Your BIGGEST Weight Loss Mistakes

What is the biggest mistakes people make who are trying to lose weight?

 

 1. "All or None" Mindset

Many people in life (not just weight loss endeavors) adopt and hold true to the mindset of PERFECTIONISM or "All or None". This mindset shows itself in numerous ways, but most often, it rears its ugly head during conflict.

Many clients I have had are OK as long as everything is going well. Their choices are sound, their thinking is pure and their mood is good. However, as soon as one area of life causes stress this creates a spiral of negative thinking and their mindset goes from "I am in control" to "This isn't working, I quit!". The stress could be a work conflict or poor food choice or a missed exercise session.

This "All or None" mindset makes it increasingly difficult to attain and maintain success because the thought process relies on Perfection. 

A better plan is to understand that negative situations happen to everyone and will happen to you on occasion. Learn to handle stress with proper perspective and gain the ability to understand that every choice counts towards achieving your goal or delaying it.

Get informed here.

2. Failing to Plan 

A second pitfall I often see is that many people do not plan their meals and workouts. Many people wait for motivation to strike before they act. This is the exact opposite of what needs to be done to gain success.
 

You must schedule your workouts as a "non-negotiable priority" and attend these important appointments with yourself.
 

You must plan and schedule your meals in advance.  If you wait until you get hungry to think about what you are going to eat you increase your risk of making poor food choices and eating items that are not in your plan. This may lead to a loss of control (see "All or None").

3. Lacking Consistency. 

Often, individuals begin a plan when they become distressed about their health, appearance and/or fitness levels. They make multiple drastic changes at once in an all-out effort to achieve as much as possible as quickly as possible. Generally, repeating mistakes from their recent past.
 

When you attempt to accomplish too much at once in addition to the busy schedule you may already have you can become overwhelmed and may cease a few of the more important acts of attaining your goal.

Consistency is accomplished by placing priority on the actions that are most vital for your desired outcome and continuing these actions. You cannot get to your goals with a "tomorrow" attitude. 

-Robert

How can I get my daughter to understand the damaging effects of dieting?

I think it is important to note that not all "dieting" is bad or harmful. This truly depends on the methods utilized, the length of time the "diet" lasts and the focus of said "diet".

It may be truly beneficial to have a discussion with your daughter about the benefits of Eating Healthy, such as:

• improved energy
• increased vitality
• feeling proud of yourself
• doing good things for your body

Many people use the term "dieting" generically.  If your daughter is following a sensible eating plan that incorporates whole grains, fruits and vegetables with plenty of variety and minimal restrictions then I would say to congratulate her.

If, on the other hand, she is focused on dieting as a means for weight loss it would be important to steer her in the direction of the benefits to changing habits for the long-term.

Depending on your daughter's age; she may understand the consequences of her actions, but battling marketing and hype that surrounds so many restrictive diets cna be difficult.  I believe that by being supportive and by getting involved in a healthier eating plan together you could lead by example.  Here a a few more tips for a successful outcome:

• schedule family dinner time 2-3 times per week
• cook healthy, great tasting meals together
• speak about a few of the unhealthy habits you are focused on changing and why.
• have plenty of healthy foods and fruits and vegetables available for the entire family
• purchase less "junk food"
• create healthier dessert recipes together

Speaking to your daughter about the long-term effects of these beneficial habits and how they are better strategies than a restrictive diet plan will go far in aiding her in making better choices for the rest of her life.

Learn to create better habits here! 

To your health,
Robert DeVito 

A Daily Formula for Motivation and Inspiration

 

The IFS ACHIEVERS use this with great success.

I hope that it helps you too.

Create Better Habits  

To your health,

Robert DeVito

Creating an Honesty Covenant (Drop the B.S.)

 Honesty Covenant

Creating an Honesty Covenant with yourself and others will be essential to your success and mental well-being.  In reality, the scale/checkbook/relationships/happiness does not lie. 

Misleading yourself or others as to how well you are behaving but just not seeing the results is detrimental to success.  Beyond being in a Physiological Plateau, here are the reasons I see that people do not succeed:

·         You were not ready to commit to a new/different lifestyle.

·         You did not know how to get started, and stay on the right track.     

·         You lacked the proper information/education.

·         You wanted a quick fix.

Be honest with yourself and others. Misleading yourself with statements like "I am ok." or "I am eating pretty good" or "I can't seem to save money no matter what!" or "I cannot get along with my spouse no matter what!" or "I am too busy to exercise." are lies.  Look internally and decide if you are emotionally protecting yourself by not facing up to your actions and then list out the half-truths and absolute illusions that you feed your brain on a daily basis.

Ask for help when you need to and stay the course.

Figure out what issues/challenges you face and find long-term solutions.  If you are not changing, then there is an issue with one of the following: 

Food - Fitness – Focus

Have you been honest?

If not, how have you been deceiving yourself?

How can you course correct?

If you decide to live your life in this way, if you drop the stories and the B.S. from your life, you will move ahead and achieve at speeds that you never thought possible.  You will find a new level of self-respect and pride. We all deceive ourselves from time to time. You can break the habit if you choose to.

Was this helpful? Get more help HERE! 

Drop the B.S. and get real.

To your health,

Robert

IDENTIFYING YOUR OBSTACLES

Identify your Obstacles

This is a follow-up to our goal setting article from a few weeks back -

Setting Your Goals

This article will focus on aiding you in creating your Realistic, Progressive and Maintainable (c) Action Plan.
Identify your obstacles then modify your actions.

Identify your Problem Areas – 

What are your biggest Challenges?  Some eat too much at meals or at their desks, while others pack in extra calories while driving, snacking, or socializing.  Some want to help family members eat better – without them knowing it!  Others leave choosing foods and meals to the very last second when hunger has already taken control of your thoughts. Different problems require different solutions.  If you try to change everything at once, nothing will change.

Select Solutions – 

Select up to three – five small changes you think will most easily and effectively enable you to address only your most troubling challenge.  Be certain that these changes are R.P.M. (c)  changes.  Always choose something you know you can repeat.

Develop a Simple Plan – 

You need to be more focused than just thinking “I’m going to try to do better” and having a few vague changes in mind.  You need to select up to three specific daily changes you intend to make, and you need to commit to making these changes a part of your daily routine for the next 30 days.  It is only a month, and you chose the changes in part because you thought they would be easy for you.  Promise yourself you will try hard to adopt those changes for a least a month.

Execute Your Plan – 

It is important to make these changes each day.  There is power in consistency.  One way to do this is to keep a calendar or keep a record to mark your daily progress.  Tell your friends and family about the commitment you have made.  Do other things you believe will help keep you on track, like wearing a wristband or other reminder, posting signs for yourself, writing a food diary, or joining a group that is committed to making the same kind of changes you are.

Do this and you will be on your way to freedom from all of the frustration and confusion and on the path to being healthy and fit.

For those of you in need of more information, guidance and tips then here is a link to a free e-book download from My Dynamic Life.  Enjoy it and send us some feedback!

 

To your health,

Robert

Choosing a Trainer - Part III - Personalities

Selecting Your Trainer

Now we have determined that you have a professional, caring, well meaning and highly educated trainer in front of you.  There is one more thing left to determine if they are the right trainer for you.  Do you like them?  Personality types should not be ignored, especially in the instance that you will spend your money to spend 2 to 6 hours a week with this individual.  I have listed a few Personal Trainer Personality Types so you can familiarize yourself and be well armed to make the best decision for yourself.

READ: How to choose a Personal Trainer

·      The Enabler.  This type of trainer makes everything OK for you.  They do not try to push you too hard and they will listen to you for minutes between exercises.  This is the trainer for you if Fitness Goals are not your priority but you need a good listener.  This is more of a “Rent a friend” than it is someone totally absorbed in your success.

 

·      The Drill Sergeant.  As the name implies this is an individual who will motivate you through constant pressure to succeed and achieve more every time you are with them.  This is a person in control of the session.  Some of us need this as we are incredibly powerful, busy people and sometimes we just want to be told what to do.  Results are the cornerstone of this individuals focus.  This person was well… a Drill Sergeant in a past life.

 ·      The Analyzer (Also called The Technician).  This trainer carries a clipboard, two different color pens and a highlighter.  They will make sure that you are in the exact position that you should be before you are allowed to move.  Be sure not to deviate as this person will stop you, reset you and do it all over again until it is perfect.  The Analyzer studied engineering at some point in their life.

·      The Olympian.  A former athlete who thinks you were too!  You will lift heavy things that do not need to be moved, run to nowhere; perform feats of strength seen on American Gladiators re-runs, do sprints, box and anything else you can possibly think of.  It may not be the best structured workout you will ever experience but make no mistake – it will be an experience.  Hint: Bring an extra towel!

·      The Coach.  This is a very fun loving but intense type of trainer.  Chances are this is the only profession this person has ever known and they have been doing it for a long, long time.  This trainer understands that there are many parts to a successful fitness plan and they want to teach you how to do it all with or without them.  You will be sure to get little pearls of wisdom daily and be encouraged to do your best.  Your success will be measured and there will be an action plan for everything.

·      The Cheerleader (Also – The Motivator).  This Cheerleader is fun and you will be sure to laugh during your session.  This is a trainer who will be vocal, loud, exciting and in your face.  They will get you to let loose and try dance moves, Pilates, Yoga, Stretching, and Balance on weird Fitness Gizmos. You will be so caught up in the moment that you will not believe that you just had a personal training workout.  This person is bubbly and always smiling and you will be too.    

·      The Prima Donna.  This is the trainer that thinks they are more important than you are.  My suggestion:  Stay Away!  Warning Flags:

• Ignores or dismisses your questions.
• Works you so hard you are in pain for days. Soreness is normal, but you should still be able to get out of bed.
•  Neglects any part of a complete program or recommends a level of training that is too hard for you.
• Diagnoses injuries or illnesses instead of referring you to a doctor.
• Thinks they have the magical workout or diet plan.
• Interrupts your session to talk to friends or take phone calls (unless it is an emergency or can not be avoided).
• Does not return phone calls or emails.
• Likes looking in the mirror a bit too much.

Remember, you are spending your money and your time.  You should have a trainer that you like, that cares about you and knows how to help you achieve your goals.

-Robert

Does being "in shape" make you fit to give fitness advice?

If someone has a friend who is in good shape, who is willing to give them exercise advice, why is it still a good idea to hire a personal trainer?

Often, very fit people are individuals who have added workouts as part of their lifestyle (long-term). This is usually a very good thing. However, what often occurs is that fit people develop beliefs in relation to which exercises are "good" exercises or "bad" exercises, which ones "work" or "do not work" etc... If this advice is being passed on to a healthy and fit individual that is not prone to injury and if the new exerciser takes caution to properly progress their training program, then in most cases the recommended exercises will be useful (minimally, it will not be detrimental) for that individual.

Your friends can only teach you what worked for THEM!

More often than not though, the avid exerciser simply passes on "rules" that they have memorized that have served THEM in reaching their goals. 

Caution! Many people achieve high levels of fitness not because of what they do, but in spite of it.

Often, a new exerciser will need to hire a Professional Trainer to properly assess their goals, needs and skill level and design a variable and progressive program that will keep this individual engaged, injury free and progressing toward their goal. Each person has lifestlye needs that differ and physiological needs that need uncovereing. These challenges should be considered when designing the appropriate program for them.

Simply put, there is no substitution for the assessment and coaching a trainer can give to an individual. Because someone is fit in NO WAY qualifies them to create a fitness program for you.  That is akin to someone with nice teeth becoming your Dentist...

Good friend. Bad Trainer.  Seek guidance that is appropriate for you.

In most cases your friends have the best intentions in the world.  Proceed cautiously.  They are most likely training incorrectly for their goal(s) too.  Most gym goers just copy what the person next to them is doing or follow what the person that they want to look like most is doing (this is called 'Emulation of Winners').  This is not a very wise action plan.  That person probably has different parents than you :) so their genetics and body shape are different, they most likely live a different lifestyle and they have been much more consistent with fitness than you.  You probably need a fitness plan that is COMPLETELY different than what they are doing.

Check this out for guidance on INTENSE Exercise.
Review this for the Newbies


Yours in health,
Robert J DeVito 

What is the correct percentages of Proteins, Carbs and Fats to eat?

What is the correct percentage of protein, fat, and carbohydrate that I should be consuming?

There isn’t a “perfect” ratio for everyone. This, like your caloric requirements are different for each individual.  More important are the recommendations or ranges set forth by The American Dietetic Association.  The recommendations for each of the macronutrients of total calorie intake are as follows:

                   ● Carbohydrates: 45-65%

                   ● Protein: 15-25%

                   ● Fat: 10-30%

Your Weight Loss Coach will specify where you end up in the range based on your caloric needs, appetite and type/amount of movement.

These %’s may differ slightly day to day and on training and non-training days.  There is no one magical formula.

AVOID Holiday Self-Sabotage

Prepare for a Healthy Thanksgiving

Before you go shopping for your Thanksgiving meal, plan ahead with these substitutions: 1. Instead of sugar, use cinnamon and vanilla. 2. Skip canned cranberries and prepare fresh with orange juice. 3. Use low fat broth instead of cream in soups. 4. For casseroles use skim milk and low fat cheese instead of cream and  high fat cheese. 5. Make a stuffing using whole grain bread and turkey sausage. 6. Serve fresh vegetables or fruit as appetizers and skip the fatty chips and dip spread. 7. Use as many fresh vegetables and fresh fruit as possible. 8. Bake sweet potatoes instead of sweet potato pie. 9. Be sure to complete 30-minutes of Movement/Exercise in the morning so you feel good about yourself and sticking to your Exercise Regimen. 10. If you are going to cheat - CHEAT WELL.  Don't just grab based on temptation and impulse. Decide if you really want what you are about to eat. You can be stronger than the holiday "bingefest" that usually occurs.  You control your choices.  Have fun, make great choices, enjoy your food and feel great about yourself! Yours in health, Robert

Attitude for success

An Attitude for Success! Part I

Do you alternate between being “good” at sticking to a sensible eating plan and being “bad” when you slip? It’s a frustrating but common cycle for most of us, especially when we consider the self-defeating attitudes that labeling and acknowledging our “badness” create when it comes to food.  Many psychologists know that behavior modification strategies--rather than diets--can help us break this self-defeating cycle and make lasting lifestyle changes.

Beliefs >Thoughts >Feelings >Behaviors > Outcomes

What is behavior modification? It begins with a change in self-talk and thought, which helps us change our attitudes about our eating, our bodies, and our weight, which helps us change our behavior. In terms of weight loss, our behavior will be reflected by how we feel inside, which will be reflected in how we appear on the outside. When we feel good about ourselves, we can’t help but be attractive to others. THIS is the ultimate goal—to feel better about ourselves inside, so that our bodies and personae will reflect confidence and light to others.

Be Supportive, Not Critical.
People lose weight at different rates. Weight may drop off quickly at first and then plateau, or vice versa. Your body composition may change, although your weight may stay the same.  The important thing is that long-term healthy behavior gets results.
Reassure yourself that you are working hard and remember that hard work pays off. Don’t judge your progress by your weight; instead, acknowledge that during the day or week you engaged in behaviors that will be rewarded down the road.

This is an emotionally healthy start.  Have a great day.