Eat to Live....

Think more in terms of "Eating to Live", rather than "Living to Eat"....so many times I hear people talking about how wonderful the pastrami is at such and such place, or how great the ribs are at another place, and on and on.  Thinking about, dreaming about and anticipating food of any variety is a bad habit and one that needs to be broken.  Coveting food is a pathway to obesity and lack of control.  Food should be tasty - yes- however, it needs be nutritious and provide the right amount of proteins, carbs, fats, vitamins, fiber and calories to meet your energy output and satisfy your hunger WITHOUT putting excess calories into your FAT BUCKET.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

"X" Your SUCCESS!!

Research shows that people are more successful in sticking to any task if they have a means of measuring their accomplishment...

Here's a simple tool to help you measure your accomplishment that will appeal to "Type A"  and "Type B" personalities alike....X YOUR SUCCESS!!!  Find a nice big calendar that you can keep in a special place and X out each day that you have been successful at utilizing your inner strength and power by saying "NO" to foods and choices that will add calories to your Fat Bucket.  Type "Aers" will appreciate the monitoring and tracking of this exercise, while Type "Bers" can rejoice in the simplicity of it all. 

Power through challenging moments

Get a head start on staying fit and healthy during the Holidays....  Visualize yourself enjoying festive moments while staying true to a healthy meal plan with no over-indulgence!  Kill two birds with one stone by being the role model that your friends and family need - show them the way as you control your behavior and power through those challenging moments successfully. 

Just Dance

If you don't have an iPOD you must buy one.  Just get the cheapest one because they hold hundreds of songs.  They come with earphones, or you can buy a little speaker that you plug the iPOD into.  Download all of your VERY FAVORITE MUSIC from iTunes and start DANCING!!  Research shows that when people exercise to their favorite music, the tolerance level is very high compared to exercising without music.  Once you invest in your iPOD, you will never have to spend another dime on exercise....JUST DANCE!!  Get creative - do the twist, the frug, the bump, the Charleston, JUST DANCE!!  Don't ask your partner to dance with you - if they want to participate let them.  If they complain, tell them to go lock themselves in the bathroom until you're done.  Don't let them give you "permission" to stop.  JUST DANCE as many days of the week as you can for at least 30 minutes.  Your heart and your entire body will love you.  The benefits of exercise are tremendous.

GET OVER IT.....

Get over the idea that the answers to weight loss and weight management are still waiting for you out there - somewhere!!  Get over the idea that there is a "plan" that is going to make it happen for you.  When you read articles about "if you do this or that you will lose weight and keep it off"......well, YOU NEED TO DO IT - not just read about it.  DO IT at least 80% of the time.  Really....come on now.

If it's Tuesday..it must be another day again!

If you look at the lower right hand side of my blog, I have posted a picture (that my husband took in Laguna) of a beautiful sunset over the ocean.  I posted a message with that picture that says "Each day brings a new sunset"...I had a reason for posting that picture and message.  One of the reasons losing weight and keeping it off results in failure for most people is that they make the mistake of considering it an "event" that begins and ends.  Weight management is not an "event", rather it is a never ending "process" that takes place each and every day, much like nature's sunset....Never a day shall pass without the setting of the sun.  Think of your weight management process as a "natural" part of your day, and with each rise and set of the sun, you may be thankful that you have done everything in your power to be healthy, happy, fit and strong.

Suck It Up - It's Tough Love Day

Research states that more than 50% of US adults have abdominal obesity (fat around the middle).  The cause - lack of physical activity and poor dietary quality.  Scientists hypothesize that psychological distress may alter eating behaviors resulting in the intake of high energy-dense diets.  There are some links between psychological distress, depression and a higher BMI (body mass index), however, many studies have concluded that further research is needed to determine if improvements in psychological distress alters dietary intake.  Bottom line, LIFE IS STRESSFUL PEOPLE - DEAL WITH IT - DON'T BLAME IT!  If you do not experience some degree of stress on a daily basis, you may be here on Earth in a form other than Human. Learn to understand what it is in your environment that you are perceiving as stressful, do some reading (or follow my blog) on healthy ways to change your perception, because you cannot change the environment as hard as you try! Let me help you alter your Thought Behavior Patterns, and take responsibility for losing weight and keeping it off forever.  Remember, it costs American businesses an excess of $17 billion per year in lost productivity attributed to obesity and related cardiometabolic risk factors (diabetes, etc.).  Be a part of the solution - if you are overweight or obese, YOU are a part of the problem.