One of the best ways that I’ve found to keep me focused on weight loss recently is getting organized.

Most importantly getting organized can take away some of the excuses for not working out or eating properly.

For many years my house and work space have been a complete mess. I first started with my workspace after reading a post titled “The Benefits of a Clean and Tidy Workspace”. I had papers all over the place, dust on my pictures and drawers overflowing with junk. In general everything was cluttered and only added to an already stressful day.

At the Office

Once I cleaned and organized my desk and drawers I made space for my healthy snacks, my food journal as well as a place to keep my “motivational” items. Which include a list of my goals and a picture of me at my heaviest.

In the Kitchen

This is the area that you will see the most benefit from getting organized. I have all my Tupperware, saran wrap and baggies organized in the cupboards. This makes it easy to prepare my lunches and snacks for the week.

In the fridge, everything has a place.

Fruits in the right drawer, veggies in the left.

Drink containers, Yogurt, sauces and spreads on the top shelve.

Larger veggies and fruit, like cantaloupe, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cut up pineapples and watermelon, and romaine lettuce all go on the middle shelve.

Meats and milk stay on the bottom shelve.

Condiments and salad dressings go in the door.

The same kind of organization goes for the freezer and the pantry. Knowing where everything is reduces the time it takes to prepare your meals and some of the stress involved.

In your home gym or workout area

If you are like me they you have a space in your house where you like to workout and store all of your exercise related items. I have my treadmill, exercise mat, dumbbells exercise ball, and workout shoes stored in one corner of my basement.

I’ve recently started keeping my workout clothes down there as well. I keep at least 2 sets hanging clean and ready to go when I need them. When I’m done with my workout all the equipment gets cleaned and put back in its original place.

In your bathroom

The room with the mirror. This is where I weigh in, take my measurements and get a good look at where the pounds and inches are coming off. An organized bathroom is so important. It’s usually the first place you go to in the morning and can set the tone for the rest of the day.

My scale, measuring tape and record book are all neatly placed beside the vanity for easy access. I also have a spot on my mirror where I keep another picture of myself when I was overweight. It serves as a reminder of how far I’ve come.

Final thought on getting organized

A huge part of losing weight is changing your lifestyle. I believe that mess and clutter go hand in hand with your weight problems. I also think that for most people if their house and work space are constantly disorganized chances are that their thoughts are too. And that is where the real battle of the bulge is fought.

One last tip

I used to always forget to take my multi-vitamin in the morning. The bottle was stored in a cupboard with all the other odds and ends (medicine, gravy boat etc..). Since getting organized I have moved them to a shelve in the hall where I keep my keys. Now I can’t leave the house without seeing the bottle and I haven’t had a day without one since.

When it comes to weight loss goals sometimes numbers just aren’t enough. We all have an ideal weight or waist size that we would like to be. Weather its 165 lbs or a 28 inch waist.

The problem that I see is that target goal doesn’t provide enough motivation on it’s own to help you achieve it. Numbers are numbers and nothing more. We attach so much extra meaning to a number. Often a specific weight, (165lbs for example) we might think that “If I can get down to that weight then I’ll be happy” or “People will treat me better if I could just get down to my goal weight”. Obviously these statements rarely ring true and don’t provide the kind of motivation that will produce the results.

So when I set a weight loss goal I attach a challenge to it. Either a fitness challenge that I need to hit or an outfit that I need to fit into and look good in. I put more importance on these than I do the numbers on the scale.

Another important part of reaching your goal is to have an appealing reward for achieving it. You can reward yourself with a new outfit, a trip, cash or anything else that that you really want.

Remember to be hard on yourself. If you don’t hit that goal you don’t get the reward (unless you are really, really close). There needs to be consequences for not putting in the effort needed to reach that goal. That’s also why setting a realistic goal is very important. If you know there is no way that you can reach a target goal, then you’ll never be able to reward yourself.

For example:

I wanted to lose 12 pounds to get down to a nice even weight. I attached the challenge of running a 5 k race in under 26 minutes to this goal. There was a race approx 6 weeks away and I signed up for it as soon as I set that goal. I found it very effective to commit to the race right away, so that I didn’t have time to talk myself out of it later on. My reward would be a nice new shirt, new pants and an evening out with my wife. A worthy reward in my eyes 

Having my weight goal, challenge and reward in place I could now focus on what I needed to do to achieve them. Cutting calories, increasing the intensity and frequency of my workouts, and always keeping that image of race day in my mind.

The results:

I ran that race in 25:53 minutes and lost 14 pounds. Along with enjoying the reward I also enjoyed the satisfaction of finishing something that set out for myself. Something that I’ve always had a difficult time doing.

My point is that the numbers by themselves are not good motivators. I didn’t start seeing results on the scale until I stopped focusing on the scale.

My new favorite weight loss related show is the Last 10 pounds bootcamp on Slice TV.

It’s a Canadian show based out of Vancouver. The program is geared towards women and its goal is to help them get rid of that last 10 pounds and into a new thinner outfit.

Here is an excerpt from their site www.theeyes.ca/tenpounds

“The Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp propels women through an intense fitness and nutrition regimen that dramatically resizes
them in record time. Motivated by a special event (an upcoming wedding, anniversary, vacation, or reunion) participants strive to
transform themselves physically and mentally in just four weeks. Their mission: to lose weight. Their target: to fit into a sexy
new outfit.”

It’s hosted by professional CFL football player Tommy Europe as the personal trainer. Tommy puts these ladies through some very tough workouts. He doesn’t hold back and doesn’t let them quit. Check out his personal trainer site at www.13hitz.net

His co-host is former CFL cheerleader and certified trainer Nadeen Boman. She is the nutritional expert. Nadeen basically cleans out all of the participants cupboards, fridges and freezers, since no one has any healthy food at home. Then arms them with the proper healthy foods they need to achieve their goal. You can contact her through her own site at www.firmbodyfitness.com

Why do I like it so much?

Because the methods they use get results. Most women end up losing more than the 10 pounds and are in noticeably better shape. The workouts are intense and the food is healthy and nutritious. Also, I have yet to see any over hyped product placements (ala Biggest Loser) which I really respect.

Each episode is loaded with great tips and facts on various foods and exercises. They’re all very practical and easily incorporated into your current workout/nutrition plan.

Now I only have 2 problems with this show:

1. - I’d like to see more targeting for the males that have that last 10 pounds to lose.

2. - Exposure. This is a great show that is not only entertaining, but very motivational and informative. It can be seen on Slice TV in Canada but that’s it.

I would like to see more web coverage too, maybe an online fitness and nutritional program. I’d really like to see a bootcamp style workout DVD that people can use at home. (i.e me)

You can watch the full episodes via streaming videos at Slice.ca.

Anyway check them out and let me know what you think.

Have you ever just gotten to the point where you are tired of constantly battling your weight? You ask yourself, what is the point and feel like maybe you are just meant to be overweight for the rest of your life.

This is what I call diet burnout and it is a very common problem. I think it stems from a lack of progress with your current plan, combined with many failed attempts to lose weight in the past.

To borrow Dennis Millers line “Now, I don’t want to go off on a rant”, But this is just where the diet and weight loss industry want you to be. You are now a prime target for their latest and greatest new diet plan, pill or program. They prey on your desperation and insecurities. Hoping that you will buy the “solution” to your problem from them.

As someone that is trying to help other people actually lose weight safely and effectively, it is frustrating to see how many people fall prey to these sales tactics. The only way I know how to change this is to help you stop the cycle.

Below I have outlined 7 things that you can do to prevent diet burnout and help you get to where you want to be.

1. Set realistic goals – Setting the bar too high is a sure fire way to fail. A goal of losing 5-10 lbs a week is not realistic, (possible, but not realistic). Rather pick a goal that is difficult to achieve but well within your reach.

2. Judge yourself by your own standards and no one eles’ - You should always strive to be the best that you can be or do the best that you can honestly do. You many not be as thin or fit as your favourite celeb, but who says you have to be?

3. Stop obsessing over the numbers - Weather it’s the numbers on the scale, the fat grams you consume or the number of crunches you can do. At the end of the day numbers are just numbers and that’s all.

4. Habits are everything - Changing your behaviour is a difficult thing to do and it won’t happen over night. But it is key to reaching your goals. You don’t need to be perfect, just aim to have more good habits than bad.

5. Have fun - Losing weight doesn’t have to be a daunting task. There are many activities that delivery a great workout as well as a good time. Tennis, skating, dancing etc… to name a few. Finding something you enjoy doing will make it easier to stick with. You don’t need a gym to get in shape.

6. Praise the positive -Focus on the positive changes you have made or are making. Dwelling on the negative will keep you fat. What is the point of trying to improve yourself if you never get to celebrate your successes (however small they may be).

7. Read My blog - Sorry for the shameless self promotion, but 7 tips are more appealing then 6. Remember I am here to help, so if you have a question. Leave a comment or send me an email

When ever I hear an overweight person say this phrase “I want to be healthy” it makes me very sad. Sad because I know that they will still be overweight and probably unhealthy 6 months down the road.

Don’t get me wrong, being healthy is something that you definitely want to achieve. But as far as a tangible goal that will help you lose weight it’s just awful.

Below are some tips to help you set and achieve realistic weight loss goals.

1. Think big. Pick a goal that gets you excited. Losing 5 lbs isn’t going to cut it.

2. Set weekly and monthly targets, review them daily.

3. Make your goals public. Announce what you want to achieve to people that will hold you accountable. This can be a great source of motivation.

4. Write it down and post it where you can’t miss it. On your fridge, your bathroom mirror or the inside of your front door.

5. Always include exercise in your plans. Weather it’s completing 20 push-ups a night or running 20 miles a week. Always include some kind of exercise in your plans.

I have been guilty of uttering that phrase hundreds of times myself. I didn’t start to move towards being healthy until I stopped talking about it and started taking action.

In my opinion when I hear people say “I want to be healthy” in terms of goal setting what they are really saying is “I don’t know how to be healthy”

Here is more info on setting weight loss goals.

Goal Setting
WebMD
MayoClinic
Steve Pavlina