Getting Past What Holds You Back with Baby Boomer Weight Loss Expert Scott 'Q' Marcus
For example, are you guilty of overeating after a workout or perhaps, skipping a meal before an evening of indulgence? If so, this infographic reveals why this is bad news and how you can go about breaking this habit. In addition, it provides helpful information on the types of foods that are killing your metabolism as well as tips on what to order and what not to order when dining out.
For example, did you know that 200 calories equates to 588 grams of broccoli but a mere 51 grams of gummy bears? That’s just one example. Enjoy the others.
Quit the diets!Weight watchers, low-carb, vegetarian, detox, Beverly hills diet, cabbage soup diet, grapefruit diet, subway diet, Atkins diet and the list goes on and on.
Everyone wants the easiest, quickest way to lose the weight. In our society today, we are accustomed to fast results on everything. We have fast food restaurants, fast access internet, up to the minute news and weather and smart phones with everything at your fingertips. So why not the same for you getting rid of that extra bulge around your middle?
You and I both know that it took some time and overeating to gain the weight, so common sense will tell you that it will take time and perseverance to lose it.
I don’t know about you but over the course of many years, I’ve tried many different types of diets. Some were vaguely successful and some were complete disasters. A few lasted a day or two while others for weeks. The one thing they all had in common is, as soon as I stopped the diet, the weight would magically re-appear.
I quit dieting.
That’s how!
Below, I’ve listed a few pointers that helped me personally. I lost the weight that I had attempted to lose for years. Some of the following tips I’m sure you’ve heard before. Remember, everyone is different and may be facing some different circumstances, so make sure before beginning any type of lifestyle change – (notice I didn’t say diet) to consult with your physician first.
Whatever it takes…find something that will motivate, challenge or get you excited about your new healthy lifestyle! Your mindset has got to be in the right place before you can succeed. The motivation will carry you through those moments when you feel like caving in.
My personal tip – I was personally motivated by my “new look” that I had gotten from surgery that corrected a physical abnormality. See my story here. https://thistimeimeanit.com/goals/change-goals/overcoming-obstacles/point-view-overcoming-congential-coloboma/ This gave me the inspiration and fuel I needed to continue on.
These foods will make your calorie intake skyrocket. I don’t know about you but I love my snacks and bread. It was very hard to take them out of my life but I wanted to be healthy and look good more than I loved the food. From time to time…allow yourself to have a treat, just remember portion control. You will be surprised that after taking them out of your life, you will crave them less and less.
You MUST move your body…somehow, somewhere, depending on your fitness level. You will need to push yourself past your comfort level each time, little by little at least three times a week. Some ideas for you to think about could be walking, swimming, tennis, dance class, hiking, sports. Just remember…your only limitation is your imagination!
My personal tip – What works for me is bike riding, I love it and I built up my stamina over a period of time. I also joined a zumba class because I love to dance. I’ve never been one to jog or run but the idea of an obstacle course intrigued me, I found a friend to join me in training for the barbarian challenge and it ended up being one of the biggest challenges of my life and I successfully accomplished it!
Begin new projects or discover a new hobby. Do something that excites you, immerse yourself in things that you love to do!
My personal tip – I always loved art but never felt I was good enough. I began taking art classes even though it intimidated me, that is a good thing! Stretch your wings…and step outsideof the box. Do something that you don’t think you can do. I dived into some home projects that I had been putting off and began to write more.
We humans have need to have a goal, something that seems real. Maybe an old photo of how you used to look, or a picture of how you want to look. Find inspirational quotes to put on your desk, refrigerator and mirror. Read inspiring stories of others weight loss journeys. Gather information on great new healthy recipes. You have a goal and it is attainable!
My personal tip – The day I lost enough weight the I noticed my clothes were getting to big was all I needed to inspire me to continue on!
This is self explanatory.
My personal tip – I like to add some flavor by adding lemon.
This will give you moral support from others who are on the same journey as you are and you can also find great recipes, tips and tricks that will help you along the way.
My personal tip – I downloaded “loseit” app on my iPhone. I entered my daily calories and the calories I burned during exercise. I was able to see in chart form how I was doing on a day-to-day basis and it really helped!
Eat healthy! lots of greens, veggies and lean meat. small portions and keep up with your daily caloric intake. Remember to burn those calories by moving that body!
Plan to eat early in the evening. Don’t go to bed with food weighing down in your belly at night.
My personal tip – This was the hardest thing for me to overcome. I love to snack in the evenings while I am relaxing after a long day of work. To get past this, I stopped watching so much television and spent more time doing the projects that I wanted to do.. (See # 4 above).
I mean it! If you crash into a brick wall with your new healthy lifestyle or if you get so down and out because you are not seeing any results from all of your hard work…this is when you HAVE to keep going. Tomorrow is a new day, a new opportunity and a new beginning to a new, beautiful healthy YOU!
Maintaining your new body can prove to be just as difficult as losing it. This is why it is so important to look at it as a lifestyle change. You have entered into a new way of eating and taking care of yourself. It is a maintenance plan but it is so worth it.
It took me a year to lose forty plus pounds and now I am in the maintenance phase. I weigh myself regularly to know what I need to do. I give myself a five-pound average up or down before I buckle down seriously. Don’t expect fast easy results but do expect long-lasting results.
I feel better than ever, my clothes fit better and it is actually FUN to go shopping and try on clothes now!
I hope my tips help you into finally accomplishing whatever your goal is in your new healthy lifestyle.
Are you on a weight loss journey now? What tips do you have? Please share!
About the Author: Sherry Cook currently works for Mobile Arc, a non-profit organization that supports individuals with developmental disabilities. She is wrapping up her memoirs and hopes to be in publishing soon. Her desire to tell her story has been nudging its way to the surface for many years. Having undergone personal challenges, living with monocular and low vision, while struggling to “fit in” with society’s version of what is normal. She understands all to well the difficulties life has to offer. Accepting yourself and learning how to overcome is her main platform for her energetic and touching motivational presentations. Her hobbies include painting with acrylics and working on home projects. Sherry can be reached at sherrycook8@gmail.com or http://sherrylcook.com
By guest author Susan Wells
If you want to lose weight to improve your health and change your physical appearance, I commend you and want you to know that losing weight will have a tremendous, positive impact on your life. However, it’s important to keep in mind that losing weight won’t necessarily magically give you the self-confidence you always wanted. Self-confidence comes from loving yourself, at any size and no matter how you look. It comes from loving your mind, body, and heart.
At 26, I was morbidly obese, and I was seriously considering getting bariatric surgery. I wanted so badly to be able to start over as a thin person. I wanted a second chance to eat right, exercise enough, and stay healthy. I talked to my doctor about the risks of the surgery, and I started fantasizing about how great it would be to be thin. Then I called my insurance company and realized they wouldn’t cover bariatric surgery, which they considered to be a “cosmetic” surgery. I was crushed.
I do not wish to be the type of person who slowly, sadly shakes his head, pining for a simpler past, longingly opening conversations with “When I was a kid…” Moreover, when I become aware of an unfortunate societal trend, I try to prevent cranking up my inner curmudgeon, cynically inquiring of my peers, “What has gone wrong with our society?”
Having said that, something has gone wrong with our society because — when I was a kid — brides-to-be didn’t shove tubes up their noses to lose weight before their weddings.
While skimming TV channels, images of young women commuting to work with feeding tubes hanging from their noses flitted across the screen. They didn’t seem ill; quite the contrary, they looked to be “in the pink” (yet another reference from “when I was a kid”). The reporter explained that some women with upcoming nuptials are resorting to a severe calorie-restricted crash diet to drop ten to 20 pounds in the two weeks prior to their big days. That unto itself is not newsworthy; long before “I was a kid,” I imagine women (and even some men) resorted to last minute diets in order to present their best in front of friends, family, and God.
What was exceptional was that, in these cases, the method of choice consisted of consuming only 800 calories a day, delivered in the form of shakes served through a medically implanted feeding tube threaded through the woman’s nose, down the esophagus, and into her stomach. The tube remains in place ten days and the procedure costs about $1,500. Side effects include bad breath, constipation and dizziness. (Nothing says, “kiss the bride” like halitosis.) The doctor performing the procedure said, “At first I decided not to do it for people who just want to lose a few pounds. But then I thought, why should I say five or ten pounds are not enough? People want to be perfect.”
Yet, this is beyond the pale. [Read more…]