1. Are You Eating Enough?
Believe it or not this is one of the toughest concepts for women to grasp and apply. At first it sounds great but when it comes down to it the fear of gaining weight always gets in the way of a higher calorie intake that is necessary for rapid loss. The best way to do it is to eat 250-300 calories every 3-4 hours, 6 times a day. That puts you anywhere from 1500-1800 calories a day which is exactly what your body needs in the beginning to start losing. If you are not exercising then 200-250 calories every 4-6 hours 6 times a day might be a better starting point. Try to remember that bare minimum calories will often slow down metabolism. Think adequate calories vs. just slashing calories.
2. Are You Eating Healthy?
If I had a dollar for every time somebody said "but my diet is perfect".... Having looked at hundreds of food journals over the past years and seeing what people think is perfect is a bit of a shocker. Yes, yogurt is an o.k. protein choice but if you're looking for quality then cottage cheese is your best bet. Sure instant brow rice is good but why not opt for 1/2 baked sweet potato with your chicken instead. Yes, low fat, low sugar, high protein, ice pops are not so bad but why not train your taste buds to be more pure so that two spoonfuls of real ice cream will satisfy. Make better choices from the start and you'll find that your calorie intake although higher will be better quality which will lead to less cravings, less binges, and more satisfaction from real foods i.e. fruits, salmon, etc. which all adds up to faster weightloss.
3. Are You Pushing Your Physical Limits?
You may think you're working out hard but you're hardly scratching the surface of the type and amount of intensity that your body can handle. It's a fact that most people don't push beyond their comfort zones for fear of injury, for fear of looking silly, for fear of getting sweaty! One of my biggest pet peeves is hearing a client say "I don't like sweating". It's almost like saying I love money but I'm not going to work for it. Get real with yourself about how hard you're working and look for ways to push harder every time. You can burn more calories but you have to be willing to sweat, try new things, and get out of your comfort zone. If you can't do it yourself then hire somebody to show you how!
4. Are You Taking Care of Yourself?
Kids, partners, career, pets, functions, and friends are all very important but when it all starts interfering with your sleep, your eating, your stress levels and ultimately your health, you need to say "enough!". Would it help you be a more effective, mother, wife, boss, and friend if you had less weight to carry around and more energy. Think of your choices in terms of how they affect your health and start caring about you as much as you do about everything else. You'll find it incredibly empowering to know that you are better able to handle your life because you care enough to get sleep, eat right, and workout on a regular basis.
5. Are You Mentally Blocked?
Nothing stalls weight loss more than a bad attitude. You don't want to lose the weight because you don't feel you deserve it, you wouldn't know what to do with your new body, you don't want people's expectations of you to go up, or better yet you may actually have to start living up to your own higher standard. Get to the core of what is holding you back and get on with it. You don't have to dwell on it or fix it. Just be aware of your negative patterns and choose to change them for your own health and for no other reason. You don't need to psychoanalize, just stop making excuses and do what needs to be done. You can figure out the complexities of it all later but more than likely you won't have to because once you look and feel better none of it will matter anymore.
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