Do You Have What It Takes To Loose Weight?

Loosing weight is not that easy, especially when you have more than 10 lbs to loose, it can be quite difficult. Your successes rate can be much higher if you have what it takes to loose weight. If you have systems in place, it will equate permanent weight loss. For instance, having a group of friends or relatives that offer support by encouraging you, sharing in your struggles, exercising with you etc… will make those tough times more bearable. Being surrounded by people who eat healthy can also provide you with a tool for successful weight loss. When your at a restaurant and your stuck between choosing mashed potatoes, gravy and 6 ounces of steak or Cedar Planked Salmon and a some seasonal veggies, can be tough when your friend is ordering a Frisco Burger with extra cheese and a plate of onion rings. As a result, you’ll be more drawn towards making poor food choices. Are you staying active enough to create a negative energy balance? In other words, are you eating more and exercising less? 500 calories less a day along with 30 plus minutes of vigorous exercise is what it will take to loose weight. Are you stressing more and coping less? Food can act as a comfort when you’re under stress but when you’re done consuming in the long run, you’ll be left with the aftermath of excess weight and poor health. If your in frequent situations where you’re under stress, find better ways to cope such as: going for a walk, counting to 20 while taking deep breaths or listing to a favorite song. What reason do you have to be healthier? If you can make a list of reasons to be healthier this will act as a motivational tool and help keep you on track during those times when your thinking, “I can’t do this.” Another important tool for weight loss is to remove the word CAN’T, with the word CAN. Remember that all of us in this life have or is struggling with something whether it’s weight loss, stress, heartbreak or an addiction etc… When you have support systems in place like prayer, helping someone in need, counting your blessing, exercising versus over eating, talking to someone or even putting your thoughts down in writing can all offer the key tools you’ll need to make weight loss a success.

Targeting Fatty Areas

This past week I had a client tell me that she wanted to do more exercises to loose belly fat. This is not anything new. Most people want to target a certain body part in order to tone or loose the fat in that specific area. This seems ritualistic around Summer time when us ladies want to look our best even at the risk of not feeling our best. For instance, skipping meals or fad dieting just to have the perfect figure to fit into a size 4 swimsuit and even though you look great you feel crabby, lack energy and are craving more carbs. This is not the answer. Exercise combined with a healthy balanced diet will get the job done (regardless of where the fat is) without the risk of grossly restricting much needed nutrients in foods that help your body function at it’s best. Fat is not a mysterious glob that has to be targeted in a certain area in order to get rid of it. Second thought, it is a glob but not a mystery. Fat is fat and in order to get rid of it in your abdominal area, hips, thighs etc… you need to increase your daily activity and reduce your daily caloric intake by 500 calories a day. This will allow for a safe and consistent weight loss for the most part. As far as targeting the ab fat, aerobic activity will do along with some core exercise such as crunches, planks, v-sit-ups, side bends etc… will help strengthen those abdominal muscles.

Give your body the fuel to function

The human body is an amazing machine and God made it to work flawlessly under certain conditions. For instance, your body does and doesn’t need your help to function. Let me explain, when you feed your body the right foods it needs to function on a daily bases; it will function the way it should. It will not need pills or supplements to work, unless you have a health condition that is being treated by your Physician. Even under those conditions you may have mistreated your body, which has lead you to be under the care of your doctor. Further more, the cells in your body don’t need vitamin pills to function, they need nutrients from the foods you eat that are then broken down to micronutrients that the cells are able to utilize. Your cells are constantly under going anabolism and catabolism and under those conditions it’s vital that your body is given the right fuel to repair itself. Muscle soreness is a great example of this process. The meals you eat should revolve around whole grains, fruits, veggies lean proteins and good fat sources. I highly recommend eating organic fruits and veggies (that include eating the skin) such as grapes, berries, potatoes, carrots etc… Keep in mind that your body’s homeostasis depends on what you eat and how you treat it. The average American places high demands and expectations on themselves but at the same time they don’t provide their bodies with the tools it needs to excel under those conditions. In closing, give your body the right type of fuel to function.

Everyone Is Your Teacher

A few months ago a client of mine shared something with me that made me stop and think. It was one of those moments where I went back into my minds eye and relived a past, not so pleasant experience and some pleasant experiences. She said to me, “everyone you meet in your life is your teacher.” What she meant by that was, regardless of the person, situation or even yourself, they’re your teacher and there is something to learn. A few months ago I had just finished up some grocery shopping and could not wait to get home to cook dinner relax and call it a day. I had just loaded my car with my groceries and looked at my watch thinking, I need to get home by 5:30pm so I can at least have an early dinner. I don’t like eating past 6:30pm because I’m so rushed doing all my nightly rituals to prep for the next day. I want to be in bed by 9pm so I can read, relax and go to sleep. As I got into my car I turned on my music, buckled up, looked over my shoulder and started to back out of the parking lot when I quickly stepped on the brakes as a woman came racing by me honked her horn repeatedly. Understand that I don’t read lips or know sign language, however I could read her lips pretty clearly and she was not singing the latest hit song off the radio. Finally, she proceeded and took the parking spot three cars up from me. I remember saying to myself, “ there’s was no way I’m letting this chick get off without giving her some helpful tips on patience being a virtue. I backed out of the parking spot I was in and I pulled up in back of her car. I could see that she was taking longer than normal to exit her car so I looked at my watch. I watched the woman from the inside of my tinted car windows and I could see that she was fumbling for something. I sat and waited for what seemed like a lifetime, when in reality 2 minutes had passed. Finally, she stepped out of her car and I rolled down my window and she looked at me as if she had just seen a ghost. I said to her, I’m sorry, I didn’t see your car coming.” She looked at me and paused for about 3 seconds and said, “that’s ok” and she quickly made her way to the grocery store without looking back. The 2 minutes I waited for her to exit her car gave me enough time to take a quick refresher crash course in “patience is a virtue.” I realized that perhaps this woman had a bad day and she too just wanted to get her shopping done quickly and get home to relax. The moral of the story is whether you’re rushed to get somewhere, don’t have patience or are trying to loose weight, it will require some patience and your experience will teach you.

Smart Eating Equals Reading (Labels)

Reading nutrition labels can sometimes seem like rocket science. A good start would be to pay attention to the serving size. Most people eat whatever amount of the food item, without really paying attention to the serving size. In other words, if the serving size is 1 cup and it equals 100 calories, that’s a serving. If you’re doubling up on the serving size unknowingly, your eating a 200-calorie serving versus a 100 calories. Individuals who are within a healthy weight range and are looking to maintain their weight have about 132-512 discretionary calories a day. This depends on your age and sex. This allows you to have an occasional treat but keep in mind that your caloric intake is as valuable as gold. That means that every calorie counts, so you want the sources of energy you choose to have the most nutrients.

Food should never be thought of as an enemy or a “junk food,” all foods have some nutritional value. However, not all foods are created equal. A 1.45 oz Hershey bar with almonds has some nutrients. It’s not the best source of calcium but it does contain close to 100 mg of calcium. Obviously, a more nutritious source of calcium would be an 8 oz class of skim milk or soymilk. In addition, skim milk and soymilk are good sources of protein, low in fat and contain vital micronutrients.

As the holidays approach I look forward to time with my family, friends and food. I’m not afraid to eat a piece of pumpkin pie because it’s a great source of beta carotene, iron, protein and best of all, it taste heavenly! Also, I intend to exercise, eat in moderation and not use this time of year as an excuse to fall off the health wagon. Eating healthy has been a life long commitment for me and the rewards are, looking good and feeling good. You too can experience the same results with a little time effort and commitment.