5 Helpful Truths For A Healthy Weight

You can find advice just about anywhere on how to lose or gain weight, what foods to eat or not eat, how to do exercises, or what the best exercise is for fat loss or muscle gain. You can spend hours, even days, searching the internet and reading about all things related to getting your body healthy.

Before I got healthy and became a personal trainer, I was one of those people who was always looking for how to get healthy the easy way. By the easy way, I meant with the least amount expected from me.

I changed after realizing that it was all in my hands and that only I was responsible for the movement I did and the food I chose to put in my mouth.

Now, as a coach, I work with people who are at different stages of this realization.

Your effort determines your outcome

It may not be a very popular or pleasant thought but getting your body in better shape and living a healthy lifestyle is all about the amount of effort you put into making that happen. YOU have to physically get your body moving. YOU have to move your own muscles.

The amount of effort you put into your workouts and eating habits will determine what you want to see when you look in the mirror.

Your results are the direct consequences of your effort.

We live in a world that is ruled by instant gratification. We all love that we have instant access to so many things that make us happy. But you need to remember that when it comes to being overweight and unhealthy, it took you a long time to get there. It will take time to get healthy again.

You are in control of what you eat and drink

Getting to a healthy weight is much more about what you eat than how much you exercise. The uncomfortable truth is that you must be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. Meaning you have to burn more calories than you are consuming.

If you eat less than you burn, your body has to use its fat stores for energy. If your body uses your fat for energy, you lose that fat which means you lose weight.

Only you control what food and drinks go into your mouth. You are the one who eats those chips, who puts that spoon or fork loaded with food in your mouth. You are in control of what sugary beverages you drink.

To get healthy, you have to eat healthily. This also means not overeating healthy food.

We live in a world where it’s so easy to overeat. We constantly eat while distracted by so many things.

• We mindlessly eat while watching TV
• We nibble on food while cooking
• We overindulge while eating out

The amount of calories you eat is in your control, and you need to take control of them. Be mindful of what you are eating, and be aware of portions.

My tip to those who want to get healthy is to make sure you taste every single bite you put into your mouth. Savor every bit of it. Pay attention to when you stop actually tasting your food and notice that you are just shoveling it in.

Having a gym membership or trainer does not guarantee success

I have seen and talked to countless people who plan to go to the gym, work out, and lose weight. This starts working, then many start thinking that if they are working out, they can eat more because now they are burning calories. That plan always backfires. The gym person does not lose weight or may even gain some weight, then gets discouraged and quits.

This is where I see many people at the gym in January and February, then by March or April, those people are gone.

Having a gym membership or working with a personal trainer does not guarantee success. You still have to put in all the work. As a personal trainer, I can get a workout plan together. As a Nutritionist, I can help you make the best food choices. But I can not make you get to the gym, show up for our training time, or eat the right amount of food.

You are in control.

You have to create your own motivation

There is a lot of talk about motivation. People talk about being motivated to be healthy, and people talk about having no motivation to get started.

If you talked to the regulars who make it to the gym several times a week and asked them about motivation, they would surely tell you that they are not always motivated to get a workout in. Most do it anyhow, usually coming from building a new habit and following through with it.

You have to find what motivates you. Discover ways to get yourself to exercise.

Exercising and eating healthy will become a part of your life once you find your motivation and put in the effort.

What motivates you?

• Do you need a competition?
• Would a physical prize get you motivated?
• Will working toward a goal push you?

Some people who are early morning exercisers wake up and put on their sports bras or workout clothes. Some make sure their gym bag is packed the night before. Others will keep a small snack in their car and will be able to have it only after exercise. Some will put a picture of themselves, big or small, on the refrigerator or pantry.

You can find what works for you. You can make your own motivation.

It will take longer than you think to get healthy, and you have to keep doing it

It takes time to undo bad habits and build new habits. If you are overweight, it took time to put on those extra pounds. You probably didn’t gain an extra 50 pounds in two months, so don’t expect to lose 50 pounds in two months.

Getting yourself into the habit of exercising regularly and eating right to get healthy will have those extra pounds coming off. But it takes time, and you need to build those good habits to be able to sustain weight loss.

We may want to get fit, then be able to sit on the couch and eat whatever we want again, but that just gets us puts the weight back on.

To enjoy your new healthy body, you need to keep nurturing it.

My Summary

Getting healthy is a lifestyle change. My own weight loss took about a year, and I’ve been able to keep off most of the weight by continuing the exercise and eating healthily.

I’m here to tell you that taking steps to get healthy will change how you look at food and exercise.

It will change the food you crave. I know it sounds crazy when some fit people tell you they don’t want bread or ice cream, or chips.

I’m one of those. Bread just does not satisfy me anymore. Premium ice cream has too much fat for my taste buds, it no longer feels good on my tongue. Chips are too salty and oily.

That does not mean I don’t eat any of it. I enjoy bread that has grains and nuts in it, light ice cream, and baked chips. I eat these in moderation and make them fit into my macros.

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