Well the holidays are over and I find myself in the new year.  I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about weight loss resolutions and how they relate to my goals, my workout, and my eating habits.  During this time I also took a bit of a “step back” from my stringent eating and I ended up gaining during the week. As of last Thursday my current weight is 282 lbs. or 127.91 kg.  While I was a bit disappointed with the gain as always, I really strayed from my normal eating pattern.  However, good food and good times were definitely had so I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Now that the New Year is upon us I’ve been in a bit of a flux about what my weight loss goals might be for 2013.  However, I’ve decided that as far as the weight goes I will be focusing on losing weight and body fat.  Once I get down to a normal body fat percentage (24% or lower) I’ll probably start focusing on getting it down to that of an athlete (13% or lower) while at the same time moving my weight lifting from its current focus on weight loss to strength training.  As I’ve stated in previous episodes I’d like to be a more muscular person and that goal has not changed.

In order to get ready for this eventual transition (which I aim at occurring some time in the third quarter of this year) I’ve been reading some books and listening to podcasts that focus on these particular aspects of working out.  If I had one thing that I would stress to anyone starting out this year with a determination to work out and get fit it would be to educate yourself as much as possible before jumping into a program.  While we’re all tempted to join a gym and immediately start working out 2 hours a day, I  would strongly urge you not to do so.

Moving into weight loss resolutions can be a tricky business.  Personally I don’t like to form weight loss resolutions because they tend to stress that you have to immediately start doing something.  Rarely have I seen any kind of immediate harsh changes take effect; although I know from experience they can happen (I quit smoking cold turkey on several occasions).  I would instead recommend that anyone who is seeking to improve their health do so over time by making small weekly or bi-weekly changes.  Studies show that when you dive into something you tend to allow it to fall by the wayside.  However, when you make small changes that can become habits you’re more likely to maintain those changes.

My suggestions:

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• Consult your doctor on how they suggest to improve your health.
  
• Based on your doctor’s recommendations start making small weekly or bi-weekly changes to your life.
  
• Make the changes something that you can live with for exercise and nutrition.
  
• Start with an easy exercise such as a 10-minute walk a day.
  
• Start changing your diet a piece at a time without trying to focus on denial.
  
• Make changes that you think are reasonable and suitable.
  
• Don’t try to hurry things along.
  
• Educate yourself as much as possible.
  
• Don’t assume that everything you read or hear will be true.
  
• Listen to your body
  
• Reward yourself
  

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• The website is located at http://www.shakeitoffcast.com
  
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Please note that all content here is strictly for informational purposes only. This content isn’t a substitute for any medical advice and does not replace any medical judgment or reasoning by your own personal health provider. Please always seek a licensed physician in your area regarding all related health care related questions and issues.

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