Battling with weight loss

Let’s face it, weight loss is just as much psychological as it is physical. In order to succeed I had to find my happy place. Once I found that happy place I was finally able to move forward instead of staying stuck and thinking I would do it “tomorrow”.  Does this mean I don’t have bad days? Hell no! I’m human. I’ve skipped workouts and ate like crap. But, I’ve won the psychological game. I’ve learned that one bad meal doesn’t blow it. I’ve learned that you can get back on that wagon ANY time you fall off. Even if you’ve laid there for a while. No one is perfect. Instead of striving for perfection – strive for excellence.

That leads me to my personal training philosophy.

DIETS

I don’t believe in them. “Diet” implies temporary. I’m guessing you aren’t looking for temporary results, so why would you want a temporary solution? I believe all things in moderation. If you tell me I can’t have something that will be all I think about from that moment forward. By not making anything “forbidden”, I’m taking the allure away from that food. If I want a donut, I have one. One. (Well, sometimes it’s more but I’m human and that happens. We move on.) If my week is crazy and it’s 9pm and I realize no one has eaten dinner, yeah we might hit a drive thru. But, it’s on the rare occasion. I realize these things won’t get me closer to my goals so I do it in moderation. Let me say that word one more time for you….MODERATION. Portion control. Stop eating when you’re full!!!

Personally, I don’t feel the need to cut anything out. I drink diet soda and beer. I eat packaged food and chocolate. I also eat lots of fruits and veggies. I drink plenty of water. I fuel my body with the good stuff most of the time and eat crappy stuff sometimes. I know I won’t see the results I want from the bad stuff, so I do keep it at a minimum.

Having said that, if a certain way of eating appeals to you, I’m all for that. Vegetarian, vegan, low carb, low-fat, paleo, etc. As long as you are doing it in the name of health and NOT just to lose weight, I will support you 100%. If you ARE doing it just to lose weight, you will gain weight as you re-introduce those foods to your diet. That’s not cool. In fact, it’s very discouraging. I have researched many of these plans and as long as you aren’t starving yourself or doing something unsafe, you will have my full support. If you are doing something I feel is harmful, I’m out. I will not be a part of it.

Counting calories can be a good thing. As long as you aren’t the type of person that will get obsessed and think, “okay if I can lose weight by eating 1500 calories, then 1200 must be better.” This is a very dangerous way of thinking. Counting calories is a great way to really see what you’re consuming on a daily basis. You might be surprised at how much, or even how little you’re eating. Did you know that not getting enough calories to fuel your body can actually prevent you from losing weight? Counting calories can be time-consuming. At first. Once you get the hang of it, it’s actually pretty easy. Especially with all the technology we have at our fingertips today. I use myfitnesspal. It’s free. There’s an app for that (with a bar code scanner if you’re eating something with a bar code). And it’s free. Also, check out some popular activity tracker bands at ALLFITNESSWEB.COM that give you a fair idea about the calories burned while doing your physical activities or workout programs.

Please note that I am not a nutritionist or dietician. I have no formal training in nutrition and being a personal trainer does NOT qualify me to give you eating advice. I can tell you what has worked for me and hope it can work for you as well.

WORKING OUT

I believe in it! I do NOT think you have to spend hours on end at the gym. I do believe you have to get real about working out. If you’re going to the gym and spend more time on facebook than on the treadmill, you’re kidding yourself about your time spent. (Although there’s nothing wrong with “checking in” at the gym on facebook so everyone knows you’re there. ) If you’re lifting the 5 pound pink weights, you are totally wasting your time. You need to push yourself. That’s why it’s called “working” out. If you leave the gym still looking cute, you didn’t work hard enough.

I believe in finding something you enjoy. Just because it seems everyone on the planet is a runner, you don’t have to be if that’s not your thing. Tried yoga and you just didn’t get it? Not a big deal. You have to find your thing. What works for your cute, skinny bff may not work for you. And that’s totally okay. The fun is finding what does work for you. The fun is finding something you look forward to doing so you can push yourself harder. Therefore, you want to push yourself harder.