WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 11 STOP FAKING IT

Ok. So you stick to a clean diet, sort of. You are working out, sort of. Sometimes we half heartedly go through the motions of what we do. We aren't really into it and just sort of do it - well we eat right some of the time. We work out but don't enjoy it or just get through it. Is this true for you? If it is - take time off - perhaps a week.

Keep active doing something fun. Enjoy food but don't go crazy. Then remember why you want to eat healthy and get fit. Find a way to love eating great healthy food. Explore new foods.

Shorten but intensify your workout. Give it your all.

Bonus? Exercise and clean eating can cure depression! Improved mood can lead to healthier living habits.

So stop faking it and succeed.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 10 - ATTITUDE - IF YOU THINK YOU CAN OR YOU THINK YOU CAN'T - YOU ARE RIGHT

Maybe I should have put this post first. I love the quote because it is so accurate. Attitude is everything in success.You have not failed. Why? Because you are here and you must be here because you have not given up.

You can hear about the people who failed on my site at my Natural Beauty blog post. The people who failed and became bed ridden at 1000 lb. The people who failed themselves and whose family, friends and health care professionals failed them too. That is not you. What you need to do differently this time, is realize that it is your mind not your body letting you down.

You can choose and condition yourself mentally to love or to hate exercise and nutrition.Think about the things you have done in your life that made you feel really successful and gave you a sense of accomplishment. They were the things that took dedication, commitment and effort. Didn't it make you feel great?

You can make this into a wonderful journey. Think of all the positives:

• Time just for you
• Motivating music
• Watch your cellulite reduce and disappear
• Find your clothes loose
• Wear things you have not worn in a long time
• See your muscles appear
• Watch your skin and hair glow
• Experience strong nails, full thick fast growing hair
• Feel incredible energy
• Feel and look sexy
• Improve your mood

You are the one capable of changing how you feel about absolutely anything. You can change your attitude about exercise and good nutrition and instead of dreading it embrace the journey.

Challenge yourself to find the best nutritional choices in a restaurant. Think about how to make your delicious recipes healthier. Write a cook book! Develop and groom your taste buds to enjoy the enormous choices of healthy foods. Enjoy shopping at farmers markets and food places that stimulate your creativity with healthy food prep.

Challenge yourself every day to do better than the day before even if you only make a 10 second change in your cardio, it will add up quickly until you enjoy the exhilaration and look forward to it every day. Visualize yourself enjoying every minute of the workout before the workout and soon you will train yourself to love fitness activities just as easily as you taught yourself to dislike them. Your mind is a powerful tool. Change your attitude, change your body.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 9 MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE

You need to measure just about everything. At one point I got sloppy with my body building training thinking I would remember the last weight I did - I didn't. I had no idea if I had progressed. I was guestimating serving sizes for meals. Soon as I realized I was not seeing much change in my muscle development, not increasing my weights nor getting body fat loss. I got back on track.

We almost always overestimate how much water we drink and how much exercise we get. We underestimate what we eat. That's why you should not eat at food buffets. Or graze and snack. Just eat your six meals/day and be done.I bought a small digital food weight scale. Interestingly I think I was guestimating my protein serving in my head using liquid measure because I was sure underestimating how much 2.5 oz of chicken or steak was. Believe it or not, it is a fair bit. Especially when you are eating 6 times/day.

Food safety tip: wipe down the scale with a mild bleach solution to prevent cross contamination of raw meat to other foods.

Write down every single thing you eat - it will help to sort out any problems later as well as make you pay attention to what you are eating and when. Measure your food. If you are eating 1/2 c rice - measure it.

Pre-pour your water for the day in a jug. Drinking glass by glass you will lose track and will also forget and then try and drink it all at once - not a good idea.

Always write down the weights you used in your workout. If you could squeeze out more than the required reps - put an up arrow next to it to increase the weight the next time. If you could not do all the intervals up in your cardio, write down how many and try to beat it by 10-20 sec or by adding another interval the next time. If you are using landmarks in the street - try to get to the next house or the next pole next time.

You will underestimate your working heart rate. Try to get a monitor. Take all your measurements as instructed as well as your weight. Weight alone does not give sufficient information to map your progress. If you are spending the time doing this, it makes sense to get it right so a) you succeed and b) you don't waste your time.

Keeping track serves another useful purpose. If for some reason you plateau, and you recorded honestly, you'll know exactly why. Week to week you will see progressive changes which will keep you motivated. I have posted a link for a body fat calculation. It will not be exact. It is just an estimate. The main thing is to use it as a comparative tool. To see if there are changes from week to week. CLICK FOR BODY FAT ESTIMATE In case you are tempted to go to some of the places below I have posted a link to their nutritional information. Most well known franchises have links to nutritional information - just use a search engine with the name of the place and "nutrition" e.g "Wendy's nutrition"Example:
Wendy's Mandarin Chicken Salad Cal 540, Fat 25 Carb 50, Protein 31 - remove the dressing and noodles and you can reduce it but best to make your own. You would have to do one hour of high intensity aerobics to burn that many calories.
Skinny Cow
Arby's
MacDonald's USA
Wendy's
Starbuck's

Sorry to spoil it for you but a mocha frappuccino blended is 380 cal, Fat 15, Sat fat 9 Protein 6 - and that is just a beverage.
Tim Horton's A Breakfast BELT is 440 cal Fat 14 Carb 59 Protein 21
My favourite a cinnamon raisin bagel is 270 cal Fat 1 Carb 55 Protein 10 but I believe that is without butter. Yikes.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 8 DRINK GREEN TEA FOR A SMALLER TUMMY

Researchers report that catechins in green tea blast tummy fat by acting on enzymes that influence the body’s calorie and fat burning mechanism ..And catechins and caffeine together may boost the body’s metabolism.Green tea has 1/3 the caffeine of black tea but has the same level of effect on energy and attentiveness. It is known to have the highest content of polyphenols which have potent antioxidant properties. These polyphenols gobble up free radicals and improve artery function. Studies note that 16 oz per day can cut the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease by 26%. Although it benefits both men and women, the benefits to women are more pronounced (finally!). However, don't drink it with milk because the casein in milk inhibits the beneficial effect of the tea.

AND YOU STILL NEED TO DRINK ALL YOUR WATER! SEE PREVIOUS POST

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 7 DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

I disagree that the world's most valuable commodity is oil.
It is water.

I won't give a rat's @$$ if I can drive my car if there is no potable (drinkable) water. I will be dead without it. Drinking plenty of water is always a great weight loss or general health tip. There is no truth to the rumour that it "removes fat from the body" but:

What water does for you

• Makes you feel full
• Assists the digestion, absorption and assimilation of food
• Helps regulate body temperature naturally through evaporation
• Acts as a natural appetite suppressant
• Hydrates skin
• Helps the kidneys and other organs and systems work better
• Reduces muscle fatigue
• Reduces headache
• Improves eyesight
• Reduces water retention

The body survival system causes us to store water for the coming drought because we rarely drink enough of it so, after drinking adequate water over time, your body will stop holding on to so much of it - that is likely why we have that sudden weight loss initially when we begin a plan that includes lots of veggies, fruits and water - we are dumping water weight. The body is starting to catch on that we have changed our habits and is letting go of the survival mode.

Our body apparently is not too bright and sometimes mistakes hunger for thirst so drinking several glasses of water before heading for food can serve several purposes, feed our body the liquids we need, help us feel fuller, perhaps defer the need to eat particularly if we are having our 6 snacks/meals per day already. Thirst is a late warning sign - you are already dry by the time you are thirsty. I think if we were a basic animal with low level brain we would hear earlier warning signs but we are so distracted with input/output and when busy with other things ignore any subtle warnings until too late. We need to be proactive.

There are some promising but preliminary studies which report that drinking plenty of water may assist increase the metobolism or the rate of burning calories by as much as 30%.

Signs of poor water intake/dehydration

• Headache
• Blurred vision
• Poor concentration
• Constipation
• Dark/concentrated urine output
• Poor skin turgor (poor elasticity)
• Furry tongue
• Bad breath

I am not sure of contraindications to drinking lots of water. I imagine they are very few - perhaps people with early kidney failure, congestive heart failure or hypertension. If you have a health condition of concern, see you doctor.

The situation in the news a while back, where someone died participating in a radio station water drinking contest was an extreme case involving many gallons which would likely cause a severe electrolyte disturbance.

What kind of water?

At home I have a double filtering system one in-line in my basement and one in-line in my fridge. However my tap water is perfectly drinkable. I drink whatever type of plain bottled water I can get when on the road - mainly because I find restaurant tap water highly chlorinated and I do not like the taste of bleach.

You can do you own research of your own area water. You can drink your own tap water, filter it, purchase bottled water system, buy bottled water - it is a personal choice and a personal taste. For goodness sake don't buy the stuff with fruit flavours added vitamins and minerals etc. JUST PLAIN WATER.

How Much is Enough?

The usual recommendation is to drink 8 - eight ounce glasses per day. However, this will depend on how much sweating you do with weather and exercise. You may need to add more. Check with your trainer.

The recommended intake does not include coffee, tea, pop, fruit juice etc we are talking JUST water so you may want to cut down on the other stuff - coffee particularly is a diuretic and causes you to lose water.

At first you may find it difficult and you may feel a bit nauseated. Sip at it and be persistent. Soon you will be able to drink it all without a problem. I found nothing sat well in my stomach first thing in the a.m. Now I have two glasses of water while putting on my makeup and getting ready. I am able to eat first thing as well.

Don't guestimate how much you drink - that is, keep filling up a glass over and over. Fill up a large container with the daily requirement and have it right in front of you. I am lucky to have good tasting filtered water at work. As soon as I arrive at work I fill up my container and have it on my desk right in front of me.

Should it be Hot or Cold?

I read somewhere that drinking ice water burns more calories because your body has to heat it. I would doubt it makes a significant enough difference to worry about it. I read somewhere else that cold water is bad for the digestion. I drink both. In the a.m. I have a hot glass with fresh squeezed lemon (ok - the only exception to fruit juice) and other times I liked it iced. I have had no problems with my digestion. So best to have it how you like it so that you get it into you.

When to drink it

A good way to get in the habit is to drink two glasses on getting up - I get at least one glass the night before and leave it on the bathroom counter for drinking first thing and then get my hot version when I reach the kitchen. Take two glasses before your workout, one during, one to two after. I have a glass or two while prepping meals. It prevents me from nibbling. Try to have water intake throughout the day instead of loading up all at once. If you commute you have to plan properly rather than trying to make up for lack of water near bedtime. You will be up all night and you won't get your beauty sleep.

One teeny problem. Ok. You are saying "I can't do this or I will have to pee all the time." Well, let me tell you what happened to me. I used to ration the water I drank because embarassingly I had stress incontinence. I later found it was a very common female complaint. I attributed it to remote childbirth and abdominal surgery, never to my fitness level. It was so restricting that I had considered a very painful and not particularly successful surgery. Glad I didn't. Several months into my fitness journey - it disappeared.

I noticed how religiously I drink water the other evening when I was dining with friends. I went to the powder room 3 times during our several hours there - no one else ever left the table. So who do you think was drinking the recommended water amount?

I commute a long way - I make sure I go before I leave the house - I dont drink anything further until I am about 30 minutes away from work. Same on the way home. At work drinking plenty gets me out of my chair for frequent stretch breaks. It may take planning on your part but your health, your weight loss and your skin among other things will thank you.

DRINK UP

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 6 - DANCE

I have always loved to dance. Trouble is my husband has two left feet. We took a series of ballroom dance lessons 3 times and he was just as bad at the end as the beginning. I had my share of bruises to prove it.

He has activities that I don't care to participate in such as non competitive baseball and golf (we do have lots of others we share - so don't worry).

I decided that even without a partner I could enjoy dance. I took belly dancing (Bollywood and Tribal Fusion style) and loved every minute of it. Not only is it great cardio with the right class but great for the belly, you don't need a partner and it allows you to be sexy in a very artsy way.

During my fastest weight loss period, I was attending 3 classes (3 hours) per week and treating it as part of my fun lifestyle/cardio activities. The weight just fell off me. I actually had to significantly adjust the cardio part of my training to slow the loss to a more reasonable level.

I haven't been in quite awhile due to road conditions but will get back at it in spring.

If you watch the TV series "Dancing with the Stars" you will have noticed that any pudgy participants lean out significantly as the show progresses.

So if you want to add a great deal of fun to your fitness regime - consider a dance class - other alternatives are hip hop, jazz, latin etc. There are plenty of adult classes around.

And...this goes really well with tip #3 MUSIC to enhance and intensify your workouts. Remember increasing intensity gets better results.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 5 PUT YOURSELF FIRST

If I pursue figure competition, I believe that is fairly self indulgent - it takes a lot of time, and money. Similarly those who are driven to complete triathalons and marathons need to have a great deal of family support because although it is an amazing feat, the time commitment for training is enormous leaving the rest of the family to fend for themselves.

What you are doing - getting healthy and fit IS NOT SELF INDULGENT.

You are likely used to putting yourself last, putting your house, car, children, job, spouse and pets first.

I am not telling you to abandon them.

Whether you are a missionary or a stock broker, you have to put your fitness and health first - here is why.

If you neglect your belongings, they lose their value. If you are obese, sickly, out of shape, unhealthy etc. eventually you will be no good to anyone else and might be a burden to them. Eventually when you can no longer look after them all - they will either learn self sufficiency or find another person to wait on them.

First as I mentioned in the "time" blog - you need to review how you spend your time. What can be eliminated - what can be changed or combined to make things more efficient? What can you delegate?

If you can afford it hire a maid service or housekeeping service either once every two weeks or once a month. I can't afford it so I use it as part of my 'cardio' activation plan to counteract my very sedentary job. I do ask my husband who is also quite time challenged to help in anyway he can. After all it is his house and his burden too. I don't feel guilty about my expectation.

Over time, consider downsizing your belongings using the 3yr, 2 yr, 1 yr plan. Even if you use only 15 minutes of precious time per week to start the process. If you have not used something for many months - put in in the one year pile - still not used in one year - get rid of it. For items that are typically used less frequently or are expensive move to the two yr or three year pile etc - once at the 3 yr limit - sorry but - time to have a garage sale or put it in the paper. Extra stuff causes extra work (but this is a long term plan not a short term one).

Incorporate your kids into the shopping and meal prep - you will get to spend time with them and they will learn good nutrition and self sufficiency.

Learn to say 'NO' to doing things you really don't enjoy. Politely of course. I don't golf but my husband would invite me to walk around the course (to be polite and include me). I decided I would rather watch paint dry. There are so many things I can do in 4 hours that I enjoy and it was not really quality time watching people swear at a little ball. And it was not good exericse for me.

So now I meet the group afterwards for the social part and use the 4 hours for me. Same with watching his non competitive ball games - not interesting or exciting and not a good use of my time. Again I meet with the group afterwards and I find listening to the play by play conversation, I don't really miss anything ;)

If you really think about it, you will find lots of time wasters and the time can be better spent on your health and your great new body.

And the interesting thing is, the trade off is that you are going to have so much more energy as the weeks pass that you will be able to accomplish much more anyway.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 4 - SET GOALS

I can't stress enough that you need to set goals. Big ones, little ones, short term, long term.

Don't short change yourself and set too small a goal just because you think you might not make it and you don't want to fail.

I would not put a limit on what you want to achieve unless of course it is an unhealthy goal.

A fat loss contest will give you a medium term goal - one to be able to wear a swim suit on the beach in 8 weeks. There are plenty of them being offered on the Internet - usually free to promote the trainer who is looking for testimonials for his/her service or products. Fitness magazines and health web sites also offer similar weight/fat loss incentives. Eat Clean Diet has had a number of transformation contests.

What I would use this goal for is to promise yourself that you will follow a nutrition and exercise plan solidly for 8 weeks - no cheating - no copping out. That is not a long time and it will fly by.

Once you have changed your priorities, your eating habits and your exercise habits for 8 weeks, it will pretty much become a habit.

If you have stuck to it for eight weeks, you have made significant body changes and believe me there is no way you are going to stop and go back to old habits. You will want to go on.

Along with your eight week goal, have mini goals - something you can commit to doing for one day, one week, one month. Habits that you add to your new lifestyle one at a time.

Examples:

If you are deconditioned you may be having trouble at first with your cardio HIIT intervals - lets say you are doing 8 intervals and you are at 3 intervals or you can't keep up the intensity for the required time. Make a goal to increase the interval by 10 sec or so at a time and/or gradually increase the number of intervals which will happen as your conditioning improves. Having goals will help you make sure you are progressing and measuring (to be covered later) will help you identify lack of progress and causes.

Other types of goals:

I will make out a workout schedule that fits with my lifestyle and stick to it. I will set my alarm to remind me and so that I do not procrastinate.

Today I will purge all the bad junk foods from my home.

This Sunday I will spend one hour planning my meals for the week. Then I will make a grocery list, shop and prep my meals.

Today is the last day I will eat butter - olive oil or other healthy fats for me.

I will buy a cooler and pack everything I need each day so that I am never caught without my planned meal.

I will not be embarrased to ask for a 'special' order in a restaurant. For example my favourite breakfast meal out is spinach feta omelete. I make sure that they do not put the potatoes or bread on the plate and ask for sliced tomatoes instead. I eat half and have the other half for another meal. I am not embarrased to trouble the server to bring me a side of low fat milk for my coffee instead of cream. I ask for a side salad - no cheese - no dressing to have with it. They rarely charge extra. In return, I make sure I tip for the service.

Today I will make sure I get plenty of servings of veggies and fruit.

I will always eat a complete protein with my carbohydrates.

From today forward I will not eat fried food - grilled BBQ baked or steamed only.

Monday I will try green tea instead of coffee.

By Tuesday I will be drinking at least 8 glasses of water every day.

By next week my pants are going to feel looser.

For every two inches I lose I will buy one new outfit.

Today I will stop going to drive thru on my way to work - I will enjoy a healthy breakfast at home.

I will take my loose clothing to a consignment store and swap it for a better fitting outfit. I will not keep my large clothing 'in case I fail.' I will take 'fail' out of my vocabulary and replace it with 'I will get back on track.'

I will measure my progress - for each inch I lose or each 5 lbs I lose (for example)
I will reward myself - please don't reward yourself with unhealthy foods! - try a manicure, massage, pedicure, have a sexy weekend away with your significant other, or go to a movie (no crap popcorn tho) or do something you love.

I will take up some fun fitness activities (try dancing!)

These are just examples. You will have your own goals. Your own ideas of how you want your body to look and how you want to feel.

Author's Note:
One of my short term goals in 2008 was to get rid of bat wings and remaining excess fat in 8 weeks to attend a special event. The event was cancelled but I met my goals and have maintained. I would have to say that adding the three classes of belly dancing per week as well as a few intervals to my cardio program sped up the process. And...I had so much fun!

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 3 - THE NUMBER ONE FITNESS MOTIVATOR! MUSIC - OXYGEN MAGAZINE READERS AGREE

The December issue of Oxygen Magazine published a customer survey confirming that for 80% of responders, music was the top motivator. It is the one thing they can't live without when working out.

During personal training sessions I never could get quite the same intensity in my workouts as I could when I was alone with my music blaring. For obvious reasons I couldn't blare music or wear headphones during the traning sessions.

I have an ecletic taste in music but when it comes to working out - I download mostly top 20 tunes or 70s upbeat stuff....Using my Ipod and itunes I can get only the music I want and keep my music list fresh inexpensively.

There are mixed reviews in studies on the effect of music on exercise. Overall though it is highly recommended.

Music can be:
• a terrific motivator
• lets you shut off from the outside world
• music is known to affect concentration and improve cognitive function – you will be more able to concentrate on your workout – at the least it is a creative distraction
• music improves mood - looking forward to your workout music will help you look forward to your workout making it a positive experience and leading to better compliance with your program
• the effect of music on your mind and emotions significantly helps to decrease the feeling of strain during exercise and helps you to concentrate on your workout
• some research found that upbeat music actually increases muscle tension which makes it easier to do your exercises without feeling strain
• on the other hand sedating music has a negative effect and it is better to have silence than sedating music for workouts
• some studies found that music may stimulate motor functions in the brain
• enjoyable music automatically brings a person to a happy and positive mood
• music is being used therapeutically and is found useful in rehabilitation for gait abnormalities to improve gross motor skills and improve mobility
• personal trainers have found upbeat music can slightly increase the respiratory rate and heart rate as well as prepare the clients better mentally for the anticipated workout
• upbeat music is a great distraction allowing us to forget about time and breeze through our workouts.

My pick:
Apple Ipod. Itunes software (free from Apple)downloadable from the Internet. You can buy individual songs for 99 cents to around $ 1.29 without having to buy a whole album. You can download your CD s to the program and mix it up. I put the songs in playlists so I don’t get tired of listening to the same ones all the time.


Music:
Music is a very individual choice. When my husband and I used to use our gym together, I had to get an IPOD and wear headphones so that I could be motivated by music I love. He likes 50s music and country - I would rather rip my hair out. . I am an anomaly for my age. I love the top 20. I listen to satellite radio on my commute. I write down the songs I like and which I find motivating. About every two weeks I go onto Itunes and download a new playlist of around 15-17 songs.
If you don’t know how to download the IPOD – buy it at a reputable place with support or find a niece, newphew, son, daughter, grandkid or neighbour kids to help you with it. It is quite easy – must be - I learned it at 58.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 2 USE STRESS AND ANGER CREATIVELY

I was disappointed in a situation as well as quite angry the past few days. My old self would have gone to the fridge to eat 1/2 gal of chocolate ice cream.

Instead I did a cardio workout - 25 minute interval and 20 minute steady state. By the end of the session I felt great and decided to do a dance work out later.

By the end of the cardio my anger dissipated. I decided to forgive the perpetrators and not let their negative energy impact me or my health. And...the action will improve my fitness level as well as remove the cortisol effect from stress.

Kind of a win win situation.

There are so many hassles in life for all of us. Too many to count sometimes. Direct your negative energy from these potentially devastating situations into a positive experience!

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 1 TIME

Time.

Believe me. You have the time. It is simply a matter of changing your priorities.First get organized and schedule your meal shopping planning and execution as well as your fitness time. This is the time for YOU. Put it first and fit everything else in. In the end I promise you will have so much energy you will be able to accomplish more than you ever have.

Next delegate. It is time you stopped being a martyr.

Prioritorize. Just like when you clean house and downsize, downsize your unnecessary activities. How much TV do you watch? Try watching the first few and last few episodes of your favourite reality show for example. They repeat enough of the information - you won't miss anything. Exercise will be your new way of unwinding in short order and you will get much more benefit from it.Identify all your barriers and find creative ways to overcome them.Identify your time wasters and get rid of them. Avoid busy line ups for example by changing your timing a bit. I love driving through Tim Hortons for coffee on my commute but I just don't line up - if I am occasionally later and it is a busy time - I skip it. I want to get to work and then get home for my work out time - not spend it in long line ups.

Meal planning goes a long way to save time in the long run and saves money too. Always have a cooler to take to work or on a trip so you can have a variety of health snacks at hand.

Friends and Family. Combine some of your fun weekend cardio with your family - so you are sure to spend time with them - you can always make your particpation more active.

Workout Alone - I really don't promote working out with anyone - you really need time for you. Playing to someone's schedule, will only waste your time. If you attend a gym, say your hellos, then get down to business. Put on your music headphones and politely go do your thing.

Working out at home can save you time (no commute) or waiting for equipment or trying to fit the gym schedule to your own.

Meal prep - you don't have to cook entirely separate meals from your family. You can learn easily to adjust and adapt your portions and meals along with the regular meals with a few changes. Who knows maybe your family will join you with eating clean.

Double up - there are many things you can do while doing another task to save time(we women are good at multi tasking). I get caught up on things I have to read during the car wash, while stuck in construction traffic zones etc - always be prepared.

Your job - you say you have to work extra to get ahead at work. I think that you can examine your day at work too. How much time do you waste chatting and visiting - go round and say good morning then goodbye at the end of the day. When you are at work - give it all you've got - then get out. Some people are promoted because they are hard workers but often it is a) who you know b) your personality c) luck d) education. Don't be a martyr

NEXT TOPIC: ONE OF THE BIGGEST EXERCISE MOTIVATORS - STAY TUNED