SET GOALS
Many yo-yo dieters forget to start out with a plan before changing over to a healthy diet. Take the time to write out your Long Term Goal (lets say "lose 10 lbs in 5 weeks"). Then Break that into 5 short term goals (1 for each week.) Don't forget to accompany each one with 3 action steps that are specific enough to help you get there. REMEMBER: the phrase is not "Ready, SHOOT, Aim." You must know where you are going and how you are going to get there before you start.
Many yo-yo dieters forget to start out with a plan before changing over to a healthy diet. Take the time to write out your Long Term Goal (lets say "lose 10 lbs in 5 weeks"). Then Break that into 5 short term goals (1 for each week.) Don't forget to accompany each one with 3 action steps that are specific enough to help you get there. REMEMBER: the phrase is not "Ready, SHOOT, Aim." You must know where you are going and how you are going to get there before you start.
BE PREPARED
"I had to grab some pizza on the way home b/c I had nothing in the house." After-thought meals while you are starving is the fastest way to pack on the Lbs. You must have lean meats, vegetables, fruit, whole wheat grains, etc. in stock at all times. Take the time on Sundays to go food shopping and follow that up with 20 extra minutes per day to pack a lunch. NOTHING GOOD FOR YOU ever comes out of that vending machine at work (except maybe water:)
EAT BREAKFAST
Skipping breakfast is the one habit across the board that is related to weight gain and weight retention. "But if i eat breakfast I am STARVING by 10:30am." EXACTLY!! This is what we want, this is your metabolism working in overdrive in your favor. You must feed the fire in the morning and shock your body out of the metabolism lock-down mode it has been on since you went to bed. Not eating sends the signal that your body wont be getting fuel for a while. SO....it stops burning calories and holds on to the sugar and fat that it has stored up. EAT breakfast to loose weight, got it?
Changing your eating habits alone will never yield the results you are looking for (unless maybe you are 16.) The lean muscle mass you will gain from lifting weights is the key b/c you burn calories DURING the workout AND for the rest of the day (cardio and dieting alone will NEVER do that.) Not sure how to get started?
"ALL OR NOTHING" MENTALITY
"I had Mexican food for diner and ice cream after, screw it, my diet is ruined. I might as well keep eating garbage." Don't let your brain talk you into using 1 bad meal choice as an excuse to bag the whole thing. You can absolutely make up for a calorie rich meal by making smarter choices the next day and hitting the gym with a vengeance. The truth is that in the long run, one bad meal does not make much of a difference.
FOCUS ON BEHAVIORAL CHANGES
Focusing on the short term (lbs lost each day) is a ticket to frustration, negative self talk and ultimately failure. "Diets" fail b/c we want immediate results from hocus-pocus quick fix solutions. You must change your behaviors and your environment in order to find an eating plan that is sustainable to last for a lifetime. Consistency and persistence is the ultimate key to success.
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