Posts Tagged ‘denial’

Stay out of the fridge you fat bastard

10 Feb

Tags: Activity, admire, Bastard, body, denial, diet, dieting, eating, excuse, fat, Fitness, food, fridge, husband, Lighting, mindset, outfit, problem, Reason, right, screw, someone, time, Understand, wife, will power
Posted in Fat Loss | 21 Comments »

Let’s be honest, sometimes you need tricks to help you get by. Sometimes you need more than just that inner will power to help get you through. Most days you are going to have that “screw it” attitude until it clicks. Until that point comes here are 5 things to put on your fridge to help.

#1) A lock

It doesn’t matter if you have a combination or a key lock because nothing brings the taste of failure more the 10 extra secs it will take to undo it.

I know a lot of psychologist and fitness people who say that kind of thinking is what leads to having a problem in the first place. However, I am of the camp that says that nothing about dieting should become a way of life. We are too caught up in dieting being a way of life. Eating good foods should be a way of life. Losing fat, should be a short term torture you never have to endure again.

Get in, get out, and get a lock.

#2) An ugly picture, of yourself

That’s right, I want you to take the fattest, bad lighting, gut hanging out picture of yourself and then plaster it right there on the front of your fridge. No flexing. No flattering outfit. Yes, you can remove the photo when company comes over, but other then this you need to let it be out there. If you have kids or a husband/wife and really can’t bare them seeing it, then put it in your visor, by your vanity, or somewhere where you will be reminded of what makes you unhappy. Understand that there is a constant and nagging reason of why you want to change. Do not live in denial, that is what got you here in the first place.

#3) A beautiful picture of yourself or someone you admire

I want you to see the bad, but I also want you to be reminded of the good or enlighten to what is possible. If it is of yourself then it isn’t just the body, it is the mindset you had while in that body. Most of the time it isn’t the body that we want, it is the life we lived while we had it. Most people can’t have a bad body and a good life. It isn’t something they can wrapped their heads around. If you have never had that at all, then find someone who represents it for you.

#4) A non-body goal

It can be a place you want to travel to, or a physical activity you want to achieve. Whatever it is, it needs to be a constant reminder of what lies ahead that doesn’t have anything to do with what you look like.

#5) The excuse sheet

Every time you break the rules, every time you break down and give in, you have to write down why it happened on your excuse sheet.

“I broke down and ate because I was sad.”
“I broke down and ate because I was hungry.”
“I broke down and ate because the game was on and I just wanted to have fun.”

All are excuses, all are things you are trying to justify to yourself. All are reasons why this is being drug out for weeks, months, and years longer than it has to. With the sheet you will start to see a pattern and maybe you can find a way to end some of the triggers of why you keep giving up on yourself.

Dieting and Training: Did you Yes or Do you No?

18 Nov

Tags: amount, calories, compliance, compliant, denial, diet, diet compliance, dieting, dieting down, method, Nutrition, Nutritional, opinion, policy, program, progress, question, Recovery, REST, sleep, Training, training adherence, weight loss compliance, weight loss program
Posted in dieting down journal, nutrition and training compliance, tracking diet | 21 Comments »

It is so frustrating for you as a trainee to not even realize if you are screwing things up. Truth is that you can give your heart to a training program but still fail if you didn’t involve your mind. The key to staying ahead of the game is through a system of tracking your diet and training compliance.

With a lot of my clients I do the Yes/No program.

The truth is with any dieting down program you should be as compliant as possible, period. Follow the program, and do what you are supposed to do best possible. In my opinion, the more of a “cheat” policy that is allowed in the program, the less you are going to be happy with the results.

That being said, who does that right?

So, the next best thing is to be realistic about what you have and have not done, don’t “sugar” coat your failures or try and rationalize, that just means living in denial. Best method to do this is to list out the following:

Nutrition
Training
Rest/Sleep
Recovery/Flex

Everyday you should have a goal or plan set for what it is you are going to do. For example:

Nutrition-1400 calories and 120g of Protein
Training-Upper Day
Rest/Sleep-8 hours
Recovery/Flex-2×10 mins program

Now, list out if you did what you were supposed to do and keep it to a simple yes or no. Not an almost yes, maybe no, almost perfect, 80%, etc. That is bull, don’t do that. Write a “Yes” or “No.”

Did you eat roughly 1300 calories and hit your protein amount? Did you? If you did, then nutrition gets a “Yes.”

Did you eat 1500 calories and only 90 grams of protein? Did you? Then your nutrition section gets a “No.” This way when 2 months roll around and progress isn’t what you want it to be, you can turn to YOURSELF and say one of the following:

“Everything was yes, I really did what I need to do so that lets me know that X amount of calories isn’t right for me and I need to change something.”

“There are a lot of “No’s” so obviously I need to be more compliant to the dieting program”

It can also help you highlight what might be causing a nutritional “No.” Was sleep bad? Was training too aggressive? Are you focusing on recovery? At the end of the day your lists should look like this:

Day 1-
Nutrition-Yes
Training-Yes
Rest/Sleep-No
Recovery/Flex-Yes

Day 2-
Nutrition-No
Training-Yes
Rest/Sleep-No
Recovery/Flex-No

Day 3-
Nutrition-Yes
Training-Yes
Rest/Sleep-Yes
Recovery/Flex-Yes

No graphs, no overly complicated system of measuring, and no 90% rule. Just a one simple question:

Did you do what you need to do, Yes or No?

Old people, varicose veins, and how to feel better about yourself by judging others.

15 Sep

Tags: 10 years younger, denial, dieting motivation, dieting with a family, encouragement, fad diets, family diet, fridge, happy dieting, negative dieting, negativity, Oprah, transformation inspiration, varicose
Posted in Fat Loss, positive fat loss, tips for body change | 16 Comments »

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.

Queen Latifah’s Weight Loss Says More Than You Think

11 Aug

Tags: denial, F-word blog, Fat Loss, health, Hollywood, Jenny Craig, obese, pressure, pro fat, Queen Latifah, Research, science, stress, truth, unhealthy being overweight, WALL-E, weight loss
Posted in Queen Latifah, pro fat, weight loss truth | 15 Comments »

Now this one might…rub you a little. Let me preface this post by saying, whatever you want to be, you can be, and I don’t care. If you want to be 500 lbs and fork lift your way to the grocery store, seriously, it’s none of my business. I almost look at someone’s size the same I consider their sexual orientation…what you do in bed at night is your business, not mine. ;)

If any of you have seen those Jenny Craig commercials you might have caught Queen Latifah’s new one where she has now lost 20 lbs.

I have a feeling for her that it’s the just the beginning and “Lean Latifah” may be a new nickname, but that’s just a hunch. I think overall she looks great and will continue to care about her health and well being.

Now it should be known as a little one I was quite a big fan of the Queen. We won’t talk about my pale ass dancing to U.N.I.T.Y when I was a ghetto young one…that might have been too much to share…let’s just say that be it “Just another day” or “Last Holiday,” I have always been a Latifah fan.

The only thing I was never a fan of, and in general I am not a fan of, is the notion of being proud of obesity as if there was something noble to it. The Queen had a little bit of that going on, and SHE has noted it and said it was wrong, that she was “uninformed.”

I’m a fan of moderation; just as I see that there is nothing noble in deprivation, I don’t see anything noble in excess. This isn’t about peer pressure or conforming to Hollywood, this is about understanding what 50 extra pounds of fat CAN do to the body.

I come to deliver you a message of truth. IF you are proud of being obese and think that there is nobility or some sort of “freedom” in it, then you are uneducated, period. I will add too that, if you are proud of being underweight or bulimic/anorexic that is just as ridiculous. See? I am a equal-stupidity hater.

This message is NOT to those who are trying to better their lives and are stumbling or just having a hard time. I applaud you, you are who I am doing this for.

No, this is not for you.

Instead, this post is for people like this http://the-f-word.org/blog/ who seem to think that striving for a healthier, lean physique is an unhealthy thing. If you read that blog you will find just utter… well, “uneducated thought” is the nicest way I can put it.

I am all about loving oneself and being proud of who you are. However, you “pro fattys” aren’t getting the science behind things and are merely looking for a place to blame and throw your anger and denial. If you want to be obese, fine, go right ahead! But don’t tell me I am wrong for wanting to help others and myself maintain a healthier lifestyle.

I have met and worked with roughly every fat loss problem that has existed. I have taken a recovering cancer patient with NO thyroid and graves disease down to 100 pounds AND in a pretty fast amount of time with the aid of proper medication for their illness and the right training program.

There are no excuses; if you want to be overweight that is your choice. However, I don’t celebrate it, I will watch WALL-E (and laugh), and will continue to use research and trial as my guide (not fear and emotional distress). And in doing so, I will support the facts best I can.

This isn’t about anti-fat/pro-thin. This is about anti-uneducated/pro-informed.

If any of you F-Word people end up here>>>> go get informed

Dear Fat Loss, You Suck…

28 Jul

Tags: achievement, Activity, body, body goals, composition, denial, dream, Fat Loss, Training, writing
Posted in Fat Loss | 3 Comments »

Sometimes we just can’t see the things we should until they are staring at us directly in the face.

Using a mental mirror or self-reflection is an activity I have my clients do sometimes. It can help them see their mistakes, denial, roadblocks, positives, negatives, etc., that otherwise wouldn’t be visible to them. I don’t do this with just fat loss either. I expand this to anything in life and invite you to use it for work goals, love life, etc. The key is to be as honest as you can in a letter to yourself, to make each letter stick to that topic, and to not hold back, at all, about anything. You need to talk to this letter as if you are confessing the problem, not explaining it.

Since this is a fat loss blog I want your first letter to be about your body composition, your fat loss, your training, etc. This is what your letter should ask and answer…

When did you start trying to lose fat?
Why did you start trying to lose fat?
What have you tried?
Did it work?
What has worked best for you?
What hasn’t worked best for you?
What keeps you trying?
What makes you fail?
Who and what do you blame?
What have you accomplished?
What is your ultimate dream?

Now don’t read the rest of this until you have written that letter.

Go away.

Seriously, you’re pissing me off.

Now read your letter to yourself and circle the areas of achievement.

Circle the times you lost weight.
Circle the times you were proud of your training.
Circle your dream you want to work towards.

Now are you doing those things?

Are you using your strengths?

If taking extra walks in the day and counting points worked for you then do it! Just learn this time WHY it worked for you so you don’t veer off track again.

If training body part splits and eating chicken and almonds everyday worked for you then do it! Just learn this time WHY so you aren’t just “getting lucky” with losing the fat.

Most of the time the answer is right there, you’re just mentally blocking yourself from seeing it. If you need a guide to help get past the blockage then what are you waiting for? X marks the spot.