At least, for me, its easy to lose confidence if I’m not reaching my weight loss goals the way I’d hoped. There’s always the temptation to blame myself. You know how it goes: you tell yourself that you just don’t have the staying power or will power to lose the weight.

Here’s a trick – you’ve managed to lose 5 pounds so far, which may not sound like a lot when you compare it to your overall goal. The next time you’re at the grocery store – grab a 5lb back of flour, sugar or potatoes. Carry it around with you as you shop.

It’s getting heavy, hey??

That’s the amount of excess weight you used to carry all the time. Five pounds on the scale may not seem like much, but when you tote it around in your arms and think of it as the fat you’ve lost – - you realize what a big accomplishment it really is!

Also, remember – pounds aren’t the only measure of success. Make a list of other benefits you’ve gained by following your diet and exercise program:

• Maybe your clothes aren’t as tight anymore?
• Maybe you’re more flexible?
• Maybe your energy and stamina have improved?
• Maybe you’re eating a healthier diet?
• Maybe you’re losing inches and toning muscle?

If you can make one change.. you can make two. If you can make two changes.. you can make three. Get the idea?

My motivator for the week? I’ve lost 10lbs total so far (I’ve been at this roughly a month). With those 10 pounds I have also lost 12 inches! The inch loss is appearing (or I should say dissapearing) from my waist and hip area, mostly (right where I need it!). I was de-railed on my program .. right in the middle of it because I had a gallbladder attack and had to have my gallbladder removed. Using my usual and old habits.. I *almost* let that completely de-motivate me.. because once I step off my diet and workout program, for some reason.. it’s really hard for me to get back on it. Trust me, I will use anything as an excuse! And surgery felt like a pretty damn good excuse! Although, the gallbladder surgery was a pretty minor procedure (done via laproscope) – and my recovery was quick… hardly any pain after two days and the very small incisions are healing very nicely.

Luanne, my personal trainer, kept encouraging me and gave me about a week before she called and said “Come on down to the gym – - don’t be worried.. we’ll keep it light and simple, ok?” – - so I dragged myself in and I am really glad that I did. I felt so much better afterwards…and have kept up my regular visits..and feel really motivated to keep moving!

Good luck!

Experts say a healthy weight loss plan should average 1 to 3 pounds a week. If you’ve lost 5-8 pounds after 8 weeks.. don’t be dissapointed! Within 8 weeks, you can expect to have lost anywhere from 8-24 pounds. Losing weight more quickly than that means losing muscle tissue along with fat, which could slow your metabolism adn make it harder to maintain your weight loss further on down the road.

The most important thing now is not to get discouraged! Make a pact with yourself to use a little extra time and effort in the coming month to reach your goal and make sure the number is realistic!

Not really. See, I had a bad year. Not really that bad, all things considered in the grand scheme of things – - but very stressful and somewhat trying – and I let my diet/fitness slip completely! From the end of 2006 until now – - I’ve written a book, dealt with a VERY challenging teenaged son (the details I will not go into – but I damn near lost my mind!) and a business that was booming faster than I could keep up with (it still is, but I’m in a better place now).

Once the book was done, I vowed that I would do whatever it takes to get myself back into shape again. A year ago, I weighed in at 170 (that’s after successfully dieting and losing 30lbs .. down from a high 200!). I completely sabatoged myself and let myself go and gain almost all that weight back. I started dieting two weeks ago and am happy to report that I’ve lost 7lbs so far – - wtih a 6 inch loss overall, as well.

What am I doing? No real program to speak of at all. After trying Nutrisystem, Herbalife and Jenny Craig in the past – I decided that I’m smart enough to develop my own program of dieting and watching what I eat. I didn’t need to throw my money away at these programs that give you food that just isn’t so palatable – - at least not to my sensisitve palate, that is.

I have grabbed some nice low fat, high protein, low carb recipes from various books and I cook every day. I make my own breakfast, lunch and dinner — and snacks! It does require a lot of food prep time most often… but it’s worth it. I also am making sure that I’m using only fresh ingredients..and have gotten into the habit of shopping for organic foods, and definitley NOTHING pre-processed. Zero fast food… lots of water and a daily multivitamin.

One thing that I did add to my daily regime is the Alli Weight-Loss Aid. It was actually a recommendation of a close friend of mine, who also happens to be a physician. Alli contains 60mg of Orlistat, which is the only over the counter, FDA approved weight loss aid. It works by blocking about 25% of your fat intake from absorbing into your system. Combined with an already low fat diet and exercise program – - it helps you lose about 15% of the weight than you normally would on a regular diet. The idea is this: if Alli helps by removing 25% of the fat intake from your diet (it just doesn’t get absorbed).. then when you excercise, instead of burning the easy fat from your diet – your body burns it’s own body fat reserves..helping you lose a little more weight.

It’s not a supplement that curbs the appetite.. and it doesn’t increase metabolism – as it doesn’t contain any appetite suppresants or any metabolism boosting supplements like Hoodia. Orlistat is actually a prescription med that doctors have been prescribing to very overweight patients for years. Alli is a lower dose than the prescription strength, and as such, has been approved by the FDA to sell over the counter.

I’ve been taking it three times a day with meals (just one small capsule) for almost three weeks now. I have lost 7lbs total, so far – and just recently started combining my low fat diet and Alli capsules with a moderate exercise program this past week.

Which brings me to the title of this post: Why did I hire a personal trainer?

To motivate me and to get me into a program that works for me. I purchased only 15 hours of time with the personal trainer. She, Luanne – the trainer – told me that after 15 hours, if I felt I needed more time, I could purchase more. But that after 15 hours, I should have myself into a pretty decent routine that I can follow myself and only consult with her occassionaly if I have a question.

So far, I’ve had three sessions with her – combining cardio with strength training and I work out about 3-4 hours a week, at this point (that’s 1 – 1.5 hours on Monday, Wed and Friday). I also have been doing some low-impact walking on the days in between my workouts with Luanne. My goal here is to not only lose pounds and inches.. but to tone up, as well.

The gym has a great system where everything is computerized using a system called FitLinxx. When I get to the gym, I login to the FitLinxx system and it tracks and records my cardio and strength training workouts. When I get home, I can also login and view my progress and keep track of what I’m doing. Here’s an example of my workout for the week of October 1 (no laughing!! This was my first week!):

In the report columns from left to right, it tells me:

• My visit date
• My fit points (these are points you recieve when you work out.. the higher your points, the higher your status at the gym…if you’re into that kind of thing..I’m not, really.)
• Total weight lifted – this combines all weight stations and every rep you do
• How may reps completed for weight lifting
• How many sets of weight lifting you completed
• How many minutes of cardio you completed
• How many calories your cardio exercise burned off (it does not track the calories burned for weight lifting, though – which is kindof a bummer. But, according to my Calorie King software – 30 minutes of weight lifiting on circuit weight machines burns about 265 calories..and I’ve been doing about 30 mins each time I go)

It’s a nice way to keep track of things — and I can review my progress with my trainer who will make recommendations and suggestions for additional exercise of change out my program if it’s not working for me after a few weeks. Luanne is also a nutritionist, so she’s making lots of recommendations for my diet and things that I can do during my days to take away the hunger pangs while still staying within my daily caloric intake needs – including protein, fats and carbs.

Some may thing that a trainer is a needless expense – - but considering my past year – I need all the positive affirmations and reinforcement that I can get. So far, I’m extremely motivated and feeling really good about the program that I’m on. Since I started working out – I’ve been feeling like a million bucks! (ok, maybe minus that muscle ache and burn I’m feeling when I get up in the morning these days lol

At least for me? I gained back 14lbs of the 26 lbs that I lost earlier this year. That sucks, yea I know. The second half of this year was all about falling into the trap of ‘stress and worry’ eating. I had many great things happen in 2006 – - and many not-so-great things. It was the not-so-great things that caused me worry and stress.. along with it, major serious bouts of insomnia that had me up at wee hours of the morning working, and snacking.

The snacking part KILLED me. Top that off with me feeling the weight coming back on — getting bummed out about it, causing me to delve further into my stress and worry binging. Makes TOTAL sense, doesn’t it?

Yea, well – no sense looking back – - there’s only forward to go. I started the new diet fresh and clean for the new year. It hit a whopping 190lbs by the end of the year.. so mine’s not a success story to be told, not in the least. It’s this cycle of diet/binge/diet/binge that I’ve been putting myself through over the past several years – - I can’t seem to break. I keep trying though – - and at least that keeps me from hitting that dreaded 240lb mark again!

A little history: I weighed 240lbs in 2003 – - a dreadful, dreadful weight that I never wish to hit again. Back then, I vowed to take it off, and I did! I sucessfully dieted my way to 150, and I felt awesome. Any idea what it’s like to drop 90lbs of yourself? It’s pretty thrilling. In the late months of 2004, I hit 190 – - through pure laziness. I mean, I got myself down to 150 and thought I had it made, right? Pfft! I dieted again and got myself back down to 160 in mid-2005. The tale end of 2005, I visited 190 again. Arrrgh! I dieted AGAIN and got myself down to 170 in the early months of 2006.

On December 31, 2006 – I weighed in at 190 again. WTF is it with that number? It haunts me! So, here I am at 190lbs again – and dieting again. I would LOVE to sit here and say I’m really going to do it this time. But, I can only hope when I drop those 30-40 lbs again, I will have learned my lessons from the past and remember how quickly those pounds pile back on! Here’s to 2007!

In the spirit of the new year – here’s a dessert recipe I’ll share. I’ve had it twice so far – and it’s not so bad. I mean, it’s not a pint of Ben & Jerry’s – - but it’s doable!

Mocha Ricotta
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package sugar substitute (like Splenda)

Mix together ricotta, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and sugar substitute in a desert bowl. Serve chilled – - dust the top with a bit of espresso powder and even drop 4-5 mini chocolate chips on the top.

It’s pretty decent, really!

Calories: 261
Protein: 15g
Carbs: 17g
Fat: 14g
Sat. Fats: 9g
Sodium: 166mg
Cholesterol: 42mg
Fiber: 0gy,

After seeing that, I refilled my 1 Liter water bottle and hopped on the treadmill – engergized, motivated and encouraged. As I’m walking, I’m thinking about those 1.5 pounds I just lost. I thought about how much I had to put myself through just to lose that pound and a half. Constant attention to what I’m putting in my mouth, keeping track of how much water I’m taking in, reminding myself to get my ass up off the chair and get on the treadmill, or workout on the Bowflex or some other sort of exercise.

That 1.5 pounds was a lot of work, dammit! If it were up to ME – I would have lost at LEAST 5lbs considering the work I’ve been putting into this – - but I don’t appear to be in charge (obviously).

Today I walked a little faster, increased the incline on my treadmill a little higher and walked an extra 10 minutes than usual hoping to see similiar results this time next week when I get back on the scale – hoping that it loves me as much next week as it did today (if not more).

What hit me the strongest while I was taking my walk was that I can do this. My weight does not have to be my enemy and I don’t have to let it defeat me. I have complete control over what I do during the course of my days – I can tackle these 30lbs, just as I tackle all other obstacles in my life. Some hard work, dedication, motivation and desire.

Sounds easy, right? Haha – NOT!

For some, this may not be appealling – however, with my lifestyle (especially these days) – my time available for cooking and preparing meals that fit within my diet plan and my daily goals for protein intake, fiber intake, carbs, etc just isn’t there at the moment! So I thought I’d give NutriSystem a try and see how I like it.

NutriSystem Nourish: The Revolutionary New Weight-Loss Program Review from Amazon.com: This is an excellent program. I haven’t had much discipline when it comes to what I eat and this is the only program I’ve tried that really works and did not leave me feeling cranky and deprived. I lost 20lbs without exercise in the first 2 months and am continuing to lose 2lbs a week. The weight loss has given me so much energy that now I can’t sit still so exercise fit itself into the plan without being forced. This program works if you love to cook (I don’t) and if you like convenience of prepackaged food (I do). I’m never hungry on this program because I eat 5x a day. The web site is informative and teaches proper portion size and a healthy mix of protein, carbs and fats. This book takes it the extra step to really explain what is behind the program so you can maintain the weight loss easily. I now know that my slow metabolism was due to blood sugar fluctuations. My metabolism is no longer slow and my blood pressure is textbook-perfect. Most importantly, I feel and look much better and my energy has increased 100%. Don’t wait, start the program today and feel better almost immediately. It really does work and it is very easy!!!

I ordered my first month of the program that is scheduled for delivery tomorrow and am looking foward to starting up and seeing how it goes! I’m kind of mixing this together with my normal Body for Life program – in particular the exercise and fitness program that I had so much success with earlier in the year.

See if I can’t get rid of those last pesky 25 – 30 lbs, hey?

I hopped on the scale today and discovered a very excellent 6lb weight loss since last week. Of course, there are two factors:

• I was on my period last week – can anyone say RETENTION?
• I had been off the diet – so much of it was probably additional water weight

But still! I’ll take 6lbs – - so I am now officially 1lb lighter than I was the day I let the diet go. Go me! I’m only 20lbs away from my absolute target weight and think I can hit that by June. I remain hopefull anyways!

LOTS and LOTS of brown rice and fish going on over here!

LOTS of pilates, treadmilling and toning exercising – - along with a bit of strength training on the Bowflex thrown in for good measure. I’m more determined than ever this time – - I just wish I hadn’t fallen off the wagon because those 20lbs may have already been gone by now!

Arggh.

Found a great, filling and healthy snack this afternoon when I got a little hungry:

About 1/4 cup Kashi GoLean mixed with about 1 cup of StonyField Farms Fat Free Strawberry Yogurt make a REALLY yummy, and filling snack!

6 weeks into this – here’s a few things I’ve learned along the way –

• I can eat LOTS – my body will burn it. Prior to the challenege, my eating habits were really really bad. I definitley did not eat three meals a day, at all. I would snack throughout the day at my computer while I worked — drink lots of coffee, and then when it came time for dinner, most often we’d do take out. I wasn’t consuming the calories I needed, by a long shot – - and the calories I was consuming was made up of mostly sugars and saturated fats.
• Another thing about food – the thought of my coveted double bacon cheeseburger from Wendy’s just doesn’t appeal to me anymore. I think about it and all I envision is a lump of dripping fat and lard between a sugar loaded bun. Seriously, it makes me ill to even think about taking one bite. My palette has changed!
• Cooking good food is fun. And it gives me a warm fuzzy to know that my family is also getting the benefits of all that good food. Now, my teenagers sometimes turn their noses up at some of the things I prepare (they don’t like brussell sprouts and are SICK to death of turkey) – but for the most part, they eat what I eat and they don’t even notice I’m using Splenda instead of sugar, or Olive oil instead of vegetable oil, etc, etc. Even my 15 year old daughter lost 10 lbs because she started emmulating my habit of drinking tons of water in a day. Plus – her acne cleared up almost immediately! Yay her!
• My endurance has increased with my cardio. When I first started this – I could stand about 20 minutes on the treadmill at about 2.5 mph with no incline. Today I’m doing about 40 minutes at 3.0 mph on a 7-10% incline. W00t!
• My strength has increased. With my weight training, I’ve noticed that the amount of weights I started with just don’t ‘do it’ for me anymore and I had to increase them. Then I increased the number of reps I’m doing just so I could get that good ‘burrrrrrrrrrrrrrn’ feeling, know what I mean? Just yesterday, I upped the weights on my Ab workout on the Bowflex by 5 more lbs, and increased the reps of that exercise by another 10. I’m feeling it this morning, let me tell ya – but it’s a good pain.
• This challenge has made me take a look at foods I never would have looked at before, and I’ve found some really yummy stuff! Instead of regular french fries fried up in the deep fryer, I tried sweet potatoe french fries baked in the oven. Sweet goodness, they are! And combinations of foods – - like Jennio’s italian seasoned turkey burgers grilled on my George Foreman grill.. then crumbled into my Egg beaters omlets tastes just like sausage with my eggs and is actually really quite good!
• I’ve traded pounds for inches. Last week I found out that I could not lose anythng but maybe a 1/2 a pound at the most – - but I still lost 3.5 inches, even though I barely lost a pound! To me, it’s the inches that matter. Heck – I put on my favorite pair of CK jeans yesterday that I haven’t been able to wear in well over a year! THAT alone motivated me to push myself just a little bit more everyday
• Aside from the weight loss and the inch loss – - I feel good. I haven’t felt this good in a very very long time. I used to struggle with many different things – most noteably insomnia. Prior to this challenge I was going through one of the WORST cases of insomnia that I ever had in my adult life. At one point, I was a full 72 hours without sleep. It’s just not healthy. I had my days and nights mixed up, the whole bit. I don’t know if it’s my new eating and exercise habits that have changed that – but these days, I’m sleeping like a baby. I get tired around 11pm or so and am usually asleep by midnight – - then I’m up at 6am. This has been pretty consistent for the last few weeks. If it’s my new habits that have changed this for me – it’s a frickin miracle!
• Lastly – people are noticing! That is most awesome when that happens. I had to spent quite a bit of time with my folks this past weekend, due to some health problems my mother was having. I walked into the house and took off my jacket and my Dad says “Lisa! Have you been working out or something?” So, of course I have to gloat, right? Right! He says “It shows! Wow – you look really great!” If that’s not enough to re-affirm that my efforts are worth it and are working, I don’t know what is!

So, this wraps up my 6th week – well almost. I am doing my official weigh-in on Friday of this week, and it will probably then be Fridays thereafter. Chris made a deal with me. He’s out of town on business this week and I’m picking him up at the airport on Friday. There is a restaurant close to the airport that we both love called “Fourth Base”. If I’ve lost 4lbs OR 4 inches since my last weigh in/measurements of two weeks ago – - he’ll treat me to my favorite meal there on Friday night. I snuck on the scale today and noted that I was only 3lbs down from what I was two weeks ago – - so I’m hoping the last of this water retention drops off before Friday, or that my measurements will be nice to me this week!

When this first started on 12/26 – Chris (my fiance) took pictures of me in my bra and panties. Ugh! We took front shots, side shots and the dreaded shots from behind (cough).

Today – on 1/16 – we took them again. Standing in the same spot, wearing the same clothes. When I put the pictures next to one another – the changes were really dramatic. Amazing what 11lbs and 8 inches can do to a person! It seems most of my loss has come from my waist, hips and back. The “well-fed-rolls” that appeared underneath my bra strap across my back (under my shoulder blades) are now all but gone and there is more defnition in my waist and abs. I’m psyched!

I’ve talked with many around the net about diets – and have resisted the temptation of fad dieting. You know, those diet plans that claim you’ll lose a full dress size in 6 days? Come on – get real. The only way I know of for losing the weight and dropping sizes is the good old ‘eat right and exercise’ plan.

I don’t believe there is a pill that will do it. The only pill I pop into my mouth on a daily basis is a multivitamin. That’s it. I don’t believe there is a drink that will do it. Or a bar, or a patch or anything other than changing the lifestyle habits that got me this way in the first place. I’ve read up on those diets that have you eating the same dollup of food for every meal, every day – never waivering.

My feeling is – - if it’s not a plan that I can stick to for an entire lifetime, then forget it. This is a lifestyle change for me, not a get-thin-quick plan. I’m convinced that healthy eating and a good, moderate exercise plan is the only way for me to go.

So Anna Nicole Smith can take her royalties for TrimSpa and go get another tummy tuck – it ain’t for me!

On the Body-for-LIFE discussion list I belong to – many have cautioned that Weeks 4-6 are slow, you kind of hit a plateau and stagnate without experiencing a whole lot of loss in pounds or inches. I’m prepared for it (I think) – - I swear I won’t let the plateau get me down or discourage me. That’s my goal for the next few weeks, to just keep working at it and looking foward to week 7-8.. keeping my eye on the prize!

Bust – Loss of 0.5 inches
Rib Cage – Loss of 1 inch
Waist – Loss of 3 inches
Hips – Loss of 1 inch
Butt – No loss here (big shocker)
Upper Thigh – Loss of 0.5 inches
Above the Knee – Loss of 0.5 inches

After two weeks that a net loss of 6.5 inches total, and 7 pounds. Does that seem like a lot of inches compared to the pounds lost? Maybe not, because I am doing weight lifting along with this dieting stuff . . . so the whole muscle weighs more than fat thing could be in play here, I suppose. Either way, I’m encouraged! Week Three – here I come!