Monday, January 29, 2018

It's a Process: Three Keys

What does it take to lose weight?  How do you do it?  What's your secret?

I'd like to tell you it's easy, but in all seriousness, it's a process.

If I were to narrow down to just three things to make it work, this is what I would tell you.

The NUMBER ONE most important thing is

Drum roll, please.


Nutrition, Nutrition, Nutrition!

You really have to learn how to eat right and stick with it over time.  Don't think about going on another diet.  Diet is a four letter word.  Think "nutrition."  Food is fuel, it's what your body needs to function, for muscle growth, for healing and recovery, for energy.  Food.

In a nutshell, you want to cut back on calories, but not much.  You want to DRINK lots of WATER, increase lean proteins and vegetables.  You can pretty much have all the vegetables you want, plus one to two servings of fruit each day. 

The kinds of food you eat really matters.  Severely limit your sugar intake, especially refined sugars.   Limit your intake of saturated fats (cream, butter, bacon, beef), but don't cut fat out.  Avocado, nuts, nut butters, and healthy oils like olive or canola oil in small quantities are good for you.  

Reducing your carbohydrates will help, but remember fruits and vegetables are carbohydrates and you should consume those.  As far as other carbs go - appropriate portions of  whole grains like oatmeal, brown rice, legumes or quinoa are good.  Just remember 1/2 cup of brown rice is 124 calories and 26 g of carbs, so if you are eating 1+ cups, the calories and carbs go up.  Only have bread once in a while and make sure to eat 100% whole grain bread.  As far as potatoes go, one or 1/2 of one isn't going to hurt you.  I often have 1/2 of a sweet potato.  My question is who eats a plain white potato?  I need butter and sour cream on mine, which means LOTS of fat. 

NUMBER TWO is 

MOVE your body!

Moving your body, including strength training, will boost your metabolism so you burn the calories you eat better.  Consistent exercise helps you deal with stress and helps to improve your mood.

The best way to start is to walk, then add in some body weight exercises into your routine, such as squats and push ups (or desk push ups).  Check out my post 10 Minutes for ideas on how to make the most of the time you have and ideas to get yourself moving.


Move Your Body by Sia

NUMBER THREE is critical to long term success.

Cognitive / Emotional Shift

Changing the way you think and feel about food is critical.  It takes time and honestly, I can't give you a road map how to do this.  

Here are some suggestions...

Read about nutrition and exercise from reliable sources.  I subscribe to several online newsletters and blogs that talk about nutrition.  I am always wanting new recipes because vegetables are great, but eating salad every day is... BORING.  

Keep a food / exercise journal.  I track ALL of my food in MyFitnessPal, good and "bad."  If I have honey in my tea, a glass of wine, a piece of cake, a chocolate cookie - it's all there.  Bad days show trends.  Did I sleep enough the night before?  Where was I emotionally that day?  Did I work out a LOT the day (days) before?  I log my workouts in the Notebook on my phone.  I do this so I can see progress from week to week.  My goal right now is strength training, so I follow a program every week and want to see an increase in the amount of weight I lift from week to week.  I also write notes like, "Remember to give yourself time for recovery" or  "The last set was super hard."  I insert emojis to show how I feel about that particular exercise or set.  Doing this helps me feel better about my workouts.  I can see progress and that makes me happy.

Talk to like-minded people about your journey.  What do I mean?  Join a fitness group, get a buddy who wants to lose weight with you.  Have a friend who is already fit and in shape?  Ask them for suggestions, work out with them, do meal prep with them.  Like-minded people will help you to think differently about dieting in general.  It's not a diet.  It's a life change.  It's nutrition and exercise combined.

Identify your triggers.  What makes you "go off the wagon" so to speak?  Are there certain times of the day?  Stresses?  Sleeplessness?  Spending time with a toxic person can derail you, do you find yourself raiding the refrigerator afterwards?  Again, it takes time to recognize your triggers.

Remember, don't let a bad day or a series of bad days derail you.

I had a super bad day Saturday, which lead to a sleepless night, leaving me completely deplete the next day.  I went to church, but I usually sit with my father and he wasn't there.  I stayed for a few minutes, but all I wanted to do was cry and sleep and I just couldn't keep it together, so I went home.  (That sounds so bad, but it's just what I needed at the time.)  I took a nap and then my niece and I did a great workout at a track near her house.  Talking with her and literally working it out helped restore me.  When I got home, I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  I think that is the one food that cures everything... because carbs and peanut butter.  Took another nap and felt restored.  

I recognized my triggers.  Sleeplessness and stress and being super emotional.

I talked to my niece about what was going on.  She is a like-minded person.  She loves to workout and eats super healthy all the time.  She helped me to process. 

I worked out.  Working out helps to manage your stress.  I don't know the science of it, but somehow it literally takes the weight off your brain and lets you put perspective on your situation.

I ate.  I didn't overdo it.  I ate what I felt my body needed and limited the quantity.

You really can lose weight if you want.  Remember, it's a process.  There are no quick fixes.  It's a journey, not a sprint.

My new mantra:  Be the Champion of Today!

You've got this!

Questions for you:  (Answer in the comment section below.)
What did you do this weekend?  

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Instagram:  @tracoleman99

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