Weight Loss Strategies

Weight Loss seems so simple to some people. You look at them and want to puke!
When you’re trying to lose weight, all you have to do is eat less and exercise more, right?
Think Again!
Ask any of my clients who are attempting to lose weight and they will tell you it is not that easy.
It’s not just changing what you eat and exercising. Sure, those play a role with weight loss, but they’re just 2 pieces in a weight loss plan.
In reality, it feels like an uphill battle.
After all, you are taking on the 5 year daily visit to the local fast food joint, the 10 year snacking while watching TV habit and the real icing on the cake, the "dinner is not complete unless I eat something sweet" belief. Pardon the pun.
To kick those bad habits that "inhibit" you from eating fewer calories and making change, you need to understand and change your behaviors.

The following tips for weight loss will help you get or stay on course!

Do you know Why?

Start with understanding your motivation. Why do you want to lose weight? If you do not have a reason that is truly meaningful to you, than you will have an impossible mountain to climb. People who attempt weight loss because they feel they should, but are not committed, won’t be able to make the necessary change in behavior. If you can’t identify a reason, think about it. Write down every possible reason why you want to lose weight, put it away for a day or two. When you return to the list, write down why that reason is important to you. When you’ve recognized your top three reasons and you feel confident about them, it’s time to get cracking. If you have not settled on your reasons, put the list away and return every couple of days, reevaluating until you have confirmed your reason WHY.

Motivate yourself

Once you have identified the very specific reason why, this will be your source of motivation. Create visible reminders, which could be pictures of yourself, your kids, or even a picture of a body type that you could realistically achieve. The reminder could be a pair of jeans you would like to fit into. When you feel like giving up, try on those jeans. Notice how they fit, where they are still tight, where they have gotten bigger. Envision what it will be like to fit into them. On your phone, PDA or piece of paper, write a brief note summarizing your motivation. Carry this note with you. When you don’t feel like exercising, read the note several times. Tell yourself tomorrow if you don't feel like exercising, you’ll give in - but for today you will stick with it. Identify your motivation for giving up. You have to be true to yourself and the goal you are setting.

Become your own coach

We are our own worst enemy. Despite working hard at changing our behaviors and making efforts to make it happen, we subtly tell ourselves things like "I hope I can do this", "I worked out with Gail today, so I can have that piece of fried chicken", or "I blew it today, I might as well scratch today and get back on track tomorrow."
The problem with these thoughts is they are all negative. Eliminate the word "hope" from your vocabulary. It indicates uncertainty and that some element is not within your control. Keep your thoughts positive and keep your motivation in sight. Not to mention, all the negativity will only hold you back from your goal. It will seem too often that you keep having set back after set back after set back, which gets frustrating. Get a plan and stick to it!

Retrain your mind

Many people think of exercise as something extra in their lives; something that happens when they have the time. Exercise and eating well should be put in the same perspective as the rest of your life.
If exercise is never a priority, you will always identify things that bump it off the to-do list. Instead, make exercise a part of your life.
We all have priorities to consider each day — go to work, pay bills, take care of the kids and everyone else. We do these tasks because if we don’t we may feel pressure. But what about you? What happens when your health starts to deteriorate and you can not go to work, pay the bills or take care of the kids? You have to maintain your health. Treat exercise and making smart food choices as if it’s essential to your well being, just like you take a shower or brush your teeth. Plan your exercise as something else that needs to happen daily. How long do you go without showering and brushing your teeth? Think about it.

Celebrate you!

Do you give your best to your job, your family, and your friends but never devote anything worthwhile to yourself?
Use these behavior changes as an opportunity to put yourself first. Remind yourself you are taking steps toward a healthier, leaner you. If you do not see changes in your body or on the scale immediately, be patient. Weight loss will happen when you stay committed to your goal.

FAT loss Mistakes

Our goal isn’t just to talk about losing weight. Anyone can lose weight. What’s more important is discussing how to lose fat permanently! And I say lose “fat” because some weight is good — I don’t encourage muscle loss, so focus on losing body fat which is more important. Here are some common mistakes when trying to lose fat.
• Portions are out of control! So what can you do about it? When at home, don’t serve family style. You’ll eat more when serving out of a larger bowl or plate. Read food labels, so you can see that sometimes 1 bottle, or 1 bag of a product, is often 2, 3 or even 4 servings! If you dine out, plan to take ½ of a large meal home and get two meals from the one!
• Thinking all calories are created equal! A calorie isn’t a calorie. That might be in the face of science. Some say that all calories are equal, meaning as long as you cut calories, you’ll lose weight. Sure, but is your goal to lose fat or lose muscle? And don’t you want to fuel your body with all the nutrients you can? After all, eating a slice of cheese pizza is far from eating veggies and hummus or peanut butter and an apple for those same 250 calories. So a calorie isn’t a calorie — eat quality, nutrient dense foods, not quantity!
•Eating vs. exercise. Depending on your weight, you can walk 5 miles and burn 500 calories in a day. You can burn 500 calories a day or 3500 calories in a week to lose 1 pound with only exercise. Do you have time to do this everyday? It’s much easier to eliminate those extra calories by replacing junk with high nutrient fuel or eliminating calories from soft drinks or empty calorie snacks. Exercise, of course!! However, you will achieve greater fat loss by monitoring the foods you put in your body, in addition to finding an exercise that burns more calories.
• Skipping breakfast as a way to “save” calories. Eat breakfast and you’ll weigh less. It’s as simple as that. Just eat the right types of foods — avoid sugary breakfast cereals and instead opt for fruit, raw nuts, yogurt, eggs and veggies, for example.