Speaking the Truth – Why Can’t I lose weight?

I do not know if I can make it any simpler.  I do not say this from the point of view of someone who has not had to struggle with being overweight, because I have.   But when you break it down to the purest form, the reason it is so hard to lose weight is because of a mindset that is not prepared to lose weight and the incredibly bad habit of consuming horrible foods (and in large quantities to boot).  In other words, you need to do things completely different than what you are doing today.

The good news is – you have complete control over both.  Although it can be difficult to get started, which I believe is the biggest reason for all of the failure losing weight, it can be easy AND extremely rewarding once you get the momentum going.  And let me say that there is a lot of hope.  These are things that anyone can do without spending alot of money.

Get the right mindset. 

There are three components to getting in the right mindset: Create a mental picture of yourself, create a plan, and get help from a friend.

1.  Create the Mental Image. 

Research shows over and over that when you make a mental picture of yourself in your ideal state, you will become what you envision.  Athletes use this peak performance technique to allow them to compete at a high level.  What makes this so cool is that it is fun to do and you are allowed to do it every day – and you should do it every day.

Pick a quiet moment during the day, close your eyes and start the mental exercise.  Create some scenes in your mind with you in them in your ideal weight.  See yourself at the store trying on clothes.  See yourself in a group of friends mingling.  Get a clear image in your mind of that new you.   Mental pictures see yourself where you need to be. 

2.  Create a Plan. 

Find a weight loss program that works for you.  You will find many different programs on this website that you can review.  Pick a program that works for you.

Write down step by step what you are going to do for the next 3 months to lose the weight.  This does take some time and effort but you must write down a clear game plan to lose weight. 

Write down what you will eat each week.  Write down the menu for the week, including any and all snacks that you will be consuming.  Pick your menu for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.  If you are one to go out for lunch every day with your co-workers, research the foods that you will be eating.  Again, in order to make this happen, you have to do things differently than you are currently doing right now.      

Write down what you actually eat.  Keep an ongoing journal of what you are consuming each and every day.  This does not take much time, but this is such an effective tool.  It is interesting to go back and look at what you ate over a period of time – especially when you compare that to what you should have been eating.

Schedule in your exercise program.  30 minutes of brisk walking every day does wonders to increase your metabolism and improve your psyche.   If you have a treadmill at home or any exercise equipment, make that part of your plan. Treadmills are wonderful because they minimize all of your excuses and they provide a great way to burn off a lot of fat.   If you do not schedule this in, it will not happen. 

3.  Get help from a Friend

Find someone that can push you along – say a workout buddy that you can meet at the gym every day or a friend that is trying to accomplish the same thing.  Competition also works to get the momentum going.   If you can find someone to share your journey with, this makes the process so much easier and fun.  Encouragement from a trusted friend can make all the difference in the work. 

Consuming the Right Foods.

If you have been reading my articles, you will know that I place a lot of emphasis on eating the right foods as the sure fire (and least expensive) way to lose weight.  It is important to find those recipes that contain lean meats with lots of vegetables and fruit (like blueberries). 

Add to this a fitness program that increases your metabolism and increases your energy, you can be on the right path.  It is amazing how this simple formula can greatly increase your overall health.

Eating rich unhealthy foods such as fast food will contribute to weight gain and poor health.

Our bodies work kind of like we do – it looks for the easy way out.  Our bodies consume the most easily convertible source of energy.  Carbohydrates are the easiest for the body to convert to energy because they are the simplest form of molecule.  Do you ever notice that when you are really hungry, you totally crave carbohydrate based foods (like those French Fries)?

Fat is a much more complex molecule and our body must work harder to convert these into energy.  Again, our bodies look to the quickest and easiest form to convert to energy.  So the body will go for the carbohydrates first before the fat. 

When a person feels hungry – the body starts to call out the brain “hey I’m hungry” before the body starts to turn to the huge storehouse of fat.  We listen and obey.  We tell ourselves – “man I am hungry I just need eat something.” Not that all carbohydrates are bad; it is that we choose to eat the ones that are bad.

Add to this the fact that we tend to eat each meal as though it was our very last and it makes for poor health and excessive weight gain.

You can get started today.  There is no reason why you cannot put together a plan today and begin tomorrow. (Unless you are one who makes a lot of excusesJ)

Like always, be sure to see your doctor and get a full checkup and let him/her know what your goals for losing weight are.  I look forward to hearing your success.

The Secret to Losing Weight – Control Your Appetite!

It is very difficult to resist the rich unhealthy foods especially when the aroma in the air attacks you with the smell of that wonderful Bar-BQ. (Yes-that is what I struggle with!)  Yet in the simplest form, the key to losing weight is learning to control your appetite.  Learn to control what you put in your body!

 Let’s do the math. Consider that every 3500 calories equals one pound of fat. If you just eat an extra 50 calories each day, you will gain approximately 5 pounds by the end of the year. Over the course of 5-10 years, this small increase can lead to significant weight gain. Learning healthy eating habits can most certainly lead to controlling your appetite. Here are some basic steps to begin to learn how to control your appetite.

1. Document what you are eating.

The best way to begin to control your appetite is by documenting what you are eating and when you are eating. Do not cheat, write it all down. After you document what you are eating, start to write down the ingredients in the foods you are eating.

Why?

Because you will soon begin to see that the food you are eating is manufactured in laboratories. It is not healthy. It is designed for shelf life. It is not necessarily designed for top nutrition. So why does that matter?

Our bodies do not thrive on these types of foods – they are empty calories and toxic. These calories do not contain the essential vitamins, minerals and fibers that our bodies require and they are bad for your metabolism and weight. Our bodies want and need more. When we do not feed it real foods, we find ourselves craving more.

2. Plan your meals by preparing real food.

Plan what you eat and plan out way in advance as best as you can. I can say that most people do not eat properly because they do plan what they are going to eat. It is no wonder so many people are overweight – they simply do not plan their meals out in advance. There is too much running to McDonalds and Burger King for lunch and dinner.

Don’t just plan the meal, plan to eat real food. What is real food?

• · Whole vegetables and not canned.
• · Fish – specifically wild caught as opposed to farmed fish.
• · Whole fruit as opposed to canned fruit.
• · Whole grains – not processed wheat!
• · Nuts, seeds and legumes or beans, or fried or salted.

What is not real food?

• · Avoid sugar! Be careful because sugar is found in foods such as breakfast cereals, breads and meats.
• · High Fructose Corn Syrup – which is a form of ‘Super Sugar.’ Watch for this in foods such as cookies, soda, and canned foods.

Bottom line, real foods provide the nutrients that your body needs and craves. The rest of these only add to your waist but do not control your appetite.

3. Eat Often and do not skip meals.

You probably have heard about Sumu wrestlers? The way that they gain so much weight is by eating one gigantic meal every day. I do not think anyone wants the physique (or health) of a Sumu wrestler, but our eating patterns tell us differently.

You may skip breakfast and then at lunch time say “I am starving since I did not eat any breakfast!” You feel like you should be rewarded for missing that meal by making up for it at lunch or even dinner. This is a very bad idea.

Instead, I always recommend settling into a routine of eating. This means eating better foods more often throughout the day.

If you eat your meals in a regular pattern every day at roughly the same time, you will eat less and burn more fat. To do this you need to eat more frequently than you are used to so that you do not feel hungry. Smaller, healthier meals and snacks, consumed more frequently throughout the day will actually work to control your appetite AND help you burn fat! Your metabolism kicks and burns the fuel.

Grazing vs. gorging is the key. Get rid of the junky foods and eat real food! You will begin to control your appetite AND lose weight – the healthy way.