1) Go back to your menu! That’s right, go back to your meals and snacks and stop looking for things to be exciting. Pick one of your snacks a day that you look forward to and promise yourself that if your day is 110% then you will have that last on program snack. Whether it’s the chocolate nuts, or a glass of wine. Have something that you look forward to just like you look forward to your Cheat Day at the end of the week – look forward to a snack each day. That one thing will keep your day clean just like the Cheat Day keeps your week clean.

2)  From More to Less: Remember going from eating more on vacation to less than your body needs is going to feel like a little torture the first week back. This is when your mental power needs to set in and you talk to yourself everyday reminding yourself what your goal is and how good you feel when you follow and stay on program. Remind yourself that while it will feel really hard it will get easier and you will FEEL BETTER both mentally and physically by the end of the week. Remind yourself that the Cheat Day only works and is only worth it when the other 6 days are 110% on program.

3) Have a reason, have a goal! Why is this important to you? Is it your health – the way you feel – the way you look. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s import to you. If it’s important to you then you will do whatever you have to in order to get there. Do you have a trip for spring break? Do you want to wear a bathing suit this summer – NO COVER UPS? NO KEEPING YOUR SHIRT ON AT THE BEACH! At the end of the day, no one can do this but you. So it has to be important to you.

4)  Have a specific goal, long term and short term: If you are 147 and want to be 110 don’t look at the entire weight that you have to lose. It’s too over whelming. Start with the short term, that you want to get to the 130’s. It’s easier to focus on and you know while it’s not the true goal you will still be beyond thrilled when you see it. When you reach 139.9 your next goal is 120’s, and so on. It gives you realistic expectations that are very doable in a faster pace. You will feel like you are reaching your goals quicker. And at the same time it’s taking you to your long term goal which might be losing 40 lbs or being ready for an event in the Fall.

5) Have a Vision: Know what you want and take a few minutes everyday to visualize yourself in that position. Reminding yourself everyday and visualizing what you want and how you want to look and feel is an important part of reaching your goals. Our brains are so strong. When you keep telling yourself what you want and that you can do it – you will believe it. Visualize how you want to look and what you want to wear. Think about yourself on the beach this summer or in a specific outfit when you are attending a special event. Stay focused on anything that will keep you motivated.

6) Keep it Positive: I have said it over and over that you need to be positive. Don’t focus on what you don’t want – ONLY focus on what you do want and what you will look like – it’s a key to any success. Don’t follow the negative or the negative people. There are plenty of people who don’t want to put the work in and who don’t want you to either. You leave them to their own misery and don’t fall prey to misery loves company. Stay strong and stay positive and you will overcome. Positive thinking will take you twice the distance as negative thinking. “I will do this! I want this!! I can’t wait to wear that!!! When my jacket comes off this spring I will feel amazing! I love feeling healthy!! I am not afraid to go to the doctor and see my numbers, I’m actually excited to see and hear the results of my blood work!”

7) People don’t become successful by accident: Always remember that no one is successful by accident. 99.9 % of people who have success in their life work for it day and night. Whether that success is in your family, friends, work, weight loss, health… to have the very best and be the best – you need to work at it, think about it, plan for it and keep working at it. It takes dedication, it take perseverance and more than anything it takes want.

FINAL THOUGHTS: It’s easy to give up, it’s easy to gain, it’s easy to blame, and it’s easy to make excuses – any one of us can do any of those things. But none will make you happy. Just because your vacation is over – your life isn’t. Keep working hard everyday for what you want because that’s how you will see continued results and that’s when you feel your best. Work hard =happy; Plan = happy; Feel amazing = happy; Clothes fit = happy; Results = happy! If you want to be happy, put the time and work in like everyone else. It all comes down to what you want and how much you want it and how hard you are willing to work for it. Always remember in order to really enjoy the playing you have to make sure you have the work in – and this goes for every area of your life not just weight loss and health. At the end of the day, we are in control of what we want and what we are willing to work for. If you want to be amazing – be amazing! If you want to feel fabulous – then work for it and feel fabulous! If you want to be happy then work hard at what will make you happy. We are all very lucky because in almost every area of our life we have the ability to work hard to get what we want. Don’t look back in a month or three months and say I should have, I could have – why didn’t I?

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

211 E 43rd Street Manhattan, NY 10017