Are You Serious?

With my own challenges of weight gain and weight loss, this is a subject that is close to my heart!

Many times I hear people say (or have said myself), "I am watching what I eat and I'm exercising, but the weight just isn't coming off!" This is said with frustration and discouragement, especially when you think you are doing it all correctly and are not seeing results.

I have been struggling with these same thoughts the last two months.  After a period of several  months where I was unable to exercise regularly, weight crept on and before I knew it, I was up 25 pounds. Then things changed and I started back to my regular routine of exercise and expected to see the pounds melt off me immediately. And you know what? That has not happened! And why not? After all, my eating isn't bad, I don't snack all day long, I'm aware of high calorie and high fat foods and choose against those, cook only lean chicken and fish with veggies, so why isn't it happening?

I'll tell you why. Because I have not gotten serious about this weight loss journey like I was when I had 90 pounds to lose. Oh yes, I'm eating decent and I am exercising again on a regular basis. So what is it? What makes one serious?

The answer is being constantly aware and not just thinking you are doing all things correctly, but knowing you are! This comes from having total purpose in everything you do towards losing weight.

Here are a few tips on how you can do that...

• Bite and Write! Keep a food journal of everything you eat. Write down every bite and I mean EVERY bite. Just having an awareness of what you are consuming will reduce calorie intake by as much as 30%. Many times we get busy and throughout the day will grab a bite of this and a bite of that and have no conscious awareness of what we have consumed. Especially if you are one who eats because you enjoy it and not necessarily out of hunger. Which leads me to this...

• Eat only when you are hungry! Do not snack every time you walk into the kitchen or by the table at work that coworkers keep cookies and candies on. You do need to consume something that contains nutrition (no dead calories) approximately every three hours. So have your three nutritious meals a day with a nutritious low calorie snack halfway in between.

• Track your calories! The reality is that weight loss comes down to two things...calories consumed vs calories burned. Bottom line - that is it! No matter what fad diets, diet pill commercials or friends tell you, that is the way God created you. You receive calories in through nutritious foods, these calories spark and maintain your metabolism which in turn burn calories. These calories are what give your body energy to live and if you do not burn off the excess, it is stored as fat. The formula for what I call "Debbi's Law of Weight Loss" is this...C < B = -F, which means Consume Less calories than you Burn and it will equal a decrease in Fat. Bottom Line!

• Have Fun with Exercise! If you find an exercise that you enjoy, then you are more likely to stick with it. It isn't enough to just exercise, you must have fun doing it. If you enjoy it and are having fun, you will work harder,  more consistently and form a habit that will not be broken. There are so many options for great forms of aerobic and strength training available, so don't limit yourself. If running or step classes aren't your thing, get outside of the box and find something you enjoy. Perhaps a rock climbing course or tennis is more your style. Join a swim team or maybe hiking is something  that excites you. The important things are to 1) find something you enjoy and will stick with and 2) stick with it.

For many more tips, suggestions and encouragement in your weight loss journey, order my book, No More Weighting - Thought for the Week. It is full of my own personal tried and true weight loss tips. There is one to focus on each week, as it is laid out in the form of a weekly devotional. I'm going to go pick up mine right now and read it for myself! I need to get serious!

So, if you feel you are doing everything right and you aren't seeing progress, I just have to ask you this question,  " Are you serious?"

Until next time...

Let Your Light Shine,

Debbi