Former Fat Guy - Weight Loss Blog

What Matters Most

I thought I would leave you this weekend with this thought. We're discussing positive quotes in my weight loss forum, the ones that inspire you to be better.

Some offered already are:

"If you screw up a meal - do not, I repeat DO NOT try to adjust the next meal to "make up for it". All you did then was screw up two meals. If you overeat at meal number one - just get back on track. Immediately. Because thinking "Well, I've blown it now so I might as well REALLY blow it," is akin to getting a flat tire as you drive down the freeway and getting out and totaling your car."
-Alwyn Cosgrove

and

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments" -Jim Rohn

both of which were offered up by Fitness Nette, who describes herself as "I’m 29, MWF, 177 lbs, 5’11, proud mom of a 4 legged giant, newlywed, self-proclaimed optimist, fitness nerd and weekend warrior."

Fitness Nette was 239 pounds 2 years ago, but has released 80 pounds of that by following the Body For Life program. Her current goal is

"Goal: 1) Drop 10 pounds in 8 weeks 2) Decrease body fat% by .5%. 3) Incorporate more veggies and fruit into each meal. 4) Twice a week get out and exercise outside and enjoy the summer weather."

Notice how #3 and #4 are Action Oriented goals. Focus on the action and you'll get the results. It's the difference between dreaming and doing. You can follow Nette's Awesome Fitness Journey in the forum.

Labels: Inspiration, motivation, Quotes

Confucius Says - Focus

Confucius says "the fox that chases 2 rabbits catches neither". Decide what you want and eliminate everything else as best you can. And - be open to the success that will flow your way.

"Concentration is the secret of strength in politics, in war, in trade, in short in all management of human affairs."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Concentration" here doesn't mean squeezing your brains while you're studying. It's about something quite different...

One of my favorite demonstrations is to suspend a board between two chair seats and then bring a wooden staff (like a broom stick) down on it really hard. What happens?

Not much. The board's intact (my arm's a bit shaky though!).

Next I bring a Samurai sword down on it with less force but slice the board clean in two.
The question I then pose the audience is this:

"Why did the sword slice through the board while the staff didn't?" And there's always someone who will ask the obvious, "Because it was sharp?"

WRONG. Or at least not totally right. The sword cuts through because it concentrates all the force into the smallest area.

If you want to succeed in any area of your life, you need to do the same. Always strive to simplify your life so you can concentrate all your inner resources on one goal at a time.

As for trying to do lots of things at once, run from that like the plague. Do one thing, do it very well and then move on.

Learn to do this consistently and you'll be truly unstoppable!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

1. Pick one area of your life and ask
yourself how many things you're trying to juggle at once.

2. Ask yourself what the single most impor- tant thing is you want to achieve in the next 30 days. Do you know? Good....

...Now drop everything else. And if you can't drop it, try to delegate it.

Focus on ONE THING.

Dr. Symeon Rodger
and the Mindset Mastery Team

[Robs Note:] I got this message today in my inbox from a friend. It's so true. I realize that when I juggle 3 balls, I end up dropping 2 of them, somehow and in some way. My mentor T Harv Eker says "what you focus on expands" and it's just soooo true. When I'm focusing on my training, I get great results, but at the cost of something else. When I focus on my business, it expands. There's a lot to say for balance in your life. Balance in everything. However, that is a hard one for me. I tend to go 100% when I do something and I get great results, but I tend to forget about balance. It's just not in my genetic makeup I guess. I might recommend walking an hour a day, but that might not be realistic for some people, so maybe 20 minutes every would at least get you out the door and into the fresh air. I wrote that article on the 10000 steps a day walking program and realize that for a lot of people, just getting out and doing 2000 steps might be where they start. My dad used to say, and I still quote him "Do one thing. Do it well and then move on." Thanks dad. Needed that reminder just now.

Labels: motivation

Weight Loss Mistakes

When trying to lose fat, there are several, easy mistakes almost everyone makes. If you are looking to lose fat, avoid making any of the mistakes listed below. Losing fat is not difficult, it just takes time and commitment.

Too much too soon.

Fat loss takes time, you can't rush it, plain and simple. If you try to lose too much in a short period of time, you will fail, get discouraged, and probably stop your diet. It's a long term process, making changes for life, not just "the moment" and making your commitment into a lifestyle.

Eating carbs later in the day.

You should not consume any carbs in the second half of your day. For example, if you get up at 8:00AM, stop eating carbs at 4:00pm. Make your meals consisting of a lean protein and a vegetable or salad and some fats. Good fats mind you. Here's a great article on night time eating by Tom Venuto.

Not taking time to prepare meals.

If you are going to diet, do it right. Plan you meals for the following day, the night before. If you need to cook anything, have it ready. If you don't prepare, you may end up eating whatever is available, which is usually fattening.

Not exercising regularly.

You need to exercise to burn fat. I suggest doing some type of cardio, 30 minutes a day, 4 times a week. This can include walking, biking, running, swimming, etc. For best results, exercise in the morning, on an empty stomach.

Not weight training.

Weight training not only makes you look and feel better, it also increases your metabolism, to help burn more fat. You build more muscle which then requires more fuel to support it and if you're cutting calories, that fuel must come from fat. Muscle is your friend, your best friend.

Doing the same thing over and over again.

If you don't switch up your exercises, you will get tired of it, and probably quit all together. Not only that, but the body will adapt to what you are doing, and you will not see any results. Most personal trainers switch up your program every 4 to 6 weeks. This gives you time to get used to your program and excel at it, and then just as it's becoming boring, it's switched up inspiring you as well as giving your muscles a "shock" because there's a "new program" in town. This is called periodization which I covered in 2004.

Another way to mix things up is to do a Random Act of Fitness. Throw something random into the mix.

Paying too much attention to the scale.

If you are weight training, and increasing muscle mass, you may not be dropping in weight, but you will be dropping fat. This is probably the biggest reason people dont think they're getting results. They pay attention to the scale rather than body fat percentage. Your ultimate goal is to gain lean muscle mass, while dropping body fat. The scale stays the same, but you look better.

Giving up.

Whatever you do, don't give up. You will regret it, a couple months down the road. If you are frustrated and not losing weight, try something different, try and make it fun. Try martial arts, yoga, Five Tibetan rites, or something different like that. The five secret Tibetan exercises will help you increase energy and improve mood. Activate your power centers and pop out of bed alert and happy every morning. Not only do you get to try something new, but you end up with a social network of exercise friends. Making friends at Taekwondo or Yoga gives you a reason to continue and possibly challenge one another.

A good social network for discussing your challenges and success' may help as well. Have a friend in your weight loss support forum that holds you accountable may be just the thing as well. I'm happy to recommend my new weight loss forum for just that purpose.

Never give up. If you're not getting the results you want, make sure you tell yourself that "you are getting results". Everything produces a result. If it's not the one you want, then it's time to take a look at what you're doing and modify it, then wait to see the results. Usually this can be done on a week to week basis. If you hit a plateau, ask yourself "is it because I'm eating too much, or eating too little". yes, eating too little can slow down your metabolism and create a plateau. Adding in a second cardio session at night might break the plateau as would adding extra calories in the form or lean protein. Add 2 ounces of chicken to each meal for the week and see if that breaks your plateau. You'd be suprised.

Labels: Dieting, motivation, weight loss

5 Great Ways To Burn More Body Fat

1. Do not eat poor quality carbohydrates before going to sleep. Poor quality carbohydrates are those that contain sugar or are highly processed. These would include most breakfast cereals, breads, snack foods, candies, and even fruits and juices. Eating these foods immediately prior to sleeping will likely result in increased fat deposit and will prevent your body from maintaining a successful fat-burning mode. Read more about night time eating by Tom Venuto

2. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn even at rest. Muscle is extremely active metabolically. Do some resistance training, add some muscle, and crank up that metabolism.

3. Never let yourself get too hungry, or too stuffed. It really is all about moderation. Time your meals so that you eat before you are starving . . . doing this one simple thing will cause you to almost always eat less. When you do eat, stop when your satisfied not when you are so stuffed you cannot even get down another bite.

4. Double up on your cardio training. From time to time it may be beneficial to the fat-burning process for you to split your cardio training into two short sessions rather than one longer one. Studies suggest that people who do 30 minutes of morning cardio and then 30 minutes of evening cardio lose more fat than those doing just one 60 minute session.

5. Eat more high fiber foods. Most of us do not get enough fiber in our daily diets, and that's just a shame. Fiber not only promotes overall general health, but also can significantly aid in your fat-burning efforts. Leafy greens and salads are ideal sources of fiber.

Want more inspiration? Want to be Unstoppable in your fat loss? Check out the latest from "the Fit Bastard" Scott Tousignant - an audio package of 15 interviews with 21 Fat Loss Experts including Tom Venuto, Clarke Bartram, Jon Benson and others.

Zack Evan-Esh is someone I've seen around the net and on fat loss and bodybuilding program websites. I've read his material but never heard anything else about him. I was happy to have listened to his interview this morning.

check out the Unstoppable Fat Loss Program

Ever heard of Joe Vitale? Heard of "the Secret" ? Well Joe Vitale of "the Secret" is featured in this unstoppable fat loss package where he talks about "the Law Of Attraction" and how it applies to getting the body we desire.

there is an interview with John Riccio who was born with Cerebral Palsy and had to overcome 49 surgeries. Is he unstoppable? you bet.

And I'm proud to announce that an interview with me, Rob Cooper "Former Fat Guy" is featured in the package. Scott asked me about what it took to go from 500 pounds down to a lean impressive 240 pounds, what motivates me, what I do to motivate others, what do I believe is holding people back from achieving their goals and much much more.

I highly recommend you check out the Unstoppable Fat Loss Interview program by Scott Tousignant. Learn what it takes to get motivated, stay motivated and become Unstoppable!

Tags: Fat Loss, Weight Loss, Motivation

Labels: fat loss, motivation, unstoppable, weight loss