about!" Ladies, it's starting to get hot and tops and dresses are short sleeved, sleeveless or maybe you're in a swimsuit. You want your arms to be sexy and firm during this time of year.
Spot reduction or toning does not work. If you want to change your body composition and have those sexy arms, you have to do a combination of three components; eat healthier, commit to vigorous cardio exercise a minimum of three days per week for 30 minutes a day and strength train at least twice per week.
If your focus is on your arms, you should include strength exercise for all of your upper body because everything is connected and supports one another. Chest, back, biceps, triceps and shoulders should be included. When you work your chest muscles, your shoulders and triceps are engaged and when you work your back muscles, your biceps and shoulders are engaged. A good workout plan includes multiple exercises to tone all body parts as a complete unit.
The other components, eating healthy and vigorous cardio exercise are equally important. Eating healthy is subjective. Do you need to start with eliminating all fried and processed foods? Or are you at the point to really embrace more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains? Do you observe your portions and try to eat three smaller meals and two snacks in a day? Everyone is at different stages with changing eating habits. Take one step at a time during your transition. See my blog entry on January 4, 2009 on Stages of Change.
Vigorous exercise is subjective, as well. Vigorous means increasing your heart rate past your resting heart rate for a sustainable period of time. Again, this will be different for each person based on the stage they are in. A beginner may need to work on 5-10 minutes at a time and work their way up from there. Are you sweating? You have to break a sweat to burn calories. In turn you will shed excess weight in an effort to reduce fat. This will help those arms look sexier in time. Be patient!