Weight Loss: Without losing your mind.

The importance of water: By now you’ve heard experts say you need a certain amount of water per day. Water is the most important part of your diet. Think of it like this: you wouldn’t consistently run your car low on oil for fear of it breaking down. So why run your body the same way? Unfortunately, most people try to overdo it on the water. Yes, too much water can be hazardous. Your body can only hold a finite number of fluids. Anything above and beyond what it uses, your body will recognize it as waste and you’ll spend your day with too many trips to the bathroom.

When I am on my workout plans, my morning routine: 1 cup of water before leaving the house, a juice made with coconut water or coconut water itself with lunch, then 1-2 water to finish my day depending on how thirsty I get. Coconut water is a great way to not only change up flavor but helps your body retain the water it needs without too much waste

Tip: Gatorade is great for playing sports, but should not be an alternative choice to soda. Are you working out or playing a sport? It was designed with nutrients to quickly regain hydration. If you’re not active, you’re taking on too much sodium and potassium your body now needs to burn off.

[Rick]

Don’t give up: All too often I hear how people weren’t getting the results the wanted and gave up. They didn’t hit their goal. They’re not seeing results. It wasn’t worth the time when it’s just not working. Weight loss is a lot like watching an ice cube melt. You won’t see it happen if you stop and watch it. Remember, your body burns fat from the inside out. Results won’t show up right away.

When you get discouraged take into consideration the little victories. You are getting results you just can’t see them. If you wake up feeling more refreshed that’s a result. You might have more energy throughout the day. When you go out to eat and order your usual, you can’t finish it and take it to go. The results are more than just what you can see in the mirror. Keep going and before you know it, people will compliment you on your change motivating you to push harder.

The Scale: There isn’t a day that goes by that dieters aren’t discouraged by a scale. It shouldn’t be that way. A scale can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. Your results cannot be measured in two small steps. Personally, I use my scale twice a day, not to monitor my results but as a compass for healthy eating. I know that if I stick to my efforts the results will be there. So I use the scale not to determine weight but see how the food I ate stays with me. It helps be conscious of the food I ate paired with the activities I did that day.

I weigh myself at night to see how the food I ate affected my weight. Then I weigh myself in the morning to see what was burned off while my body was at rest. In doing so, I now know what foods my body breaks down quickly for energy and what foods stay with me. By the time I’m done meal planning, I can work in the pizza or chicken tenders. I have a conscious understanding of that I might break even on weight for that week but still be down for the monthly goal. I can be okay with it because I ate the food I enjoy and still can get results.

Tip: Not everyone weighs themselves regularly. You can get results and never step foot on a scale. Use it as a guideline but not a blueprint for success.

The most important thing to remember while on a diet or weight loss plan is: balance. Whether it’s Newton’s Third Law, the concept of yin/yang, karma or homeostasis everything in life revolves around balance. Take in too many unhealthy foods you’ll spend more time working them off. Eat nothing but diet foods and you miss out on the foods you love. There can be a middle ground. You don’t have to be miserable to be healthy, you just have to pay attention to your body. Losing weight takes time and effort, but it doesn’t have to break your spirit. You don’t have to spend all day a hostage of the gym. Never give up. You CAN do this!