Are you like me and absolutely abhor those annoying weight loss infomercials that promise a beautiful thin and sexy body, but then they put that little caveat at the bottom of the screen in real teeny tiny print that states "Results Not Typical?" Yeah, there's a lot of TALK about losing weight, but obviously very few people know what to DO when it comes to shedding the pounds and getting health.
In Episode 89 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore," I share with you the "secrets" that I implored to reach my ultimate weight loss goals. Yes, I went on the Atkins diet and it worked extremely well for me. But that's not what I'm referring to in this podcast today.
Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 89 [10:42m]: LISTEN NOW | Download
Losing weight is as much about keeping yourself motivated and enthusiastic about the process on Day 100 and Day 200 as it was on Day 1 than anything else. One way to do that is to give yourself a reason to celebrate early and often during your weight loss experience. That's why I implemented the strategy for success that I shared in today's podcast. I have no doubt in my mind that is the reason I was so successful back in 2004 because it kept me focused on the task at hand.
Low-carb news and advice is at your beckoning call by:
Have you used this technique I talked about in this podcast today to help you in your low-carb weight loss journey? Or do you try to stick with the big picture alone to give you all the motivation you need to attain success? Share your comments here and reveal the strategies that have worked for YOU!
Do you need a strong system of support for you low-carb lifestyle? Then look no further than the growing-by-leaps-and-bounds "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Discussion" forum which is on the fast-track for hitting a HALF-MILLION PAGEVIEWS this week! Holy cow, that's a lotta eyeballs! Join in on this fun group of caring and loving adults and become a part of the fastest-growing low-carb forum site on the Internet today at LowCarbDiscussion.com. SEE YA THERE! ;)
The post that appeared here has been removed for not promoting the low-carb community in the professional manner I have come to expect from myself. THANK YOU!
When I made the decision to start the Atkins diet on January 1, 2004, it was probably the first time I ever made a New Year's resolution that I intended to keep. Why do put ourselves through all the efforts involved in making resolutions if we're not going to follow through on them? Human nature can be a strange thing sometimes.
But thankfully I was able to not only keep that resolution, but see it through to the end--losing 180 pounds by the end of 2004. Now it's three years since the day I began my low-carb lifestyle and I've been able to keep that weight off with relative ease now for two years. Unbelievable and amazing all at the same time!
While I don't think I'm out of the woods yet until I can keep the weight off for a minimum of three years (which will be one year from now on January 1, 2008), I do think I've proven that livin' la vida low-carb is indeed a long-term solution to obesity. There's no denying it based on my own experience. Anyone who says otherwise hasn't walked a mile in my shoes.
With all that said, I believe there are areas of my health that still need some additional work and I'm willing to resolve to work on them in 2007. That's right, I am making a list of New Year's resolutions for 2007 to improve my health even more.
After a good deal of thought, here's what I want to do:
1. Get below 200 pounds
Currently I weigh 220 pounds and I've been unable to go below 215 pounds since my weight loss in 2004. While I am certainly NOT bemoaning my situation because at least the weight is staying off, I'd personally LOVE to get down to 199 just to say I'm back in the 100's again (or that coveted ONE-derland!). I haven't been at that weight since the 5th grade! Yeah, I was pretty chunky as a kid, but not anymore. Considering I've lost 20 pounds since August, I don't think losing 21 pounds in 2007 is unreasonable. That's less than two pounds a month. It's doable and I'M GONNA DO IT!
2. Get my body fat percentage down to 6%
When you weigh over 400 pounds with a body fat percentage in excess of 50%, you don't really care too much about it. There's just no concept in your mind of what single-digit body fat would be like. But now that I've been livin' la vida low-carb for a few years and have kept my weight relatively stable, I'd like to focus on reducing my body fat significantly. The last time I had it checked, my body fat percentage was 11 percent. I am in the process of having that checked again and working closely with a well-known trainer to reach my goal of 6% body fat. It's gonna take some work, but I'm willing to do what it takes to get there.
3. No more diet sodas
Yep, it's time for me to give up one of my last remaining vices in the world. While I still believe drinking diet soda is MUCH better for you than regular sugary soda, I've reached the point where I no longer feel like I have to have that in my life. This is HUGE for me considering I used to guzzle a case and a half of regular sugar-filled soda before my low-carb lifestyle and consumed my fair share of diet soda over the past three years. But when I committed to giving up aspartame a few months back, I knew it was time to eventually wean myself off of all diet sodas. In fact, I've actually given myself a head start on this one and went cold turkey on them since Wednesday. Yes, I miss them, but I'm committing to drinking even MORE water than I do already. So far, so good.
4. Consistency with cardio workouts
Everyone who knows me will tell you I am a workout fiend. Since I began my low-carb program, I have committed myself fully to walking on the treadmill, getting on the elliptical machine, playing volleyball at my church and many other aerobic activities that get my heart rate up and makes me sweat. I LOVE cardio workouts tremendously! But I noticed in 2006 that I'd allow myself to slack off to only 30 minutes per day and sometimes skipping a day or two here and there. It's not a big deal, but enough for me to want to resolve to be more consistent with my cardio in 2007. I will be!
5. Get serious about resistance training
I have to admit, I HATE lifting weights. I tried it for the first time in 2006 and did it for about two months before I just gave it up. Sure, I felt somewhat better while I was doing it, but I guess I got bored. I would much rather go run on the treadmill. But, resistance training is important in the grand scheme of health and I KNOW I need to get serious about it. I'm working with a trainer who will help me develop a fun plan for getting solid. If my loose skin doesn't get better after all of this weight lifting, then I KNOW I will be having a tummy tuck done.
So that's it! Those are Jimmy Moore's 5 New Year's Health Resolutions for 2007 and I fully intend to do them all. I'm all about incremental changes and believe in my heart that NOW is the right time to do these things for myself. Of course, you know I'll keep you informed about my progress on each one at my blog and will share with you my success as it happens.
There's no doubt I'll hit the weight loss goal with the focus on reducing my body fat and lifting weights. I should be able to hit my body fat percentage goal as well and remaining consistent on the cardio. While it will be tough, giving up diet sodas shouldn't be that hard either. The most difficult one will be the weight lifting. I'm PUMPED to do this, so I think I'll be ready to show off my improved physique before the end of 2007. Again, I'm skeptical about it doing much for my loose skin, but here's hoping!
That's my New Year's resolutions for better health in 2007. What are YOURS?
Have you been watching these amazing videos that Atkins weight loss success story Kent Altena has been making lately? If not, then you are really missing out on some fantastic informational videos that answer some of the most common questions people have about livin' la vida low-carb to help get them through the pitfalls that may come to them.
Here's a recap of the videos Kent has made so far:
You won't want to miss a single one of Kent's videos, so be sure to subscribe to his video feed at YouTube. Share these with your friends and family members who are skeptical about the Atkins/low-carb approach and let them know that the man doing these videos lost a whopping 200+ pounds on the Atkins diet! Whoa! I think that gives him some credibility to talk about this, don't ya think?
In fact, Kent is VERY interested in using his new video platform to answer any of YOUR nagging questions about the low-carb lifestyle, so please feel free to post a comment below if you have any new ideas that you would like for him to address in future videos. Educating people about this miraculous way of eating is what drives Kent to do what he is doing. Kudos to you for doing it, Kent!
Okay, today's video addresses another popular question that people ask about the Atkins diet. It has to do with the amount of weight loss that can be expected during the Induction phase. Of all the videos Kent has made so far, this one is in my opinion the VERY BEST one he has made because it is chock full of so many excellent points regarding this important topic.
See for yourself how Kent answers the question:
HOW MUCH WEIGHT WILL I LOSE ON INDUCTION?
What an outstanding subject to talk about! I love the fact that Kent pretty much blows the premise of the question about Induction weight loss out of the water by saying the low-carb lifestyle isn't about that. For people who think it is solely about a "crash" diet mentality, they are simply not ready to make this a lifelong way of eating. Kent remarks that there are no "quick answers" to losing a set amount of weight for an event which is merely external, but rather making long-term decisions to change the way you eat for good which is internal.
It absolutely makes sense and stands to reason that if you are going to start livin' la vida low-carb that you stick with it forever. Anyone who pretends to hop on a low-carb diet to lose a quick 15 pounds is setting themselves up for a huge disappointment after they get "off the diet."
But, but, but...that low-carb diet made me gain weight when I got off of it. DUH! What the heck did you think would happen, Einstein?! Until people realize low-carb living is a permanent lifestyle change they can live with until the day the good Lord decides to take them home, their weight and health will NOT improve.
Kent even highlighted the concepts I wrote about in this recent blog post regarding the benefits of setting smaller goals along the way to help motivate you to reach the big one. And it's true these "markers" will propel you to greater weight loss over time. It reminds you of just how far you've come.
However, for those people who are wanting the quick weight loss drop, Kent said you can expect to lose 5-10 percent of your total weight loss in the first two weeks if you remain cheat-free. I personally lost 20 pounds during Induction in January 2004 when I started out at 410 pounds (then went on to lose 30 overall in the first month and 40 more pounds in February!). So if you have 100 pounds to lose, then you can expect to lose 5-10 pounds during Induction, Kent states.
But don't stop with Induction, though. Keep it going and lose the weight you need to lose for yourself. Weight loss is indeed a personal thing, but obsessing over reaching a certain goal is not the be all, end all. Kent reminds you to take in all the lessons that you learn about how to eat right, changing your bad habits, learning new ones, and living a healthy lifestyle perhaps for the very first time in your entire life. What a thrill that entire experience is!
Be sure to visit Kent's blog for more thoughts about this fantastic subject and to post your comments regarding his latest video to him directly. Soak in the wisdom this man is bestowing on us all because he is someone who has been in the trenches and risen victorious over morbid obesity. In other words, he knows from whence he speaks. THANKS again, Kent! We appreciate you so much for doing this outstanding video series.
Today, I'm going to reveal the secret to lasting and permanent weight loss. This is the great "magic pill" that the world has been sitting on pins and needles for regarding the battle to shed those pounds and it will turn the world of dieting on its head. What people need to do to bring about a real change in their weight and health is.....
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
Do you ever get the feeling that life can be like that scenario above sometimes? Just when you think you are hearing something so amazing, unbelievable and fantastic about the wonderful world of weight loss, you get an interruption in your life or current circumstance that robs you of the thrill of seeing real results that you so desperately seek. Sigh. If only weight loss were as easy as a simple formula, but it's not.
With that said, though, I want to share with you something that I did during my 180-pound low-carb weight loss two years ago that may help you become a HUGE success as well, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose like I did. There's nothing fancy or special about this, but many may find it is exactly what they need to reach their ultimate weight loss goal. I can't believe I didn't think to put this in my book, but I guess it became so automatic to me that I didn't think about it.
Here's what it involves:
Take your goal weight and break it down into many small goals.
For example, if you have 100 pounds to lose and you weigh 310 pounds, then you will want to set a goal to reach various goals all along the way. In this example, your first goal is to reach 300 pounds (or better yet, 299, because nothing is more thrilling than to see that scale drop down to the next century of pounds! It was that way for me going from the 400s to the 300s and then the 300s to the 200s. Just once, I'd love to be in the 100s again, even if it's just 199. I'm getting there!).
Okay, so once you reach 300, your next goal would be 290, then 280, 270, 260...so forth and so on. Breaking up your 100-pound weight loss goal into 10-pound increments will allow you to focus on a much smaller weight loss rather than having a huge number stare you in the face all the time. That makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?
Had I known when I started livin' la vida low-carb on January 1, 2004 that I would go on to lose 180 pounds in one year and I tried to lose all 180 pounds in one swell foop, then I do believe I would have had a mental breakdown in the process. But having a series of smaller weight loss goals enabled me to live in the present and enjoy the unbridled joy that comes with all those little victories along the way to my ultimate prize of a 180-pound weight loss.
I suppose you can say I had at least 18 winning moments during my journey from 410 down to 230 in 2004 and each one became more and more significant as the weight kept melting away and I got closer to my ultimate BIG goal. Hitting 299 was a special moment for me because it was after my 10-week weight loss stall in the midst of my weight loss and was the first time in a VERY long time that I was in the 200s again. Yeah! And I've not been out of the 200s ever since! WOO HOO!
So what is your weight loss goal? 200 pounds? 100 pounds? Regardless of how much you need to lose, I encourage you to break it up into bite-sized chunks that are well within your grasp. If all you need to lose is 20 pounds, then make it your first goal to lose 5 pounds. Once that is reached, begin on losing another 5 pounds. Before you know it, you'll lose that 20 pounds and feel the overwhelming sense of accomplishment for rewarding yourself with small weight loss goals along the way.
If you struggle with being overwhelmed by a large weight loss goal that stares you right between the eyeballs, then why don't you try my little trick for helping you bring about that weight loss slowly but surely? A 5-pound or 10-pound goal is easier to conceptualize than a 100-pound or 200-pound one, don't ya think?
Go ahead, start with that first small goal beginning RIGHT NOW and pat yourself on the back when you make it to that first goal. Then set another and another and another. Before you know it, you'll have that weight loss goal licked and you'll look and feel more fantastic than you have been in your entire life. YOU CAN DO IT!!!
