1. BE A SMART CONSUMER & READ LABELS CAREFULLY!
Fat free products are loaded with sugar. Fat does not make you fat... SUGAR DOES! When grocery shopping, don't buy any meal that has over 400 calories or 9 grams sugar; no snack over 150 calories and 9 grams sugar.
2. NO OVERCOMPLICATED ROUTINES/NO OVERCOMPLICATED DIETS
They have the highest failure rate because don't teach you how to live in the real world. Don't buy books that force you to follow complicated diets or exercise routines that don't fit with your lifestyle. Get back to the basic, common sense principles. Workout at least three times a week to intensity and don't eat a meal over 400 calories unless it's a cheat meal.
3. NEVER SKIP MEALS
All of my morbidly obese clients have one thing in common--skipping meals. The moment you allow your blood sugar to drop (the signal is a hunger pang) by not eating every few hours, you become a fat storing machine. Your body will now convert everything you put into your mouth as energy (sugar/fat).
4. DON'T EVER JUICE -- BLEND!
Always eat the whole fruit, not just it's sugary juice. Juicing leaves you with no fiber but all the fruit sugar. Blending fills you with the whole fruit (fiber) and a lot more nutrients.
5. SUGAR IS THE DEVIL!
It is the leading cause of disease, depression and massive weight gain in this country. Get rid of refined sugar (anything that isn't fruit or veggies) for 5 days in a row then allow yourself to have 1 cheat meal on Saturday and 1 on Sunday. You will have curbed the chemical addiction for it and your brain desires less. My obese clients only gravitate towards the fruits and veggies highest in sugar--IT IS THAT ADDICTIVE! Sugar throws our body into an immune suppressed, non-working state of chronic fatigue, depression, weight gain and hormone imbalance.
6. CLEAN HOUSE -- REMOVE ALL JUNK FROM YOUR KITCHEN
Don't beat yourself up for not being able to resist cravings when they are right there in front of you. You are a lot less likely to get dressed, get in your car and drive to the store for snacks. Stop putting highly addictive junk a few steps away then hating yourself for not being able to resist.
7. DEPRIVATION DOES NOT WORK!
When starting a diet, for the first 2 weeks, add healthy, nutrient filled foods (low sugar fruit/veggies/lean protein and a multivitamin). Your body will naturally reject sugars and processed foods.
8. CRUNCHES ARE A WASTE OF TIME
If you carry weight in your midsection, you will just build muscle under fat and appear bigger! The only way to get a 6-pack is to combine a healthier diet with some sort of resistance training that works the big muscle groups (chest, back, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps).
9. EAT THE GOOD, THE BAD, THEN THE UGLY
Classify the food on your plate in one of those categories and fill up on the good first. Ex: Good--veggies/fruit/lean meats, Bad--starches/bread, Ugly--dessert/alcohol.
10. SATISFY ORAL FIXATION WITH HERBAL TEAS
Most people snack at night watching TV or when bored. Curb late night cravings with your favorite flavored herbal teas. They have antioxidants and will satisfy those oral fixations.
11. WATER HELPS YOU LOSE WEIGHT
3 liters per day can burn 50-75 calories and double your energy as well as clear your skin.
12. LESS MEDICATION, MORE MOTIVATION
We are ADDICTED 'TIL EVICTED! Be an informed consumer. The food industry wants to addict you and the drug companies keep you hooked and sick until the day you die. It is not a conspiracy, just simple business (minimize cost/maximize profit) which is the single most reason why the food industry makes ALL of their decisions to put disease making chemicals in their products! From the time we are born we are fed high volumes of sugar and unhealthy chemicals. Naturally as we get older, we get sick, fat and depressed which is when the pharmaceutical companies step in to keep us hooked with sleep-aids, anti-depressants/mood stabilizers, muscle relaxers and expensive medications that control things like cholesterol (which is naturally easily lowered) and diabetes (which is naturally easily lowered). Regular exercise and small diet changes have been shown to decrease dependence on all medications! But you can't get motivated until you make small changes that will make your body feel stronger such as adding more nutrients and exercise. Your body weens itself off of medications.
13. LOSE THE ADDITIVES, LOSE THE WEIGHT
Research connects food additives, especially in diet foods with increased sugar and carbohydrate cravings.
14. DON'T BE AFRAID TO LIFT WEIGHTS
Cardio is the slowest way to lose weight. It's all about resistance training which burns more calories faster and adds much needed muscle to speed up your metabolism turning you into a fat burning machine.
15. ONLY DO INTENSITY CARDIO
Forget about the heart rate monitor. Unless you have a heart condition, your cardio should be intense enough to feel your muscles burning. Raise ramp to max uphill (12-15) and fast lunge for 2 minutes then lower ramp and run for 2 minutes. Take 1 minute to bring heart rate down with a slow walk. Repeat 4 more times (equals a 20 minute session). It's less boring too!
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