After entering a 12-week Weight Loss Challenge through my local gym, I decided to purchase some sessions with a Personal Trainer to give me an advantage on the other competitors. About five weeks into the challenge, I found out I was pregnant, but continued to compete up until I was about 16 weeks pregnant (with doctor’s approval, of course).
I ended up winning 2nd place! I lost 29 pounds and roughly 36 inches off my body. My body fat decreased about 17%! I have never gotten such remarkable results on my own, and I’d like to share 5 of the tips I was given that really boosted my weight loss.
1. Boost your metabolism as soon as you get out of bed. I was told that, the moment I wake up and get out of bed, put my running shoes on and go for a jog for at least 20 minutes. Of course, it doesn’t have to be a jog. Any aerobic activity will do. The critical point here is to perform the exercise immediately after waking up and to keep it up for a minimum of 20 minutes.
2. Interval training makes the pounds melt off like butter. Example: If you like to exercise on the treadmill, walk for 1 minute, then jog for 1 minute, then sprint for one minute. Repeat this cycle for at least 20 minutes. You can do this on other machines by manually changing the speed, level, or incline.
Just remember to change up the level of difficulty every minute from easy to medium to hard. Also, doing this cycle immediately after getting up, as stated above, will give you even better results.
3. Cheat on your diet. Now before you go crazy, the key here is that you can have one – yes, ONE – cheat meal per week, and you should keep it on the same day. Whatever you are craving during the week, tell yourself you are allowed to indulge those cravings during this meal. It gives you something to look forward to!
4. Single serving secret. This tip is so simple, but I think it’s ingenious. Let’s say you are craving ice cream. You want to make sure you have it available for your cheat meal, so you go buy a carton of your favorite brand.
Why is this so bad? A couple reasons. For one, every time you open the freezer, it screams to be eaten. If you had the self-discipline to resist, you probably wouldn’t be on this quest to lose weight in the first place. Secondly, if you DO manage to not give in to temptation until your cheat meal, chances are you’ll probably eat the whole container, or at least a lot more than it would take to satisfy that craving.
So, what’s the answer? Go out for dessert and get a single serving. Even if you get a large blizzard at Dairy Queen, it’s still a single serving. Yes, it may cost more to do it this way, but you’ll be able to indulge your craving and keep yourself on track the rest of the time by not allowing the temptation to reside in your house.
This doesn’t just apply for desserts. Whatever that “red light food” is, just don’t bring it in the house. when you want it, save it for your cheat meal and go out and get a single serving.
5. No high carb foods after. This is pretty self-explanatory. I was taught to eat the highest carb foods in the morning, preferably for breakfast, as this gives your body the greatest chance of converting those calories into fuel, not fat. Stay away from any high carb foods after five p.m.
I usually ate some type of vegetable and combined it with a little bit of protein. Being a vegetarian, that usually meant I mixed in a small portion of tofu or egg whites, although some vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus contain high levels of protein already.
Have you worked with a Personal Trainer before? What tips did you find were most helpful?
Mindi Lyons runs a Personal Development Blog at [http://www.mindilyons.com]
Get free access to my online support group at http://www.bigtent.com/groups/coachmindi
