How Did You Do?

I know it's been a few weeks since I came back with some fresh posts. The Christmas season is always a bit hectic. But I hope that you were able to complete the challenge, and kept yourself moving during the past few weeks. If you would like to let the rest of the group know your status and how you did, feel free to post a comment and let us know!

I will get us started by letting you all know that Christmas kept me VERY busy, and I was able to keep myself moving throughout the past few weeks. Since I was up and moving more frequently, I have lost 4 lbs. in the past couple of weeks. I was very excited with the first showing of weightloss, and even more so when I stepped on the scale this past Sunday (yes, the Sunday AFTER Christmas week!!) and saw that I was down another 2 lbs!! It was very exciting!

I hope that you were all able to keep yourself moving and had just as much luck as I did! Keep up the great work! Here's to a year full of being Healthy, Fit, and Fabulous!

The New Year is Upon Us!

Are you ready? Are you done with all the eating that usually comes with the holiday season? If not, now is a good time to start.

Many people make the New Year's resolution to lose weight. But how many people actually stick to it? Years ago, I decided that instead of setting what seemed to be reasonable goals of weightloss for the coming year (you know, like 25-50 lbs. or more?) I would start off simple and easy. I had many years where I got all geared up and wanted to lose a significant amount of weight, I think the first year I was wanting to lose 30 lbs. Low and behold, by the time the end of the year came around, I found myself disappointed that I had only lost 20, 15, and sometimes even just 5 lbs. These numbers were way below my initial goal, and I would beat myself up for not having done better throughout the year to achieve something that I wanted so badly.

A few years ago, I decided to set a more reasonable goal to begin with. The first year I did this, I set my goal at losing 5 lbs. that year. That was it! Only 5 lbs.!! I know what you're thinking, "I want to lose WAY more than 5 lbs. this coming year!!" So did I. But with a number I was sure to hit as my goal, and did within the first couple of weeks, I was even more excited each week as I weighed in to see my progress. It eventually became a game, where I tried to see how far I could surpass my measly little goal of 5lbs. Do you want to know how much weight I lost that first year? 25 lbs!!

So many times, our eyes see more than what we are immediately able to handle. It is great to have huge goals for ourselves. It is even greater when we are able to surpass those goals and continue on to achieve higher levels of greatness. But sometimes, when we set goals that seem like they are so easy to reach, we are disappointed when we don't see the results quick enough. Many years I had a goal of losing at least 25 lbs. in the coming year. NEVER did I reach that goal for the many years that I set it. NEVER! NOT ONCE! But the one year that I decided to start off small, I achieved the greatest goal....I lost more! Once I saw myself hit the 5 lbs. loss mark, I was on a roll! And the weeks that I may have splurged a little, and put back another pound or so wasn't as disappointing, because I had already surpassed my goal of 5 lbs. The rest of the weightloss was extra, something to add on to my goal.

We are all capable of achieving the greatness that we are pursuing. Even if you don't want to start with saying that you only want to lose 5 lbs., start with 10 lbs. It's really just a mind trick, you see. Because losing 5 lbs. is going to happen a lot quicker than losing 25 lbs. And if you aren't losing the weight fast enough, you tend to get discouraged. Being discouraged leads back to binge eating. Binge eating will lead back to gaining weight. Gaining weight will lead you back to wanting to lose weight and being disappointed that you are not doing so. Don't beat yourself into this cycle. Break the cycle this New Year! I look forward to hearing your success stories!

As always,

Good Luck!

Fix Your Metabolism!

You've tried many diets in the past, right? You start off strong and then you plateau, right? This is a common effect when your body starts to understand what it is that you are trying to do to it. When you stick to a diet for a long period of time, your body starts off not really knowing what is going on, so it with the more mini meals that you try to eat (a common trait of diets), the quicker your body catches on and knows when it will get its next meal. As soon as your body catches on, it knows just how much it needs to work to get to that next meal that you will provide. This is where the plateauing starts. If your body knows that it only has to work hard enough to last you a couple of hours, guess where all that leftover energy and fat is going from the meal you just ate? YEP! That's right! To the hips!

So in an effort to help boost our metabolism, here's a small trick to try, provided by the October 26, 2009 issue of First For Women magazine.

Drink 6 oz. of water mixed with the juice of half a lemon or lime two or three times daily. And add a little rind and pith (the white spongy tissue) to each cup. The fruit's nomilin (which is in the juice but is super concentrated in the rind and pith) ups liver-cell turnover so the organ is better able to burn fat. Nomilin also boosts activity of the liver's detoxifying enzyme glutathion S-transferase and increases output of fat-dissolving bile. After two weeks (the minimum time the liver needs to recover) of drinking the mixture, the weight will fall off at a faster rate - up to 6 pounds a week. Then you can reduce your citrus-water dose to one glass daily, preferably in the morning to get the liver primed to burn fat all day.

I do not pass on things that I do not try myself. In this instance, because I don't particularly care for lemon or lime in my water, I had my husband try it. He had reached the plateauing stage with his diet. Instead of the fresh lemon or lime, he actually added about 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice to 6 oz. of water. Within the first week, he started dropping weight again like he had in the beginning of his diet. After the first week of drinking this concoction, he lost 7 lbs!!!!

So I have seen this work! My husband continues to drink this mix at least once a day, and he continues to keep his weightloss moving in the downward direction. Give it a try for at least two weeks, and see how your body takes it. I know you will see rapid results. Of course, what will help you the most is to continue to get your exercise and to continue to watch what you are eating.

Well? What are you waiting for? Go mix yourself a glass of lemon/lime water and get started with your day! :)

Good luck!