Can you believe January has come and gone?  For those of you who have remained true to your goals (and there are soooo many of you) I am beyond thrilled and excited for you.  It’s a tough time of  year but it’s also the most important when it comes to weight loss.  In a blink, February has arrived and Winter Break is 2 weeks away … which means Spring Break is 6 weeks and Summer is literally just around the corner.   For those of you who have not stayed true to your goals I think it’s time you pull yourself together and start making things happen.  Because before you know it you will be saying “What was I thinking?”  — “Why didn’t I do it?”  and  “How did this happen?”  I think it’s fair to say  — life has proved that it can happen so 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.

If it makes you feel better — it’s not just you.  Life happens quickly for everyone.  That’s all we ever hear and say:  “I can’t believe it!”  and “Where did the time go?!”  The day, the weeks, the months went so fast.  You had planned to do this and/or that — and you never did it.  But the truth is you didn’t plan. You merely thought about it or talked about it because if you planned for it you would have accomplished it.  When it comes to life and time we are all the same — it happens quickly and the days, the weeks, and the months go by all at the same 24 hour pace.  No one has more minutes or hours in a day or week than the rest of us.  So what is the difference between those who are successful and those who aren’t?

Successful people plan.  They have a focus and a vision and they plan for it and they keep planning until they reach that goal.  If it’s a big goal then they make little goals to achieve along the way until they reach the big goal.  When they reach that big goal they make another goal.  It’s mental strength that everyone can have if they put their minds to it.  Yes, some are stronger than others, and some may want it more than others.  But at the end of the day you either have a goal that you are really truly working hard toward or you are just talking about it and make excuses for why you haven’t achieved it.

There are no 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 and focus and keep reminding yourself what you want — then there will be no stopping you.  Even if you are moving at a snail’s pace you can still be in the same positive direction and moving toward your positive goals.  So 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.

YOUR FOCUS DETERMINES YOUR REALITY 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

It’s so hard to believe Thanksgiving is almost here.  This can be a very stressful and very social time where healthy eating and staying on track can take a backseat.  Kids are off from school, students coming home from college, some are going on vacations, and of course the beginning of shopping and planning for the holiday season.  These next few weeks can go two different ways as the days go by in the blink of an eye and then all of a sudden the New Year is here.  You can stay healthy and in control, or you can let it all go and have to start all over in January.  You have choices, and we will help you stick to the right choice that works for you.

OPTIONS for Thanksgiving Week:

If you keep it to one cheat day you will get the very best results— however, you have to be realistic in what works for you this coming weekend.  If you need to split your cheat days and maintain the week that is totally fine.  Whether you decide one cheat day or spitting the cheat day the most important thing is you have a plan and stick to what you decide.   TIP:    We all want to be perfect and be sharks, but we also know what we are capable of and if it’s a turtle weekend and you need to split the days then that is the plan you should follow.

ONLY ONE CHEAT DAY: (CHOOSE ONE)

1. THANKSGIVING CHEAT DAY — Make Thanksgiving your Cheat Day.  A fun day to have a cheat day especially if you love the turkey and all the trimmings!  You stay clean all week and enjoy your Thanksgiving Cheat day and then you go right back on plan and no cheat day on the weekend.  Your next cheat day will be the weekend of December 7th.
2. STAY CLEAN ON THANKSGIVING AND HAVE YOUR REGULAR CHEAT DAY ON THE WEEKEND — It won’t be easy to sit and watch the stuffing or your favorite side dish being passed around the table, but in order to stick to your routine and keep your momentum, some of you will choose to stay clean and on program Thanksgiving Day and do your normal Cheat Day Thanksgiving Weekend.  It’s very possible to do, and it’s a great option for this week and it will help keep you in  a good place going forward this winter and holiday season.  *Make sure you check wherever you are eating Thanksgiving day that they have options that will help you stay on.  Turkey and vegetables are always easy and maybe bring a fruit platter so you can have your dessert ready for you.

SPLIT THE CHEAT DAY

1. If you are okay with maintaining this week you have the option of splitting your cheat day.  If you know you are having a very social weekend this is probably the most realistic for you — Choose 2 days and stay clean all day and only cheat dinner/drinks/dessert.   So if you choose Thanksgiving— you will do clean  on program breakfast and lunch and then do Cheat dinner/drinks/dessert.   Then you pick another day on the weekend and do the same thing.  The remaining days should be 100% on program.  This give you the option to enjoy, be social and also feel good and stay on program.

Choosing the option is easy – Sticking to it is what is truly important.  Don’t make this weekend a four day eating marathon.  Because I promise you every year there are clients who lose it and go down hill with no breaks and it’s 4 days- 10lbs later.  It’s not the turkey or thanksgiving — it’s the starting Wednesday night and not stopping until Sunday.  It’s a very social and indulging weekend — you want to enjoy stay in control and feel good throughout.  Stay mindful – have your plan and stick to it.

MONDAY MORNING COMES FAST! 

Think about how you want to feel Friday, Saturday and Sunday?  Most important how do you want to feel Monday morning?

THERE WILL BE TWO SCENARIOS COME MONDAY MORNING:

1. You will open your eyes Monday morning and be so super happy you stayed on program and did the right things and followed exactly what you had planned.  You will get out of bed and get dressed and you will feel so good both mentally and physically that you accomplished what you planned for your weekend.  You will be so ready to start the week in such a good place.  You will feel like Tiger and it will show in every hop skip and jump you take that morning —right into your closet to get dressed.
2. OR you will open your eyes and wonder what was going on inside of your head all weekend.  You promised yourself you wouldn’t do this again and yet here you are.  You will then drag yourself out of bed like Eeyore “always me” and wonder how you are going to squeeze into your work clothes OR workout clothes and think where you went wrong and how did you get to this place.  Then you will try and justify it by promising yourself that you will starve all week and workout 80hours minimum.  Knowing deep down that there is no justifying it and no getting around it because nothing you ate was worth how you are feeling.

Think about which one of the above you want for Monday Morning.  Everything you do is a choice you will make —  and our choices have consequences.   Remember you are free to make whatever choice you want but you are not free from the consequences of that choice.  If you do the right things and make the right choices — yes there will be moments that it will feel difficult through the weekend but  I promise you will be so happy Monday morning with the results.

THE CHOICES YOU MAKE TODAY

WILL DETERMINE YOUR DIRECTION TOMORROW

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

With the holidays approaching and schedules are full I know many of you are already thinking — how am I going to get through this coming week— when in reality it shouldn’t be that difficult.  Holidays should be about you being surrounded with family and friends and celebrating love, health, happiness and the New Year and the blessings it brings.   Just like the mind controls the body — how you treat and celebrate Rosh Hashanah will reflect the rest of your year.  With that said you do not want to go in saying one thing and doing another.   So if you plan on staying clean do it and if you plan on cheating enjoy it.  The important thing is to follow through on what you plan.

I think one of the most important things about the Innovation Program is it gives you the opportunity to have a cheat day once a week.  It’s meant to be a day where you can enjoy without guilt.  However, we sometimes get caught up in when we want it that is most convenient for us VS. when we should use it.  Let me explain further….  if you normally have a cheat day on Saturday  — but you are celebrating Rosh Hashanah on Monday because that is when you will be with family and friends then you should use Monday as your cheat day.  Instead what we tend to do is go on about how we don’t like the food that is going to be served, and we don’t want to waste a cheat day on a holiday.  So instead you have the Cheat Day on the Saturday like you normally do so you can indulge in what you want — but then you end up having Matzo Ball Soup, Challah bread and a couple of drinks on the holiday…. all while telling yourself it wasn’t that much.  And you will justify it by saying you did not want to be that person who couldn’t eat.  But in reality you didn’t have to be that person — you could have just chosen to use your cheat day on the holiday as that is exactly what it is for.   So now you have had two cheat days and you could have easily had one and saved it for the holiday to enjoy with those you love —  or as we know family and holidays are tricky — you could have enjoyed your cheat day on the holiday with a couple of extra drinks if you happen to be surrounded by those you love but drive you crazy 🙂

If we are going to ask something from the Almighty then we should be prepared to help him out.  — If you want the right things in your life then you have to do the right things to make it happen.  Rosh Hashanah is about starting your New Year with asking G-d to grant a year of peace, prosperity, and blessings of health and happiness.  But we must remember even when we ask for blessings — it’s up to us to do the right things to make them happen.  If you ask for positive in your life but take all negative steps after asking — then 9 out of 10 times you will get negative results.  One of the most important things we learn in any religion is that asking is not enough —  and it shouldn’t be enough.  Anything you ask, pray or hope for has to be followed up with positive work to receive what you want.  It’s not ask and you shall receive—  it’s ask, and then follow that request up with hard work and positive steps.  Only then will you have the greatest chance of achieving the most precious life changing results.

RECAP…   getting through the weekend and the holidays shouldn’t be stressful when it comes to food.  You pick your cheat and you follow your plan.  It’s like any other weekend — you can’t cheat more than one day and expect to lose weight that week.  If you stick to your 6 days on and 1 day off you will lose.  Keep it all in perspective.  If you want to ask, pray or hope for a great healthy year then follow it up by starting the holiday with doing what you planned.  If you are cheating then cheat and enjoy, and if you are staying on program — then plan it and follow through.   There are always options and having the cheat day gives you the flexibility to stay on program or have your cheat day and enjoy.

Whether it’s weight loss, happiness, health, love, career, prosperity OR all of the above — regardless of what or who you believe in it all  comes down to doing the right things, working hard and staying on your healthy path.  Because as we all know positive actions = positive results.

Don’t ask G-d to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

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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My Thoughts for you on Memorial Day Weekend:

Make a choice. Regardless of what is going on in your life – sometimes it’s actually easier to just plan to stay on program and do the right thing instead of staying in limbo and question constantly if you are going to be on or off.

MAKE THE CHOICE:
Stay on and be happy with your results.
Go off and be happy with your results.

There will always be things happening in your life good and bad – happy and sad. One of the most important things for weight loss is to learn how to get through a party, BBQ, a fight, a celebration or even just a night out without feeling like you are going to throw all your hard work away because “something is going on”. When you live the program it becomes an easy question and answer:

Focus on what is going to make you feel your best regardless of what is going on around you. When you live the program there is always a choice – you just have to plan and follow through with it.

When it comes to a holiday weekend and Cheat Day my best advice is to evaluate your weekend and decide which day is the best for you to cheat. Never wing it and say “I will figure it out as I go” that is like saying “I’m going to cheat all weekend!” Whether you have a party or event everyday, or just one night out. Figure out what you are doing before you do it. Ask yourself: Do you like your regular cheat day or would you rather switch it to the BBQ day you have planned with friends. Do you want to be hardcore and have only one day or are you going to split it over the weekend and make it a maintain week. Whatever you choose make a plan before and stick with it. Here are some options:

• Is your Cheat day the best on a day you have a BBQ or Party?Would you do better if you keep it the same day you always have it. For example if your cheat day is Saturday does it work better for you to keep it Saturday and be clean the rest of the weekend regardless of what events you are attending?
• Do you plan on being 110% clean all weekend and only cheat one day so you can have the best weight loss next week
• Are you going to split your cheat days and be clean all day and only off dinner and drinks each day so that you maintain next week (remember you need a solid week after this just to maintain).

My advice for this weekend is simple and works 110% – have a plan and stick to it. Whether you are staying 110% or splitting the cheat days – it’s important to know before hand and follow through with what you choose.

TIP: Never ever determine your weekend by where you are today. For example if you wish you had started earlier and wish you had 10 more pounds off don’t go into this weekend thinking – Im just going to be great and not cheat because I’m not where I want to be yet. That never works. Instead – evaluate your weekend and think if you can get through it with one cheat day or will you need to split them. Because the most important thing that comes out of this weekend is that you stayed – remained and followed through with what you planned. That is what will make you feel successful and that will get you right back into your weight loss week.

If you are staying clean all weekend with one cheat day it’s always best to try and have your cheat day Sunday. This way you don’t give yourself the option of cheating Friday and Saturday and Sunday. It’s Sunday and and you go right back on Monday like it’s any other week. Or do it Monday and go right back Tuesday. The later in the weekend helps you stay focused and on track the beginning of the weekend – and keeps you feeling great as you make your way to your cheat day. It’s easier to stay clean and wait for the cheat day then to do a cheat day and go through parties and continue to stay strong and not cheat.

TIP: Plan your meals and snacks and know if you are drinking you are giving up your snacks for the day. Drink water in between each drink it will keep you hydrated and mindful throughout your day/night. *Remember after two drinks most control is gone so be very aware of what you are doing at all times and what your consequences will be.

I know I say it all the time but it truly is all about the party you are at and the people you are with. That is what you want to enjoy. The food is fun but it’s secondary to why you are there.

Focus on how you want each day to end. Happy- enjoyed- had fun and feel good.

Keep this Holiday weekend simple
PLAN – FOLLOW – FEEL GREAT
and most important stay safe!

Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick