My #1 Secret to Losing Weight...

Have fun while trying to get to your goal.  People constantly tell themselves they will be happy once they reach their goal.  But first always remember there is no guarantee.  It’s in our nature to always want more.  Many of us will reach our goal and then still want more.  Maybe it won’t be more weight loss but maybe we get to our goal weight than want more muscle.  It is natural.  But beyond that, we are more likely able to stick with a plan we when we are happy and when we enjoy doing it.  We are more likely to continue working on ourselves if we are having fun in the process.

Alright, sorry for the cheesy blog entry title but it holds true.  It is one thing if you push yourself through grueling workouts if you get satisfaction upon completion but it’s another thing to hate every minute of it.  You are more likely to commit and continue doing something if you are having fun in the process.  Buy an exercise tape that you find fun.  Love the outdoors?  Find an activity outside where you can surround yourself with a location that will make you happy. 

Maybe it’s you don’t have enough time with your partner, sibling, friend or spouse.  Find something you can do together.  Are you someone with a short attention span?  Commit to trying a new activity once a week.  Find something that excites you, it doesn’t have to be staring at a wall on a treadmill at the local gym, unless you are someone who gets the runner’s high (or likes staring glancing at the sexy guy in front of you). 

The same applies to the food we eat.  Just because you are not a diet doesn’t mean food has to taste as if we are on a diet.  We are lucky to live in an age where we have more recipes that we can possibly think of at our disposal.  We have a plethora of healthy substitutions to foods we love.  We don’t need fat and a salt shaker to make food taste delicious. 

Variety is the spice of life.  Sometimes making an ultra healthy version of your favorite foods just doesn’t cut it.  Instead, try finding new favorite foods.  Be daring, go in recipe hunting with an open mind. Try recipes you are not sure you will like, maybe your taste buds will surprise you.

We can put off happiness until we reach our goal, but I assure you, having fun now won’t make reaching your goal any less enjoyable. 

Today I stand before you as a 5’4 155.8 pounds female.  My initial (and all time high) was 173.3 pound on June 10^th, 2011.  I decided instead of being embarrassed about being overweight I’m going to be proud of my 17.5 pound weight loss in 6 ½ weeks.  

Designing a Workout Plan

People like me who are admittedly lazy (or those in denial about their laziness) need to have more than just a goal of losing weight to get myself to work out regularly.  In my experience it is important to have not only a long term goal but also short term goals, in order to keep you on pace.  I found I am more likely to workout when I make a schedule that allows some flexibility built into the plan.  It’s not just about deciding the right goal but also about designing the right plan to get you there. 

I’m an expert when it comes to failing at workout plans.  In the beginning I get extremely amped up and design a crazy plan.  The problem is I design one that is unrealistic for those who are NOT extreme workout nuts.  By week two or three I get off track by a day or two, once I skip a day or two, or start doing half-ass workouts it goes all downhill from there, and by week four I quit. 

If I don’t make a workout plan I may workout a three to four days a week, at moderate intensity, but I never really push myself.  I do my 30 minutes of cardio three to four days a week but after a couple months I get bored and/or lazy.  Indeed I am burning extra calories, while getting all the other added health benefits that come along with regular cardio workouts but I’m not really challenging myself to push further and improve. 

Working out to simply workout is not something that will get me off the couch continuously.  I need a goal.  This way, not only am I working towards something, I get some satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment when I get to my goal.  In the past I would write out an extreme workout schedule with workout regimen planned to a T, even though I would schedule in a rest day, life would come up, I may be unexpectedly extremely busy on the day I had a long run scheduled or just maybe feel exhausted another.  At first I may be able switch around my rest day but after a while I would get burned out from both the extremeness and rigidness of the schedule. 

Finding the middle ground between those two designs is the key to both continually improve and to constantly push oneself further.  Find a long term goal, one that is about six months to one year out.  Once you have the long term goal have two to four short term goals that are steps in achieving your long term goal.  For example, if your goal is to run a marathon a year from now and you currently cannot run a block without stopping for a breather have goals of perhaps a 5K by month two, 10k by month five, ½ marathon by month eight or nine building up to your marathon by the year marker.  This way the idea of a marathon does not appear so daunting.  You are getting there one achievable goal by one achievable goal. 

Another important thing to keep in mind is that life happens.  One day you’ll be extremely busy and the next you might just need a day off.  It’s important to continuously work towards your goal but allow rest and recovery so you do not get burned out.  Listening to your body is important and you can’t predict how your body will feel two months from now.  Instead, design workout list for X amount of workouts for that week.  For example, just say I commit to 5 days a week, with two rest day, each day I ask myself if it is feasible to workout that day, if it is check that workout off my workout list, if not I check off one of my rest days off my schedule.  Just try not to use your rest days early in the week, otherwise you may find yourself without a rest day when you could really use it.  Also, if you save your rest days for the end of your week if you are feeling good that can throw in an extra workout.  Keep in mind it is important to have at least one rest day in your week to let your body recover. 

One last thing I would like to mention is not to have a goal of pounds or inches lost or gain.  You are not in control these when it comes to a having specific deadline of achievability.  You can try your best and hope for the best but because it is not something you can control such as minutes, distance, or lbs lifted you may feel defeated if you are not losing / gaining on schedule.   

Good Luck and let me know if you have any added suggestions!