This past weekend was pretty awesome.  We had so many clients losing weight and reaching numbers they thought they would never see.  Super super exciting!  I love that I can just see, hear, and feel the excitement in the clients.  Everyone is really working hard and in a “hardcore”state of mind to reverse the quarantine weight, and/or reach new goals or see numbers they have not seen in years.

For most of you, the Innovation Program is not a diet — it’s a way of life.  You live it and you love the way it makes you feel.  And this is the time of year — especially after quarantine that you know how important it is to give it that little extra hard work that really pulls it all together so you get the very best results every single week.  For others, this is all new and while you may be just starting or in it for a couple of weeks — it will come together and you all of a sudden realize how hard you have to work to lose weight but you also realize when you do work hard and stay on your path and eat clean 6 days at 110% consistency — that’s when you will get the best results.  I say it all the time… in all aspects of life if you work hard you will get the results.  Weight loss is something you should not mind working hard at because it’s for your health both mentally and physically.  — My clients love to send me pics (and I absolutely love getting them) and I can’t begin to describe the changes in clients when they lose weight and eat clean — and how it gives them an extra bounce in their step and personality — it’s sheer happiness that is beaming from their healthy hydrated skin.

It’s mid – July  and everyone is just so excited to be losing weight and really excited to be feeling great and doing the right thing.  It’s truly when you can enjoy the most is when you feel great.  So if you want to enjoy the vacation out east or the extra drinks throughout the week you must stay on program because you can enjoy and lose weight — and when you do both that is when you feel great.  When you feel great is when you truly enjoy everything you are doing.  You ever notice when you feel great how contagious it is — everyone wants to be a part of feeling great.  There is so much sadness is the world — today you have to make sure you appreciate and enjoy every bit of happiness that comes your way.  Most important is to make sure you are creating your own happiness everyday.  That’s what you do on the Program — you do the right thing and lose weight and feel great and it gives you happiness that you have 100% control over.

If you want to be that happy person and you want to put your clothes on and feel good and go out and feel amazing, if you want that happy feeling of control in what you are doing — then you need to be 110% committed to the program and to yourself.  If you are, I promise you that you will feel the best and you will l look the best you every thought possible.

My last thought for you on this beautiful day …. IT’S HARD — weight loss is hard — BUT IT’S SO WORTH IT.  Will you feel hungry?  Yes, you will feel hungry but think about it — you feel hungry even on the days you are over eating.  So at least when you have a little hunger now you know that it’s because you are losing weight and getting results from it.  The clients that have done amazing and continue to do amazing know how tough it is and when it get’s tough they remind themselves how much they want this and how important it is to them.  If you want it then don’t let anything or anyone get in your way.  Don’t look back and wish you did better over quarantine – because it doesn’t matter that time has passed and the only thing you can do right now is stop making excuses and move on to a better today, tomorrow and week.  Don’t bother looking back — only look forward because that is what you have control over.  Don’t let another week go by without doing the right thing because it will only add up and the longer you delay it the harder it will be.  If you do it right now and focus on a better today, then tomorrow will be easier and by next week you will feel amazing and in control. If you want to feel great, happy, lighter and enjoy your summer feeling inspired, motivated and in control — then you have to put the work in starting today and you have to commit to yourself and live the program.  Eat clean 6 days a week and enjoy your once a week cheat day.  Before you know it  you will be the happy, excited, inspired person waking up, jumping out of bed and excited to get dressed.  Because you feel good and there is nothing better than feeling good about yourself especially when you know that YOU are the one who made it happen.

It’s not something you can wish for — it’s something you have to WORK for.

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

April is finally going to bring spring! By mid week we will be in the 50’s and by the end of the week 60’s!!!!! And before you know it, 70 and 80 degrees will be quickly following.  The weather has really thrown so many for a loop this year. It felt like the ever lasting winter, especially if you didn’t get the chance to fly away from the cold for a spring break. And on the flip side, if you did go away it’s not always easy to go from beautiful weather back to this very unpleasant cold. Either way, I just want you to know that if you are struggling because you just came back from vacation or struggling from the tough winter – you are not alone. But I also want you to know that you have to snap out of it because once it gets warm – it’s going to just get warmer and warmer.

When it comes to summer and weight loss – August is right up there with the most challenging months. It’s easy to want to put your weight loss on hold when there are only a couple of weeks of summer left. Whether you are getting ready for school, the last of summer vacations, or the feeling of wanting to celebrate one last time. Take a moment and think about how hard you have worked to continue to lose weight or maintain this summer. You do not want to throw it all away because of a couple of challenging weeks ahead.

Before you decide to put your weight loss on hold until September I want you to listen to Bonnie’s inspirational podcast. She started two summers ago and she talks about how she lives the program no matter what season it is. Her motivation just might make you realize how important it is to stay on your path.

So I found it fitting to post this considering July marks 2 years since I decided to lose weight and live a healthier and happier lifestyle.

Backstory: Senior year of high school I decided I wanted to lose weight for prom and even got my prom dress a size smaller than my normal size to guarantee that I lost the weight. I lost 14 lbs and was so happy and felt amazing, for the first time in years I had seen a number I was unfamiliar with. However, when I started college that year I gained the 14 lbs back and more. I was at my highest weight ever. I ate terribly, thinking that if I ate bad food it would help me deal with the stresses and new changes with starting my first year of college. Well, let me be the first to tell you, it DIDN’T help and only made things worse. I was so unhappy. My weight was high, my body looked terrible, my skin was awful, I felt like crap and was so tired all the time. I was using food as a coping mechanism and that absolutely was NOT the answer.

My first summer after college I decided enough was enough. I was committed to losing the weight and NEVER gaining it back. I finally stepped on the scale and remember crying because I couldn’t believe what the scale said, seeing how much damage I had done. I didnt let that stop me though. I decided I can’t focus on what I did, only what I am GOING to do moving forward. I started eating clean and running maybe 2-3x a week. I remember getting through my first week and felt so good and happy with the results I was already seeing.

Fast forward 2 years, I’m down 30 lbs and have kept it off. I love to eat clean and exercise. I see how much happier I am. I see how I have changed mentally and physically for the best. Weight loss is a journey, not a race, and it is a journey I have learned a lot from. Enjoy the journey, you learn so much about who you are and discover characteristics you didn’t know existed within yourself. Certainly, there are times where it will feel easier to give up. If this was easy, nobody would have unhealthy habits and everyone would be thin. But I can guarantee that it in reality, giving up will only make you feel worse about yourself afterwards. Food DOESN’T make you feel better or solve the problems in your life. Food is just fuel for your body, don’t abuse it or use it as a coping mechanism. If you fall off or have a bad day, just get right back on. I learned that I’m happiest when I’m eating well and exercising. This is my way of life. I changed my mindset about weight loss. I stopped making it about an event or a dress, I made it about me and my life. While losing weight for an outfit/trip/event is a great short term goal, it’s not a long term goal. What I learned is that I made it all about the dress and once I wore the dress, I was way more relaxed with my diet. What I should have been thinking was, “I’m gonna lose weight to feel better about myself in this dress and then focus on keeping it off after.” I lost sight of my long term goal and only focused on a short term goal. Don’t lose sight of your long term goal. I love the person I’ve become while on this journey. I’ve not only made this my way of life but I’ve been so blessed to help other people along the way be the best version of themselves and learn to love to live healthy. If it wasn’t for Innovation, I wouldn’t be where I am right now. I wouldn’t be my happiest and healthiest version of myself. Thank you to my family for always being my support system throughout all this. Thank you for encouraging me and reminding me that I could do this. I’ll never forget weighing in and telling Josephine (my mom) and her ALWAYS celebrating with me. I’m overjoyed and excited to live in this balance of a happy and healthy lifestyle, and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

This is what happens when you LIVE the Innovation Program

Thea Loves the life she lives and lives the life she loves!

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

211 E 43rd Street Manhattan, NY 10019

If you want some extra motivation to get through your 4th of July Weekend then listen to our newest podcast:  Thea interviews Laurie Perroncino about how Laurie lost her 17lbs and reached her goal.

I hope you don’t think we forgot about the challenge! We didn’t! We were just trying to give everyone a chance to settle back into the routine again after the Winter Break! Looks like everyone is back on track and moving along nicely. With only 3 weeks until Spring and 2 weeks left of the challenge it’s a great time to think about where you are today and where you thought you would be.

Whether you are in the challenge or not take a moment to reflect on how you have been doing – and where you are today. Is it where you thought you would be? Think back to when the Challenge started in January. You thought by March you would have lost at least 5 or 10 lbs, and many of you hoping for more! If you didn’t start or you keep yo-yoing back and forth, you better start taking it serious because it’s only going to get harder as the nicer weather approaches.

I can tell you the very first thing you have to stop doing – STOP MAKING EXCUSES and just DO IT ALREADY! Seriously, it’s something you want and something that’s going to make you happy so why are you not doing it? The time is now…It’s not tomorrow, it’s not next week and it’s definitely not next month. The only way you are going to get your life, your health and your happiness in a good place is if you start with your weight. Because it’s the first thing you think of when you wake up and it’s the last thing you think of before you go to sleep. So start making your days happy and stop putting off what needs to be done. You are the only person who has control of this. You see your friends, neighbors, co-workers all on plan and losing weight. You should be losing it too! There are no excuses except the ones that you give yourself.

CONGRATULATIONS – 2 WEEKS TO GO….

Andrew S:    19

Aaron T:       17

Beth M:        16.6

Joann B:      14.6

Mike R:        14

Alison A:      12.2

Steve K:       12

Sheryl G:      9.6

Troy M:         9

Mike N:         9

Sandra W:    8.8

Raquel R:     8.7

Marlie G:      8.5

Dorey K:       8.5

SEO:            8.4

Paul N:         8

Scott S:        8

Amanda C:   8

Lauren G:     7.4

Kimberly S:   7

Cara B:         6.4

Dena E:        6.1

Samantha M:   5.8

Donna F:        5.5

Shari K:          5.3

Jamie K:         5

Melanie B:      5

Bonnie K:       5

Alyssa M:       5

Dawn S:         4.6

Lori N:            4.6

Emily D:         4.4

Theresa G:    4.2

Leslie O:        4

Dana S:          3.6

Deirdre C:       3.6

Jamie H:         3.5

Beth F:            3.4

Robyn M:        3.3

Heather C:      3.2

Ann C:            3.1

Jillian G:         3

Stacey B:        3

Jessica M:       2.4

SS:                  1.5