Turn Your Bad Habits Into Weight Loss Success

By Stefan Aschan 
Clearly, we have an obesity problem. Not just in America, but in many other countries as well.

Honestly, I don't think that we have a weight loss problem. Rather, I propose that we have a habitual problem with our actions.
A study from Oxford University published in the International Journal of Obesity confirms that within 3 to 5 years, about 80 percent of all 'losers' have regained the lbs, and often gained back a little extra. Read closely and you discover that what happens is that individuals get back to the habits they have had in the first place; the ones that caused the problems to begin with.
Another study published in the Internal Journal of Obesity concludes that frequent intentional weight loss may reflect susceptibility to weight gain, rendering dieters prone to future weight gain. Dieting
itself may induce a small subsequent weight gain. This study found that this tendency is independent of genetic factors.

Look even further. We can say that lots of people have lost weight but not many have kept it off. From this prospective, we don't have a weight loss problem, rather we have a problem with a habit that wasn't addressed during the weight loss cycle and haven't found a way to change it (and make it stick) for a lifetime.
This you can see year after year.

New Year's resolutions start in January. By the time spring is around the corner, we have forgotten our good intentions.

It is not that we don't have good guidelines for a weight loss nutritional program. We actually have some of the best nutrition programs in the world. Our issue is how to stick to it.

You have probably done those steps:

• Come up with a goal and a timeline when you want to accomplish your goal.
• Made it a priority to minimize over- indulging in desserts, alcohol, and fast food.
• Implemented a support system to help you to stay active. Fact is, it is easier to stay on a long-term wellness regimen with qualified support vs. just on your own. A lone ranger never goes far.
• Planned meals. You sat down and followed your sample menu programs religiously.
• Personalized your workout and nutrition to your body type (sonotyping), lifespan and injuries.
• Received motivation through meetings, newsletters or videos.

All those steps are necessary to succeed in your weight loss approach, in order to burn the fat and keep it off.

I'll share one strategy that is often overlooked. This is a strategy that you most likely haven't analyzed yet and might be the reason for your ups and downs in your weight loss attempts.

Learn from your habits

Going to the fridge and eating because of boredom is a pattern. This is an example of a bad pattern that doesn't help when your goal is weight loss.

It is widely recognized that it is difficult to change bad habits. Alcoholism, drug addiction and smoking (just to name a few) are patterns ingrained in our daily routines that are associated with pleasurable rewards to us.

Rather then fight the habit that contributes to your weight gain or the destructive behavior, acknowledge it.

Simply work with it. When you know how to do this, then it is easy to start to work with the bad pattern and turn it into a beneficial habit that will help you to accomplish your goal.

Charles Duhigg, author of "The Power of Habit" writes: "Habits don't change without a fight. So, to shoehorn in a new routine, it has to be triggered by an old cue, and deliver the old reward. That's the rule: If you use the same cue, and provide the same reward, you can shift the routine and change the habit. Almost any behavior can be transformed if the cue and reward stay the same."

Here is what he suggest it works:
Use the same cue.

Provide the same reward.

Change the routine.

For example: You are stressed and you want to snack. This is the cue to eat. After you snacked-whether it's noshing on pretzels, chocolate--or taken a cigarette break, it gives you a stress release reward. You feel better and you think you can handle the task.

This can be the routine that triggers your actions during emotional, work or relationship stress.

This is the routine that we need to change.

In this approach, we work with the same the same habits and cues. As mentioned above, stress and food. In this instance, we enjoy the pleasure when we respond to our cues and reward ourselves.

Solutions to change your bad habits

Here is the trick that you need to change your routine: Instead of just eating (or smoking), implement a different routine, such as walking around the block, getting up from your desk, or performing 10 push ups in the office before you snack or smoke. It may take some time for you to figure out which new activity helps you ditch the old, bad one.

The cue and the reward stay the same. But what you have done is to change the action that proceeds the reward.

When you start to doubt yourself and don't implement the new routine to receive your reward, do not reward yourself until you have done the new routine.

So here you have a strategy on how to change your bad patterns into a successful way so that you can stick to it.

Focus, prioritize, get support, be accountable, be patient, plan, balance and personalize. Those are the musts that you need to implement.


For motivation, accountability and support, there is no better tool than to join a support community like our Get Fit Accelerator program. Check it out: http://strength123.com/naturalweightlossgetfitacceleratorapplication/
Stay focused.
Dedicated to your success.

Stefan Aschan

Stefan Aschan, M.S., author of the Alpine Weight Loss Secrets, which teaches you how to outsmart your hormones and lose belly fat without drugs or surgeries. His approach is holistic, scientific and based on centuries of experience from those living in Alpine Environments. He is a certified strength coach, personal trainer and naturopath. Learn more about how to loss weight naturally by visiting http://www.strength123.com

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Weight Loss Success Stories to Motivate You

By Katie V Adams 
Losing weight is one of the hardest goals to achieve. There are so many reasons to want to lose weight. Whether it's to improve your health or simply fit is a smaller sized dress for your wedding, the goal is easier to set than to achieve. If your body has a low metabolism then getting rid of those extra pounds will require a great amount of effort on your part. Through time people have tried so many different ways of losing weight. There are diet plans that promise instant success - diet pills, surgery and so on. Out of these different methods you are bound weight loss success stories that will motivate people to
try the method out.

There may be a certain view that the majority of the people who want to lose weight are women, but men also set similar goals. The reasons may be different but the goal is still the same. A good example of weight loss success stories from men includes that of Kris. Throughout his childhood, Kris was overweight. He was unable to do certain activities and would always feel tired. Kris wanted to join the high school football team but in order to do that he had to lose the weight and gain some muscle. So he joined the gym and start lifting weights. He combined this with some cardio workouts that helped him burn off the fat.

Kris started to see results in his energy levels within two weeks but it took him 6 months to move from 230 pounds to 180pounds losing 50 pounds in total. Other than exercising Kris also improved his diet by eating healthy, getting rid of sweets, fast foods and junk from his diet. Since losing weight Kris is much more energetic, he joined the football team, sleeps better and is generally healthier.

Brenda, a mother of three set out on her journey to lose weight when she was 54 years old. Already used to cooking large meals due to her family of 5, it was hard to cook for less when her kids moved out. For Brenda, her health was the main reason she wanted to lose weight. Being overweight stopped her from joining in family activities such as hill climbing or simply going for walks. After attending her son's graduation and struggling to fit into the seats, she decided it was time to shed off that extra weight. Brenda had tried several diets before but she always thought of them negatively which hindered any progress.

She made a calorie food diary where she would keep track of what she ate; she also set weight loss goals for herself. For example she would start by working out for 10 minutes a day using a simple workout DVD and increase it every other week. She also reduced the portions of food that she ate. Instead of eating a cheese sandwich before dinner, Brenda would take something healthier like fruit. Brenda who weighed 18st was able to lose 6st and now weighs 12st. She is happy with her current weight and is amazed at how great she feels.

Want to learn how to shed those impossible "pounds" fast and permanently?

Click on the link below for FREE access to the SECRET:
http://www.weightlosstoday.info
Like to read more similar articles?
Visit http://www.weightlosstoday.info/blog

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3 Hot Tips On How To Start ANY Weight Loss Program and Make It A Success

By Bala Zuccarello 

1) Prepare your body for the upcoming weight loss program by doing a liver and body cleanse. Many people may not be familiar with doing cleanses. The idea behind doing a cleanse it that the body works most optimally when it has less toxins to digest. Most of the time, unless you are paying a great deal of attention to your diet, you are eating the same foods that you've always eaten, only the foods that you are used to.

Unfortunately what we are used to is not always whats best for
our bodies. So over time you body ends up accumulating toxins. In other words, undigested fats, proteins, carbohydrates etc. The body stores these undigested foods in our colon, organs and body tissues. So the more and more toxins we have stored in our bodies that need to be digested or eliminated begin to slow down the overall functioning of the body. The body just has too much work to do. By continuing to eat the way we normally eat we make a bad situation worse. By doing a liver and body cleanse you are telling your body to start digesting these foods by slowing down the accumulation of toxins. Your liver is responsible to a large degree for your fat burning capabilities. You can help your liver to do its job more efficiently by cleaning it out.

2) Get plenty of rest. Most people need between 7 & 9 hours of rest every evening. Find out what works best for you. If you find yourself losing energy as the day goes on try getting to sleep 15-30 min earlier every night for a week or so and see how you feel. Sleep is a very individual thing. It is very important to pay attention to how you feel. You will simply not believe the difference a little extra sleep will make in your overall outlook on things.

3) Don't start your weight loss program too quickly, while you're on the run. Take the time to plan it into your schedule. Pick a date in the next week or so to start. This will give you the time to make the mental adjustment that you are starting a weight loss program on a certain date. This could make all the difference in the world. Once you have made the decision to begin then when it comes time to start you're proactive. It becomes your own not something that has been thrust upon you.

Bala Zuccarello is the creator of FAT LOSS FACTOR REVIEW http://review-fat-loss-factor.blogspot.com/ where he reveals and explains in detail all the facts on one of the most effective and successful weight loss programs on the market today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bala_Zuccarello

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Master Weight Loss Success - Fat Burning Secrets For a Slim Body

By Karen Thomson 

Mastering weight loss is often a very difficult and emotional subject for many people. The simple fact is that it takes effort, and after years of a lifestyle of poor food choices and not enough exercise, weight loss becomes even more difficult. To even think about exercising or cutting back on comfort food can create fear and apprehension.

For many overweight people, exercising, even gently can create pain and fatigue fairly quickly and therefore it is extremely difficult to get over that very first hurdle but the truth is it has to be done. Our bodies are designed to move; we should be able to walk, run and play with ease. Even if disease or disability has affected our bodies, movement in any way possible can only bring great benefits, not only to our physique but to our minds as well.

I think it would be difficult to find one person on this wonderful Earth who doesn't have certain obstacles that they have to face. The majority of human beings don't like change; we like certainty. We all have our comfort zones and a requirement to step outside of them causes stressful emotions within the body and mind. But the wonderful thing is that stepping outside of our comfort zone means stepping into fresh air! It is never as frightening as it seems and can be quite exhilarating, bringing a sense of freedom and achievement. Successful people are those who don't just talk about doing something, they do it, and they continue to do it and when another challenge comes along, they do that as well.

Beginning a weight loss program should always start with setting specific goals. It is never enough to say "I want to lose weight". Spend some time dreaming about the ideal body you would like to have and write it down, taking note of how you feel, how easily you walk, the clothes you wear, the admiration you receive and the powerful messages you can hand on to others. Take the time to write your ideal weight loss three months from now, then six and then twelve and then your ultimate goal - how long will that take?

Get the excitement ripping through your body. Get rid of the excuses; if you have time to watch tv, you have time to get moving. If you need to, get a treadmill and stick it in front of the tv and make sure you use it - just ditch the excuses once and for all. Once you are on your way to achieving your goals, you will find that you love moving more. Your energy levels increase and you get a buzz when you achieve each new goal.

My life changed when I finally gave up my excuses. It took me more than 20 years to realise that the 'quick fixes' I had been falling prey too were not working for me - how dumb was I to believe that I could take magic pills and follow mad diets to watch the fat melt away?

The day my life changed was when I discovered a no-nonsense, no bs approach which has radically changed the way I approach all aspects of my health. I started with my mind before I started with my body. I discovered that my body type was largely (pun intended) endomorph and that I needed to put in more cardio than some types to get the fat moving. A little bit of weight training helps to stop my weight loss being due to losing lean body mass. My quick fixes still weren't working after 20+ years, and the slower approach which encourages your body to increase lean body mass (which in turn increases metabolism) and lose only fat is what is working for me - what a revelation! With a little effort, a slim body is yours as well.

And if there is still a bit of you that loves the quick and easy approach - visit my site to find out how to access the plan instantly [http://newstarthealthandfitness.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Thomson

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5 Tech Tools for Weight Loss Success!

By Sue Rose 

If you just ate too many jelly beans and chocolate bunnies, and are vowing to get back to a healthy diet this week, consider using some tech tools to help with weight loss. With some time ahead of us before the next holiday, it's a great time to start tracking your diet and physical activity. Tracking your food intake allows you to avoid denial about your energy consumption, and keeps you honest with yourself on a daily basis. If weight loss is your goal, then the only way you will reach that goal is to
somehow take in less energy than your body needs, or use more energy than you consume through food. To lose one pound of fat per week, you must go into a 3500 calorie deficit per week, doing so either with less food, more exercise, or combination of less food and more exercise! While crossing your fingers and "hoping" the weight comes off is a rather common occurrence, being systematic with your focus can mean the difference between hoping and happening.

Here are five of my favorite techie strategies for weight loss:
Use the Internet for Nutrition Information - If you "must" dine out often, you need to be aware of the nutrients and calories you are eating through food consumed away from home. While a full service restaurant is not required by law to give the calorie content of its meals, franchises with 20 or more locations are. This is very helpful to anyone who frequents Panera to P.F. Chang's. With some foresight and planning, you can access each restaurant website prior to eating there, and arm yourself with an effective eating strategy.

Online Food Documentation - Nutrihand is one of the online food tracking platforms I now offer my clients. Clients log in their food intake and day-to-day, we can both see if goals are met. Goals may revolve around not only calories, but also other specific nutrients such as carbohydrate, fat, protein, calcium, potassium, sodium, and fiber. There are similar programs on the Internet to serve a similar purpose, and it's worth your while to experiment with a format that works for you.

Using Smartphones for Food Related Decisions - There are so many helpful diet and exercise smartphone apps on the market, and more become available daily. Some are used to track food on the spot, some track your physical activity like a pedometer, and some help us make better nutritional decisions at the grocery store. With the cameras, pictures of foods can also be taken and shown to your dietitian for further discussion!

A Pedometer - While basic pedometers are not exactly high-tech, they are effective for assessing baseline physical activity. Some of the slightly more expensive pedometers allow for downloading of collected data (steps, aerobic steps, calories, distance) to your computer through a USB port and cable. This allows your results to be documented, graphed, and saved on your computer or shared with your dietitian.

BodyMedia Armband - This is the greatest assessment tool for determining how many calories you need for weight management. Worn on the left upper arm, it measures your calorie burn in a 24-hour period. It seems very accurate, and after the collected data is downloaded, you are able to look at your energy expenditure in sections of the day. This allows you to determine the activities and movements which are most effective at using energy and therefore facilitating weight loss. Another perk, it assesses your sleep quality which has been noted as being important in the weight loss process.

With the help of these technology driven self-monitoring tools, your behavior and diet will be both consistent and effective enough to help you reach your weight goals efficiently and effortlessly!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sue_Rose

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The 5 Key Elements of Body Transformation Success

By David
1. NUTRITION: David kept the calorie deficit every week and ate high quality food, initially tracking his calories and nutrient ratios for the first half of the challenge. Once he had established a baseline, he stopped tracking nutrition data so meticulously, but even when estimating in the later stages, he always knew he was in a calorie deficit and that was confirmed through his steady and continued fat loss.

David admits that he would also enjoy a beer or two on occasion, but would make himself earn it in the gym. “Basically, after I was finished with my usual work out, I would keep going for another 500 calories, so I could reward myself. This may not make sense for some people, but it worked for me - far better than what I tried in the past.”

2. STRENGTH TRAINING: David started out at the gym 5-6 days per week, with 4 of those days for strength training with heavy weights. He initially followed Tom Venuto's TNB (The New Bodybuilding) program, an upper-lower split routine which he got from the Burn the Fat Inner Circle writing down sets, reps, weights and so on. 

As he progressed, he then improvised his own custom strength training routine that he was able to finish in about 30-40 minutes per session. Rather than follow a strict pre-determined routine all the time, some days he went with the "instinctive training principle" and did what he felt like doing that day. 

“I realize again, that this second half of my challenge training was not that organized,” explains David, “but more importantly, I didn't quit because I wasn't following a ‘perfect’ structured workout. What mattered was I got in there and did something consistently and never missed a scheduled day.”

3. CARDIO TRAINING: David feels that he probably did this part of the program the best. His cardio training frequency was 5-6 days per week, sometimes even twice a day, burning anywhere from 500-1500 calories total. He did cardio on his own and sometimes in a group fitness aerobics or power fit class. “I don't think I could have improved much on this element,” David says, "I was very diligent with my cardio and it paid off."

4. MINDSET: David’s "mental training" approach was to set very specific goals for body composition. His primary goal was to maintain his current lean body mass while dropping down to 14% body fat or less. “I repeated this goal to myself over and over again and it remains my goal, since I still have more work to do - I'm not quite there yet. Maybe I could have hit that goal during the last 98-day Burn the Fat Challenge, but as I mentioned earlier, I'm happy because this time, I allowed myself to not be perfect and I still stuck with it, completed the challenge and now I'm a "Burn The Fat Hall of Fame" Top 10 finisher.”

5. ACCOUNTABILITY: David admits that initially he didn’t think accountability would do much for him. "I'm an independent person, but it is AMAZING how much this actually worked. When I logged in to the Inner Circle, every few days, there would be some kind of encouragement posted in the Inner Circle - FOR ME - and just knowing there are people watching your progress had more of a motivating effect than I ever imagined."

"I want to tell everyone that even if you've tried and failed more than once in the past, this time use all the elements and especially the "5th element" of accountability and if you've never had that kind of support, it will amaze you too," David added... 

"I want to thank my team for all their support, I want to thank all my friends at the Burn the FatInner Circle and I also want to thank Tom Venuto for a no-hype, as well as scientifically-solid program to follow.”
David's efforts - and positive attitudes - paid off handsomely...

He started the Burn the Fat 98-day Challenge at 101.3 kgs (223 lbs) and ended at 85.2 kgs (188 lbs )— that’s a 16.1 kgs (35 lbs) burned! After dropping out on his first two attempts, the first time he finished - he didn't just finish - he landed a spot in the top 10 finalists out of thousands who entered. 

To learn more about "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" - the fat-burning, Muscle-building program that david followed to achieve his body transformation, visit the home page at: www.BurnTheFat.com/home
If you'd like to learn more about the "5th element" - the Inner Circle support community for motivation, inspiration and accountability, visit: www.BurnTheFat.com/innercircle

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Success Comes From Self Confidence And Preparation

By Richard Brody 

 Although each of us have different concepts of success, the two things that are always relevant to achieving success is whether someone has self confidence, and commits to the needed preparation and planning. One's success comes about as a result of achieving certain goals
and aspirations, and accomplishing something that is personally important and fulfilling. The late Arthur Ashe said, "One important key to success is self confidence. An important key to self confidence is preparation." Success does not come about because we plan for success, but rather because we focus on our dreams, aspirations and goals, and pursue those with absolute commitment and personal integrity.

1. Why is self confidence so vital to eventual success? Since success is not an overnight sensation, but rather a long term project, there will always be the inevitable hiccups and challenges along the way. There is no room for wallowing in self - doubt, or self - pity, because these are non - constructive and negative behaviors that sap us of our strength and focus. Long term accomplishments require a unique type of persistence and perseverance, and often requires us to pick ourselves up and start over. The late General, Dr. Robert Shira, often attributed his unbelievable successes to outlasting his contemporaries.

 Our greatest inventors, such as Thomas Alva Edison, Albert Einstein, and Alexander Graham Bell, shared one important attribute, which was their self confidence. That is what permitted them to consider what others may have considered failures as actions that brought them one step closer to creating something extremely important. Abraham Lincoln faced many obstacles before he finally was elected President. He was defeated in numerous previous campaigns, but always held firm to his beliefs, and maintained the self confidence to never permit what others would consider a defeat to defeat him. Rather, his self confident attitude drove him to persist and fight on for the ideals he felt most essential.

2. All the self confidence in the world will not bring on success unless one commits to the planning and preparation necessary to achieve one's goals. That means accepting setbacks and not being defeated by them, while planning contingencies and alternatives to achieve one's vital vision. Our greatest achievers and leaders have always believed in what they felt was the need, and focused on ways to achieve.

Success is not something one plans for. Great achievers focus on getting things accomplished, focusing rather on needs, goals, and a vital vision. When self confidence is combined with planning and preparation, one always has the best possibility of being successful.

Richard has owned businesses, been a COO, CEO, and Director of Development, as well as a consultant. He has professionally run events, consulted to over a thousand leaders, and conducted personal

development seminars, for over 30 years. Rich has written three books and well over a thousand articles. His company, PLAN2LEAD, LLC has an informative website http://plan2lead.net and Plan2lead can also be followed on Facebook http://facebook.com/Plan2lead

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