There are a million diets out there promising that if you follow their plan and buy their products you will lose weight. Some plans even boast that you can eat whatever you want and will still lose weight. So, with all these diet plans, pills, gadgets and promises, why are we (as a nation) getting fatter? Simple, because most of the pills, gadgets and promises are fake! They are marketing schemes to get you to buy/consume their product so they can make loads of money. If you want to lose weight you can do so without investing a lot of money. Truly you just need to invest some time and energy and you will see amazing results.

Investment of time: What I mean is that you will have to set aside time each day to work out. Many people say that they simply don’t have the time to exercise because their lives are so busy and full with work, kids, family and community responsibilities. Well, I propose you carve out some time by taking a few minutes from each of these activities or getting rid of activities that don’t add any value to your life. What do I mean by this? Well, do you need to watch 4 hours of TV at night? Could you drop one of the TV shows you routinely watch in order to fit in a walk, run or bike ride? Could you run on the treadmill or do the elliptical while watching one of your shows? If night time doesn’t work, maybe you could go to bed an hour earlier so you can get up earlier and exercise before the family gets up. Join the gym with a friend and give each other motivation to go every day. Once you incorporate exercise into your routine, it will become habit and you will find (surprisingly) that you NEED that workout in order to get through your day as it will provide you with natural energy. You will also feel good (when you exercise, serotonin is released which is a natural mood enhancer), especially when you see the inches melting away! One other piece of exercise advice is to switch up your routine. Don’t walk everyday, rather, walk one day, do an exercise video the next, hit the gym and lift some weights, go for a hike….You get the jist. Changing up your routine keeps it exciting and helps avoid boredom.

Eat Well: I watched a show where people went about their daily lives and ate normally while a nutritionist kept track of their food consumption and calorie intake. It was startling to see just how many calories people mindlessly consume! So, I did the same thing at home and while I thought I ate well and was mindful of my fat/calorie intake, I was surprised to see how often I went over my recommended fat/calorie intake! So, I propose you do some quick research on the internet to see what your calorie intake should be and then track your food (calorie and fat intake) for a day or two. What did you find? What could you cut out to get your calorie intake down? Do you need to put cheese on that burger at 100 calories a pop? Do you need to have an extra serving at dinner? Can you substitute fruits and veggies? One of the best sites I have come across is CalorieKing.com. This site helps you find just how many calories are in foods you buy at the store or restaurant. It has a large database and will not only give you the calorie intake but also the amount of fat and some other stats. I use calorieking.com before preparing a meal to determine just how much of each food I can have. Also, before I go out to eat, I will punch in the restaurant (and the meal I will likely have) to determine the calorie content. This way, I can decide if I even want to order that food option and if I do, how much of it I can have. It’s important to do this before you go out to eat because once you eat the food, you can’t go back and change your mind! Also, keep a daily list of the foods and their corresponding calorie content in order to track your progress. This will also help you determine how many calories you consumed so far that day and how many more you are allowed to consume. This really helps determine what you will eat for the rest of the day, keeping you on track! I also track the calories burned in a workout. If you are using a machine, most have the calorie counter right on there. Or, if you are doing something that does not count your calories, check online for a quick easy way to determine calories burned. If you don’t feel like it, then just track your exercise program each day to keep you motivated!

Losing weight is up to you, not the model on TV telling you how they ate whatever they wanted and still lost weight! If that were true, we would all be skinny! You have to put in the effort and once you do, you will love the results! You will not only have a healthier body but also you will likely have a better mood and outlook, reduced stress and depression and a hell of a lot more energy!

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