WeighLess Habits

The Biggest Small Change that Can Help You Lose Weight and Feel Better Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, wrote "walking is a man's best medicine". Walking is a basic part of our human experience but with our busy lives and all of our modern conveniences not many of us take the time to do much of it. We spend our days driving from one place to another, looking for the closest parking spots and taking the elevators not the stairs. We get home from our busy, stressful days to make dinner and settle in front of the T.V. or computer. We mindlessly pass the time for the rest of the evening flipping through the channels or scrolling Facebook. Most of us say we have a problem with snacking in the evening or even think that we are hungrier at night but the truth is we often overeat because we are bored not hungry.  Even those of us that are busy in the evenings shuttling kids to activities, we still spend a lot of time sitting, waiting and staring at our p...

How Many Calories Should You Eat a Day?  When you start looking into the best ways to lose weight one thing that comes up often is to cut your calories back to 1200 per day. Yes, that will cause you to lose weight however, that is definitely not the best way to lose weight and keep it off permanently. When you cause your body to go into that much of a deficit, it will adapt quickly to save energy and at that point that is the number of calories your body will come to expect. When you return to eating more calories, which you will need to do at some point, your body will still be running just fine on 1200 calories so all the extra calories you eat will turn to fat and cause you to gain all the weight back plus more.  Your body will also start eating away at your muscle for fuel causing you to lose the lean muscle mass that gives your body form. Plus, lean muscle is metabolically active which means it burns fat so you will burn less calories per day when you lose...

What To Include in Low Carb Meal Plan When you start a low carb way of eating it might be confusing trying to figure out what you can and cannot eat. There is a common misconception that low carb means eating all the eggs, bacon and cheese you want. I am not sure where this started but I know I definitely fell for it the first time I tried Keto. I read that I could just eat a bunch of things I love, and the weight would magically fall off. I ate bacon, cheese, olives, beef jerky, lunch meat wrapped around cream cheese, big portions of all kinds of meats. A few weeks later not only did I hate the sight of eggs, but I had lost very little weight after the initial water weight. This was not a healthy way to do low carb. What You Cannot Eat on a Low Carb Diet Let’s start out with what you should not be including in your low carb diet.   First on the list is sugar and that means ALL sugar in cakes, candy, cookies, baked goods and even honey. If you are a sugar ...

First, What Exactly Is Low Carb Dieting and Why Does It Work? First things first- you need to understand what a low carb diet is and a basic understanding of how it turns your body into a fat burning machine. A low carb diet restricts the type and amount of carbohydrates you eat. All carbohydrates are either simple or complex. Simple carbs include sugar, lactose in milk and fructose in fruit. Complex carbs include whole grains and beans. A cross between is white processed breads and pastas which are complex refined carbs. Your body prefers to use carbs as its main fuel source. Complex carbs are broken down into simple sugars just as simple carbs are during digestion. They are then absorbed into your bloodstream as blood sugar or glucose. Natural complex carbs break down more slowly and have less of an effect on blood sugar but will still raise blood sugar levels just as simple sugars do. Rising levels of blood sugar signals to the body to release insulin. Insu...

How do you see yourself? Do you really believe you can lose weight and achieve your goals? Self-image defines what you think you can or cannot do. You always act according to the person you believe yourself to be. How you view yourself dictates all your actions, behaviors and abilities. It also sets boundaries and defines what you cannot do. To achieve a healthy body, you must change any limiting beliefs and replace with the vision of what you want in your life. If you have limiting beliefs about becoming healthy and losing weight you are setting yourself up for defeat before you even get started. If you believe you have a slow metabolism your brain says, “okay if that’s what you want here you go”. If you believe you will always carry extra weight than your body will agree with you and hang on to the fat.   If you see yourself as an overweight person then you will always gain back any weight you lose because that’s what your brain expects so it guides you to mak...

How to Set Weight Loss Goals and Why a Number on the Scale Isn't a Good Goal Now that you know your big why and have turned it into your Super Power affirmations it is time to set some goals. Having a specific goal can mean the difference between success and failure. A well-planned weight loss goal keeps you focused and motivated. How do you set weight loss goals that will set you up for success? A good weight loss goal should follow the S.M.A.R.T. formula S = specific: a general goal to lose weight or exercise more is not specific enough to have any impact. A specific weight loss goal example is 30 pounds, an exercise goal could be to walk 5 days per week. M = measurable: eating healthy is not measurable but a goal to eat 3-5 servings of vegetables can easily be measured. A = attainable: a goal needs to be one that you have the time and resources to reach. If you work a very demanding job with lots of hours than a goal to go to the gym everyday for an...

Finding Your Weight Loss Super Powers When you have discovered your big “WHY” you do not need willpower. When you are clear, and laser focused you will be unstoppable. Your “why” is your weight loss superpower. Your superpower will help you overcome obstacles and keep you moving in the direction of your goals. In this exercise we are going to clearly define your why and uncover all your deep-down reason for wanting to lose weight and get healthy. Don’t worry- it won’t take very long, but this is a crucial step in getting your brain on board with the healthy changes you are going to be making. So, grab a pen and some paper and let’s get to work. Step 1: Brainstorm Your Big Why Set a timer for 5 minutes and brainstorm all the reasons you want to lose weight. Don’t think- just write everything that comes to mind. Here are some ideas to get you started          What does being healthier and lighter mean to you?       ...

We all know that we should be drinking at least 8 glasses of water each day to stay hydrated but why is that important for weight loss? And how can adding lemons to water boost weight loss efforts? Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water Improves digestion: helps regulate blood sugar which is responsible for fat storage and sending nutrients where they need to go.  Assists in reducing the absorption of fat: studies show when you are hydrated your body is better able to break down fat. Helps with detoxification: water is important to help your body flush toxins and the peel of lemons contain Leptin which stimulates your liver enzymes to break down waste to be removed easily.  Leptin in lemon peel works as an anti inflammatory agent reducing bloating and puffiness. Boosts metabolism: the more water you drink the more calories you burn at rest. Drinking 2 cups of water increases the amount of calories burned by up to 30% for the following hour.  Curbs appetite: drink...

Living a healthy lifestyle is not just about being skinny or a number on the scale. its about feeling strong, healthy and happy. This is not all about how you look or what size jeans you wear although your self esteem will sky rocket when you are proud of the results you see in the mirror when you take control of your health. But, this goes even deeper than that. Your quality of life is directly related to the way you take care of your health and body. How do you feel most days? Are you tired? Do you get sick often? You can choose how you want to live and everyday is a brand new start! A Bad Day Just Gets Worse Being tired plays a huge price on how you live your life. You have a lot to get done everyday whether you feel like it or not. That ever growing to-do list can feel overwhelming which makes you stressed out and irritable, maybe even depressed. You find yourself snapping at the people around you. That feels terrible so your mood gets worse. You are busy all day a...

8 Reasons Why Losing Weight is So Darn Hard Let’s be honest- most of us know basically how to lose weight and get healthy but if you are struggling you are not alone. Over 70% of Americans are considered overweight leading to some uncomfortable daily activities, clothes that don’t fit or look the way you want and increasing your chances of developing health issues.   I have been 100 pounds overweight in the past and know firsthand how physically and emotionally heavy those pounds are.   I could never find clothes that I really liked so I kind of gave up trying to be fashionable in the least. I didn’t really like how I looked anyway so what was the point? My lack of self-confidence held me back from doing a lot of things I wanted to do. Even my actual size kept me being able to do the things I wanted.   How we look and feel affects pretty much every aspect of our lives so why did it take me so long to take action to change my life?   ...