Don't Wait Til January To Lose Weight!

Photo: Liz Navarrete

If you plan to start your new diet or weight loss plan in January, why not start today?!! Why not make today Day 1 of your weight loss journey? Today is December 14, so if you get started today, you will jump start your weight loss more than two weeks early, and it will motivate you to continue in the new year! Weight loss is a long and tedious process, so the sooner you start, the better! There are so many people that make a New Year's Resolution to lose weight, but do you want to be one of the many people that start well but then quickly fall off the bandwagon?

Think about if you had a jump start to quit smoking. Imagine you were hospitalized and unable to smoke for three weeks. By the end of the three weeks, your body was already adjusting to being smoke-free! It would be sooo much easier to then continue your life without smoking.

Being overweight started with unhealthy habits, so losing weight will require forming new habits. Anyone can start a new habit by repeating the desired activity every day for several weeks. So if you start a healthy habit on December 14, your new habit will be almost formed by January 1st! And by the end of January, it will be a solid and natural part of your lifestyle!

Any part of your weight loss that is not changing your unhealthy habits for healthier ones will likely not last. You can make drastic changes to lose large amounts of weight quickly, but if you are not forming long-term healthy habits, you will gain back the weight once your lifestyle reverts back to your old ways. So here is my action plan for you...today!

Step 1. Select your weight loss program, and write it down at the top of the first page of a journal, notebook, or note page on your phone. For example: My Weight Loss Plan: Dec 14, 2017: Weight Watchers. I will begin weight watchers today and complete it for two months.
Step 2. Select your exercise plan, and write it down. Example: I will walk in my neighborhood for twenty minutes per day, 5 days per week, for the next two months.
Step 3. Share your plan with someone who will hold you accountable regularly (every week or even every day).
Step 4. Weigh in. Write down your starting weight. You will not weigh in again for at least 1-2 weeks, if you are consistent with your new eating and exercising habits.
Step 5. Write down your plan for tomorrow that includes your new habits. For example, I will exercise for twenty minutes at 4:00 pm.  I will not drink any Coke. I will not buy any fast food.

Here are some other examples of healthy habits you may want to incorporate:
-I will start a "Subway Diet", which includes a 6-inch sub for every lunch this week (instead of fast food).
-I will replace chips with light popcorn.
-I will decrease my soda intake by 50%.
-I will eliminate sweet tea from my diet and replace it with unsweet tea.
-I will decrease fast food meals from three times daily to one time daily.
-I will pack my lunch for work this week, including healthy and fresh items.
-I will drink 5 glasses of water every day instead of sugary drinks.
-I will go to a Zumba class two days per week.
-I will not buy ice cream to keep at my house.
-I will join Planet Fitness and go there every day on my way home from work.
-I will watch one less hour of TV and replace it with cooking/cleaning.
-I will write down everything I eat tomorrow and share it with my accountability partner.
-I will buy a pedometer or Fit Bit, and take at least 10,000 steps every day.

Do I Need To Lose Weight? Women, Weight Loss and Skinny America

Photo: Vince Connare

American culture is obsessed with women being skinny; almost every Hollywood actress is super thin. So why should you diet or exercise? Simply to lose weight and to become thin like the girls on TV?

Should You Lose Weight?
There are so many reasons to exercise and eat right other than to get down to your desired dress size. If you are healthy, eat well and exercise regularly, then likely you are maintaining a good weight, regardless of what any book or chart may say. This may mean you are size 16 or size 2. Your weight depends on many factors such as genetics, metabolism, medical issues, activity level, exercise history, muscle mass, and eating habits. You cannot control how God made you, so it is better to accept your body than to fight against it. Before you start a diet, check your motives because you may not even need to lose weight. If you are overweight, simply focus on improving your health through good eating and lots of exercise in order to jump start your weight loss.

How Do Naturally Thin Women Eat?
I rarely see thin people eating salads at McDonald's. The super-thin people I have known eat what they want. They do not overeat; instead, they may forget to eat when they get busy. But when they are hungry, they enjoy a wide variety of tasty foods that may be full of fat, calories and sugar. They do not necessarily exercise, so how do they stay so tiny? Probably everyone in their family is "small-boned." I have known many super-skinny women who are not healthy at all. So don't confuse being healthy with being thin. One thing everyone can learn from naturally super-tiny folks is that they rarely overeat.

Eating Should Be Fun!
My kids love lollipops and ice cream cones simply because they are fun to eat. I don't give them junk food all the time, but if they eat a healthy meal, I allow them a fun dessert sometimes. Moms, please don't go out for ice cream and just watch your kids eat their chocolate cones with sprinkles. Join in with the fun! That does NOT mean to order a large, extra-large or double-dipped cone with 5 toppings. Just order something small that you really love and savor every bite!

Exercise More To Eat More
If you exercise a lot, your appetite will increase. If you truly love to eat and cannot decrease your food volume to lose weight, try exercising more. This will help to increase your metabolism and, of course, burn calories. Another benefit is that exercising will motivate you to eat better, so you may end up replacing your french fries and cookies with blueberries and protein shakes.

What Makes You Beautiful?
First, beauty comes from within, so spend some time today exercising your heart, mind and spirit. The Bible says that beauty is shown by a gentle and quiet spirit. Second, every woman has equal value regardless of how she looks. Third, being thin will not take away all your insecurities. Even the most attractive super models are self-conscious about certain things and may not even like how they look. A lot of girls want to be pretty in order to attract a boyfriend, but remember that being in a relationship does not increase your worth.

Food Addiction
It is interesting that obesity has been increasing throughout this skinnifying of American culture. I believe obesity is so prevalent because of food addiction and sedentary lifestyle. I recently heard: "Anything you cannot live without is an addiction." So if you think you are not addicted to your late night binge, try giving it up for 7 nights.

Weight in Other Cultures
Not every culture has skinny women all over their media. For example, in Latin America, female stars are generally very curvy. Some cultures even revere large women. Remember that each culture's view of beauty changes over time. Being skinny or tan or having a certain hair color may be in fashion now but not 20 years from now.

Overcoming Skinny American Culture
If you feel caught up in wanting to look like a model, spend less time reading magazines and watching TV. The media has more effect on your mind than you may realize. Focus on becoming healthier instead of thinner. Learn to enjoy food but within logical limits. It may sound like an impossible task for most women, but try to accept your body. Then maybe you won't put so much pressure on yourself or those around you.