Who wants to be fit and healthy? Everybody!
However, not everybody has what it takes to get that way.
For many of you, eating right is the part you just can’t get do. You can manage to workout…. but, restricting what you eat? Now hold on! That’s a different story. You may have even tried numerous diets—low fat, low carb, high protein, high carb, carb cycling, shake diets—as well as numerous nutrition plans “guaranteed” to answer your weight loss prayers.
Sadly, most restrictive diets don’t work.
Although these weight loss plans work for some, for many… the results are always the same—weight loss followed by weight gain once the diet ends.
Why?
Because of these diets’ restrictive natures. For the best results, don’t focus on the foods you can’t eat. Instead, determine the healthy foods that make you feel the best, and make them the majority of your diet.
Figure out the healthy foods that work for you.
If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you need a healthy nutrition plan that will work for you over the long term. Think lifetime nutrition. You’re not running a sprint, you’re running a marathon. Don’t take the “quick” fix. Those just don’t work!
Just as your personality is unique, so is your body.
Most likely, it processes the foods you eat a little differently than your parents’, your friends’, and your coworkers’ bodies do. For instance, while carbs cause some people to immediately gain weight and feel sluggish, for others, a diet with few carbs is exhausting. Because we’re unique, no single diet is the answer to every person’s weight problem. To eat healthy and lose weight, you must determine what foods are best for you.
How can you go about this? Through trial and error, you should be able to figure out what types of healthy foods are right for you and your weight loss goals.
The trick is to choose good foods consistently—without feeling deprived.
So when you feel like you can afford it, have a piece of cake or a bag of your favorite chips. However, don’t make junk the mainstay of your diet. That’s not healthy eating. AND that’s not how you’ll get results. These should be “treats” not all out “binge eating”. You should also earn these “rewards” after you have accomplished something significant. Perhaps, working out and eating clean for two weeks, earns you a small treat. Or two months earns you a cheat meal. Pick something you can live with, but know up front that the more “treats” the slower your progress can become. So earn them!
It will take practice to get your carbohydrate, fat, and protein intake to the level that’s best for you. However, as you workout and learn how your body responds to certain foods, you’ll get to know the ones that are the healthiest choices for you.
6 Tips to be FIT and HEALTHY:
- Find a fitness program that works for you, (I compare several of them here).
- Weigh yourself, take measurements (waist, hips, chest, thigh, and bicep), and pictures (front, back, and side).
- Set up your healthy meal plan for the duration of your fitness program. TIP: Don’t make quick and drastic changes for at least a couple of weeks. That should give you some time to see how it’s working for you. After a couple of weeks, take a look at your meal plan, and make slight adjustments if necessary. Recalculate your calorie intake, etc. Then go for a couple more weeks. Making big, drastic changes will leave you wondering what works and what doesn’t. If you’re like me, in the beginning of my journey, I didn’t have a single clue about eating healthy. Take a moment to read my Beachbody Meal Planner review. This combined with the P90X Workout was a game changer for me.
- Get a fitness coach if you don’t have one, it helps to have someone help you with questions and keeping you accountable. (If I can help, let me know).
- Get your mind right. Don’t set yourself up for failure by setting your weight loss goals TOO HIGH. Set realistic goals, and be consistent. When you reach your first milestone, set another goal. Continue this process. Losing 5 lbs, and hitting your first goal, is A LOT better than setting your first goal at 50 lbs!
- Be patient. You didn’t gain all your weight over night, and you won’t lose it that way either. You can do this. Follow your fitness plan, workout when you are scheduled, and eat a healthy meal plan. This works…. and if you do that, it’s my weight loss guarantee!
Okay, now you’re ready. A year from now, you’ll wish you had started today! Good luck!
