“How do you eat an elephant?” I bet you've heard that one. The answer is “One bite at a time.” How about another cliché. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Yes, we've all heard that one too but it’s worth repeating because we tend to forget the wisdom in those expressions.
If someone weighs 250 or more pounds the idea of getting down to 150 pounds sounds a bit like climbing a tall mountain in a single day. So impossible sounding that most give up early or worse not even try.
When you weigh over 220 pounds, losing 5 pounds is fairly easy right? Then make your goal to lose 5 pounds for the month. Celebrate (not with food) when you reach that goal and set another 5 pound goal and so on till you make the big goal.
As a side note 60 pounds is just a number same as 12 is a number. It’s our mind that makes it seem big or unattainable. In the end it's just 12 months of transformation or 2 months of transformation. Years after you hit and maintained your goal you won’t regret those hours of TV you traded for hours at the gym. The benefits of that time at the gym can be enjoyed for the rest of your life.
You make the choice.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Lets say there was a magic pill...
Let’s say there is a magic pill that would cause you to lose all the weight. Would that pill help you get motivated to work out? No. Would it teach you better nutritional habits so in addition to being thinner you can be healthier, happier and live longer? No again. Would it make your more active and physically strong? No. Would it help you create a lifestyle of health and wellness that goes beyond just your weight impacting your entire life. No. Will a pill help you create more self-love self-acceptance and self-esteem so you never again allow your life to feel out of control. Absolutely not, never.
What it will do is make you dependent on it, possibly for the rest of your life. It will be a band-aid that will address the symptom of your distress (being overweight), yet not address the imbalance in your life that is causing you to put on weight in the first place. It wouldn’t replace anything in your life that is missing that you are trying to replace with food.
In short, it wouldn’t make you happy which is what we are all really seeking in this world anyway.
I know when we are desperate and having a hard time losing weight any ray of hope might seem worth exploring. However, if you could talk to any of those people who now have permanent life threatening heart problems after using the diet drug Phen-Phen, I bet they would tell you to go for a walk instead.
What it will do is make you dependent on it, possibly for the rest of your life. It will be a band-aid that will address the symptom of your distress (being overweight), yet not address the imbalance in your life that is causing you to put on weight in the first place. It wouldn’t replace anything in your life that is missing that you are trying to replace with food.
In short, it wouldn’t make you happy which is what we are all really seeking in this world anyway.
I know when we are desperate and having a hard time losing weight any ray of hope might seem worth exploring. However, if you could talk to any of those people who now have permanent life threatening heart problems after using the diet drug Phen-Phen, I bet they would tell you to go for a walk instead.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Sorry no magic pills
Prior to becoming a hypnotherapist I worked in the vitamin industry for over 10 years selling, marketing and evaluating new products for sale. In that time I learned a lot about diet products and have identified 3 basic categories of diet pills. These are product that are marketed as a “Diet Pill” or “Diet Aid” and are not usually single ingredient products.
Decent but costly: Could help a bit, but for cost you are better off investing in running shoes and doing a few extra laps around the block.
Neutral: No real weight loss benefit, but they won’t hurt you. Usually the products are a combination of several things that could work but in doses much too low to be effective.
Bad: Products that could do real harm. Having lots of energy in the short run might not seem so great if it ends up causing high blood pressure, heart problems or even something worse.
Notice I don’t have a category for “Good”. That’s because in my experience there aren’t any good diet pills. I’m not a doctor and I am open to being wrong, but this is what years of experience has shown me.
Now let me clarify. There are lots of vitamins, minerals and other nutritional supplements that can cause you to lose weight if your body needs them. However, those are typically not found in the weight loss section of the store.
So go for a walk or even better a run. Pass on second helpings and save your money for all those nice new clothes you’ll need to buy when you lose the weight.
Decent but costly: Could help a bit, but for cost you are better off investing in running shoes and doing a few extra laps around the block.
Neutral: No real weight loss benefit, but they won’t hurt you. Usually the products are a combination of several things that could work but in doses much too low to be effective.
Bad: Products that could do real harm. Having lots of energy in the short run might not seem so great if it ends up causing high blood pressure, heart problems or even something worse.
Notice I don’t have a category for “Good”. That’s because in my experience there aren’t any good diet pills. I’m not a doctor and I am open to being wrong, but this is what years of experience has shown me.
Now let me clarify. There are lots of vitamins, minerals and other nutritional supplements that can cause you to lose weight if your body needs them. However, those are typically not found in the weight loss section of the store.
So go for a walk or even better a run. Pass on second helpings and save your money for all those nice new clothes you’ll need to buy when you lose the weight.
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