You Must Believe You Can Lose Weight…

What you believe is what you will get and this is particularly so with weight loss.

How many times do you say that you have finished lunch or dinner only to pick up another piece of food and eat it? Many people do this on a regular basis and they have programmed their mind to believe that there is always more to come simply by the actions that they are taking on a regular basis.

How many times do you cut the cake in half intending to only eat that portion and then go back and eat the other half immediately after?

When you are cutting that cake in your mind you already know that you will be getting the rest and you are falsely kidding yourself into believing that the process of cutting off half is doing you some form of good.

In fact it is better to decide on how much you will be eating and then eating that portion even if it is the whole amount because you will at least be true to yourself.

If you are constantly allowing yourself to fail by succumbing to additional food then you are training your belief system in a negative way and this begins to affect all aspects of your life.

It doesn’t matter what you say to other people or what you try to have them believe. It is not helping you one bit to tell everyone that you won’t be eating any more cake. What matters is what you do and whether you are doing what you say you will do.

Your beliefs are your reality and if you believe that there are many different reasons why you can’t lose weight then the reality of your life will be that you won’t lose weight.

If you believe that your genes or your metabolism are responsible for your over weight condition then that is what you will be even though a change in diet and exercise will make a difference.

Getting your mind to understand and accept the true reality is one of the biggest hurdles for most people who are trying to make changes in their life.

Believe you can do it and you will – there is no doubt about that.

Bob Lampard

What do you think? Tell us how you changed your beliefs which helped you lose weight.

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Hate Exercising? Some Workout Tips for You

If you’re anything like me, you wouldn’t consider exercising your favorite pastime. In fact, some people downright hate exercising. However, exercising is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle, and without it you definitely will not be able to lose weight. There are certain tips, however, for learning to love exercising, even if you truly hate it.

First, try finding some exercises that you like to do. Of course, you should work out all of your body, but if you absolutely hate doing one kind of exercise, then look for another to take its place. You don’t have to do crunches to strengthen your core muscles. You don’t have to do lunges to work out your lower body. You don’t even have to run—you can replace it with cycling or swimming. Find the exercise you like to do and your workout will seem more enjoyable right away.

You can also find other activities you like to do and make them work for your body. For example, if you like working on your garden, try doing some exercising surrounding raking or mow your yard by hand. If you enjoy the winter weather, you can try ice skating or sledding with friends. No matter what you like to do, you can find ways to get some exercise. Thanks to the introduction of the Wii and game like Dance Dance Revolution, you can even combine video games and exercise.

Another great tip to liking exercise is to find a training partner. When you work out together, you can help one another stay motivated, even if you don’t absolutely love exercising. With a partner, you can have fun as well, trying things like tennis or challenging one another to meet certain goals. Trainers can also provide this for you, as well as show you new and fun exercises to help you avoid getting bored or feeling overwhelmed at the gym.

Lastly, try taking some classes. Exercising classes are a great way to meet new people, learn new exercises, stay motivated, and above all, have fun. Most gyms offer low-cost or free exercise classes with membership or you can check out options at your local community center.

Staying motivated if you hate exercising can be hard, but set goals and don’t quit. You need to exercise as well as diet if you really want to lose weight. Make exercise fun and it won’t seem like such a chore.

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3 Bad Diet Mistakes To Avoid At All Cost

Even though there is so much information available about weight loss, the same diet mistakes are being made over and over every day. We are not talking here about little slip ups where you ate a slice of pie that was not on the plan, but big mistakes that lead to failure in losing the weight that you want to lose. Understanding these errors can help you develop the attitude that will lead to permanent weight loss for you.

1. The All Or Nothing Attitude

All or nothing dieters will often pick out a complicated diet that is almost impossible for them to maintain. Before beginning, they will search the kitchen for anything that does not fit the plan and throw it in the garbage. They are planning to be the perfect dieter, and so they will be, for one day, three days, seven days or even a couple of weeks. Then, inevitably, something happens that means they cannot keep to the diet one time. Immediately the whole thing is ruined in their eyes and the diet is over. They go to the store and buy all the things that went into the garbage last week and proceed to gain back all the weight that they lost, as fast as possible.

If you are this kind of dieter you need to ask yourself some tough questions. Do you really want to lose weight permanently, or just lose a few pounds so that you can enjoy putting them back on again? The way forward is to make small changes to what you eat so that you have a slow but steady weight loss.

2. The Attitude of Sacrifice

Another common mistake is to view your diet as a period of sacrifice. You do not allow yourself the foods that you enjoy most while you are on your way to your target weight. You may have a great diet plan and be very successful in losing weight, but what happens when you reach your goal? You have not learnt to eat ‘bad foods’ in moderation so as soon as you start, you are likely to go out of control. It is better to include a little of everything in your diet and learn to enjoy it in small quantities. Yes, even chocolate!

3. Goal Failure

Setting achievable goals is vital in any weight loss plan. Goals should be clear, realistic and set out in writing. While you probably do have an ideal weight in your mind, unless you are only very slightly overweight it is probably too distant to be useful. A more useful goal would be to lose two pounds per week for the first five weeks and then one pound per week after that. Some weeks you will lose more and some less, some weeks you may even gain, but if you track your progress on a graph you will see that ups and downs are natural and do not stop you progressing steadily toward your major goal.

If you have been making these mistakes, do not worry. The most important point in dieting as in so many other things is to move on. Learn from your failures as well as your success and do not use a mistake as an excuse for giving up. The only way to achieve your goal permanently is to make a commitment to become a healthier person. Remember that eating normally includes eating more some days and less others. Learn to enjoy food in moderation and you have every chance of avoiding these bad diet mistakes.

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Lose Weight Fast…15 Great Ways

Want to lose weight fast? It’s easy to say goodbye to 10 pounds of unwanted fat with these easy diet tips. Just pay attention to what you eat and be sure to have good tasting, fresh and healthy food including snacks, fill up on vegetables and keep your taste buds happy with fruit.

No need to make sacrifices! Just follow these simple guidelines to lose your first 10 pounds, last 10 pounds or give your weight loss program a boost when it seems to have stuttered to a halt. This is a balanced and flexible plan that you can use for as long as you want.

1. Keep a note of everything that you eat and drink. You do not need to estimate calories. Just write down what it was that you had and the approximate quantity. You will find that being more aware of what you are eating helps you to plan healthy meals and snacks.

2. Halve your intake of all pure or added fats. This means using half as much butter or spread on your bread, toast, muffins and potatoes; half the usual amount of mayonnaise or sauce on your salad; and half the oil in the frypan every time.

3. Limit treats containing sugar to three times per week. This includes chocolate, ice cream, desserts, cake, pastries, cookies, etc.

4. Include a lower fat source of protein at most meals: chicken, fish, beans, cottage cheese, or low fat yogurt. Have eggs, nuts and red meat occasionally but not every day.

5. Plan at least one lunch and dinner every week without meat or cheese. Build those meals around whole grains, vegetables and beans to increase fiber and reduce fat.

6. Reduce the fat content in your milk products. If you are currently drinking whole milk, reduce to 2% fat. From 2% reduce to 1%. Choose lower fat cheese and yogurt. When you buy yogurt, also check that it does not contain sugar.

7. Have at least two servings of fruit every day. This can be for dessert or snacks. Choose fruit that is in season.

8. Drink water instead of sodas, juices, milky drinks or alcohol. Avoid diet soda – the sweet taste only encourages you to crave sugar. Hot water with a slice of lemon can be very refreshing in the morning.

9. Include at least two servings of vegetables at lunch and dinner. If you are getting hungry, have more.

10. Eat slowly. The body is slow to register when you are full and it is easy to eat too much if you are racing through your meals.

11. Grated carrot makes a great snack. You will find that a grated carrot is much more filling than a whole carrot. Strange but true.

12. Use whole grains wherever possible. The fiber will give you a fuller feeling and also help your digestion.

13. Choose food that you can chew. Again this will increase your fiber intake, and the act of chewing will make you feel more satisfied too. This means eating fruit instead of drinking juice. If you have soup, make sure it is chunky.

14. Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time. Plan your shopping too – make a list of what you need and stick to it. If you just grab something when you are feeling hungry, you will probably choose high calorie food.

15. Always switch off the TV when you eat. That includes snacks as well as meals. Studies have proved that we eat larger portions in front of the TV, probably because we are much less aware of what we are eating. When you eat, only eat if you want to lose weight fast.

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