Willpower Doesn't Work. Avoid Temptation.
I believe NOBODY CAN RESIST their favorite food under the right
circumstances. Example: If your alone, are bored with nothing to
do and a "waive of depression" comes over you, that cheesecake
sitting in the fridge isn't going to last long. Force of
willpower isn't going to keep it their. If it's not there you
won't eat it.
People Are Lazy
If it's TOO HARD TO DO, your won' do it. The temptation to have
"cheesecake" is balanced by the amount of effort you are willing
to obtain it. Getting dressed and driving to the grocery store
may be too much effort to put into obtaining that treat, so it
goes "uneaten".
You Crave Things That Taste Good
FOODS THAT TASTE GOOD ARE TEMPTING. Getting rid of all the "good
tasting" junk foods in the house and replacing them with natural
healthy foods will force you to change your eating habits. The
cravings for sweets and junk foods will eventually go away and
you will grow to enjoy the healthy foods. You really do learn to
like them after a while.
Knowledge is Power
GETTING SMART and learning as much as you can about good
nutrition and exercise is the first step in "training yourself"
into adapting a healthy lifestyle. With the healthy lifestyle
come weight loss and fitness.
Tailoring Your Environment for a Healthy Lifestyle is
Crucial
Create a living condition that controls your eating and exercise
habits (as shown below).
Get Rid of Junk Food
YOU HAVE TO get replace all the unhealthy junk foods in the
house with healthy foods.
Clean the House
Keeping the house clean, neat and organized puts you in a better
frame of mind.
Accurate Weight Measurements
Purchase an accurate digital weight scale and weigh your self
every three days or so. Nothing is more disappointing than to
step on the scale to see a gain in weight due to an inaccurate
or inconsistent scale. It takes the wind out of you. Also, "go
the bathroom" before weighing yourself and weigh yourself first
thing in the morning for consistency.
Air Fresheners
Add air fresheners to your house. A good smelling house makes
you feel better.
Support System
Tell your family and friends what you are doing and ask for
their support.
Healthy Foods Only (No more fast foods)
For over three years I ate only the following healthy foods
(well almost only). Fish (salmon and tuna), skinless chicken
breast, broccoli, egg beaters with tofu omelet, onions, salad,
carrots, Alba diet shake made with fat free dry milk, fat free
Jello, 6 cups coffee, Coffeemate, Splenda/Equal sweeteners, fat
free or low fat yogurt, oatmeal with vanilla flavored protein
powder, grapefruit, apple.
Bonus from Healthy Eating and Exercise
My Total Cholesterol = 115
HDL = 52 LDL = 49
The receptionist at the doctor's office said that my Cholesterol
was the "Lowest She Had Seen".
Keep a written log of what you eat and count
calories, proteins and fats.
This will keep you aware and make your guilty conscience kick in
when you fall of the diet.
Eat bland food only
If it tastes good you will eat more. Don't want that. Eat for
the nutrition, not the taste.
Eat a big breakfast
Big breakfast in the morning and smaller meals spaced evenly
throughout the day will give you the energy to keep going.
Don't feel full
If you eat enough to "feel full" you will probably will just
want to go take a nap.
Food shopping once a week
Less trips to the market means less temptation to buy treats and
goodies.
Keep only healthy bland food in the house
Reduces temptation.
Educate yourself about health and nutrition
Try to become an expert in health and nutrition. The more you
know, the more your mind won't let you eat the bad stuff.
Eat Healthy food only
If you eat enough of this, the craving for chocolate, pizza and
fast food will eventually go away. Plus you will have a better
mental attitude about your health.
Don't have an occasional treat
If you buy that one candy bar or pizza it's like pulling your
finger out of the dam.
1500 calories per day
For my body 1500 calories per day along with exercise will make
me lose weight yet still provide me enough energy to feel strong
for exercising.
40% carbohydrates, 40% protein, 20% fats
That is suppose to be the proper ratio of foods for good
nutrition to build muscle.
Daily Vitamins & Supplements
Take the supplements throughout the day. By taking them in the
morning, afternoon and evening with a large glass of water you
are "reminding" yourself of good nutrition and a healthy
lifestyle. Just another mind training exercise
I take the following
- 1 Ecotrin (Safety Coated Enteric Aspirin)
- Men's multiple vitamins
- Fish oil supplements
- Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM (I take this to delay the onset of
arthritis that runs in my family)
Drinking Coffee
This doesn't fall into the "healthy category", but for me
drinking 3 cups of coffee at breakfast and lunch kills the
appetite, perks me up and gives me the energy to exercise.
Drink Plenty of Water
Just like you have heard all your life. It will help you feel
full and is good for you.
Salads each day
Eat leafy dark colored "mixture" salads. No iceberg lettuce. I
buy the salads in the bags then add raw onion and broccoli. I
used to use low fat Ranch style dressing (40 calories per
serving). I have since changed to 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive
oil and Balsamic vinegar. A little more calories but a lot
healthier for you. I have also changed to using spinach leafs
for the salad mix. Taste good, is cheaper and sounds like it's
good for you.
Diet First, then Build Muscle
The way I figured it, building big muscles wasn't going to
happen while dieting. The most I could expect from exercising
was to build up muscle tone and burn up calories. If I wanted
to, I could concentrate on muscle building after the weight loss
was over.
Do Easy and Enjoyable Exercises
I have (like everybody else) tried all sorts of different types
of exercise. None lasted throughout my lifetime. They all became
boring or were too hard to keep on doing. The key for me was to
find exercises that were easy and ones that I didn't mind doing.
The phrase "no pain no gain" didn't work for me. For me when I
pushed something too hard (the pain) I would simple stop doing
it altogether.
Exercise to Loud Music
I found that I needed music with exercise. And the louder the
better. Music is a must have. Music makes you forget that you
are exercising. Music videos are even better and are more
distracting. Shania Twain videos work for me. If music videos
aren't available I found that cranking up the music from the
sound system while putting the TV on mute works just as well.
Both the ears and the eyes are distracting you from the "work"
being performed.
Eat Before Exercising
Eating about an hour before exercising was necessary for me. I
found that I needed the energy to keep me strong and get me
through the workout without becoming drained. If I would have
felt weak or tired I would have quit.
Good Smells
I found that spraying the exercise mat and exercise area with an
air freshener before you exercise gives a little "boost" to your
mental attitude.
Be Cool
Exercising while standing under an air conditioning vent and
overhead fan keeps me cool and prevents excessive sweating. This
makes it much more enjoyable and therefore I continue exercising
longer.
Lifting Dumb Bells
For lifting dumb bells I found that a little Pam or kitchen
butter spray under the arms acts as a lubricant and prevents
chaffing. It is kind of odd though.
Wear Gloves
Wearing fingerless padded exercise gloves for lifting dumb bells
does a couple of things for you. It makes it easier on the hands
and gives you a mindset that you're ready to exercise.
My Daily Routine
My daily routine boiled down to one hour of stretches in the
morning and one hour of light weight (dumbbells) in the
afternoon. (During the summer months I also swam and played with
the dog in the pool for one hour.)
- My "stretches" include a variety of arm twirls, body twists,
neck turns, pushups, waist bend, knee bends, leg stretches and
more. I would do one type of exercise per song. The average song
length was 3-4 minutes.
- I started being able to do 0 pushups. I do 25 a day now. I can
do more but I don't want to push myself (make it hard)
- I started with 8 lb. dumbbells. I use 25 lb. dumbbells now.
Again, I don't want to make it too hard.