 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
                     
|
1. It's about a new lifestyle!
| |
One of the most important things to remember is that whatever you do to lose the weight is what you need to do to keep it off. I lost 30 pounds in a month on the Cambridge Diet. When I started eating regularly again (after all, who can live on protein shakes for the rest of their life, right?!), I gained the 30 pounds back in two weeks. I lost 80 pounds in ten months without ever having a gain by eating nothing but a large salad once a day and exercising about three hours every night. I was single, had no children and lived at home and I was able to maintain this lifestyle. For a while! I soon came to realize that this diet would only appeal to a guinea pig or rabbit and, once again, reverted to my old habits. I quickly began gaining weight. This time it took me six months to regain the 80 pounds I lost. My point is that you need to find something that you can do the rest of your life. If you cannot do it for the rest of your life, then don't do it at all! It's not worth the physical, emotional and mental toll it causes when you regain the weight. And trust me ... You WILL regain the weight if you revert to old, unhealthy habits. I've been there and done that many times.
|
2. Don't avoid the scale!
| |
So many of us try to avoid the scale. We think if we don't weigh in that we aren't gaining weight. Well, ladies and gentlemen, avoiding the scale does NOT avoid the ramifications of our actions. We might not be facing it in black and white (or LED readout!), but it's still there on our hips and thighs. Another thing that I always did was try to lose any weight that I gained before I went back to my weight loss support group. This is like cleaning the house before the maid comes by so she doesn't know your messy or fixing your hair before you go to the hairdresser! What's the purpose of that?! It's wondeful to get on the scale and see how well we've done, but it's more important to face that scale when we're not doing well. Every time you get off that scale, you are working towards your next loss. What happened last week doesn't matter any more because it's time to move on! There's no time for regret or guilt. They serve no purpose other than to hold you back. So get on that scale, face the gain, hop back off and start working on your next loss. And remember one thing --- the number you see the next time you get on the scale could be the most you weigh for the rest of your life!
|
3. Make small changes!
| |
Don't overwhelm yourself at first. Let's take exercise, for example. The first time I ever walked for exercise, it took me one hour and 15 minutes to do one mile. I'm now able to comfortably do one mile in 15 minutes. If someone had told me when I started that I needed to walk at a four mile an hour pace to get any benefit out of exercise, I wouldn't have even began. When I started TOPS ®, I drank 64 ounces of Mountain Dew a day and zero ounces of water. Initially, I refused to give that up. And I didn't at first. I gradually cut back by first eliminating my afternoon portion, then cut down to a few a week, finally I would allow myself Mountain Dew only once a week and eventually I gave it up completely. It took me 18 months before I stopped drinking Mountain Dew and replaced it with 64 ounces of water. Again, if someone had told me that I needed to give it up completely from the get go, I doubt I would have even tried to lose weight. I ate no vegetables except for an occasional salad. I now average about five servings a day. I didn't start eating five servings a day the day after I joined my weight loss support group. I worked up to that amount. So start from where you are now and move forward. Eventually you'll have healthy habits in place and you will be living that new, healthier lifestyle that I mentioned in Top Tip One.
|
4. If you have the time to bite it, you have the time to write it!
| |
It means just what it says! If you bite it, write it! Licked the spoon after you stirred the contents of the pot on the stove ... write it down! Tasted your husband's hamburger ... write it down! Finished your child's sandwich while clearing the table ... write it down! I read somewhere once that the average "taste" or "bite" of something equated to about 50 calories. FIFTY CALORIES!!! It may seem hard to believe, but no one ever asks for a bite of salad or a taste of broccoli, do they? If we did that ten times a day, that's 500 calories a day. You think that ten times a day would be impossible. It's not for me. Licking the peanut butter off the knife while making my daughter's lunch (one). Grabbing a piece of cheese and ham when I open the refrigerator to make my lunch (two, three). Tasting a sample of something at Starbuck's when I go get a coffee (four). Eating a half a bagel at work instead of "getting one for myself" (five, six, seven, eight). Biting the pizza after warming it up for my daughter's dinner (nine). Finishing the crust that she doesn't eat (ten). See, not as hard as you thought, is it? Granted, it's not 10 every day, but it easily can be and probably occasionally more. Those ten BLT's (bites, licks, tastes) would equal approximately 500 calories. 500 calories a day x seven days in the week equals 3,5000 calories. And 3,500 calories equals a pound. Helps to explain the gain at the scale when we wonder "why?", doesn't it?
|
5. Have a list of reasons you want to lose weight. Make it very specific!
| |
We need to know why we're doing what we're doing. Why are we no longer overeating? Why are we exercising? Why are we going through the buffet line once instead of two or three times? Why are we eating out at different restaurants? Why are we no longer bringing cookies, cake and ice cream in the house on a regular basis? A list of reasons you want to lose weight helps you to remember WHY. I encourage everyone to have a list of reasons they want to lose weight. Make your list very specific and keep it handy. When I first started this journey to Go To Health, I kept my list everywhere: in the car, in my computer desk, at work, in the headboard of my bed, in my purse. Where ever I was, my list was. Feel free to use my list to get you started, but then work on one of your own. It truly will helps you get through challenges and struggles.
|
6. Move it to lose it!
| |
Okay. Maybe you don't have to move it to lose it but you definitely have to move it to keep it off. It just didn't sound as catchy! I do firmly believe that some sort of structured exercise, done at least five times a week, is necessary for weight loss maintenance. You don't have to run a marathon or train for an triathlon, but there needs to be some type of movement other than everyday life. There are several pages on this website (10 Minute Workouts, Go to Health Contract or What's Helped Me) that can help you get started.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
All site content © 2009 by Angela Farley. All rights reserved. Visitors are encouraged to use this material for personal use or to share with others to help them reach their goals. No material shall be used for personal gain (i.e. use on another website, publication, etc.). DISCLAIMER: This site is not intended to substitute for medical advice. I'm sharing what's worked for me. If there is any doubt, you are strongly encouraged to seek the advice of a health care professional.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
