Ugh. That's how I feel right now. I am a personal trainer, a spin instructor, I've competed in a Lean Body challenge and an NPC competition, and I've gained and lost 20-30 lbs over and over again during the last 6 or so years. I KNOW better, I know what to do, how to lose weight, how to maintain that loss, but can't seem to stay motivated. I did a DietBet transformation from Nov-May, and actually did lose almost all the weight I was supposed to, but slacked off on my weigh ins and wasn't eligible to weigh in for the final round. I was doing so well, but summer got me and while I haven't weighed myself yet, I'm pretty sure I'm just about back to where I started last November. While I'm not overweight, it sure would be nice to be able to wear some of the clothes that are just a *little* too tight right now.

So, since I can't seem to stay motivated, here we go at another attempt at the DietBet Transformation. This time I went ahead and purchased the weigh in tokens, because I figured an extra $20 would keep me accountable on a week by week basis, and since this 10% will put me at my end goal weight, I know it's not going to be super easy once I lose the first few pounds (not that those pounds are easy to lose!! - no pounds are easy to lose are they?!).

Because I've done this before, I'll offer some advice to others who may be new to losing weight (and maybe I'll listen to my own advice, since I am WAY better at offering it than following it :) )

  • Focus on losing weight for life, not for a short period of time. This means changing your habits for good instead of going on some crazy diet that you could never live with long term. I try to think of it as "more strict" and "less strict" instead of going "off and on a diet". This is something I have accomplished, although my main problem is the amount of cheat or treat meals/drinks I allow.
  • Track your calorie intake. Especially if you don't lose weight, or hit a plateau. If you don't know where you are, you don't know how to fix it. You could be eating too much or too little. If you take a couple of days and measure and weigh all your food and keep track of how much you are eating, you will have a better idea of how to fix a stall in weight loss.
  • Go one further and track amount of protein, fat, carbs and sugar. Make sure you are getting enough protein, and not too much sugar (hint: sugar is in so many things, those couple grams here and there can really add up! I try to keep mine under 20g a day, including sugar from fruit). Try to get most of your fat from plant sources (such as nuts, seeds, avocado) and not animal sources (like fatty meat or butter - nothing wrong with using real butter, but moderation is the key!). And carbs are not evil! Good whole grain carbs will give you energy without spiking your blood sugar. If you are working out, you need carbs - which brings me to the next point....
  • Exercise! Especially do strength training - any kind of weight bearing exercise will help. Cardio is important for your heart and endurance, (and burning calories!), but strength training is very important and often overlooked. Whether you use gym equipment, barbells, dumbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, or your own bodyweight, strength training will help stop you from losing muscle during weight loss, help you to burn more calories even when you're not working out, and of course make you stronger!
  • Plan for "Cheat/Treat" Meals. Try not to go overboard, but there will be times you will want birthday cake, or pizza, or whatever particular food you may be craving. If you ban certain foods for a long period of time, it will just make you want them more, so go ahead and plan to have small amounts of what you really want. I like the word "treat" better than "cheat" because cheat makes it sound bad, and it's really not. If you plan for these less healthy foods into your week, you'll feel a little less deprived when you're eating chicken and veggies for lunch instead of going for wings with your coworkers.
  • Reward yourself! Figure out what will work for you, whether it's money, pampering yourself, new clothes, etc. Of course with DietBet the money is already a factor, but make sure and reward yourself for the hard work you put in. I saw an idea on Pinterest to put $1 in a jar every time you work out, and use the money to buy something for yourself. We are all different and respond to different types of motivation, just find yours :)
  • Last but not least: Remember you are more than the number on the scale, and more than how good you look naked. Finding your inner peace and self worth is SO much more important than how many pounds you can lose. Working towards the healthiest version of yourself is a worthwhile goal, but our self esteem cannot be tied up into the superficial goals we have. No matter what size or shape you are right now, you are worth loving!

Here's to hoping we all hit our goals, make it through the holiday season unscathed, and look great at the beach next year!

<3 Melissa