Weight Loss

So some people have asked me what my secret is to losing weight. I haven't really thought too much about it until now and I guess I do kind of have somewhat of a philosophy on it. I learned a lot while I was a weight loss coach with Herbalife Intl. so I guess that those experiences are part of what I think now. A lot of people have their own system that works, high protein diets, no or low carb, avoiding certain evil foods like cheese or eggs yolks, starvation, haha etc. Anyway this is what I think.

So First off I would say, if you are trying to lose weight, you will need to drink lots of water. I know this is always what you hear and after a while you can't force yourself to drink because you just don't feel thirsty. But when it comes to water, your body is like a sponge. And if anyone has seen a used sponge sitting in the closet that has been dried out, it gets super hard and when you run it under water, it takes a while to absorb water again.

So when you start drinking water, your body will kind of reject it at first and you will have to pee a lot until your body will start absorbing it and using it to work with your system again.

I have a 32 oz. nalgene water bottle with a screw-on lid that I carry with me always. It's easy to remember to drink water when I always have it. Even if you are not trying to lose weight, water helps flush bad toxins out of your body, keeps your muscles working properly and is just good for you!

Ok 2nd thing is you've got to have a big motivation, sometimes just feeling icky and annoyed that you can't fit into your clothes is enough, but other times you need more, maybe a deadline, I don't know maybe some pictures of you at your ideal weight or something you want to wear once you've lost weight.

Next thing I do is create a space in the fridge or pantry thats yours, with snacks and things that are good for you and will help you achieve your goal. The idea is to avoid grabbing cookies or a handful of chocolate chips or whatever your weakness is when you are trying to lose weight, cause everybody knows those aren't good dieting foods. Some snacks I like to keep around are protein bars, shakes (watch out for ones that are high in sugar though, some have like 15 g. of sugar and that's the equivalent of a Reece's p.b. cup), sugar snap peas, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, celery, some people have a thing against cheese, but I always like to put string cheese or low-fat yogurt in the mix. These are just some Ideas, but generally you'll want to find snacks that are low in sugar and calories. Veggies and fruits are really the best but sometimes your body want more substance, so it's always good to have some other things in the mix.

So generally I keep my meals during the day pretty light, like for breakfast I'll have 2 scrambled eggs and a cup of veggie juice (a juicer is a great thing to have, but pricey) and sometimes a piece of wheat toast if I'm still hungry. Or I'd have a protein shake instead if that was easier at the time. Lunch would be maybe 1/2 sandwich on whole wheat bread and some baby carrots maybe or some cooked brown rice with veggies. My meals are generally around 300 calories, I'm not a big calorie counter since I am more into the nutrition coming from the food vs. the numbers on the label. Anyway but I do have an iphone app that tells me what my meals are ending up to be, calorie wise.

So in-between those meals, it's ok to be a little hungry and keep drinking water when you feel that way, but you don't want to get so hungry that by dinner and the end of the day you undo everything you worked on during the day. So that's when the healthy snacks come in. If you are feeling shaky or just super hungry, give your body what it needs, a little more food and nutrition. And if your keeping good choices of snacks on hand it will be easy to keep on track even during snacky times.

Dinner for me is pretty regular, I like to eat with the family, so I don't do anything separate or special at dinner other than watching how much I give myself. You don't have to eat like a bird but just be aware of your portions. I also try to slow down, the slower you eat, the more time your body has time to recognize the feeling of satisfaction and allows you to recognize a little sooner when you are not hungry anymore. You don't need to eat until you are full! Just till you are not hungry anymore.

So that's is pretty much it, after dinner I don't eat! Keep in mind you will have family things going on, game nights with friends, whatever that might change your routine a little, but that's ok, I just always try to keep in my mind the idea that I worked too hard all day to be careful to undue it all, so I have fun having some goodies but don't go overboard.

Sometimes when you start trying to cut out late-night eating, you think you are going to starve! But if you are hungry, drink more water, if you are still feeling hungry go to bed! Sleep does wonders for losing weight, especially for women. Sleep deprivation only causes stress and stress usually leads to hormone imbalance and unwanted stress-eating. And after a few days, your body's metabolism will adjust to the point that you won't feel hungry at all after a certain time.

Well that was the longest post ever! I didn't even realize I had all that in me! All I know is everyone has their own philosophy on what works, so I'm not saying all the information I gave is the current trend or whatever but it has really worked for me and all the people I helped in Herbalife (although in Herbalife you just have protein meals during the day). This last time I wanted to lose weight after having Chase I was able to reach my goal and lose 25 lbs in just a couple of months and that was a great feeling!

Best luck to everyone and feel free to comment or ask questions, I like helping!