Halloween Pumpkins, Ghosts, Thanksgiving, Fall Shopping, Leaves Changing….

What is not to Love about Fall?!

FALL IN LOVE WITH TAKING CARE OF YOUR BODY:  Sometimes it’s not enough to just take care of your body.  When you FALL in love with taking care of your mind and body it can be life changing.  It doesn’t matter where you are right now — if you are just starting, have been on program or returning…  wherever you are the most important thing to start with is to remind yourself daily how important it is to feel good about yourself and how happy it makes you when you are doing the right things —  and you are the only person that can make that happen.

DON’T JUST DO THE PROGRAM — LIVE THE PROGRAM

In the beginning of the program (the first couple of weeks) you just need to get through the weeks to get to your cheat day.  The Cheat Day is life saving as it helps you stay on program the other six weight loss days.  but after a couple of weeks and after seeing some really nice changes — it should start to become more than getting through your six clean days to get to your cheat day.  In fact, it should start to reverse.   You should start to live for the six clean days.  The Cheat Day is fun and always look forward to it, but your body and mind should begin to understand and take notice that you feel your very best on your six clean days.  Mentally you start to look forward to them — at the end of your Cheat Day you can’t wait to eat clean the next day.  You can’t wait for a couple of clean days to pass — so you can feel better and get back to the lighter and cleaner feeling you love.  You can’t wait to get back on the track of eating clean knowing that you are back to fueling your body with healthy and clean eating and in return it’s working your numbers in the right direction.  By mid week you should begin to get excited wondering what you will lose this week.  The closer you are to your menu the more weight you will lose.  Will you see a new number and will it be the lowest one you have seen in a long time?  It is so exciting to take care of yourself to the point of loving it.  Loving how you feel and loving how it’s changing you mentally and physically.  When you love feeling good, healthy, lighter, fitter and thinner there is truly no better feeling and no better way to live.  It’s a positive addiction that you should want and love.

TRUE STORY:  Clients literally text me all the time and say “I have to start sending my food again”, or “I have to get back on program.”  A client just texted me yesterday and said “I have to get back on program.  I don’t know why I go off program every time I am off program I am miserable and when I’m on program doing the right things and taking care of my body I am so happy.  My husband told me last night it’s time to get back to Josephine.  He didn’t say it because of the weight he said it because he knows how happy and good I feel when I am on program and he sees how miserable I am when I’m off.”   MY RESPONSE: YAY!!!! — that of course makes me so happy!  I never want anyone unhappy but it absolutely thrills me when clients realize that being on program is when they are the happiest.  They are the happiest because they feel the best.  So why do we go off program when being on makes us so happy?  The answer is simple — no matter how great being on program makes us feel we will always have little slip ups and hiccups because life gets in the way.  And once it’s in the way and we lose that control —  our brain takes over and it can take days, weeks and sometimes months to get back on path.  But the most important thing is that you do get back on path because you know that is when you feel the absolute best!

FOCUS:  This week try focusing on your six clean days instead of focusing on your Cheat Day.  Think about each  day and how good you feel when you go to bed because you followed the program and stayed 100%, and think about how amazing you feel when you wake up.  Whenever we do the right things for our body it changes us as people.  We are happier, and proud of ourself and how we are treating our bodies.  We are proud of the way we look and feel.  I don’t think anyone can say that they don’t feel anything but amazing when they get dressed in the morning and feel great in their clothes.  If you want that to be you then you need to work for it.  If you want to feel good all week then you need to stay focused and positive about your clean days.  Don’t focus on the one Cheat Day — focus on how you feel the six clean days…  you feel lighter, healthier, thinner — and how you feel when you followed all week and at the end of that week you step on the scale — so proud, super happy, like you want to jump around and tell the world you did it — you followed you lost weight and you feel great!!

FALLING IN LOVE WITH WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND WHAT IT’S DOING FOR YOU:  When you do the right things for your body, and make the right choices, and fuel your body with the right foods, you feel better.  Some weeks will always be harder than others but if you stay true to what you want and what makes you feel the best and keep positive everyday knowing this is what makes you happy — then you will start falling in love with what you are doing and what it’s doing for you.  When this happens you will never want to go back to treating your body unhealthy — because you know feeling like that makes you unhappy.  Why would you want to do anything that makes you unhappy or not feel good?  Stay positive and remember what makes you feel your best and what makes the changes in your body the best it can be.  Stay focused and positive on your six clean days and how they are changing your body and then you will truly enjoy your cheat day.

LOVE THE RESULTS:  As much as you love and enjoy the Cheat Day you realize that every consecutive six clean days that you complete is what is changing your body.  It’s changing how you look, it’s changing the scale and most important, it’s changing how you feel.  When you fall in love with taking care of our body and fall in love with feeling the very best that you can — it no longer is about the one Cheat Day a week.  It’s about the six clean days that you are fueling you body with healthy clean portioned foods that make you feel your best.

There is no better feeling than taking care of yourself.  There is no better feeling than doing the right thing for your body and your mind.  There is no better feeling than being the best you can be.

“LOVE YOURSELF INSIDE AND OUT”

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Let’s start with the (sort of) good news:  Experiencing some amount of anxiety is an indication  that you are human.  “Just about all of us have some levels of anxiety and worry.  While it’s normal part of life to experience occasional anxiety  – especially under our current situation…. I see daily how it’s affecting so many of you in all different ways.  Some are drinking more, snacking more, and others eating less and some just completely overwhelmed.  For many anxiety is hitting daily and becoming worse by the day and others it’s randomly hitting out of the blue.  We are all out of our comfort zone.

I hope it will give you some comfort when I tell you that you are not alone in how you feel.  With all the clients that I deal with from all over the world and all levels of status the one thing everyone seems to be experiencing is anxiety.  Some more frequent than others and definitely different levels of anxiousness — but we are all feeling it.  And sometimes knowing that you not alone can help.

WHAT TO DO:

• One of the best things you can do when you feel the anxiety coming on is to accept it and recognize it… and face it head on.  Accept that you are scared and understand that it’s okay to be afraid.  But don’t let it control you.  Once it gets control that is when we lose our way.  Find healthy things that will help you with the anxiety like exercise – a bubble bath – playing with the kids or writing a journal about it.  Whatever takes you out of your present mind and takes you to a better place of relaxation.  Make sure whatever you choose you add it into your daily schedule.  For example:  watching too much News might start the anxiety.  Recognize it — shut the TV and go for a walk.  It’s simple but very effective.

• Another thing that I find so important is your food.  Do not let it get control of you.  The more you keep control of your food the better you will feel.  The more you can control your food will result in how you will feel mentally and physically.  Listen, we all know the scale right now should not be the most important thing in the world as a whole — but as a piece of your life when you know that too much snacking, too much drinking, and over eating and gaining weight is going to get you upset and give you more anxiety… that’s when the scale becomes important  — and it’s okay that it is important to you.  It should be important because it’s part of your health and when you do the right things it keeps you in a happy place.  There is a great big world with big problems and then we all have our own little world with our own problems.  You need to make sure you are doing all the right things that keep you happy and sane in your own little world so that you can deal with the things that are going on in the great big world.

There is no doubt about it when you are on program you feel good and when you are not on program it impacts your emotional state.

We shouldn’t give up on anything that keeps us happy because when you can stay in a happy positive place it will help with those moments of anxiety.  Right now we need to depend on our positive emotions.  Our emotions help us survive, thrive, and avoid danger.  When you are happy — then you can keep others happy and that is what the world thrives on together — human emotions of sharing the positive love, prayers, hope and happiness.  Change will always take place in our life and sometimes even though it’s from unfortunate circumstances we have to seek out the positive in it all.  The trees are blooming and the sun is shining so keep doing the right things, stay strong and remember that most of us all have some extra time right now — use it to your advantage.  Stay positive and think about what changes have you wanted to make in your life before the quarantine.  How you can use this time to emerge to become the very best version of yourself.  If you are lucky enough to be healthy right now it’s a great time to reflect and think about the changes you want to make.  Start by making those changes today.

Anyone who has grown mentally, physically, or spiritually

knows that growth is not found in comfort.

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

I think it’s safe to say we all need a little extra motivation to do the right thing.  Between the quarantine and the weather – yikes! But Mondays are always a great day for motivation and a great day to be embraced.  Any mistakes you made last week you can change to positive this week.  Anything you wished you could have done better last week — you can do better this week.  Don’t waste another week, and another opportunity to be amazing.  These are the challenging days we all need to fight to get through.  Make this week your week that you will fight for what you want and what makes you happy.  — Not to mention freezing cold snow today is turning to 60 degrees tomorrow.

WHAT YOU DO TODAY WILL REFLECT YOUR TOMORROW:  It’s absolutely true that what you do today will reflect your tomorrow and what you do this week will reflect next week and this month next month and this year next year….   That’s why they say how you live in your 40s, has a lot to do with how you feel in your 50’s.

For so long I have heard so many of you say “I wish I wasn’t working I would have more time to take care of myself.”  OR “I have no time for myself because I am always in the car running around with my kids activities”.  Well…. be careful what you wish for — because now you all have time — plenty of time to do the right thing.  But as with everything in life your new found time comes with new challenges.  The challenge to be in the house around food 24/7.  The challenge to find activities to keep moving and stay motivated.  We are in a new world of less social and more “me time/ family time”.  And quite honestly how you use this time for yourself and your family will absolutely reflect on your tomorrow on so many levels.  So think and make the right decisions because you have more control in your home than anywhere else.  This can really be a positive life changing time of yourself and those you love.

I am truly so proud and  happy to say we had a lot of great weight loss numbers this past weekend.  Not that I ever doubt anyone but I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect as we have never been in this type of situation.  But so many of the clients felt they needed to be extra strict in fear of gaining.  So they gave up a snack and added a little more activity.  Others are so motivated because they feel this is their time to do the right thing knowing when they do emerge from the confines of their home they want to shine.  I have actually had many tell me in the VERY BOLD LETTERS and  with certainty that when the quarantine is over they want to be the butterfly emerging from the cocoon.  — motivating!

NEW AND OLD JOBS – JUST DIFFERENT LOCATIONS:  I was recently speaking with a client and we were talking about how important it is to follow your menu and really understand that anything over the amount on your menu is going to make a difference in your weight loss.  She said to me, ” I see so many of your clients who have lost so much weight and they are so thin but they act like it’s a job and they treat it like it’s a job — is that good?  I said you have to treat it like that.  But it doesn’t have to be a negative job — it should be a positive job.  It’s a job that you love to do.  You want to eat clean and be healthy and yes treat it like an important job in your life.  Today is no different we are just all working in this same job from home.  But if you keep doing the right thing regardless of where you are working from you will always get the best results.

IT NEEDS TO BE ABOUT YOU:  What we don’t always realize is weight loss is so much more than just the number on the scale.  Because everything in our life stems from how we feel and how well we take care of ourselves.  Feeling good or bad will result in having a good or bad day.  Feeling good and treating your body healthy — is going to result in how you approach life and all the good and bad obstacles that come with it.  If you are feeling happy, healthy, fit and strong you are going to get through the rough days a lot better than if you are feeling heavy, bloated, sick and depressed.  In fact, studies show that overweight people have an 80% higher rate of depression than people of a healthy weight.  Why? because you always feel better about yourself when you are taking care of yourself.  Sometimes just having the feeling of control over what you are and are not eating can change your day from bad to good.   You have to decide what is important to you.  Find a motivation to help you get you there and make a commitment to make your health and weight loss a priority.  Even though it’s not normal times it can still be a job that you are excited about doing — and that will give you normalcy and motivation.

I know you have heard this before from me but I need to repeat it — you need to start somewhere.  If you are already in a good place then I am super excited for you  to continue to be amazing!  If you are not feeling great and have no control then you need to get right back on program today.  I promise you, after one week you will feel good after two weeks you will feel great and a month — you will never want to go back to your old eating habits.  I can’t even begin to tell you how many people wrote to me that they were just so happy they started before the quarantine.  Trust me if you have not started do it now.  Whatever day you start it’s always going to be hard.  It was hard to start before the quarantine, it’s hard to start during the quarantine and it will be hard to start after the quarantine.  The longer you delay it the harder it will be.  Just do it — tomorrow you will be so happy you did.

DO IT NOW

SOMETIMES LATER BECOMES NEVER

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

I think by this point we are all going a little Coronavirus Crazy!  I was waiting for things to settle down before sending a blog but I realized that might be a while so I decided to move forward and share my thoughts….

First of all I just want to say we have to remember to take everything in perspective.  For most of us if we get the virus we are going to be okay.  Remind yourself who you are protecting right now is the very young, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.  For everyone else it’s going to be like having a bad cold.  So if you are sick stay in and protect our parents, grandparents, children, and those who are already compromised with their health.

COMPARE IT

THE FLU:  In the U.S. at least 18,000 people have died and 250,000 have already been hospitalized during the 2019-2020 flu season, according to estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – more than 26 million Americans have fallen ill with flu-like symptoms.  And this flu season has been especially hard on kids.

CORONA VIRUS:  World wide there are 145,000 cases, 5,411 people have died from it and 70,200 recovered.

There is a big difference when you compare the U.S. and World wide.  When you compare the flu and the Coronavirus you wonder why are they closing schools, and big events for the Corona and they never do for the flu, when the flu affects so many more people?  — Not understanding can create the panic.  — To shed some light on this….. one reason for the closings and quarantine is the Coronavirus is very contagious and while for most of you it will never be more than a cold — it spreads so quickly it can easily become devastation to a community with elderly, very young and comprised immune systems.  So while you may not be affected as bad you have to realize and understand the importance of the damages it can do to others.  That’s the whole reason for the quarantine that if we isolate the virus the hope is the virus will eventually die.   That’s why it’s really important if you are sick or have been exposed to someone sick —  stay home.

But with all the panic that is taking place people are going to end up killing each other before they ever even catch the virus.  So slow down and just take a moment to realize sometimes all we need is a little time to get to a better place.

Right now one of the most important things for you to do is stay healthy because if you do get it the healthier you are the more you will be able to fight it.  I am always preaching to you to make sure you are eating clean and exercising and doing all the right things for your mind and body because the healthier you are the better you can handle anything that comes your way.

Here are some things to think about and do:

1. Own your space — if you are at an event or any kind of gathering for personal or business give yourself some space when talking to others.  Remember it’s not only about the person you are talking too — it’s who that person was in contact with and the person before that person.  Protect yourself and give at least 6 feet between you and always give air hugs and blow kisses.
2. Wash all fruit and vegetables with vinegar — Washing with vinegar is the best way to remove bacteria.
3. Keep it positive! We are all in our own sense of quarantine so have some fun with it and spend some time with those you love and make some memories.  These will be the stories your children tell their children about how much fun they had when their family was quarantined 20 years ago.

• Young or old – play games, cards, monopoly, charades
• Get a jump on yard work.  Start pulling those weeds and raking the lawn
• Clean out the garage – the storage room or the closets for spring
• Take time away from the News and Social media and get outside in the fresh air and exercise.  Go to the park, or trails, walk, jog, hike, ride your bike, play tag, go to the beach and collect shells from the sand.  The recent weather has given us no excuse not to be outside getting some much needed vitamin D.
• While you are out at the park — one thing I love to do in my home on a nice cool day is shut the heat and spray the whole house with disinfectant and then open all the windows — and then leave for the day.  Let the house air out and sterilize.

Final Thoughts:  Live your life.  Don’t live in fear because that is absolutely not healthy.  DO NOT use this time as an excuse to go off program.  Because before you know it this will all be a memory and we will wake up and it will be an 80 degree day and there will be those of you that are taking off the coats feeling really good and excited to put on the jean shorts and t-shirts — while others who did not do the right thing will be dreading the 80 degree day more than they did the flu/virus.  I am already seeing it.  Weights are sent to me all day Friday, Saturdays and Sundays and I can already see who is staying strong through the craziness and who is not. Make the right choice.

Right now the one thing you can control is your food.  So you have to decide when the time comes where do you want to be and how do you want to feel.  Make the choice and choose your hard.  Is it harder to do the right thing now or will it be harder to squeeze into your summer clothes later.

AT THE END OF THE DAY YOU CAN ONLY CONTROL WHAT IS IN FRONT ON YOU

TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME

DON’T FOUS ON THE “WHAT IF”

FOCUS ON THE HERE AND NOW

— MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL–

BE HAPPY – STAY HEALTHY

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

March has arrived with weather that is a great reminder that Spring and Summer are around the corner!

We have a beautiful 5 weeks of weight loss right in front of us.  Do not waste it.  Do not look back and say why didn’t I do it.  Think about it — 2 lbs a week is so doable and that would be a fabulous 10 lb weight loss in one month!  Yes sometimes it requires getting out of our own way.  For example:  Stop the alcohol on non-cheat days; Make sure your cheat day is 1 day and not 1 1/2 or 2; — It’s so easy to sit and cry and think nothing works for me,  but i’m telling you that is absolutely not true.  The program will work for you  — but only if you put the work in.  You have to put the time in and you have to be consistent.  You have to be mentally prepared to give it 110% and stick to your 6 days of weight loss with 1 cheat day.  When you do that I promise you that you will see the same weight loss as everyone else that is on program.

If you have not been doing the right thing and are walking around miserable or are miserable inside your head — you know that you are the only person who can change it.  I can give you all the tools and I can show you thousands of clients who have done it and continue to do it and look and feel amazing.  And I can tell you 100% that you are no different than any of them.  If you want it you can have it.  But first you have to stop playing mind games with yourself, stop making deals with yourself, and no more excuses.  If you really want the 10 lbs in March then start working had for it everyday.  Follow your program and don’t let anything or anyone get in your way – including yourself.

Clients already have had a successful 2020 and it’s only March.  Clients from all over Chicago, California, Arizona, Alabama,  Boston, Florida, Georgia, and right here in New York — amazing amazing results.  Why?  It’s not because they all just jumped on program and did the right thing — although many have done just that.  But majority have been on and they struggled their way through it.  They have hiccups but they hold their breath and get past them.  Sometimes it’s a day and sometimes it’s a week but they get past them.  The reason I am telling you this is so you realize you are not the only one who struggles.  Weight loss is hard.  But if you want to see the weight loss you have to be willing to put the work in every day.  You have to be consistent and always continue to move forward.  You have to push yourself when you don’t want to be pushed and you have to be okay with walking away from temptation that will always be there.  But most important is you have to really decide what it is you want and how important it is to you to get there.  It’s not easy to eat less than your body needs…. it’s not easy to deal with the hunger that you feel when you are eating less… and it’s not easy to walk away from temptation when you are hungry.  But it’s even harder to step on the scale and feel uncomfortable in your own skin.

This month be willing to embrace the challenge.  Get through the little hunger, the temptation and the hiccups.  Pass on the drink and be okay with it.  When you are out to dinner order on program.  Walk away from the temptation and be excited about it!  Promise yourself that no matter what or who is on your path you will continue to do the right thing.  Because when you do that is when April 1st will come and you will be 10 lbs lighter than you are today and you will be so so happy that you are back in control, and back on your happy path where you always feel amazing.

THINK ABOUT IT:  In 5 very quick weeks you are either going to be super happy that you put the work in and feel amazing and on your way to being the best you for Spring and Summer OR you will look back and think “I should have… I could have… I wish I did it… ugh why didn’t I do it.”  ~choose your hard.

EMBRACE THE CHALLENGE

~It’s the challenges that make life interesting

Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful~

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Hi Everyone!  This is your Mid-August Check in!  I just want to make sure that everyone is on the right path because we all know how easy we can take a wrong turn.  Seriously, the end of August is so dangerous for so many reasons.  Vacations, no schedules, the feeling that the end is coming or the very common and damaging — Im just gonna “wait” until September to get back on track—   I’m reminding you not to do it to yourself.  I’m not saying that I want you to be perfect.  I know in August that is not realistic for so many of you and that is okay.  But what I am reminding you is that regardless of where you are right now if you have a plan and stick to it you will feel so much better than going completely off the cliff and then trying to climb back up in September.

Put everything aside regardless of what you have done up until now.  Good, bad or somewhere in between let’s continue to move forward in a very positive mindset.  From now until Labor Day have a plan and follow it through. 

Planning is so important because it helps us understand what we are actually capable of at this moment.  Different times of the year we are capable of different things.  Some may be more strict in the winter or the summer or right before vacation.  For others they are strict because they are getting married or turning a certain age, or planning big parties and celebrations.  We all want to look and feel our best when big exciting things are going on in our life.  It creates motivation that comes on more urgent and rapid.  And that’s great because we can use it to our advantage when we have it.  But when you don’t have that sudden urgency is when you have to maybe have more of a realistic plan.  One that fits you right now.

What I want you to think about is where you are right now.  If you are struggling to stay on program then change your day.  Maybe your plan is too strict for what your life is right now.  Maybe you need an extra on program snack or to add in a  drink or two or an extra cheat meal on the weekends when it’s not your cheat day.   Remember whatever changes you make right now are not forever.  They are for right now.  So add an on program extra snack or change whatever part of the day or week you are struggling with to give yourself a little extra.  Im always here to help you navigate your day.  But the point is to have the plan so you know what you are trying to achieve.  Even if you won’t lose as much the key is you will follow through on your planned day and even more important you won’t gain.  Once you get through your planned day you will feel more accomplished and then maybe next week or the week after you can start to make it even more of a weight loss day by getting rid of the extra snack or extra cheats.  Make the plan realistic for you this week and once you get a solid week of following your plan then you will feel better and more confident moving forward.

REMINDER:  For those going on vacation it’s so important to follow through with your plan.  If you don’t follow your plan you know by mid vacation you are going to be miserable with how you feel.  Stick to your plan – even if the plan includes when you are cheating it’s still a plan and will keep you in a great place mentally which is what vacation is about.  Vacation is not about going and sabotaging yourself – putting you in a place of feeling bloated, heavy and miserable.  Vacation is about resting the mind, having some fun with those you love and staying in a great place of happiness — making happy memories.

Maintain – Follow your program and have planned cheat meals when needed.  When you do this you must follow the 80-20.  Eat clean 80% of the time and 20% of the day you are off (maybe dinner and drinks or dinner dessert or for the breakfast lovers you cheat breakfast and clean the rest of the day).  Plan it and follow through and I promise you will feel so much better come September.  You may not be exactly where you want to be but you will feel so much better than where you could be.

Losing Weight Is Always an Option –  Now of course if you want to lose weight you can do that!  I can’t tell you how many clients have continued to lose weight this summer.  Just to mention a few we have very exciting — Joe just reached his 50lb weight loss this past weekend!!  Woo Hoo!!! So proud of him!!  And Lauren reached her super awesome 25lb loss and Ilene is at her new low since she started!  I can go on and on about the clients that lost weight this summer.  They went into the summer with a plan to stay on program and lose weight and they are following through with it.  So if that is something you want to do- don’t wait — start now and do it.

Do the right thing and you will feel so much better – Whether it’s weight loss, work, family, relationships, vacations — life is about planning and following through and doing the right things.  The reason we do this is because it’s what makes us happy.  We feel accomplished, and we want to be our best, we want to feel healthy and yes we want to look good.  We have one life and we want to have that balance of enjoing it but also working hard and being your best while you do it.   When you have a plan you can accomplish all those things.  Yes some days are going to be super easy and other days will feel like the most difficult days, but if you stick to your plan you will always get better results both mentally and physically.

Final Thoughts –  Just because it’s a plan doesn’t make it easy.  We all have difficult days and it’s on the hardest days tha you have to find your strength to follow through.  Reach down and find it and talk yourself through it.  You are capable of so much more than you might be willing to work for at that moment but if you get past that one moment of weakness you will feel so much better and it will make such a big difference on so many levels.

THERE ARE PLANNER AND DREAMERS

PLANNERS MAKE THEIR DREAMS COME TRUE.

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

I was originally going to put this blog out on Tuesday but I really thought that you would and could relate to it more today since we are starting super bowl weekend.  Think before you grab before you eat :).  Everything has a result.

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL!  First I have to start off by giving compliments and credit to so many who had such amazing weight loss numbers this past week.  I was so so happy to hear that last weeks blog “Being Comfortable with being Uncomfortable” helped make a difference.  Actions create results and in this case you read the blog and followed it and it worked!  I was so beyond thrilled to see the results of it.  Thank you!  I know how difficult it is to walk away from temptation.   But you got to feel and see the amazing results this past weekend by walking away, and embracing the uncomfortable.  YAY!!!

EVERYONE HAS WEAK MOMENTS:  We all have weak moments.  Sometimes they are random, and other times they are specific.  You step on the scale mid week and it throws you into sabotage, or you have one glass of wine and it triggers you to have the bottle.   It could be at the end of the day at dinner or before bed when you are just so tired from the day and don’t have the same mental strength you had when you woke up.   Most of the time weak moments occur right before cheat day.  It’s the time of the week where you would think you would be the best but the truth is you are the most mentally and physically exhausted.

FUNNY STORY:   A good example is my husband John.  Last Saturday night out of the blue he says to me at 8pm – can I start my Cheat Day now?  When I gave him a blank look like –is he really asking me this right now?–   he went on to explain (as if I never heard this before) — I can start now and go 24hours and end my cheat day Sunday night at 8pm.  He was so proud of this new idea!  As he was saying it I was visualizing my clients text messages literally being printed in the air as he spoke the words – CAN I SPLIT MY CHEAT DAY AND START RIGHT NOW.—   It’s a text that we get minimum 20 times on a the weekend.  First I had to break it to him that he wasn’t the first person to think of this amazing idea.  Then I explained that this was a moment of weakness that so many clients have at random times and they usually are the day before the cheat day.    You made it all week long and now it’s the end of the week and you are tired and hungry and you are just done.  You are mentally and physically weak and it’s easy to give in.  But I explained it’s the night before cheat day and this is when you have to be your strongest because it’s when all the magic happens from all your hard work all week.  You don’t want to throw it all away for a slice of pizza.  But he clearly wasn’t feeling the same passion that I was expressing.

I said — I’m sorry but no you can’t do that.  You didn’t even weigh in and you won’t have the same results tomorrow if you cheat now.  You can wait until tomorrow.  I promise you will be happy if you wait–.

Needless to say he wasn’t happy waiting and he wasn’t happy with me or my response at that moment.  But I new he was just mentally weak and it was easy to just throw all his hard work away.  Instead I walked to the refrigerator and heated him up Innovation meatballs and a spring roll and some string beans.  He made it through the night and lucky he did because he ended up having a great weight loss week losing over 2lbs.  — he was so beyond happy with his weight loss Sunday morning.

What I did notice that helped a lot was once the meal was heated up and put in front of him he was fine.   Because of my crazy schedule John always heats up his own meals.  It’s always an Innovation meal and a side.  It’s simple, healthy and he loves it.  But because he was mentally weak Saturday night and his mind started taking over his thinking he became obsessed with the idea of Pizza.  So instead of heating up his dinner he was too busy thinking of a way he could start his cheat day early.  But once I saw his mental state and I heated it up and put it in front of him he was totally fine.  He was hungry and when he ate he was okay and was able to think more reasonably.  If I wasn’t there – who knows what would have happened- probably pizza!.  I was super proud of him for staying strong through it and a the same time I realized what so many of you go through.  Even the most perfect week it’s so easy to fold in a moment of weakness.

The point of this story is whether it’s food or alcohol –  it’s important to not let yourself get to the place where you have no control.  The place where you are past the point of thinking clearly.   Especially at the end of a day or the end of a week when we are most exhausted, tired and hungry it’s so easy to let our guard down.   In the begining of the week you have more mental and physical energy  and are more likely to get through the challenges.  But at the end of the week when you know you are both mentally and physically  exguasted is when you have to be stronger and more on your guard from sabotaging yourself.

THE CONVERSATION OF THE WEEK:  The funny thing through all of this which I know so many of your will relate is Sunday John didn’t even want the pizza.  In fact, he said he didn’t even want to cheat.  He was so excited with his weight loss and he felt so good that he couldn’t even think of what he wanted to cheat with.    — The conversation from clients in my office and on text is always

 “Why does everything look so good all week long except on Cheat Day?!”   During the week you want everything in sight.  But when it’s cheat day and you can have it – you don’t want any of it.  Why???  The answer is simple – it’s because it’s the mental part of the program that teaches – we always want what we can’t have.  But when we can have it we don’t always want it.  

I think that goes for a lot of things in life.  But when it comes to Cheat Day sometimes just knowing that you CAN have it is enough.  So next time you have the mental challenge and you feel a little weak minded – before you cheat ask yourself if it was cheat day would I eat this or do I just want it because I can’t have it.?  The answer might help you get through your next moment of weakness.

The struggle you feel today develops the strength you need for tomorrow 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

It’s not easy being uncomfortable.  One of the biggest things about weight loss and getting results is we have to be okay with being a little uncomfortable.  Both mentally and physically being uncomfortable takes getting used to.  Mentally it’s not easy to say NO to something we want.  Especially when the only one holding us back from it is us.  Physically we have to be okay with not having what our body physically feels it needs at the moment – reminding ourselves that we feel a little hungry because we have to eat less than what we currently need to have weight loss.  When your body is used to eating more of course you will feel little hungry.  Not all day but there will be times when your body realizes you are taking in less and it’s going to want you to feed it so it doesn’t feel uncomfortable.  Not an easy thing to get through – yet very doable.

We live in a society that prefers instant gratification and pleasure.   You see it and you want it.  We almost never think of the consequences until after we did it.  When we are uncomfortable we want to get rid of the feeling and we do what makes us immediately comfortable – regardless if the result is going to make us unhappy.

CHOOSE YOUR HARD:  UNHAPPY vs. UNCOMFORTABLE – What you have to remember is the uncomfortable is temporary.  It will be gone and you will get past it and the results of it are what makes you happy.  If you choose the easier path and grab without thinking or caring you will be unhappy and bloated and that’s a whole different kind of uncomfortable.  So which is it?  You want to be uncomfortable a little hungry or uncomfortable in your clothes?

Here are some things to remind you why it’s okay to be uncomfortable:

• Nearly everything that generates any kind of value requires effort, focus and discomfort.
• It’s the fear of discomfort that drives us away from our goals
• It’s this fear of discomfort that drives us to search for endless shortcuts.  How can we make this all easier. How can we achieve success without the hard work?
• The truth is the only real way to get comfortable is to realize discomfort is where your success is.  Follow it, embrace it and you will get it.

If you think about how society today is so terrified of pain and discomfort.  Many will do anything to avoid pain and suffering.  We have endless pills and alcohol to make all manner of discomfort go away.

• Don’t fall into the trap of becoming comfortable with simply existing. You must want and love putting the work in to get results. It’s okay to feel both the pain and pleasure from working hard for something. For example let’s take weight loss – It’s uncomfortable and there are days you have to walk away from what you really want. I think we can all agree there is pain involved. Both mental and physical pain. It’s not easy to walk away from something you want. But the results of doing it are beyond amazing. The feeling of waking up healthy, light and thin. Grabbing anything in your closet and it fits and feels good. Your confidence is high and your days are always great. You feel healthy. You feel like you can face anything and get through it. And you feel this way all because your body and mind feel good. When your body is in a good place your mind is in a happy place. When you feel good you are happy and when you are happy you always look amazing. There is nothing more beautiful then a happy confident person. When you are comfortable in your own skin – it makes all the little uncomfortable times worth it.  Who wouldn’t want this.  We see people all the time that have it and we want it.  But in order to get to this amazing feeling you need to work hard and feel the little pains of being uncomfortable.  When you are willing to do that you will get the results.

What I want you to think about for the remainder of January and into February – is becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable.  It’s okay to be a little hungry – you won’t starve.  It’s okay to go to a party and not indulge .  It’s okay to feel a little mental pain without having to numb it. Face your fears and embrace them – it’s the only way to get through them.   I want you to embrace it and be happy that you can embrace it and happy that you can work for what you want.   Nothing in life comes free.  You must put the work in.   Don’t wait for the perfect time – it doesn’t exist.  There is always going to be something – it’s all part of the uncomfortable.    You have to get past it.   It’s not always going to be a perfect day or situation – but you  keep moving forward and keep working hard.   Do what you need to and get to where you want to be.  Think about it -if you don’t do it now -when?   Start now and make it happen.  You will feel the joy of being uncomfortable because you will see the results it brings.   Remind yourself that uncomfortable is where your success is!!  When you work at it and embrace it – the toughness of being uncomfortable passes and you find yourself in a place of control and happiness.

It's only when you see the positive changes in your mind and body 

is when you feel the most comfortable and genuinely alive


~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Hi Everyone!

Welcome back from 2018 and welcome into the beginnings of 2019.  It is a time of reality and sometimes that doesn’t feel so great.  While so many did wonderful over vacations so many didn’t.  Either way getting back to real life is never easy – but it’s so beyond important.

There is a time for work and a time for play.  Right now – it’s a time for work.  You have a straight run of putting the time in and reaching new goals.  Whether you are getting back to where you were or continuing on your successful road – Now is the time to do it.

Do not look back and don’t have regrets.  Move on and move forward.  For many of you know one week back on program and you will feel so much better.  Even if you are not back at pre-vacation weight you will be in a great place, back in control and in the direction you want to be.

Don’t sabotage yourself.  Getting back on program is going to make you feel so much better but it may take more than that to see numbers you want to see.  So even if you feel good in a couple of days I would wait a solid week on program before you go on the scale.

The importance of feeling good and doing the right things for your mind and body is so important.  Of course we all want to look good.  But we must remember looking good from the inside out is important too.

For example many of you know my hubby has started the program.   After turning 50 being in shape is not as easy as it used to be.  He absolutely loves to indulge with our boys and does it quite often.  Truth be told I always think he looks amazing.  He is such a great person.  But heart disease runs big in his family and he has been feeling the extra weight.  And quite honestly we have been together since I’m 16 and I don’t want to live without him over something he can control.  The reason I bring this up is because while we all want to look great – we also have to remember the importance of our health.  Mentally and physically being over weight will affect every area of your life and one way or another it will also affect all the people that love you.

We all get to a point where we look and say “wait a second, I am so out of control and not where I want to be.” For some it’s later than others but the most important thing is not that it happened but how you address it.  You get right back on program and feed yourself healthy and keep yourself happy.

Don’t over think it – no quick fixes. No starving yourself.  No self sabotaging.  None of it works.  Go back to your menu or reach out to us and we will guide you.  The only way to get your numbers down right now and to feel that lighter healthier feeling is to get the control back.  Follow your meals and snacks and nothing in between.  After a week you will feel great and two weeks back in the game and on your way to reaching new goals.

Embrace today and the New Year.  Be excited to reach your goals.  you can do this.  You know what you want and you have the tools to get you there.  Go with it and follow it through.  One day at a time and before you know it you will feel so good that  you will find your inner strength and that strength combined with how good you feel will bring excitement to jump start each day.  When you put the work in you are capable of everything and anything.

TODAY, THIS WEEK AND THIS YEAR BE EXCITED ABOUT EVERYTHING!

Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

With just a hop skip and a jump you will be on Holiday Break.  As fast as it arrives it will be gone.  So make sure you enjoy every second of it and do tithe way that will make you the happiest – with No Regrets.

Here are some Holiday Tips and Advice I would like to share with you:

1. Whether you are on the beach, the mountain or home you should be drinking water throughout the day.  Dehydration can cause hunger, headaches, constipation and fatigue.  Plan your water intake throughout the day.  for example a great practice is to drink an 8oz bottle of water when you wake up first thing.  Your body is dehydrated from sleep and the activities from the night before – whatever that may have been.  So wake up and drink.  Every time you plan a meal or a snack drink 8 oz of water before you eat.  You will not only consume less but you will feel and look so much better throughout the day.  ** Did you know that alcohol and caffeine are diuretics.  If you are drinking alcohol or any caffeinated drinks – make sure you have a glass of water in between every drink.
2. Stay of the gym BUT stay active on Vacation.  You want to change it up of your mind and body and vacation is the perfect time to do that.  On the mountain go skiing, sledding, shoe walking, or horseback riding.  On the beach take a long walk or jog on the sand.  Go swimming.  Do an outdoor yoga or bootcamp.  Enjoy your surroundings and plan activities according to the weather you are in.  If you are staying home with the family play hide and seek or tag.  Go bowling or ice skating.  Take long walks in the park or go hiking.  It will be enjoyable and nice change for the mind body and great family time.
3. Always always plan your meals and snacks.  Regardless on vacation or home you need to plan your meals and snacks because believe it or not while it’s uncomfortable to over do it at home it’s even worse to over do it on vacation.  Whether you are home or on Vacation you want to choose one of the following to keep you on track:

• STAY ON PROGRAM:  and follow your 6 clean days and 1 cheat day.  If you do this you will of course lose weight and feel great.  Plan your food and snacks in advance each day.  if you are drinking then that is your snacks.  if you follow the 6/1 I would recommend having your cheat day at the end of the week before you go home.  All week long you can make a list of the foods/snacks/desserts you see that you want try on your cheat day.  If you save the Cheat Day for right before you return you will have a much better chance of sticking to the 6 clean days.
• SPLIT THE HOLIDAYS:  We have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and New years eve and New Years Day.  If you split them and stay clean all day and only off at night – Dinner and Drinks or Dinner and Dessert.  You do it for both Holidays with super clean days in between.  You will absolutely maintain but for many will still have a great chance of losing if you have SHARK DAYS in between.
• MAINTAIN YOUR VACATION:   If you feel you need the break from the everyday mindsets vacation is a good time to take advantage of it.  Whether you are homer away you will choose one meal and one dessert/drinks each day.  The remainder of the day keep clean. So for example you might do Muffin for breakfast and bar for lunch and then cheat dinner and dessert/or drinks (desserts are your drinks.  The next day you might decide to cheat at breakfast and eat clean the rest of the day with cheat dessert.  It’s up to you to choose each day your cheat.  The key is not to have a full cheat day that week.  You come home and you go right back on program.  No scale.  You go back on program for one week and then you go on the scale and you will see your  pre-vacation weight.

While I wish food and drinks didn’t play such a big part in how we feel – the reality is it does.  And Im a big believer in addressing things rather than ignoring them.  Since what we eat and drink affects our mindset and personality, I think it’s super important to think through how you want to feel and what is going to make you happy.  Do not cheat everyday if you  by mid week you will be miserable because that will use make everyone you are with miserable.  As hard as it may feel to stay on program – think about how hard it will be to feel bloated and uncomfortable in your own skin.  In not suggesting you stay 110% clean on vacation.  I know you all so well that I really believe there is a different option for each one of you.  But what I am telling you is that while going off program makes you feel free of stress and structure – if you over do it you will begin to feel uncomfortable and out of control and I don’t want you to have that feeling on your vacation.  Think about it and plan how often you can cheat and still feel okay.  Because when you start out in a bathing suit or snow pants and end up mid week in a cover up or feeling like frosty you have to be okay with it.

FINAL THOUGHTS:  Remind yourself two things.  It doesn’t matter how amazing you were up to this point.  You will feel the effects of daily over doing it and you will feel it quickly.  Smoke the choices because this vacation isn’t only about you it’s about your family and what mood they have to deal with when you lose control.  I know it’s the harsh reality but I’m telling you now so you don’t look back and feel like you should have made different choices.  You have all been on vacation before and you know what it does to you mentally and physically the you are consistently off program.  Some are okay with it and can just deal with the affects of it and go right back on program when they return — others will let it ruin the holiday/vacation mid way through.  Don’t do it.  this year you are going to THINK BEFORE YOU ACT and make sure your choices are what is good for you and all those you love.  And always remember if you lose control and you realized you over did it and start to feel uncomfortable there is a simple solution –  the very best thing to do is regardless of where you are you just go right back on program to a 110% shark day.  After one solid day back on program you will feel so much better.  We are always here for you if you need guidance – simply reach out.  Remember this isn’t about being perfect it’s about being happy.

HAPPINESS LOOKS AMAZING ON EVERYONE!