Take note!

I tried to find a picture of a nerd taking notes but the results of that search were ridiculous!

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to receive one of the best educations anyone could ask for.  I learned tons of life lessons then and found a love for goal-setting and achieving.  I believe that all areas of our life could be improved from setting goals and working to reach those goals.  So, today I have some things to remember in setting and working towards goals that will benefit you in your weight loss (It would really work for any goals).  I found these somewhere on some blog a while ago and now I can't figure out where...not cool.

• Break your major goals into manageable daily tasks and set aside the time- You want to lose weight? How are you going to do it?  Set daily goals for exercise, what you will eat, and even things like posture.
• Take pleasure from the work and reward your progress- It's best to enjoy the experience instead of trudging through it.  You will be more likely to succeed if you look for the joy in the journey as opposed to just doing it just to do it.  Also, when you have succeeded, find healthy ways to reward yourself!
• Remember your past successes and imagine how good you will feel when you accomplish your goal-  If you have ever lost any amount of weight in the past, remember HOW GOOD that felt and think how good that will feel again!  If you haven't yet been able to lose weight, remember another past success and focus on that feeling of how good you did and how that felt!  You can TOTALLY do this!
• Also imagine how bad it will feel to give up or mess up- I usually try not to focus on the negative but sometimes, you gotta remember that you have come this far and it will really stink to backslide.  Keep moving forward!
• Use competition, especially trying to improve on your best effort thus far, to arouse interest- How fast was your fastest mile?  How much is the most amount of sit-ups you have done in one day?  Now try to beat that!  You will be amazed at how well you can do when you compete against yourself!
• Seek encouragement and find "heroes" to inspire you- I definitely have some people I look up to when it comes to staying fit or losing weight.  Let them know that they are your hero (or just that you admire them haha) and ask for tips or ways for you to improve.  If you are close enough to them, see if they can work out with you sometime!  If you are really close, ask for them to be your mentor!!  Now that is cute!

I am going to be posting really soon about goals and other specifics so that we can be super efficient and successful in our weight loss goals!  Let's do this!

Late night cravings...ahh!

I have noticed in the few times I have tried to lose weight, that one of the most helpful and effective habits to get into is not eating before you go to bed.  I have heard that at least 3 hours before bed should be the last time you eat for the day.  I have even gone more than that and done 5 or 6 hours and it has been helpful but I don't know if it is great for metabolism or long terms weight loss.  When I have stopped eating at night, it seems like I don't even have to think about it and I start losing weight.  I have found it to be very effective!

One problem with this, though, is that the second you know you aren't supposed to do something, often times that is the only thing your mind wants to focus on.  So if you find that you are having late night cravings and feel yourself starting to feel weak to the growl of your stomach, go ahead and snack a bit but choose wisely in what you are going to cheat with.

Try and remember:

• Try first to drink a glass of water.  Sometimes you just need to have something in your stomach to take the edge off the hunger.  Since water is ZERO calories, make this your choice.
• If water doesn't curb your appetite, go for something that has very few calories and takes up a little bit of room in your tummy.  Something like a banana or slices of apple can be helpful to give your body a break from the HUNGER!!! haha!
• If you find that you are craving a specific food, maybe there is a healthier option that you can eat to calm your craving.  You are feeling like a pizza, for example, but something salty will do.  Grab a few pretzels instead!
• If you feel like there is no way to avoid it, you have to have that (fill in the blank of the very unhealthy yet so delicious food you crave) and there is no way around it, set a very conservative limit on how much you are going to eat of that food.  Instead of eating a whole slice of pizza, for example, you will eat only 2 bites and no more than that.  The bites can even be big!
• Please try and evaluate the craving you are having so that you don't go through the entire list above.  That would really stink if you ingested a banana, an apple, and a handful of pretzels only to come to terms with the idea that you MUST HAVE PIZZA.
• If you messed up and pigged out in your hunger weakness, don't worry!  You may have messed up today but there is always a chance to exercise a little extra tomorrow.  And for heaven's sake DON'T GIVE UP!  Giving up now will not get you to where you want to be!

Also, it does get easier with time.  After you get into the habit of not eating before bed, you will be able to walk through the kitchen without having to cover your eyes. haha!  But if you ever start getting weak, come back to this place and read your options!  Good luck and good night!

This fruit salad with actually taste BETTER than you think it will!   Promise!

Aych too Oh.

Most of the time when we read or hear about losing weight, drinking water is usually somewhere in the mix.  I have recently found that water can be a very important part in losing weight.  I will let you know how (from what I read here and here) and hopefully you will become a little closer to one of my best friends (water).

1)  Usually, the first few pounds that you lose are from water loss.  If you don't drink enough water, you will get dehydrated and/or bloated.  Dehydration slows down the fat-burning process so you MUST NOT GET DEHYRDATED. haha!  Ok, so there are a lot of other more important reasons why you shouldn't get dehydrated but that is an important one for us at this time.

2) To quote the first link: "Dehydration causes a reduction in blood volume; a reduction in blood volume causes a reduction in the supply of oxygen to your muscles; and a reduction in the supply of oxygen to your muscles can make you feel tired."  I have experienced this one a lot when it is hot (always) and it is a big bummer when you need to exercise or you just did and then you crash.  Gotta drink that water!

3) Does anyone like constipation?  I don't think so.  Why would I ask?  Well, in a healthy diet, we should be getting enough fiber.  Fiber helps with digestion but if you aren't getting enough water, you can actually get constipated.  SOOO,  don't let that happen.  Not fun.

4) Drinking water with a meal can make you feel fuller sooner.  That means you will eat less.  That means you will lose weight.  Cool.

5) It has been proven (you can read about it in the second link) that drinking water before eating with help you lose weight.  It has also been proven that drinking COLD water is more effective at that.  You go, COLD water!

6) Sometimes, when you get a craving or are feeling especially weak and want to put something in your stomach, you should choose water.  It can help fight those cravings and it has zero calories.  WIN WIN!!

7) This is a very small reason but it can only help.  Drinking cold water can help burn calories.  Your body uses calories to get the water up in temperature so that helps, right?

So obviously water is a part of losing weight that needs to be added into the equation.  I have noticed it saving me a couple of times when I am eyeballing a piece of chocolate or wanting to eat ALL of the dinner on the table.  I hope you all give water and try and let it work for you and your weight loss plan!  Good luck to you all!