How to end weight loss misery
Does weight loss feel miserable? For many of us, the answer is a resounding YES! Keep reading for how to end weight loss misery. Many of us approach weight loss with a list of “rules” that make it feel like yet another chore—something we have to do. But what if I told you there’s a way to make this journey feel lighter, more enjoyable, and even empowering? It all starts with one simple mindset shift: replacing “I have to” with “I get to.” Whenever I was on a diet, everything felt like a burden: “I have to skip dessert.” “I have to find time to exercise.” “I have to cook something healthy.” Each “have to” made me feel resentful, like I was punishing myself for not being good enough. But then, I decided to shift my thinking. What if these weren’t obligations? What if they were opportunities? Suddenly, “I have to” became: “I get to nourish my body with wholesome food.” “I get to move and strengthen my body in ways that feel good.” “I get to choose habits that support my energy and health.” This small change made a huge difference. Gratitude turned my weight loss journey into an act of self-love rather than just another to-do list item. When you approach your choices with gratitude, everything shifts: Empowerment, Not Obligation: You’re no longer forcing yourself to follow rules. You’re choosing actions that care for your body and health. Enjoyment Instead of Resentment: Gratitude reframes healthy habits as privileges rather than punishments. Long-Term Fulfillment: Instead of chasing short-term results, you’ll start appreciating the process itself—how good it feels to take care of you. Ways to Use Gratitude in Your Day Here are some simple ways to weave gratitude into your weight loss journey: Start Your Day with Gratitude As you write your daily plan, write a few things you are grateful for from the previous day. This is a great time to take notice of the non-scale victories. Reframe Tough Moments When you’re tempted to skip a healthy choice or feel like giving up, reframe the moment: “I get to prepare a meal that fuels me and supports my energy.” “I get to pause and choose what’s best for me right now.” “I get to choose progress.” Celebrate What You Have Focus on what your body can do right now, not just what you want it to be. “I’m thankful for my legs that carry me, my heart that beats, and the strength I’m building with every step.” “I’m thankful for the breath in my lungs.” “I’m thankful to have a body to experience this world in.” By shifting from “have to” to “get to,” you’re no longer approaching your journey with a sense of dread. Instead, you’re celebrating your ability to care for yourself and make positive choices. This mindset makes the process more enjoyable and helps you stay consistent because you want to do these things—not because you’re forcing yourself to. The beauty of gratitude is that it reminds you how much you’re already capable of and how far you’ve come. It’s a way of saying, “I’m doing this because I deserve to feel good, inside and out.” I hope this small mindset shift gives you a new perspective and renewed hope for your weight loss journey. You don’t have to do anything—you get to take steps that nurture and love the amazing woman you are. Your Coach, Andrea
How to reward yourself without food
At my highest weight of 250 pounds, rewarding myself with food was an everyday event. Got through a tough meeting? Head to Starbucks for a tasty drink. Kids behaving badly and you aren’t screaming at them? Sneak a few Oreos from the pantry. Slayed your To-do list like a boss? Toast yourself with a glass of wine. It’s so important to learn how to reward yourself with non-food items as rewarding yourself with food works against weight loss. Below, we’re diving into how to reward yourself without food to make your weight loss journey not just successful but also enjoyable. Here are some non-food rewards to treat yourself as you crush your goals: Free Rewards: Take a relaxing bubble bath. Watch a favorite movie or TV show. Read a book in a quiet corner. Meditate for 15 minutes. Practice yoga or stretching exercises. Go for a nature walk. Sunbathe in a park. Listen to your favorite music or podcast. Do a DIY spa day at home. Write a Thank You letter to yourself. Under $20: Buy a new journal or planner. Get inspirational stickers for your water bottles. Purchase a scented candle or essential oils. Treat yourself to a new workout shirt. Buy a new book or e-book. Get a massage ball or foam roller for self-massage. Try a new skincare or beauty product. Invest in a quality water bottle. Buy fresh flowers for your home. Get a new houseplant. Under $50: Book a manicure or pedicure appointment. Treat yourself to a massage. Buy a subscription to a meditation or mindfulness app. Buy a new workout outfit. Purchase a quality yoga mat. Try a new outdoor activity – stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, pickleball, etc. Try a virtual cooking class. Buy yourself a charm bracelet to add charms for every 10 pounds lost. Buy a new piece of clothing you’ve been eyeing. Buy a smart scale. Over $100: Book a professional photoshoot – especially great when you reach your goal weight! Treat yourself to a weekend getaway. Join a boutique fitness center. Get a personalized nutrition consultation. Treat yourself to a luxury skincare set. Book a session with a personal trainer. Purchase a new fitness gadget – Garmin, Fitbit, Apple watch, etc. Buy tickets to a live event or concert. Get a set of adjustable weights. Splurge on a new wardrobe! Remember, learning to reward yourself without food not only will help you lose (and keep off!) more weight but it helps the process feel more enjoyable. As a human being we seek pleasure. By making your weight loss journey more pleasurable, you are more likely to stick to the process, get to your goal weight and enjoy it! Which non-food reward will you try? Your Coach, Andrea
Creating consistency in weight loss
Action is the currency of weight loss. You can’t do the same things you’ve always done and expect different results. And you most certainly cannot take different actions only once in a while and expect consistent results. If you want to reach your weight loss goal, you must be consistent. Consistency is what I coach clients on the most and so I have put together this list of five things you need to know for creating consistency in weight loss. Consistency is NOT perfection My clients often say they are not able to be consistent, when really they are being pretty consistent. Let’s say the goal is to drink 64oz of water each day and they are only doing it five days, instead of seven. Hate to break it to you but that IS being consistent. That is consistently meeting the goal for five days. There is a difference between wanting to increase the number days you meet the goal and being consistent. Too often we believe we are not being consistent in weight loss when we aren’t perfect. But that’s not the case! Consistency does not equal perfection. In fact, thinking you are not consistent because you aren’t perfect is defeating and causes you to quit. So recognize when you ARE being consistent and that will increase your desire to continue to be consistent as well as take more positive action towards your weight loss goal. Only make small, doable changes I get it. Being overweight can feel terrible. There is likely an urgency to want to be thinner NOW. But when you try to change everything about you, your routines, the foods you eat and the life you live, it takes a lot of energy and won’t last for long. Too many weight loss journeys fail because they are trying to use willpower to muscle through changing everything about themselves and their lives. Don’t do that to yourself. The greatest gift you can give yourself is acceptance of where you are. Take the pressure off of needing to be anything else. You can accept where you are and still make positive change. The best way to make that positive change is to make the changes small and level up when you get really good at that change. Small, doable changes make weight loss feel really manageable and allows you to collect tons of wins. And when you are winning, you know what? You feel like taking more action. And taking more action leads to more weight loss. Use multiple ways to measure your success The scale is not king of your weight loss journey. The diet industry has brainwashed us all by using the scale as the number one measurement of success. But you’re setting yourself up for defeat if that is the only way you measure your weight loss. Scales are a lagging measure of the actions you take. It may take weeks for the scale to reflect the fruits and veggies you’ve been eating or the workouts you completed. I highly recommend using a habit tracker to measure your actions and use that as a sign of your weight loss progress. You can also track your moods, body measurements, clothing fit and use before and after photos too. Expect to not feel like it Consistency often wains when we “don’t feel like it.” But what if “feeling like it” wasn’t required? What if you could take action anyway? Well, you can! It’s great to feel motivated and excited when you first start a new diet or exercise plan, but once that wears off and boredom sets in, it can feel difficult to keep taking action. It has taken over 3 years for me to reach my weight loss goal. There have been a lot of times that I didn’t want to work out or eat the food I planned. And you know what? I was still able to do it. When motivation wains (and it will), you have to be able to rely on commitment and discipline to see it through. One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is to remain committed and disciplined through that time. As you continue to take action, even when you don’t feel like it, that motivation will return and this time with a giant side of pride. Remain focused and keep going no matter what When you focus on the problem on your weight loss journey, you’ll find more of them. When you focus on the solutions, you’ll find more weight loss. Recognize when you are being inconsistent and figure out what you can do to become more consistent. Focusing on how to be more consistent creates more consistent action and more consistent results in your weight loss journey. When I started my weight loss journey in 2019, I simply decided that I was going to figure it out no matter what. When I overate or missed a workout, I got curious with myself and figured out how to move forward. You can choose the same. There is no need to beat yourself up for being inconsistent. Remain focused on your weight loss goal and allow yourself to be curious and find a different way going forward. After all, if you continue to do the same things, you’ll get the same results. What’s getting in your way of being consistent? Your Coach, Andrea
100 Non-scale victories to celebrate
The scale is only one measure of success on your weight loss journey. Most people ONLY focus on that one measurement. Why is that a problem? Well, the scale will NOT show a loss each week. Hormones, water retention, stress, bathroom issues, etc. can all affect the number on the scale and won’t reflect the efforts you are putting into your weight loss. Looking to the scale for validation of your efforts is a recipe for disappointment and discouragement. Use this list of 100 non-scale victories to celebrate to acknowledge your efforts even when the scale might not. Habits Getting more checks on your habit tracker Increased discipline with healthy habits Getting back on track faster Exercising more frequently Using exercise for stress relief Staying consistent on the weekends Eating more slowly Exercising even when you don’t feel like it Finding time to workout on a busy day Working out feels like a normal part of your day You no longer eat in secret You no longer eat simply because food is free or offered to you Changes in outer body appearance Losing body fat percentage Lifting heavier weights Body measurements getting smaller Before / After photos Visible muscles Fitting in movie/car/airplane seats better Skin looking clearer and glowing Hip to waist ratio is smaller Less bra bulge Recognition from others on your improvements Going down a notch on your belt Going down a clothing size Rings/jewelry fitting again Able to look down and see your feet Changes to inner body Blood pressure improving Cholesterol improving Getting better quality sleep Joints feel stronger – less joint pain Less heartburn Reducing prescription meds (DR approved!) Better digestion; more regular BM Waking up refreshed and not groggy Sleeping through the night without waking Decrease or no snoring Lower resting heart rate Your pee is routinely light yellow or clear Changes to physical ability Going up the stairs without getting winded Ability to bend over and tie shoes easier Bringing in the groceries in less trips More energy throughout the day Increased endurance – walk further, run longer More active minutes throughout the day No more sitting on sidelines – engaging in physical activities with others Walking/running faster Getting up without grunting/groaning Standing up easier Reaching a step or exercise goal You find a new exercise you enjoy You get out of bed easier You don’t have to modify an exercise You can do more yoga poses comfortably You breathe easier during activities and need less breaks Mental health Less brain fog – more mental clarity Less cravings for fatty / sugary foods Better Moods Stress levels feel more manageable Increased confidence at gym/working out Increased knowledge of emotional eating triggers Increased sex drive Having more will power around food Relationship with yourself improves No longer avoiding pictures of you Eating dessert without any guilt Enjoying clothes shopping Liking what you see in the mirror You look forward to your workouts Feeling more confident in your clothes Being kind to yourself when you overeat Recognizing an excuse to eat poorly Treating yourself with compassion when you don’t get the results you expect on scale Cheering yourself on every day for your healthy decisions You like how you look in a picture You smile when you see your reflection You don’t label foods as good/bad You don’t label yourself as good or bad for what you eat You say nice things to yourself when you see your reflection Nutrition Less overeating and discomfort after meals Drinking less soda, juice, alcohol, etc. Craving water Better coping skills / less turning to food Eating more fruits/veggies Taking leftovers home from restaurants Choosing fruit rather than dessert Choosing healthier foods is easier/more natural Choosing smaller portions Eating smaller portions Making food choices based on nutrition Enjoying sweets without overeating them No more second helpings at meals Increasing amount of veggies you eat Finding new fruits/veggies you enjoy Learning to savor foods without distractions Waiting for hunger signals before eating Making healthier choices at social events Looking at menu before going to restaurants and deciding your healthiest options Being intentional with alcohol consumption Finding new ways to eat more whole grains You eat more meals at home than from the drive through There are so many ways to acknowledge and celebrate the positive changes you are making along your weight loss journey. Remember that celebrating what you are doing right on your journey will increase the motivation you have to continue to make positive changes. Need more motivation? Check out this post on motivation for more tips. Your Coach, Andrea
Five things for successful weight loss
Millions of people try losing weight each year with the end goal in mind. A certain number of pounds lost, a particular pant size or a dress they are trying to wear for a special occasion. But it’s much more important to have the right start to your weight loss journey. Here are five things you need to be successful in weight loss: Belief that you can do it It’s essential for successful weight loss that you believe YOU can do it. This is different than thinking you found the right diet that will shed pounds quickly or the right exercise routine that will give you washboard abs. This is the belief that you can follow the plan and stick with it. This is the belief that you are willing and able to do the work. Fake it until you make it doesn’t apply here. That will only lead to success over a couple of months then inevitably quitting and undoing any progress you made. Don’t worry. If your belief is a little shaky, that’s OK. You don’t have to believe that you are able to do it for your ENTIRE weight loss journey. But can you start with the belief in you today? Can you stick to it today? Then ask yourself the same question for tomorrow….then the next day and the next…and before you know it you’ve grown your belief in your weight loss abilities. Acceptance that you won’t always be perfect Decide right from day one that you won’t always be perfect and that’s OK. I have lost over 90 pounds and I had many days that I ate off plan or overate. I decided that I wouldn’t let that be a reason to think I was broken or incapable of losing weight. I simply made that mean that I was a human that made a choice that didn’t align with my goal. I didn’t have to be perfect but I did need to get back on-track as soon as possible. You won’t always be perfect either. Accepting that from the beginning takes a lot of the drama out of it. Treat it as an event you knew was coming then get back on track as soon as possible. It’s like being on a car trip. You might get a flat tire at some point. It’s something that happens but isn’t a reason to quit going onto your destination and live on the side of the road for the rest of your life. You put your spare tire onto the car and get moving again. You have that choice on your weight loss journey as well. You can choose to eat on plan for the very next meal and keep on moving onto your weight loss goal. Be open to trying different things If you do the same things you have always done, you’ll get the very same results you already have. Being success in weight loss requires eating and drinking in ways that are different than what you’ve been doing. It doesn’t take a complete 180-degree turnaround to get different results but it does require small changes. The very first thing I ask my clients to do is to ask themselves before every meal “Am I hungry?” If the answer is yes, eat. If the answer is no, wait until you are hungry. They are amazed at what a difference it makes just asking themselves this small question. Really open your mind to all the possibilities for change. You could drink a few more sips of water, leave a couple bites behind at each meal, switch to whole grain bread or walk for fifteen minutes each day. Be careful not to think that these actions are too small to amount to any weight loss. Every small action adds up. Plus it makes your journey more enjoyable since you aren’t having to rely on Herculean willpower to muster through. Decide to figure it out Maybe the things you tried didn’t result in weight loss. Again, not a big deal. Change it up and see what DOES work. The problem with diets and exercise plans is that they don’t take into account the individual person. The way I teach weight loss is custom to YOU. You are the expert in your weight loss and I help you find that inner wisdom that defines weight loss on your own terms. Because when you define weight loss on your own terms, you lose all your weight without any fear of it ever returning. So get curious when you stop losing weight. Ask yourself what contributed to that. Find something new to try next that will give you a different result. Your weight loss journey will change along the way and willingness to figure it out is required to be successful. Love yourself no matter what Starting your weight loss journey with self-hate or loathing for your body is a recipe for disaster. You don’t have to go from hating yourself to loving yourself. Just stop the hateful comments. When I was 250-pounds and hated the way I looked, I simply made an agreement with myself to stop saying hateful things. I didn’t have to change it to something loving. I just said to myself “I don’t think that way anymore.” Then as my journey progressed and I gained for confidence and love for myself, I was able to say loving things instead. The amazing thing is that your brain cannot think two thoughts at the same time. As soon as you start thinking something new, the other thought is gone. Here’s why loving yourself is so important. Think about going in for a performance evaluation and your boss tells you how much he hates you and everything you do is wrong. Then he demands that you make huge changes. How likely is it that you will rise up to meet his demands? I don’t know about you but I’d be searching for a new job! Now imagine that a
Magic in Every Mile
This past weekend I ran the runDisney Wine and Dine Half Marathon and 5k. At the race expo they had tons of merchandise with “Magic in every mile” emblazoned on it. At first, I thought it was a cute saying. But as I ran along the 13.1 mile course, the idea came to me: Magic in every mile is exactly what keeps runners going all the way to the finish line! I often have used the saying “A journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step” as a way to remind myself that it’s the small stuff that add up to get you where you want to go. But a journey of one thousand miles ends up being two-million steps. How do you keep motivated? Find magic in every mile. When we started our half marathon, I knew it was going to take us over three hours to complete it. That’s a long time! I needed ways to entertain myself and make it fun. Otherwise, my brain likes to start dwelling on how long it’s going to take, what’s wrong with the weather and how tired I am. And THAT is a recipe for feeling terrible and wanting to quit. So I found ways to make it fun. I dressed up as Ursula so I scoured the crowds looking for other Ursulas or Ariels and cheering them on. I even asked them to take photos with me! Same thing goes for your weight loss journey. It feels a whole lot better to make the process fun rather than focusing on how long it will take and foods you can’t eat (P.S. I teach you how to lose weight eating anything you want! So if this is YOU, let’s talk). Find others who are also building healthier eating habits, call out to them and cheer each other on! Get excited for the new recipes or exercises that you use along the way. Find your supporters Disney employees were out on the course with cowbells and clappers cheering us on. And boy, did I embrace it! I waved and said good morning. I whole heartedly thanked them for being out there. I told myself that they were there just for me. I completely ignored the fact that I was running with thousands of other people and that the employees were just clapping and cheering because Disney paid them to do it. You can do the same! Instead of thinking that your husband is “just saying” that he thinks you look thinner or your friend admires your dedication to your work outs, really take a moment to appreciate their support. Take none of it for granted. It all matters. Tell yourself it’s fun People in general can tend to focus on the negative. Our brains were designed to find problems so we could live another day. When you are running a half marathon, there are TONS of negative things to focus on. For instance, it rained on us while we waited 45-minutes before crossing the start line. Then it got hot for a couple miles while we ran on a boring stretch of highway. There were parts where the road was so narrow you couldn’t help but bump into other runners and walkers with every move you made. Plus the fact that we were running over 13 miles and your body starts chaffing, hurting, and pretty much dying. But what you focus on is always a choice. And what you focus on, you find more evidence for. I decided I was going to have fun during this race. It’s not every day you get to run a Disney race and I wanted to love every minute of it. I took selfies while characters posed with other people (I had NO time to stand in lines for my own pictures….otherwise the sag wagon would have swept me!) I looked around the parks in amazement as I ran through them. I reminded myself how lucky I was to have enough money and a loving husband to watch our four kids while I went and ran with Mickey. The more I told myself that I was having fun, the more fun I had. They told me there was magic in every mile but it was really up to me to find it. If you are having trouble finding magic on your weight loss journey, I can help. I help my clients find joy and happiness while losing weight and I can help you do the same. Sign up for a free session with me to find out how.
How to find your weight loss motivation in 3 easy steps
When people talk about weight loss often it is accompanied by the word motivation. They say things like: I need to get motivated to lose weight and eat healthy. I just don’t have the motivation to exercise. I have lost all my motivation to lose weight. I’ll be more motivated to lose weight once the New Year/new month/new week starts. I can’t find the motivation to eat right and move my body. So what is motivation? Webster’s dictionary gives this definition: The act or process of motivating; the condition of being motivated A motivating force, stimulus or influence It’s a bit funny that most of us speak about motivation like it is some sort of commodity. Like something we can go to the store and purchase or something that we might stumble upon out in the wild. The truth is that motivation comes from our actions and processes. It comes from the things we do. It’s not something that randomly drops into your brain or happens when you wake up on a certain side of the bed. So if you are searching for your motivation, relax. It’s been with you the whole time. Here are three simple steps to find your weight loss motivation: 1. Start doing the damn things Yep, you heard me. Whatever it is that you think you don’t have the motivation to do (exercise, eat right, get to bed on-time, eat less), just do it. You don’t have to make a commitment to doing ALL of it ALL the time. But for the next five minutes, could you move your body? For this one meal, could you add more fruits and vegetables? For this one snack, could you throw the last two bites away? Just for tonight, could you get in bed 15 minutes earlier? Stop listening to your excuses about why it’s hard or why you can’t. Just commit and get it done. When you are taking the action that aligns with your goals and desires, you feel like you are “doing things right” and it encourages you to continue to take that positive action. Likewise when we continue to resist taking that action, we only reinforce the bad habits we want to change. Reinforcing those habits makes it more difficult to change in the future. Remind yourself when you want to wait to get started that “this very moment is the easiest it will be for me to start making the changes I desire.” 2. Focus on the benefits and results Most of us get it wrong when we embark on our weight loss journeys. We start with how much weight we want to lose, the date we want to lose it by and then create a detailed list of the exercises to do, foods we shouldn’t eat and calculate the perfect amount of calories to consume. Basically a giant to-do list of restriction and undesirable tasks. Total motivation suck. Instead focus on the reasons WHY you want to lose weight. Come up with a list of reasons why each action you want to take to lose the weight is so beneficial. Focus on the endorphins you feel after working out. Remind yourself of how much better your joints will feel once the excess weight is off your body. Picture yourself looking sexy and slim in a summer dress. Dream about doing activities that you weight is currently sidelining you from. Really dive into what makes going through this process worth it and focus on that. On my journey to losing 100 pounds, I created a list of 100 reasons why I wanted to lose those 100 pounds. Some were physical, others mental health related, a good amount were vanity driven and all of them were things I desired to have in my life. Creating desirability for the results of your weight loss keeps your motivated to take action towards that goal and makes the effort worth it. 3. Celebrate everything Losing motivation generally happens because we stopped doing the things that result in weight loss. Then we beat ourselves up for falling off the wagon, feel ashamed and then we just want to crawl into bed with some Ben and Jerry’s. Just as much as not going the things demotivates us, doing the things will motivate us (see #1 above). If you want to supercharge your motivation, you must celebrate EVERY action and result that prove you are headed in the right direction. Did you leave a couple bites behind at breakfast? Tell yourself how amazing you are for listening to your satiation cues and not finishing your plate. Did you go for a ten minute walk even though your day super busy? Way to not let time be an excuse to skip moving your body today. Have you been going to bed early and nailing your sleep goal? You’re amazing for prioritizing what your body needs most! Along with celebrating your actions, celebrate your results as well. Typically, people losing weight use the scale as the one and only measure of success. Don’t do this! Relying only on the scale to tell you if you are doing well or not is a major mistake. Instead, be sure to use non-scale measurements to track your progress too. Some great non-scale measurements are habit trackers, progress pictures, body measurements and mood journals. And don’t forget your other measurements like blood pressure, resting heart rate, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, which show an increase in physical health. If any of those non-scale measurements change for the better, celebrate yourself! Every additional check mark on your habit tracker should be applauded. Each inch lost on your waist marveled at. Tell yourself how proud you are that you are making changes to lose weight and have a healthier life. Remind yourself that your hard work is paying off and you ARE seeing results. *** Bonus Tip*** Keep in mind that motivation is the act of motivating or a motivating stimulus. You are the one to perform
How to create a successful weight loss plan in 5 easy steps
Weight loss can be very overwhelming especially when you have over 100 pounds to lose. You may get confused on where to start or which food and exercise plan is the best. There are thousands of options out there and it can seem impossible to know which one is right for you. Here are five easy steps to creating a successful weight loss plan especially made for YOU: 1. Figure out where you are beginning When you get directions to a new place you’ve never been, you have to plug in the starting address first. To begin your weight loss journey, you have to do the same. Start by asking yourself the following questions: What is my current weight? If I had to guess what brought me to this weight, I would say it’s because…. What is my routine eating schedule? What are the foods I eat in a normal day? How much am I routinely moving my body? Do I believe I am capable of making the changes to lose my excess weight? These questions are great ways to determine where you are starting with your diet, exercise and mindset. Be careful not to get too overwhelmed or upset about how far you are from your ultimate goal. Don’t let this be a time where you plan for incredible acts of willpower or drastic measures that will get you to your goal the fastest. Remember when you are getting directions somewhere, they are given in multiple steps. If you were traveling across the country, you wouldn’t get upset because there are multiple roads and highways you have to take so don’t let that be a reason to be upset on your weight loss journey either. Especially when you have a lot of weight to lose, it helps to accept that the process is going to take time. Taking things slower ensures you don’t burn out and quit. 2. Make a list of what you are willing to do to lose weight Remember to start where you are! It’s very easy to look for a diet and exercise plan that promises the results you want. Just remember that every diet out there works if YOU continue to work it. You have probably lost weight before on these other plans but ultimately failed because you stopped following it. You weren’t willing to continue to follow the diet rules. This time around you need to figure out what you are willing to do for the rest of your life to maintain a healthier weight. If you are currently eating McDonald’s three times a day, changing to eating only salads that you make at home isn’t realistic and will feel terrible. Instead look for the small things that you are willing to do. Maybe it is ordering a smaller size fry or a regular hamburger instead of the Big Mac. You could also order your same meal and leave a few bites behind each time. Just make a list of all the ways you are willing to eat a little less, move a little more and explore why you are overeating in the first place. Once you have a giant list (don’t stop until you have at least 20 things on it), figure out which ones are going to be the easiest to do and start with one of them. Yep, just one. Do one thing until you get really good at doing it and then layer in the next easiest thing. Small quick wins are a great way to start changing your habits, getting the weight loss ball rolling and not feeling like your life was turned upside down. Those quick wins will add up and before you know it you will be doing many of these new habits and it won’t feel difficult at all. 3. Create an action plan for when you fail You are human. You will make mistakes. You will not do it right ALL the time. And that’s OK. The problem is that when you make a mistake, you ruminate on how terrible you are and how you’ll never make the changes needed to lose your weight. It becomes a catastrophe rather than a moment in time. That’s why it is important to create a plan for getting back on track as quickly possible. Having this plan in place ahead of time makes it so much easier to follow when you are in the thick of things and shortens the amount of time it takes to “get back on the wagon.” First, create a list of thoughts that help get you get your mind in the right place to take your next best action. This was just a moment in time. I can learn from this and move on stronger and better equipped. No matter what happened, I can always make my next best decision. It’s not the mistake I made but how I respond to it that determines my success in weight loss. Then create a list of the small decisions that you can make to get your weight loss ball rolling again. Keep these really simple and something you can do in under five minutes. Some ideas are drink a glass of water, go for a five minute walk, write in your journal or listen to a motivational podcast. Finally and most importantly after completing one of these actions remind yourself that you are doing what it takes to lose weight again. Tell yourself how proud you are for getting right back at it! 4. Decide on how you will measure your progress Please don’t just say the scale! The scale will not accurately reflect all of your efforts. You cannot control the scale. You can only control your actions so using a habit tracker is a much better way to measure progress. A habit tracker can show you that you worked out twice last week but you completed three workouts this week. That’s progress! You can also track sleep, adherence to food plans, overeats
Five tips to drink water when you HATE it
It’s no secret that drinking water is a vital part of weight loss. Our bodies are up to 60% water AND one of the steps of fat loss is hydrolysis (hydro = water). So to be the most effective at losing weight, you have to drink water. But what can you do to get yourself to drink more water when you HATE it? Here are five simple and effective tips for drinking more water: 1. Start where you are One of the best gifts you can give yourself on your weight loss journey is to meet yourself where you are. If you are only drinking sugary, caffeinated drinks and the thought of drinking a glass of water cues your gag reflex, then it will be really hard for you to start drinking 64oz of water each day. If that’s you, start small. Plan to drink just one 8oz glass of water each day. You can even spread out that 8oz if it feels better to just take a sip here or there. Don’t worry about how you are not getting “enough” or you are “supposed” to be drinking more than that. Once you get really good at drinking the 8oz in a day then you can increase it slowly but surely. When you start something that is so drastically different from where you are beginning, it takes a ton of motivation and willpower to do it. You spend all your time trying to force yourself to do something that feels unnatural and often times don’t enjoy. Instead, be OK with starting smaller and remind yourself that just because you start small doesn’t mean that’s where you will finish. 2. Pair it with a reward Doesn’t it feel good to be rewarded for our efforts? Of course it does! But far too often we don’t tell ourselves “good job” or sit in the pride of knowing that we did something good for ourselves. Instead the effort goes largely unnoticed and the only “reward” we get is the mental chatter about it dies down for a bit. Rewards help to reinforce actions we want to take in the future. They are really useful when you want to create new habits. So to create a new habit of drinking water and making it more enjoyable, incorporate a reward! Now this doesn’t need to be anything that you buy. In fact, it could be simply pairing drinking water with something you like to do that is already a part of your every day routine. For instance if you love drinking soda, you could pair drinking a glass of water with the reward of having a soda. You could also allow yourself to watch an episode of your favorite TV show once you have drank all of your water for the day. Remember gold stars from school? A reward could be as simple as a pretty sticker on a chart or a check mark on your habit tracker. To make it extra impactful, remember to say to yourself “I’m so proud of myself for drinking water.” 3. Don’t prolong the misery If every sip of water is pure misery for you, then don’t sip your water throughout the day. Guzzle it. There is nothing saying that you have sip slowly and consistently throughout the day. It’s just important that you drink it. I rarely take a single sip of water. I usually take ten sips at a time just because I know that means I am taking in lots of water at once and that increases my likelihood of drinking 64oz. Another great tip to get it done quickly: get started early. After you wake up, start drinking water. Your body is actually dehydrated when you wake up because of the hours you’ve spent sleeping and using the water in your body. Put a cup in your bathroom right next to your toothbrush then immediately drink at least one full cup of water after brushing your teeth. This is called habit stacking and is a great way to remind yourself of that new habit of drinking water. Getting started early in the day with drinking water means that you finish earlier and can enjoy the rest of the day drinking the beverage of your choice. 4. Disguise it Water doesn’t have to be plain to be helpful. Juice lovers can pour a glass 3/4 full of juice and then top the rest of it off with some water. After doing that for a while, you can change the ratio to 1/2 juice and 1/2 water. Keep increasing the ratio until you get mostly water. There are really great water enhancers that can be used to flavor your water as well. Use the same method of adding the amount you enjoy and then slowly decreasing it over time so you are drinking mostly water. There are tons of spa water recipes that you can try too. Spa water incorporates fresh fruits and herbs to flavor your water and make it more fun to drink. You can also incorporate herbal teas as a way to get in more water (just be careful with what you add to it!). I personally love dessert teas from Bigelow teas that have flavors reminiscent of lemon pound cake and chocolate macaroons. 5. Think sexy thoughts about water Ruminating on how much you HATE water will never help you drink more of it. It will make you feel angry and resentful that drinking water is something you HAVE to do even though you hate it. It will feel like a chore and a burden in your life. Try to find something that you like about drinking water. Get your brain primed to see the benefits by listing as many good things as possible about drinking water. Finally, make a commitment to yourself to stop saying you hate water. It may feel true but it will never help you drink more of it. Instead find some other thoughts you can practice thinking
How to Make Weight Loss Fun
For those losing weight, you can finally cue the confetti and pop the champagne only when you hit our goal weight. Right? But does it have to be that way? Can weight loss be fun even before you hit your goal weight? The answer is absolutely YES! Weight loss doesn’t have to be a boring chore. It can be fun and exciting! Here are some ways to make weight loss fun: Simply decide that weight loss is FUN Start now and decide that weight loss is FUN. If you think weight loss is hard, then your brain will go out and find all the evidence for you that weight loss is hard. Have you ever bought a new red car and then you hit the road and it seems like everyone and their mother owns a red car just like yours? Your brain uses the reticular activating system to filter unimportant information out and only focus on the stuff that matters (like the car you just bought so the brain filters out all the other cars and focuses on the ones just like yours). But how does your brain determine what’s important? By the thoughts you think. Your thoughts are literally the instruction manual for your brain. So if you tell your brain that weight loss is a struggle and is hard, then it will ignore any evidence that weight loss is easy or fun. It will focus only on the evidence that it is a struggle and is hard. So decide on some thoughts you want to think about weight loss being fun and practice them daily. Here are a few ideas that I use: “I enjoy moving my body intentionally every day” “I feel light and energetic when I choose nutritious foods” “I blow my own mind when I see how easily I resist urges and temptations” Create ways to celebrate making good decisions Going from 250 pounds to 150 pounds requires making different decisions. Humans don’t like change especially doing less of what feels good (you know, like eating less of delicious foods). So to make those hard decisions more appealing, you have to make them feel good by celebrating the hell out of them! Seriously, every small decision that you make should be celebrated so your brain looks back on that decision and wants to do it again. The brain loves to avoid pain and seek pleasure. If all you are feeling on your weight loss journey is pain of moving your body and deprivation from not eating the foods you love, it simply will not work. You have to create pleasure throughout the process so the brain will start craving those new choices. Here are some examples: After a hard workout, pump your fists in the air and shout “I’m a champion! I’m amazing!” Use a habit tracker and put cute stickers for each task you accomplish Put a dollar into a jar every time you pass on dessert and then buy yourself something nice with that money Buy the cute clothes NOW I remember when my size 18’s were getting tight, I vowed that I wouldn’t buy myself any new clothes until I lost some weight. I was hoping that the allure of new clothing would make me more committed to working out and eating better. Instead it just made me feel more uncomfortable and sad. It was a constant reminder of how I hadn’t lost any weight yet and the shame I felt about my size. Don’t wait until you are at goal weight to buy clothing you really love. When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you make good decisions. I have never found myself eating a bowl of ice cream because I felt amazing in the clothes I was wearing. But when I feel fat and frumpy, I spiral into “what does it matter” thinking and serve myself a heaping bowl of Ben and Jerry’s to console myself. The body you have now is the body you will have when you lose the weight albeit smaller. It deserves your love, admiration and cute clothing now, not later. The more you love your body now and celebrate with clothing you love by wearing things that look and feel good on you, the more you will want to continue on the path towards your health goal. Make a weight loss bucket list Weight loss isn’t rocket science. Once you figure out what works for your body it simply becomes a game of consistency until you reach your goal. Make weight loss more interesting and give yourself other goals to look forward to along the way by making a weight loss bucket list. A weight loss bucket list can include a variety of things such as workouts, new foods, personal records, and experiences. For myself, I want to do at least one unassisted pull up, try Cross Fit, incorporate more vegan dishes into my meals, take swimming lessons and complete a 5k in under 30 minutes. Don’t include anything you think you “should” do. These bucket list items should purely be something that would be fun to try or will give you satisfaction. Create Reward System How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. When I decided that I was going to lose 100 pounds that goal seemed really, really overwhelming. It’s a lot easier for my brain to believe I could lose 10 pounds (heck, I have done that at least thirty times in my lifetime). So I broke my weight loss into smaller 10-pound goals. Then decided on rewards for each ten pounds lost. I even made a chart I could check off a box for each pound lost and see how close I was getting to my next reward. Some examples for rewards include: New clothes (hello, Stitch Fix boxes!) Manicure and pedicure Workout equipment New jewelry Hair cut and color So friends, find a way to celebrate your hard work and