Josephine (Host)

Hi everyone, welcome to the Love to Live Healthy show. I’m Josephine Fitzpatrick. Today we have a very special guest, Dara Gelb. She’s going to share her story how she lost 15 pounds on the Innovation Weight Loss Program. But that weight loss not only changed her body, it changed her life. Let’s see if we can bring her in. Dara. Hi, how are you?

Dara (Guest)

I’m good thank you. How are you?

Josephine (Host)

I am great thank you. Dara you lost 15 pounds on the Innovation Program. You were sent to me because your daughter was having her Ba Mitzvah, right? So that was why you were sent to me originally. and it ended up being so much more. So let’s talk about that. The 15 pounds you did lose rather quickly, right? 

 Dara (Guest)

I think I started like end of August, beginning of September. So it really I just came in looking for some, I guess, structure, some more routine, some flexibility within that structure, if that makes sense. And I was just ready for a change and ready to commit and it just became a whole life change that I could never have anticipated. 

Josephine (Host)

I love that. That’s amazing, and you came in just wanting to look and feel better. 

Dara (Guest)

I work in the summer and I had just been in a place where I just wanted to make some positive changes for myself and this program really just seamlessly fit into or I seamlessly kind of fit it into my life and my lifestyle and, with your help and support, it just really worked. 

Josephine (Host)

That’s amazing. I know the bar mitzvah was in November. 

Dara (Guest)

 Yeah, it was the BA Mitzvah was end of November 

Josephine (Host)

Im sorry the BA Mitzvah. it was end of November. And I remember one thing I loved is when you said you felt like a princess that day. And that was so special to me because that was really our goal. We wanted you to feel the best you could feel. You know, and really when you change and have that confidence, it’s a big deal. You know. It changes who you are and how people look at you, because you’re walking with confidence rather than feeling like, oh, I don’t feel good and you know it’s this big beautiful day. 

 Dara (Guest)

 It was like one of the first times, I think, I’ve worked in my adult life, that I’ve worked really hard for something and seen like a real change, not only with how I look and feel or like look physically, but how I present myself and feel about myself.

It’s not always easy, you know, and there are days, like we’ve talked about, that are, you know, you feel hungry but never starving, but feel hungrier than others. There are some weeks and the holidays was challenging to work through, but I think that the best thing that I’ve found through you and your support is really like the ability to restart successfully, that like having a bad day, you know, and making choices that you can allow yourself to make and then forgive yourself and start over. I think that I have been able to say to myself like this was a rough day, I enjoyed it. Or maybe like the experience that I was having was different than just my average day where I could make choices that are all on program, but that that’s okay, that it doesn’t always mean there’s going to be a change in the scale. You know, up or down, that I have to learn to enjoy the choices that I’m making and if I have a rough go, that that’s okay and I have you and I can report to it you know and your feedback and support really helps. I really can’t imagine it not helping anyone that’s trying your program. 

 Josephine (Host)

Thank you. I appreciate it. I know the food has really helped you and I love that you’ve really learned how to eat it and you’ve learned how to enjoy it and spread it out. You don’t sit and eat a full meal, but you eat what you need and you’ve really learned to listen to your body like that. I think that’s really important. I find I get a lot of feedback from clients who listen to the podcast that they tend to just eat what’s in front of them. I know for you especially, like I even see, because when you send me the food you’ll have like three rainbow balls but you’ll only eat one because you only need one, or you’ll eat two and you’ll separate it, but you eat it when you need it. 

 Dara (Guest)

Yeah, I think that I have definitely been more of a picker my whole life. I’ve always been tasting and I’ve always been able to eat in modification or make choices, but I just got to a point in my life, like over 40, where it was just starting to affect just how I looked and felt. I think the products that you have are amazing. I think that it’s allowed me again to have so much flexibility and food that tastes good, because what you always say is that if you’re eating less, you have to really enjoy what you’re eating. 

And I really do love the food on the program. Then when I go out, like being able to have your support and really enjoy the food that I have. I start my day and I graze, like I take it, I’ll take some water, I’ll have some coffee and then, if we go out and I have a meal, I’ll sometimes come home and know that I have a dessert that I can enjoy myself, because I like to have a little bit of something sweet at the end of the night. I think what I really love is that I don’t have to count calories and I don’t necessarily have to look at all ingredients, like if I follow the program. I know I’m making good choices and I’ve seen the results of that.

Josephine (Host)

Yes amazing results. What would you say is your favorite food is here. 

Dara (Guest)

Oh it’s so hard to pick one. I mean those rainbow protein balls are like damn. The truffle balls I’ve tried this week are amazing. But I mean all the food is good. I love the pastas, I love the cheese quesadillas, and obviously those muffins in the morning. But I’ve been having variety with them all. like my morning meal i like the protein PB bar. I just I love like being able to spread it out. Some stuff is crunchy, some stuff is softer. 

Josephine (Host)

I was thinking about you the other day. Do you remember when you had COVID and use to make them bring it to your door? 

Dara (Guest)

Oh my God, I just had everybody like heat it up and leave it right at the basement door and I would like come up and take my food and go back down. I really needed that delivery because I didn’t want to, you know, rely on anybody else to kind of make the food. It was really like it gets me through, yeah, and I enjoy it.

Like I was telling you I always keep a bunch of your snacks in the car for like when I’m on the go and I teach all day and then I drive all afternoon, most of the afternoon, so I keep snacks in the trunk and it really helps, and I think I’ve also learned to plan better than I ever did and I think planning like is really key the key to my success with the program being able to plan you know what you’re eating and plan for the times where you think you’re going to be off program and and then really make the most of the days where you can stay on. 

Josephine (Host)

Yes even when you went away with your hockey weekends you did great. 

Dara (Guest)

Yeah, I’ve learned to like, say no and to know that that’s okay, not only with the program, but you know, we talk about it every week, like in life too. 

Josephine (Host)

So one thing which I love about your story and I find that so many clients are going to enjoy it and really learn from it and be inspired from it is the weight loss wasn’t the only the big part of it, of course it’s great because you look amazing, and we love that. We always say, everything is great in life when you are thin and fit in your clothes, but it changed so many other areas of your life, and that’s what I want to touch on, because that I feel is so important and I feel like so many people will relate to that. 

 Dara (Guest)

Yeah, I just I think I was often looking to others for happiness. I’m like a huge people pleaser and I think a lot of me was looking outside to make me happy, to make me feel better. And I think what I really learned through your program and through the working hard and seeing the benefits of that is that it’s okay to say no and and not have to explain everything. You know we always talk about less is more and that to really prioritize yourself and your family and what means the most to you. And it’s been a struggle for me but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I think I’ve learned so much just about you know how to approach friendships and relationships and work, you know, and life just through you and this whole process, I could never see myself giving it up. 

Josephine (Host)

I love that. I do think it’s so important when you lose weight, of course we love that you look good and we always say that’s so great, but really what it does, it gives you the confidence of not only what you’re capable of, but when you feel your best, how you look at other things differently. And so we’ve been talking about boundaries and we’ve spoken about prioritizing, and obviously I’m a big family person so I always say, like your family is your core, and that’s where you you should always prioritize and build off of that and then add everything else positive on to it. But the key is can you really do that when you’re not feeling your best? 

Dara (Guest)

Right. 

Josephine (Host)

That’s really what this is about is, when you get to that point of feeling your best, all of a sudden you can put things in order. 

Dara (Guest)

And I think you know I’ve always heard like if you’re not happy with yourself or you’re not doing the work from within like you really can’t be happy with anything else, but it really does change you and I don’t think I really understood that until going through this process with you, that you have to be happy with who you are and I think the weight loss and the work that I put in to do that and making a commitment to the program really helped me make you know what I really hope is some positive changes in my life too. 

Josephine (Host)

I love that, and they are already you, are making amazing positive changes we’ve seen that, which is unbelievable. I’m so happy about that. 

I did want to touch on one more thing. I think is really important is that you did lose the weight fast and of course we had the Ba Mitzvah, so yeah for that. But you kept it off. You actually even got thinner after it, and I think what we have said is it’s really because you just needed structure and kind of new you. I think you kind of had all the fundamentals of what you needed to do. But you really just, I think once you had that structure and that control, it came right off. 

Dara (Guest)

And your support, I think, being held accountable, you know, learning first what I had to change, and having your support to be accountable through it, and I think when you write anything down, you’re going to be more successful. So just you know, texting you and then having that support if you need to be flexible, you know, and having, like you know, sometimes you say like stop, you know, like you’re being hard on yourself, stop, or like you know tomorrow’s a new day. 

It really all just worked for me and because I’m really enjoying what I’m eating and I feel full, and so I’m able to say to myself, like do I really want the French fry in the car? Like is it worth it? Do I really like, want to, you know, eat the icing, you know, and there there are temptations, but I’m able to not do them because I enjoy the process. I’m able to kind of, you know, like you we’ve heard before in the podcast, do i really need it or do I want it.

It’s funny at the time I think I was thinking to myself I can still do what I could do in my 20s, and so I think your body changes, right, you know your life changes and I think the structure of it and, like I had mentioned before the the flexibility of the choices that you can make within that structure really worked. And you know the times we saw the scale going up a couple of times we made some changes and it went back down, and it just really works. 

You know it’s a little like off topic, but going back to like weekends away, that it’s okay, that I don’t need to sit, if I’m enjoying, I can make the choices. And if someone were to tell me, you know, why aren’t you doing this ? I can say like I’m good with it, you know. Or I can just say I’m good. Im enjoying the experience and I can stay on program even if I’m not at home doing my normal. 

Josephine (Host)

Right, which I love, yeah, which is really important. And I do want to point out because I think this is so important, because this is like being a recurring theme in my podcast, you don’t exercise either. 

Dara (Guest)

Listen I, I’ve tried and I am still working towards like two things I’m really trying to drink more water and at least get out and and walk, because I think it’s just important for your overall you know health and well-being and mindset. But I really did this with all from food and with my commitment and with you, and the help and support that we get from you and just from eating. It really was little to no exercise. 

Josephine (Host)

Love it. You’re so inspiring. I’m so excited to share this. I can’t wait for everyone to see you before and after. I mean, I know how you’ve changed from the inside out, which I love and I it was such a gift to me to be able to see that. But when everyone sees you before and after, it’s amazing, so I’m really excited for that too. 

Okay, honey. Well, thank you so much. 

Dara (Guest)

Thank you for you, for everything. I’ll see you next week. 

Josephine (Host)

Thank you, dara. Thank you for sharing your amazing journey with us. You are so inspiring. You showed us that the weight loss, of course, is so important on the outside, but how important it is on the inside because it can change your life with the confidence, the motivation, the inspiration that you get from feeling your best. I’m wishing everyone a happy, healthy week full of love and hugs from me to all of you. 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

If your week is feeling a little challenging I want to remind you that you are not alone. One of the hardest things about holiday weekends is retraining the brain and the appetite to get back to eating on program and eating less. You will have a few tough days and by mid week you will feel back in control. Just stay focused and don’t give in to temptation. Think about your goals and what is truly important to you. Everything will feel better one on program day at a time.

By the weekend you will be ready to get back on the scale and have your cheat meal. Then next week instead of taking it one day at a time maybe take a leap and do the detox for 5 days or the 5 hour Fasting for 5 days. If you are feeling inspired and motivated then give yourself that jump to get to your next new low.

Remember the detox and 5 hour fasting is not something you have to do every week. Some clients do the detox every week with weekends off and others love the 5 hour fasting and live on it. But some will do one or the other and do it once a month. Some even combine the detox for a couple of days and the Fasting for a couple of days. You do what works for you. The most important thing is to keep moving forward and feeling your very best while you are doing it.

With November ending and December beginning we have to remember we will need to prepare in advance for all the holiday parties and vacations.

December is so busy it always tends to feel like the shortest month of the year. It’s a great month to enjoy when you need to — and the weeks you have nothing going on is when do everything you can to stay on program and get the very best results.

Remind yourself when you are doing the right things how great you feel when you are getting dressed or when you are going out or something as simple as putting on a pair of sweatpants. Everything feels better when we are doing our best to be our best.

Stay in the positive mindset of giving 100% on the days and weeks you can, because those 100% days and weeks will make a big difference in your results at the end of the month

It’s up to you to live WITHOUT the regrets of

should have, would have, could have

BUT I DIDN’T

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

MIND GAMES TO MOTIVATION From Graduations to Starting Camp — this time of year is all about endings and beginnings for all ages. We are all experiencing happy tears in all kinds of celebrations. So how do we stay motivated to stick to our program and lose the weight when we have temptation at every turn? Here are some tips that will help you get past the mental games we play – the self sabotage we do -and keep you motivated and happy to stay on your path.  MIND GAMES: You know that 90% of weight loss is mental. As soon as you can’t have it you want it. You want the weight loss so bad but at the same time you can talk yourself into cheating in seconds. You are so quick to notice when someone takes advantage of you but do you ever realize when YOU are the one taking Advantage of YOURSELF.  EXAMPLE: MindGame— You step on the scale mid-week because part of you thinks— If I lost I will keep going but if I didn’t lose I’m giving up and eating— but the truth is you have only been on program 3 days so you didn’t even give your body enough time to lose the weight.  EXAMPLE: MindGame— You make deals with yourself — Im going to have extra today but I will eat less tomorrow (even though you know that will never happen – once you eat off program you will be lucky if you even get back on the next day- never mind eat less).  SOLUTION: The truth is when it comes to Mind Games we get into negative thinking because it’s always going to be easier to do the wrong-thing than do the right thing. The only way to stop playing mind games with yourself is to be brutally honest. When you see you are questioning your original plan – think about why you are doing it, and if you are being honest with yourself you will acknowledge that maybe it’s because you are tired or you are hungry and you feel mentally weak. Sometimes when you ask yourself the honest questions you will give yourself the honest answers and then you can move away from the mind games and focus on the truth of what you want and what it will take to get it.  SABOTAGE:  Self-sabotage is when you actively or passively take steps to prevent yourself from reaching your goals. When you are constantly sabotaging your own thoughts you are taking yourself off the path that you know means so much to you. There are many reason why we self sabotage such as – Instant gratification – and/or avoiding what needs to be done. But at the end of the day the Why isn’t always as important as learning to STOP.  The best way to stop sabotaging is to Plan your day. The reason for this is because when you have too much freedom and no plan it creates lack of self regulation. When you have a plan it immediately creates control from within. When you have control from within and you plan your day – as long as you follow that plan – you will be less likely to self sabotage.  MOTIVATION: If you are not disciplined enough to just walk away or just say NO -how do you stay on your path and lose the weight. MOTIVATION! Motivation represents the willingness to put your efforts in a particular direction so you can achieve your goals. Motivation is what makes you perform- It energizes your behavior and directs you to perform the activity by using your own enthusiasm. So a great example of this is when you give yourself that one solid week on program and you see your results – those results motivate you to do it again. But you have to start with putting the work in to that one solid week to create your own motivation.  VISUALIZE: This is big on my list these days. Don’t just think about it – but actually visualize it! When you visualize you are giving your brain a clear picture of what you want to feel and look like. When you do this the visualization sends a signal to your body to start behaving consistent with the image. It’s such a powerful skill most of us don’t even know we have. One of the best things you can do is think about an event you want to go to. It could be one day or multiple days. It could be as big as a wedding or as small as a beach day. The idea is to think about how you want to to look and feel that day. Think specifically about what you want to wear – and how you want to look and feel in it. Visualization is a simple technique that you can use to create a strong mental image of what you really want.  FINAL THOUGHTS…. Think about the end of the day and tomorrow. You finished your on program day. You are laying in bed a little hungry but not starving. You immediately feel lighter and healthier. You can tell in your body you have done the right thing – it doesn’t even matter what the scale says you know you are lighter. You followed your program and had a great day. You wake up the next morning and you feel even better. When you wake up after having an amazing day you can literally feel how light your body feels. And instead of dreading getting dressed you are excited about it. Happy and feeling good – that is always how you want to end and begin your amazing days. The words you tell yourself everyday will either Lift you Up or they will Tear you Down ~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Now that the end of July has approached us I want you to look back and think about where you are today and where you thought you would be. Four Weeks ago on July 1st I asked you where did you want to be at the end of July…. Did you reach that goal? Did you put the work in like you promised yourself? Sometimes these can be very tough questions to answer especially if we know we didn’t do what we wanted – but they are even harder when we know we didn’t even try.

Yes we can all agree Summer is hard. But if we really think about it – weight loss is always hard. It’s a time that we are taking in less than our bodies need so we are hungry. It’s a time that we have to walk away from temptations that always seem to be there. My point is if you keep waiting for it to be easy – it will never happen.

I want you to remember while you are contemplating and waiting for an easier time – I have thousands of clients who are doing the right things and losing the weight and feeling great. I tell you this because I want you to always remember you are no different then they are – the only thing different is you keep stopping yourself from what you really want. When you decide to start working a little harder, being okay with being uncomfortable, and committing to walking away from temptation – I promise you will see the results. You have to stop getting in your own way.  Stop waiting and start doing .

SECOND LOOK: Think back on July. How did you feel? Was it making you happy? Did you feel healthy and in control. If the answer is yes you feel great and you are doing great – then I’m super happy for you because there is no better feeling. If the answer is you are not feeling good in your body and mind and you have lost control – then you need to change it.

HOW TO MOVE FORWARD: Lose the weight now. Start today. Stop thinking that it’s summer and using it as an excuse that requires you to over indulge in food and alcohol – because it doesn’t. What you need to do is commit to making yourself feel good. Put the time and real effort into it. Work hard for what you want and walk away from what you know doesn’t make you feel good. It doesn’t mean you can’t go and enjoy with others – it just means you have a plan walking into where you are going and what you are doing when you get there. If it’s not your cheat day then you stay on program and plan what you are eating, and if you are drinking you are giving up your snacks it’s that simple. Have a plan and follow through with it – and know in your heart that when you stick with it that is what is going to really make you feel your best. Don’t make it harder than it has to be. I promise you everything you walk away from and deny yourself from having – will still all be there when you have your cheat day.

YES IT’S HARD TO STAY ON PROGRAM IN THE SUMMER

BUT IT’S SO MUCH HARDER TO NOT FIT IN YOUR CLOTHES. 

If you are really honest with yourself you know that when you stay on program that feels so much better than cheating. When you are cheating it’s for the moment when you stay strong and on program it’s for the results. I can’t say it enough – do the right thing and you will feel so much better – whether it’s weight loss, work, family, relationships, or 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.

DO WHAT IS RIGHT NOT WHAT IS EASY

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Welcome back everyone!  Im so happy everyone had a great safe holiday weekend. First, I want to tell you wherever you are don’t stress about it. Just get right back on program and finish out the week solid. One week and you will feel so much better being back in control and knowing that your body is in the right direction. You will weigh in this weekend and wherever you are you move on from there into a positive and happy place.

I want to thank you all because I have heard the nicest things the last couple of days from so many of you……. I love all the photos you send me. So many of you that were at holiday events this weekend and felt so good about yourself…….  We had more clients than ever hit their lowest numbers this past weekend. The excitement was beyond thrilling for me to be a part of. Thank you all for working so hard.

I love how so many clients couldn’t express enough how knowing they were going back to their magic muffins and Innovation food after the Holiday weekend helped them mentally get right back on program. It makes me so happy!!! I say it all the time — it only takes a couple of days of being back to eating on program is what gets you back to feeling good again. The quicker you get back the faster you recover. It all comes down to it’s not always about going off program that matters so much — it’s about what you do after you go off program that makes all the difference. When you get right back on program you get right back to feeling your very best, lightest, happiest and in control feeling — and that makes us all happy.

Here are some things I want you to think about moving forward into the Beautiful Sunshine and Social Summer.

1. You will feel hungrier this week.  Why? Because you were eating for Holiday and Weekend Vacation last week and now you are back to eating for weight loss. So expect the hunger and embrace the hunger. I promise you will live through it. You might not be happy about it and there will be uncomfortable moments — but it will pass. And by the weekend you will feel so much better mentally and physically.
2. Try your best to put the clean on program week in. I know we have so much going on in the summer and we are eating-out more often and socializing more than normal. But the more on program consecutive days you can put together the faster you will go back to feeling your best and back to your weight loss. If you are eating out make sure it’s a clean meal. Just because it’s summer does not mean you have to over indulge.
3. If you are drinking alcohol make sure you follow your Snack Categories. It’s not the alcohol that is the problem it’s what the alcohol makes you do that is the issue. By the second drink the body and brain slows down – you are no longer in control. If you are having more than one drink– try and drink a bottle of water in between drinks.
4. Don’t blame others. If you go into a social setting half-hearted about staying on your program it’s going to be easy for family and friends to talk you out of it because that is what you really want them to do. We give off signals to people of whether or not we are serious about staying on program. If you give off the signal that you are not in it 100% they will know it and easily talk you into sabotage. If you give off the signal that you are on your program 100% then no one is going to be able to talk you off it.
5. As much as I always tell you consecutive days are the most important for weight loss — what I want you to think about through the summer is on program days in general. If you know that you are extra social and that you have things going on through the week or weekend — and consecutive days are going to be difficult —then make sure that any day that you can have an on program day you do it. Follow your meals and snacks and make sure you have your on program food planned and prepared because when you can be on program you want that day to be 100%. The more on program days you can add into your week will make the difference between maintaining and gaining.

You have to decide what you want.  If you are 225 and want to be 190 OR you are 140 and want to be 120 you can’t just talk about it and wish for it — because that is not going to make it happen. If you really want to lose the weight throughout the summer then you have to stay on program and work hard and follow your meals and snacks. Everyone that does the program and has success will tell you that it becomes a way of life. Learning to use your cheat day and loving it every week is life changing. Learning to go right back on program after holidays and vacation is more important than the time you spend off it. I see clients everyday do it regardless of the time of year. They are prepared with on program food and they always know what they are doing and where they are going and what they are eating. Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring – if you want to lose the weight I can promise you it’s very doable just put the work in— and this time of year don’t let the social summer become all about food. The bottom line is whether it’s losing weight or maintaining the weight you have to plan it and stick to it. I can give you all the tools in the world but you have to want it and work for it. And it can’t be just when it’s convenient for you — it’s just as important to do it when it’s inconvenient. When you really learn to live the program – you will love the way you look and feel everyday.

My final thoughts for you are…  When you can’t control what is happening in front of you — challenge yourself to control the way you respond to it. You can control your mind or You can let your mind control you

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Summer days are here and they are harder than any other days of the year. But they are still just as important as any other days of the year. If you want to lose weight you need to plan and always be back on track every week regardless of where you are or what time of year it is. Being back on your path every week is important for many reasons. It gives the week purpose and a sense of control in your week ahead. Another great thing about being back on track every week is it gives you a chance to regroup, put the weekend behind you and be even better than the week before. It’s fine to have weekend fun but the importance of getting back on plan and doing the right thing every week will result in how you look and feel the following weekend. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Summer is not Easy: Summer is a time when it’s harder to stay on track and have 110% days. But sometimes just because it’s harder doesn’t mean it’s not doable and doesn’t mean it’s not necessary. I don’t have to tell you how quickly you will gain the weight back. This program works if you follow it but if you eat what you want when you want you will gain the weight right back. If you are 80%-20% then you will get 80% results. If you are 60%-40% then you will get 60% results. You see the clients around you. Many who have kept the weight off and maintained. They do it because they are on program and live the program. There is always a choice and you need to make it everyday. If you want to lose weight this summer you need to follow your program and stay on program in order to enjoy the one Cheat Day a week. Make sure you have all your meals and snacks prepared and ready for you. It’s important to plan your days and be ready for whatever is coming your way. If you have your meals and snacks then you have no excuse to go off program. Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean you have to give up losing weight. You can enjoy and lose weight if you are willing to put the work in. Remember, the harder you work the better the results. It’s never easy – especially in the Summer, but it’s very doable and necessary- especially in the Summer.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]You can continue to lose weight if you really want too: Most people gain between 7-10 pounds by September. That’s a lot of weight to gain on top of weight that you already needed to lose. Think smart and act smarter! If you want to lose weight, if you want to look good and feel good then you have to do good things for you body. Yes, exercising is very important and the more you can incorporate it the better you will feel. But staying on program is what is going to make the weight come off. Staying on program makes you feel amazing and make the changes you really want to see. It’s what will make you feel that lighter, happier feeling that you love and changes the number on the scale to where you want it to be. It’s what gives you the feeling that you are in control and doing the right things for your body and mind. While it’s a much harder concept to follow in the summer, it’s what makes you feel your best. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Choose your battles: If you know you are having long weekends at the beach or on the boat – then you need to try and be 110% Monday through – Thursday. If you want to lose weight this Summer but don’t want to be super strict – then be amazing on the days you can be. And on the days that are more challenging – try and be mindful even if you are cheating. You don’t want big Cheat Days to be consecutive and you don’t want to be Cheating a little everyday. The days that you can be amazing – then be amazing and eat the minimal that is on your plan. On the days you need extra snacks then have them but try to make them On Program snacks. If you want to enjoy a treat here and there then do it but try to be amazing and on 110% on program the following day. My point is, the great days will help and will count in your overall summer. You may not see the weight loss every week but you will see it by the end of the month. Instead of losing 1-2 lbs every week in July – you might lose 2 pounds by the end of July and 2 pounds by the end of August – and both are much better than gaining 10 by September.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Change Your Focus for Summer Months: If you already made the decision that you want the summer to be less about dieting and more about enjoying then you need to change your focus. Many clients will look to just maintain through the summer and get back on program in September. That is totally fine and may give you the mental break you need. In order to do this you need to still be mindful everyday about what your choices are. Instead of focusing on losing, focus on not gaining: Some clients will cheat one week and the next week be 110%. Others will be amazing Monday through Thursday and Cheat Friday through Sunday. Try and make changes where you can even on the days you are not 100%. If you want extra drinks give up your snacks. If you want extra snacks then make your meals smaller. Try and make even the smallest positive changes on the days your are off program. This way even though you are having more Cheat Days the changes will not necessarily help you lose but that’s okay – because what they are doing is helping you from gaining.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]At the end of the Summer days and Summer months – we have to accept what we have done. While it’s great to party, drink, and indulge – if you continuously over do it – you will be left with the results that I can assure you will not be worth how you feel. So stay mindful and think before you act. Because just like every bad choice will make a negative difference – every good choice will make a positive one. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]LOVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TO LIVE A HEALTHY LIFE[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick