Healthy Weight Loss Starts with Basic Math

 By Coach Toria

I have been immersed in helping lose weight the RIGHT way for over 25 years. If you are carrying excess baggage, then it is time to dump the junk & begin your journey toward living a healthy empowered life!

1. Make a Decision & Commit to it! Tell yourself, “I WILL Succeed because….” Believe in yourself! You can be your own best coach.
2. Write down the “Heart of Your Why”, your intrinsic motivation that supports your commitment, then post it in strategic places that you will see regularly, like your bathroom mirror, computer, refrigerator, car & closet.
3. For 1 week weigh & measure all of your food & beverages possible. Knowledge is power & “portion distortion” is rampant, deceiving you into consuming more calories than you realize until you get REAL with the truth of how many calories you are REALLY consuming.
4. Write down EVERYTHING you are eating & drinking for a week then compute how many calories you are consuming per day then per week. Divide your weekly intake by 7 to reveal your Average Daily Caloric Intake (ADCI).
5. Concurrently, write down all of your activity, or caloric expenditure, including planned exercise, walking, housework, activity on the job, etc. Then calculate how many calories you are burning per day & per week.
6. Consider joining a free online site where you can access a database of calories & keep track of your caloric intake vs. expenditure, or what I call, “Your Basic Math”. Many of my clients enjoy using myfitnesspal.com.
7. Now that you have figured out your personal “Basic Math” It is time to develop an Action Plan to help you create a caloric deficit & begin transforming your body & health. Creating a deficit means that you will be expending more calories than you consume, which allows your body to burn fat.
8. An Action Plan begins with a few small, realistic goals that you begin achieving immediately. Goals may include: eating breakfast that includes protein every day, drinking a glass of water in the morning, preparing your own lunches, reduce or eliminate soda consumption (sweetened or diet), eating 4-6 small meals & snacks throughout the day, reducing carbohydrate intake after lunch, going to bed earlier & getting more sleep, increasing the minutes that you exercise per week until you reach 150 or more, start strength training. Consider hiring a personal trainer to help you start safely & keep you motivated!
9. Seek support from a wellness coach, nutritionist or physician & people who can relate to your struggles but who will not sabotage your efforts. Always consult your physician before starting an exercise program.
10. Plan & structure your meals. Do not rely on fast food restaurants who make their profit on contributing to chronic disease. Most people consume many more calories when they eat out due to excess portions, oils & butters used in preparation & wanting to make sure we get the “best value” by ordering cheap food or cleaning our plates so nothing goes to waste.

Just making a few small changes in your lifestyle can reduce your weight & enhance your health many fold. Arm yourself with information & start taking baby steps. Do your math, listen to your body & Get Moving!! You were given a gift of life & a miraculous body to carry you to the finish line of your destiny. LIVE EMPOWERED!