I was looking around the net and for some reason I thought “I am going to go on Oprah’s website.” I have never watched an entire episode of Oprah or ever visited her site, and while I do think that she is an amazing business woman, I would most likely never take diet advice from her. This is not because she is stupid, but she doesn’t “get it.” She, like many other women, are attracted to fad diets that don’t educate people on why they are doing what they are doing.

But let’s say you know what you are doing, especially since you are here, but you just need some encouragement to keep you going and positive advice. Well the last thing you need to read is something like this article that inspire me to write this blog post http://www.oprah.com/article/health/weightloss/200807_omag_weight_math. Basically stating that yes, you should strive to be healthier, but there is just no reason to be unreasonable in your dreams. I think my favorite part really was this tip…

“If you want to feel better about how you look hang out with women that are older than you are because you probably have fewer varicose veins than they do, and they don’t care what you look like in a bathing suit.”

While I do get where this woman is coming from is supposed to be a good place, but I don’t really think she gets how negative this article really is. Setting goals that are high are important. Using real information and not tricks or denial is important. Yes, we need to be realistic, but that also mean using real tools to help us. I am going to give you some tips on how to get through this with a little positive encouragement.

1- Stop thinking you are not eating real food.

If you think real food is Mc Donald’s, then you need to check your taste buds and change your way of thinking. If you feel unsatisfied with what you are eating, then you need to change the way you cook and flavor your food. (hint: Leigh is going to have an article come out soon on FA about taste buds that might just help with that. )

2- Remember why you are doing this.

Don’t think about your husband/wife, kids, mom, day, boyfriend/girlfriend, or you pet. Think about you, give yourself the respect to follow through with your goal and let nothing stop you. THEN and only then if you are having a weak moment and that isn’t enough, think about others for an extra boost. Not the other way around.

3- Keep yourself constantly motivated.

Put up pictures on your fridge, by a new bikini/ boards shorts, and know that you can have the best body for your frame, if you put in the effort. There is nothing wrong with looking at someone else’s body and thinking “I want that.” There is something wrong with looking at someone’s body that you are envious of and thinking, “I could never have that so there is no point in trying.”

4- Don’t get sucked in by other peoples’ negativity.

The best way to keep negativity away from you is to not send it out in the first place. Saying things like, “I am so happy with how far I have come, but I can’t wait till this diet is over” is negative. Don’t even say the “but”, it will always get you in the end and welcome in negative comments. It will literally get you in the ass.

5- Every little bit counts.

Walking a little more, doing active things when you hang out with family and friends, playing with your pets, getting up and washing the dishes in the sink, it all adds up to 50 calories here and 100 calories there. It really can help make or break your fat loss. So don’t start being lazy with your normal day activities just because you are pumping away in the gym.

6- Don’t make excuses for why you aren’t doing what you need to be doing.

Not only is this complaining and negative, when you make excuses you are saying that is the best you can do. You can always do better if you care to, if that wasn’t the case then we would not be able to grow and change.

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