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Tag: clean eating

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FRIDAY IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS A MONDAY!

The most wonderful time of the year!  I thought today would be a perfect time to talk about the WEEKEND!  You know that really difficult time that everyone has keeping to one cheat day.  Yes I know we are in the most festive and the busiest time of the year.  I know we had parties every week. That’s why they call it the happiest season of all because everyone is eating and drinking!  But I also know how fast weight comes on and how much longer it takes to come off.   That’s why it’s important for me to remind all of you – the next two weekends are super important.  If you keep it to one cheat day a weekend you will see the number go in the right direction.  If you cheat a little the night before or the day after you will maintain.  It’s that simple.  to see the number go in the direction you want you must keep it to ONE CHEAT DAY A WEEK.  That includes No Extra’s at all.  Stick to your menu and you will feel the best and get the best results.

ALL THE MAGIC HAPPENS THE NIGHT BEFORE

If you weigh in Friday morning and your Cheat Day isn’t until Saturday you should not be cheating ” a little” Friday night.  Just because you weighed in does not give you the freedom to cheat Friday night.  If you cheat a little Friday night that will reflect in the following week.  You should not be drinking extra drinks or eating extra snacks you should stick to your meals and snacks on Friday like any other weight loss day and Cheat ONLY on your Cheat day.  Again this is only if you want the very best results every week.  Remember that all the magic happens at the end of the week so even if you weighed in Friday morning but your Cheat day is Saturday you stop the weight loss and the magic as soon as you are “off program” Friday night.

THE NEXT TWO WEEKENDS

There are only two weekends left until Break.  whether you are celebrating the holidays or vacationing or just hanging with the family – the real challenge will be from December 24th through Jan 1.  So for the Next week and two weekends keep it laser focused.  Live the program – 110% six clean days and only one cheat day.  You will go into the Holiday week feeling mentally and physically amazing, strong, healthy, thinner, happier and full of life!  Because when you do the right things it shows in everything about how you look feel and act.

 

THE STRUGGLE  THAT YOU FIGHT THROUGH

IS WHAT GIVES YOU THE RESULTS.

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YIKES – IT’S TIME TO GET SERIOUS!

YIKES! is probably the best word to describe how you might be feeling right now.  With the long weekend behind you and any damages that might have been done are now in the past the only thing to do is to move forward.    Don’t waste anytime beating yourself up – it’s wasted energy.   Right now you start your hardcore 100% Shark week immediately.  We have a countdown of exactly 4 weeks until Holiday Break.  It’s super important that you enjoy when it’s time to enjoy and it’s even more important that you are amazing when it’s time to be amazing.  So regardless of the parties you might have coming up or any events that are taking place over the next couple of weeks it’s important you are a shark and stick to the 6 clean days and 1 cheat day.  The next 4 weeks is all about being amazing.

THE NEXT 4 WEEKS IS ALL ABOUT BEING A SHARK

I can’t even begin to tell you in the last two days how many text and email messages I received  -everyone was more than ready to start eating clean again.  Many of you even started yesterday.  YES it’s so enjoyable to cheat but it’s beyond amazing to start eating clean again after you cheat.  Think about it – we cheat to mentally comfort us.  Most of us will agree that as soon as we feed that mental comfort our physical comfort is compromised.  The more we cheat the worse we feel.  Not on purpose of course.  Mentally we want to be able to cheat the whole day but the longer  you are on program the less you are able to cheat the entire day.  Even when you can cheat the whole day you will notice how week after week you really are taking in less without even trying.  — All good things and all very relevant to where you are today.

 

The reason I bring this up is so you understand that even though you probably feel like you did a lot of damage the reality is you probably didn’t do as bad as you thought.  Yes you could have been better and I’m sure you could have been worse.  What is important if you get right back on program and give yourself a solid 6 clean days.  I promise regardless of how bad you feel right now, by mid week you will feel so much better and by next weigh in you will be so happy you have a Hardcore Shark Solid Clean week in.  And in 4 weeks you will be more than ready for your holiday and/or vacation.

The program is all about loving to live healthy and enjoying life.  We eat clean so we can cheat and when we cheat we can’t wait to eat clean again.  Living the program gives you the opportunity to enjoy it all.  Especially over a holiday week when we need a little more flexibility than just one cheat day.  Now that Thanksgiving Holiday is over and everyone enjoyed – now it’s time to get serious and put the work in so in 4 weeks you can BE, FEEL AND LOOK like the most amazing you and also have that flexibility again and enjoy the next holiday break.

LIFE

WORK HARD FOR IT 

LIVE IT- LOVE IT – ENJOY IT

Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS – HAPPY YOU?!

We all want to be happy around the Holidays.  But along with happiness, we also know the holidays can be filled with stress, laughter, drinking, over-eating, family fights and even tears!  Everyday can bring a mix of different emotions, and not just for you but for everyone around you.  There is however one way to feel your very best this holiday season….

 

Do you want to know the secret to having a happy Holiday Season this year?  The secret to a happy holiday season is not about how much you put on the table.  It’s not about how much money you have or what kind of car you drive.  It’s not about how expensive your outfit is and it’s not even about how many friends you have.  I mean these are all great things to have in your life but I can tell you for certain it’s not what is going to make your holiday season the happiest it can be.   The secret to a happy fulfilled holiday season is how you are going to feel about yourself throughout the holidays.  The happier YOU are and the better YOU feel in your own skin is going to be a game changer on how you feel through the holidays and how you treat yourself and everyone around you.

 

Many of you know exactly what I am talking about.  You know that feeling good about yourself is more than just what you have or what you can buy – it’s about how you feel mentally and physically.  Let’s face it putting on an $800 outfit is amazing but putting on $100 outfit on the body you love and feel great in will make you feel like you are wearing something that is priceless.

 

I know I am constantly reminding you that the better you feel the better you will live.  I am a true believer in if you are doing the right thing and feel good you  are more likely to choose the right options to keep you feeling that way.  When you are around a holiday dinner or party you will feel amazing and you will want to do everything you can to stay that way.  FACT:  when you feel good you want to continue to look good and when you don’t feel good you tend to throw in the towel a lot faster and fall prey to temptations  around you.

 

Between Thanksgiving and New Years you want to be able to go to a party, a holiday dinner and even a planned vacation and feel the very best you can feel because the better you feel the happier you will be and the better you are going to act and treat those you love around you.  You don’t want to put yourself in a position that you don’t want to get dressed and don’t want to see people.  We all kind of live in the same shoes.  When we are doing the right thing and feeling amazing – we don’t care who we run into.  In fact, sometimes we even seek out people.  When we are not doing the right things we want to avoid everything and everyone.  — Keep this holiday season simple.  When you are doing the right thing – you are happy.  So don’t make it complicated.  Follow your program and feel the best you can feel.  Always remember nothing is worth feeling uncomfortable in your own skin.

 

If you find that you are struggling at any time – you always remind yourself that you just need one clean week and you will feel like someone stuck a pin in you and you deflated.  One clean week is all it takes and you will start to feel the lighter version of YOU!  You want to spend this holiday season starting off on the right path.  But if somewhere in between you fall off you just get right back on and 6 clean days you will feel great again.  Everyone can be a shark when they want to be.  Head strong you will go into the holidays on program and enjoy your cheats when its you cheat day and not just cheat because it’s the holiday’s .  Because we all know when you start cheating just to cheat or because there are parties week after week – before you know it you will be squeezing into clothes and the happy face will turn into a frown very quickly.  And no one needs to see you frown around the holidays.  Especially when it’s something you have absolutely control over.

 

They say nothing in life is given to you.  But that’s actually not true.  The most precious thing in the world has been given to you – It’s called LIFE!  What you do with it, and how you take care of it will determine how happy you live it.  

HAPPY HOLIDAYS START WITH A HAPPY YOU

Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

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SHOT OF ENERGY

NEED A MIND, BODY, ENERGY and METABOLISM BOOST THAT WILL GET THE BODY WORKING AT 110% EFFICIENCY THROUGHOUT THE DAY?.

This time of year we can feel a little extra tired and stressed.  A lack of sunlight, shorter days and a change of weather all play a part .  When we don’t feel our best it’s even harder to do the right thing.  Because of all of your requests – I have been working hand in hand once again with my Naturopathic Doctor who is a specialist in Chinese Herbal Medicine.  We created and designed a 2oz shot that will increase energy, boost your metabolism and get your body working at 110% so you can feel your very best everyday.

 

NEW INNOVATION ALL NATURAL SHOTS

TANGY TURMERIC AND FIRE APPLE

Do a shot first thing in the morning and up to 3 times a day when needed.  Each shot is an immediate immune and energy booster that provides an increased metabolism, and blood flow.  They are also an excellent source of phytochemical to fight against aging, inflammation for a healthy all around immune system.

 

We used our special combinations to create our All Natural Energy Shots.  Both contain two Chinese medical herbs that together have been proven to stimulate the body and give you the most intense internal and external health benefits.  Along with our hand picked special blends both shots also include:

 

ELEUTHERA ROOT:  It has been proven to help the body boost metabolism handle stress and acts as a natural stimulant to increase blood flow throughout the body and nervous system.  It increases blood flow creating an energetic feeling throughout the day.

 

REHMANNIA ROOT:  Improves oxygen intake, reduces inflammation and helps pain and swelling. It improves allergies, and lowers blood sugar levels and helps diabetes or tired blood (anemia).  It also improves weakened bones (osteoporosis).

 

Two amazing Roots together are life changing in the way you feel and perform throughout your day.   So if  you need an energy boost or you need to increase your fitness levels, or you are just not feeling your best because of age, the lack of sunlight, change of weather, daily stress, allergies etc…   Give the shot a try.  It will give you an immediate internal all natural energy and health boost so you can enjoy your day and not drag yourself through it.

 

Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

clean eatingdieteatcleanfamilyHealthy TipsholidaysLifestyleweight loss

HOLIDAYS ARE NOT JUST ONE DAY!

Innovation Tips for the Upcoming Holiday Season

THE HOLIDAYS ARE MORE THAN ONE DAY – KEEP THIS IN MIND NOVEMBER THROUGH JAN1

  1. Don’t just do the program – live the program
  2. Walk away from the temptations and remind yourself to choose your hard.  – HARD TO WALK AWAY OR HARD TO DEAL WITH THE RESULTS OF YOUR ACTIONS
  3. One drink is a snack – Before you go for the second drink – remember it’s not the alcohol it’s what the alcohol makes you do.
  4. Be a Shark – it feels great!
  5. Be happy! No one wants an Eeyore in the room.  Everyone wants to be around the happy Tiger who is excited and feels good because they are doing the right things for their mind and body.
  6. Don’t live in the moment.  While it’s fun to do something spontaneous – make sure it’s not with food – the results can be both mentally and physically draining.  Plan, prepare and follow through
  7. Everything matters – every bite, sip crumb that you have extra is one extra to many.  Live by 6 clean days and 1 cheat day and you will feel great, be happy and lose weight!
  8. Everyday you will either lose weight, maintain or gain.  The choice is always in your control
  9. Less is always better when trying to lose weight.  If you don’t need it don’t eat it.
  10. If you want to feel amazing you must act amazing.  Stay on program, work hard and do the right things.

The better you feel the better you will live and the happier you will be

Stay on Program!

Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

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DETOX

EAT CLEAN -CHEAT -DETOX?
I was never really big on detox and cleanses because I don’t like the fact of putting any kind of unwanted or needed chemicals in your body. And I don’t want you living on drinks to lose weight. Anything that you can’t do forever is never a good thing. As soon as you stop you will gain the weight back. More importantly I wanted to come up with something that was really going to make a difference in your body – making it both healthy and effective.  I love my clients and I really listen to their needs, frustrations and their challenges. I always say when you lose weight it’s like I’m losing weight and when you gain weight I feel like i gained it with you. 
I have come up with a detox/appetite suppressant that is effective and super healthy. I have been working with my clients in NY, California and London. They have all been doing it and absolutely love the immediate results. 
THIS ISN’T JUST ANY DETOX: 
This detox is a very powerful and effective holistic tool you can use to suppress the appetite, stimulate healing, detoxification, inflammation and rejuvenation. It will help clean and purify the body of excess mucus, and toxins and waste. The body is designed to rid itself of toxins when it’s given the chance. This intermediate detox is one of the best ways to give the body a rest from foods and let the body process what is already stored in the digestive system.  That is why we recommend for best results doing it the day after a cheat day, weekend, after vacation, and/or after holidays. These are when you tend to take in more foods that are harder to digest, are processed and full of preservatives.
 It is a 100% raw, organic and clean so you can do it once every week if you choose to.

 THIS DETOX WILL IMPROVE:

  • Your ability to remove waste and toxicity, which interferes with weTHIS DETOX WILL IMPROVE:ight loss, health and healing.
  • It will give your body a rest from food and lets the body process what is already in the digestive system
  • Satisfies cravings and helps curb hunger
  • Reduces inflammation in the body
  •  Eliminates stomach bloating
*does not contain any laxative
.Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
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BEWARE OF AUGUST AND THE END OF SUMMER

BEWARE OF AUGUST and THE END OF SUMMER

August is so dangerous for so many reasons. We start the Summer full of excitement and committed to do the right thing and stay on program. It is fresh in our mind in May/June and even July – how hard it was to get to the happy place we started when summer began. It’s that memory that keeps us true and dedicated to what we want, who we are and how we want to feel…..  But slowly as the summer sun gets weaker so do we. August arrives and you start to feel like it’s almost over – the summer is ending. And all of a sudden you have to fit in as much as you can. This is when you must stay strong, mindful and positive. When you stay mentally strong you will remind yourself that the end of summer doesn’t have to result in the end of you feeling good and gaining weight.

Fall Is In The Air: For many are scheduling camp pick-ups; preparing for the last vacations; for others it’s the end of freedom and the end of less demanding schedules. We will start to feel senses of Fall coming near. The faint smell in the air, the Sun changing, or recognizing one orange leaf that has matured early. For some will feel Fall when they walk in the stores and see all the back to school shopping, and Teachers will start preparing for class rooms. Many will be packing up college students (that will be me crying and packing). For each one of us something reminding us summer is slowly coming to an end and Fall is around the corner – leaving little time left for summer fun.  While it’s easy to want to give in, this is when you need to be your strongest and not let the mental override the physical. We tend to mentally think “the end is near Im just gonna do what I want and go back to 100% in September” – No don’t do it. Im warning you that way of thinking will add on 5-10 pounds in a blink of an eye. You have to keep reminding yourself that Fall is around the corner and the more days you stick to your meals and snacks the better you will feel as summer comes to an end.

Let’s Face It – The “END” of Anything is Hard. While you might think you are ready for it — I know some of you are already saying, “I can’t wait to get back to a September schedule” and “I am going to go full force – hardcore in September!” and all that’s great, but don’t let that mindset determine what you do right now. Sometimes when we know we are going to give it a full commitment in a couple of weeks – it’s like saying you can have a free for all now. But you can’t and you don’t want to. As summer ends you need to get into the mind set —it’s ending and it’s okay—. And for it to be okay you need to start slowing things down — not speeding them up.

Mindset Is Everything When It Comes to Weight Loss. If you believe that you are going to be amazing and stay strong then you will be. If you tell yourself that you can’t do it and it’s too hard then you will give yourself a reason to “ throw in the towel” and you will regret it. Because at the end of the day it’s very important for you and your mental well being to feel the best you can be. The only way you will do this is to stay mentally strong and continue to stay on your program. Fell off – get back on. Had a bad week — make the next week great. You must stay disciplined and mindful, and even though the end of summer is the hardest to be discipline doesn’t mean you can’t do it.  But if your mindset is to “throw in the towel — summer is almost over — I don’t want to work hard anymore — I need a break — I want to just enjoy the rest of the summer.” Well… that’s the results you are going to get. You will gain and depending on how much depends on how far off you go from your path and how long you stay there. And let’s face it after a couple of days you are no longer enjoying it and you are out of control wondering how you are going to get back on program. You are feeling fuller, thicker and sad and that is what you are doing not to just yourself but those that are spending the end of the summer with you. Stay on program and it will keep you happy and everyone you love happy.

Much of what I am telling you I am sure you already know.  What is important is to recognize that you are the one in control and how you think is absolutely going to affect your outcome. So if you keep it positive and stay strong and stay as close to program as possible those are the results you will get. It’s always up to you and it’s your choices that determine your results. While friends, family and work all play a part the decision – you must take responsibility for the choices you make. Make August fun and exciting. Prepare, stay mindful and enjoy friends, and family time. Keep positive thinking and remembering that just because we may soon be losing the shorts and tank tops doesn’t mean you want to fill out the jeans and sweaters. Stay healthy, stay happy, and stay in tune mentally and physically with where you are,what you want, and what makes you feel your best.

Stay positive and you will get positive results!

When you feel good it’s always easier to transition from one change to the next. Don’t give yourself an excuse to do the wrong thing. Give yourself excuses to do all the right things. Make the choices that make you feel lighter, thinner, happier, healthy, and strong, and makes everyone around you happy too. Only you have the power, the want and the need to make this happen.

“Whatever we make ourselves believe is what we will experience”

LOVE TO LIVE HEALTHY WITH JOSEPHINE FITZPATRICK

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One Positive Thing Leads to Another

ONE POSITIVE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER…

As summer continues on and our social plans seem to multiply life can start making choices for us. Sometimes they feel like choices that are completely out of our control. Other times we just aren’t really fighting for what we want and we tend to go with the flow whether it’s something that is making us happy or not. But I’m here to remind you that you are the only person who controls your own destiny. You are the only person who can decide how people and events affect you. So much of your happiness lies within the choices you make. You either accept that this is it and you throw in the towel and continue to get to a place that makes you more and more unhappy – OR – you change it and get back to a happy place that is positive both mentally and physically. You are the only person who has the power to change where you are and where you want to be.

Positive or a Negative: It’s really important to remember whether positive or negative – One thing really does lead to another. When you do something negative it usually leads to another negative experience and when you do something positive it leads to another positive experience. Here are two examples that you may be able to relate:

NEGATIVE ACTIONS BRING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS:  When you are eating unhealthy you don’t feel good. When you don’t feel good you are not happy and when you are not happy it shows in everything you do, act, feel and look.  When you are eating unhealthy you gain weight.  When you gain weight you feel lethargic, weak, and old. You would think because you are eating more food that you would want less, but the opposite happens and the more you eat the more you want. The worst part is you are not even enjoying the unhealthy food as much as you thought you would. It’s no longer special when you eat it all the time. Now because you don’t feel good and nothing fits you and you are tired – you don’t want to exercise. Even taking a simple walk can seem unappealing. When you eat unhealthy and drink too much you get into a negative mindset and all of your negative unhealthy habits bring negative feelings, thoughts and actions into your life.

 FLIP IT

POSITIVE ACTIONS BRINGS POSITIVE FEELINGS:   You plan your on program meals, snacks and drinks each day. Eating clean everyday makes you feel good. It gives you that lighter, happy and in control feeling that you love. You lose weight and have more energy than ever. This makes you happy. When you are happy everyone around you is happy because you are glad to share the love when you feel good. When you are eating clean and on program you feel good. You are excited to step on the scale and you are excited to get dressed. You are excited to go out!  You know what you are eating so you are not looking for food all the time. The less you eat the less you want and crave.  You are excited and enjoy your meals and your cheat day.  Whether it’s getting dressed or going to the gym, a swim or walking the dog – everything feels effortless and enjoyable.

Do these sound familiar. I know they do because eating unhealthy makes you feel unhealthy and eating clean and healthy makes you feel happy and healthy. It’s a very simple process if you don’t complicate it. When it comes to weight loss ONE THING (good or bad) LEADS TO ANOTHER. You are either eating unhealthy for weight gain or eating clean and healthy for weight loss. It’s the consistency of doing something over and over that makes the habit stick and that consistency is what will continue to give you either the worst results or the very best results.

My final thoughts that I want to share with you… Keep it positive! Be positive and stay around positive people. Work hard everyday and know that the consistency in doing the right thing is what will keep you in a good place. It’s the consistency of doing the right thing over and over that creates the weight loss. Yes it’s hard. But you can do this. You need to work for it and you will get the results. Think about where you are right now. If you are not in a good place then work to get there. I am always here for you and remember you are not the only person who falls off and has to get back on. I can’t even begin to tell you how many clients came in recently that I haven’t seen in a while. I haven’t seen them because they were doing great until they weren’t.  Please don’t ever ever feel embarrassed. No one is perfect. I feel so bad when clients come in and say they weren’t going to come in because they felt embarrassed that they gained weight back. Please don’t ever live unhappy over being embarrassed. It happens to everyone at one time or another – and for some more often than others. I have seen it all. And so many of you know me very well and you know there is never any judgement. I am grateful to be here for you and to be able to help you. It’s what I love to do. All I want is for you to do your best and feel your best everyday. I don’t care where you are – I only care where you are going. So whether you had a bad weekend, week, couple of months or year -don’t be discouraged. Just reach out. It only takes a week to feel better and back in control. It’s always so inspiring and motivating for me when I get the text messages after only one week about how much better you feel and are so so happy you are back on program and back to a controlled happy place. Knowing that each day you put in is a day that will return happy healthy feelings inside and out. Eating clean and healthy doesn’t only change your body it changes your mind and how you act. It keeps you in a positive mindset and changes your life for the better in every way.

You can either give up when the road becomes difficult

or you can keep going and make your path positive and happy!
Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
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IT’S OKAY!

IT’S OKAY!
Lots of different emotions this past week. -Happy, sad, determined, mad, excited, disappointed-. You name it and I addressed it!  When you have a holiday week that is smack in the middle of two party weekends – the results are sometimes not pretty. It’s almost a given that at some point you might not do the right thing. How big and/or bad that thing– is very individualized across the board.
Now that the week is behind us this is what I will tell you moving forward. IT’S OKAY! It’s all okay. Food plays with emotions and feeling in the most drastic way. It can make you ride an emotional roller coaster that if not thought out can ruin your vacation, summer and your family fun. But what you have to remember is it’s not really the food that is doing it – it’s what you are doing with the food and how you are abusing it that creates the emotional roller coaster and results. The best thing you can do is learn from this past week and know what you will and won’t do next time. What made you feel good and what made you feel instantly bad. And most important how you feel today.
YOUR BODY CRAVES 6 CLEAN DAYS!
It’s so much more important to learn from your week then to be negative about it. There is no reason to beat yourself up or be upset with what you did last week or wish you would have done. You have to learn to say IT’S OKAY. What is done is done and whether you were good, bad or ugly you have to deal with it and move on. Once you come to terms with last week is when you will move on and put all your energy into today, tomorrow and this week’s weight loss. You need to think about the next 6 clean days your body wants, and craves so it can feel good. You should be embracing the clean eating and embracing being back on program so that you can get back to your very best and be ready for your next BBQ, Beach Day and Cheat Day.
CHEATING IS FUN ONLY AFTER EATING CLEAN
There is only one thing as good as cheating and that’s eating clean after cheating. Getting back on program and having your healthy clean weight loss days are what you need to embrace and enjoy. You are doing your body good and you know that these clean days are what make you enjoy your cheat day guilt free. The more consistent you can keep six clean days the better you feel, look and the more you will enjoy!
DOING THE RIGHT THING FEELS GOOD
I always like to address all the clients who lost weight this past week and did amazing. We had a lot of clients who lost, maintained or followed exactly what we planned. I’m super proud of you all.  You worked hard and stayed on program and remembered day after day what was important and what makes you happy! Congratulations to all of you for doing the right thing, working super hard and keeping yourself in a positive place.
DON’T FEEL SORRY FOR YOURSELF
For everyone else you know the drill and if you don’t this is it – you will be hungry this week and you will deal with it. Don’t sit and feel sorry for yourself because what is done is done. It’s time to pick yourself up and wipe yourself off -lick your wounds and move on to a positive place. Make your week a happy healthy and on program weight loss week. Because only you have the power, strength and want to make this week Amazing!
You can not make positive changes to yesterday 
But you can make them today tomorrow and the next day.
Love to Live Healthy With Josephine Fitzpatrick
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No More Excuses – Only Choices!

No More Excuses – ONLY Choices!
The Proms and Graduations are over and the kids are gone, and now so are all the excuses! It’s time to get yourself back on track for the amazing summer that is ahead of you. In fact, by this time next week so many of you will be in Greece, Italy, Croatia, Bermuda and many other beautiful fairytale places. It’s a wonderful time of the year that you work so hard for all year to enjoy. You can feel it in the air- the summer sun and the little down time that takes place when summer arrives makes everyone relax a little more and take a little breather to enjoy the accomplishments of all the hard work that takes place the other 9 months of the year. Whether you will remain home or away what you must remember is this one important thing.
 
Summer is 10 weeks long. 
That is a really long time to either stay in control and lose weight; 
or maintain and stay the same as you are today; 
or do a lot of damage and end the summer in a very unpleasant place.  
As many of you know it doesn’t take much for the damage part. All it takes is not thinking, not planning and frequently over indulging – very easy to do any time of the year but especially in the social summer. And even though 10 weeks feels super long the reality is it’s going to go by in the blink of an eye. But this summer is going to be different because we are planning ahead so we stay in a happy controlled but fun place all summer long. That’s right – this summer we are going to try and control our brain and body and enjoy summer and all that comes with it without putting on the extra unwanted pounds.
So how do you find this balance – it’s not as hard as you may think. You need to look at your life as a whole and think about what you want and what makes you happy. Do you want to lose weight OR do you want to be able to go out and eat what you want?. Choose your hard and choose your outcome! Which is more important and what can you live with.  Are you okay with maintaining OR Is fitting in your clothes the most important thing to you. Or maybe you want to focus on your health because you know your numbers will sky rocket if you are not following your program and eating clean; or maybe it’s about how you feel and how important it is for you to feel good about your body inside and out so you can act accordingly. Maybe it’s all of the above. To find balance and get the best results that you can live with you need to decide what you will be happy with today, tomorrow and next week. Yes, eating is fun and indulging brings instant happiness for some, however seeing a high number on the scale and not fitting into your clothes by mid July might not be worth the frequent indulgences. Again – remind yourself to always choose your hard and choose your outcome! In order to choose your hard you have to always think about the outcome and not just the moment.  It’s easy to say “It’s my vacation and I want to over indulge.” But then you must remember you have to be happy with that outcome when you step on the scale. When you choose your hard and your outcome – you will find balance in what you choose and what you can live with.
CHOCIES:
MAINTAINING: If you have a lot going on one week and you want to maintain you will either do an extra cheat day or give up cheat days and incorporate one meal and drinks or dessert each day (this can’t be long term and should be done on a weekly basis always returning back to the one cheat day a week in between). Another option is to do cheat meal – dessert or drinks every other day. Always having a day in between to regroup with your clean program.
WEIGHT LOSS: Very simple you stick to your clean meals and snacks and one cheat day a week. This is very doable in the summer because if you plan ahead you can always find a healthy choice whether you are going to a bbq, a hotel or a different country. Staying on six days clean is very doable in the summer. You have your clean meals and snacks and if you are over 21 you can even use your snacks as drinks. There are no excuses to go off program. This is more about if you want to do it – then if you can do it.
WEIGHT GAIN:  Easy to do but never an option!
We always talk about planning and how important it is. But what is more important is following through on the planning. Do the right things and make sure that if you planned on being 110% this week – then you are 110% this week. If you planned on going off of dinner and dessert and then right back on the next day – make sure you go right back on the next day- no excuses.  If you planned on being off program 2 nights but clean all day then make sure you do it. Always think things through what tomorrow is going to feel like and the end result of your choices. Will it make you happy? Is it worth it? Think about where you are today and where do you want to be next week and next month. Learn to live and enjoy today but plan for what you want and where you want to be tomorrow.
Final thoughts – If you want to lose weight you can continue to do that. You follow your six clean days on program and your one day off. If you are going on vacation then you follow the maintaining plan. After vacation you go right back on. If you choose to maintain all summer that’s okay too. Just know what you are doing and what the outcome will be. Think things through and always remember that just because you have a lot of social events that you want to enjoy and celebrate doesn’t mean that you need to cheat at everything you go to. You can enjoy and celebrate everything without indulging in unhealthy weight gaining foods, and you will feel better and have a happier summer staying on program for both your mind and body. When you can be amazing and on program do it because every good healthy clean choice can make the difference between maintaining and gaining. And all the choices you make as the summer progresses will make the difference in how you look and feel each day.
 You are the only person who can make the excuse of why you are going off program 
and you are the only person who can give yourself a better excuse of why you are staying on program. 
Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick