The Basics of Weight Loss In Plain English

Although the five things below may seem super simple, they can be challenging to complete everyday; day in and day out. They all work together to make a healthier you. Of course there are going to be days that you stumble and even fall flat on your face. But remember…fall down seven times, stand up eight. This is my new mantra. I have embraced it wholeheartedly. I have also been reciting the Serenity Prayer like crazy! 

1.     Drink water! This one is super easy for me. I LOVE water! When I wake up in the morning the first thing I do…okay the second thing I do is drink water. I will drink 8-16 oz. Some may think that sounds hideous but I really feel like it helps get me going in the morning.

2.       Track everything you eat. EVERYTHING. This one is so important but I sometimes I will avoid my journal when I make bad choices. Like not writing it down will cancel out the calories. Let me tell you, it most definitely does not. I do keep a food journal with me at all times. It’s really just a small notebook J I use an old version of Weight Watchers. I had joined meetings back in 2007. It’s what I know and it’s what I am comfortable with. As crazy as it sounds, it’s easier for me to track my points than to track calories. Since it’s an older version I follow it fo’ freeee. (I will do a separate post on that later).

3.       Get moving! It doesn’t matter what you enjoy doing, JUST MOVE! I really enjoy walking, Zumba, Tae BO, HIIT workouts and more recently racquetball with my kiddos. I actually talked the kiddos into doing a Tae Bo workout with me when I got off work the other day. Of course it was more of them just randomly kicking and punching around but it wasn’t horrible. It kept them distracted long enough for me to get in an effective 30 minute workout without feeling like I was taking time away from them.

4.       Get enough sleep. This is so crucial to everything. If I am tired I make really poor food choices and I am super grumpy. I function best on 7-8 hours of sleep. Preferably 8 if I have a say in it. Of course with the demands of children and life it doesn’t always happen that way. I literally have a bedtime and try to adhere to it regularly.  

5.       Positive self-talk. We become the voices in our head. It isn’t something you do once or twice. You have to do it consistently. I went through Lou Tice’s course, “Thought Patterns for Success”. I loved how much it helped me. Over time I fell back into old habits of negative self-talk. I would never say these things to others so why do I say them to myself? Currently working on getting back on track with this. Saying daily affirmations will play a big role in your success. Keep them positive and don’t use words that can be heard as negative like can’t, won’t and don’t. The "Thought Patterns" course teaches you to do them right before you fall to sleep. Just repeat them over and over again. I have also done them looking at myself in mirror. It was super uncomfortable at first and I didn't even want to make eye contact with myself. Over time it did become easier and I became more confident. Here are a few things you can tell yourself:

a.       I make healthy food choices.

b.      I enjoy exercising.

c.       I am strong in mind and body and spirit.

d.      I am losing weight.

e.      I am beautiful and loved.

Small steps to get you started on the right track. They may take some practice to make them a habit but your efforts will pay off.