Never stop learning

One of the great things about life is that there is always an opportunity to learn more. There are always things you don’t know, that other people know, that may be buried in books or articles or online courses. 

Every day, every interaction we have, every time we read something, we have the chance to gain new knowledge. 

You learn new things, figure out something that doesn’t work for you, and now you want to change that thing.

It’s so easy to fall into the rut of “I know enough” because, hey, sometimes learning can be exhausting.  

Learning can be challenging, particularly if you have a hard time accepting you might be wrong or need to change what you’re doing.

By staying humble and modest you will be more aware of the opportunities to learn, more likely to try new things and more open to hearing other people’s’ views and opinions.

Stay positive

In life we have a choice between two roads, the positive road and the negative road. The positive road will lead to enhanced health, happiness and success. And the negative road will lead to misery, anger, and failure.

The power of positive thoughts makes a difference in my perspective and life. It helps me take on daily challenges, peruse my goals and create positive momentum in my life.

It also helps to overcome negativity, neutralize naysayers and conquer adversity. I do not get mad at the naysayers. Instead, I realize that without them I would not be as strong as I believe I am. Negative people make me more resilient, wiser, and better.

Being positive does not mean that my life is perfect. Sometimes when I try to share my passion, enthusiasm and authentic experience with others it invites the very pushback I am trying to avoid.

Positivity is like a boomerang. The more we put it out there, the more it comes back to us. This applies at home, at work and every relationship in my life.

Being positive does not guarantee that you will succeed. But being negative will guarantee you will not.

Hypocrisy

For a long time, I did not practice some of the weigh loss supporting behaviors that I write about and I gained weight. It came to the point that I regained 57 pounds. 

Annual physical test results showed that my sugar reached pre-diabetic level. The doctor said "let's repeat the test, but if it comes the same way I would have to indicate in your records that you are diabetic and treat you accordingly."

Unbelievable!!! I regained more than half of what I lost in 2010/2011. How could I be so stupid to let that happen? 

Well, it did happen. 

My main motivator - fear is working again  so I started to practice more of what I write about and the weight started to decrease. As of today, I lost 27 pounds and have 29 pounds to lose. 

I apologize that I continued to write about healthy behaviors, while I actually did not practice them diligently enough.

"Hypocrisy - behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel" - Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Hypocrisy is the practice of engaging in the same behavior or activity for which one criticizes another or the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform.

Start losing weight immediately

First, answer this question. “Why do I want to lose weight?” or if you are there already, “why do I have to lose weight?” Be brutally honest with yourself and write your answer down.

 

This is not for the whole world to see it. It is not going to Facebook or on the fridge door. It is for you only. Do not answer generally like “better health.” Be very specific.

 

You know your WHY and as painful as it may be, write it down now. Looking at you answer will help you realize that losing weight is more important to you than anything else.  That will help you with motivation. Say it a few times to get used to it.  You will be repeating this phrase when it gets difficult.

If you don’t know where to begin, try these uncomplicated tips and you are all but guaranteed to see the results you want. 

• Stop drinking soda and booze; drink water instead.
• Stop eating junk food.
• Avoid hunger. One key to losing weight is eating weight loss supporting foods that keep you full. Eat enough filling protein and fiber.  This will help you avoid hunger

Stop waiting for the right time to start losing weight; it never comes. There is no reason you can't begin your weight loss journey right here, right now.

Start working a developing a healthy eating plan. It will have to be the plan that will work for you. 

Your ultimate goal is to establish new eating habits that can be sustained for a lifetime. Losing weight is a lifestyle change, not something you do until you reach your goal.

There is never a “best moment” to start losing weight. The best time is NOW. If you take the first step tonight, you will have done the hardest thing that you will need to do - overcome inertia.

Don't wait for the "right time". Do it now. Take advantage of the motivation you're feeling now.

If you want to see how I did it, please visit ilostweightyoucantoo.com

Smarter

Eating smarter and making some powerful changes to my lifestyle resulted in losing 91 pounds in 2010 and 2011. 

The transformation I experienced led to a deep passion to help other people experience the same things that I had. 

So, today, I want to remind you of that. No matter what you have been through, no matter how things might have gone in the past, today can mark a new moment in your history. 

You are powerful beyond measure to affect change in your life, and the power of food is one of the greatest tools to help you. 

I hope that what I share on this blog and my obscure website will empower and inspire you to improve your food choices, not just because of the impact they have on your weight, but because the right foods can help make you the best version of yourself.

Welcome Back

I did not post for a long time. 

The first reason was that I regained some weigh and I realized that it would be hypocritical to write about weight loss while gaining weight. 

Then, I got COVID-19 and after recovering, I felt that I deserved to allow myself to eat the “good” food.  

It is not the first time that I moved away from the healthy weight that I worked so hard to achieve eleven years ago. In my previous mini weight gains since then, when the scale showed that I am 10 or 20 pounds above 170, I would go back to stricter compliance with the approach that had led me to the weigh lose before, and it would bring the weight back closer to the 170 pounds point. 

Why would I let myself gain weight? The answer is simple. My arrogance. I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal if I gain a few pounds, because I was a positive example of successful weight loss and I knew how to lose weight if needed. 

Now, however the difference between 170 pounds and my current weight it so big that I am ashamed to write it here. Fear, my strongest motivation for weight loss, is forcing me to take action. My blood test showed that I am very close to diabetes. 

So, the weight loss journey starts again. It actually already started six day ago and I am relieved that it is working. Today, the scale shows that my number is 3.4 pounds lower than what it was on March 2^nd. 

You Will Fall off the Wagon

It is not a question of if - it is a question how quickly can you get back on.

You will fall of the wagon because you are only human, but do you get back next morning, next Monday, or a year from now?

When it happened to me, I used this rationalization: Well, I blew it, I might as well just eat whatever I want.

Unfortunately, with this kind of thinking, small lapses can turn into long relapses.

When this happens, we can undo a lot of positive effects of our weight loss efforts. It is key to get back to your weigh loss supporting behaviors as soon as possible.

Do not wait until tomorrow morning, next Monday, or January 1.