Weight Loss Tips - Gradual Approach

 Gradual Approach

Be sure to get your doctor’s approval before you start any workout program and also let your doctor know about your plan to gradually increase the duration and intensity of the workout program(s) you intend to follow.

When we began our new workout programs, we were determined to avoid injury and we recommend that you adopt that same determination. Marge started with a two-part program that was included with her health shake. The
first part was a thirty-minute workout and the second part was a fifty-minute workout.


After four weeks of successfully completing the thirty-minute workout, she promoted herself to the fifty-minute workout. After a few more weeks of mastering this segment, she graduated to a totally different three-step workout program with cardio, light weight lifting and flexibility routines. This kept her challenged for several months, and it was during this time that she lost most of her weight.

Bruce likes to dance so he combined some dance workouts with a more extensive program that challenged him with cardio, strength, yoga, and flexibility training. Like Marge, he permitted himself to gradually master the more demanding portions of the workout program and is now ready to move onto the challenging sequel to his workout program,

What does a gradual workout approach look like for you? By selecting workout programs that you enjoy, it’s easier to push yourself to the next level. For example, if you enjoy swimming, then adding 10 additional laps to your current regimen could be the next step for you. If you enjoy dance routines, then trying a workout of longer duration and higher intensity is potentially a good next step for dropping unwanted pounds.

It’s fun to revisit the workouts you used at the beginning of your weight loss journey to experience how easy they become once you’ve moved on to more strenuous workouts.

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The above strategy is from Marge and Bruce Brown's "Weight Loss Program - Personal Coaching Guide", from the Quantum Results Coaching Personal Development Series. Available on Amazon at CLICK THIS LINK

A key factor in our own weight management program loss is Beachbody's Shakeology Meal Replacement Shake (disclosure: we are Team Beachbody Coaches and benefit from Shakeology sales). For more information on Shakeology, including what doctors say, CLICK THIS LINK.

Weight Loss Tips - Timing is Everything

 Timing is Everything

When you eat healthy foods throughout the day is almost as important to your
weight loss success as what you eat.

Here are some timing guidelines to help you leverage the benefits of your healthy food choices:

• Eat at a slower pace than usual - take your time, don't rush, chew your food thoroughly - it's good for digestion and it will allow your appetite to catch up with your actual input;
• Fuel up with carbohydrates more at the beginning of the day or directly following your work out, not as a snack or pick-me-up to get you through the afternoon or evening;
• Convert to eating five to seven small meals per day versus three meals each day;
• Eat less towards the end of the day to get the full benefit of your body’s overnight activity contributing to weight loss;
• Eat smaller portions that usual - over the years, especially in restaurants, portions have gotten out of control, take back the control and eat less at each sitting;
• Use smaller plates to support your commitment to eat smaller portions;
• Drink plenty of water per day;
• Write down everything you eat and when you eat each day to help manage your eating activity towards your weight loss goal.

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The above strategy is from Marge and Bruce Brown's "Weight Loss Program - Personal Coaching Guide", from the Quantum Results Coaching Personal Development Series. Available on Amazon at CLICK THIS LINK

A key factor in our own weight management program loss is Beachbody's Shakeology Meal Replacement Shake (disclosure: we are Team Beachbody Coaches and benefit from Shakeology sales). For more information on Shakeology, including what doctors say, CLICK THIS LINK.

Weight Loss Tip -

 Settle in Then Adapt

Significant change towards a healthier lifestyle that supports your ideal weight requires patience. We advise you to “Settle in Then Adapt.” This means give your positive diet changes a chance to show results.

Your body needs time to reflect the benefits of a nutritious diet. It’s not uncommon for evidence of physical improvements to take 30, 60, or even 90 days to appear. Every body is different, so it’s difficult to predict how long it will take for your improved diet to give you the results you’re looking for, along with your fitness program, of course.

Stick with your chosen plan and don’t switch from one diet plan to another or you’ll never know which program is best for you.

Once you've given your new diet a chance, it's great to adapt it to add additional or different items for variety, preferred taste, and perhaps to even improve the nutritional spectrum. One common factor that people adjust, for example, is fiber. Once your body has adapted to a change in fiber intake, you may find you want to make adjustments. This is one area, however, where making changes too early won't give your body a chance to get used to the new components or quantities.

One often highly pleasurable aspect of adopting a new and healthier lifestyle and diet is that you'll discover new sources of information, including new ingredients, recipes, sources of food, and even food combinations or alternatives. The cultural practice of recipe exchange can really work in your favor as you can get new ideas and support from people with similar diets.

The overall point is to give your new approach to eating adequate time to work and your body adequate time to accommodate and then feel free to experiment to improve both the experience and the nutritional benefit.

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The above strategy is from Marge and Bruce Brown's "Weight Loss Program - Personal Coaching Guide", from the Quantum Results Coaching Personal Development Series. Available on Amazon at CLICK THIS LINK

A key factor in our own weight management program loss is Beachbody's Shakeology Meal Replacement Shake (disclosure: we are Team Beachbody Coaches and benefit from Shakeology sales). For more information on Shakeology, including what doctors say, CLICK THIS LINK.

Weight Loss Tips - Personalized Plan

 Personalized Plan

In addition to creating a diet plan that includes as much as possible what you enjoy eating, it should also reflect your unique preferences and needs.
For example, if you’ve chosen the vegan route, it’s entirely possible to get all the protein, carbohydrates, and fat you need. If you need a gluten-free diet, then this is not an obstacle either to get balanced nutrition. Many people have specific food allergies that have to be taken into account with their diet plans.

It is important to be sure that if you have a diet based on eliminating certain types of foods, as with vegan and gluten-free diets, that you consult with your physician, nutritionist, or other knowledgeable professionals to be sure you have sufficient sources of all dietary elements. For example, vegans need to be sure to have ample sources of complete proteins.

The point is that there is not a one-plan-fits all diet; create one that you’ll enjoy and that takes into account all your needs and preferences.

If you don't enjoy what you eat, your diet has a very high likelihood of failure. With all the media and social pressure on enjoying food in many settings, if you don't really like your food, your chances of giving up are great. Also, if your diet doesn't provide complete nutrition, no matter how much you like it, your health will suffer.

For many people the toughest part of the nutritional side of a weight loss plan is not the sheer will power to stick with it, but rather to do enough research and testing to find a varied selection of available, affordable foods that supply your body with sufficient nutrients and are also so tasty that you'll look forward to eating them.

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The above strategy is from Marge and Bruce Brown's "Weight Loss Program - Personal Coaching Guide", from the Quantum Results Coaching Personal Development Series.Available on Amazon at CLICK THIS LINK

A key factor in our own weight management program loss is Beachbody's Shakeology Meal Replacement Shake (disclosure: we are Team Beachbody Coaches and benefit from Shakeology sales). For more information on Shakeology, including what doctors say, CLICK THIS LINK.

Weight Loss Tips - Focus on Enjoyment

 Focus on Enjoyment

When you’re creating your diet to maintain your ideal weight, be sure to work with your professional to include as many of the things you like as possible. If you feel deprived, you’ll tend to feel negative, which, as we explain in another tip, can lead to self sabotage. Focusing on what you like to eat and including as much in that category as possible in your nutritious diet plan, will not only feed your body well, but will boost your positivity towards your commitment to wellness.

The most noticeable diet change at the beginning of our weight loss journey was toeliminate cold cut sandwiches for lunch. Sandwiches in many forms had been a staple of our work-at-home life for years.

Once we tried the Shakeology meal replacement shake with a variety of frozen fruit and even peanut butter, we realized that not only could we feed our body with better nutrition, but our chocolate shakes seemed more like a dessert! We have never looked back or have felt deprived to eliminate relatively boring homemade cold cut sandwiches from our diets.

Marge has always enjoyed nuts for a snack, but it wasn’t until we discovered Marcona Almonds, a gourmet Spanish delight, that Bruce incorporated more nuts in his daily diet.

Focus on what you can have that you enjoy, not on what you can’t have, and you’ll have more reasons to be enthusiastic about your healthy diet. We hope you find many unexpected treats in your improved diet, as we did!

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The above strategy is from Marge and Bruce Brown's "Weight Loss Program - Personal Coaching Guide", from the Quantum Results Coaching Personal Development Series.Available on Amazon at CLICK THIS LINK

A key factor in our own weight management program loss is Beachbody's Shakeology Meal Replacement Shake (disclosure: we are Team Beachbody Coaches and benefit from Shakeology sales). For more information on Shakeology, including what doctors say, CLICK THIS LINK.

Weight Loss Tips - Dieting for Life

 Dieting for Life

Once you confirm your ideal weight with your doctor, the next step is to work with your doctor, a nutritionist, or trainer to create a diet with the right calorie count and balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat to maintain your ideal weight. You want the proper diet to complement your workout program and to promote weight loss.

By starting with a diet plan to maintain your ideal weight, you’ll already be disciplined and knowledgeable about your nutrition needs so you can maintain your ideal weight once you’ve reached your goal.

Do not use fad diets that are focused on a single nutritional component – protein, carbohydrates, or fats. Single-component diets are not balanced and will not sustain good nutritional habits for a lifetime.

While you may be embarking on a weight loss program to drop to a particular weight or size, the last thing you want to do is to go up and down in your weight because you haven't established a diet for life, a diet that fits your lifestyle. If in your progress to lose weight as rapidly as possible (which will in most cases mean you haven't worked with a physician, nutritionist, or trainer), you essentially starve yourself, and you'll set yourself up for failure and weight gain in time. Many people experience this and it's pretty disheartening.

When you set up a diet plan for life, based on your ideal, target weight range, and encompassing healthy nutritional balance, you won’t lose overall weight as fast as with starvation diets, but you'll be in much better position to keep the weight off and actually be healthier.

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The above strategy is from Marge and Bruce Brown's "Weight Loss Program - Personal Coaching Guide", from the Quantum Results Coaching Personal Development Series. Available on Amazon at CLICK THIS LINK

A key factor in our own weight management program loss is Beachbody's Shakeology Meal Replacement Shake (disclosure: we are Team Beachbody Coaches and benefit from Shakeology sales). For more information on Shakeology, including what doctors say, CLICK THIS LINK.

Weight Loss Tips - Recovery Drinks

 Recovery Drinks

One of the most important changes we made in our fitness program during 2011 was to take a recovery drink immediately after intense exercise, that is, when our muscles were worked very hard. For most people, this would be the equivalent to a Beachbody's P90X work out. Even for Marge, though, who does light weight work outs, using a recovery drink, such as Beachbody’s P90X Results and Recovery, allieviates the soreness she had been previously feeling the day after a heavy workout.

Some people use protein drinks after extreme workouts but the best recovery drinks have a 4 to 1 carbohydrate to protein ratio because immediately after exercise (actually within the first 30 minutes is best and really only during the first hour do you get a true “recovery” effect) because during that short time frame your muscles will store sugars as muscle glycogen and that helps prevent soreness, the extra protein aids muscle growth.

Drinking a carbohydrate-rich recovery drink more than an hour after exercise or any time if you didn’t work out to the point of muscle exhaustion basically adds to your belly (or wherever else you are genetically programmed to store excess fat!).

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The above strategy is from Marge and Bruce Brown's "Weight Loss Program - Personal Coaching Guide", from the Quantum Results Coaching Personal Development Series.Available on Amazon at CLICK THIS LINK

A key factor in our own weight management program loss is Beachbody's Shakeology Meal Replacement Shake (disclosure: we are Team Beachbody Coaches and benefit from Shakeology sales). For more information on Shakeology, including what doctors say, CLICK THIS LINK.

Weight Loss Tips - Bring in the Healthy Food

 Bring in the Healthy Food

Healthy snacking is a recommended strategy for your weight loss program. It has worked well for us during our respective weight loss journeys.

Here’s a list of some of the healthy snacks we keep on hand in our kitchen:

1. Grapes and raisins
2. Mini rice cakes
3. Shelled pumpkin seeds
4. Low-fat cottage cheese
5. Slices of lean turkey
6. Graham crackers
7. Cherry tomatoes
8. Hard boiled eggs
9. Crunchy peanut butter
10. Marcona almonds
11. Trail mix
12. Dark chocolate
13. Fresh and frozen fruit
14. Protein bars
15. Walnuts
16. Water bottles
17. Protein recovery drink
18. Fresh vegetable wedges
19. Sugar-free Jell-O
20. Low-fat yoghurt

You’re encouraged to explore http://ChoseMyPlate.gov and other recommended Web sites for additional healthy snack suggestions.

We recommend having a light snack in the morning and one in the afternoon to keep hunger pains at bay. Keep variety in your snack routine or you’ll more likely get bored with your diet and slip off track.

If you’re on the go like us, then you want to be sure to always have healthy snacks with you, such as protein bars or trail mix. It’s so easy to snack on unhealthy foods by default, if you aren’t proactive in this department. It’s always a good idea to have an extra snack for a friend or work associate to demonstrate your commitment and help others eat better too!

Here’s to your healthy eating habits!

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The above strategy is from Marge and Bruce Brown's "Weight Loss Program - Personal Coaching Guide", from the Quantum Results Coaching Personal Development Series. Available on Amazon at CLICK THIS LINK

A key factor in our own weight management program loss is Beachbody's Shakeology Meal Replacement Shake (disclosure: we are Team Beachbody Coaches and benefit from Shakeology sales). For more information on Shakeology, including what doctors say, CLICK THIS LINK.

Weight Loss Tip - Feed Your Mind

 Feed Your Mind (with New Resources)

In addition to adopting a superfood shake for one meal a day, you need to pay serious attention to your overall diet in order to shed your desired weight. It’s the combination of improved diet and workouts that will take you to your goal.

We make it a priority to fill our minds with nutrition tips, which resulted in creating a more intense awareness of what we were eating and what we should be eating for our wellness lifestyle.

A good place to start is the new U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate Icon Guide to healthy nutrition at http://ChooseMyPlate.gov. The simple plate icon, which replaces the more traditional pyramid icon, is designed to help all Americans shift to a more plant-based diet in appropriate portions.

Also at www.ChooseMyPlate.gov you’ll find menus, recipes and budget tips in alignment with the new MyPlate guidelines.

A few more of our favorite Web resources for nutrition guidance are

• www.RealAge,.com,
• www.cookinglight.com, and 
• www.foodnetwork.com/healthy-eating/index.html.

Focusing on the right foods and tasty recipes is essential for your wellness program.

Here are a few supplemental techniques that continue to work for our weight-management:

• Reduce portion size;
• Take more time to completely chew your food;
• Stop when you’re full, not necessarily when your plate is empty;
• Try 5 to 7 small meals per day versus the traditional 3 meals a day;
• Stop nighttime snacks and consume no food within 3 hours of bedtime;
• Record what you eat – an intake and exercise journal can help you keep honest and have a record of your progress.

Create a nutrition plan that fits your lifestyle and that you can afford on your budget.

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The above strategy is from Marge and Bruce Brown's "Weight Loss Program - Personal Coaching Guide", from the Quantum Results Coaching Personal Development Series. Available on Amazon at CLICK THIS LINK

A key factor in our own weight management program loss is Beachbody's Shakeology Meal Replacement Shake (disclosure: we are Team Beachbody Coaches and benefit from Shakeology sales). For more information on Shakeology, including what doctors say, CLICK THIS LINK.

Weight Loss Tip - Shake Up Your Diet

Shake Up Your Diet

The most significant lifestyle change we made to achieve our weight loss goals, in addition to ramping up our daily workouts, was to start drinking a superfood health shake each day as a substitute for lunch. Neither of us had ever used any type of health shake as part of our regular diet, so this was part of the change we made to get results.

Remember, if you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting the same results! If you want different results, you have to be willing to make one or more lifestyle changes.

What’s a superfood? If you read the article, “6 Superfoods That Will Change the Way You Eat”, in the May issue of  The Oprah Magazine, you’ll learn some interesting facts about the downside of eating the processed foods in the American diet that are poor in nutrition and have fattened our population to a point where two-third of adults and one-third of children are either overweight or obese. Superfoods, with ingredients gathered from farms around the world that still have nutrients in their soil, can boost your immune system and minimize fats and toxic chemicals in your system.

After learning about the benefits of adopting superfoods in our diet, we were excited to try Beachbody’s Shakeology® Health Shake as part of our weight loss program. Within a week of drinking Shakeology each day for lunch, we each shed a few pounds, had noticeably more energy, and enjoyed the feeling that we were feeding our bodies such a high quality substance each day. You can learn more about Shakeology at
www.BrucetheCoach.com.

We highly recommend that you educate yourself on the benefits of adding superfoods to your diet as soon as possible.
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The above strategy is from Marge and Bruce Brown's "Weight Loss Program - Personal Coaching Guide", from the Quantum Results Coaching Personal  Development Series. Available on Amazon at CLICK THIS LINK

A key factor in our own weight management program loss is Beachbody's Shakeology Meal Replacement Shake (disclosure: we are Team Beachbody Coaches and benefit from Shakeology sales). For more information on Shakeology, including what doctors say, CLICK THIS LINK.

Weight Loss Tip - Keep Track

 Keep Track

One of the most unexpected, yet positive results of our respective weight loss programs was we each improved our cholesterol levels so much so that our doctor stopped our cholesterol lowering medications, which we had each been taking for almost a decade. Plus, Bruce’s daily blood pressure readings were improved to the point where he was also taken off his blood pressure medication he had been taking for over a decade.

By paying attention to our health records in these two areas, we were able to be proactive with our doctor in requesting his agreement to suspend out medications. We suggest you can also make drastic strides in your health and fitness by raising your awareness to your own health and fitness statistics and expecting improvement in both through your commitment to weight loss through better nutrition and exercise.

The most obvious statistic to track is your weight. As you lose body fat and gain muscle, all your physical improvements won’t be indicated on your bathroom scale. Here are some other measurements to track:

• Body fat
• Cholesterol
• Resting heart rate
• Blood pressure
• Waist
• Hips
• Biceps
• Thighs

Be as private or public as you chose in tracking your statistics. You can use a journal, a blog, Facebook, or a video series to report your statistics.

Whether or not you can avoid controlling your health with future medications, or eliminate any or all that your doctor has currently prescribed for you, is not something you or we can predict. However, based on our experience, we were delighted with these unexpected rewards in our weight loss programs.

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The above strategy is from Marge and Bruce Brown's "Weight Loss Program - Personal

Coaching Guide", from the Quantum Results Coaching Personal Development Series.

Available on Amazon at CLICK THIS LINK

A key factor in our own weight management program loss is Beachbody's Shakeology Meal

Replacement Shake (disclosure: we are Team Beachbody Coaches and therefore benefit from

Shakeology sales). For more information on Shakeology, including what doctors say, CLICK THIS

LINK.

Weight Loss Tip - Imprint Your Success

 Imprint Your Success

See yourself crossing your weight loss finish line on or before your deadline.

One of the easiest ways to ensure your success with this or any goal worth achieving is to identify successes you’ve had in the past in all areas of your life.

Take a few minutes and list 10 significant successes you’ve had over the course of your life, such as earning a degree, raising a child, publishing a book, getting a promotion or anything else that gave you a strong sense of personal accomplishment.

In his classic personal development book, The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale, wrote: “Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop this picture…the mind always tries to complete what
it pictures.”

Rocket ships fail their way through space because over 90% of the time they are off course and their course corrections are ongoing. Guess what? You’ll zig zag along your weight loss journey. If you feel like you’re really off course, contact your Accountability Buddy for immediate support. Get refocused on what you want, not on the obstacles.  Do not wallow in negative emotions, and, to quote Winston Churchill, “Never, never, never, never, never quit.”

You can avoid falling into a sinkhole if you spend time each day focusing on the positive feelings related to the benefits you expect to achieve when you reach your weight loss goal. Use meditation as a powerful fuel to strengthen your positive emotional state and your mental imprint of weight loss success.

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The above strategy is from Marge and Bruce Brown's "Weight Loss Program -
Personal Coaching Guide", from the Quantum Results Coaching Personal
Development Series. Available on Amazon at CLICK THIS LINK

A key factor in our own weight management program loss is Beachbody's Shakeology Meal Replacement Shake (disclosure: we are Team Beachbody Coaches andbenefit from Shakeology sales). For more information on Shakeology, including what doctors say, CLICK THIS LINK.

Weight Loss Tip - Throw Away the Junk Food

 Throw Away the Junk Food

When we both made the commitment to begin our weight loss programs, the first thing we eliminated from our diet was cookies – the double stuffed chocolate sandwich variety! Since we were supporting a bag a day habit between us, this was a big signal that things needed to change!

Here’s a list of some of the other foods we have gradually eliminated from our diet over the past nine months:
1. Bread
2. Muffins
3. Brownies (This one told me I was really serious!)
4. Candy
5. Cake
6. Chips
7. Processed lunch meat
8. Processed cheese
9. Dinner rolls
10. Frozen pizza
11. Frozen French fries
12. Bagels
13. Cream cheese
14. Dips
15. Fried meat or poultry
16. Potato salad
17. Ice cream
18. Salad dressing
19. Macaroni and cheese
20. Soda

We couldn’t bear to let our weekly pasta dish go or give up Marge’s morning Cheerios fix. Based on our weight loss results, we don’t have to be perfect to make progress!

Old habits are difficult to break. You need new strategies for creating your food shopping list and navigating the grocery store aisles that are designed to attract you to pick up many unhealthy convenience foods. Make your list and stick to it!

If your accountability buddy lives near you, then a weekly food shopping trip could be a good bonding experience with someone with like goals.

The longer you enjoy eating healthy foods, the easier it is to imagine an invisible sign on unhealthy foods that says, “NOT MY FOOD”.

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The above strategy is from Marge and Bruce Brown's "Weight Loss Program - Personal Coaching Guide", from the Quantum Results Coaching Personal Development Series. Available on Amazon at CLICK THIS LINK

A key factor in our own weight management program loss is Beachbody's Shakeology Meal Replacement Shake (disclosure: we are Team Beachbody Coaches and benefit from Shakeology sales). For more information on Shakeology, including what doctors say, CLICK THIS LINK.

Weight Loss Tip - Set Goals

 Set Your Goals

Your personal weight loss transformation starts with a goal. If you don’t know your recommended weight range for your sex and height, consult with your doctor before you set your goal.

Use the SMART system to set goals that are:

• Specific – “I will lose 15 pounds towards my total weight loss goal of 30 pounds.”

• Measurable –“I will weigh myself each morning before breakfast”.

• Actionable –“I will work out six days per week and follow a healthy nutrition plan daily.”

• Realistic – “Starting my program on April 1st allows sufficient time to meet my goal”

• Time bound – “Achieve goal by August 15th for daughter’s wedding.”

Many folks want to lose weight in preparation for a wedding, reunion, convention, vacation, or other important event. You probably have such an event in your near future that can motivate you to want to succeed in your weight loss program. Plus you’ll want to stay in shape for all the yet unknown events in your future.

Close your eyes and imagine how you will feel when you have “released” the unnecessary weight you’re carrying! Your clothes will fit better, you may shop for a smaller size, people will compliment you, you’ll have more energy, sleep better, and you’ll feel better about yourself! Reaching any goal, especially weight loss, can build  confidence to tackle other goals in your life.

Take a few minutes and write four benefits you expect to receive by reaching your weight loss goal and how each benefit will make you feel Write positive emotions, like joy, enthusiasm, excitement, empowerment, and freedom related to each benefit and post your list where you can see it on a daily basis.

1. What is the ideal weight range for your sex and height recommended by your physician?

2. Set your weight loss goal using the SMART system and record it here.

3.  What important event or events are occurring in your life in the next 6 months? Pretend today is the day of the event and describe in detail what you’re wearing and how you look and feel as you enter the event.

4. Record at least 12 benefits you expect to achieve by reaching your weight loss goal. How will each of these benefits make you feel? How will you feel if you don’t achieve each of these benefits by losing the desired weight?

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The above strategy is from Marge and Bruce Brown's "Weight Loss Program - Personal Coaching Guide", from the Quantum Results Coaching Personal Development Series. Available on Amazon at CLICK THIS LINK

A key factor in our own weight management program loss is Beachbody's Shakeology Meal Replacement Shake (disclosure: we are Team Beachbody Coaches and therefore benefit from Shakeology sales). For more information on Shakeology, including what doctors say, CLICK THIS LINK.