Category: Weight loss

CategoriesHealth & FitnessReframe your thoughtsWeightWeight loss

Water Sandwich

Posted on June 1, 2022

This is a great tactic to help you lose weight or maintain a certain weight range. I call it the water sandwich.

A key element to weight management and overall health and fitness is to drink a couple of litres of water each day. But this can be difficult, especially for people not used to drinking that much water each day. They often forget or put it off, especially if they don’t enjoy the taste.

However, we often enjoy a little too much of our favourite foods. So the water sandwich idea to minimise food intake and maximise water intake is as follows:

Take the item that you are craving, or want in the moment, and have just a small bite. This gets you interested in having more and has the benefit of getting the food taste in your mouth.

Then drink a glass or pint of water. If you do it quickly, you’ll still have the idea of the taste of your preferred food in your mouth or mind. This helps you get a large amount of water on board.

Finally, take another small bite of your preferred food and walk away. Now you feel full from all of the water and you walk away with the taste of your preferred food on your tastebuds. Yet, you’re so full from the pint of water, you couldn’t imagine having any more of the food at the moment.

There you have it. The water sandwich is an excellent tool to use to increase water intake and reduce food consumption while still getting the nice taste of certain foods. Try it.

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CategoriesHealth & FitnessObserveProgressReframe your thoughtsWeight loss

Then What?

Posted on May 17, 2022

These two words can dramatically improve your life. Why? Because most people have trained themselves in short term, one-step thinking. People often do better, in the long term, if they incorporate more ‘several-step’ thinking into their life.

Simply by asking, ‘Then what?’, more often, you will train your brain to consider outcomes beyond the immediate and into the longer term.

This can help in all sorts of areas of your life. Weight loss is one. If I eat this delicious cake, then what? I will need to work out more tomorrow. And it will take more time. Then what? Then I’ll be late for work. So with just a couple of ‘then what’s’, we see undesirable outcomes because of our initial behaviour.

This can be applied to house purchases, holiday planning and career path considerations, to name a few things.

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CategoriesActionHealth & FitnessReframe your thoughtsTimeWeightWeight loss

Set Up Your Life To Win

Posted on April 21, 2022

What one thing could you do differently, starting today, that could make a nice difference in your life?

What could you eliminate from your day? Or what could you adjust to make the outcome you want more likely?

Don’t buy sugary or salty snacks or treats and keep them in the house. Keep cherry tomatoes and hummus instead. When you think you are hungry, pour a cool glass of water. Set your morning wake up bell to 15 minutes earlier and then get up and do 30 push ups and sit ups.

Get things ready now or in the evening before bed so it is easier to make the changes happen tomorrow.

Each time you set up your environment to win, your future self smiles and remembers how clever you are. That’s a nice feeling.

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CategoriesActionHealth & FitnessReframe your thoughtsWeightWeight loss

Just Add Water

Posted on April 18, 2022

It’s amazing how water can fix so many things. Dehydration, which can cause sluggishness or loss of focus, can be fixed with a few glasses of water.

Have a glass of water a little before bed and have a full glass when you wake up. These are easy times to remember and great habits to instil.

A few more glasses of water throughout the day and you’ll feel fresher, more awake, energised and focused.

Keep the water flowing. You’ll feel better for it.

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CategoriesHealth & FitnessObserveReframe your thoughtsWeightWeight loss

Taste Or Waist?

Posted on March 20, 2022

Do you prefer to satisfy your taste or manage your waist? What’s more important to you? If I look, I will be able to see which you prefer.

There may not be a right or wrong. However, if you want one but focus on the other, happiness will elude you.

If you let yourself drift along, it will be harder for you. Being determined, committed and following through will give you a feeling of having a super power. You will love it!

Think of sugar as poison. Eating poison, or items with poison in them, would be terrible for you. Stop thinking sugary items are a treat. They are more of a threat to your health.

Focus on your waist but allow moments of taste to be fully enjoyed. Enjoy and even savour the taste of all food and drink you consume. Linger on it. Enjoy!

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CategoriesActionHealth & FitnessProgressReframe your thoughtsWeightWeight loss

Start But Don’t Stick?

Posted on January 7, 2022

Goals were written and you started off great! But then the wheels came off. Your great new habits have been slowly becoming one-offs rather than habitual. With that, your confidence has taken a hit and old habits are creeping back in.

What happened?!?!

  • Did you write your goals down?
  • Were they specific?
  • Did you put the process element in your diary?
  • Did you set up your environment to win?
  • Did you review your goals 1, 2, or even 6 times per DAY?
  • Have you been reviewing and tracking HOURLY or DAILY?
  • Do your goals align with your values?
  • Have you adjusted your self-perception?

This last one tends to catch a lot of people out. If you’ve spent a long time saying you’re not sporty, it can be pretty hard to stick with walking, running or more engaging activities and sports.

Years of saying ‘I’m not a reader’ or ‘I don’t read’, will make it difficult to read a book per month.

You will likely benefit from adopting a mantra that reflects the new you that you are becoming. Mantra’s like, ‘I am a runner’, ‘I am fit, active and healthy’, or ‘I am a reader’ and ‘I am a well read person’.

If you’re good at starting new initiatives, habits and activities, that’s great! For many, that is the hardest part. You just need to become the outcome. Become a completer/finisher. State with strong intent, ‘I am disciplined and results driven.’ Fall in love with the process. And then, like a miracle, you’ll become who you decided to be.

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CategoriesActionHealth & FitnessReframe your thoughtsWeight loss

Consistency Is Powerful

Posted on July 12, 2021

Getting started can be tough. Continuing can be even harder. But that is the work you need to do to succeed. Consistency is powerful both in terms of confidence and outcomes.

A consistent drip of water is enough to put a dent or hole in a rock over time. You may not get the result you want straight away, but over time the probability of reaching your goal increases.

You can see this with any goal you are aiming at. If you are consistent with the foods and drinks you consume, you can reduce or maintain your weight. Keeping to a daily and weekly exercise regime will work wonders to tone your body and improve your fitness.

The great feeling of seeing daily or weekly improvements also builds confidence. Inconsistent approaches return uncertain results. This in turn weakens your faith in the process. With a reduction in faith, you are less likely to continue to do the things you are supposed to do. This creates an unnecessary loss in confidence.

You see, the flywheel can work both ways. It can help you improve, gain confidence and flourish. However, the negative reinforcement can also accelerate your demise.

Consistency is powerful. Use it to your benefit.

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CategoriesActionGratitudeThink About ItWeight loss

Who Inspires You?

Posted on July 8, 2021

Stop and think about this. Is there anyone? Was there a person you followed as a child or in your youth? Who inspires you?

It may not simply be a who either. It could be a what that provides you with inspiration. For example, the idea of paying off your house mortgage might inspire you. Alternatively, becoming a fine doctor and saving people’s lives might do it.

Inspiration can come from other places too. You could be looking ahead to the person you want to be in 10 years time. It might be easier to consider someone else. You might even pick and choose certain aspects from many different people. What qualities do you like or appreciate? Which ones would you absolutely love to have, without question or hesitation?

When you know who has a positive impact on your mental state, you can consider how you could think like them in a given circumstance.

The moment of inspiration reminds me of the saying, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” At some point, something or someone will inspire you to do something. You may decide to get your house in order or your finances. You might change jobs, start exercising or build your ideal life.

Whatever sparks a quest in you to improve your life, or that of others, should be appreciated. Make sure you give thanks.

Who inspires you?

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CategoriesHealth & FitnessReframe your thoughtsWeightWeight loss

Diet Needs A Rebrand

Posted on June 24, 2021

Is it just me or is the word diet strongly associated with a restricted and unpleasant reduction in food? I think diet needs a rebrand.

The word is often used quite generically. People say, “I am going on a diet.” However, they already are on one. Now you may go on a healthier one or natural one. In addition, you may already be on a poor one, high sugar one or a low-carb diet. You may even need a new one compared to what you’ve been using.

However, people love to shortcut or use shorthand when they can. So there is a presumed weight loss or slimming element to any new discussion of a diet.

I’d like to talk about my diet without it sounding like I am on a slimming or weight loss program. I think it would help others in their discussion too.

It feels like the word could use some help. Perhaps we could do something similar to what is happening to prunes. They are more frequently being called dried plums. This is still accurate, but plums sound better and have a better brand connotation.

Diet: The food and drink that you eat and drink regularly

Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries

It would be great if everyone could agree to use diet in the normal eating way. Then people would need to be specific if they were changing it. By changing our relationship with the word, it might help people embrace their new or healthier diet.

Diet needs a rebrand.

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