When people get into dieting they do it for one reason and that’s to change their life. It’s a simple concept to think about but no so simple when you really have to do it.
Each day I communicate with people who have ‘victim’ stories or reasons why they can’t do something. When I hear these stories I honestly tune out a little bit. The last thing I want to hear are a bunch of excuses why somebody can’t make something work. I hear excuses like “my legs hurt” or “I’m too tired” or “I can’t eat that kind of food”. What about “I’m just big boned”? In all honesty each situation is different and you have to be willing to be completely honest with yourself to get to that point. You have to take accountability for the situation and how you got that way. When people tell me ‘they aren’t sure how they gained all this weight’, I have to tell them that they ate too much and didn’t exercise enough. They even rationalize what exercise is. They start believing that walking to the fridge counts as exercise or even walking up and down stairs in between donuts.
Accountability is the first step to change and must be done to be successful at any diet. Take a look at yourself and be honest about how you got that way. When i gain weight it is because i get complacent. I start thinking that I look and feel better than I really do so I give myself a little break. That’s where it all goes downhill. By being honest with myself daily I know what it takes to get in shape and stay that way.
Along with a healthy diet should be a healthy exercise program. In any exercise program today it is important to implement a basic strength training or resistance program. I’m not talking about lifting heavy weights all the time, but about making sure that you are doing something to work on your muscles.
The benefits of strength training are huge. You not only lose calories while you are working out, but you burn calories throughout the day as your muscles go through protein synthesis. It’s a double benefit really. While you will hear all the time that muscle weighs more than fat, please understand that can’t be true. It’s impossible. One pound of fat will also equal one pound of muscle. Does that make sense? 1 pound is 1 pound. However, muscle takes up considerably less space than fat so that one pound of fat will have greater volume than the muscle will. It’s for that reason we tell people that while they are working out with weights that they understand that they may lose inches more than weight, but that if they stick with it they will see great results.
Strength training can include basic resistance bands or even something as basic as pushups. Any type of resistance is an excellent way to get a good start to your workout routine.
