1. Start with being honest.
The majority of people tell their doctor or fitness trainer that they only eat a few small meals each day and they really do not know why they are overweight. Most fitness trainers have become schooled to omit certain foods that you eat due to uncomfortable embarrassment levels or food eaten for temporary mental relief. Be honest with them from the start because the only person suffering is you when your fitness trainer does not have all the details they need to create the proper fitness program. Whether it is anything from having an occasional glass of wine to binge eating at a certain time of day, your fitness trainer needs to know exact eating habits so they can prepare a workout and nutritional plan that will kick-start your body into the right direction.
Dave Giordano, lead personal trainer and Director of Operations with Team Fitness America, once had a client that used to eat doughnuts for breakfast every morning and never told him. She finally had a break down during a session and confessed to him that she would eat three doughnuts in the morning on her way to work. Once he was able to redirect her eating habits to a more positive direction, she quickly lost weight and lost the urge to eat sugar in the morning.
According to Serge Ahmed, PhD, who is a scientist that specializes in addiction research, found that sugar can be as addictive as cocaine in a study in 2007. He demonstrated that the characteristics of bingeing, craving, and withdraw of sugar are as addictive as a serious drug addiction. He further proved that sugar acts on the brain circuits such as the opiod pathways and dopamine pathways (Avena, N.M., Rada, P.& Hoebel, B.G., 2008).
2. Keep track of your progress.
Keep a journal that you can write in or even use on online tracking program. This way you can keep track of what you are doing on a daily basis so you can watch as you progress overtime. It is proven that if you document your daily eating habits truthfully, then you are less likely to sway off track as you physiologically do not want to admit guilt of being at own fault for not reaching a goal. List your peak energy levels throughout the day as well as the times of day you eat and what you eat, this way a professional can develop a guide to spike your metabolism during peak hours of the day.
When you eat is just as important as what you are eating. Most people skip breakfast because they do not like the normal, traditional choice of breakfast foods. A big misunderstanding is that you do not need to eat traditional foods for breakfast. Ask your fitness trainer or online nutritional program for a list of great healthy morning foods that will satisfy you and give energy while decreasing the urge to snack all day.
3. Reward yourself with non-food based items.
A common occurrence is that we do not reward ourselves for good decisions that we make but instead harp only on the negative ones after the fact leaving us with guilt and depression. We may have a day where we eat healthy and exercise but the next slip while missing a workout leading us to eat some comfort foods to make us feel better. If you concentrate on the positive by rewarding yourself when you did well, then you will remember the positive of what fun you had and how great you felt, as opposed to the negative making you feel sluggish and unaccomplished.
Some great rewards are a facial, pedicure, manicure, massage, or even a budget minded shopping trip. Anything that is non-food based but gives you pleasure will give you a great reward without adding any unwanted calories.
Virgina Pola, PsyD, suggests using plants to reward yourself with while sitting them on your desk. She is responsible for helping companies reward their staff for a job well done without using the traditional approach of a pizza party or an ice cream social. While she offers great company ideas, grand personal ideas can be gained from her as well as she recommends a gift of time. Ask your significant other, friend, or loved one to take duties over for the day and relax, do something you desire to do that normally would not have time to do (ezinearticles.com/
4. Stay hydrated.
Most of us mistake thirst for hunger creating a need to eat when in reality we just need to add a glass of water to our system. The body is over 70% water and it will go into a dehydration state if we are not properly refilling that percentage. So next time you think you are hungry start with a simple glass of water and go from there.
While working out, make sure to have a bottle of fresh water nearby and sip it in between sets to keep yourself hydrated. Not only does hydration keep you from overeating, it helps your body to function more efficiently.
5. Eat light before a workout.
Many of us think that working out on an empty stomach is best, but if you have not eaten in hours then you will not have the fuel your muscle cells need for an optimal workout. Many people choose to work out after work, which can already serve to be stressful especially after a difficult day. You just spent all day dealing with customers, clients, and stress while avoiding the office brownies or cookies and you probably have not eaten in 5 hours. Attempting to workout at this point is pointless and ineffective. You need a snack before you meet with your fitness trainer, otherwise your energy will be at its lowest point and you will find yourself struggling throughout your session, which should be an enjoyable and effective workout.
Hiring the right fitness trainer while keeping all this in mind will help you reverse the fight for weight loss from non-effective to extremely rewarding quickly and get back into those clothes that you reserve in the corner of the closet for when you expect to be thin.
For more information about Team Fitness America, please visit http://www.teamfitnessamerica.com.
