I was out having lunch at the mall a couple of Friday’s ago with some co-workers, when something interesting caught my eye. It was a women sitting in a wheelchair at the bottom of the escalator. She was just sitting there staring at the people on their way up. It must have been at least 3 minutes before she wheeled her way over to the elevators.  

I wish I had the nerve to go and talk to her. What was going through her head?

I mentioned something to the others at my table about it, but they were busy venting about work. It got me thinking though about how much we take our abilities for granted. Specifically the ability to just get up and walk whenever we like. I’m amazed at how many people go out of their way not to walk or walk as little as possible. Over the past week or so I’ve noticed tons of examples of this:

• People circle the parking lot looking for a spot closer to my building.
• People sitting and waiting for someone to load groceries into their car just so they could take the closer spot. 
• Countless people I work with will wait up to 5 minutes for the elevator before even thinking about using the stairs.
• My neighbour driving to the corner store, which is a 10 minute walk away to pick up some bread. 

My point is that so many people out there can’t do what you won’t do. So the next time that you feel depressed about your weight, feel like being “lazy” or are otherwise getting down on yourself, just get up off your butt and go for a walk. You will feel so much better afterwards.

But honestly though the only reason that really matters, is because you can. 

What other abilities do you take for granted?

When it comes to losing weight, size does matter. Many people underestimate the amount of food that they are eating per serving or even know just how much a serving size should be. Below I have outlined some of the best ways to control the amount of food you’re consuming. As well as some of the more useful items to have in your kitchen that will help accurately measure your food. 

1. Stick to the serving sizes on the package. Most manufactures make the serving sizes smaller on purpose in order to keep the overall calorie and fat content as low as possible. It’s a marketing thing, but use it to your advantage. 

2. Eat off of smaller plates. It’s a simple and effective trick. If you fill your smaller plate it looks like your are eating more food than normal, but in most cases it’s much less. 

3. When eating at home split your dinner into 2 portions. Eat one and put the other in the fridge for lunch the next day.  

4. If you absolutely have to eat out at a fast food or other type of restaurant, order the kiddie meal. You’ll usually end up saving a few hundred calories and you get a toy

5. Leave the food on the stove or counter, not at the kitchen table. You’ll be less likely to go for seconds. 

6. Never eat your food out of a bag, carton or other container were you can’t see what you are eating. If you can’t see it you don’t know how much you have had or how much is left. 

A medium sized apple or orange is the size of a tennis ball. 

Welcome to the Weightlossweapons blog. This is my first official post and I thought I would start it off by introducing myself.

My name is Steve and over the past year or so I have finally dropped those 35+ lbs of ugly unwanted fat. I’ve struggled for the past ten years to lose weight and every attempt has failed, until now. I have tried almost every popular diet out there including the South Beach Diet, The Abs Diet as well as following the Weight Watchers Points plan.

So what changed? Why have my efforts paid off this time? The answer was not that there was a problem with the diet plans I followed. They all work and plenty of people have lost weight with them.  The answer for me was information and motivation. I have learned so much about how to lose weight safely, through proper nutrition and a regular exercise program.

I want to share what I have learned and show you how you can lose that extra weight you’ve been carrying on you for years. That is why I created weightlossweapons.com it features a simple way of eating that I follow as well as some great bodyweight exercises, recipes, tools and motivational/ inspiring articles. All built around the theme of the site. I started with the “weapons”  These are some of the most important foods and equipment that I have found for losing the weight and keeping it off.

This blog will serve as a way to share more than just the basics. I’ll cover the latest plans, ideas, motivation, news and pretty much anything else weight loss related.

If you have any questions about weight loss or adjusting to a healthier lifestyle please send me an Email