Erase Success Blockers

Be honest with yourself for one minute.  Write down five of your success blockers - then choose one to erase from your life.  If you are having a difficult time with this task -  here is a good example that may help most of you......

Success Blocker #1:  "Now is not a good time to start managing my weight because ________________" (fill in the blank with one of your on-going excuses (permissions).

Solution:  Admit to yourself that life's stressors NEVER STOP!!  Today is the BEST day to start managing your weight regardless of what you are going through.  Realize that you are using food to mask the day to day pains of living....and living can be painful.  Give this excuse (permission) a rest and stop relying on the foods that make you fat to make you feel better.

Now it's your turn.......

Lock Down and Shape Up!!

Hi All -  The twist on this blog entry may be a bit weird, but here goes!  I often hear people exclaim that they need or want a personal trainer and/or exotic exercise equipment or gym membership to help get in shape.....NOT NECESSARY!!  Take the buff, strong, in shape prisoners at San Quentin for instance (I told you this may be strange)......they have NO exercise equipment (their barbells were taken away), NO personal trainers, NO nutritional consultants, NO packaged foods, NO diet pills, and NO bariatric surgery. If you watch "Lock Down RAW", you will see that these bad boys are in great shape -  buff and strong with washboard abs to die for!!  These unfortunate incarcerates use the weight of their own body to build their muscles, they use the buddy system for resistance, they practice the fine art of stretching, isometrics, Yoga and meditation in the privacy of their own 4' x 6' jail cell.  Then during their one hour in "the yard" they play basketball, jog and anything else they can do to get their muscles moving and their heart pounding. Yes, they have more free time on their hands than you may have, but don't tell me you can't carve out 1/2 hour a day to spend on your body and your mind.

Stop looking "out there" for the solution to your weight management and lack of exercise problems.  The solutions are at your fingertips and in front of your TV.....put down an exercise mat and get to work - sit ups, leg lifts, push ups....GET CREATIVE!!  Then put your expensive running shoes on or those dorky "shape up shoes" that you bought and put them to work in your own neighborhood.  Set some reachable goals and reach them.  Then set more goals and reach them.

Personal trainers, expensive exercise equipment, packaged foods, diet pills and surgery only add to your problems. 

It's not WHAT but HOW!

Hunt the Internet and pick up a few Weight Watcher's books...put some effort into it.  Knowing WHAT to do is the easy part......getting yourself motivated every day is what keeps people from achieving success.  Don't tell me you want a "list" of foods to eat or not to eat.....take the time and effort to create a meal plan that consists of foods that you can tolerate with a preparation plan that will fit into your lifestyle.  Once you have done this, you are 30% of the way there.  The next 70% is all in your head! Learn to get your head to enjoy the feeling of healthy eating, enjoy a little bit of hunger/emptiness, and LOVE the feeling of dropping a few pounds each week....Don't be afraid of success - get tough - get strong and find your strength WiTHIN You Now!!!

What to eat when you're feeling hungry

Thank you so much to my reader who asked the all time favorite question:  "What do I eat when I am feeling hungry during those challenging hours at work?"..........

To my reader -  It sounds like you are doing all of the right things by having healthy snacks and a balanced diet.  But by your very comment, we may ascertain that you are still having those "cravings" that keep people fat - even thought you have had a balanced, healthy diet during the day and you have healthy snacks......hence the true meaning and foundational statement of..........

WiTHIN You Now!®

 Fending off the cravings means going deep inside.....deep WiTHIN to find the strength and power that you own to get through those times of cravings.  No food, snack or diet plan will make those cravings easier.  Think of those cravings as your body searching for stored calories while YOU LOSE WEIGHT!!! 

Wish there was a magic answer - but the best answers are the answers that you have WiTHIN You Now!

Lose Weight & Keep it off by FENDING!!!

If you are truly interested in losing weight and keeping if off forever - add these words to your daily (if not hourly) vocabulary.........FEND OFF!!!!  To fend is to "ward against" - and when it comes to weight loss and weight management, its all about fending off outside (and inside) negative influences.  Learn to find your inner strength and power to pay attention to, and subsequently fend off the influences that have destroyed your good intentions to Become slender, fit and healthy -  Below are a few examples of negative influences that are subtle, yet deadly that you must fend off and ignore, no matter what reaction you encounter from others......

FEND OFF....
Friends, family and co-workers that unintentionally (and intentionally) use guilt, persuasion, disgust, and anger to coax you into eating or drinking in a manner that is not conducive to weight loss and/or weight management.  Stop worrying about hurting them by not indulging with them.  Be a role model, not a door mat.

FEND OFF...
Your own feelings of deprivation and emptiness.  If you are following a low calorie, low fat meal plan that makes some sense (try Weight Watchers), feelings of deprivation and emptiness are the "survival chemicals" in your body trying to influence you to "store up for the winter".  Take your emotions out of the equation and turn those Negative Thought Patterns into Positive Thought Patterns that will lead you to success.  Feelings of deprivation and emptiness simply means your body is utilizing stored calories for energy and you are on your way to Becoming slender and fit.

Life is too short to be fat....give yourself a break and Become.

Three Common Dieting Errors

Error #1 -  Developing a mindset that eating healthfully is an "event" rather than an on-going, everyday, every minute "process".

Error #2 -  Believing that some certain combination of foods, some pill or herb, some special diet plan, or gastric surgery will eliminate the nagging craving for the wrong foods at the wrong time.

Error #3 -  Letting life go by as an overweight person without giving yourself a chance to experience the joys of a healthy body weight forever. 

STOP MAKING THE SAME DIETING ERRORS OVER AND OVER AGAIN. 

Size 8 to Size Zero???

I have to laugh at over the counter drugs seen on TV with snappy names like "Quick Trim".  They actually get people to do a personal testimony that they took this wonder drug and suddenly go from a "size 8 to a size zero".    The larger the population becomes, the more the clothing industry changes sizing to make us happy.  Size ZERO sounds soooo much better than size 8 today I guess???  Next thing you know, the average 5'6", 130 lb woman will be wearing a Negative size for Goodness Sakes........ "May I see something in a negative size 6 please??"

Fat is fat, overweight is overweight - no matter what "size label" we give it.  And is this "size zero" gal going to take that over the counter drug for the rest of her life?  What complications will it bring?  How is it truly changing her behavior?  What a bunch of trash - but then again, most people I come in contact with are looking for the "quick fix"......this company makes money --- YOU LOSE - and I'm not talking about weight.