#weightloss small goals lead to big success

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84 lbs down

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“Accountability breeds response-ability.” – Stephen Covey

If you have been following this weekly blog, thank you! This week’s challenge is to determine if you have been successful at adopting some of the habits I have suggested or any other habits you have decided to adopt. The best way to become consistent is to track our consistency.

“What gets measured gets managed.” – Peter Drucker

What gets measured gets managed, simply means that examining an activity forces us to pay more attention to it. The simple act of measuring and recording forces us to make more thoughtful choices and decisions. Budget experts have found that daily logging expenses can help people cut their spending by making them more mindful of how they spend their money.

The same is true for logging our food. A 2009 weight loss study found that participants who were asked to log their food naturally began to identify patterns, which made them want to do a better job of planning their meals ahead of time; this, in turn, led to healthier food choices. The group that kept food logs lost twice as much weight as the other study participants that did not log their foods. [i]

MyFitnessPal released an astonishing statistic that 88% of people who logged their food for seven days lost weight.[ii] The more you track, the greater your likelihood of reaching your goals. Your progress must be measurable to achieve it, and the act of measuring will automatically modify your behavior.

“If you want it, measure it. If you can’t measure it, forget it.” Peter Drucker.

Activity trackers work on the same concept of what gets measured gets managed. Monitoring your daily activity will automatically cause you to modify your behavior and become more active daily. You will start taking the stairs more often and parking your car further away from building entrances. Each time you hit your daily goal, it generates another small win. Small wins will help you stay motivated.

I think a simple notepad is one of the most powerful self-improvement tools in existence when used to log activity. Logging the activity creates awareness. Awareness is the first step in changing behavior. It is the first step toward transformation. When you log an activity, you become more mindful of your decisions, big and small.

Often it is the small, seemingly insignificant decisions that are sabotaging our success. Eating that cookie in the break room, losing valuable time by allowing yourself to become distracted while working on something important, skipping a workout, or staying up late watching TV instead of getting a good night’s sleep. Anyone of these decisions by themselves isn’t devastating, but their accumulative effects are. Whatever it is you want to improve, your time management, your leadership, your relationships, your business, your eating patterns, your exercise consistency, or your spending can be tracked. Be relentless. Track everything related to the behavior you want to improve. Awareness is the first step toward transformation. Bad habits are the result of neglect. Mindfulness prevents us from mindlessly doing things that are sabotaging us.

 I am a firm believer in Peter Drucker’s management principle “What gets measured gets managed.” Anyone that has ever kept a financial spending log or food log knows that they changed their spending or eating behavior when they kept a record of the activity. When we monitor an activity, we naturally become more mindful of our choices. We automatically modify our behavior and make better decisions. It is so simple to understand, I am always amazed how many people don’t use it to improve their personal or professional performance.

If you really want to change a behavior track it for at least a week, a month would be even better, two months optimal. If you want to improve your performance, you must track your performance. If you cannot track it, you will not achieve it. Everything and anything you want to improve can be measured. You might think some things can’t be measured, like building employee loyalty, but I would argue it can.

If a leader wants to build loyalty in their organization, they could decide that twice a week they are going to visit two employees whose managers say they have been doing a great job and paying them a compliment for their excellent work. She could then inquire as to how they are doing and ask if there are any resources they need, including training, to help them be even more effective. Tracking her consistency would be the lead indicators, and quarterly feedback from culture surveys would be the lag indicator. Loyalty is a two-way street. Showing employees that the leadership values their contribution, and is committed to their professional development is how you earn loyalty.

Awareness is the first step in transformation. If we are serious about improving any area of our life, we need some method of tracking the behavior. You could use habit-forming apps like Strides, Streaks, Fabulous, and Toodledo, help you track and develop new habits. The Strides app allows you to create instant habits by programming action triggers. You can program multiple reminders for each task, and the app tracks your consistency.

Maintaining a checklist is a simple, very effective method of tracking consistency. Sabina Nawaz wrote a great article on the subject for the Harvard Business Review, Break Bad Habits with a Simple Checklist.[iii] The author suggests you make a list of daily habits you need to abandon and the new ones you need to adopt to move your career forward. The list you create must be actionable. If you are overly critical, you will create a daily habit of showing appreciation; paying someone a compliment each day for their good work. Recognizing what people do well, instead of fault finding.

Many people have an irrational dislike for checklists, but their effectiveness is undeniable. The New York Times Best Seller, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, demonstrates the effectiveness of checklists. The author was inspired to write the book based on the amazing effectiveness a 5-point checklist had on reducing death rates in Intensive Care Units (ICU’s).[iv]

The checklist addressed one of the most preventable causes of death in ICUs, central-line-associated bloodstream infections. The checklist reduced infection rates by 66% and is estimated to have saved 1,500 lives in its first three months of implementation during the Michigan Keystone: ICU Project.[v]

What was on this amazingly effective checklist? The checklist included: washing of hands; cleaning the patient’s skin with chlorhexidine antiseptic; putting sterile drapes over the entire patient; wearing a sterile mask, hat, gown, and gloves; and putting a sterile dressing over the catheter site once the line is in.

Many doctors resisted the checklist. They felt it was just another form to complete, and that it would prevent them from spending more time attending to the patient. Some felt the list insulted their intelligence since the items were so rudimentary. Nurses had to be empowered to enforce the checklist because doctors were often the ones omitting a step. Even after the results were announced some still thought it was not necessary, but when asked whether they would want the checklist used if they were having an operation, 93 percent said yes!

I have developed two checklists you can use to help track your consistency. I hope you will accept this week’s challenge and measure your consistency. We become what we consistently do. To be better, we have to consistently do better.

The Habit Score Card (pdf)

The Habit Score Card

The Habit Score Card (Example)

Habit Score Card (pdf)

Habit Score Card (Excel)

  “We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do.” – Aristotle

  “We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day.” Richard G. Scott

Until next week, good luck!

We become what we CONSISTENTLY DO. Change your habits, change your life! 

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Best wishes and Best Health!

Book NOW Available on Amazon!

Are you ready to reboot and reset your relationship with food and exercise? Most programs focus on the mechanics of weight loss but fail to adequately address the psychology of change required. Most people know more than enough about nutrition and exercise to lose weight, but fail to take action. This book takes a new approach to getting leaner, fitter, and stronger. 

The Fat Loss Habit: Creating Routines that Make Willpower and Fat Loss Automatic takes a new approach to getting leaner, fitter, and stronger. The program uses high-impact change strategies that make the process of adopting a healthy lifestyle easier. The nutrition and workout program, like the change techniques, have all been proven effective, and are all backed by research and scientific studies.

#theFatLossHabit #FatLoss #WeightLoss #NewYearsResolution #GetHealthy #HealthyLife #Fitness #FitnessAddict #Nutrition #FitQuote #GetFit #NoExcuses #TrainHard #GetStrong #WeightTraining #Workout #Motivation #Positive #Inspiration #Habit #Happiness #YouCanDoIt #Success #BodyTransformation #FitFam #FitCouple

[i] Lora E. Burke, PhD, MPH, FAHA, FAAN, Jing Wang, PhD, MPH, RN, Graduate Student Researcher, and Mary Ann Sevick, ScD, RN, Research Scientist, “Self-Monitoring in Weight Loss: A Systematic Review of the Literature,” J Am Diet Assoc. 2011 Jan; 111(1): 92–102. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2010.10.008.

[ii] Mike Lee, “MyFitnessPal Works if You Use It,” MyFitnessPal, November 17, 2014.

[iii] Sabina Nawaz, “Break Bad Habits with a Simple Checklist,” Harvard Business Review, February 10, 2017.

[iv] Atul Gawande, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, Picador; Reprint edition (January 4, 2011)

[v] Sandeep Jauhar, “One Thing After Another,” The New York Times, January 22, 2010.

Consistency is more important than intensity. Small improvements hammered out daily produce unbelievable results over time. “Accountability breeds response-ability.” - Stephen Covey If you have been following this weekly blog, thank you! …

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Weightloss the Easy Way

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Every year a new diet seems to come out that promises to solve all of your problems relating to weightloss. Millions of people worldwide jump onto the next new thing hoping it will solve all of their problems. Usually it doesn’t. The reason for this is commitment. It does not matter what weightloss program you embark on, without commitment and effort from you no diet in the world will work.

This is why I do not enjoy using the word diet. The word diet implies restrictions and we as humans do not like to have restrictions imposed on us. We are grown adults who have the right to make choices and live with them. It is for this reason that I believe the best way to lose weight is through healthy lifestyle changes. No restrictions needed. Food is plentiful and good and you can eat frequently as long as you are making educated choices that will serve your body and your weightloss goals well.

Successful weightloss falls squarely on your shoulders. As the old saying goes you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink. This is true for weightloss as well, you can have all the information you need to make the right decisions to help you lose weight but if you do not take action and make an effort your body will not change. It is that simple.

Weightloss, and more importantly permanent weightloss requires a change in your habits. Changing the way you think about food and lifestyle and exercise is what will lead you to permanent weightloss and better health.

Lets look at each category separately.

1. Food. You really are what you eat. Eat lean and healthy foods. Stay away from the deep fried foods as they will cause fat on your body. Learn how to cook the healthy way such as grilling and steaming. Sugar is a big no no. Eliminate sugar from your diet and stay away from foods and drink that contain sugar.

2. Lifestyle. This category involves a lot. Are you getting enough rest? Are you developing good habits such as eating slowly to let your food digest, are you eating small portions regularly? Do you stop eating at least three hours before bed? The list is simple but can have a dramatic effect on your weightloss. Develop good food choices and habits, basically look after yourself and you will reap the benefits.

3. Exercise. Are you exercising enough? Aim to exercise 4 or 5 times a week for at least 40 minutes. Speed up your metabolism and watch the weight drop.

Choose to live a healthy life and begin to reap the benefits that you desire.

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[ultralifehackerguru-blog]

New Post has been published on http://www.lifehacker.guru/truth-weightloss-management-dont-hear-often/

The Truth About Weightloss Management That You Dont Hear Often

Weight loss is hard. There’s no miracle cure or magic pill. This is something that will take you time and effort.

These are all facts and truths that you hear about weight loss management all the time, right? You’ll have experts telling you that the fad diets don’t work (because, honestly, they don’t) and that the best thing you can do is mix diet and exercise for weight loss.

While many people focus on the initial efforts, there’s also the reminder that weight loss management is long term. This brings up some of the truths that the “gurus” don’t tell you. There are truths that many don’t want to focus on; admit that is the case for the long-term benefits.

So, here’s a look at all the truths about weight loss that you don’t hear often. It’s time to assess the realities of your weight loss efforts and long-term success. Some of these may annoy you, but they will help you set yourself up for success in the future.

Losing Weight Is Hard Work, But Keeping It Off Is Harder

The honest truth is that losing weight is going to be hard work. You’ll need to stick to a diet and exercise plan to see the results. Good weight loss efforts that are sustainable will take months (and in some cases years) to show the results you want. One of the main reasons people will skip a diet is because they don’t have any patience. Without the instant results, they don’t believe that the diet works.

However, while the weight loss is hard, keeping it off is even harder. You still need to think about the food you should eat. You’ll still need to look at your calorie intake and outgoings.

There’s this belief that when you lose weight, you can go back to eating as you did. The diet is just a short-term fix for your goal. However, a good weight loss program will involve the maintenance program afterward. You’ll have steps to take to avoid gaining the weight back. It’s all about making long-term changes for the benefit of your weight.

But the good news is the maintenance program will be realistic. You won’t need to cut out all your favorite foods. In fact, a good diet won’t force you to cut out food groups or specific ingredients. There’s the encouragement of everything in moderation, but nothing to force you to change your whole lifestyle.

When it comes to maintenance, you’ll still have plenty of energy and be able to have fun with friends. A good plan is one that is manageable with your social life.

Weighing Yourself Daily Is Doing You No Favors

You’ll see some diet plans that recommend daily weigh-ins. While some state at the same time each day, others don’t even stipulate this. Daily weigh-ins are not recommended for long-term success for some reasons.

The first is they’re not sustainable. You’re not always going to be around scales, so you can’t just jump on them to see how you’re doing for the day. Plus, all scales will be calibrated differently, so you’ll never get the same results if you keep switching scales throughout the week.

But more importantly, daily weigh-ins will be off-putting. There are days you’ll see big drops and others that you see increases. Our bodies fluctuate every single day. In fact, they can fluctuate by as much as 5lbs throughout the day! Yes, you really can see a 5lb drop or increase at different times of the day, but these drops and increases are not to do with your overall weight.

You’ll see daily changes based on water, time of the month, sodium intake, poor food choices the night before, stress, sleep changes and much more. Your whole body is affected, including the muscle density and retention of water and sodium throughout the body.

These changes can do one of two things:

Lead you into a false sense of security

Demotivate your efforts

It’s easy to look at the scales and see a big loss and think you’re doing well. You start to take things for granted and are less likely to track your meals. You’ll consume more calories and soon find that weight loss isn’t as good as it was. Considering the loss may have been a sudden loss of water, you’ll find that it all balances out later. If you’ve consumed too many calories, you’ll end up gaining extra weight and seeing  weight gain at the end of the week or month.

On the other hand, a sudden gain when you were good all day can lead to a lack of motivation. You don’t see the diet plan working, so you decide to binge on chocolate to make yourself feel better. This doesn’t end up working, and you end up feeling worse about yourself and your diet efforts. You fall off the wagon and will find it harder to get back on track.

The best thing you can do is weigh yourself weekly. This will give time for daily fluctuations to settle.

But more than that, you need to weigh yourself at the same time each week with the same set of scales as much as possible. The calibration needs to be the same to give you more accurate results.

It’s also worth tracking your waist and chest measurements. You won’t always see the results on the scales due to water retention and time of the month, but you will see your inches drop, especially if you do exercise to help tone.

Water Will Help, but Not the Way You Want

Drinking more water can help you lose weight, but not in the way that you would prefer. It’s not something that makes you shed more fat throughout the day, but it’s good for keeping your whole body healthy. This can then help you find it easier to lose more weight and keep it off in the future.

Likewise, drinking more water is not going to lead to you gaining excess weight. After all, your body will have to get rid of it somewhere! Adding more water to your diet can help solve the issue of water retention, instead of adding to it.

Most of us tend to be dehydrated. Because of this, our bodies start to retain the water to help keep the organs functioning. When you drink more, you will experience less water retention, so you end up feeling less bloated, and you can help to reduce the excess weight on the scales.

At the same time, your weight loss plan will get a helping hand. One of the reasons we eat more is because our bodies give us the feeling that we’re hungry. However, researchers have found that hunger and thirst offer the same feelings and signs. Most of us may be thirsty when we feel hungry, and the general rule now is to have a glass of water before reaching for a snack.

Water also helps to fill up the stomach, so drinking a glass of water before you reach for any meal is a good idea. You’ll start the process of filling up the stomach, so you don’t feel like eating as much. By feeling fuller sooner, you eat fewer calories, but you also won’t feel deprived. This can be an excellent way to stick to an eating plan.

It Doesn’t Matter When You Eat

You’ll hear a lot of “gurus” tell you to stop eating after 8 pm. Some will even say to stop eating after 6 pm. There’s this idea that your metabolism slows down throughout the night, but that’s not the case. How would people possibly survive doing the night shift if that was the case?

The weight loss management truth is that it doesn’t matter when you eat. It’s about the number of calories you consume in a 24-hour period.

That also means you don’t need to track your meals from midnight to midnight. If you do work the night shift, you can track from 9 am to 9 am or opt for noon to noon. Pick a time to get up and start your day, whether it’s in the middle of the night or during the afternoon. From that point, you start counting the number of calories you take in during that 24 hour period.

All calories are worth the same amount throughout the day. There’s no need to double your calorie intake during the night to help counter a slower metabolism. It doesn’t happen! As long as you eat fewer calories throughout the day than your body needs to burn, you will lose the weight.

The way you eat your meals can have a mental effect on your diet. Your body will naturally work with the sun. Being on the night shift can certainly be harder, but it’s not impossible.

Snacking Is Something You Can (and Should) Do

There’s this thought that you shouldn’t need to snack if you get enough food at your meal times, but this just isn’t true. The truth about weight loss management is that you can (and should) snack. It can be extremely good for your body.

The trick is to get the right types of snacks.

Let’s start with why it’s beneficial. Our bodies need food on a regular basis. Despite the western world had plenty of food, our bodies are still in the mind that we could starve. There’s this idea that we won’t get our next meal. If we leave it too long, the body can start to show the signs of hunger, including cravings and mood swings.

This can happen even if you stick to three meals a day. The snacks in between give your body something to digest every 3-4 hours, helping to prevent the fear that you won’t get the right amount of food later.

Because of the need to eat regularly, some diet plans suggest that you change the way that you eat. Rather than consuming three meals and two snacks, many experts now recommend that you eat five or six small meals a day. This helps to keep the good going continually, so you’re always digesting, and you don’t get the cravings—which are usually for sweet foods.

If you want to stick with three small meals, you’ll need the snacks in between. This is where you need to choose the right types of snacks. You want those that are packed with fiber and protein, as they will sustain you for longer. Some of the best options include nuts, fruits, trail mixes, and some whole grains. While the grains are carbs, they’re complex carbs with plenty of fiber to keep you going.

Skip the chocolates and candy bars for your snacks. All they’re doing is adding sugar to your diet, causing your glucose levels to increase. When this happens, you can end up suffering from more sugar cravings. Plus they’re much higher in calories, so you end up gaining weight!

You Need Carbs and Fats in Your Diet

Your diet requires all the food groups. One of the weight loss myths is that carbs and fats are bad; that they make you gain weight. It’s not the case, and by skipping them, you can cause some health problems.

Carbs help to energize the body. Meanwhile, fats help to sustain the organ functions and brain health. Of course, you need to get the right types of carbs and fats, which is where you need to think carefully.

A major problem is getting too many trans fats and added sugars. Simple carbs and saturated fats cause health problems, including diabetes and heart disease. You can end up feeling hungrier in a short space of time and will even gain weight because the calorie intake is much higher than in the healthier varieties. If you want to support your health and your weight loss efforts, you’ll need to ditch them. However, you can opt for complex carbs and unsaturated fats instead.

Look out for omega 3 fatty acids, olive oil, almond oil, fruits, root vegetables, whole grains and more. They will continue other food groups, helping to balance your diet and ensure your whole health is looked after. When you get fiber and protein in with the fats and carbs, you’ll help them break down slowly, so you end up feeling fuller for longer.

The ideal diet is 70% carbs, 20% protein and 10% fats. Yes, really!

Look After Your Diet Today

Weight loss management is more than just finding a diet with promising results. It’s hard work and required dedication. There’s no need to skip all your favorites.

There are many myths about weight loss management, but it’s time to look past them. Once you learn more about the myths and the truths, you can put more focus on losing weight successfully. This isn’t just about dropping inches temporarily, but about keeping the weight off in the long term.

Losing weight is more than just restricting your calories. Look at adding more water, managing your meal plan and looking towards the future. You’ll have a healthier and happier lifestyle for the years to come.

(C)

[totallysamsays]

RECOVERY: We know you’ve been hitting the #gym hard and busting it in your #training. But spending hours lifting, day in and day out, might actually stall your progress. #Recovery and rest are essential parts of any strength and conditioning program—and most coaches and trainers would argue it’s just as or more important than the lifting itself. Recovery must occur before progress can be made. It’s important for staying injury free, long-term consistent training, and maxing out from time to time. Follow these six tips to make sure you stay sharp. 1) Schedule “down” weeks and recovery workouts The recovery process needs to be proactive, planned and effectively executed. It’s important to remember that you break your body down when you train (weights or cardio) – your energy stores are depleted, your muscles and other tissues are broken down and your body is in a fatigued state. A lack of proper recovery can lead to overtraining otherwise known as under-recovery or over-reaching. Exhaustion can ensue if the training stimulus is too high or too frequent—so maxing on your bench every week is a big no-no! Worse yet, Overtraining Syndrome can develop if fatigue is not addressed, which can lead to a host of physiological and chemical changes. To put it simply, building fatigue upon fatigue results in the inability to adequately adapt, resulting in more fatigue, inflammation, missed lifts and shitty workouts. Our Advice: Every 3-5 weeks, plan a recovery week. For all your main lifts, perform half the number of reps with sub-maximal loads. Perform less volume with your assistance lifts and leave the gym feeling refreshed and energized. 2) Schedule ample recovery time between workouts Delayed onset muscle soreness—DOMS, for short—is a common sensation felt after lifting weights. Most trainees actually base the success or effectiveness of their training sessions on how sore they get; however, this is not a good way to think about your progress. Typically, DOMS is characterized by muscle tenderness, stiffness, and reduced joint range of motion, muscle flexibility and force production, about 24 hours after your training session. Compensating for muscle fiber damage and returning to the gym prematurely will increase your risk for injury potentially sending you in for physiotherapy. Advice: Ensure you have 24-72 hours rest between intense training sessions involving the same musculature. Less rest is needed between sub-maximal training sessions. ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Workout https://goo.gl/iTmMAS anywhere! ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 3) Get some sleep It has been shown that lack of adequate sleep can decrease the reduce tolerance to training, alter mood, increase perception of fatigue and negatively affect the physiological mechanisms responsible for adaptation from the stresses of training. Hormonal secretion during sleep is one of the most important factors influencing recovery; after all, the purpose of sleep is to induce a state of recovery in the body. Anabolic (muscle-building) hormone concentrations and activity increase during sleep while catabolic (muscle-wasting) hormone concentrations and activity decrease. Disrupted or shortened sleep will negatively influence the effects of these anabolic hormones. Advice: Try to develop a regular sleeping routine where you go to bed at a similar time each night of the week. Remove distractions like light, smartphones, and TVs. If possible, try for 8 hours of sleep per night and/or fit in an afternoon power nap for 30 minutes to rejuvenate the body. 4) Hydrate Dehydration can reduce performance potential, but also delay the recovery process. Exercise and an increased metabolic rate both increase the body’s need for water and electrolytes. It has been suggested that the minimum amount of fluid intake per day for males is 3.7L/day and 2.7L/day for females. Advice: Get your minimum dose! No excuses. And be mindful of water lost from sweating; one source recommended roughly 1 L of water for every 1000 calories expended. ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Workout https://goo.gl/iTmMAS anywhere! ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ 5) Get your nutrients Recovery is a time where proper nutrition is essential. Protein sources are required to rebuild muscle tissue and to supply the building blocks for various cells, tissues, enzymes, and hormones. Depending on how often you train during the week, protein recommendations can range from 1.0 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Carbohydrates, on the hand, are muscles major source of energy; therefore, eating carbohydrates is essential at refueling your body’s glycogen stores. Your body refuels glycogen at a higher rate within 3.0 to 60 minutes post workout so it’s important to consume a post workout snack or shake during this time. It has also been shown that including a small amount of protein in this snack speeds up the rebuilding and recovery process. Advice: Eat a post workout snack that contain roughly 50 grams of carbohydrates and 30 grams of protein. A well-balanced meal should be consumed roughly 2 hours post workout to continue the recovery process. 6) Massage it out Massage from a therapist or self-massage AKA self myofascial release (SMR) with foam rollers, massage sticks and even baseballs can reduce muscle stiffness, promote circulation and induce a state of relaxation in the muscle, although research has been equivocal. It might be painful during, but SMR can be performed the night of a hard workout to remove scar tissue, adhesions in the muscle and restrictions in the fascia (a type of connective tissue that wraps around the whole body). Advice: Gently roll a baseball or massage stick over all major muscle groups until you find a sensitive spot. Apply direct pressure until the pain dissipates. Roll over the muscle again and repeat if necessary. Even if massage doesn’t speed up recovery, it might make you feel better compared to not getting massaged in the first place. ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Workout https://goo.gl/iTmMAS anywhere! ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ #workout #cardio #bodybuilding #gym #train #healthy #keto #inspiration #beachbody #personaltrainer #lowcarb #shakeology #healthychoices #single #gay #paleo #teambeachbody #motivation #weightloss #dreams #iamteambeachbody #determination #lifestyle #goals #cleaneating... ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Workout https://goo.gl/iTmMAS anywhere! ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Please LIKE & SHARE this post, ⭐➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖⭐ Disclaimers: all opinions/posts are my own, sponsors are acknowledge. ⭐➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖⭐ Drop questions in the comments. 👍🏾😎 ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ https://ift.tt/2uCEDO0

[ktbear7783-blog]

Small changes really are the key to big success! 9 years ago, when I weighed 359.6 pounds, I knew any small change had to be better than what I was currently doing. Little did I know that 1 small change would lead to another and then another and so on. 1 small change lead me on this journey where I now weigh 153 pounds and have now lost 206.6 pounds and kept it off. Baby steps in the right direction will get you to your destination! It doesn't matter how quickly you lose the weight, as long as it's part of a lifestyle change that you can sustain. You don't have to be perfect, just try to do better than yesterday 😊 #weightloss #motivation #goals #halfmysize #dontevenrecogizemyself #180poundsgone #andcounting #190poundsgone #200poundsgone #200poundclub #neverquit #worthit #fitfam #instafit #redhead #beforeandafter #beforeandafterweightloss #weighlossjourney #transformation #inspiration #weightlosstransformation #selfie

[dietpillswatchdog]

10 Ways To Speed Up Your Weight Loss

Let’s start with some simple maths: if you want to lose just one pound, that’s 3,500 calories you’ve got to cut out from your diet.

And in this era of seriously surplus calories in pretty much everything we eat, you could drop a pound a month just by losing 100 calories a day, and you wouldn’t notice a thing.

Most people want to lose weight faster than that though, and if you’re one of those people you’re in luck: here are ten weight-loss accelerators to help you safely reach your ideal weight as fast as possible.

They don’t include anything bad for you like skipping meals, living on nothing but juice, cutting fats completely and gimmick diets, and they certainly don’t include anything really harmful, like overdosing on laxatives, or anything downright dangerous, like surgery.

And there’s nothing here about dropping too many calories a day, because that would just put your body into starvation mode. That’s where your physical and mental energy start going downhill fast, and rather than burning off fat cells your body would start nourishing itself with your muscle tissue.

So with all that in mind, let’s begin.

Weight-loss accelerator #1: Exercise

You may have believed certain TV “authorities” before, when they claimed you could lose weight by taking a certain supplement and still stay sprawled practically motionless on your couch.

But if you’d kept your eye on the news you might just have seen stories about those “authorities” receiving a slap on the wrist (or a nine-million-dollar lawsuit) for promoting a miracle supplement that wasn’t as miraculous as they’d made it out to be.

So you need to keep those muscle cells and grow some more, because they’re the ones that burn up more calories than fat cells.

Cardio burns the most calories, while weight training develops the most muscle mass.

One study says successful weight loss needs a sensible diet and about an hour of moderate exercise each day.

That might not be possible, time-wise, or it may just be too much of a shock to a previously sedentary system. So to start with, parking further away from the office and taking the stairs instead of the elevator is a nice gentle way of getting used to physical activity, before joining your local gym.

Before we get on to the food and drink side of things, let’s take a look at something too many people don’t realize has an important role to play in speedy but safe weight loss.

Weight-loss accelerator #2: Sleep

Some people don’t manage to get six to eight hours of sleep each and every night. But they might go to bed a little earlier when they realize that lack of sleep has been linked to diabetes and obesity.

And it’s not just because of those late-night refrigerator raids: there’s a chemical in the body called leptin, and when leptin levels are high, appetite levels are low. And when leptin levels are low, that’s when those hunger pangs can kick in.

So leptin affects food choices in general, and also snack sizes, as in the bigger the better.

And guess what lowers leptin levels? You got it: lack of sleep.

Lots of sleep can keep that appetite curbed. Now let’s look at what happens right after eight hours in dreamland.

Weight-loss accelerator #3: Breakfast

Skipping breakfast isn’t a great idea. Yes, there’s all sorts of other stuff that needs to get done in the morning, but surely you can find a way to take ten minutes to set yourself up for the day.

It’s not like you’ve got to prepare a weekend-style brunch for yourself on a Monday morning, but if nothing more, a bowl of cereal or oatmeal will give your body enough fuel to see you through to lunchtime.

If you’re more into protein than carbs, you might agree with the school of thought which tells us we should have “ten before ten”. That’s ten grams of protein before ten every morning. Ten grams of protein are conveniently packed into just two eggs, any style you like, and no matter how you cook them it’ll take a lot less than ten minutes.

Now let’s move on to something that might take a lot longer than ten minutes to prepare, but well worth the wait.

Weight-loss accelerator #4: Real unprocessed food

Obviously you’ll need to cut down on processed food because of all its empty calories, but another reason is that it takes your body a certain number of calories just to digest whatever you’ve eaten. That should be 10% of what you’ve consumed.

When it comes to processed food, things are a little different. When you’ve eaten processed food, your body uses up 5% of the calories you’ve just consumed.

So that means not only are you getting empty calories (for example, added sugar), you’re leaving existing calories unused and leaving them to pile up around the waistline.

And so many processed foods contain much more sugar than your body really needs at any time. The manufacturers disguise the fact on labels by using fancy terminology like corn sugar, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high-fructose, glucose syrup, honey, invert sugar, isoglucose, levulose, maltose, molasses, sucrose, and probably more we haven’t come across yet.

The American Heart Association recommends men consume less than 36 grams (that’s just over a single ounce) of sugar a day, while women should have 24 grams, which is just under an ounce.

That’s 9 teaspoons of sugar each day for men, and 6 for women.

Weight-loss accelerator #5: Speeding up your metabolism

Even when you think you’re doing nothing, your body’s still using up calories. And the faster your metabolism, the more calories you’re going to use up while you think you’re doing nothing.

And how to speed up your metabolism?

Foods containing Omega-3 fatty acids: they balance blood sugar, reduce inflammation and help to regulate the body’s metabolism.

Strength training: it’s said that the average woman in her thirties who does 30-40 minutes strength training twice a week for four months will speed up her metabolism enough to burn off an extra 100 calories a day – whether she’s training on that day or not.

Small meals – and often: instead of sending your blood sugar levels skyrocketing with three big meals a day, six smaller meals a day prevent the kind of spikes in insulin levels that have a lot to do with promoting weight gain.

Safe produce: pesticide-laden fruits, vegetables and grains interfere with your thyroid, and can slow down your metabolism. If you can’t go organic, at least give non-organic foods a good wash before cooking or eating them.

OK so we’ve been looking briefly at what to eat, it’s now time to move on to…

Weight-loss accelerator #6: How to eat

Smaller portions! Need we say more?

Once you’ve got that smaller portion in front of you, eat it slowly for a couple of reasons: first, it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to register that it’s full. So if you eat fast throughout those twenty minutes, you’ve overfilled your stomach, which can lead to all sorts of problems more than just some extra weight.

The second reason is that the slower you eat, the more you tend to chew, and that’s a good thing: chewing releases enzymes into your saliva. That’s a sort of pre-digestion process before your stomach gets to work. A glass of water just before mealtimes stretches the stomach, fooling your system into thinking you won’t need so much food when it’s time to sit down to eat.

We all need protein, but if we get too much of it at once it’s going to raise our insulin levels, which eventually ends up as excess fat around our waist. So it’s best to spread protein intake throughout the day, as in half of it during your main three daily meals, and the other half in three small seriously-protein snacks in between.

Speaking of snacks…

Weight-loss accelerator #7: Snacks

We’re not saying snacking is wrong, but you do need to make a change or two when you start off on your weight-loss journey. If you’ve got a whole heap of temptation in the form of sugary, processed and fatty snacks in your kitchen, best to find them a new home. Someone will love them, that’s for sure. Just make sure that someone isn’t you.

Now it’s time to replace those pre-packaged snacks with well-washed fruits and vegetables in a bowl on the counter, ready to be picked up and nibbled on whenever the urge strikes. Instant foods like raw vegetables and fruits contain plenty of fiber and water which keep hunger pangs at bay while keeping your body hydrated.

Weight-loss accelerator #8: Hydration

If you’re following a diet that cuts down on salt and starches, you’re going to reduce fluids and fluid retention, meaning a dramatic loss of weight right at the beginning of your diet. But that would only be losing water, not fat cells.

And because your body’s made up of so much water, if you lose too much of it you run the risk of dehydration, which can affect you physically, mentally and emotionally. It can even, if severe enough, cause your internal organs to start shutting down and even be fatal.

So keep drinking – but leave those sports and energy drinks alone: they can be crammed full of more sugar than soft drinks, and contain more caffeine than your average cup of coffee. That might work for athletes who’ll take a single workout to burn off all that sugar and caffeine and anything else written into the small print on the can, but not for everybody else.

If you’re bored with plain water, there’s always a bit of flavoring in green tea (no milk and sugar, though), plus antioxidants, nutrients and metabolism boosters.

Weight-loss accelerator #9: Accountability

SMART is an acronym describing business goals. You can apply it to losing weight, since in this case it would stand for: Specific, Measurable, Agreed Upon, Realistic and Time-Based.

And thanks to fitness trackers and regular checking of the bathroom scales, your weightloss journey is definitely “Measurable”.

But let’s look at “Agreed Upon”. Who’s doing the agreeing here? You and friends? Family? Social network? Fellow dieters? Anybody? If you can hold yourself accountable to someone for specific, measurable, realistic and time-based weight-loss results, then you’ve got a much better chance of dieting success than if you keep them a deep, dark secret from everybody.

Weight-loss accelerator #10: Cheat meals

It may feel wrong to enjoy a calorie-laden meal once every now and then but there are a couple of good reasons, especially if that meal involves revisiting your favourite fast-food joint.

Good reason number one is that any cravings you may have for that particular kind of meal get dealt with without a bad case of dieter’s guilt.

And good reason number two is that after not having eaten like that for a while, you’ll definitely notice the difference in the way you feel after your scheduled cheat meal.

And finally

It’s said that the key to weight-loss is never to feel like you’re dieting. If you feel like you’re going out of your way to deprive yourself of the foods you’ve enjoyed up to now, then if not slowing your weight-loss process right down you’re definitely reducing your chances of success.

But if you do find yourself slipping back into bad eating habits, don’t give in to the temptation to beat yourself up: remember, you’re not the only one who’s strayed from the straight and narrow path.

It may feel like the end of the world, but it’s only a hiccup and it’s your choice when to get back onto that path again. And the sooner you do, the faster you’ll reach your ideal weight.

Good luck!

The post 10 Ways To Speed Up Your Weight Loss appeared first on Diet Pills Watchdog.

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Fructose Diet – The Good and the Bad

The fructose diet, also known as the Shangri-la diet was invented by University of California at Berkeley professor Seth Roberts, Ph.D. He reportedly used the fructose diet on himself over a 12 year period and kept data of his progress.

Roberts believes in the Set Point theory, in which each person has a control system built into their bodies that dictates how much fat he or she should carry. He explains that “your set point is the weight your body is aiming you toward.” When your weight is less than your set point your feel hungry. When it’s about the same you feel comfortable. When your weight is over your set point you feel full.

He states that “our set point is determined by the flavors that we eat.” And after much experimentation, Roberts allegedly found a way to trick the set point. The solution he says is to drink unflavored sugar water between meals or unflavored flavorless oils between meals, more specifically granulated fructose and unflavored canola or extra light olive oil.

Drinking 2-5 tablespoons per day of either granulated fructose or unflavored canola or extra light olive oil 1 hour before eating does the trick. According to Roberts this should give you a feeling of fullness and therefore eat less.

Roberts states that “our set point is determined by the flavors that we eat.” And according to him, as you eat foods more and more, the better it tastes. And because granulated fructose and extra light olive oil have no flavor, you stop thinking about eating your favorite foods and they become less attractive. He claims that this fructose diet has allowed him to lose 40 lbs. and he has kept it off.

You’ll find testimonial after testimonial in his book, The Shangri-La Diet. However, there are many doctors and nutritionists who are highly skeptical of this fructose diet. Many claim it to be outright dangerous. There is much scientific evidence which show fructose may in fact be a contributor to the obesity epidemic.

The controversy around the fructose diet centers around fructose itself. There have been numerous studies that show fructose may in fact be a leading cause of obesity in America. In fact, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that the increased use of fructose actually preceded the obesity epidemic.

Dr. Roberts’ Shangri-la diet may very well work, but given the overwhelming evidence of the negative effects of fructose, it may be wise to avoid using granulated fructose.

If you want to give the fructose diet a try, you may also be interested in a new substance that author Deen Dragonovich has researched which mitigates some of the negative affects of fructose by blocking it’s ability to convert to fat.

50 before and after weight loss pictures for motivation! “These 5 Secret Veggies KILL Belly Fat Fast!” Visit: http://htmlll.com/5x4fq

before and after diet inspiration journal pictures pounds weight loss shrink big fat p90x skinny surgery transformation journey amazing watchers 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 200 300 pounds gone lost losing atkins jenny craig calories secret watch me jillian michaels thin biggest new day celine dion dancem89 loser goal weigh in photos pics weightloss weight-loss 4’8 4’9 5’0 5’1 5’2 5’3 5’4 5’5 5’6 5’7 5’8 5’9 6′ 6’1 6’2 6’3 6’4 tall short lap band lapband bariatric gastric bypass surgery pre post op obesity obese overweight high bmi p90x results women men ana shaytards shayloss shaycarl antishay tbossbone fatty2slim ali vincent thinspiration time lapse raw lbs training 2010 resolution new years success programs time lapse watch me shrink workout goal lbs pounds tips advice collage photo album unbelievable inspiring low surgery post op flab chunky p90x unbelievable incredible shocking amazing wow women men teens flatten your belly facts myths weight loss before and after transformations inspirations pictures photos skinny chubby fat losing inspirational transformation biggest loser exercise diet healthy health determination inspiring motivation skinny unhealthy goal journey weigh in watchers atkins jenny craig calories secret watch me shrink jillian michaels success diary work out journal goal tips tricks advice collage slideshow hope weigh in challenge 100 pounds lost plan methods moderation best life whole foods health change eating organic binge easy principles body muscles gain lbs quick simple scale hot big small body builder fruit vegetables protein vitamins carbs African Mango Alkaline Diet Alli Atkins Diet Baby Food Diet Belly Fat Cure Best Life Diet Big Breakfast Diet Biggest Loser Diet Biggest Loser Simple Swaps Body for Life Brown Fat Revolution Cabbage Soup Diet The Carb Lovers Diet The Caveman (Paleo) Diet Cheater’s Diet Cinch Diet Cookie Diet Detox Diets DHEA The Diet Solution Dr. Oz Ultimate Diet Dr. Phil’s Ultimate Weight Solution Dukan Diet The Eat- Clean Diet Eat More, Weigh Less? Eat Right for Your Type Eat This, Not That Eat What You Love Eco Atkins Diet Fast Food Diet Fat Smash Diet Flat Belly Diet Flexitarian Diet 5 Factor Diet Flavor Point Diet 4 Day Diet Fruit Flush Diet French Women Don’t Get Fat Fresh Diet The FullBar Diet G Free Diet Gene Smart Diet Glycemic Index Diet Grapefruit Diet Hallelujah Diet HGG Diet High School Reunion Diet The Hormone Diet Hydroxycut Instinct Diet Jenny Craig The Kind Diet LA Weight Loss Lemonade Diet Living Low-Carb Macrobiotic Diet Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox Master Your Metabolism Mayo Clinic Diet Medifast Diet Mediterranean Diet Morning Banana Diet Naturally Thin Diet New Atkins for a New You New Beverly Hills Diet NutriSystem Diet 02 Diet Park Avenue Diet Perricone Diet Personality Type Diet P.I.N.K. Method Pritikin Principle Protein Power Raspberry Ketones Raw Food Diet Rice Diet Solution The 17-Day Diet Shangri-La Diet Skinny Vegan Diet Slim-Fast Plan Sonoma Diet South Beach Diet South Beach Diet Supercharged The Spectrum Step Diet Sugar Busters Thin for Life This Is Why You’re Fat 3 Day Diet 3-Hour Diet UltraMetabolism Diet Volumetrics What Color is Your Diet? The Weigh Down Weight Loss Cure Weight Watchers Dr. Andrew Weil You — On a Diet The Zone

from Lose Weight http://healthfitnessweblog.us/diets/fructose-diet-the-good-and-the-bad-2/

[healthfitessweblog]

Fructose Diet – The Good and the Bad

The fructose diet, also known as the Shangri-la diet was invented by University of California at Berkeley professor Seth Roberts, Ph.D. He reportedly used the fructose diet on himself over a 12 year period and kept data of his progress.

Roberts believes in the Set Point theory, in which each person has a control system built into their bodies that dictates how much fat he or she should carry. He explains that “your set point is the weight your body is aiming you toward.” When your weight is less than your set point your feel hungry. When it’s about the same you feel comfortable. When your weight is over your set point you feel full.

He states that “our set point is determined by the flavors that we eat.” And after much experimentation, Roberts allegedly found a way to trick the set point. The solution he says is to drink unflavored sugar water between meals or unflavored flavorless oils between meals, more specifically granulated fructose and unflavored canola or extra light olive oil.

Drinking 2-5 tablespoons per day of either granulated fructose or unflavored canola or extra light olive oil 1 hour before eating does the trick. According to Roberts this should give you a feeling of fullness and therefore eat less.

Roberts states that “our set point is determined by the flavors that we eat.” And according to him, as you eat foods more and more, the better it tastes. And because granulated fructose and extra light olive oil have no flavor, you stop thinking about eating your favorite foods and they become less attractive. He claims that this fructose diet has allowed him to lose 40 lbs. and he has kept it off.

You’ll find testimonial after testimonial in his book, The Shangri-La Diet. However, there are many doctors and nutritionists who are highly skeptical of this fructose diet. Many claim it to be outright dangerous. There is much scientific evidence which show fructose may in fact be a contributor to the obesity epidemic.

The controversy around the fructose diet centers around fructose itself. There have been numerous studies that show fructose may in fact be a leading cause of obesity in America. In fact, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that the increased use of fructose actually preceded the obesity epidemic.

Dr. Roberts’ Shangri-la diet may very well work, but given the overwhelming evidence of the negative effects of fructose, it may be wise to avoid using granulated fructose.

If you want to give the fructose diet a try, you may also be interested in a new substance that author Deen Dragonovich has researched which mitigates some of the negative affects of fructose by blocking it’s ability to convert to fat.

50 before and after weight loss pictures for motivation! “These 5 Secret Veggies KILL Belly Fat Fast!” Visit: http://htmlll.com/5x4fq

before and after diet inspiration journal pictures pounds weight loss shrink big fat p90x skinny surgery transformation journey amazing watchers 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 200 300 pounds gone lost losing atkins jenny craig calories secret watch me jillian michaels thin biggest new day celine dion dancem89 loser goal weigh in photos pics weightloss weight-loss 4’8 4’9 5’0 5’1 5’2 5’3 5’4 5’5 5’6 5’7 5’8 5’9 6′ 6’1 6’2 6’3 6’4 tall short lap band lapband bariatric gastric bypass surgery pre post op obesity obese overweight high bmi p90x results women men ana shaytards shayloss shaycarl antishay tbossbone fatty2slim ali vincent thinspiration time lapse raw lbs training 2010 resolution new years success programs time lapse watch me shrink workout goal lbs pounds tips advice collage photo album unbelievable inspiring low surgery post op flab chunky p90x unbelievable incredible shocking amazing wow women men teens flatten your belly facts myths weight loss before and after transformations inspirations pictures photos skinny chubby fat losing inspirational transformation biggest loser exercise diet healthy health determination inspiring motivation skinny unhealthy goal journey weigh in watchers atkins jenny craig calories secret watch me shrink jillian michaels success diary work out journal goal tips tricks advice collage slideshow hope weigh in challenge 100 pounds lost plan methods moderation best life whole foods health change eating organic binge easy principles body muscles gain lbs quick simple scale hot big small body builder fruit vegetables protein vitamins carbs African Mango Alkaline Diet Alli Atkins Diet Baby Food Diet Belly Fat Cure Best Life Diet Big Breakfast Diet Biggest Loser Diet Biggest Loser Simple Swaps Body for Life Brown Fat Revolution Cabbage Soup Diet The Carb Lovers Diet The Caveman (Paleo) Diet Cheater’s Diet Cinch Diet Cookie Diet Detox Diets DHEA The Diet Solution Dr. Oz Ultimate Diet Dr. Phil’s Ultimate Weight Solution Dukan Diet The Eat- Clean Diet Eat More, Weigh Less? Eat Right for Your Type Eat This, Not That Eat What You Love Eco Atkins Diet Fast Food Diet Fat Smash Diet Flat Belly Diet Flexitarian Diet 5 Factor Diet Flavor Point Diet 4 Day Diet Fruit Flush Diet French Women Don’t Get Fat Fresh Diet The FullBar Diet G Free Diet Gene Smart Diet Glycemic Index Diet Grapefruit Diet Hallelujah Diet HGG Diet High School Reunion Diet The Hormone Diet Hydroxycut Instinct Diet Jenny Craig The Kind Diet LA Weight Loss Lemonade Diet Living Low-Carb Macrobiotic Diet Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox Master Your Metabolism Mayo Clinic Diet Medifast Diet Mediterranean Diet Morning Banana Diet Naturally Thin Diet New Atkins for a New You New Beverly Hills Diet NutriSystem Diet 02 Diet Park Avenue Diet Perricone Diet Personality Type Diet P.I.N.K. Method Pritikin Principle Protein Power Raspberry Ketones Raw Food Diet Rice Diet Solution The 17-Day Diet Shangri-La Diet Skinny Vegan Diet Slim-Fast Plan Sonoma Diet South Beach Diet South Beach Diet Supercharged The Spectrum Step Diet Sugar Busters Thin for Life This Is Why You’re Fat 3 Day Diet 3-Hour Diet UltraMetabolism Diet Volumetrics What Color is Your Diet? The Weigh Down Weight Loss Cure Weight Watchers Dr. Andrew Weil You — On a Diet The Zone

from Lose Weight http://healthfitnessweblog.us/diets/fructose-diet-the-good-and-the-bad-2/

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7/27/23 is the day I started my journey

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“Accountability breeds response-ability.” – Stephen Covey

If you have been following this weekly blog, thank you! This week’s challenge is to determine if you have been successful at adopting some of the habits I have suggested or any other habits you have decided to adopt. The best way to become consistent is to track our consistency.

“What gets measured gets managed.” – Peter Drucker

What gets measured gets managed, simply means that examining an activity forces us to pay more attention to it. The simple act of measuring and recording forces us to make more thoughtful choices and decisions. Budget experts have found that daily logging expenses can help people cut their spending by making them more mindful of how they spend their money.

The same is true for logging our food. A 2009 weight loss study found that participants who were asked to log their food naturally began to identify patterns, which made them want to do a better job of planning their meals ahead of time; this, in turn, led to healthier food choices. The group that kept food logs lost twice as much weight as the other study participants that did not log their foods. [i]

MyFitnessPal released an astonishing statistic that 88% of people who logged their food for seven days lost weight.[ii] The more you track, the greater your likelihood of reaching your goals. Your progress must be measurable to achieve it, and the act of measuring will automatically modify your behavior.

“If you want it, measure it. If you can’t measure it, forget it.” Peter Drucker.

Activity trackers work on the same concept of what gets measured gets managed. Monitoring your daily activity will automatically cause you to modify your behavior and become more active daily. You will start taking the stairs more often and parking your car further away from building entrances. Each time you hit your daily goal, it generates another small win. Small wins will help you stay motivated.

I think a simple notepad is one of the most powerful self-improvement tools in existence when used to log activity. Logging the activity creates awareness. Awareness is the first step in changing behavior. It is the first step toward transformation. When you log an activity, you become more mindful of your decisions, big and small.

Often it is the small, seemingly insignificant decisions that are sabotaging our success. Eating that cookie in the break room, losing valuable time by allowing yourself to become distracted while working on something important, skipping a workout, or staying up late watching TV instead of getting a good night’s sleep. Anyone of these decisions by themselves isn’t devastating, but their accumulative effects are. Whatever it is you want to improve, your time management, your leadership, your relationships, your business, your eating patterns, your exercise consistency, or your spending can be tracked. Be relentless. Track everything related to the behavior you want to improve. Awareness is the first step toward transformation. Bad habits are the result of neglect. Mindfulness prevents us from mindlessly doing things that are sabotaging us.

 I am a firm believer in Peter Drucker’s management principle “What gets measured gets managed.” Anyone that has ever kept a financial spending log or food log knows that they changed their spending or eating behavior when they kept a record of the activity. When we monitor an activity, we naturally become more mindful of our choices. We automatically modify our behavior and make better decisions. It is so simple to understand, I am always amazed how many people don’t use it to improve their personal or professional performance.

If you really want to change a behavior track it for at least a week, a month would be even better, two months optimal. If you want to improve your performance, you must track your performance. If you cannot track it, you will not achieve it. Everything and anything you want to improve can be measured. You might think some things can’t be measured, like building employee loyalty, but I would argue it can.

If a leader wants to build loyalty in their organization, they could decide that twice a week they are going to visit two employees whose managers say they have been doing a great job and paying them a compliment for their excellent work. She could then inquire as to how they are doing and ask if there are any resources they need, including training, to help them be even more effective. Tracking her consistency would be the lead indicators, and quarterly feedback from culture surveys would be the lag indicator. Loyalty is a two-way street. Showing employees that the leadership values their contribution, and is committed to their professional development is how you earn loyalty.

Awareness is the first step in transformation. If we are serious about improving any area of our life, we need some method of tracking the behavior. You could use habit-forming apps like Strides, Streaks, Fabulous, and Toodledo, help you track and develop new habits. The Strides app allows you to create instant habits by programming action triggers. You can program multiple reminders for each task, and the app tracks your consistency.

Maintaining a checklist is a simple, very effective method of tracking consistency. Sabina Nawaz wrote a great article on the subject for the Harvard Business Review, Break Bad Habits with a Simple Checklist.[iii] The author suggests you make a list of daily habits you need to abandon and the new ones you need to adopt to move your career forward. The list you create must be actionable. If you are overly critical, you will create a daily habit of showing appreciation; paying someone a compliment each day for their good work. Recognizing what people do well, instead of fault finding.

Many people have an irrational dislike for checklists, but their effectiveness is undeniable. The New York Times Best Seller, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, demonstrates the effectiveness of checklists. The author was inspired to write the book based on the amazing effectiveness a 5-point checklist had on reducing death rates in Intensive Care Units (ICU’s).[iv]

The checklist addressed one of the most preventable causes of death in ICUs, central-line-associated bloodstream infections. The checklist reduced infection rates by 66% and is estimated to have saved 1,500 lives in its first three months of implementation during the Michigan Keystone: ICU Project.[v]

What was on this amazingly effective checklist? The checklist included: washing of hands; cleaning the patient’s skin with chlorhexidine antiseptic; putting sterile drapes over the entire patient; wearing a sterile mask, hat, gown, and gloves; and putting a sterile dressing over the catheter site once the line is in.

Many doctors resisted the checklist. They felt it was just another form to complete, and that it would prevent them from spending more time attending to the patient. Some felt the list insulted their intelligence since the items were so rudimentary. Nurses had to be empowered to enforce the checklist because doctors were often the ones omitting a step. Even after the results were announced some still thought it was not necessary, but when asked whether they would want the checklist used if they were having an operation, 93 percent said yes!

I have developed two checklists you can use to help track your consistency. I hope you will accept this week’s challenge and measure your consistency. We become what we consistently do. To be better, we have to consistently do better.

The Habit Score Card (pdf)

The Habit Score Card

The Habit Score Card (Example)

Habit Score Card (pdf)

Habit Score Card (Excel)

  “We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do.” – Aristotle

  “We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day.” Richard G. Scott

Until next week, good luck!

We become what we CONSISTENTLY DO. Change your habits, change your life! 

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Best wishes and Best Health!

Book NOW Available on Amazon!

Are you ready to reboot and reset your relationship with food and exercise? Most programs focus on the mechanics of weight loss but fail to adequately address the psychology of change required. Most people know more than enough about nutrition and exercise to lose weight, but fail to take action. This book takes a new approach to getting leaner, fitter, and stronger. 

The Fat Loss Habit: Creating Routines that Make Willpower and Fat Loss Automatic takes a new approach to getting leaner, fitter, and stronger. The program uses high-impact change strategies that make the process of adopting a healthy lifestyle easier. The nutrition and workout program, like the change techniques, have all been proven effective, and are all backed by research and scientific studies.

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[i] Lora E. Burke, PhD, MPH, FAHA, FAAN, Jing Wang, PhD, MPH, RN, Graduate Student Researcher, and Mary Ann Sevick, ScD, RN, Research Scientist, “Self-Monitoring in Weight Loss: A Systematic Review of the Literature,” J Am Diet Assoc. 2011 Jan; 111(1): 92–102. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2010.10.008.

[ii] Mike Lee, “MyFitnessPal Works if You Use It,” MyFitnessPal, November 17, 2014.

[iii] Sabina Nawaz, “Break Bad Habits with a Simple Checklist,” Harvard Business Review, February 10, 2017.

[iv] Atul Gawande, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, Picador; Reprint edition (January 4, 2011)

[v] Sandeep Jauhar, “One Thing After Another,” The New York Times, January 22, 2010.

Consistency is more important than intensity. Small improvements hammered out daily produce unbelievable results over time. “Accountability breeds response-ability.” - Stephen Covey If you have been following this weekly blog, thank you! …

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You might make a bad choice in life but don’t ever estimate the power of someone always being there for you

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Breakfast of champions

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Lunch today. Tuna with cottage cheese, almonds, pickles and crackers

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82 lbs down 8 mths post op.

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Don’t give up on yourself