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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 April 27, 2009
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Trying to lose a few pounds? Aren’t we all! One of the techniques I’ve learned over the years in coaching my clients who have trouble with cravings and portion control is the “apple trick”. If you have a big restaurant meal coming up perhaps a party with tempting foods or a banquet where you have few healthy choices ,the best way to keep your appetite and your calories in check is to eat an apple before you go. The fiber and the pectin in the skin of the apple expand in your stomach and create a sense of fullness and satisfaction.
[The fruit pectin and fiber found in apples curb your appetite. Plus apples taste delicious. That saying might be true after all. "An apple a day..."]
Have You Seen Those Ads For The Diet Pills That Curb Your Appetite?
They contain fruit pectin and fiber. Save your money and eat apples – they’re much better for you and a lot cheaper. Other fruits like pears, grapefruit, plums, apricots and peaches have similar qualities.
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By Jim On April 24, 2009
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After a multivitamin FISH OILS are the most highly recommended supplement for overall good health and prevention of age related disease. Research studies show fish oil benefits are down right amazing. This should be included in the TOP FIVE imperatives for a good life (good food, daily exercise, sleep, sex and supplementation) Studies are published almost daily as the scientific community discovers more and more of the many benefits of Omega 3 fish oils. Here are the top 7 proven benefits of using fish oils:
[Just like exercise, Fish oil has been proven to be beneficial to the cardiovascular health.]
#1 – Less Pain And Inflammation
Omega 3 fatty acids particularly EPA, have a very positive effect on your inflammatory response. Through several mechanisms, they regulate your body’s inflammation cycle which prevents and relieves painful conditions like arthritis, prostatitis, cyctitis, any most anything else ending in “itis”
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By Jim On April 22, 2009
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Yesterday I was doing my early morning treadmill intervals while watching CNN. I normally listen to music and occasionally glance at the TV to make sure I’m not missing anything. This morning Anderson Cooper was reporting on Greek Island where hearty and healthy 96 year old men were having robust sex with women half their age! This looked interesting – was this the island where the fountain of youth was discovered?
[The Nicoya peninsula in Costa Rica is one of the Blue Zones - a real-life Fountain of Youth where people reach age 100 at rates significantly higher than the rest of us and on average live longer healthier lives.]
I plugged in and listened. The story was about the “Blue Zones” small geographic pockets inhabited by the world’s longest lived populations. Dan Buettner launched the Blue Zones Quests in 2005 to study and research these rare regions and to share what they can tell us about living longer and healthier lives.
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By Jim On April 21, 2009
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The average American adult gains one to two pounds each year. This is especially true if you are over 50! But new research in the Journal of Nutrition suggests a way to prevent this weight gain or even encourage weight loss-without dieting.
[Too good to be true, but it's a fact! Strawberries are delicious and help you lose weight.]
The Secret: Eat More Fiber
Researchers at Brigham Young university followed the eating habits of 252 middle aged women for nearly two years and found that those who increased their fiber intake lost the most weight. Those who decreased their fiber generally gained weight. The Scientists boiled down their findings into a single weight loss formula – boosting fiber by 8 grams for every 1000 calories consumed, results in losing about 5 pounds. This is without consciously counting calories or portions.
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By Jim On April 20, 2009
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Focus on health and fitness first and weight second. The healthier you are, the easier the weight loss becomes. If you lose weight at the expense of your health you are unlikely to keep it off.
[Is there really some mysterious secret to achieving your fitness goals?]
Set Realistic Goals
Say no to extreme diets, miracle fat loss pills, and magic food fads. Create sustainable habits that can last a lifetime. Start where you are and make gradual changes. Take pride in your progress, learn as you go and most important, take slip-ups and setbacks in stride. Every failure is a lesson and feedback in what doesn’t work for you. You cannot fail, you can only learn and grow.
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By Jim On April 19, 2009
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You want to drop big weight? Forget about it. No, really- that’s the crucial tip. Put the end goal out of the picture and narrow your focus to the day at hand. Bob Harper, a trainer on the NBC TV show THE BIGGEST LOSER, says, “Ask yourself, Did I get my workout in today? Did I make good food choices? Then go through it again tomorrow, always with an eye on improving.” Here are Harper’s top five real world solutions. Becoming fat is a big piece of cake. Slimming down is not.
[Losing weight is a day to day battle. Just focus on the small steps, put one foot in front of the other and you will eventually succeed!]
Get Over Gym Intimidation
The muscle heads at the squat rack aren’t judging you. “If they see someone out of shape trying their hardest to change, they’ll do what they can to help you” says Harper. So don’t be afraid to ask for a spot or some guidance. Just because these guys are younger than you and in great shape, doesn’t mean they haven’t struggled with exercise and diets.
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By Jim On April 17, 2009
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The war on the waist won’t be won by exercise alone. You need to combine a fitness routine with with healthy eating in order to reach your ideal waist measurements. Only a combination of proper food choices and and sweat equity will help you succeed. Good food choices are especially important at midlife when our metabolism slows and our food intake increases. No one told us in our youth that we’d have to switch to half rations in our fifth decade, but it’s a strategy that will make long term fat loss easier as we age.
[Eating more salads (and vegetables in general) is a great way to reduce the amount of calories you consume while enjoying a delicious meal and feeling full.]
#1 – Forget Diets – They Don’t Work
Why do we gain weight? It all comes down to calories. It’s eating too much and not exercising that makes us fat. It’s intake equals output. Managing your weight and your health is easy if you decide to make it a lifelong commitment instead of a temporary crash diet.
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By Jim On April 11, 2009
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What is a midlife crisis? A midlife transition is a natural yet turbulent stage that happens to all of us between the ages of 40 and 60. Midlife transition can include:
- Discontentment or boredom with the lifestyle that previously provided fulfillment;
- Feeling restless and wanting to do something completely different
- Questioning decisions made years earlier about the meaning of life
- Confusion about who you are and where your life is going
[Middle age is a time in which adults take on new job responsibilities, re-asses where they are and make changes while they still have time.]
In his 1965 article from Journal of Psychoanalysis,Elliot Jaques coined the term “MIDLIFE CRISIS” referring to a time when adults realize their own mortality and how much time they may have left in their lives.
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By Jim On April 6, 2009
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If you are like me, you have told yourself numerous times “this is the last time I’ll… (just fill in your favorite resolution here). We like to make dramatic statements, after overindulging, breaking our promises to ourselves and feeling guilty about not having willpower. These grand sweeping statements that always start tomorrow or on Monday are usually short lived and unmanageable in our hectic work and obligation driven world. Instead of making grand pronouncements about creating a new life, just fit small changes into your current life, allowing time for adjustment and use of your energy.
[The small changes can lead to long lasting habits that will carry you into a future of good health and lower body fat.]
Here are some ideas you can incorporate into your life to make the changes you need to get the body you want:
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By Jim On April 2, 2009
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One of the problems when you decide to get serious and hire a trainer is knowing who will work best for your particular situation and who will be knowledgeable and know how to deal with the issues of an aging body while still getting the results you want. Here are 5 things you can do to make the selection process a lot easier:
1) Ask Your Friends Or Other Gym Members Of Your Age Who Are Currently Using Trainers About Their Experience
Has the trainer taken care to address orthopedic problems? Was their an initial interview session with medical questions, goal setting, exercise history and current diet habits? Do the workouts change frequently. How is progress measured? ( body measurements taken? regular weigh-ins?)
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