5 Simple Guidelines to Weight Loss:

1. Keep a daily diet log. Keep a track of calories like you keep track of your bank account.

2. Eat 5-6 meals/snacks a day to help speed up your metabolism.

3. Main meals should be no larger in size and in calories than an average Lean Cuisine.

4. Keep meals simple. The fewer ingredients and condiments, the fewer calories.

5. Be consistent. Until you reach your goal, you need to diet seven days a week.

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Understanding the 5 Guidelines

1. Journal your food.* The first advice I would give anyone starting a weight loss program is to begin tracking your calories. You can't base a diet on guessing, you have to know exactly what you are taking in. Almost everyone we talk to who has struggled with losing weight is taking in more calories than they think. Journaling not only holds you accountable, but educates you and helps you find hidden calories. Journaling is not something you have to do forever, through the daily process you will learn correct healthy portions and food options. Most named diets are based on 1200-1500 calories a day. It is advised to consult a physician before beginning a diet. *Get a FREE account at Fit Day! Learn how to budget your calories, protein, carbs, fats and alcohol online!! Learn more about counting calories from journaling your food daily. Click on the link (left) to begin!

2. Eat 5-6 meals/snacks a day. A successful diet is eating less but eating more often. Eating smaller meals and snacks helps boost the metabolism and increase energy. People who think they have to starve in order to lose weight struggle with the thought of eating more often but it works. Once you get in the habit of eating less, but often, your energy increases which is one common complaint when dieting the wrong way.

3. You are what you eat. I would love to say you could lose weight by just coming in to Longevity every day, but I would be lying. It take 3500 calories to lose one pound. Most people only burn between 300-500 calories in a good workout. It's not uncommon for someone to consume 1,000 calories in one bad meal. In other words, you can blow several great workouts in one high-calorie meal. You can workout every day, but if you are taking in as many calories as you are burning (or more, you won't lose weight. You MUST watch what you eat in addition to exercise to get results.

4. No cheating. This may seem unfair or unrealistic, but the truth is you can workout and diet six days a week and blow it all in one day. This happens to people all the time. You must remain in a caloric deficit in order to continue losing weight. You can lose 2 pounds in 6 days and not see it on the scale because over the weekend you made up for all the calories lost in poor choices. It is essential you remain on your diet everyday until you reach certain set goals. Healthy living is a lifestyle, not a trend or season - it's for life. Once you are in maintenance you won't have to be quite as strict, but until then dieting and activity must be applied everyday.

5. Consistency is key. Yo-yo diets don't work and never will. Yo-yo fitness doesn't work either. The key to success is consistency. It is easier to workout and eat healthy on a consistent basis than it is to do hard-core diets and exercise programs. Our bodies respond well to consistency and so does our mind. Healthy living is first a habit and then a lifestyle. It may take a while to get into the groove, but once you are in the groove, it's a lot easier to maintain the lifestyle.

"I used to go grocery shopping at Publix and new what my Family and I liked, and would be in and out of there. After I started Boot Camp, The first time I went to the grocery store, Ha this is so true, My Husband and son came looking for me because I was gone for 2 hrs, (to funny) I left that store just amazed, I read so many labels, even the employees that work there and know me would go past and say your still here, I drove home with a smile on my face, thinking OMG!! I thought I was a pretty healthy somewhat kind of person. WRONG, I can say now, That I am on a Very Great, Healthy type of life not only for me , But for my Family as well, My Husband, Son and I walk everyday, 5 miles together. we all fell so much better. It is WONDERFUL!!!!Thank You Again."  - LISA R

Kick the Never-Ending Diet Plan - Bonnie Pfiester

“I tried every diet in the book. I tried some that weren’t in the book. I tried eating the book.

It tasted better than most of the diets.” Dolly Parton

When I think of Dolly’s quote, I think of how my mother also tried every diet in the book before she finally lost her weight.

I know she must have felt like she spent her entire life dieting. The truth is she just made a few common mistakes prolonging, or event preventing, her results. That is why so many people feel like they are doomed for failure and that there is no hope.

   10 Tips to Help Break the ‘Never-ending Diet Plan’ Cycle:

1. Avoid diet hopping. Some people never stick to a diet long enough to get results before they hop on the next diet that comes their way.  If you chose a diet plan, stick to it.

2. Never attempt an unrealistic diet. I can’t help but think of the Cabbage Soup Diet which I was on for all of four very long days. A successful diet is one you can stick with for the long haul.

3. Don’t rely on the quick fix. We all know better but our patience often gets the best of us. Don’t give in to weight loss gimmicks. A quick fix is just a temporary fix and only postpones the inevitable.

4. Be realistic. If you are on a mild diet and exercise plan, expect mild results. The more intense the program, the faster the results. Be realistic when setting and working toward your goal.

5. Be honest with yourself. People seem quick to recall all the healthy low-calorie foods they eat but get amnesia when it comes to unhealthy choices. The scale will tell on you so in all actuality you aren’t fooling anyone but your self.

6. What you don’t know can hurt you. I find most people who have failed on their diet have been guessing their way through it all. Other people just don’t want to know the truth. I can’t tell you how many times my husband has taken a bite of something and as soon as I begin to read off the calories he plugs his ears saying “lalalalalalalala, I don’t want to know, lalalalalala”!  The fact is the calories are there whether we know it or not.

7. If you aren’t dieting, you should be maintaining. Even if you lose the weight, you still have to be accountable for what you eat in order to maintain your new size. Many people who hit their goal end up back where they started because they went right back to eating poorly.

8. The “Weekday Diet” doesn’t always work. Many people diet all week only to erase their hard work each weekend. Although this may work while in maintenance, this diet faux pas is what makes people feel like they are dieting all the time and never reaping the reward.

9. Never underestimate the power of the calorie. Weight loss boils down to calories in vs. calories out. You can’t expect results if you are not sure how many calories you are eating.

10. Commit to dieting the right way. A lack of commitment just prolongs the amount of time it will take to get results. You can live on a yo-yo diet for the rest of your life and get mediocre results, or you can commit to working hard for a while and live the rest of your life enjoying your results.  

SOME OF BONNIE'S PERSONAL DIET GUIDELINES:

1. Don't buy any snack or food you can't trust yourself around. (Chips, crackers, sweets, pastas & rice are our weaknesses)

2. Only go to restaurants who have healthy choices. Decide what you are ordering before you even get there and stick to it.

3. Drink a glass of water every time you find yourself staring into the fridge or pantry.

4. Stay busy. Limit time in front of the TV - everyone likes to snack while watching television. Less TV, less snacking.

5. Make yourself get out of the house even on those lazy, rainy days.

6. Sodas are a treat, not a beverage. Save diet-sodas for a dinner out on the weekend or a movie. Water is a staple.

7. Divide all meals out in half and eat the rest a couple of hours later.

8. Experiment. Don't be afraid to try new food products that meet your caloric intake. Some things you may never buy again

(because they are yucky or boring) but many times you'll discover something new and great!

9. Shop on the outside perimeter of the store (fresh meats & produce).

10. Know what you are eating. If in doubt, don't eat it. The only way you KNOW if you are doing well on your diet is if you KNOW what you are eating. You should always read labels and be accountable for what you eat. (We like our snacks to be around 100-150 calories or less and meals between 300-400)

Tips to Dining on a Diet

1. Bring your lunch. If you lack self-control, avoid the temptation of fast food altogether.

2. Don’t go hungry. Make sure you snack between meals so you’re not starved once you get to the restaurant. The hungrier you are, the more likely you will be to over-order.

3. Divide your meals in ½. Instead of eating a 6” sub, eat 3” at lunch & the other 3” later. Put half your meal in a to-go box before you eat your first bite.

4. Drink before you eat. Drink a full glass of water before you eat to help fill your tummy.

5. Scratch the sodas. You can save up to 410 calories (Super-Size Soda) if you lose the high calorie drinks. Chose bottled water, Crystal Light, un-sweet tea or diet drinks instead.

"I wish that I could give you a BIG hug!!! I been doing what you have suggested me to do and this week I have lost 6 pounds!!!

I went from 270 struggling to get those numbers down all month long and in a week of following your advice I am now 264."
 

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