Tag Archives: dieting

Find Something New to Love (Get Motivated to Lose Weight)

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Dieting can be tough. However, if you only think about how tough it is, you are bound to fall off the wagon. This is one of the reasons why diets fail. The dieter focuses on the food they are not allowed to have. This kind of fixation will ultimately result in feelings of despair and want. That is a recipe for failure.

Of course, there are many, many ways to fix this problem. I will, more than likely, address a verity of techniques to overcome negative dwelling patterns. But in this blog, I want to discuss one thing that is bound to put yourself in the right frame of mind so you can stick to you weight-loss program. And that one thing is simply this: Find something to love. What I mean by this is find some new activity or aspect of your new life to throw yourself into. Here are some suggestions:

1. Low-carb Cooking: Some have thrown themselves into low-carb cooking. There is a lot of fun in learning how to cook delicious food without the high-carb ingredients. Challenge yourself in the kitchen. Grab a low-carb cookbook and try a new recipe every night, or at the very least once a week. I am particularly fond of low-carb desserts.

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2. Martial Arts: This is a personal favorite of mine. I have been involved in the Martial Arts since I was seven-years-old. Not only will you learn new skills, but you will also dramatically improve your confidence. There is nothing like knowing that you can defend yourself if needed.

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3 Weight Lifting: Get your pump on! Lifting weights is one of the quickest ways to see results in your body. This creates an upward spiral. The more positive changes you see, the more you will want to weight lift. The more you weight lift the more positive results you will see. Eventually, you just keep going in a positive direction.

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Here are just a few ideas. I’m sure you can come up with some of your own. And in no time at all you will find something new you love even more than bad food.

Have a Shake for Failure (Why Diets Fail)

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I’m all about getting results. I really do not care what method one decides to use as long as it is working (and its legal). So if you are one of those people who have lost a significant amount of weight and have kept it off though shake-supplements, then please ignore this rant. However, if you among the vast majority of people who who have failed at this kind of diet (like myself), then listen up.

As a side note, when I use the term “shake-supplement,” or “shake-supplement diet,” I am referring to those diets that use a shake or bar to supplement a meal. I am not referring to shakes as a vitamin supplement that one might have in addition to meals. I’m not necessarily endorsing those either, but I am certainly not referring to them in this article.

One of the reasons why diets fail is that people think of them as diets and not lifestyle changes. In other words, people think that they can do something different with their eating habits for a short period of time, get results, and then go back to the way they were eating. But what ends up happening is they just gain the weight back as soon as they revert to their old eating habits. In most cases, dieters also gain a few extra pounds and are worse off then when they started.

This is the mindset for many of those who are on a shake-supplement diet. They are not thinking, “Hey, I’m going to drink a shake for breakfast and/or lunch for the rest of my life.” That is not usually the attitude. Generally, this is something that people do for a short time to drop a few pounds. And guess what? It works! People will often drop 5, 10, 15, even 20 pounds! But they have not made a lifestyle change. As a result, as soon as they revert back to their old eating patterns, those pounds come right back.

Another reason why diets fail has to do with a manageability factor. Any diet that is really going to work has to be a diet that one can live with for the rest of one’s life.

So let us imagine that someone is using these shake diets with a long term goal in mind. I’m sure that is the case for at least some people who try these supplements. However, this kind of diet is simply unmanageable, and cannot it be lived out in the long run. What do I mean by this? Let me explain using some examples that I have gone though personally and have also seen with many people who have tried these diets.

Your alarm clock did not go off, and now you are late for work. You jump out of bed and do not have time to drink that morning shake. Furthermore, in the rush, you forget to pack your afternoon shake. Lunch time comes. What do you do? Don’t eat? Eat something bad for you? Neither option is good. If you eat something bad, then you are not really on the diet and its not going to work. If you decide to go ahead and starve, you will usually overeat as well as make unhealthy choices at dinner.

How often does this happen? What I have seen is that this does not usually happen during the first few weeks. But after that, it happens more than not particularly with those who are not “morning people.” Then, they are off the diet more than they are on the diet. Next, they are off the diet altogether. Why? Because this is simply an impractical way to live.

Or here is another example:

You have packed your shake for lunch and had your morning one as well. Your friend calls you up, and says, “Let’s go out for a bite, my treat.” What do you do? You may decline the offer for the first few of weeks, while your resolve is strong. Or you may go and decide just to enjoy the conversation but refrain from eating. Again, how long can this last? Are you never going to go out for lunch ever again? Or if you do, how long will it be before you break down and decide to eat something unhealthy in addition to the sake you just had? The answer is not long; just a few weeks. Then those pounds come back along will all the feelings of regret and self hatred. Why? Those kinds of diets are unmanageable.

Of course the shake diet is not the only kind of diet that fits into these paradigms. there are many diets that cannot be lived out on a day-by-day basis. If you are on one of those plans, quit!

I am so glad that I am not on a diet but have made a lifestyle change. Because of this, I can go out with friends and eat at almost any restaurant. Most places have a low-carb option. And if there is not a low carb-option I can easily create one. If I miss breakfast for some reason, not to worry (I’m not counting calories), at my next opportunity to eat, I can make healthy choices and not starve. The diet I am on is a diet (lifestyle) I can live with!

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My Spare (Bike) Tire

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On the very first blog I wrote for this sight, I mentioned that I was not though losing weight. Recently, I was reminded of this fact when I looked in the mirror and noticed my spare tire. This was slightly discouraging. I have been actively living a healthy lifestyle for over a year and a half. While I have seen a dramatic change, I’m not finished losing weight–but I really want to be finished!

However, I was only slightly discouraged. I emphasis “slightly” because while I still have a bit of a spare tier around my gut, it looks more like a bike tier rather than a monster-truck tire. I am closer to my weight-loss goals than ever before, and that is something to be excited about!

But this caused me to ask the question: How much weight should I lose? The answer to this is I don’t know. My goal weight right now is 220. I’m only 6-8 pounds away! But, do I only have 6-8 pounds to lose? I guess I will not know until I get there.

I mention this because 220 was not always my goal weight. Let me explain.

When I started this weight-loss journey, I weighed apx. 286 pounds. And it did not take me long at all to drop 25 of those pounds. When I was at 260, I was really liking the way I looked. But I realized that I needed to lose more weight. I thought if I was at 250 I would be in peak physical condition. When I dropped to 250, I realized I was not in “peek physical condition.” I also thought that every one would notice how much I lost. The truth is very few people said anything about it at all.

It was at this time that I hit a plateau. (I will talk more about what I have done to get off my plateaus in another blog). I pushed though and dropped 8 more pounds. At 242 I hit another plateau. I also realized I was not finished losing weight.

Though a series of activities I lost 12 more pounds! 230! I honestly cannot remember the last time I weighed that much. I have to admit that I was pleased with myself. People who had not mentioned my weight-loss before were finally saying something. It seemed like everyone was talking about it.

I was happy, but not 100 percent happy. I thought I needed to lose another 10 pounds. Well, I have lost 2-4 of those 10 pounds and I still have somewhat of a spare tire. But is that spare tire an 8-6 pound tire? Well, I will let you know when I get there.

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Do THEY know What it is Like to be Overweight?

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There are many coaches in the field of health and fitness. You can see them on books, reality TV, and the internet. I have both my favorites and my not so favorites. I’m sure many of my readers do as well.

However, with the vast plethora of health and fitness coaches, there are some questions that always comes to my mind: Do these coaches know what it is like to be overweight? Do they really know how hard it is to lose fat? And, do they know how difficult it is to keep it off? I’ll be honest. I really appreciate a health coach who has actually lost weight and kept it off much more than one who has not.

Please, please do not misunderstand me. There are many health and fitness coaches out there who were never fat themselves, but nevertheless they still get results out of there clients. I respect these coaches tremendously! And in the end, getting results out of your clients is the ultimate test.

But I can really identify with a health and fitness coach who has lost the weight themselves. I cannot identify with someone who has always been fit because I have not always been fit. I was a chubby kid and I was an even chubbier adult. It was a struggle to lose the weight. It was a struggle to stay disciplined on an exercise program. There were times when I was tired and did not want to work out, but somehow found the will to do it anyway. I have hit several plateau in my weight loss journey and became very discouraged as a result. I wanted to give up, but I did not. And, when I see a coach who has been though the same struggles I have been through, I want to listen to them.

On the other hand, when I see some guy who has been fit his whole life, a person who has never had to struggle to lose weight, I tend to be more dismissive. This dismissive attitude can turn into down-right hostility if the coach is giving bad heath advice. There have been many times when I have been watching a video and I see one of these coaches who is naturally fit, talking about calorie restriction and high cardio workouts. It makes want to scream (and sometimes I do scream), “Don’t listen to this guy! He has no idea what he is talking about! He doesn’t know what it’s like to struggle!” NO Way 002 NO Way 003

So what about you? Does this kind of thing make your blood boil too? Are you looking for a health and fitness coach who knows what its like to be overweight, and lose those pounds, and keep them off? We are looking to expand our reach and do some coaching via internet. Leave a comment and let us know!

Finding Motivation for Weight Loss

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motivation 002Finding Motivation for weight loss can at times be difficult. Particularly if you have yo-yo dieted your whole life and have experienced failure after failure. You may wonder if you can really find the motivation to try again.

Every one who has lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off has had their own “breaking point” so to speak, a point in which the pain of being overweight out-weighed the love one may have unhealthy food. I know I had my breaking point (a story I will share in a later post).

Perhaps you are looking for your breaking point. Perhaps you are looking for that moment when you find the motivation to break though and finally lose those extra pounds. What follows is a technique I have learned and have found very helpful in gaining motivation:

Take out a piece of paper and write down everything negative that you have experienced by being overweight. Dig deep into you life. Think of all those painful memories. Think of all those clothes you cannot where because you were too fat to fit into them. Think of those people who you have been interested in romantically, but they were not interested in you because of your weight. Think of all those times you were chosen last for the team because you were looked down upon by others. I know this may be painful. But the more real you make the pain the more motivation you will find for change.

Now think of your future. Think of what it will be like if you continue to mistreat your body though poor diet and non-exercise. Think of what it will cost as far as your health. Think of having to be put in a home much earlier than necessary because you cannot take care of yourself due to your weight. Again, I know it’s painful, but let the pain drive you to change.

Now for something positive. Think of what your future will be like if you take control of your health now. Think of how great you will feel and how great you will look. Think of all the compliments you will receive. Think of the deep feeling of accomplishment you will experience by losing all that weight. Think of all those great things.

Please take the time to write all of these things down. And remember, the more vivid the emotion,  the more motivation you will find for change. Take the time to do this. Make this your breaking point. Make this moment your time when you have finally had enough of that extra weight.