Weight Loss Challenge

Knowing your WHY is a critical part of successful weight loss.  Not knowing is also a big reason for yo yo dieting and not sticking to a plan.  Do you want to lose because you want to fit into something special, because you want to avoid certain health conditions or get off meds you are on now, because you bought a sports car and couldn’t fit into it (true story).  Whatever it is, it has to be enough to keep you motivated and you have to keep focused on it.  Write it down and post it all over your house to help keep focused.In the beginning you may feel charged up and that is great!  Losing weight in a healthy way and keeping it off is a process and it will take time.  Having your WHY in front of you will get you through the times when you think you want to give up. Getting a weight loss coach is always a good idea to help through those times too.  A weight loss buddy is another great idea.  Together you can look for free weight loss plans or weight loss tips online or at the library and share them with each other.

Keeping track of your accomplishements is also very motivating.  Take before pictures and take your measurements when you get started and focus on every success everyday.  When you hit a rough spot, focus on what you already accomplished and pick yourself up to keep going.  Keeping an old photo of a time when you were at your ideal weight in front of you is a great idea too.  If you have always struggled with your weight-no problem- cut out a picture of a realistic body from a magazine and put your head on it instead.  I don’t mean a super model body, unless that is what you want, but something to envision.  This may sound crazy, but it really works.  I personally keep the picture of me at my ideal weight on my fridge next to my kids pictures because it tied it all together.  My WHY is my kids- to be as healthy as I can be for them and be around as long as possible to enjoy life together. Having the pictures on the fridge reminded me every time I went in there to make good choices.

Throw open the windows, air out that mattress, shake out those rugs, it’s Spring Cleaning Time!!  We all enjoy the first beautiful days of Spring.  It is not just a time to spring clean your house, but yourself as well.

“Unhealthy nutritional habits and environmental factors may reduce your elimination process and toxic accumulation can occur.  Because the colon is the digestive system’s key organ of elimination, when it is impaired it can affect proper colonic functioning.”
                                                                                                                                              —–Herbalife Medical Advisory Board—–

According to Balch and Balch (Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 3rd ed., 2000): “retained debris in the colon leads to the absorption of toxins, resulting in systemic intoxication (poisoning). Symptoms of this condition can include mental confusion, depression, irritability, fatigue, gastrointestinal irregularities, and even allergic reactions such as hives, sneezing and coughing.  Many nutritionists and researchers believe that this toxicity can eventually lead to more serious disorders.  Colon cleansing can rid the colon of debris, and help prevent and treat a variety of health problems.”

Herbalife’s 21 day cleanse is a great cleansing program  that will naturally and gently cleanse the digestive system.  A vivid example of how it works is when a woman started the program and started to have white bowel movements, she asked her doctor about it and the doctor asked when the last barium drink she had for digestive testing.  It was 10 years prior- that barium sat in her system for all those years.  Other toxins in our foods, the air, water… sit in there as well, they may not have a vividly different color, but none the less they are there.

Not only is cleansing a good practice for toxins, but it can also help jumpstart weight loss or break a plateau if you have been losing and stop.  A quality weight loss program will include a quality cleanse.

I joined a weight loss challenge online and not only got incredible support to help me lose weight, but I found out about some amazing products!  These products are from Herbalife and they have changed my life!!  With my many years of weight trouble I was at the end of my rope and started thinking I would never lose it.  I was very worried about my health and being around for my kids and grandkids.  My personal weightloss coach taught me how to make better choices everyday.  She taught me the importance of protein in every meal and snack, drinking plenty of water and cutting back on carbs and sweets.  The products she suggested are the Herbalife Shapework products and they completely satified my hunger and gave me the control I needed to stick to it.  I was able to eat and then not think about food all day long, because I wasn’t hungry.  I also felt more energy and an overall sense of well being.I am passionate about this and want to spread the word if you are struggling with weight loss, this works and it is the healthiest way I know to do it.

Here are some ways it can!

1. Exercise in short, intense bursts (interval training) for effective fat burning after exercise
2. Increase the amount of resistance/strength/weight training you do , to build more lean muscle.  Muscle is “metabolically active” and burns more calories than other body tissue even when your are not moving.
3. Make sure you have a balanced diet with lean protein every meal and snack, complex carbs, fruits & veggies and half your body weight in ounces of H2O.  Protein helps to build that lean muscle.

Varying your exercise is the most effective and efficient way to stay lean and healthy.  You must do some longer exercise to build cardiovasacular endurance, burn lots of calories, and yes, even burn fat during exercies- your body will not click in to “save” mode unless you exercies for long periods of time, regularly and often. 

You must do resistance training in order to build muscle and strong bones.

Nobody wants to exercise more - and we don’t want to train our bodies to need more exercise to stay fit.  So exercise efficiently- two short, very intense (relative to your level of fitness) training sessions weekly, like a 15 minute fast run/walk or fast cycling sprint intervals, and - two moderately long, moderately intense sessions (30-45 minutes) of strong walking, cycling, or yoga, - with one long day (60-90 minutes) of a moderately paced walk/hike.  THat’s a great five-day/week training schedule.

Eat moderately- stop counting fat grams and calories and look at how much food is on your plate.  Eat more nutritiously by eating foods that are natural and unprocessed.  Keep a daily food log to help keep you honest.  I am the first one to admit how easy it was for me to justify some of what I was eating or “forget” other things before I lost 40lbs in 3 months!

A University of Chicago study showed that men who slept only 4 hours a night had cortisol levels 37 percent higher than men who got a full 8 hours.  Men who stayed awake the whole night had levels 45 percent higher than the well-rested guys.  And remember, increased cortisol equals more fat stored in your belly.  Another study tracked the work habits and weights of nearly 1,800 men over a 12- month period and found that those who regularly logged late hours were 36 percent more likely to tip the scales at above -normal weights than the 9-5ers.That is another reason why letting go of stress is an important step toward letting go of pounds.  Another University of Chicago study showed that men who were relaxed enough to get deep, quality sleep secreted almost 65 percent more human growth hormone (HGH) than men who didn’t fall into deep sleep.  Why is HGH important?  It helps prevent the loss of muscle mass that can be caused my corisol.  Muscle mass helps you burn calories and maintain a constantly burning metabolism.

An excerpt from an article seen in Women’s Health
by David Zinczenko, Men’s Health

This is one article that helped me with my self motivation to lose weight.  I hope it helps you too

This subject is important for me to spread the word about because it effects so many people of all ages and we can do something about it.  This information came from some nutrition lesson plans I received from my personal weight loss coach when I decided to take my health into my own hands.Sugar…

1. can cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease
2. can impair the structure of your DNA
3. can change the structure of protein and cause a permanent alteration of the way the proteins act in your body
4. can make your skin age by changing the structure of collagen
5. can cause cataracts and nearsightedness
6. can cause emphysema
7. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in your body
8. lowers the ability of enzymes to function
9. intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease
10. can increase the size of your liver by making your liver cells divide and it can increase the amount of liver fat

An important note on sugar is that many other things besides the typical baked goods, candy and soda turn to sugar in our bodies.  Alcohol, breads, pasta all contibute to our overall sugar level.  So even if you don’t eat a lot of sweets, but do consume these products- you may be getting too much sugar.

I am so excited to tell the world how I finally lost weight after 8 years of trying.  After my 2nd child was born, I just couldn’t get the wieght off, no matter what I tried.  I was starting to think I had to learn to accept it  even though I was only 35 and feeling tired and achy all the time.  My dad actually gave me a call about some products he started using and his success losing some of the weight he had put on after quitting smoking.  He sent me some of those Herbalife products and I was on my way.  I knew I had to taste them to know if they even had a chance.  Well, they are delicious!  My dad and I continued using the products and in 3 months we both lost 35lbs! We also got a ton more energy, my dad got taken off diabetes medicine and I got taken off anti-depressants.  It has been 3 years and we have kept it off!  I love Herbalife!

While I was getting started on the products and losing the weight, my personal weight loss coach helped me every step of the way.  She sent me a printable food log, gave me nutritional information and helped me focus on my weight loss goals.  I can’t tell you how thankful I am to have found Herbalife and my incredible coach!

To continue with the ways sugar can ruin your health…

Sugar…

1. can contribute to osteoporosis
2. cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity thereby causing abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes
3. can lower your vitamin E levels
4. can increase your systolic blood pressure
5. can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children
6. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs) ( Sugar milecules attaching to and thereby damaging proteins in the body)
7. can interfere with your absorption of protein
8. Causes food allergies
9. can cause toxemia during pregnancy
10. can contribute to eczema in children

Getting this information as well as some helpful weight loss tips myself made a tremendous difference in how I saw my responsibility to my own health.  I decided to take it into my own hands and become healthier.  Many of the visits to doctors and hospitals and even many deaths can be avoided with better nutrition. I hope this helps someone out there too.

I participated in an online weight loss challenge like this one that is about to start.  I lost 35lbs and gained a ton of energy!  I feel great!  This is a great way to get the support and nutritional information you need to lose weight in a healthy way and keep it off once and for all.  I encourage you to take a look and join.  Each week, I got information about nutrition and the choices I make every day, including when going out to eat!  I also came in 2nd place and won $250!!!!  The challenge only cost me $29- what a deal that was

Anti-aging is not only about looking better as we age, but being healthier and in some cases avoiding diseases.  Nutrition and Excercise are 2 very important components to looking and feeling younger.  A daily food log is a good idea to keep, it will help keep you accountable as far as what you are putting in your body.  Keeping a healthy weight is key as well.  If you need to lose some weight, finding a program that works and that can easily be maintained as you change your lifestyle overall is critical.  Weight loss programs that help you lose with no way to maintain can be more dangerous because they can cause drastic ups and downs in your weight and may ultimately cause you to gain even more.

EXERCISE: This is one of the most important things you can do for your health.  Keeping your body in good shape helps to prevent many diseases and disabilities and may also significantly slow down the aging process.  Exercies strengthens the heart muscle, lowers blood pressure, and helps to maintain weight.  Exercise also strengthens your bones, and reduces the chances of getting osteoporosis.  It also builds endurance, flexibility, and boosts your metabolism.  There are many simple and effective workouts like walking, jogging, biking, and even dancing.  Effective strength training can be done with the use of light weights a few times a week.

NUTRITION: The best anti-aging diet is one that is high in antioxidants and low in sugars, fats, and artificial ingredients or other additives.  Getting the proper balance of lean protein, good fats, complex carbohydrates and lots of fruits and vegetables is key to great nutrition.