A new episode of A Mind For Fitness is available. In this Episode I talk about how much weight I gained during the holiday season and what I’m doing about it. Also, my new motivation for the new year. Hope you enjoy!
Tag Archives: diet
Getting Yourself Motivated For the New Year
When it comes to weight loss and working out, different people are motivated by different things. For example, someone can sit and watch a documentary on weight loss (like My 500 Pound Life) and not be motivated to change their life at all. While others, cannot even sit still through such a show. When the documentary ends, the latter group will be motivated to take action and change the condition of their health.
Today’s blog is going to be somewhat autobiographical. While I cannot address what motivates everyone to take steps toward fitness, I can talk about one of the things that motivates me. The truth is there are lots of things that motivate me to strive toward fitness. Today, however, I am going to address just one–workout equipment!
What I Got for Christmas
This is particularly relevant to me because I just got a slue of equipment for Christmas. And none to soon at that. I have let the holidays get the better of me and have gained between 7 to 9 pounds. I am ready to get back to it! And now I am motivated as well.
I love receiving workout equipment and helps. I just get so excited over it. I am one of those people who have to tear into the stuff right away and start using it. This year I received (from my loving family) a ten-pound medicine ball,
lift grips for better push ups,
A DVD set on working out,
and…the mother of all…. a Weider Pro 6900 that does just about everything.
A Consideration For the Reader
I know what it takes to motivate me. One of those things is (as I have mentioned) new workout equipment. Knowing this about myself has helped me keep my weight and fitness in check. There have been several times when been less enthusiastic to work out or stay on a healthy eating plan. Picking up a $4 work out DVD has kicked my butt back into gear on several occasions. So my questions for the reader is this: What motivates you to take action? And how can you use that knowledge to take help yourself action today?
Cheating During the Holidays (Written)
On my podcast, A Mind For Fitness, I shard how to cheat during the holidays with minimal damage. I thought the information was important enough that I should share it in written form. I do this because I know not everyone will listen to the podcast and I would like to help people during this troublesome time of year.
So here it is: How to Cheat During the Holidays With Minimal Damage.
Make It a Cheat Day
The first way to cheat during the holidays is by coinciding your holiday feasts with a cheat day or meal. This is difficult for most because there is more than one opportunity to eat bad food during this time of year. For example, there is Christmas Eve and Christmas Day right together. In addition, there may be company and family parties not to mention New-Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. So I understand if having a cheat “day” is not realistic for most.
However, for some, only eating bad food for one or two days it is not impossible. There is a large segment of society who only celebrate Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is a normal work day. And the same goes for New-Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. If you can limit your cheating to those two days, then great. But it is understandable if you cannot.
Intermittent Fast
The next step is intermittent fasting. For example, I have a birthday for a family member, a company party, a Church party, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day all in the span of about ten days. In addition, there is also the New Year celebrations. What I have found to work is not eating until the party. So here’s how it will go: On the day of the first party, I will fast. I will not eat anything but coffee and water. Then I will break the fast at the party. The next day I will fast until the evening meal and eat sensibly. Then the day after that is the birthday party. I will fast on that day too and cheat that night at the party. Are you getting the picture? On the nights you cheat, fast the day before and the day after.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are a wash. I will cheat both those days, but again, I will fast on Christmas Eve until around 6 PM. The same can be said about New Year celebration.
Eat Something Good for You First.
All these parties I will be attending will have more than just junk food. There are always good options available. What I do is eat the good options first. And I try to eat as much of the good foods as I possibly can. So that by the time I get to the cookies, I cannot put as many of them away as I would have if all I ate was cookies. Again, the second key here is to eat the good stuff for you first. Then if you still want some junk food go a head.
Eat Slow
Finally, eat slow. Start eating slow with the good food and continue to eat slow with the bad food. Eating slowly causes your satiety signal to set in with less food. Put simply, you will not be able to eat as many of those cookies.
Work Out
Continue to work out and workout hard. I recommend a HIIT workout along with heavy weights. This is particularly helpful if you work out during your fasted state and before your big meals. This will clear your glycogen out and make prepare your muscles to soak up the glucose from your blood stream.
Results
I followed a very similar regiment last year and only gained four pounds which I lost (plus more) after the first of last year. The year before that, I did not gain any wight at all. And, again, I began to lose wight as soon as I went back to a strict low-carb diet. I am predicting the same thing will happen this year. I will keep you posted.
Ultra Successful Weight Loss
There are four keys that help open up the door to ultra successful at weight loss.
Key One
The first key is to pick a plan or program. Of course you want to pick a program that is reasonable. You cannot pick the “I eat jelly donuts all day long” plan. Unless your goal is to put on massive amounts of fat. That said, there are many good programs out there that will help you lose weight. Check the link below to get the program I used to lose 64 pounds!
Key Two
The second key Is to follow that plan. Follow it as closely as you possibly can. Don’t cheat. If the program is 25 carbs a day, then consume only 25 carbs a day. You cannot blame the diet if you do not follow it.
Key Three
Monitor to see if what you are doing is working. This is where one has to be honest with him or her self. If what you are doing is working then keep going. However, if the plan is not working, then stop and implement the fourth and final key.
Key Four
The fourth key is change. That is to say do not be afraid to change if what you are doing is not working. Out of the four, this last one seems to trouble people the most. People just do not want to change plans.
There are two reasons for this. The first is due to the fact that changing plans (in the minds of many) is an like an admission of defeat. However, that is not true.Changing plans does not mean that a person has lost. Instead it means that a person is strong. It means that a person is flexible in their approach. It mans that a person is on the track to being successful.
The second reason is change for many means complete abandonment. But like the above misconception this is also not true. Adjusting a plan slightly is also a change.
For example, let’s say you were on a diet that allowed 40 carbs a day. You do not have to drop the whole plan. Just drop your carbs a bit and see what happens. But always remember to monitor your weight and don’t be afraid to readjust again.
Follow these four steps and pretty soon you will go from this
To this
A Mind For Fitness, Episode 5
In this episode, Ean gives advice on how to deal with people who want to see you fail. Also, goal setting for success.
http://amindforfitness.libsyn.com/dealing-with-people-who-want-to-see-you-fail
Making Time or Making Excuses
Out of work late today.Now I’m rushed. I still have to think of what to get for dinner and a host of other family chores as well. So here is the question: Do I go to the gym or not?
I could feel the weight of the excuses piling up. To blow off working out would be easy and understandable. There is always tomorrow, right? But I had to decide: Was I going to make time or make excuses?
It’s easy to let life run over the top of you. And the truth is there is always an excuse to not do what needs to be done. Whether it’s working out or staying on a healthy eating plan, there is always an excuse to do the wrong thing.
Not letting this happen is a matter of realizing that one must make the time to do the things that keep one healthy. In fact, sometimes you have to fight for the time.
One Belief That is Keeping You Overweight
Recently I have been doing some thinking on the differences in the attitudes, feelings, and beliefs that exist between those who are fat and those who are fit. While there are many beliefs that separate these two groups, I would like to share one of the major ones with you today. In fact, I would dare say that this belief is the main reason why the great majority of people do not reach their weight loss goals. This belief keeps many from starting a diet, and/ or keeps many from successfully maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
By now, the reader is probably asking him or herself, “What is that one belief?” Here it is: You are missing out on something good.
What do I mean by this? Well let me draw on my own life for just a moment. When I was fat, I hated it. So why didn’t I just go on a diet and lose the weight? It’s due to the fact that when I was attempting to eat in a healthy way, I always felt like I was missing out on something good. That something good was the food I loved. So let me break it down: On an internal level, a fit lifestyle did not mean I was getting better. Rather it meant I was missing out on my favorite food. And, of course, if dieting means that I am missing out, then my diet was bound to fail.
I have found that this belief is true for many who are struggling with their weight. They have not changed what a fit lifestyle means. It does not mean that they are gaining health. It does not mean that they are going to have the body they always wanted. It means that they are losing out. As long as the pain of missing out is at the forefront of the dieters mind, he/she will never be successful.
The way to fix this is by changing beliefs. In order to do this a person needs to seriously reflect on what it will cost if he/she does not change. Once a person really internalize what an unhealthy lifestyle will cost, change is natural. The individual will longer think of what he or she is missing out on. Now they will automatically think of how much better their life will be when they do change.
I still believe I am missing out. But instead of believing that I’m missing out on food, I now know that I am missing out on an ugly future. I am missing out on heart burn. I am missing out on hating looking at myself in the mirror. I am missing out on trying to find clothes that fit me. I’m not missing out on my favorite food.
What I’m Looking For In A Low-Carb Meal
The one thing I’m looking for in a low-carb meal is satisfaction. However, there are many elements that go into making a meal, particularly a low-carb meal, satisfactory. Here are the three main factors that create a satisfying low-carb experience.
Food Food Food
The first thing for me is volume. That is to say, I want to eat a lot of food. This may not be the main element for many readers, but for me, it is a big deal.
One of the reasons why I like a low-carb lifestyle is that I do not have to be hungry. I have to admit that there have been times when I have eaten too much. This was particularly true when I first started this lifestyle over two years ago. My tendency to overeat has severely lessened over the past two years. However, I still do not like to be hungry.
Dang That Was Good
Of course a large amount of food on its own does not make a satisfying meal. That leads me to my next important element–flavor! I want a lot of food but it has to taste good. It’s better if it tastes excellent. Flavorful, rich food will often make me forget that I am even eating a low-carb meal. At that point, it is just a meal that tastes great!
Fun
A final touch is to make the meal exciting. One of the things that excites me is trying out new recipes. This makes both the process of cooking the meal and eating it a major blast!
Another aspect that makes a meal fun is the way it looks. One way to help a meal look good is to add color. A colorful meal makes the experience thrilling.
One Last Thought
One of the reasons why people fail on diets is due to the fact that they feel unsatisfied. That is to say they think they are missing out. If an individual is constantly thinking that they are missing out on better food, then of course they are going to eventually fail. This is why satisfaction is the most important element. A person who is satisfied by eating a lot of flavorful and exciting food is going to be satisfied, and, in turn, have no reason to stray from their eating program. So my question for you is: What makes a low-carb meal satisfying for you? Leave your answer in the comment section. And don’t forget to follow and share!
Three Excuses That Are Keeping You Fat.
A new episode of A Mind For Fitness is now available. In this episode I discuss three excuses that people use that keep them fat and what you can do it about it.
http://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/3181938
When to Get Help
We all need help. Whether it is help overcoming a craving or finding the motivation to workout, we all need help. The question is: When should a person seek professional help?
Reason One
This question is relevant to me for three reasons. First, I am the kind of person who needs help on a daily basis. Although, I rarely need professional help. Most of the help I need to stay on my weight-loss journey comes from the books I read and the podcasts I listen to. These seem to be enough, generally speaking, to keep me focused. And I can tell you, when I do not have these influences, I find myself slipping back into old habits very quickly.
Reason Two
The second reason is there was a time I did need professional help. It was only a few months ago. What was my problem? I had lost the motivation for working out. It did not matter how many podcasts I listen to, or how many books and articles I read. Even my favorite T. V. shows about losing weight were not helping. I would start a workout, and about five minutes into it I would give up. I lost my drive.
The good thing is I knew I needed help. So what did I do? I contacted an NLP practitioner. Within just a half-hour I was back on top of my game.
Reason Three
The third reason is I see people all the time who need professional help and refuse to get it. This became evident to me when I got to know a barista at a local coffee shop I frequent. Because I am there so often I have gotten to know many of the people in the shop on a personal basis. On one occasion, this barista asked me what I did for work. I told her I was in the health and fitness industry.
Over the years I have gotten to know her and her story. She is severely overweight and has had many health problems associated with her obesity–including serious ones! Of course, she asked me for advice. And I gave her some, the type of advice I do not mind giving out for free. I told her to cut back on her carbohydrates and other such general information. But, I also let her know that she needed to come and see me on a professional basis in order to really see change. However, she never has taken that step.
I see her quite often and she is always telling me about the latest diet she is trying. Is she ever successful on any of these programs? The answer is no!
I rarely talk to her anymore about her ongoing struggles. Now, whenever she tells me she is starting some new fad-diet, I simply smile and nod and tell her that I hope it works.
Will she ever see the results she hopes for? Not likely. Not without help. Will she ever get the help she needs? Well, it does not look good, but I always hope she will come to her senses.
Get The Help You Need
So here is my question to the reader: What kind of help do you need? Perhaps you only need a small amount of motivation that comes from listening to podcasts and reading books on the subject of weight loss. Or are you the kind of person who may need some professional help? How can you tell the difference? Well, is what you are doing working? If it is, then great! But if you find yourself constantly yo-yo dieting, or needing some extra coaching, then don’t fool yourself–get the help you need!
Closing
Advanced Weight Loss Resources is here for you. Whether you need coaching or specialized diet programs. Please contact us and get the help you need. It is worth your time to improve your health.
Advanced Weight Loss Resources 