Weight Loss and Healthy Living

This article is to help those who have a lot of fat to lose. It is not for the experienced bodybuilder, preparing for a competition, or even the fitness enthusiast struggling to drop those last 5 or 10 stubborn pounds. This is for those who have a long ways to go. It is for those who always dreamed about being in shape, about fitting into jeans with a 32-inch waist but right now are still struggling with that large silhouette in the mirror. It is for those who realize that they may not achieve their goals in 4 or 8 or even 12 weeks, because they have to drop an amount of fat equivalent to a small child.

6. A Picture Is Worth A 1,000 Pounds

TRUTH: Do not make the mistake of not taking a before picture!

In August of 1999, I stood in front of the blinds at the front of my house and waited patiently as my wife snapped a photo of me holding a newspaper for a competition I would enter. At the time, this was just a necessary step for the competition. I did not think much of it, except that I felt humiliated and disgusting. When the pictures came back, two things happened. First, I realized what an amazing woman my wife was for being so supportive of what I saw, and second, I was fully motivated to make a change because while I trick myself looking in the mirror, the photo did not lie.

Not everyone is entering a competition for prize money, and not everyone is comfortable sharing his or her photographs. Some people are starting out much heavier than the 245 I began my own journey with. However, I cannot tell you how powerful taking a picture can be. It may be the one decision that makes or breaks your efforts to lose fat!

Even if you have no plans of sharing that picture with anyone else, I encourage you to take it. Tuck it away somewhere safe. You might not even want to look at it for months. But, inevitably, two things will happen. Those who struggle or hit roadblocks will pull out that old photograph. It will remind them of how trapped they felt before they began the long journey to losing fat, and it will inspire and reinvigorate them to continue the journey. Or, someone who is making great progress will look back, and, with nostalgia, vow to never return. They will print that picture off and use it as continuous motivation to live the healthy lifestyle.

If you transform and decide you never want to share that picture with anyone, you don't have to. But what if you did not take the picture and suddenly you want to remember where you came from, or to share it with someone else to prove that they, too, can make the journey? It would be a shame and a great regret to find you had no photographs to share.

This is where the power of the picture really comes into play - it is not only something that can help you with your journey, but it holds tremendous power to spur others to make the amazing change themselves. And that can and should encourage you to continue - not because you need to drop those pounds, but because in doing so, you'll not only be making a difference in your own life, but for the lives of others as well!

» Jeremy's Transformation Gallery

7. The Black and White Syndrome

TRUTH: Do not get stuck in an all-or-nothing mindset!

I first learned about this from David Greenwalt, a former coach and mentor of mine who helped me break the mysterious "single digits body fat" barrier in 2000. Understanding this made a huge difference with my progress!

Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it is not happening. Sometimes you might be improving your health in less visible ways. It seems there is a prevalent "either/or" mentality that can disrupt many programs. Either you are perfect, or you just give up. Either you train at exactly 4:30am, or you simply don't train that day. The either/or, or black and white syndrome, can interfere with a lot of progress.

Keith Klein, a well-known and respected nutritionist, has a great way of describing this. He compares it to a car. When you get a flat tire, what do you do? If you can, you change the tire. If you don't know how, you have someone help. Eventually, you repair or replace the tire and move on. So why is it, on nutrition programs, do people get a flat tire, then instead of fixing it and moving on, they insist on flattening all of the other tires as well? It is like taking a crow bar and smashing the car instead of saying, oops, there is a set back, time to move on.

This can be applied to working out as well. For example, someone might read that morning workouts are superior for burning fat. Without debating whether or not this is true, the either/or mentality would say that if you cannot get your workout done in the morning, why even bother. In reality, working out in the evening is still better than not working out at all - you should train when you can do it consistently, and when you have the most energy. So if you cannot always train in the morning, why not go ahead and try it in the evening? Be flexible and don't get caught in the black and white syndrome.

Another example comes with rest between programs. People recognize the need to take some time off from training every once in awhile for recovery or sometimes even special "detraining". One complaint I get is, "It was so hard to discipline myself to get up at 4:30am to train. If I take a week from training, I will break out of that habit and not be able to start again." This is a great example, because let me rephrase: either I wake up at 4:30am to train, or I sleep in. Why not compromise? Why not spend that week waking up at 4:30 and then writing down new goals, or reading a new book, or taking a calm walk? Keep the schedule, keep the discipline, but let your body have a break!

There are many other examples to follow, but the fact is, there will never be a perfect 8 weeks or 12 weeks or whatever time frame you design your program around. Life happens, and obstacles appear. You can choose to have a rigid, inflexible standard for yourself, and allow the first bump in the road to derail your progress, or you can avoid the black and white syndrome, and adapt to changes while focusing on progress.

» More about "I Can, I Can't"

8. 10 Pounds In 2 Days?

TRUTH: Do not think you can undo overnight what took years of neglect to create!

» Technical Guide to Burning Fat

9. Supplements To The Rescue!

TRUTH: Do not think that supplements are the only way to lose fat!

» Supplements

10. To Think That Exercise Will "Burn It Off"

TRUTH: Do not get caught in the trap of thinking you can eat anything you like, because you can simply exercise to "burn it off"!

Wow! You've read a lot to reach this part of the page. Why not go ahead and grab the full eBook "10 Fat Mistakes" for yourself (it includes the full articles for Fat Mistakes #8, #9, and #10). I've also got a special report on creatine, bodybuilding recipes, and more to share. Claim your copies by clicking here.



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