It’s that time of year again, yes, New Years Resolutions. If you are like most Americans you will be repeating some of the same resolutions as last year.
It’s time to self assess, why do you need to repeat your resolution again? What stopped you from achieving your goal?
If your resolution is health related, its time to stop repeating it.
About 95% of Americans have weight loss or better health as one of their health goals. I am sure that’s not surprising to you.
Almost everyone has some form of health improvement on their list. Losing weight tops the list, shocking right? Why? Because almost 70% of Americans are overweight. Additionally, more than 50% of Americans are suffering from a preventable chronic health condition.
If you are not motivated enough and serious enough about your goal the chances of achieving your goal are slim.
It’s seems around the beginning of March something happens. The wellness warrior becomes the wellness whiner. I notice that the gym has fewer people, the number of people attending my class get smaller and clients and friends begin to avoid me because they don’t want me to know they are off of the new plan. I am glad they feel a sense of accountability to someone. I promise it doesn’t have to be this way.
This year as part of your New Years Resolution make this declaration“ I am sticking to the goals I have set, I will not quit”. If it’s important enough to have it as a goal, its important enough to finish it? Really, doesn’t this make sense? Why put all of this effort into your goals for two or three months and then give up.
I am going to tell you how to keep your weight loss goal going forever. I want you to have what I have. I want you to lose all the extra weight you have gained and keep it off forever.
Most goals are never reached because the goal is not important enough, the goal is unrealistic and there was not enough planning.
The Formula for Success, Reaching Your Health Resolutions
Forget the word “DIET”. Remember the new phrase “LIFE STYLE CHANGE”.
1) Set your date to begin your change, begin the change.
- Circle your date on the calendar.
- Develop positive affirmations to affirm your future success. Place them in your house, car and office. Don’t just read them, you must say them.
- Do a pantry makeover! Get rid of bad foods in your house. Buy healthy foods for meals and snacks. Get rid of the white bread, white rice, cookies, crackers, pastries and cereals. Put some real food in the house.
- If possible, enroll in a nutrition program like my Fat to Fit 12 week program.
2) Tell your friends and family what you are doing. This sets up a level of accountability for you. Ask your friends to support you or even join you in this new lifestyle.
3) Be realistic about your diet and weight loss goals. Set goals for weight loss in 10 pound increments. The first goal is 10 pounds, the second is 10 pounds. Do you get it? This makes the goal very achievable and builds confidence.
4) Calories. If you eat healthy 80% of the time you do not need to count calories. However, this means the majority of your diet is going to be real foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds. If most of your diet is coming from a box or package or made for you at a restaurant you are not eating healthy. The amount of chemicals, fats and sugars in these foods will cause your body to store fat even if you exercise like crazy! However, the only time you need to be aware of calories is to never eat less than 1200 calories per day. Eating less than 1200 calories per day consistently, will cause your metabolism to stall, you will not lose weight and it can cause hormonal imbalances.
5) Understand that to lose weight you must exercise. If you have not exercised in a long time start slowly and consult with your doctor. If you can only walk for 10 minutes, then walk for 10 minutes and work your way up to at least 1 hour. You can even break up the walking and exercising into 20 or 30-minute sections and do them multiple times per day. This actually keeps your metabolism burning fat at a higher rate for more hours in the day. This translates to faster weight loss.
6) Never deprive yourself of any food. If you must have that brownie eat just 1 and be happy. The next time you eat, it should be healthy. If you eat healthy 80% of the time it will allow you to indulge or splurge 20% of the time. This will keep you happy and help you lose weight by not binging.
7) Never beat yourself up for having an unscheduled indulgence. Look at it as a treat because you have done so well. The next time you eat, make healthy choices.
8) Eat a lot of plant foods like vegetables, fruits, lentils, beans and nuts and seeds. Most plant foods are very low in calories and very high in nutrient content. Plant foods also have a plenty of fiber, which is satiating and filling. However, limit your fruits to 3 servings per day. They have a lot of sugar in the form of fructose that can interfere with your weight loss if you eat to much. The best fruits for you are berries, apples, peaches, pears and plums.
9) Every week increase your servings of vegetables. You should set your goal for 7 to 9 servings of vegetables daily, 3 servings of fruits, 3 servings of whole grains (only those listed below), 2 ounces of nuts and seeds, 1 cup of beans or lentils. If eating animal foods in place of beans or lentils you can have 4 ounces of free range organic poultry or 6 ounces of wild caught cold water fish (the best are salmon, cod, halibut, Alaskan whiting, trout, steel head and sardines). Try to buy organic when possible.
10) Limit your grains to whole grains and then even limit those to no more than 4 servings per day. Grains cause cravings and can raise blood sugar levels. The grains being grown today are not the same as they were 100 or more years ago. They have been hybridized to a point that most are highly inflammatory. The best grains to eat are real wild rice or black rice, steel cut oats, buckwheat (it’s not related to wheat) and quinoa. As with all foods choose organic when you can.
Grains that have been ground into a flour are no better for us than table sugar. Think of flour from grains as table sugar. Flour and sugar are a starch and have the same blood sugar effect. Use almond flour and coconut flour in place of grain flours. They have a much lower blood sugar impact and are actually anti-inflammatory!
11) Make sure you drink plenty of water. Water is necessary to breakdown fat and create cellular energy. The general rule is to consume ½ your weight in fluid ounces of water per day. If you weight 150 pounds you would need 75 ounces of fluid per day. If you exercise, are ill or sweat a lot you may need more fluid.
There are two items I use everyday that make this easy for me. First is a product called Vive (rhymes with give) it is a whole food drink mix that I use twice per day. It is the best tasting shake mix out there and is highly nutritious. The next is my NutriBullet blender. Vive is formulated to make the nutrients easier to absorb from the blended foods. Vive makes great smoothies. One of my favorite meal replacement smoothie recipes is:
- 8 ounces unsweetened almond milk
- 4 ounces spring water
- 2 scoops Vive Energy Spice
- 1 large handful organic spinach or broccoli florets
- 1 cup strawberries or blueberries
- handful (about 1/4 cup) raw pumpkin seeds or walnuts
- 1/2 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (you may like less if you are heat sensitive)
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
I want you to have great success and I do not want weight loss to be on your list next year. So, please start planning, get excited about the new body you are going to have, the new health you are going to enjoy, the new clothes you get to buy!
It’s simple; plan, execute, do it, lose it, and keep it off by continuing to live a lifestyle of wellness and health.
Healthy Wishes for a new year!
Wally Bishop C.N.C.
The contents of this blog is not and should not be considered medical advice. This blog is for informational purposes only. Always consult with your doctor before making any dietary or lifestyle changes. Never quit taking prescription medications unless advised to do so by your doctor.
