People in America must love diets. In 2010, they forked over an estimated $61 billion (marketdata. com) on weight loss programs and products. Yet if you ask anyone whether they have been on a diet, or are on one now, you get a begrudging response filled with spittle and venom.
That's quite the paradox, don't you think? Spending all that money on something we hate doing. But the allure of looking like Jennifer Aniston (or insert the name of any celeb of your choosing here) is too great.
We convince ourselves that if we just tried this workout tool, this diet, or
this special drink, we can look just like her. She's only human, right? If Jen can look like that, why can't the rest of us? Other than the obvious reasons - she comes from a completely different gene pool than the rest of us, she (and I'm making an educated guess here) works her ass off and she constantly watches what she puts in her mouth. Trust me, any celeb who claims they got their goddess-like physique from the odd hike or yoga class is lying.
Toned bodies come at a cost.
Having been a personal trainer for 20 years now, as well as the co-creator to two amazing online Go Fit Gals plans, I know that clients and members that see results are the ones who start out strong and stay strong throughout the entire program.
The successful "losers" are the people who have made up their minds that they are going to finally lose the weight, and won't accept anything less until they do.
Where the problem lies in that a lot of us start out with a bang and then, when our guard is down, we start compromising the program and playing around with the rules.
Because that's what we have a habit of doing, isn't it? Justifying the reasons why we should cut that particular rule out (What do you mean no alcohol?), or inability to eat that particular food (What do you mean no potato chips?), and we slowly creep them back into our diet. Until, lo and behold, we are off the bandwagon completely and no longer committed.
I'm not suggesting every person out there that has started a plan has done that. There are many successful "losers" out there. However, with obesity and overweight rates now hovering at 50 per cent of our population, I would have to say there are us starting plans than maintaining them. More of us are proclaiming, "To hell with the plan, I'll start Monday," instead of embracing change today and sticking to it.
If you find yourself saying, "I'll start Monday," I suggest you start today instead and use these tips to help you succeed:
Don't starve yourself. Yes, you could start out a bit hungry, but you shouldn't be so ravenous that when supper comes you say, "To hell with this, give me a fork".
Start slow. Allow some time for your body to adjust to your new habits - because that's what these are, new habits. This is not a means to an end to lose weight. You are not going to apply all these healthy habits and then go back to how you ate before you lost the weight. That will only make you a chronic dieter, losing the same 10 pounds over and over.
Eat nutrient dense foods. Throw away the 100-calorie snack packs and eat food that is as close to nature as possible. These types of foods are filled with nutrients the body needs and wants - it just may not know it yet.
Pump iron. Lifting weights is the key to a successful weight loss program. By increasing your lean muscle mass, you increase your ability to burn calories throughout the day,
making you a better fatburning machine.
Sleep. All of our hormones relating to telling the stomach when it is hungry and when it is full are grossly affected by sleep, lack thereof.
Eat protein for breakfast. Study after study has proven a breakfast that is protein-rich will satisfy you for longer, thereby ensuring you snack less throughout the day.
Have a plan. Like I mentioned earlier, you need a plan. You need one that is nutritionally sound, one you can trust will work and one that includes the right combination and intensity of exercise - because you need both to see success the scale.
P.J. Wren is a local personal trainer who is the fitness half of the Go Fit Gals team www.gofitgals.com. You can also tune in for popular 30-minute fitness program Fitness with PJ Delta TV.
