I pulled this information from the HBO documentary series that started to air last night call The Weight of the Nation. It was extremely eye-opening and if anyone has access to HBO, I recommend that you watch it! Wait until you see the artery of someone severely overweight..you will never want crap food again!
1. Start Small
So many times people think that these fad diets will work. They mentioned South Beach, Adkins, Hampton Diet, Cookie Diet, Grapejuice Cleanse, Cabbage Soup Cleanse, Nutrisystem, and Weight Watchers as a few diets that those being interviewed had tried, and gained all of the weight back. The one woman interviewed said that she did not believe in those diets, and instead made simple small changes in her daily life, starting by couting the calories that she DRANK (1500/day). A simple switch of going to water from pop or juice will make a world of difference. She also talked about how she was a chef and if she would make too much bacon or eggs she would eat them...now she just portions out her meals. From those simple switches, she has gone from 407 lbs to 328 lbs.
The problem with fad diets is they promise the world, and while some of them may work , they lack the aspect that instructs you how to maintain your weight.
2. Make sure your goals are realistic
I would never have a goal to weigh 100 lbs (personally) because that would mean that I was physically unhealthy. You can have a goal to lose 100 lbs and it be perfectly achievable..but how you are going to achieve it is what is going to make it realistic or not. The trick to this is to break a large goal into more manageable steps; two pounds this week...another pound next week. Always remember: slow and steady wins the race.
3. Seek support from those who share in your struggle
As a Team Beachbody Coach, I create challenge groups multiple times a month and group individuals together who either have the same goals, same struggles, or are utilizing the same workout program. This is so they can seek support and accountability through like-minded individuals. How many of you get eye rolls when you tell your family you are watching what you are eating, or just bought a new workout program? How many of you get snide comments from friends as you share your success in weight loss? Well in these challenge groups that is where that negativity does not happen. It is nothing but love and support in there and these challenges run ALL the time. It has been scientifically proven that more success is found in a small group of supportive, like-minded individuals than if someone goes at it alone.
4. Keep portions under control
This kind of goes back to #1 where I talked about portion sizes. Portions are a pain in the butt, I can tell you that; however, I can also tell you that it doesn't take long for your eye to be trained to recognize appropriate proportions. It only takes a couple of times of having 4-6 oz of steak, instead of 10 oz, for your eye to know the difference. It only takes a few times of measuring our your cereal , grapes, vegetables, pasta, etc. for your eye to be trained to know what is an adequate proportion size, and what is an unhealthy proportion size. So you trade a few weeks of annoyance for a lifetime of knowledge that in turn helps you get healthier. It doesn't sound so bad when you put it like that!
5. Keep careful track of your caloric intake
You can do this in a notebook, myfitnesspal.com, thedailyplate.com, and teambeachbody.com. At teambeachbody.com through the club membership, the meal planner does everything for you from keeping track of your calories consumed, to creating your grocery list for you, and giving you recipes for the week. If you have not tried this tool yet, I highly recommend it. It def. makes life a bit easier.
Another thing that I should note, and that they hit on in the documentary, if you lost 40 lbs and you are now 120 lbs and are hanging out with your friend who has ALWAYS been 120 lbs..that does not mean that you can eat what that person is eating. They discussed certain genetics and fat cell make-up that I won't get into, but that is where a lot of people run into issues and gain weight back. They think, "Oh, I made my goal weight which means I can eat like a normal person at this weight can eat." Wrong. You must still be mindful, still portion out your food, and rather than hating the person across the table take that moment to pat yourself on the back at what you have accomplished and remember that over-eating will only get you back to the starting line.
6. Plan and structure your meals
The worst thing you can do in a weight loss or health journey is to fly by the seat of your pants. This is a journey. If you were to take a journey, or go on an adventure..would you just be like "Hell! I'm goin!" and go treckin' off into the unknown in your cutest shoes, top, and handbag? NO! You'd get the proper shoes, you'd pack supplies, you'd make sure you were comfortable. Think of your health journey as a hike: be prepared or have a miserable time. I just started meal prep on Sunday nights. I washed all of my grapes this Sunday and bagged them into groups of 20, same with cutting my celery, so when it comes time for me to pack my lunch, it is grab and go, grab and go. I pre-made dinners and breakfasts so its just throwing it in the microwave and it's done. It saves so much time, and prohibits you from saying, "I don't want to cook tonight, let's just do pizza" <--I'm so guilty of that one!
7. ALWAYS make physical activity a part of your daily life!
If you are searching for a workout plan that is right for you, then I invite you to my site www.beachbodycoach.com/Nik4213 There is literally something out there for everyone. If you have something else in mind such as walking or running, I would love to be your accountability partner for that, too! The important thing, no matter how you choose to do it, is to get active. Go take a walk, start the Couch to 5K program (this is how I started running, I swear by it!), or try hiking. Get out there, and get moving!
No comments:
Post a Comment