Drop the Pounds Safely!

I am so excited! I received an overwhelming response to my latest survey (if you haven't taken it yet, please feel free to do so at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RCCN8LG), so I am going to take the time to address each of your concerns. Please don't feel like I've forgotten you if you don't see information about your concern soon - I just haven't made it down to yours yet.

If it matters to you and you are needing help with it, it matters to me!!

A large number of you wanted to know how to remove a certain amount of pounds from your body frame. I will tell you that it's not easy. Dropping weight is going to take persistence and patience with yourself, but you definitely can do it - and with me as your coach, you WILL do it. It took me 10 months, working out with Shaun T. six days a week, and learning how to eat better to reach my goal weight. There were days that I told myself that it wasn't worth all this. There were days I fell victim to my sweet tooth and ate a piece of cake and ice cream or enjoyed a Krispy Kreme doughnut. But on the days that I ate better and worked out, I had a bunch more energy, I slept better, and I felt changes happening in my body before I saw them on the outside.

So, how do you drop the pounds safely?

1) Figure out how much weight you want to remove and write it down. Most of you gave me your specific numbers. If you can lose at least 10% of your body weight, you will reduce your risk of many diseases like heart disease and diabetes, and lessen the chances that you will have a stroke or heart attack. Take your weight and divide it by 10 to find out how much that is for you. Write it down somewhere that you can see it every day. One of my friends and fellow Beachbody coaches wrote his weight loss goal on a white board in his workout area in the garage. Another lady put her number on her refrigerator, bathroom mirror, bedroom mirror, and on the door leading out to her car in the garage.

2) Set a weekly goal of 1 - 2 pounds weight loss. To lose one pound in a week, you will have to remove 3500 calories either by working out or by eating less. That's 500 calories at the least you would have to remove each day between your workouts and your nutrition. You can sweat those calories off by walking during your day, doing your fitness program that you purchased, swimming in the pool, playing kickball or frisbee outside with the family (if it's not too hot - like 96 in Birmingham tomorrow), using weights or resistance bands to define your muscles, setting a timer for 2 - 5 minutes and doing pushups, squats, lunges, or jumping jacks, riding a bike around the block or in the park, dancing around the house to some upbeat music...the possibilities are endless. You can also cut back on calories by decreasing your intake of fried foods, white flour/white sugar/white pasta products, and processed meals, increasing your intake of high density, lower calorie foods like vegetables and fruits, and healthy whole grains like oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, and whole wheat breads/pastas, and drinking water instead of sugary sodas or sweet tea.

3) Use WOWY tools to keep you on track. There are some excellent resources available to you when you log in to WOWY (the virtual supergym). Free members can take advantage of the fitness and nutrition tips and tools, write their own weight loss blog and keep track of their progress with updated statistics and photos, connect with other fitness-minded and inspirational people on the message boards, watch some of the free videos and read articles from trainers like Chalene Johnson, Kathy Smith, Shaun T, Debbie Siebers, Brett Hoebel, and Tony Horton, and enter the daily WOWY supergym contest (Notice: For the month of July only, the cash prize for working out in WOWY has been increased from $300.00 to $600.00! For me, that's a few new outfits - how about for you?). Club members receive all of this, PLUS access to the meal planner tool, VIP access to the trainers and special videos created just for you. I love all of the tools that Beachbody provides, and I know they were critical in helping me to drop the pounds.

4) Do NOT weigh yourself more than once a week! Weight fluctuates up and down during the week, so if you weigh every day you may become discouraged if you have gained several ounces or you have lost nothing at all. Once a week in the mornings is a great time to weigh in. I usually weigh in on Mondays after my shower and before I have breakfast. If you get this done first thing, then do not have to worry about being too busy. Some of the fitness programs have you weigh in once a month to really motivate you to continue. Take your number that you wrote down in #1 and scratch a line through it, then subtract what you have lost from that number and write down this new number for yourself. Each week, you will reduce your goal number and soon you will be at 0!!

5) Never give up on yourself! Everyone's body is different and we should not be frustrated when we do not see the same results as someone else. It took me ten months to do it. Person X lost all their weight in three months, and person Y took over a year and a half to drop the pounds. It's OKAY! If I (or person Y) had gotten upset that we did not lose the weight as quick as person X, then we would not see results. I would not be where I am now. Honestly thinking about it, I probably would be worse - on multiple medications that I could not afford and tiring out after simple tasks. You have to think about YOUR GOAL, focus on YOUR ACTIONS, celebrate YOUR RESULTS, and then challenge yourself all over again! Also, please don't beat yourself up over mistakes or days when you don't get a chance to work out or eat healthy foods. If God blesses you with another day, then you can start fresh on your goals.

Will you do me a favor? I want you to take 15 minutes and think about where you may end up if you do not lose the weight. Think about how it will affect you, your family members, and that secret "bucket list" in your journal. I really want you to feel the pain that you could possibly experience if you DON'T make it.

Now, does the pain of NOT doing it help you realize how important your goal is to you and to those who love you? If so, what are you waiting for?

Take action on the tips above - starting today - and CHOOSE TO LIVE HEALTHY!

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