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By Jim On May 11, 2010
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A SURVEY OF MY CLIENTS REVEALS SOME GREAT INSIGHT ON WHAT REALLY WORKS TO GET THE WEIGHT OFF AND KEEP IT OFF PERMANANTLY
Over the past few months I have been talking to my one on one training clients to see what their best strategies were for winning the weight loss game. Of the hundreds of responses I received, there were a few that had a common and universal theme among successful”losers”. I have norrowed down the list to the very best behaviors, tools, mindset and activities that can help you too in your quest for an ideal body.
MIX IT UP
Exercise at home, outdoors, in the gym with a group or with a partner. Vary your routines, keep them fun and interesting and you are more likely to persevere.
DON’T LOOK BACK
If you hit a setback in the pursuit of your goals, adknowledge the mistake and get right back on track. Mostly everyone said it was important to recover quickly from a set back. Keep the mindset “NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS IN MY LIFE I MAINTAIN MY HEALTHY HABITS AROUND EATING.”
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH LIKE MINDED SUCCESS ORIENTED PEOPLE
Your friends, family and people at work are the biggest influences on your eating habits. Be aware of the power that dining mates have on your choices. Stand your ground and find health focued friends who will support and surround you with positive energy about your goals. Begin to associate with like minded people and your eating habits become easier to maintain.
STOP DIETING
Think of your eating plan as a strategy and a “LIFESTYLE”, not dieting. It has been shown that people who go on restrictive diets lose less weight and gain back substantially more because of the high failure rate. Also the dieters are more likely to deprive themselves ( and then have a binge down the road) and they generally didn’t feel good about themselves especially on the downside of the dieting cycle when their will power and resolve wore thin.
HAVE BREAKFAST
Research and dozens of studies show that eating breakfast – especially one that is high in protein, helps to lessen hunger later in the day, prevent binging at night and maintain a steady level of energy in the afternoon.
EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGGIES
Several of my 100 pound+ weight loss guys said this was their number one nutritional strategy. They added an abundant amount of fresh fruit and frozen veggies to their meals throughout the day. Produce fills you up on less calories, provides fiber and a multitude of nutrients that boost health, energy and immunity.
COOK AT HOME – EAT OUT LESS
This was the second most common response to the survey. Preparing your food at home assures that you know how many calories and nutrients are in your meals. Restaurant and fast food is a land mine of hidden fats, carbs and processed unhealthy ingredients that need to be avoided at all cost. Most saved the restaurant meals for a splurge day treat.
JOURNAL YOUR DAILY INTAKE OF FOOD
This is the number one tool for successful long term fat loss. It creates awareness around your choices and accountibility to sticking with your goals. It can also help when you hit a plateau and remind you to stay on track.
FOLLOW THE 80/20 RULE
Having good days and bad days is a normal part of the lifestyle. Progress not perfection is the mantra. This means that 80% of the time you are following the rules and eating clean, 10% of the time is for planned splurges, and the other 10% is for the places, people and cicumstances you just can’t control. In real life you do your best in the situation you find yourself in and get back to your ideal when you can.
EXERCISE
Okay this is a no-brainer. Everyone know this one inside and out , but truly doing it on a regular basis is the key to keeping the weight off. The studies all point to one conclusion- Those who exercise when they first start the diet and maintain it will keep the weight off for the rest of their lives. 90% of my successful clients exercise or are active four to six days a week.
LIFT WEIGHTS
Strength training is the key to raising your metabolism and helping your body to automatically burn more fat all day long. Also having more strength increases your enjoyment of everyday activities and keeps your feeling energized and confident
For more info on long term strategies for success, go to the national weight loss registry and see what their members have done to keep the healthy lifestyle going. There are so many ways to realize this in your life. Incorporate at least one of these ideas into your life this week. Practice it and repeat it over the next two weeks and your improvements will dramatically increase.
Recent Posts
By Jim On June 30, 2009
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I love to read motivational stories and get inspiration from the struggles of others who are striving for greatness and extraordinary achievement. I have been listening and reading self help literature since the early 80’s and never grow tired of the genre. I enjoy sharing what I have learned with others and use many of the concepts in coaching baby boomers with fat loss issues.
I recently came across Dave Kekich – a millionaire businessman and entrepeneur who is also completely paralyzed from the waist down. He has published Kekich’s Credo – A List Of 100 Nuggets Of Wisdom To Help You Live Better And Be More Successful In Life And In Business.
Here Are A Few Of The Ideas From The Credo Adapted To Help You In Your Journey Towards Fat Loss And A Healthier Body.
People Will Do Almost Anything To Stay In Their Comfort Zone
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By Jim On June 16, 2009
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Don’t you love that headline? I was inspired by a recent article in Men’s health on solving your problems in the various decades of life. It has always fascinated me that life’s complicated issues can easily be resolved in a two page magazine article. It’s the magic of the magazine medium. I think I have always been attracted to magazines for the escape they provide into their perfect little world. Regardless of whether it’s Men’s fitness, Martha Stewart’s living or the Family circle you can always find ways to improve your world and start fresh with some great ideas and inspirational pictures.
So here is my best shot at neatly re- solving your health and fitness problems as you venture through midlife .
Problem #1- We Start Losing Muscle And Gaining Fat As We Age.
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By Jim On June 12, 2009
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The #1 question i hear from my clients over 50 is – “how do I get rid of this gut?” or #2 “I hate having this extra belly fat!” Guys want to know the secret to losing fat in the belly more than anything else. It trumps health concerns, energy levels and building strength and muscle as a goal in a healthy life. It’s true you can have all the good health, positive energy, athletic ability and muscle mass, but if you carry a gut it cancels out your image as a fit and buff guy. The flat stomach rules!
What’s the secret?
Well, unfortunately there is no secret but there is a good chance if you follow a few of the tips I am going to give you here you will start to see dramatic changes in just 3 weeks! So here we go.
My Top 7 Tips For Losing Belly Fat When You Are Over 50
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By Jim On June 2, 2009
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If you had only 3 months to live could honestly say you have no regrets about your life or the many choices you have made? I have been reading John Izzo’s book “The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die” and the chapter called “Leave No Regrets” grabbed my attention. Why?
15 Years Ago I Came Face To Face With Death
I was diagnosed with a potentially fatal immune disease – and at the time there were no drugs to cure it. I wasn’t expecting a 40th birthday. I was shocked and dazed, despite all the years I had immersed myself in self help psychological counseling and spirituality, nothing prepared me for that kind of trauma.
Miraculously within a few weeks my perspective and outlook changed dramatically. Life was a rare and precious thing to be celebrated and enjoyed everyday. The disease was a gift that helped to change my perspective about life.
Right Before All This Happened I Was Going Through A Rough Time
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By Jim On May 25, 2009
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Want a really romantic dinner? Candles and soft music are nice but what you eat beforehand could take things to another level.
[There's nothing like spending the evening in the company of a gorgeous lady.]
The following healthy and delicious foods may actually affect hormone levels, brain chemistry, and energy heightening arousal and excitement. While there aren’t any double blind studies to prove the aphrodisiac qualities of these foods, plenty of anecdotal evidence suggest they really help. Before reaching for the little blue prescription pills, why not work in one or more of these superfoods on your next date.
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By Jim On May 22, 2009
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Last week Sunday was the first meeting of my cooking group. It’s me and 3 other guys who get together on the weekend and try out new healthy recipes so we’ll have ready to go healthy meals in the freezer during out hectic work week.
[The cooking club - a support squad for clean eating.]
A Cooking Support Squad Works For Several Reasons:
- It’s great EXCUSE to socialize with like minded health oriented guys who love to cook and eat fresh home made food.
- It gives us a chance to try those recipes that we never quite get to try and accumulate in the dusty corners of our cabinets.
- It creates a sense of accountability to others- you can’t let the others down by not pulling your weight and doing your share.
- The weight of a deadline creates an urgency that leads to action and creativity, especially in managing time.
- It pulls you out of your old eating ruts- Most of us eat the same 15 foods over and over without even realizing how predictable we are.
- Portion Control- Most guys despite eating a healthful diet tend to overeat and underestimate portions sizes. We portion our meals into freezable microwaveable containers and know exactly how many calories we’re getting.
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By Jim On May 19, 2009
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This is a continuation of the story from my last blog post about my personal journey with fitness and maintaining fat loss. The key to looking good and maintaining an eye catching body into your 50’s and beyond is to develop and maintain STRATEGIES, RITUALS AND HABITS repeated consistently. Repetition is the mother of habit and consistency is the father of success.
[How to have your cake and eat it too - or look great while still eating cake.]
Here Are A Few Proven Strategies For Permanent Fat Loss
#1 – Always Maintain Boundaries And Rules Around Food
The best way to structure your week is “eat clean” 5 days a week. Just determine you will follow the rules of healthy eating at least 80% of the time. This allows room for unexpected and unavoidable poor food choices, restaurant meals, moments of unpreparedness and splurges. Striving for 100% perfection is a set up that never works! My personal rules for weekday eating are : NO SUGAR OR FLOUR PRODUCTS and EVERYTHING IN IT’S MOST NATURAL AND UNPROCESSED STATE WHENEVER POSSIBLE. That’s it. I keep it simple. It’s challenging but workable.
Here is a sample day:
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By Jim On May 12, 2009
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This post will be a little more biographical and less scientific than all previous writing I have done on this blog. I’d like to share my story with you and hope you will take a deeper and broader view of the process that happens when you try to make a change in your eating, exercise and lifestyle habits.
[I am still passionate about maintaining a healthy, lean and muscular physique.]
The Things I’ve Learned In 30 Years Of Living A Healthy Lifestyle
My life as a master chef is long behind me, but the passion for cooking, eating and shopping still remain my # 1 passion. Although I live the idealized life of a personal trainer, a bodybuilder and master athlete, if asked to choose between an eternity of exercise or eating I would choose the pleasure of good food.
My Love Of Food Began In The Early 1960’s…
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By Jim On May 3, 2009
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Here are my top tips from 30 years of training experience on losing fat, gaining muscle and staying super healthy.
Limit Consumption Of Sugar, Flour And Processed Foods…
…to one moderate serving a day (even less if possible) The best time to eat starchy or processed foods without too much damage is right before or after a hard workout. Breakfast – the most important meal of the day, is also a good time have bread, or a sugar indulgence. It gives your body a fighting chance to burn it off throughout the day
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By Jim On April 30, 2009
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Have you tried to lose weight many times? Or maybe lost several pounds and gained it back? If so you are not alone. It’s extremely challenging to maintain weight loss. However some people do manage to achieve their weight loss and weight maintenance goals. The National Weight Control Registry is a database that tracks more than 5000 people who have lost a minimum of 30 pounds and maintained the loss for at least one year. How did these people keep the weight off? Here are the common denominators that set the successful dieters apart from those who “yo-yo” diet:
[Portion control is one of the secrets of long term fat loss. Here is a nice pork and cucumber dish of moderate size. Ingredients: garlic, ginger, pork, cucumber, black pepper, nam pla, broccoli sprout.]
Control Portions For Sustained Weight Loss
Portion sizes were much smaller in the past than they are today- (remember when a large soda wasn’t a half gallon?) With today’s portions sizes it’s easy to lose track of how much you are eating. To lose the weight the bottom line is controlling portions. In recent research suggests that portion control is the biggest predictor of successful weight loss. Control portions by learning to read nutrition labels, carefully measure out servings, eat a single helping, use smaller serving plates and resist the urge to clean your plate.
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