Lasting Change: a healthy lifestyle

[ironwings]

Working on a new healthy lifestyle? Make it stick this time -

I have a bad habit of assuming the person I am mentoring is ready to go gung ho. Ready to train like me, diet like Thandie (LOL) and know how it all works like Tatyana. (Our other mentors/mods have all of these qualities too!)

Perhaps they are. But sudden changes in our activity level or diet can be detrimental. I have seen too many ladies in particular who start off strong and after 4 weeks they are no where to be found. I have also seen others who decide to make gradual change and they are still around years later.

There is a logical way our bodies adapt to new habits. Gradual changes generally yield better results in any kind of challenge, particularly when it comes to weight loss. By working in progressions you have a series of victories - keeping you motivated and moving forward. Take small steps each week and build on them the next week.

There is enough resources and information out there to teach us what to do. EF is a great start. Once you understand what needs to happen - lay it out for yourself. Decide what you are going to focus on first, second, etc. Although your weight loss may not be immediate (water weight) you will find that the changes you make will become habitual - yielding in far greater results than any quick fixes. Be patient, you'll never regret it.

Good luck ladies - let us here at EF help you AND learn from you!

 

[Thandie]

That is so true! And I've learned this through the years. NO ONE is going to make a 180 overnight. That's why I always suggest 5 meals a day because is simply their 3 meals + two snacks. It took me a long time to get where I am, but I did it very gradually. I made small changes till my body and my mind were ready for it. Sometimes we're mentally ready, but the body is not or vise-versa.

I want to say this and I hope it sinks in. We crave what we constantly eat. If you're used to drinking sodas, coffee, too much peanut butter, etc. You'll crave that. The transition to change it will be challenging at first, but if you stick to eating healthy foods, you'll crave just that. There's a memory bank (sort of speak) on your tongue that will crave what you have on a constant basis. I give my clients a tongue scraper and it works, but you'll still need to go through the changes.
I used to crave pasta and pepsi and even coffee. Now I crave sweet potato and oatmeal and dates for sweets. God, I'm a sugar addict and used to eat ice cream by the pints. The thought of it makes me nauseous. People say "How do you do it"? I don't have to do anything because I don't crave junk.
Ok, nuff said!