A Mind For Fitness Podcast. In This episode, I talk about how to draw upon your past, present and future in order to make a decision for your health. I also talk about taking responsibility for your health. Please share on your favorite social media!
I ran across this old picture of myself. Upon looking at it, a fearful thought came to my mind–will I get fat again?
My whole life I have yo-yo dieted. I have had times that could be considered a successes in weight loss. That is to say, I would lose weight and sometimes a lot of weight. However, those successes were always short lived. I would eventually and inevitably regaining the weight I had lost plus a few more pounds.
What brings this up now is that this photo was taken at a time when I was loosing weight. But, like I said, the weight I lost was not permanent. This thought caused me to think about my current weight loss status. Or to put it another way, what makes me think I have lost the weight for good this time?
This is not the first time I have had this thought. During the first year of my serious weight-loss journey, I was constantly wondering how long I was really going work out and stay on the diet. But then the first year passed, and I continued to do well.
The second year was also stressful.But I was always asking myself: Was this going to be the year I gave it all up and went back to being overweight? But the second year passed and I did not go back to being overweight.
This third year has been less fearful. I have only worried about relapsing occasionally. And my thought is: A little fear is a good thing. It reminds me that I need to keep looking a head and that I can gain weight again if I do not keep myself in check. Seeing this picture did scare me. But that fear made me remember all the reasons I lost weight in the first place. Fear can be a good thing.
This is me looking a head
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!
One of the things that I have found enormously helpful for myself and my clients is setting goals. In fact setting goals is a requirement for those who secure Advanced Weight-loss Resources as a training or coaching agency. What follows are a few simple steps that will help you set goals and in turn help you lose weight.
Step one is be specific. Too often I hear people say something like, “I need to lose a few pounds.” But what is a few pounds? Is it ten or one hundred? The reason you need to be specific is so you have an objective criterion in which to measure your success. Without an objective standard, it is easier let up on your weight-loss program sooner than you should. So, if you would like to lose fifty pounds write down fifty pounds.
Step two is give yourself a dead line. Deadlines create motivation. If you know you have to lose twenty pounds by the end of the month, then you know you have to get working on your goals right away.
Finally, put your goals in a place where you can see them every day preferably put them in a place where you can see them every morning. This will set a positive mental attitude at the beginning of each day.
If you want to go the extra mile, you can read your goals out loud at least once a day. This also gives you psychological inspiration for keeping you on track.
Keep Moving Forward
If you do not hit your desired goals, do not panic. I would almost guarantee that if you followed the steps above you will be much closer to your goals than if you hadn’t. Don’t be afraid to adjust and re-adjust as necessary. The important part is to keep moving toward you weight-loss goals!
A Personal Request
If you enjoy the information that is on this blog, please consider re-posting it or sharing it on your favorite social media. It would mean a lot to me. Thanks.
Hey all. I don’t really have too much to say in this post. However, I do have a request. Would you please like my new Facebook page because it would mean very much to me and hopes for world domination!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Advanced-Weight-Loss-and-Health-Resources/511946012260911?ref=hl
I also wanted to let you know some of the upcoming projects. Soon we will also have a Twitter account. We will also have a podcast show dedicated to nutrition, exercise, NLP, and weight loss motivation! Also, we are opening a You Tube page. So be on the lookout for these things.
Also, look for my next article in which I will discuss the right exercise for you!
Until then, please like my Facebook page! Thanks.
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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