QUIT COMPLAINING AND GET STARTED

 "HELP... I'm doing all the right things but I'm still not losing weight."  This is a common weight loss complaint.  You have to take an honest look at yourself and see if you hare making any of the following mistakes.

1. The vast majority of these complainers are not exercising anywhere near enough (if at all)! You can only decrease your caloric intake so much. Your other alternative is to increase your caloric expenditure. Very Important... ** VERY FEW people are successful at losing weight AND keeping it off without exercising almost everyday!!

If you're having trouble losing weight or are at a plateau, 20 minutes of exercise three times a week isn't going to cut it! Most people who say they are "really serious" about losing weight are not willing to do what it takes to get where they want to be. If you're not willing to make exercise a "serious" priority in your life, your chances of succeeding at losing weight and keeping it off are VERY small!  You can split it up and do some in the morning and some in the late afternoon or evening. If you're having difficulty losing weight, I would recommend that you average at least 30 minutes *everyday*, ideally more.

2. Weight training is critical to maintaining your muscle mass and tone. If you're not weight training while trying to lose weight, you will lose muscle mass and tone and your basal metabolic rate will decrease causing you to burn fewer calories 24 hour-a-day!

3. You may be actually consuming about 600 calories more per day than they think they are. Recent research with a large group of non-losers determined that they were significantly under-estimating the number of calories they were consuming on a daily basis. If you're not sure, write down everything you eat for a few weeks.

4. There are no instant results. You cannot  give up or go on some crazy diet. You HAVE to be resolved to the fact that weight loss WILL be slow!

5. You may be consuming more fat than you think you are. Limiting fat intake to 20 to 30 grams per day is critical.

6. Do not skip meals. This is a really bad habit because it slows your metabolism causing you to burn fewer calories 24 hours-a-day.

7. You may be consuming far too much sugar or simple / refined carbohydrates such as white rice, white (non whole wheat) flour products, white (non whole wheat) pastas, soft drinks, sweetened drinks, and the hundreds of products that contain added sugar that's deceptively listed on ingredient lists with names like sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, etc.

8. You may not want to give up your alcohol. Alcohol is a triple whammy...it stimulates your appetite, slows your metabolism, and it's loaded with calories! That pretty much sums up why to stay away from it.

9. There is no such thing as too many fruits and vegetables. A successful diet need them.

10. Don't eat until you're full. Practice stopping before you're "full" and see how you feel 30 minutes later. You will probably feel satisfied by then.

11. Watch your consumption of artificial sweeteners which stimulate the pancreas to release insulin just like sugar would. Insulin causes your body to store fat and prohibits your body from burning fat for fuel.

Weight loss is VERY difficult! Simply put, If you don't want it bad enough to do what it takes, it's NOT going to happen. If you really want to lose weight, quit playing around with it. Get serious about it and make it an absolute, non-negotiable priority in your life... and it will happen!