Secrets of Success

Go to Bed Earlier

Go to bed earlier to be better rested and avoid eating when you should be sleeping!

Exercise

I always take time to make exercise a top priority.

Reward for something you control.

Don't reward for lost weight, reward for things that are easily in your control, such as staying in your calorie range, drinking your water all week, doing every planned workout. This way you feel that it's your hard work and dedication getting you the reward, rather than your weight (which sometimes feels rather random.)

Yams

Did you know yams aren't just for the holiday meals? We have switched to yams. They are so good natural sweet and better for you less in calories then regular potatoes higher in fiber. You can bake them, broil them, boil them put them on the Bar-B-Que. You make sweet potato fries they are so yummy What ever you do with a regular pottage you can do with a yam, and you'll love them more.. Just give them a try You'll like them I know you will.

Drink 8 glasses of water using color coded rubber bands

Drinking water is difficult for me. Now, to be sure I meet my 8 glass minimum, I wrap 4 rubber bands around a 16 ounce bottle of water. Color coding: 2 red (critical), 1 yellow (fair) 1 green (I did it!). Each time I finish the water, a rubber band gets moved up to the top of the bottle. I refill until 8 glasses are rubber bands are at the top of the bottle. I can see my progress and it keeps me focused.

Protein is your friend!

I'm an ex-vegetarian, and it is still hard for me to think of meat as an option. That meant my protein intake was usually a good 20 grams below the recommended amount. I decided to up my intake to 80-100g a day, and the awesome side effect has been almost completely eliminating my between meal hunger! Protein is your friend on this journey!

Water + Benefiber = steady weight loss

I learned this trick awhile ago. When I fill my water bottle up, I add 1 tsp Benefiber. Since I refill my bottle 3 more times daily, that means I have 4 tsp Benefiber total. It adds up to 60 calories. There's no taste, excellent for your health, and the extra fiber is like taking a appetite suppressant. Try it for a week, you'll feel the difference and your scale will show it also.

Drinking Water

Some days are harder than others to get all my water in. Therefore, I keep a 32 oz cup of water in my frig ready to drink. When I finish it, I refill it. Once I have drunk 2 of these, my 8 cups of water are done for the day.

Target heart rate monitors rule!!

The heart rate monitors and calorie counters on exercise machines aren't very accurate. I have a heart rate monitor that has an alarm when I'm not in the target zone for cardio and it counts calories. It's like having a personal trainer to tell you to push harder without the cost of one!

Resistance Training

Adding resistance training has definitely sped up my metabolism, and increased my weight loss...muscle burns more calories than fat!