weight loss tips – Page 2 – sassyfitnesschick

Food Management

food

Food. Amazing, delicious, tasty, life sustaining food. We wouldn’t get to far without it, would we? Food is essential for life and when we eat properly it gives us energy and keeps us healthy and well.

We also have exclusive control over the foods we put in our bodies and how much of it we consume.

This is one area in life that we have power over. We have power over the choices we make, how much we take in ( or how little if it swings to an eating disorder) what kinds of foods we choose to eat etc.

As I’ve worked with my client one thing I’m really excited about for her is seeing how she’s understanding that she has control over foods and the choices she makes. She is learning that just because it’s “there” doesn’t mean she has to eat it. She is learning to think and be selective about her food choices… meaning she’s thinking… “is this something I REALLY like? Is it worth it to eat it?” and if she can’t answer yes, she leaves it alone.

I’m really proud of her efforts in having to deal with so many parties and cooking foods and treats for them and still managing to have the scale slowly move backwards.

I love how she’s allowed herself certain treats and then taken time to savor and enjoy them. She has also made smart moves by simply tossing things in the trash she knew would be temptations.

It’s ok to do that. I’m always blown away when people say things like… ” I got rid of it by eating it all” or they feel they need to eat a lot because it won’t be there again.

Listen… there will always be tasty foods…things that we enjoy…. a lot. You don’t have to be the trash can to dispose of it.

Learning to think about what we eat is a huge step to building new habits and a healthy lifestyle.

Do you ever stop and think about how much mindless eating you might do? And really, yours truly has been there too. By that I mean food that we just put in our mouths without thought or hunger…. it’s just something to do… mindless.

Eating “just” to eat is a not so positive habit many of us have, but one that can be reshaped with some practice.

So a few tips…..

Be aware of what you’re doing. There are times I find that I have wandered into the kitchen …trolling… and fully knowing I’m not hungry. If you find yourself there and you don’t really need food… leave.

Don’t think you have to eat the last of something to “get rid” of it. There is a trash can, use it. Better yet, don’t fall into that mentality of thinking you’re doing yourself a favor by polishing off the last half of the ice cream.

Allow yourself treats but become extremely selective about what you eat. Not all foods are created equal nor are they often that great. Learn to leave behind things that just aren’t worth the calories.

If you are at a buffet or party select only the items you really enjoy. If something isn’t that great, don’t feel bad to leave it behind.

Know that each time you make a positive choice, it will set you up for future good moves. It’s empowering when you realize you can make intentional food choices that can leave you satisfied and in control.

Tell me, do you have any food management strategies you use to help you eat intentionally?

Food And Cheat Days

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It’s hard to believe we are already moving quickly into another year, and yet another holiday is behind us with the celebration of Easter this past weekend.

For many it’s a time of worship, family gatherings, and well, food. As things go with holidays there are special treats and meals that are prepared as we gather in celebration.

Holidays are meant to be enjoyed. Food is meant to be savored and appreciated.

Therefore, I found it semi-amusing when I was asked on Saturday not once, but twice, in different conversations if I allowed myself “cheat days”.

If you don’t know what this means, in some dieting plans there is a day in the week you’re basically allowed to just eat whatever and enjoy it without any (supposed) guilt for doing it.

The first person to ask me was a friend… he simply inquired if I allowed myself to do that… to have days of indulgence.

The other person was an employee in the store I had chatted with briefly. She was telling me about an asparagus dish involving bacon and she laughed and said ” I know you look really disciplined, but I figure you’ve got to have some cheat days along the way too!”

Ok, I admit, I don’t really “see” myself like others do. Does anyone ?

I know I am a bit more muscular looking than a lot of people roaming around so perhaps there’s an idea I don’t ever touch anything that might be considered “off limits”.

That idea kinda makes me laugh….

So here’s the deal… I’ve never subscribed to the idea of having “cheat days” and I’ll tell you why.

First of all, why would I just want to bomb a whole day needlessly ? And what if I didn’t want anything “off limits” on cheat day ? What if I really need a piece or two of chocolate on a non-cheat day ? Or there’s a special celebration?

On another thought, it also begins to set you up for thinking of foods in “good” or “bad” terms. The idea being you eat bad foods on your cheat day… good foods the rest of the time…

On a personal opinion I’ve just never seen it as a productive idea.

What has helped me be successful and lose weight is balance and moderation of allowing myself things which has kept me from feeling deprived or the need to binge on something because I have withheld it. Somehow, this seems to have worked as I’ve lost weight these past few years and maintained my fitness goals.

This is how I counsel people who are trying to find a balance of losing weight and living this thing called life.

That being said, even though I don’t like setting foods into “good” or “bad” groups, you need to have an awareness that there are definitely foods that support optimal health, keep you well and energetic, that contribute to weight loss and support your fitness goals.

These should make up the majority of your daily diet.

Then there are foods that are enjoyable and make life fun but should be consumed in careful moderation.

There are some “foods” I will never put in my mouth as I see them as wasted, useless, calories that do nothing for me.

When you begin to see foods in this light it also removes guilt that people tend to put on themselves for eating “bad” foods.

I can’t tell you the times I’ve heard people apologize because they had a treat at a party or a piece of birthday cake or something similar. Or worse, feel they have to punish themselves or “work it off”.

Seriously, lose the guilt, stop apologizing. When you make a decision to have something, own it and move on.

As you progress and eating healthy begins to feel what is more normal and natural to you, those other foods honestly, will have less attraction. You will feel better eating healthy foods and (personally) I don’t feel so great if I have a day eating foods my body isn’t used to anymore.

In brief:

Eat healthy, whole foods the majority of the time.

If you need or want something special, consider a small amount to meet that need. Take a moment to decide if it’s really what you want.

Is it something you really love or are you eating it because it’s there?

Don’t lock yourself into one day to go off the tracks. There’s no point in wasting a day or ruining your efforts for the week.

Think moderation and balance.

Guilt is not a part of success. Don’t entertain it.

If you really overdo, just refocus on your goals, pick up, and keep moving forward. Quitting isn’t an option!

Tips For A Healthier You

weeks of fitness

Hello beautiful people of the world =)

As I shared in a previous post, I’m working with a client. A big part of what we’re doing is looking at habits and learning, or re-learning them some of them in regards to behaviors with eating and food.

She is learning the importance of getting meals at balanced times through the day, learning to listen to her body’s natural signals for being hungry ( as well as when it’s comfortably satisfied) avoiding snacking between meals, and focusing on more whole foods.

Whole foods meaning 5 ingredients or less or as close to their natural state as possible. We aren’t being crazy about it, just making it more of a focus.

These are all pretty big things to “re-learn” when you might not be used to eating normally or maybe just grabbing food randomly through the day. Many people have forgotten or don’t listen to their bodies natural hunger and satisfied signals so these things have to be intentionally practiced.

This week we are taking a look at snacks or extra foods in our day that might be hindering weight loss. My client will be charting pretty much every bit of everything, including any drinks with sugar, alcohol, or anything with caloric value.

She wants to see the scale continue to drop and I want that for her too.

I have her also considering what she is eating at meals. Sometimes stopping with just a little left on your plate is enough to cause more calorie deficit in your day.

And of course, exercise. If you want to get rid of fat, cardio is your friend. Yeah, I know most people hate it.

You sweat. Your heart beats fast. It hurts. It’s uncomfortable. It’s the place you realize that you really are horribly out of shape… which is why it’s so easy to quit… ’cause you don’t like all that.

Don’t quit. Even if you have to work your way up till you can do a full 30 minutes to an hour… you’ll be getting stronger in the process.

Ok… so some tips or suggestions for you … they can be almost painless… and you can drop a few pounds in the process.

Practice eating balanced meals 3-4 times a day ( 4 if you’re more physically active or athletic) eat enough to comfortably satisfy your hunger.

Try not to snack between meals. (when you eat adequately at meals you will find the need to do that will diminish)

Learn to listen to your bodies natural hunger and satisfied signals. Allow yourself to become truly hungry 30 minutes or so before your next meal.

Try to eat more whole foods ( meaning less stuff out of a box, bag etc)

Be aware of your snacking. To find weak places in your day/week be vigilant and write down everything so you can see where you’re hindering your progress.

Move your body more! Not only is it good for you physically, it’s good for your mental clarity as well.

Learning to listen to your own body and having awareness of how and what you eat are huge steps towards losing weight and getting into a lifestyle change 🙂

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The Power Of You

I was chatting with my client at our weekly meeting when she told me she had thought of contacting me last year, then again, recently. This is when she reached out to me in response to my announcement of taking on a client.

She was tired of where she was at and was ready to start making changes in herself, the biggest one being to lose weight.

She had a question that she wanted to ask me, something she had wondered about.

In her battle of start a diet, get discouraged, quit, feel guilty, go back to old patterns and habits ( ’cause those are comfy for all of us) her question was…

“What made you “get it” ?”

She was asking what had clicked in me and been the turning point that I kept on going, didn’t quit and give up and walk away from doing it. How had I kept at it and lost weight ( and kept it off)?

What made me do it and more importantly, stay with it ?

I wish I could say I told her it was some special, magic thing I did. I wish I could just write out the instructions to making everyone be successful who sets out to do it.

I can’t.

You know why ?

The desire, the want, the need, must come from deep inside of you. You have to hunger for that change.

You have to want it badly enough for yourself that you’re willing to make the sacrifices required to get there.

Sacrifices of time and energy, changing behaviors and habits, making yourself uncomfortable, have a willing attitude to be molded into someone different, patience with yourself as you stumble, fall, and get up again, and a tenacious spirit that refuses to give up. Honestly, you even need a practical mind that knows it’s a process that will take time and it won’t be instant gratification.

You have to be at the point where you know you want to do it for yourself because you’re simply tired of where you are and want things differently. Yeah, just let that breathe over you for a second.

The secret is: you have to want it badly enough to do things differently and you have to really, truly, want it for yourself.

My client, is at that point. I think she has all the right elements in place to slowly, steadily move forward and make positive life changes for herself. She’s learning about food and feeding her body appropriately and at the right times. She’s learning to listen to her body. She also knows it’s a slow process and she’s willing to invest the time to reach her goals. We will continue each week looking at new habits and replacing the not so good ones with better ones. It takes a little time to rework ingrained habits in your life, but it can be done.

So there you go. No magic secret. No gimmick or potion.

The “thing” that got me going, made me start and not quit… well.. that came from within me.. just like it needs to come from within you.

I don’t want to call it “will power” cause that’s so subjective and fickle. Our will power can be gone in an instant. It can be gone in the face of chocolate cake or a lazy morning you don’t “feel” like working out.

No, it has to be something deeper and more powerful. A force to be reckoned with.

That force is you.

Nothing is more powerful than the human mind when it determines to take on something and conquer it. Nothing is more powerful than your mind conquering the limits of your body… nothing….

You’ve got everything in you … you just need to harness it and let it out.

Everything-you-need-is-already-Inside

Monday Motivation

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Yeah.. it’s Monday beautiful people. I know it came as a startling realization as your alarm blared you to life and left you scrambling trying to remember what day it was and what planet you were on.

Nothing like shaking the sleep out… shaking the body out… and rolling into a Monday.

You’ve already got the to-do list planned and a weekly agenda lined out.

Perhaps, if you’re like many, you’ve decided today….today is THE day.

No.. not to quit your job….

The day you’re finally going to get started…get moving… do things differently.

It’s time to take back your life… to lose weight and get moving again ’cause you’re tired of being fat ( let’s just be honest here, ok? if I can say that about myself where I was 8 years ago… it’s ok… being real is the first step to success) and you’re tired of well…feeling tired. Or feeling sluggish and having no energy or getting out of breath doing simple daily tasks.

You can change all that. Really. It won’t happen overnight, but it won’t happen if you don’t get started.

I don’t care how young or old you are you can start doing things differently to impact your life in a better way.

So, if you’re one of the many who rolled out of bed today with this on your mind, may I offer a few suggestions? Ideas? Tips?

First… I’m super proud of you for wanting to improve your health! And if you’re going to do this remember…

Take one day at a time. I know that sounds rather…simple? But seriously…take one day. Don’t look six months out or think about how you need to lose a zillion pounds… that will intimidate anyone and make them wanna quit. Focus on the day you’re in and focus on making better choices for yourself. Don’t expect perfection just aim for improvement.

Eat a little less, listen to your body when you are hungry, stop when you’re comfortable, practice eating more whole foods, don’t completely deprive yourself.

You know… just little things through your day that will start to add up.

Then… in that same day…try and see how you can add more purposeful movement into your day. Take the stairs, park further out at the store, go for an evening walk, go to the park and really play with your kids.. get creative.

Now… you made it through your day… get up tomorrow…repeat process… only this time you’re gonna try and do just …. a little more….

Eat a little less, eat something more healthy, go for a longer walk, think of a physical activity you want to try and then do it….

And you will focus on caring for yourself one day at a time.

Oh, and if you have a day you don’t do so well with ? You will get up tomorrow and start again. Do not quit.

Focus on one day at a time, with small goals ( focus on 5lb weigh loss increments) adding in healthier foods, allowing occasional treats, and getting in purposeful exercise will have you moving steadily on your way to your goals.

From that point keep challenging yourself to do a little more each day, and each week. Measure success not just in weight loss but also in things like, inches lost, energy level, mental well being, lab/doctors visits, confidence and feeling empowered at tackling your days for your health and fitness goals, and overall satisfaction with how you’re feeling.

You can accomplish anything you decide to do =)

Getting Serious About Weight Loss

weeks of fitness

Goals. Resolutions. Plans. Ideas.

Where are you with yours a few weeks into the New Year ? Are you one of the many who has determined that weight loss and fitness will be what you finally achieve this year?

Sadly, many will start with the best intentions but quickly give up when their plans are a bit lofty and to restrictive, determining it’s to hard and give up.

Please don’t quit. Isn’t it more productive to have small forward movement than none ?

When I chat with people I often hear some… denial ? About how they eat ,what they eat, and how much they eat.

Trust me, it’s easy to disillusion yourself. Or there is some joking about it… about not eating well…. as if poor eating is a fun game.

Can I say this ? If you’re serious about weight loss, you need to be serious about what you eat.

Kinda just let that breathe over you for a second.

What kind of body have you built? What kind of body do you want to build ? And I don’t mean like… building a competition body or anything like that… although if that’s what you want you need to set goals to get there.

I mean do you want to lose some fat? Do you want to build muscle? Strengthen your cardio system to be able to do daily tasks without getting out of breath ? Do you want energy to keep up with your family and do things with them ? To achieve those goals means getting serious about what goes in your mouth, and how much of it.

Getting serious means taking a hard look at your eating habits and patterns. A study of your eating habits as it were. What triggers you to eat when you aren’t hungry? What foods do you reach for ? Do you know how to stop once your hunger has been satisfied or do you keep eating because it’s there or it tastes good ?

How do you nourish your body ? Is it with junk type foods? High fat? Sugar? Alcohol ? Fast food ? Over eating?

Or is it with healthy, colorful, flavorful life giving food to build you up in the best way possible ? Foods that will give you energy and vitality?

veggies

Listen, you won’t just snap into changes overnight. You will struggle and rebel against changes you want to make, know you need to make, it won’t come easy.

But…. you are more than capable of doing it.

One day, one moment at a time.

I guess it might sound pretty basic but if you’re gonna make changes you need to assess what you’ve got to do to start making that happen.

May I suggest a long heart to heart with yourself ?

Look at how you eat, when, how much etc. if it’s not a meal time look at snacking or eating when you aren’t truly hungry.

What or how do you feel that makes you reach for food ?

What foods do you reach for ?

In a day, write out foods that are healthy, good for you foods and then the “other” foods. Make a list… which list is longer at the end of the day. You might track this for several days. Make sure you also add in all sugary drinks, alcohol etc

Determine ( on the not so great category) where you can begin to make small gradual changes. For instance, if you’re a big soda drinker and have maybe 3? a day you might try cutting it back to two for a week, then down to one until you’re weaned off or save them for really special treats. Although by that time you might find them to be to sweet for you once your body has adjusted to not having them.

In the healthy section look at how you can continue to improve and build on healthier foods.

Where can you add more veggies ? Choose a healthier snack? Pass on vending machine “treats” ?

To move forward you must be serious with yourself on your eating. Understand your food triggers.

Take a critical look at the foods you eat. Can you make healthier substitutions for some things ?

Asking yourself some hard questions and making small gradual changes will begin to move you forward on your health and fitness journey.

start today

The Scale Experiment

It’s no secret I’m not a huge fan of “the scale”. In fact, I’ve already written a blog on it (which you can read later called, “That Stupid Scale)

No, I won’t be repeating myself here. And no, I don’t have issues with the scale ’cause I don’t think it offers up numbers I want.

I don’t like how it can be a random object that can be controlling of so many lives.

Let’s establish this truth. It’s a tool. A TOOL.

When I was actively trying to lose weight, I used that tool, maybe once a week to check my pounds lost progress. If you are actively trying to lose weight, I’d encourage you to use it only once a week as well, note your numbers and move on with life.

What I knew and understood, and you need to understand too, that tool isn’t a measuring line to your overall health. It can’t measure how good you feel after your workouts, how many inches you may have lost, the confidence and empowerment building in you as you take on new things, your improving lab work or all the good food choices you’ve learned to make and a long list of other things.

For me it meant knowing those numbers didn’t define how fast I could run, how many miles I can cycle, how many pounds I can lift over my head, how long I can hold a plank, or how many push ups I can do.

Because so many seem to be a “slave” to this tool, I thought I’d do a little experiment. My experiment involved me weighing myself from morning and through out day at various times, up till bedtime.

I hope you appreciate my guinea pig status in doing this. I haven’t weighed myself this much in the past couple years, and I don’t exaggerate that.

I think I’m on a scale maybe twice a year.

The point of my experiment ? To show how our weight can fluctuate through out an entire day and look at what “changes” actually occur.

Seriously, how many times have you hopped on all excited, and instantly get deflated by what you see ? Or on the flip side, if the numbers are what you want, the day just went all major sunshine on you.

A tool controlling your happiness …no… just no.

So what follows is my experiment and what I noted through out an entire day of charting my numbers.

6:30 a.m. morning weigh in. This weight is accurate based on a visit with sports doc last month.

8:45 a.m. After workout weigh in. Down 2 pounds.

No, I didn’t get all happy and proclaim I had “lost 2 lbs!” More like, I knew I needed to consume 32 ozs of water to replace the fluid I had sweated out ( 16oz for each pound lost) THEN continue drinking to stay hydrated.

9:45 a.m. After an hour and plenty of water my weight is now back to what I started morning off at. This tells me I’ve replenished what I lost through sweating.

12:45 p.m. After lunch. Add a half a pound.

3 p.m. After spending over an hour in the sun mowing grass, I checked in with the scale. I was almost down to my weight from my morning workout. 1 1/2 pounds “lost”. Time to replenish fluids again from sweat.

5 p.m. Still down a half pound from my first morning weigh in.

7 p.m. After dinner, I’m up 2 lbs, but only 1 lb over from my morning weigh in.

10:00 p.m. Before shower weigh in. Back to my morning start weight.

Do you see the “ups and downs” in my day ? I lost no fat. My losses in my day were fluid. It’s important to replace fluid lost through heavy sweat and exercise.

Do you see how if I were looking at the scale for validation for “losing weight” how my moods could have been on a wide swing ? I want you to see how our weight can literally bounce all over the place in a single day so weighing in for the purpose of weight loss is best captured on a weekly basis. Take that number and don’t be worried if your numbers bounce in a couple pounds in either direction through out your day.

Measure your fitness and health success by more than just numbers on the scale =)

Weight Loss 101

It happens.

You get on the scale and the numbers start spinning like a slot machine in Vegas.

You wait for the final tally to show up. If only it would spit money out at you when it finally stopped.

Ugh… why is there this huge distance between where you are now… and where you want to be ?

And worse… how did you get to this point ?

You feel defeated before you get started.

I remember. I relate. It seemed so very far away to get to where I wanted to be.

That’s what we all struggle with isn’t it ?

I hear from so many of you. You want to get lose weight and get healthy but you aren’t sure where to start…it’s overwhelming! Overwhelming ’cause we just want to get to our destination over night and that won’t happen… we have to get back the same way we got where we are now…. slowly and steadily… just in reverse now.

I’ll throw out a few little tips that helped me… maybe it will be helpful to you too.

First, getting your nutrition under wraps is the most important thing. Know what you eat and how much you are eating.

It’s easy to think you ” don’t eat that much” when in reality, you could be eating more than you realize. Those calories ( liquid and food) add up. Or in a reverse way, maybe you’re restricting your calories to much making it harder to lose. This is also where it’s so crucial to understand the calorie needs your body has each day.

Logging your food and drink for a week or so will give you a visual idea of what your daily intake looks like. You can do it the old fashioned way by writing it down or use several of the current apps that are available to track your food and exercise.

I have used an app called Lose it! and others use one called My Fitness Pal. Both can keep track of your foods and how many calories you are consuming in a day. You won’t need to do this forever but do it long enough to understand your food consumption and see your eating patterns. Make sure you log everything you eat and drink.

Good nutrition is really key to long term weight loss. Exercise is important but if you don’t have a good base with healthy nutrition it won’t matter how much exercise you do for long term benefits.

Also, consider what you buy at the store and bring home. If you have trigger foods, and they aren’t there, you can’t get them if you have a craving. Buy healthy foods, you’ll eat healthy foods and so will your family.

I have a huge weakness for salt and pepper kettle potato chips. I know if they come home, it’s all over. My husband teases me that once in awhile won’t hurt me. Perhaps, that’s true. But do I need them ?

Seriously, once that bag is open…. I’m like an addict.

So yeah, think about what you buy and the impact it will have on you at home. Get serious with what you buy and consider the value of it for you and your family.

Eating well is your first line of defense to losing weight successfully and you will see the best results when you shape up your nutrition. Not only that, but your overall health will benefit too.

Another thing I found helpful was only setting 5 lb. goals for myself at a time. I turned it into a game… I can do anything if I can make it a game or make it playful. So I would just tell myself… “ok, just focus on moving from the “0” to the “5”…. and I moved along in those 5 lb. increments till it really started to add up.

Focusing on 5 lbs. at a time was totally manageable. I could handle that. It takes that huge daunting goal and makes it easier to achieve.

Try it…. It builds your confidence that you can accomplish what you set out to do.

As you bring your nutrition in line, it will be important for you to consider what exercises you can do to support your weight loss goals.

Keep in mind, our bodies need movement for wellness, not just to help with weight loss. Purposeful exercise also helps us mentally, emotionally and spiritually, in addition to physically.

Decide what you can do. What works for you. I will encourage you to look at a variety of activities, first, to prevent boredom. Second, a variety of activities can work all muscle groups overall shaping and building your body to be more defined and strong. I honestly think I’ve stayed with working out because I found things I could be passionate about and because I had different activities it allowed me to mix things up when I wanted to.

If you are self motivated you might find working out at home fits your needs. I love not having to go somewhere to workout… my time is important so to just go for a run, pedal off some miles, or out to my building for strength days is a huge bonus to me.

However, you might need the motivation of being in a gym setting, or having a workout partner ( iron sharpens iron kinda thing 😉 Perhaps a personal trainer might be what gets you on track.

Know your needs and what will help you be most successful to stick with it.

In summary….

Log your food/drink intake for a week or two until you have a good idea of your food patterns (the how, what, and when of your eating )

Make healthy food choices that you keep in your kitchen.

Set 5 lb. goals at a time.

Select a physical activity that you can be passionate about and look forward to doing.

Remember, slow and steady will reap long term lifestyle changes =)

Simple Steps To Weight Loss And Fitness

I’m gonna try and keep this short and sweet. No. This isn’t a post about all my amazing short and sweet friends… and I have a lot of them… I mean when you rock 6’0 I have LOTS that fall into that category 😉

I going to post some tips I hope are helpful and easy to follow on a daily basis because a lifestyle change is made by things we do consistently day after day. Building new healthy habits and actions leads to long term success.

Not crazy shenanigans for a few weeks then with a deep sigh it’s back to what’s normal and comfy for us.

Ready?

** Avoid extreme restrictions. This is the fastest way to derail yourself back to “Go”. Take away everything good and fun and tasty and make it life sucking and you won’t be going anywhere fast.

** Do work on making small healthy swaps every day. If chips and a soda are your go to snack maybe work on dropping the soda and going with water, eventually getting rid of the chips too. Your goal should be eating healthy snacks the majority of the time. Add in an extra veggie with your meal and cut pasta/potatoes whatever in half. When you reach for something, take a moment to assess it’s value for you.

** Do use small amounts of time for exercise. I shared in another post how much I worked into a 30 minute block of time one morning. Even if you have 10 minutes… Knock out pushups…. you’ll be sweating like crazy at the end. Look for ways to build movement into your day. Take stairs, go for a short walk, park farther back at store, do squats, push ups or lunges waiting for your shower water to heat, use a push mower to cut grass ( my fav gravy activity) garden or work in your yard, all these things in a day add up and develop an active lifestyle. Note: this doesn’t take place of your purposeful exercise you should be doing.

**Set specific goals. Don’t just say “I want to lose weight”. Target a day to have realistically dropped a certain number of pounds. Hang a fav item of clothing in your way that you might want to get back into to silently challenge you. Select an event you want to train for. Maybe it’s to improve your lab numbers at the doctors office when you go back. Whatever you do, write it down, make it real and then go for it. It doesn’t hurt to share those goals with others for accountability 😉

**Strive to eat well the majority of the time. I shared in another post on eating that you can follow an 80/20 rule. Eat well 80% of the time, allowing a 20% allowance for occasional treats and special occasions. As I’ve gotten more fit and my views on nutrition have changed I find myself in more of a 90/10. I just feel better when I eat well. You will too, trust me =)

** Finally know that change takes time. Change that is, that will last and result in a lifestyle difference. Changes in the scale, changes in your body, changes in how you see yourself all take time. Settle in and work slowly and steadily one day at a time, results will come.

Share with me if you have simple tips and ideas that have helped you be successful =)

The Great Diet Debate

Diets. Diets. Diets.

They abound everywhere, do they not ? There are the ones that seem to have been around forever, there are the ones that are major “companies” where you get support systems and eat their food, let’s not forget the current trendy ones all over internet, or ones that your neighbor is hawking.

All of them structured plans with the ultimate goal, to get you thinner, and more fat free.

In my past life when I participated in the diet games I’d find whatever might look promising in a magazine and give it a try…..for a week…or two… if I could grind it out that long.

You know what I finally realized ? I really HATED being told what I had to eat, when, and how much I could have. I HATED the idea that foods I loved were “off limit”. And I really HATED the whole feeling of deprivation and lack of fun that went along with it.

Why did something that was supposed to help me feel so…. life sucking ? Confining? Annoying?

I finally got it. I think it’s important to really understand yourself, how you roll, what makes you tick. Sometimes it might take awhile, but you get it.

I’m a total free spirit and a self confessed often rebel at heart…. no wonder conventional structured “diets” worked against everything in me.

I rebelled against being boxed into someone else’s food plan and ways of eating. I didn’t want to be nailed down to “a plan”.

When I decided to take control of my life and not be locked into a structured system of eating, here’s what I realized.

Taking away things I loved, or even things I randomly ate if I felt like it, made them way more powerful in my life than they needed to be ’cause it made me think of it more than I needed to… like “I can’t have these things…therefore…I want them”

Seriously, who wants to spend their mental energy thinking of food ?

That’s when I took my power back. That’s when I realized I really was a grown up and declared nothing “off limit”. If I wanted a piece of chocolate, I’d eat it and move on. I trusted myself that I really wouldn’t eat a whole bag if I wanted a piece ( disclaimer… I never ate a whole bag of anything 😉 haha

I remember about a month in to my experiment. The fam wanted to go out for a burger. My previous “diet girl” mode would’ve been to scope out a salad, eat it, and feel deprived and left out. No… I got my burger…and fries… and enjoyed myself… and kept rolling with my plan. I got up the next morning, business as usual. No beating myself up or over crazy workouts to “compensate” for it (as if).

A couple months went by and I was losing weight AND happy at the same time ( what a concept) overall I was making good food choices, eating normally, and allowing occasional treats …. those are the things that allow you to still feel normal while your in the process of becoming more fat free 😉

Then, along the way, I came across this verse from a man named Paul, who was an apostle I the Bible.

It said “All things are permissible but not all things are beneficial”

That really resonated with me and my current thoughts on eating and losing weight. All food was permissible, it just wasn’t all beneficial for me to reach my health and fitness goals.

It’s still a reminder to me. I don’t like labeling foods “good” or “bad”.

However…… I choose to examine it in the context of is it beneficial for me? For my overall health? for my fitness goals? for how I feel ?

I’m not sure where you are on your fitness and health journey. Maybe your doing just fine or may these words might be helpful to you in your process to lose weight.

All (foods) are permissible, but not all (foods) are beneficial. (mine)

Take your power back.