They stole it!

(Lori Photo Bombing my sign - She didn't steal it...I don't think?)

I guess I cannot blame them. I knew better but decided to take a chance.  You guys know how when something is easy to do you are more likely to do it?  And when something is harder to do it you are less likely to do it?  Well I made it too easy for them.  Here’s what happened and what we can learn about human nature to help us lose weight. (After all there is a weight loss and health lesson in everything!)

We are holding a weight loss contest that starts next week.  (details here if you want to join www.thinnertowinner.com, over $3,900 in prizes)  I had an extra yard sign in my car that I hadn’t put out yet.  So last night when I was unloading our Lowes supplies for some house projects I decided to put it out.  I wanted it to be visible well so I put it about a foot away from the sidewalk.  (you already know what happened...

This just happened last month and I cannot stop bragging about her.  This is a huge deal!  It takes consistent effort and motivation to stick with it long enough for this kind of result!

How does something like this happen? 

How to get motivated…

I gave a seminar last month and I sometimes ask people what they want to get out of this talk.  One of the comments was: How to get motivated? There are many things in our life that we would like to improve on.  Most of these improvements require change and effort, and because of this they sit sometimes for years not done. 

So the question is how do we actually get started?

I am going to give you a couple ideas and finish with how I see people staying motivated long enough to reach their goals. 

I would love to tell you people start because they want to be skinny, healthy, strong, and fabulous. They do want that but the real starting motivation is to no longer...

9 Reasons it’s Better to be Overweight

If there are so many reasons we should be skinny why is any of us overweight?  Have you ever done a pros and cons table when making a decision? You list all the positives for making the decision on one side and list all the negative results on the other.  At first some people may think there are no benefits to being overweight, but I’ve been training people long enough to know that isn’t true.  Sometimes we are even unaware of a powerful reason we keep sabotaging our weight loss efforts.  Some of these reasons I have seen range from minor annoyances to crippling traumas. 

This is not an exhaustive list.  If you find yourself overweight see if any of these are subconscious motivators for you and sit down with your pros and cons chart and brainstorm some of your own personal pros to being overweight.  If one of these is a powerful motivator you will need to address that...

Do you even LIKE food??

I guess I DON’T like food:/

Recently I was reading a book and it made me question whether or not I really like food?!  I realized that the way I was eating did not line up with my deep love and appreciation for FOOD!

I have a real struggle with INHALING my food in all of 30 seconds.  It is insane the amount of calories I can put down and hardly even TASTE it!  Often after meals I would have severe abdominal distress because I ate like a wild animal!  This is not the way someone who LOVES food acts.  They enjoy and savor each bite, pause between bites and actually think and feel what they are experiencing with each taste.  Someone who loves food acts like they are a food critic and could write a lovely article about what they just ate.  

There are several reasons why I eat/ate fast.  The fact of the matter is now none of those reasons are even true in my life anymore. It is...

Is the enemy CARBS or FAT?

This debate has been going on for decades and you may already have decided what you think.  I thought as a personal trainer I should weigh in with my opinion and what has lead me to that conclusion. 

Fat has been an enemy for a long time.  March 1984 Time magazine railed on bacon and eggs.  The beginning of low fat and low cholesterol products.  Since that time I’m not sure we’ve gotten any healthier in spite of amazing breakthroughs in health care. 

My Vote is CARBS are the enemy…but not all carbs.  I think processed carbs are particularly nasty.  (though I still eat some).  I had better mention that fruit and vegetables are made of predominantly of carbohydrates but their fiber and nutrients radically change their effects on the body.  They are A-ok.  (though I still think apples make me too hungry to eat by themselves).

How I have been persuaded to be...

My 5 boring steps to maximum weight loss

These are the first 5 things I would do if I had a goal to lose weight.  They are nothing fancy but when people ACTUALLY do them they are instantly more successful.  Maybe you can do them this weekend!

Step 1 – Clean the temptations out of your house.  (not by eating them)

In a moment of strength trash the tempting carbohydrates in your house.  (chips, cereal, cookies, etc.)  In one study they found if someone had visible cereal in the kitchen you could add 20 pounds to their body weight!  Your environment matters!

Step 2 – Sit down with our food journaling software/app and plan my week. 

Here are some of the things I would be making sure were in my plan.  Enough Protein - .64-.9 grams per pound of body weight (if you have a lot to lose then shoot for 100 g to start).  Veggies – I want to make sure I have enough veggies in my day to allow my body...

5 ways to narrow your waist

There is a lot going on between the skin on your back and the skin on your stomach that can be making your waist thicker.  Most people think they either need to strengthen the abs or they need to lose weight. While both of those may be true there are a few other things that could be happening.  Here are 5 strategies to help you narrow your waist.  If you work on all 5 you’ll have the best shot at getting the stomach you’ve been hoping for. 

Straighten Up!

As funny and over simplified as it sounds just sit and stand up straight.  Most of the abdominal muscles attach from the ribs to the hips. If you think about these muscles like a rubber band they are tighter when they are stretched more.  If you slouch your ribs are tipped forward and usually your hips tipped back.  (this is also the recipe for back pain).  The front and bottom of your ribs is now closer to the front and...

I finally did it!

I grew a beard!  (no shave November for prostate cancer)
Ok, yes I grew a beard but that's not the big deal...

I wrote a book!!!

Where does FAT go when you "lose" it?