The No More Excuses Diet (8 page)
Read The No More Excuses Diet Online
Authors: Maria Kang
Setting yourself up for success isn’t just about throwing out the junk food and joining a gym; it’s also about setting balanced goals, creating a support network, and developing ways to stay
accountable. If you try to make a change that only impacts one aspect of your life, you will eventually falter. This program isn’t about taking a break from your real life until you shed enough pounds; it’s about making positive changes to your life as a whole, so that you can perform at your peak level all the time. So, as you set your goals, think about how they are going to impact the rest of your life and what you might need to change in order for that to happen.
Now that you’ve got your physical
baselines, have observed your current diet, have assembled your fitness tools, and have established your goals, it’s time to take intentional action. This journey is about making no excuses; it’s about focusing on reflection, preparation, action, and execution.
So, let’s go!
ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD
One of the most effective actions I have taken has been to create a three-month
fitness calendar. Since I don’t work with a trainer, it was important to keep track of my training days; it is also a great visual to keep me on track. Every time I trained, I wrote down what exercises I performed and which muscles I worked. This record keeping kept the emphasis on process, rather than results. If you notice there are many blank squares in your calendar, it immediately tells you that you’re falling behind.
Here’s what you need to do:
1.
Print out three blank monthly calendars and paste them side by side on a large poster board.
2.
Place the calendar where you will see it every day.
3.
Write your goals on the poster, including six things you will focus on in the next three months.
4.
Each day, write down what training you did and put a big X on your rest days.
5.
Utilize the calendar to record how much you weigh each week and when you had your splurges. If you are a woman, indicate your menstrual cycle, as you will notice patterns around this time.
6.
Use highlighters, colored pens, or particular shapes to make the calendar more graphically colorful. For example, I use green to indicate running days, red for rest days.
7.
Add inspirational or motivational words, people’s pictures, and catchphrases on the poster.
8.
Don’t let more than three days go by without updating your calendar. You will forget what you did.
9.
Review the calendar weekly. Adjust your training goals to make them achievable.
RULES
So you have your goal, you’re fired up, and you’re ready to go. Now what? In this chapter I lay out the nine steps of the program that you will use to achieve your S.P.E.E.D. goal. Later in the book, I go into more detail about your workouts, but this chapter describes the overall techniques for customizing the plan to fit your body’s needs.
A healthy person practices healthy habits. This program focuses on changing your habits to include actions that will speed up your metabolism, detox your system, strengthen your body, and balance your blood sugar. Your good habits will create actions that will lead to your success.
Everyone has individual, short-term goals. This program is designed to provide a basic execution plan with core guidelines that are flexible for reaching your personal goals. If your goal is to
lose weight, gain muscle, become a better runner, tighten up your tummy, or build bigger biceps, you can use the S.P.E.E.D. method and these rules to reach that goal. Keep in mind that you are your best advocate when you’re designing a diet and exercise regimen. Discovering your mental, emotional, and physical strengths and weaknesses is all part of this No More Excuses process. You will find out what works best for you only if you are willing to try things that may end up not working; the faster you fail, the faster you’ll find the techniques that succeed!
You deserve to have a body that you love. If you don’t yet have one that you love, then you need to believe in and take this No More Excuses journey. This is a new route, marked on a road map that’s easier to follow. You aren’t fast-climbing this weight-loss mountain so you can overheat and exhaust your engine; you are going up the mountain slowly, making gradual changes and developing strengths that will move you past each plateau.
Throughout the book, I give you strategies and suggestions for how to eat, exercise, and evaluate your progress, but those are also the basic principles of the program! There is a tried-and-true way of losing weight and of speeding up your metabolism, and these rules embody that method. While these rules might seem simple, they are game-changing life lessons when you use them properly. Let’s look at each of them in more detail.
RULES
1.
Eat breakfast every morning.
2.
Write down everything you eat.
3.
Work out three to five times a week.
4.
Drink only water, including an optional 2 to 3 cups of black coffee or unsweetened tea each day.
5.
Eat small meals containing protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates throughout the day.
6.
Plan your treat meals, which you can have in moderation.
7.
Stop eating three hours before bedtime.
8.
Measure yourself every three weeks.
9.
Reflect on your program weekly.
1. EAT
BREAKFAST EVERY MORNING.
After a full night’s rest, your body wakes in a fasted state; you have to wake up your metabolism as well so that your body’s engine is revved up for the day’s activities. It’s important to refuel with a healthy meal, even though you may not feel hungry. Eating a solid breakfast will also mean you will not overeat during lunch.
Many people think that in order to lose weight, they have to stop eating. Wrong! If your metabolism receives food on a steady
basis, then it will speed up, but if the body’s food supply is intermittent, then the metabolism will slow down, storing food as reserves. You need your body to trust that you will feed it regularly, and a great way to establish that trust is with
breakfast each morning. The goal is to build a lean, mean fat-burning machine. I’m not suggesting you have a giant stack of pancakes and orange juice every morning, though. Start your day with a boost of nutrients that leave you feeling energized and poised to excel.
I often eat breakfast on the go! Here are some of my favorite morning meals:
Egg white omelet with a small bowl of oatmeal on the side
Cottage cheese with fruit
Banana and almonds
Breakfast burrito:
2 egg whites, 1 whole egg, spinach, and low-fat cheese in a spinach wrap
Fruit smoothie:
½ cup strawberries, ½ cup blueberries, ½ banana, handful of spinach, and 1 cup almond milk
Hunger is a habit; if you’ve trained your body to starve each morning, you will initially struggle with incorporating a morning meal. Set a goal for yourself to eat breakfast for three consecutive days, and this new habit will become easier. By the end of this program you will have created a whole new body routine, in which you’re eating, sleeping, and pooping (yes, I just said that) at the same time each day.
Did you know that 70 percent of your
immune system resides in the digestive tract? Cleansing your body daily of waste and toxins helps promote overall well-being. If you don’t have a bowel movement every day, then it’s time you start looking at your diet and lifestyle.
1.
Drink 64 ounces (8 cups) of
water daily.
2.
Eat three or four servings of raw
fruits and vegetables each day.
3.
Consume 30 grams of
fiber daily.
4.
Practice
meditation and
relaxation techniques like
yoga or
prayer.
