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
How to make weight loss easier
Who wants weight loss to feel easier? All of us. When you think of weight loss, do you envision calorie counting and working out for hours at a time? Maybe it’s cleaning out the pantry and swearing off your favorite foods? For so many of us, weight loss is a nasty list of to-do’s that feels hard. And when weight loss feels hard we convince ourselves that we need something magical like motivation or a special Monday to get started on it. But weight loss doesn’t have to be hard. Weight loss can feel a whole lot easier in just a few steps. Quit calling it hard Weight loss will feel infinitely easier if you stop calling it hard. Now before you write this off as ineffective, hear me out. Your brain has an amazing thing call the Reticular Activating System (RAS). The RAS filters the information that comes through our brain as important or unimportant. So in a busy restaurant, it filters out all the conversations around you until you hear someone shout your name, then you turn and pay attention. The RAS is tuned into your name as an important piece of information so it can pick it out of a noisy restaurant. When you tell yourself over and over that weight loss is so hard, your RAS takes that as important information and goes to look for the supporting evidence that losing weight is hard. For instance, it will key in on how much you sweat during a workout or how deprived you feel when you can’t have a brownie. You think weight loss is hard and your RAS finds all of the evidence of hard for you. If you quit saying weight loss is hard, your RAS will stop looking for all the evidence that weight loss is hard. Start calling it easy The next step in making weight loss feel easier is to call it easy. Hold on…I can hear you now….. but it’s not easy! Ok. But are some parts of it easy? Be sure to point that out to yourself. Even if it is just filling up your water bottle, remind yourself that was easy. Driving to the gym? That was easy. Maybe you completed a workout and it didn’t kill you like you thought it would, tell yourself “That was easier than I thought it would be.” Give your RAS the challenge of finding easy things about weight loss and pretty soon you’ll be feeling that weight loss doesn’t feel as hard as it did before. Make it enjoyable Typically the things you enjoy in life are things you want to do more often. Enjoyable tasks are not difficult or hard. What can you do to make weight loss more enjoyable? Start thinking outside of the box. Weight loss doesn’t have to be cutting carbs and running long distances. Think about what you really enjoy eating and drinking. Is there a way to modify them to make them healthier? What exciting, healthier recipes are out there just waiting for you to try them? Another sure fire way to make weight loss feel easier is only moving your body in ways you actually enjoy. Running or the stair machine are not your only options. There are literally thousands of options out there. Walking, chair yoga, Zumba, water aerobics, pole dancing or Tai Chi to name a few. There are different speeds and flavors for everyone. When movement is enjoyable, it makes weight loss feel easier and you’re more likely to stick with it. Need more ideas? Check out this blog post. Recognize your accomplishment I find it so much easier to do things for my family when they give me a quick Thank You for my efforts. When was the last time you thanked yourself for making healthy choices? We all want to feel like what we do matters. Recognition does a long way in increasing the chance we repeat that action. Have you ever thought about why you can’t stop yourself from reaching for the potato chips or the chocolate? It’s because it feels good! They are tasty, the experience of eating it is fun and afterwards we get a dopamine hit. When you are losing weight we often have to resist those foods that we love and are so fun to eat. And what’s the reward?? Getting to resist it the next time we want it too. Giving yourself recognition when you make a healthy choice is paramount to making weight loss feel easier. When you recognize your efforts and give yourself a pat on the back, you want to do more of that activity in the future. And don’t just stop at the proverbial pat on the back. Find other ways to recognize yourself. Plan for rewards after a certain number of workouts completed or pounds lost. Give yourself a high five in a mirror and say “I’m proud of me!” So give yourself a Thank You. Even if it was just for reading this blog post and opening your mind to the possibility that weight loss can be easier. 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
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
Nine lessons learned from losing 90 pounds
When you lose over 90 pounds, the process will change you. You learn things about yourself, see yourself in a new light and even evolve into a better version of yourself (and not just because you lost a ton of weight). I’m going to share with you nine lessons I have learned on my journey to losing over 90 pounds in hopes that they can help you on your journey. I enjoy sweets and treats more the less I eat them On my journey, I didn’t restrict any types of foods, including sweets. In fact, at the beginning I was eating sweets multiple times a day. Eventually I began to focus on foods that really gave me sustained energy and the sweets became less of my daily routine. And you know what? Creating more space and time between the sweets really allowed me to create desire and anticipation for the treat. I savored them more and they were much more enjoyable when they were just a standard part of my day. Emotional eating comes in many forms I was aware that I was an emotional eater but as I began to check in with myself more regularly before eating, I realized I was emotionally eating ALL. THE. TIME. If I was stressed about the kids being crazy kids, let’s look for some relief in the pantry. Work task that I didn’t want to start? Hmm…. maybe I should grab a snack before I get started. Bored? Let’s eat. Tired? A quick bite might energize me. If I was having a disagreement with my husband, I’ll show him by eating the last of the cookies! Feeling proud of my kids school performance? Let’s get ice cream! Becoming aware of all the times I was eating when I wasn’t truly hungry helped me figure out the real solutions for those problems. Now I take a power nap if I’m tired or go to my room for a quick breather when they kids are being crazy. Solving for the true problem allows me to feel better while also losing weight in an enjoyable way. It was time to parent myself My high weight of 250 pounds came from a lot of emotional eating and a side of “I don’t wanna.” I didn’t want to deal with my emotions. Eating fresh fruits and veggies didn’t sound fun. 11,000 steps each day sounded hard. I didn’t want to stick to a food plan. I basically conditioned myself to be a big baby whose brain would throw a fit at the thought of what it would take to get healthier and lose weight. I wanted pleasure and I wanted it NOW. I realized that many of the things I was allowing myself to do (like eat entire boxes of cookies or sit on the couch all day) were things I would never let my kids do. I know that moving your body, getting sunshine and eating a well balanced diet is key to good mental and physical health. Somehow I had convinced myself that because I already KNOW these things that meant I could be exempt from actually doing them. Not only was living my life that way taking a toll on my body but I was increasing mom guilt as I knew I wasn’t practicing what I was preaching to my kiddos. So I started to parent myself. I would acknowledge that I was making changes and that changes are often uncomfortable. That’s OK. It wasn’t going to kill me. In fact the more I practiced this new way of living, the more I would become comfortable with it and even appreciate it. I also made an agreement with myself that just because “I didn’t wanna” didn’t make that a valid excuse for not doing something. Logically I knew these actions were all what was best for me and I could do them even if “I didn’t wanna.” The scale is just one piece of data Yep, it’s been said before and I’m saying it again. The scale is just a number. And it is only one number to consider on your weight loss journey. From the beginning of my weight loss journey, I made sure to track other measurements too. I took body weight measurements, used habit trackers and took progress pictures. These were invaluable as I had weeks were the scale didn’t move (or gasp, went up!). These other measurements helped me stay grounded as I could reflect on the efforts I was putting forth and other changes that my body was making. Other ideas for non-scale measurement are body fat measurements, changes in how much you can lift and cardio endurance. Not sure how to measure cardio endurance? Climb a flight of stairs each month and record how long it takes, how long it takes you to catch your breath and how you feel afterwards. You can also track your mood throughout the process. Every morning record your mood in a journal. Exercise has been proven to elevate your mood so when you start noticing more happy and content days, that’s progress! The only diet drama comes from my own head This lesson took me a little longer to learn. When you are 100 pounds overweight, the beginning of your weight loss journey can be very thrilling. I made very little changes to my diet (I only stopped eating when I had enough, instead of being full) and the weight seemed to fall off. Eventually more changes had to be made to keep losing weight and certainly it was falling off me anymore. Cue the drama! I realized that the weeks where the scale didn’t drop “enough,” stayed the same or went up a bit were really difficult for me. All the sudden my motivation would disappear and I would start questioning if I would ever be able to reach my goal. I knew this was a normal part of the weight loss journey but it felt terrible. So I
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