Are You Committed?

As I write this, I am nearing the end of my personal weight-loss journey. But I'm only beginning the journey of staying fit, which is a trip that will take the rest of my life.

 

Also, as I write this, some of you reading this have already given up. You meant well... you were serious. THIS was going to be your time. THIS time was going to be different...

 

But here you are again. And not feeling good about it.

 

Let me just take a minute to try and encourage you to get back on your plan. If you did it for a week, you can do it for another week. If you did it for a month, you can do it for another month. I read a good quote last month - it was something to the effect of, if you are doing the best you can, then you can't try any harder. What you CAN do is try different.

 

You can also ask for help. I have learned that even the most brilliant plan loses its effectiveness once your body has gotten used to it, and then you have to make changes. During the past 6 months I've been on plans that included all the food groups; plans of nothing but protein; plans of nothing but dairy and poultry; plans of nothing but vegetables and fruits; and at times, nothing but yogurt and a little fruit. Some of you did your plan the first week, and lost 4 or 5 (or more) pounds; then it slacked off to a pound, or maybe a little gain... but instead of, to use an analogy, going looking for another axehead, you kept swinging with just the handle, and then wondered why you couldn't chop down the next tree.

 

If you've quit, or just fudged a little, please consider getting back on track. I know I've not sent out a lot lately, but you have to understand that the things that I wrote in the first 5 or 6 weeks are the exact same things that I'm having to do right here at the end of my journey - starches, sugar, salt are still the enemies; lean protein, dairy, and vegetables are still the things to eat; water and exercise are still the catalysts for change. There's not much more to it than that.

 

Please feel free to contact me at any time... I did not do this to keep all this knowledge to myself. God has put me in this place in my life to be a blessing to others, and I welcome the chance to help you.

Some Random Tips...

We got these tips at one of our recent ABL meetings, and I'm just passing them along. They are in no particular order - some are diet related, some are supplement related, some are exercise related. Hopefully you can find something that will be of help to you!

 

* Green tea - you can drink it (2-8 cups per day), or you can take the green tea extract in capsule form. One cup of green tea can burn an additional 80 calories per day.

 

* Lemon juice - the juice of one lemon in 8 oz. of warm water first thing in the morning will help get rid of excess water.

 

* While losing, limit your fruit selections to apples, berries (strawberries, blueberries), and grapefruit. Stay away from citrus fruits, bananas, pineapple, and watermelon because of high sugar content.

 

* Bread, potatoes, cereal, and crackers are a no-no. As little as one piece of whole wheat bread can derail your diet, depending on how sensitive your body is to carbohydrates.

 

* Drink water (preferably cold) 30 minutes before meals. The liver converts stored fat to energy, but if you are dehydrated, the liver will abandon that job in order to help the kidneys. Dehydration = lower kidney function = increased liver involvement in waste processing = less fat burned. (FYI, alcoholic beverages do the same thing - pull the liver off its primary task. If the liver is busy processing alcohol, it will NOT metabolize fat.

 

* Cardio exercise is most effective first thing in the morning, before you eat your first meal. You will begin burning fat right away.

 

* There's a reason for all the 'grapefruit' diets - grapefruit does aid in weight loss. It helps lower insulin in the body, which makes you feel less hungry; lowered insulin level is also an aid to breaking down stored fat.