Weight Loss Journal

If you want to get the most out of a running regimen for weight loss, setting crazy weight loss goals and then running like crazy may not be the most advantageous way to get things done. Here are some tips for running for optimum weight loss.

- Running often has numerous other impacts besides just your calorie burning effort and weight loss. You will build strength in your legs and abdomen, will impact your heart rate, and may even become more flexible. Try setting other realistic and measurable goals that can be tracked during your running. Give yourself a fitness test and look at the other ways that you are becoming healthier through running. Can you touch your toes? Can you run a mile more quickly? Are you suddenly able to run for longer periods of time without feeling tired? These are all measurable goals that can help you get the most out of your running routine, even if the scale is not always showing you the results that you want.

- Mix things up with different types of running. Take a long, leisurely jog on Monday, then when you go out on Wednesday, run for a shorter period of time but on an incline instead. To toss things up further, go out on Friday with a much higher intensity level in mind. Sprints can take off the fat and burn off the calories more quickly than leisurely jogging, so end your running regimen for the week with a few good hard sprints. Each of these types of running burns calories at completely unique rates, and they also impact different parts of your body as well.

- To make your runs last longer, mix them up with small walking periods. Run for a few minutes, and then slow to a walk to catch your breath. You may find yourself doubling or even tripling how long you are out there, if you give yourself small breaks to catch up and regulate your heartbeat and breathing again.

- If you find yourself having trouble mustering the motivation to go running, bring an iPod or another mp3 player and focus on that instead. If you're not interested in music, consider bringing an audio book. Some mp3 players can even pick up on radio stations, so you could be listening to NPR or your favorite rock station while running along your favorite trail. This may be the perfect amount of distraction to help you forget how much you didn't want to go running today.

Running is a great way to lose weight, build strength, tone muscles and even improve flexibility. Running can improve your heart function and lung function and give you a better overall sense of health. Sometimes it just takes a little extra motivation to get the most out of your running routine. Implement one or more of these tips into your regimen and you may see a completely different side of running, finding it more enjoyable than ever before.

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The process of starting a diet is probably one of the most difficult steps you can take when you’re getting started on the road to fitness. It’s not easy to commit to making changes in your life, especially if they are big changes, and it is all too easy to keep putting them off. Years later, you still may never actually get around to starting that diet.

Setting a specific date for a diet may not work either. Once again, it’s all too easy to push it back until you just forget about it. How many of us have said, “Oh, I’ll start my diet on Monday… Tuesday… Thursday…” and it just never gets done? If you don’t think that you can stick to a specific date or time, it’s probably best to avoid using this form of motivation to get on a diet.

Another major concern is the overall timing for your diet. There are things in our lives that we cannot control, and starting a diet in the middle of chaos is a great way to set yourself up to fail. Let’s look at a few big events that should never go hand in hand with a new diet.

Starting a new job –

This is a killer for many people. You want to make a good impression, you want to look your best, and naturally, you may think about dieting. However, with the added stress that comes with starting a new job, the need for the right kind of energy, dieting at this time is not ideal.

Right before school starts –

Once again, we’re dealing with a stressful event, whether you’re the one going to school, or your kids are. It’s all too easy to get swept away by activity and lose your focus on your diet. You’ll need extra energy and a strict diet at this time can just be too difficult to maintain.

Family crisis –

You can’t really plan these and they usually strike at the worst possible time. However, trying to diet through grief, or added stress is not recommended, especially if the diet is strict.

So, now that you know when to avoid starting a diet, when you should start? The best answer is today, right this second in fact (as long as one of the above events is not looming). Make that move right now to say I am now on a diet. I’m starting this second and I will not put off until tomorrow what I can get done today. It’s a cliché – but it works. Stop putting off your diet plans, but don’t beat yourself up if something outside of your control throws you off.

As soon as you are back on your feet and settled, start that instant towards getting back on your diet plan. The less time you waste, the less you put off the inevitable, the more likely you’ll be able to achieve your weight loss goals – starting today.

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As our lives become more focused around online activities, it was only natural that diets would make the move towards becoming more online based. There are literally thousands of different sites that purport to help you lose weight, but do these plans really work? For many dieters, they do, and it’s due to the fact that online diets include a few things that a book or an exercise plan can’t provide. Let’s take a look at why online diets can be successful, and whether or not they may be right for you.

The first component that helps online diet plans reach such a phenomenal success rate is the fact that they often have a community atmosphere. Support is a vital part of being able to lose weight, and when you have access to hundreds of other people that are going through the exact same problems that you are. Having that support system can make a big difference, both in motivation and in having a shoulder or three to lean on. This may be the biggest reason that online diet plans are so successful.

The next component is the ability to easily log and calculate what you are eating. It’s tough trying to keep track on paper and you may not always have access to dietary information on food. Most online diet sites include calorie calculators as well as common labels for many different types of food. They offer interfaces that allow you to easily add up what you’re eating and figure out more about your food choices. Sometimes, seeing it in front of you like that makes all the difference in the world.

Thirdly, online diet plans can offer a greater degree of accountability. When you are involved in a community atmosphere, there is that competitive element that can help motivate you and help you stick to your diet. When you are seeing your progress in black and white, and where you may be having problems, it’s easier to learn how to stick to your diet and keep going.

Online dieting also offers a degree of anonymity that appeals to many people. You’ll be able to share your problems with other people, but they never really have to know who you are. For those that are embarrassed about their weight problems, this offers a level of freedom that is unparalleled and it may be the turning point in helping them finally reach their fitness and health goals.

Online diets may not be for everyone, but there is evidence that they can make a big difference in how you lose the weight, and how you stay motivated. If you don’t feel like joining a membership site, there are other ways that you can harness the power of the Internet to help you on your weight loss journey. Whether it is through a blog that details your efforts, or using online calculators and software to help you track your progress, the resources that are available online can be incredibly beneficial to those looking to lose weight.

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If you are finding it difficult to stay focused on your exercise plan, there may be a few problems. First, you may not be doing the exercise that is best suited to your natural inclinations and second, you may be exercising for the wrong reasons. When it comes to getting healthy and sticking to an exercise plan, it is all too easy to fail. You need to set yourself up for success and the rest will easily fall into place.

Sit down for a minute and write down the reasons why you want to exercise.

Take your time and really think about each one. Now, once you’re done with that, next to each one, write an excuse why you don’t have to exercise. For example, let’s say that your first entry was “So that I look better.” Your refutation may look like this, “People should accept me for the way that I am.”

Go through each entry on your list and find an out for every reason you have given.

It shouldn’t be too hard, since most of us can usually come up with pretty decent reasons for avoiding things. When you’re done, take a hard look at your list and figure out what is really important to you.

Now, start an entirely new list. Find reasons to start exercising that you cannot refute.

Keep going until you find at least one good reason to exercise that you do not have an excuse to get out of. Don’t worry, it may take a while, especially if you are used to avoiding exercise. This isn’t about shame, it’s about finding the motivation inside of yourself to get the job done.

Once you have at least one reason, it’s time to do some goal setting.

Once again, we’re going to go through the same process. Write down your goals, and then come up with excuses for not achieving them. Start a new list of goals until you find the ones that are irrefutable. Take the time to really think each one through.

At this point, you should have at least one solid reason to exercise and one solid goal that you want to achieve. Now, it’s time to figure out how to get to that point. If you are already exercising, but aren’t quite happy with the plan you’ve picked, now is the best time to make that change and find one that is better suited for you.

List all of the exercises you know that you can do, whether it’s aerobics, strength training, walking or jogging.

Go through the procedure of finding excuses again, and narrow down the list until you come up with at least one type of exercise that you feel you can stick with. This will be your means of reaching your goal.

Now, you’ve got to put it all into action. If you stick to your plan, and remember that you have no excuses for backing out of it, you will start to see results. Hang in there, success is possible!

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If you are focusing on losing weight and making lifestyle changes, the first two weeks are undoubtedly the hardest. Your body and your mind need time to adjust to your diet, and this initial period requires a lot of motivation and a desire to stick to your new plan. Anytime you make lifestyle changes, it is difficult to know which foods you should be eating, and what foods you may never be able to eat again. Here are some tips to get you started.

1. Remove all the food you can’t eat from your house.

This is the first step in picking the right foods. When you don’t have the temptation sitting within easy grasp, it is a lot easier to keep on the right track. If your family eats those foods, they will need to learn to adjust, at least for a few weeks, until you are safely on the road to your changes. It is so much easier to make that healthy choice when you don’t have the chocolate cake in the fridge whispering at you.

2. Learn about the harmful effects of the chemicals in processed foods.

This is one easy way to guarantee that those tasty processed foods will never appeal to you again. Start learning about the chemicals and additives in your food and chances are, you will want to avoid them at all costs. Thanks to the Internet, anyone can learn more about the food we eat, and the additives that are included.

3. Find ways to make good foods taste better.

It’s a sad fact that until your palate gets adjusted, healthy food can actually nasty pretty nasty. However, by learning more about how to prepare that food you can make it taste better. Avoid adding dressings and sauces, but learn about different seasonings and different preparation techniques that can make any food taste better.

4. Reward yourself for the good choices.

Since it can take a week or two to start seeing real results on the scale, it is important to set up small rewards that will keep you going until you do reach that point. Avoid food rewards, but set up a system where you either do something you enjoy, or indulge in a little pampering, as a way of telling yourself “good job.” It is a lot easier to keep motivated when you make it an enjoyable experience to pick the right foods.

5. Take every day at a time.

Looking at a week’s worth of healthy food choices can be intimidating for everyone. Focus on the food choices you are going to make today, not tomorrow and not next week. Break it down so that you are only focusing on the choices that have to be made right now, and let everything else fall into place.

It will get easier to make the right food choices, and you can look at this initial phase as a training period that will make everything that is to come easier to accomplish.

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It is a lot easier to stick with a diet plan when you are motivated, but for many, that is easier said than done. Often, it is quite simple to make that first step and become motivated, but if you can’t stay that way, chances are your diet will not be as successful as it could be. While each person needs to find their own motivator, there are some tips that can help you find the right motivation and keep your momentum going.

First, it is important to find a motivation that is based on more than just “losing weight.” This is probably the first motivator that many people turn to, but when faced with deprivation of their favorite foods, and lots of exercise, it’s all too easy to fall back and lose that motivation. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with having this motivation, it may be necessary to break it down a little more than that to help you find a way to keep your motivation going full steam ahead.

One of the easies ways to do this is to look beyond that nebulous “lose weight” phrase and break it down. Why do you want to lose weight? What do you hope to accomplish by losing weight? By breaking it down you can begin to develop weight loss goals that go beyond numbers, and these are powerful tools that can help you stay motivated for the long term. Each time you reach one of those goals, you’ll feel that rush and the desire to stay on track to reach the next one.

Write down everything that you hope to achieve by losing weight. If the phrase “so people will like me more,” or a variant of that crops up, immediately delete it. So many people use this as a motivator and are crushed when they find that they are no more attractive to others thin than they were when they are heavy. This is the time to be selfish – to take everyone else out of the equation. You need to focus on you since at the end of the day, you are going to be the only one holding the Ben and Jerry’s and facing temptation.

Once you are firmly in your own corner and you have your list of goals, you need to place them in a prominent spot. That way you can easily be reminded of what you are striving for, and you will be more likely to keep moving ahead. Cross off each one as you reach it and you’ll find that the desire to get to the next goal increases with every single check mark.

Motivation is a powerful tool and when used properly, it can be the best way to lose weight. Without the right motivation and the desire to meet your goals, dieting is not only unpleasant, but it can be fruitless. Write up your goals today and then start to put into motion your plan to reach them.

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One of the key components to eating right is getting motivated. While it's easy enough at first to have grand plans, if you don't have enough motivation to do the follow through, there's just no point. In order to make sure that you're successful with your diet, you're going to need to make sure that your priorities are in order and that you have the right kind of motivation.

Before you even start your diet, we recommend making a list of all of the things that you hope to accomplish. Divide these into three columns: Physical Appearance, Body Health, Activities. Now, you'll be able to see all of the things on one sheet of paper. This makes it a lot easier to keep your goals right in front of you. Once you have them all down, redo your list and prioritize the things that are the most important to you. For example, if lowering your blood pressure is a high priority, move that to the top of the health list.

Once you have all of your items prioritized in each column, make a master list that contains them in order of importance. You'll be referring back to this as you start to meet your goals. By putting it on paper, you're giving yourself that visualization that makes it a lot easier to see your goals and meet them. While it's fine to keep it in your head, most people prefer having a hard copy. When you start to check those items off as goals attained, it really is a great feeling.

So, now that you have your list done, you're ready to start on your diet. Make sure that you select one that will make it easy to keep your goals at first. Rome was not built in a day and a good diet takes time to work. Don't doom yourself to failure by going on an extreme diet that you have no hope of keeping. Start small and work your way up. You'll be a lot less likely to call it quits after a few days and you'll be able to keep motivated.

One great way to start small is simply by cutting out a few of the foods you eat or drink every day that contain empty calories. Soda is the best place to start since you'll usually see pretty quick results. Try cutting out one or two a day at first, and then increase the amount until you are no longer drinking it. The results you see will keep you motivated and you won't be depriving yourself of it all at once.

Whenever you feel as though you want to quit with your diet, pull out that list and re-read it. See what you've crossed out and remind yourself that these are important goals that will change your life. It is easy to quit and walk away, but you will be paying the price for it for the rest of your life.

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