[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]HELLO FEBRUARY! [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Congratulations to those of you who have remained true to your goals (and there are so many of you) I am beyond thrilled and excited for you all. It’s a tough time of year but it’s also the most important when it comes to weight loss. The days go by fast…. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]February has already arrived and what a short month it is with Valentine’s Day around the corner — I can assure you March will arrive even faster. So for those of you who have not stayed true I think you need to take a moment and think about how quickly the days are passing. The time to work on your mind and body is now when the snow is on the ground not when it’s spring and you are trying on summer clothes. Life happens quickly – and if you are not moving and thinking and planning, it will pass you by and you won’t even know what you did in the time it was passing. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]This week’s theme is to love yourself enough to stop making excuses.  We all have excuses if we want them.  You can tell yourself that it’s quarantine, or I have no will power, it’s the kids, or I will start tomorrow….. whatever excuse you want to tell yourself is what you will believe. The bottom line is you are still using them as excuses to cheat and go off your program. And regardless of how true your excuse may be, it doesn’t change the fact that when you go off your program you will not lose weight. So remember even the best excuse in the world is still putting you in the wrong direction. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]THREE IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:

[dt_sc_hr_invisible]There are no real excuses when it comes to reaching a goal. Even the weakest person can be a doer at their own pace. Every excuse you make puts you further behind and farther back from where you are trying to be. But if you plan, prepare and focus and keep reminding yourself what you want – then there will be no stopping you. Even if you are at a snail’s pace you can still be in the same positive direction and moving toward your positive goals. So stop making excuses and start doing. Stop talking about it and start planning for it. Stop floating around waiting for it to happen and put your feet on the ground and start moving in the right direction and don’t stop until you get there.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]You can’t undo your old excuses – just stop making new ones…. Don’t think about the past instead move forward and make tomorrow better than today.  If you have not been great and are starting to freak out because it’s February and March is quickly approaching then you need to stop regretting, stop beating yourself up and stop trying to undo damage that is already done. I get messages all the time – how can I reverse my extra cheating, or how can I get this weight off tomorrow! I’m sorry but you can’t turn back the clock in any part of your life. Where you are today is where you got yourself, so accept it and move on to working hard to getting yourself to where you want to be. Trying to do anything quick or fast are bad habits that got you to the overweight place you started. You don’t want to keep going down that road because that is what will keep you on the roller coaster. If you want it to be different tomorrow, next week, next month – then you need to start the change today. The only way to get the weight off is to stop making excuses and be more committed to your dreams than to your comfort zone. Stay on program and follow your menu and put the time in like everyone else. Putting the time in is the only thing that will make and keep you successful. If you are not happy with your weight today you need to own it and deal with where you are. You need to understand and own that you got yourself here. Then you need to focus on the change and the work and the positive process that you will take to get you to that happy place. The happy place where you feel good in your skin. That happy place that gives you confidence and makes you love waking up feeling lighter, happier and healthier. The process is simple: follow your menu, absolutely no excuses, put the time and the work in, stay on your path and remember your goals – and keep following the process 6 clean days a week and 1 Cheat Day.  Don’t try and change the rules and don’t try to rush the process. You know it works you have either done it or know someone who has had amazing success. Every week the weight loss will add up and before you know it you will be the person that you always admired. The person that made no excuses and worked hard for what they wanted. You will be the one who has control and who knows what they are doing and feels good all the time because you are following your 6 days on and 1 day off. You will no longer have the guilt of eating out of control and you will know that your hard work is what makes you feel amazing. When you stop making excuses and starting doing – it’s life changing because you realize that you can have it all. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]January is coming to an end. I want you to take a moment and look back. Are you where you thought you would be? Have you stayed true to yourself and your program? Do you remember December when you were convinced you just couldn’t wait to eat clean and go back on program and do all the right things? You were so upset with how quickly you put the pounds on and promised yourself that January was going to be your month to feel good and get back to the person you love to be. For those of you who did exactly that – I give you a big congratulations as I know there are so many that are doing amazing and I’m truly so proud of you all for working hard everyday. I know how hard this is. I see first hand the struggle is real. With temptations and pressures of work, jobs, friends, family. It’s so easy to give in. We all get weak sometimes. What you have to always remember is there will always be something going on…happy, sad, good, bad, quarantine, celebrations, peer pressure, job, family, friends, health. The list goes on and on. This is life and what makes life so truly amazing is the ups and downs we go through to get to where we are each day. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Did you set your goal this week? This week we have been talking about the importance of setting your goal. Why? Because goals trigger behavior.  Having a challenging but achievable clear, compelling goal mobilizes your focus toward actionable behavior. In other words, goal setting motivates you. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]HERE ARE SOME TIPS ON HOW TO STICK WITH YOUR GOAL[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]1. Promise and Commitment to Yourself…. Don’t think about the actual goal instead remember that your goal was a promise and commitment you made to yourself. It’s easy to say who cares I didn’t lose the pound, or the so what I ate the extra snack, or big deal I didn’t run that mile. It’s not the actual goal that you gave up on it’s yourself. You made a promise and commitment to yourself to do this one challenging but achievable goal this week. Don’t give up on the commitment and the promise because that is the same as giving up on yourself. And once you do that you are giving yourself the excuses and lack of discipline to break that promise and commitment every time something gets challenging in your life. The most important promises and commitments in life are the ones you make to yourself. Those are the one’s you need to keep.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]2. Don’t Give Up…. Remember before you give up on your goal because you are stressed or because of anything that is not going right in your life – remind yourself giving up on your goal is going to make it worse not better. The one thing you can control is completing this small challenging but achievable goal. If you don’t give up and you complete you daily goal you will actually feel more motivated and stronger to handle any obstacles that may travel on your path that day.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]3. Don’t Allow Setbacks to Destroy your Goals…. Unfortunately, many things don’t go as expected, no matter how much planning we do. Being patient with yourself is key to approaching bumps in the road in a positive way. Accept the hiccup in your plan and determine what you could have done differently and how you will now move forward in achieving your goal. For example: If you decided your goal was to stay on program no matter what this week….. then don’t turn one “weak” moment into a reason to cheat the entire day, night week, month. If you get right back on program after your slip up, it will keep you mentally in the game knowing that you didn’t turn a slip into a fall.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]4. PLAN – PREPARE &. FOLLOW THROUGH…. Yes most of you know this one and how important it is. It’s not just about food. Whatever your goal is this week you must Plan (know when you are doing it or how you are doing it), Prepare (make sure you know the time, or have what you need to accomplish it), and Follow Through with what you planned and prepared for each day. These three things are life changing when you incorporate them into your every day. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]5. Push Yourself…. Without pushing yourself to your limits you will never know how far you can can go and what you can really achieve.  It’s okay to be a little uncomfortable — that usually happens when you push yourself. If you are not a little uncomfortable you are not pushing yourself hard enough. This week give yourself that extra push everyday to complete this one goal, and don’t let yourself make any excuse why it’s not important. How hard you push is going to determine how much you want it. That extra push and being a little uncomfortable can make all the difference. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]This is a journey – your journey. You don’t have to make drastic changes in order to notice an improvement in the quality of your life. At the same time, you don’t need to wait a long time in order to see the measurable results that come from taking positive action. All you have to do is take small steps, and take them consistently. Because reaching consistent small goals lead to big results.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]STAY FOCUSED

Work Hard & Do the Right Thing[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Whatever makes you happy should be easier to work toward. But, sometimes we put too much thought into things we don’t need to. For example- it’s snowing in New York Today. Don’t use it as an excuse to overeat. Don’t fill your head with reasons why you should go off program today — instead fill your head with reasons why you should stay on program today. Because in a couple of hours or a day the snow will be gone, the sun will be shining, but if you cheat today the weight will still be there. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Wherever you are today and moving into this week…. I want you to be positive and confident about what you can achieve and why you want to do it. Think about feeling good, happy and alive in your mind and body. Don’t focus on just today think about tomorrow, think about next week, think about Spring and Summer. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Stay Focused… in your life and your journey to get to where you want to be. Only you can make it happen. Everyone has different reasons for losing weight and feeling great. Whatever your reason is, you need to keep it close to your heart. You have to realize that life is short and you want to enjoy it fully every single day. Don’t be upset about things you have the power to change. Use those emotions in the most positive way and change the things that do not make you happy. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Just because you want it doesn’t mean it will be easy…..the temptation will always be there. When you tell yourself you are done with over eating or you are done with eating in between meals, that’s great. But now you must train your mind and body to be done. The more you get back on that consistency of doing the right thing over and over without fail is when the temptation starts to disappear and your happiness and goal becomes clearer and clearer. It’s one day at a time, and then one week at a time. Continue to work hard at what you want and make the right choices and before you know it you are back on your path and feeling amazing. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Being incredible can sometimes be uncomfortable….If you want results you have to be willing to do what it takes. This is what it takes – getting up everyday and working toward your goal and agreeing that some days will be very very uncomfortable. And that’s okay because it’s those tough uncomfortable days that you get through that make the biggest difference in the outcome. When those uncomfortable times or days appear you need to work harder to get past them. Don’t waste time thinking of an easier way because there is no easier way than doing the right thing. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible]When you are down push yourself back up….Regardless of where you are or how many times you slip up – the most important thing you can do is get right back on program and keep going in the right direction. Whether it’s a little slip up or a big one – it’s not about the slip – it’s about getting up. We all slip and we all fall but the sooner you get back on your feet and on your path is the sooner you will feel so much better and be back on track. The longer you lay down the longer you will feel terrible and the longer it will take to get back to a better place. Life is not perfect and it will never be perfect. We will always have times that will be more difficult than others and they are usually times that feel different from everyone else. It doesn’t matter – what matters is right now. Wherever you are you have to focus on where you want to be and keep moving in that direction. If you keep getting up every time you fall, you will get there. Yes, it might be slower than someone who doesn’t fall as much but who cares – the most important thing is you are in the right direction and you will get to your destination.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Reality is you have to work hard… I have told my kids since they were young don’t look for short cuts they never work. If you want something in life you have to put the time in and work hard for it, and even when you get it you have to continue to work hard to keep it. It’s so much easier to work hard for something than to waste time thinking of short cuts.  The time you spend trying to find an easier way or a short cut – could be time that you already invested into the work that would be getting you to where you want to be.  I can’t even begin to tell you how many clients came back this year after gaining through the pandemic or summer or the holidays. They tried the quick fixes that promised them fast weight loss -only to gain double back as soon as they went off.  So stop looking for short cuts. Start today and put the time and work in, and I promise you by spring you will look back and be so happy you did it. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Final Thoughts… For most of you life is very simple if you stay focused and you don’t complicate it. If you want to do well in life you must get up everyday and work hard toward what makes you happy. Don’t waste your time looking for short cuts or easy. Just get up work hard, make good choices and you will reach your goals. We all have to work. And it should be at multiple things – jobs, family, school, love, dreams, health & body. But the point is no matter what it is in life that you are working for – if it makes you happy and you get up everyday and put the time and effort into it – I promise it will happen. Yes it may happen slower for some but slow or fast it will happen. Consecutive days, hard work, making good decisions will lead to incredible results. And when you continue to do the right thing – the journey is alway just as exciting and rewarding as the outcome. Everyday you are closer to what you want. Everyday you feel better and better. Everyday you have more and more control. And this should apply to everything in life. The more it makes you happy the more likely your success will be.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]