Tips to Stay on Track

Everyone asks me, when they see the progress that I am making, "What are you doing?  How are you losing this weight?"  I try my best not to make it sound like a sales pitch when I say, "I am doing the Shakeology and the 21 day fix plan"! Most of the time they want details, and then they see the price and freak out!! And so did I, the first time I saw the price.  So let me tell you this.  You can do this without both of those tools.  I am using shakeology and 21 day fix, but they are just what I stated above, "tools".  And you need those...tools...to get you started.  Prepare you for victory.  You don't go to war without a gun and you don't fight a battle without being prepared.  Plenty of people have lost weight and got healthy without shakeology and 21 day fix, just because that's the way I'm doing it, doesn't mean you have to do it that way.  And I could do it without it too, if I wanted to.

Losing weight and getting healthy is logical.  We put so much thought into it though, that we get overwhelmed and quit.  That's what makes it hard.  So here are few tips to get you started on your way.

1. Have a game plan. As I said before, if you aren't prepared, you will surely fail.  You need a week long outline of what you will eat.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner....two or three healthy snacks.  You need a workout plan.  Even if it's only 3 days a week for 20 minutes a day.  
2. Be prepared!  I will never forget the night I got stuck in traffic on the interstate at 7 pm after working a 9 hour shift and driving an hour to and from work.  My tummy was screaming at me.  There wasn't a thing in my lunch bag to eat except a green apple.  So now, I pack a little more protein than needed.  And I make sure that I have a snack for on the way home from work.  Otherwise, you'll be more likely to end up in the McDonald's drive thru.  And that's not good.
3. Never skip breakfast.  I am the worst for this.  I am not a morning person, so lots of times I roll out of bed with very little time to eat.  By lunch time, I'm willing to eat whatever I see.
4. Make your food taste good.  Just because it's "diet food", doesn't mean it has to be bland and flavorless.  Honestly, that fast food I was eating has less flavor than the yummy food I make now.  We eat out much less than we used to.  There are lots of ways to flavor your food.  My favorites are Mrs. Dash (lots of different flavors), Cajun spice, and garlic powder.  Also, Frank's hot sauce is good on EVERYTHING!
5. It's all in the math.  I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why I wasn't able to lose weight for a long time.  A coworker shared this very valuable information with me.  

Multiply your weight by 9.  This is how many calories your body needs every day to maintain the weight you're at right now.  Now, multiply your weight by 7.  This is the amount of calories you need to eat in order to lose 2 pounds a week.  

example:

My current weight:  260 x 9 = 2,340 (Calories needed to maintain my weight)

My current weight: 260 x 7 = 1,820 (Calories needed to lose 2 pounds a week)

*A pound of fat = 3,500 calories

So, to lose 2 pounds, your body must consume/burn 7,000 less calories per week.

Also, it's safer to lose your weight slowly.  You didn't gain it over night...you won't lose it over 

night either.

Most importantly, NEVER GIVE UP.  You may have a long way to go, but the time will pass whether you succeed or not. 

This is a salad I made yesterday.  It was so good, not bland at all.  I could eat it every single day for lunch.

 Buffalo Chicken Salad:

Romaine lettuce
spring green mix
celery sticks
carrot sticks
raw banana pepper
boneless, skinless chicken breast grilled or baked (I used the george forman)
2 tablespoons of feta
2 tablespoons of Frank's red hot sauce

Directions:  Cut the chicken into cubes and toss with the hot sauce.  Assemble the salad with all other ingredients, and top with chicken and any excess hot sauce.  I didn't use any other dressing.  It was very good.