Secrets of Success

Get A Heart Rate Monitor for Weight Loss

A good heart rate monitor can be your BEST friend when you're trying to figure out your calorie burn. The estimates provided by a lot of charts can be really off, so knowing a more accurate calorie burn for your body at your weight can help you more accurate track the work you're really doing.

My favorite is the low-end model Ft-4 made by Polar. If you look around the web, you can get it for around $65. You don't need the bells and whistles on the expensive models.

Love Your Body Today!

Even if you're far away from your goal, love your body today. Love it for doing it's best to take care of you. Love it because you've had some good times in it. Love it because it's yours.

For the "Rule Followers"

I have six simple rules that, if I follow, will help me lose weight. (1) No white starches (flour, rice, potatoes); (2) no refined sugars: the obvious ones - pop, candy, ice cream, cookies, cake, etc.; (3) NO EATING PAST 7pm; (4) One small exception a day: 1 cookie, 1 square of chocolate, etc... this way, those cravings are satisified, but with boundaries; (5) no alcohol (stupid source of calories, plus I tend to "cheat" more after a glass of wine)... and (6) MOVE... DO SOMETHING physical.

Shop at Dollar Stores

My favorite places to by groceries are the local dollar stores, i.e; 99 cent stores, Dollar Tree, etc. They carry REAL FOOD, produce, and quite often NAME BRAND items, for less than $1.00! I know that I'm spending my husbands hard-earned money wisely when I shop for groceries and household items at the dollar stores as opposed to larger stores.

Love

Don't go to bed mad! Stay up and talk it out. You won't sleep well if your mad.

Exercise Prompt

I make a deal with myself that I only have to do the absolute minimum, e.g. only 20 minutes on the treadmill at a moderate pace, rather than 30 min at the challenging intervals a full workout would take. Maybe only 6 upper body strength exercises, rather than my whole normal regimen. I find that once I get started, I generally get motivated to do more than I'd planned (especially if I'm using my personal workout music playlist of favorites to inspire me on!!)

Stand up

I stand instead of sit when ever possible. I have to wait for the bus so I stand until the bus comes. I also have to sit in classes so I try and stand, or get up to get something as much as possible. Standing burns more calories than sitting

Healthy Ice Cream

Take a frozen banana, one cup of another frozen fruit (example blueberries), blend them up in the blender. I then add a tblspoon of Garden of Life Raw Meal Chocolate Powder--and instant chocolate ice cream!

groceries

only shop the outside isles of the grocery store , that's where the real food is.

Double Duty

Anytime I cook I try to cook two days worth of food. For instance, instead of one healthy casserole, I'll cook two and freeze one for a day when I'm feeling too tired to cook. It's sometimes too tempting to call for pizza delivery. If I have that casserole to throw in the oven, that's one day that I won't give in to temptation!