It’s the weekend. You know what that means. It’s treat weekend for many. What are the usual treats people indulge in over the weekend?
Pizza, wings, chips, candy, cake, ice cream, etc.
What’s wrong with eating these treats? Nothing is wrong with eating treats, but they have the potential to steal your results, make you unhealthier, and can lead to unhealthy habits, especially if you don’t have control over your intake of these treats.
I’d be lying if I told you I don’t eat chips or pizza once in a while. But I don’t make them a part of my usual diet.
What are some treats that won’t give you negative results? These treats do the trick for me.
Instead of pizza from a pizza shop, I make pizza on low carb/low sugar wraps. I use more sauce and less cheese. If I want peperoni, I use turkey peperoni.
Instead of candy, I will eat dehydrated banana chips or even a fresh piece of fruit.
Instead of ice cream, try eating frozen fruits.
Instead of cookies, try oatmeal with natural peanut butter, cocoa powder, and a little bit of honey. It tastes just like a warm cookie. I love it.
Instead of a peanut butter cup, try using a piece of dark chocolate (at least 80% cocoa) dipped in natural peanut butter. Add a little bit of honey if you want a sweeter taste.
We don’t have to deny every little treat that comes our way, but if you don’t have the control to eat in moderation, I suggest substitutes. Sometimes substitutes can become your new favorites.
I love meeting people and finding out their amazing stories. I am honored to share Neil Brennen’s story with you. I had the privledge to meet Neil. He is a very humble man. His story inspires me to remain active. Please read his story.
“My weight loss story started nine years ago. I was 400 pounds and couldn’t walk a city block without stopping to rest. Over the next 18 months I lost 160 pounds and went from potato to potential. I left the sedentary life behind and became the active man I’d always dreamed I could be. Four hundred pounds was a living death, and now I live every day. While my weight has fluctuated over the years, that’s only reminded me that changing your life is never once and done. Its always a work in progress. And its always work worth doing. I’m so glad I took one step back in January 2006. Its a step I will never take back.”
THIS IS NEIL BRENNEN AT 400lbs (InACTIVE)
“That said, every day is a new day and I can’t rest on what I did before. I regained some weight before and after my bilateral knee replacement in 2012, and I’m working to take it off again. Justin Willoughby is a powerful example of commitment to health and weight loss, and as iron sharpens iron, he’s helping me remain focused. One step at a time.” – Neil Brennen
THIS IS NEIL BRENNEN 100lbs DOWN! (ACTIVE)
Are you inspired by Neil? I know that I am! You can find more about Neil Brennen at his website. ATasteForTheWoods.com (Check out his blogs and his incredible journey.)
It’s Monday! How many of us made a commitment to eat healthy this week? If you are like me, you did. Most of us will start out strong until we see the vending machine, or until we feel hungry, or until we feel stressed… friends, don’t let those moments take away your commitment to yourselves for this week.
Find a way to manage your emotions. Try finding a new hobby, reading the bible, praying, exercising, or something else. Imagine what the future you will look like if you chose to stay motivated. Choose this day to continue the track that you are on! Why give up so easily? You are worth so much more than a moment of pleasure.
Do you struggle with having a “I’ll start Monday mentality?” Check out my ebook “THE MONDAY MENTALITY” available on my website. Learn how to effectively overcome THE MONDAY MENTALITY for only $4.95.
Uh oh! It’s the weekend. What are you going to do about it? Is it time to splurge? Is it time to just give up on healthier eating? It doesn’t have to be that way. Do yourself a favor and stick to your healthy routine. Just saying NO to food once, makes it easier to say NO to it the next time around. I’m not saying to deprive yourself from everything, but one less slice of pizza, or water instead of soda can certainly help out. Stay on track! STICK TO IT SATURDAY!
For more updates from Justin Willoughby, visit his facebook page. www.facebook.com/onestepnation or follow him on twitter @1steplifestyle
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You’ve looked in the mirror and you noticed that you aren’t happy with what you see. You’ve tried clothes on and you notice that they don’t fit like they used to. You stepped on the scale and it says your weight is up from the last time you’ve stepped on it. Now you’ve come to terms with the fact that you MUST lose weight. So you go to the grocery store and buy vegetables, fruits, and meal replacement bars. Pretty soon you drop all the weight you wanted and then some.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasleuthard/
We wish it was that easy, don’t we? I’m here to tell you that weight loss is not magical. Weight loss will take time and hard work. The truth is, the more work and time you put into it, the better results you will get. So does that mean you have to run 5 miles every day and eat only rice cakes and celery? No, not at all. In fact, you have to eat more than that to have a successful weight loss journey. It takes proteins, carbohydrates and fats to make your body function the way it should be functioning. So you will need a variety of foods. My suggestion is this, go easy on the processed foods and start to move. Lay off the sugary drinks and begin drinking healthier options of beverages.
It just takes little changes to get BIG results! I offer some more tips such as these in my FREE 7-Day Primer that you can sign up for on my website.
What are you waiting for? Take that ONE STEP towards becoming a healthier you.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/saracimino/Serious Health
by Justin Willoughby
I’ve been told many times the same words. “I want to lose weight and be healthier.” I admire the words, but the words are just that, words. It’s one thing to say that you want to do something, it’s another to actually do something about it. Is it hard to lose weight? The answer may be a yes or a no. Is it hard to become a healthier person? Again, the answer may be a yes or a no. For some people, giving up junk food is as easy as breathing, it just comes natural for them. Other people will have a difficult time giving up junk food, because they have been enslaved to their appetite for some time. When I hear someone tell me that they want to lose weight, I can usually tell if they are serious about it or not. To be honest, becoming a healthier person is really not that difficult. It’s the process along the way that can really challenge people. It’s giving up eating junk everyday and picking healthier options. It’s actually getting out of our seats and moving. It’s exercising self-control, it’s trying to manage to stress, it’s trying to get better sleep. With all those little challenges, I can see why it’s hard for the majority of people to shed unwanted pounds and become healthier.
You see, taking your health seriously is something we all should be doing. Besides, our body is a gift and we should treat it as such. We live like it’s just an ordinary thing, and while it may seem ordinary, it’s far greater of a blessing than what we give it credit for. That being said, we live in a culture today that has food all over the place. Food that is easily accessible and convenient. The problem with that? We don’t realize the damage that it is doing to us. One of the first things you could do to become a healthier you, is to stop eating the easily processed foods. Think about it, a world that is full of fast food joints, and most of those fast food joints don’t even have “real” food to give you. What they have are artificial foods that come from the real thing, because if they served you the real thing, they would lose money. How would that happen? Because if they were to give you real food, it wouldn’t last as long as their artificial garbage that they feed millions. Are you on track to becoming serious about your health? Stop eating the stuff. But like I said, some people may have an easier time doing this than others. How can you give it up easily? To be real with you, if you developed a habit over the years of eating the foods, and you somehow got attached to these foods, you will have a hard time not eating them. You let those foods consume you instead of you consuming those foods. You just developed a minor addiction.
If you are one of those people who say, “I want to lose weight.”, then you have to be real with yourself. Don’t just say the words and expect the fat to drip off of you. Expect to do the work that it took to put on that weight. Yes, you read right, it took work to put on the pounds. You sacrificed the healthy habits and went out of your way to make sure that you got the food that tasted good. You didn’t pay attention to the damage that it does to your wallet, you didn’t pay attention to the health insurance you will probably be paying for in the future, you didn’t really think about your family. You even went as far as blocking out the studies that have been done about fast foods and junk. You did a lot of work to gain that weight. It just seemed easy because it was convenient. I am challenging you, reader, to make a choice today to become a healthier you. When you say those words, mean it. Devote your life to becoming a healthier you. Some of us may not be like those people who can easily give up junk food or fast food, but everyone has their battles that they face. It may be easier for those people to say no to food, but what about soda? What about slacking on the activity? Healthy eating is not the only thing that makes you healthier. It also takes a little bit of activity. My challenge to you is this: make small changes. Give your body what it needs to become healthier. That’s whole God-given foods and activity. Don’t get me wrong, I am not perfect and I don’t always eat whole foods. Sometimes our wallet is empty and we can’t afford the whole foods. You will have to find whatever you can that does not have the man made preservatives put in them. But that is a whole other blog. Until then, let’s take ONE STEP to better health. Make the “I want to lose weight and become healthier.” quote a confident one.
Did you enjoy this blog post? Are you ready to give your life a second round? Sign up for the free 7-Day Primer! You will receive 7 days of encouragement from Justin himself. At the end you will have an opportunity to commit to joining Justin’s program that helped him shed 600lbs!
