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Posts tagged ‘nutritional plan’

Jul 16

Diet or lifestyle, discipline or deprivation?

How you think about it really matters to your ultimate success

Back in Nov. 2010 when I “officially” started my transformation journey we were having a discussion about diet vs. lifestyle and my coach said: “Of course you’re going to be on a ‘diet’ to lose 200 lbs!”

It’s logical that to change my body that significantly, I would need to follow a nutrition and exercise plan with distinct rules, and that it would require self-control and discipline. I remember him also saying that I wouldn’t be on a diet forever, alluding to a “maintenance phase” I would learn later.

I believed my coach was right about the “diet,” and I knew he had the knowledge and expertise to guide me to goal. My job was to follow the plan. So I didn’t think much more about the diet vs. lifestyle mentality at the time, though I was consciously aware that I had been on many different diets in my lifetime and most had failed. In fact, I could have been the the “poster child” for the yo-yo dieting club!

So what was different this time? Well, a lot. Read more

Jan 27

7 tips for keeping your motivation mojo

New Year. New In-the-Equation You! How are you doing at keeping your motivation mojo?

For so many years, I’d start the new year by setting lofty goals or New Year’s resolutions — usually aimed at losing weight, exercising more and getting “healthy” — only to fall off the wagon by mid-to-late January. Join the club, right?!

I would inevitably feel bad about losing my motivation and start beating myself up. I used my failure at achieving my goals as evidence that I couldn’t succeed. That I wasn’t good enough. My negative self-talk countered any positive progress, and I often ended up feeling worse. Ironically, this became a self-fulfilling prophecy. I stayed overweight, unhealthy, and totally out of the equation of my life. I continued to feel unworthy. And I continued to set resolutions and start anew at the beginning of a new year.

Luckily, that’s NOT how my story ends!

Like many of you reading this, for me, New Year’s resolutions are a thing of the past. So is the negative self-talk that accompanied them and kept me stuck. The NEW healthy and in-the-equation ME doesn’t wait for Jan. 1st to set personal goals or challenge myself to do the things I want to do. I say YES! to life now and embrace a personal growth mindset — all year long.

That said, I absolutely take advantage of the calendar year close as an opportunity to reflect on the lessons and experiences of my year (The Five Lessons of 2016). And, I get focused and intentional about what I desire most in the New Year by setting clear intentions. In fact, I get totally jazzed about this work. I just no longer force it or rush it to meet an arbitrary January 1st deadline. Read more

Jul 11

Self-care rocks!

A solid week of restart. YES, we can!

lori'sharleyYep, I’m living testament to the fact that when you take care of yourself and your health and well-being, everything else is better.  I’ve tested this theory from both sides, and I KNOW it works!

Over the July 4th holiday weekend, I took a much-needed vacation. I checked out of my day-to-day life and drove off to Madison, WI, to spend the long weekend with a dear friend celebrating her 50th. In four days, we “did” Milwaukee (think Summerfest outdoor concerts, Harley, and craft breweries), Madison’s outdoor concert scene (Steve Miller! and craft beer), and then we had an outdoor concert at Edgewater on the lake and a surprise 50th birthday party (think music and craft beer)!

Why am I telling you this?

Well, let’s just say, I got more than a little OFF my healthy eating at a time when I’ve been really struggling to keep it clean and healthy. So while I was already in a full-on restart after going up on the scale and in a clothing size, I STILL took a time out and partied with my friend to celebrate her 50th and live life. And I don’t regret it.

So now what?

Read more

Jan 14

1 Comment

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken. Yum!

A super easy, flavorful, & totally healthy go-to-recipe — part of our back to basics, nuts & bolts blog series

chickensalsa-dinnerTuesday night dinner with my girlfriends included one of my favorite, go-to recipes — Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken. It’s a winner for those who want easy, low-fat, low carb recipes and who are on the go and don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. It’s so easy even I can do it!

You just “fire” the ingredients in the crock pot in the morning before work (takes about 5 minutes) and you have a delicious dinner at night. Now that’s my kind of cooking! I love it so much, I rotate it through my dinner repertoire every other week.

And whoever invented the idea of the slow cooker or crock pot has my undying gratitude. What a brilliant idea for those of us who don’t like to cook and are short on time.

If you get sick of the same old boring chicken, add this recipe to your healthy eating repertoire. There’s nothing boring about it. Read more

May 19

9 Comments

One years sans 200 lbs…my new reality

Taking stock one year after -200+ lb weight loss: Fit, active & healthy…
embracing life & reality from the center of my equation

Lori at one year - first "little" black dressThis is one of the toughest blogs I’ve written in two and a half years. I had intended to post it on the one-year  anniversary of my -211 lb weight loss (May 11, 2013) but it wasn’t ready. The words were not flowing as easily as I had hoped. The truth is, I am more proud of this accomplishment – maintaining my goal weight and living fully in the center of my equation as a healthy, happy and fit “girl” – than I am of getting here in the first place.

Don’t get me wrong. Shedding more than 200 pounds and going from a body fat percentage of 60+% to 14.5%, learning to live in the center of my equation for the first time ever, sharing my story for the world to see, and loving and accepting myself along the way – those are incredible, incredible accomplishments for which I am forever grateful and extremely proud! Life changing. And nothing will diminish that. Read more

Mar 8

The power of positivity

This morning I woke up on day six of my new stricter plan feeling very “hormonal.” I stepped on the scale to find my weight stalled even though I am executing the plan 100% with absolutely no deviations, and I gave up chewing gum. Big sigh.

Then, I couldn’t find my iPad (still can’t) and was late to meet my trainer who rearranged her schedule to accommodate me by getting up at 5:30 a.m. And, it was one of those “off” training days where I struggled with some basic stuff in the gym. Read more

Jan 21

1 Comment

Bumps in the road…back to basics

I have been on a short vacation and traveling for work this week and, consequently, I am struggling to hold my program. My resolve to stay the course and work the plan has waned and I have slipped.

Read more

Nov 18

1 Comment

100% – All in!

These past couple of weeks have provided a life lesson in what it means to be “100% – all in.” To reach my health goals (or “Reach my potential,” as the master Leif would say), I am now on one of the strictest nutritional programs since my weight loss journey began and working out at the highest cardio level thus far since I left the Fitness North campus just shy of one year ago. Read more

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