Tips

You know, the hard part really is in getting started. At every step along the way, I have lost weight. Every pound off gives me the motivation to stick with it and lose another. Here are some of my “tricks” that I have developed to stay motivated and on task:

1. Weigh every day. As my Aunt Judy is fond of saying, “It’s a whole lot easier to lose five pounds than it is to lose 50 pounds!” If I go a few days and my weight creeps up a bit, I back off and follow the nutrition plan again.
2. Watch portion size. In a restaurant, I often ask for a to-go container as soon as my meal is served. I physically draw a line at the halfway point and put half in the to-go container for tomorrow. Then I can clean my plate if I want to and not worry about overeating.
3. The three-bite rule. From the beginning, I didn’t want to deprive myself. I knew I could never really change my life and stick with my new habits if I couldn’t eat bread, pasta and dessert. I follow my three-bite rule for things that are not particularly healthy or nutritious: I take three bites (and they are three regular-sized bites!). One bite still leaves me wanting more, two is working toward satisfied and three seems to do the trick for me.
4. Exercise, exercise, exercise. This really is the key. My cousin, Cyndi, who has always been my role model in lots of ways–including exercise and fitness–says that working out lets her eat whatever she wants. How great does that sound??
5. Do a combination workout regimen of both strength training AND cardio. If I have one regret at this point, it’s that I didn’t start with Darren soon after I began doing DDR (January of 2005). He has helped me sculpt my muscles and reduce much of my sagging skin, but I know that it would be even better if I have built lean muscle mass at the same time that I lost weight.
6. Don’t deprive yourself. It only makes you hungrier for whatever you are denying. It’s really true.