Losing Weight is a Lifestyle

Attitude is the only thing (besides the occassional rare medical condition) that has ever prevented anyone from losing weight and keeping it off.

There's no diet. There's no magic pill. Only you and your attitude. You need to want it. Once you want it, and I mean really, really, want it, it'll happen.

You can't just "eat better and exercise", though physically, that's what has to happen. You need to completely overhaul your outlook on life. Being healthy is a lifestyle, not a task to be completed. There is no end -- so don't go looking for one.

Every excuse you've ever made to yourself about your eating habits or exercising has been nothing but that... and excuse.

• I'm too tired. You're too lazy.
• I don't have time. You have plenty of time. There's nobody on this planet that's so busy they cant afford 30-60 minutes a day. Nobody.
• I can't run because I twisted my ankle. Okay. So lift weights, do pushups/crunches/pullups. You don't need to run on a treadmill 24x7, you need to exercise. There are literally hundreds of things you can be doing that don't involve your ankle.
• I swear I'll start next Monday. No you won't and you know it. Start now.

If you're going to make meaningful lasting change, you need to go all the way or don't bother at all. 

1. Throw out or donate everything in the kitchen that's not good for you. This will probably be the majority of your refrigerator and pantry. Anything made out of carbohydrates goes except for pasta, rye bread, and wraps. You can keep meats, fruits, and veggies.

2. Go to the grocery store and look for:

• Non-startchy vegetables - lettuce, tomato, onion, green beans, cabbage, broccoli....
• Lean meat - Mainly chickenC. If chicken or a similar high-protein food isn't the staple of your diet you're probably doing something wrong.
• Eggs are your best friends. Don't worry about the cholesterol, it's not a big deal.
• Fruit, but in moderation. Fruit has a lot of sugar.
• Nuts make great snacks and have decent protein content. They also have a lot of calories, so don't overdo it.
• Rye bread. No white bread ever, and wheat isn't much better. If you have to have a snadwich, use rye. Wraps are also okay. Go crazy on the bread products. Once or twice a week is it. 

3) Sugar is the enemy. A little bit of dark chocolate or something is okay as a snack, but limit it. Learn to live without it. No soda, no sugar in coffee, no candy....

4) Cut back on or quit the alcohol. I brew beer. I drink beer. But I don't drink it often. Develop a taste or appreciation for the drink and enjoy it. If you're getting tipsy more than twice a month you're probably doing it wrong. The physiological effects of alcohol last a lot longer than you think and it's all just empty carbohyrates.

5) Hit the gym. Cardio is great and will help you lose weight, but you should also lift. Lean muscle mass requires more calories throughout the day simply by existing. You'll burn more at rest if you're strong. You want to be strong. If you're not a lifter check outhte book Starting Strength. If you're not a runner; look into Couch to 5k.

6) Don't overdo it. Once you get in a routine and start seeing results, it's easy to go a little crazy and burn yourself out. Create a schedule for exercise ahead of time and stick to it. You should obviously be tapering everything up a little as you get stronger, but don't work so hard on Monday that you have to skip the next two days. You'll get more benefit from doing moderate stuff all three days.

7) This is the most important part. STICK TO IT. It's amazing how easily the pounds go on, and how hard it is to get them off. You can blow a month's worth of work in a week no problem. Don't do that. You'll end up right back where you started. Stick with it for life. Eventually it will all become habit and you won't even think about it.

Here's a sample daily routine:

• Wake up.
• Breakfast burrito. Nothing too extraordinary. Eggs, peppers, onions, some spices, in a wrap. Delicious.
• Cup of black coffee.
• Can you realistically walk or ride a bike to work? If so, do it. 
• Bring your own food to work. A grilled chicken sandwich on Rye or a ziplock steamer back full of veggies and chicken breast.
• Lift weights after work 3x per week, moderate cardio 3x per week, 1 day off. You can either get a gym membership or you can get the equipment at home. All you need is a bench and a squat rack.
• Protein shake with skim milk or water, 1 scoop protein, 1 tablespoon almond butter.
• A dinner centered around something high-protein mixed with vegetables.
• Sleep.
• If you snakc during the day, make them only fruits and nuts. Don't go overboard on snacking. Calories add up!

Portion Control

Remember, eating healthy and exercising is pointless if you still eat too much. At first, you may find it helpful to use a calorie counter to keep track. Log everything. You'll probably be amazed how much extra food you're actually eating. Use an online calorie counter to determine how many calories you should be eating to lose 1-2 lbs per week. Don't go over that number even a little.

MyFitnessPal is great. They have smartphone apps and a web interface. After a while you may get to the point where you just know if you're eating too much, but that will take a while so track it at first.

Track everything. Track your weight in a spreadsheet, track your lift numbers and cardio speeds/times somewhere either in a spreadsheet or a notebook. Tracking will help you see all the progress you're making.

See you in Thinville!