Now that Quarantine is almost over we are feeling many different emotions.  While we couldn’t wait for it to end— many of you now wish you had more time.  Quarantine and May has brought an internal battle that for many of you were not expecting and quite possibly not ready for.  What I mean is that while we weren’t quite sure when quarantine would end — you did know June and warmer weather were around the corner with the tank tops, shorts, sundresses and bathing suits — but with each quarantine day you felt like you had more time.  While many have taken charge and became instant sharks  —  others are struggling with the “why didn’t I do it when I had the time”  and  “I’m just not ready for this.”  It’s the internal battle of emotions that are telling you now you have no choice. It has come and you are panicking because you are not ready.  Regardless of where you are or where you wish you were you need to fight through these emotions and get past it.  Here are some suggestions if you are struggling:

DON’T LOOK FOR EXCUSES…  Focus on staying on your path and following your program.  It works and you will do it and see the results.  It just takes time and you are going to feel hungry and it’s not always the best feeling starting again but it will get better.  Weight Loss is hard for everyone.  The longer you do it and live it the easier it will be.  When you stay on your program six days and cheat one day you will lose the weight.

KEEP YOUR FOCUS IN THE RIGHT PLACE…  Should I skip my cheat day?  Should I not have snacks? I can’t tell you how many times people say I think I should skip the Cheat Day.  Before you ask yourself if you should skip it — let’s ask is that even possible?  You are struggling enough having one cheat day so why are you even contemplating having none?  For every client who has reached their goal they did it with a cheat day every week.  There is no reason to give it up — just don’t have two in one week.

SNACKS…  If you are struggling don’t give up snacks.  It’s important to have your 3 snacks to keep your day in control.  Once you are back in control then you can always go to 2 snack or 1 depending on where you are and where you want to be.

PUT THE TIME IN BECAUSE THERE IS NO QUICK FIX… I promise you regardless what you try to do quick you will end up right back here at the beginning and hopefully with not more weight than you started with.  The only way to lose the weight is slow and steady.  You have to put the work in like everyone else.  Fat doesn’t come on or off overnight.  Put the time in and focus on losing 1-3 lbs a week.  Week after week the weight loss adds up and it add up fast.

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE…  Even if you have been horrible in quarantine and feel like it will be forever before you lose the weight… just remember that it’s not about the end result it’s about every week feeling better and better.  After 5 pounds you will feel great and after 10 pounds you will feel amazing.  Going into the summer losing is going to feel a whole lot better than staying the same and/or gaining.

CONSISTENCY = FAT BURN…  I know I have said this over and over but there is a reason I say it.  To get the best results in weight loss you need to be consistent.  The consistency puts your body in a “fat burn process” and your body will run like a weight loss machine.  The longer you are in and the more consistent you are the better the results.  If you keep turning the machine on and off it will continually shut down and you will have to restart it all over again.  It’s very simple — the more time you put in the better the results. The more consistent you are the more consistent the results.  Every time you take yourself out of the “fat burn process” then you have to make up that time to get your body back into the process.  So basically every time you decide to do cheat weekends instead of a cheat day — you are taking yourself out of the process and it will take you days to get back in it and have your body start losing again from where it left off.  ** Make sure if you are doing cheat weekend they are worth it.

THE SCALE…  Whatever you do don’t get overwhelmed with the number — it’s a very simple process and if you do the right thing the number will go down.  If you follow your program — it will go down. Some weeks it may not be as much as you want and others it will be more than you expected.   When you are losing body fat the key is to keep moving forward in the right direction and your body will follow and get smaller every week.

I always like to mention and address the clients who are doing absolutely amazing.  This past weekend even with the holiday we had record numbers who lost weight.  Many took the opportunity of the quarantine to do the right thing and stay on program and check in every week and it paid off.  What I can tell you is if you want this you can do it.  You have all the tools to keep you on your path… the Innovation food, the motivation, the accountability, and the idea of summer clothes are only weeks away.  The clients who stayed focused and motivated through quarantine are not all sharks, many were turtles and snails but throughout the quarantine they remained consistent.  So while I often address those who are struggling because they need it the most, I know it’s so important to celebrate and congratulate all of those who have done and continue to do amazing because they deserve and need it as well.  It’s always nice to hear praise and feel that accomplishment but let’s face it the true gift to them is the new body that they love and live in everyday.   There is no better feeling.

If you want to love the way you look and feel then you have to do the right things, you need to work hard put the time in and be consistent.  When summer comes your emotions will be happy, healthy, controlled and you will be so excited to see the sunshine and 80 degree weather even if it’s only in your own backyard.

If You Want To Feed Yourself Something

Feed it Happiness

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

SCALE NOT MOVING?

If the scale stopped moving it’s most likely because you stopped moving too!  Rainy days and quarantines can make for a very unhealthy lifestyle for weight loss and health!

DID YOU KNOW…. Based on a study of more than 220,000 people, researchers found that the longer you spend sitting down every day, the higher your risk of dying prematurely, even if you engage in regular exercise.  And if that isn’t scary enough then you should know sitting down for long periods of time isn’t just bad for your metabolism, it can also make you age quicker too.  New research has found that sitting down for long periods of time even with regular exercise can make a person’s cells age prematurely.  Yikes!

Why does this happen?…  Because you are not meant to sit you are built to stand upright.  Your heart and cardiovascular system work more effectively that way.  Your bowel system also functions more efficiently when you are upright.  You are also meant to move!  When you are moving, your overall energy levels and endurance improve, and your bones maintain strength.  Moving your muscles helps your body digest the fats and sugars you eat.  If you spend a lot of time sitting, digestion is not as efficient, so you retain those fats and sugars as fat in your body.  — Yikes again!

Interesting fact…. Your legs and gluteals, are the biggest muscles in your body and when used they burn the most calories.  That’s why runners, long distance walkers, and lower body training will always have and create leaner bodies because they are working their legs and gluteals, and burning the most calories. These large muscles are important for weight loss and overall strength to help stabilize the body.  Sitting for long periods can lead to weakening and wasting away of the large leg muscle and gluteal muscles.  What happens when your leg muscles waste away?…  you don’t burn as many calories because you no longer have the biggest muscles in your body and if that isn’t bad enough you end up with all fat and cellulite.  Because prolonged periods of sitting reduce blood flow and that creates fat and cellulite.  Just another big reason to get up and go…..

Live Longer!… Physical inactivity contributes to over three million preventable deaths worldwide each year. It is the fourth leading cause of death due to non-communicable diseases.  It’s also the cause of approx. 30  per cent of breast, colon cancers, diabetes and heart disease.   So next time you are at your desk and working 8 hours straight think about the damage you can be doing to your body.  Set the timer and make sure you are moving.  It’s something you have complete control over to change.

Feeling Sad?…  We don’t really understand the links between sitting and mental health as much as we do the links between sitting and physical health.  But we do know that the risk of both anxiety and depression is much higher in people that sit more.

Have I made my point yet?…  if not, let me make it clear — it’s time to stop sitting and start moving! And walking your plate to the sink doesn’t count.

Move More In Quarantine…..  An hour of exercise a day is just not enough in quarantine.  Before quarantine you were exercising an hour a day and then you were running errands, work, sports, shopping, kids etc…  Now you exercise and hour a day and you sit a lot more than you used too.

A SIMPLE FIX:

1. Add one extra hour a of exercise a day (walk, bike, hike, HIIT workouts, or just dance with your family around the house for an hour — so much fun and good for everyone!).  If you do it consistently for 7 days along with your current one hour you will see a big difference in your body and the scale.
2. Don’t sit for longer than 30 minutes at a time.  Get up do jumping jacks or jog in place.  Do anything to get the blood flowing and the body moving.  Just keep thinking sitting too long = loss of muscle, and lots of fat and cellulite.

Today is more challenging than ever because you are not always on the go.  Being sedentary is definitely going to play a part in how your body looks and functions. So whether you are cleaning, playing with the kids, walking, biking, jogging, …. find the time to move and make the excuses to keep moving as much as you can.  It will help you mentally and physically feel so much better today, tomorrow, next week and next month.

IT’S NEVER ABOUT HAVING THE TIME — IT’S ABOUT MAKING THE TIME

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Let’s start with the (sort of) good news:  Experiencing some amount of anxiety is an indication  that you are human.  “Just about all of us have some levels of anxiety and worry.  While it’s normal part of life to experience occasional anxiety  – especially under our current situation…. I see daily how it’s affecting so many of you in all different ways.  Some are drinking more, snacking more, and others eating less and some just completely overwhelmed.  For many anxiety is hitting daily and becoming worse by the day and others it’s randomly hitting out of the blue.  We are all out of our comfort zone.

I hope it will give you some comfort when I tell you that you are not alone in how you feel.  With all the clients that I deal with from all over the world and all levels of status the one thing everyone seems to be experiencing is anxiety.  Some more frequent than others and definitely different levels of anxiousness — but we are all feeling it.  And sometimes knowing that you not alone can help.

WHAT TO DO:

• One of the best things you can do when you feel the anxiety coming on is to accept it and recognize it… and face it head on.  Accept that you are scared and understand that it’s okay to be afraid.  But don’t let it control you.  Once it gets control that is when we lose our way.  Find healthy things that will help you with the anxiety like exercise – a bubble bath – playing with the kids or writing a journal about it.  Whatever takes you out of your present mind and takes you to a better place of relaxation.  Make sure whatever you choose you add it into your daily schedule.  For example:  watching too much News might start the anxiety.  Recognize it — shut the TV and go for a walk.  It’s simple but very effective.

• Another thing that I find so important is your food.  Do not let it get control of you.  The more you keep control of your food the better you will feel.  The more you can control your food will result in how you will feel mentally and physically.  Listen, we all know the scale right now should not be the most important thing in the world as a whole — but as a piece of your life when you know that too much snacking, too much drinking, and over eating and gaining weight is going to get you upset and give you more anxiety… that’s when the scale becomes important  — and it’s okay that it is important to you.  It should be important because it’s part of your health and when you do the right things it keeps you in a happy place.  There is a great big world with big problems and then we all have our own little world with our own problems.  You need to make sure you are doing all the right things that keep you happy and sane in your own little world so that you can deal with the things that are going on in the great big world.

There is no doubt about it when you are on program you feel good and when you are not on program it impacts your emotional state.

We shouldn’t give up on anything that keeps us happy because when you can stay in a happy positive place it will help with those moments of anxiety.  Right now we need to depend on our positive emotions.  Our emotions help us survive, thrive, and avoid danger.  When you are happy — then you can keep others happy and that is what the world thrives on together — human emotions of sharing the positive love, prayers, hope and happiness.  Change will always take place in our life and sometimes even though it’s from unfortunate circumstances we have to seek out the positive in it all.  The trees are blooming and the sun is shining so keep doing the right things, stay strong and remember that most of us all have some extra time right now — use it to your advantage.  Stay positive and think about what changes have you wanted to make in your life before the quarantine.  How you can use this time to emerge to become the very best version of yourself.  If you are lucky enough to be healthy right now it’s a great time to reflect and think about the changes you want to make.  Start by making those changes today.

Anyone who has grown mentally, physically, or spiritually

knows that growth is not found in comfort.

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

March has arrived with weather that is a great reminder that Spring and Summer are around the corner!

We have a beautiful 5 weeks of weight loss right in front of us.  Do not waste it.  Do not look back and say why didn’t I do it.  Think about it — 2 lbs a week is so doable and that would be a fabulous 10 lb weight loss in one month!  Yes sometimes it requires getting out of our own way.  For example:  Stop the alcohol on non-cheat days; Make sure your cheat day is 1 day and not 1 1/2 or 2; — It’s so easy to sit and cry and think nothing works for me,  but i’m telling you that is absolutely not true.  The program will work for you  — but only if you put the work in.  You have to put the time in and you have to be consistent.  You have to be mentally prepared to give it 110% and stick to your 6 days of weight loss with 1 cheat day.  When you do that I promise you that you will see the same weight loss as everyone else that is on program.

If you have not been doing the right thing and are walking around miserable or are miserable inside your head — you know that you are the only person who can change it.  I can give you all the tools and I can show you thousands of clients who have done it and continue to do it and look and feel amazing.  And I can tell you 100% that you are no different than any of them.  If you want it you can have it.  But first you have to stop playing mind games with yourself, stop making deals with yourself, and no more excuses.  If you really want the 10 lbs in March then start working had for it everyday.  Follow your program and don’t let anything or anyone get in your way – including yourself.

Clients already have had a successful 2020 and it’s only March.  Clients from all over Chicago, California, Arizona, Alabama,  Boston, Florida, Georgia, and right here in New York — amazing amazing results.  Why?  It’s not because they all just jumped on program and did the right thing — although many have done just that.  But majority have been on and they struggled their way through it.  They have hiccups but they hold their breath and get past them.  Sometimes it’s a day and sometimes it’s a week but they get past them.  The reason I am telling you this is so you realize you are not the only one who struggles.  Weight loss is hard.  But if you want to see the weight loss you have to be willing to put the work in every day.  You have to be consistent and always continue to move forward.  You have to push yourself when you don’t want to be pushed and you have to be okay with walking away from temptation that will always be there.  But most important is you have to really decide what it is you want and how important it is to you to get there.  It’s not easy to eat less than your body needs…. it’s not easy to deal with the hunger that you feel when you are eating less… and it’s not easy to walk away from temptation when you are hungry.  But it’s even harder to step on the scale and feel uncomfortable in your own skin.

This month be willing to embrace the challenge.  Get through the little hunger, the temptation and the hiccups.  Pass on the drink and be okay with it.  When you are out to dinner order on program.  Walk away from the temptation and be excited about it!  Promise yourself that no matter what or who is on your path you will continue to do the right thing.  Because when you do that is when April 1st will come and you will be 10 lbs lighter than you are today and you will be so so happy that you are back in control, and back on your happy path where you always feel amazing.

THINK ABOUT IT:  In 5 very quick weeks you are either going to be super happy that you put the work in and feel amazing and on your way to being the best you for Spring and Summer OR you will look back and think “I should have… I could have… I wish I did it… ugh why didn’t I do it.”  ~choose your hard.

EMBRACE THE CHALLENGE

~It’s the challenges that make life interesting

Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful~

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

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

Im sure you already listed your resolutions and wrote down your goals.  What you have to decide now is are they something you just wrote down or are they something you are going to follow.  After a week already into 2020 you may have realized writing that list is super easy — following it is a whole different story.

Regardless of where you are right this moment or where your vacation took you— this year you know and believe that you are ready.  This year we are going to make 2020 a year of health, happiness, love, joy, and healthy eating. If we are going to be honest we know they all go hand in hand.  You can not have one without the other.  Most of the time when you are eating clean and healthy you are happy and when you are happy you are eating clean and healthy.   All of these put you in a place of loving yourself from the inside out — they are of the important things for a healthy mind and body.  2020 is a time to appreciate what you have and still strive to want more.  It’s  year to do the right thing even in the most difficult circumstances.  Many times when we set out to do the right thing everything else works out and falls into place.  It’s only when we are taking the time to try and figure out how to do the wrong thing is when we get into trouble.

2020 MANTRA!

• Don’t think about it just do it.  Sometimes we sit and think over and over and try to make deals with our self how we can somehow fool our weight loss.  If I eat this now I won’t count it because I will skip lunch.  But you don’t skip lunch and even if you do it never evens out the way you want it too.  Stop over thinking it and just do what you are supposed to be doing.  Every time that little voice comes into your head and tries to give you a reason to NOT do the right thing — you will say — “No I’m not going there — I am following my program because that is what makes me happy and makes me feel good”.  Give yourself NO ALTERNATIVE – NO DEALS – NO BARGAINS.  Sometimes it’s just so much easier to do the right thing then taking the time to figure out how to do the wrong one.

Think about this new MANTRA and how it will change your life — because taking the time to not do the right thing actually takes more work then just doing the right thing.  What I mean is when you wake up and you commit to yourself and the program and you know that nothing is going to get in your way of doing the right thing — that’s when everything happens.  Week after week we have the consistency of weight loss.  Everything just gets easier  — it becomes easier to lose weight because your body goes into fat burning cycle that only happens when you have the consistency week after week.  Life gets easier because you are no longer trying to figure out how to make deals with yourself.   There is no extra time wasted because you are simply doing what you are supposed to be doing.  You don’t have to spend time thinking about if you should or shouldn’t or how to get around it.  This goes for everything in your life.  If you are supposed to be at work – go to work.  If you are planning to take an exercise class or go to the gym – then go.   If you are supposed to be at a family party that you really don’t want to go to — go anyway.  Just continue everyday to do what you are supposed to be doing — eat what you are supposed to be eating — and cheat when it’s your cheat day.  Life is so much simpler when we are not trying to get out of what we should be doing and JUST DO IT.

There will always be temptation — there will always be a party or celebrations or vacation that will want give you the excuse.  You will learn that when you simply follow your program and go into everything with the right attitude knowing you will follow and do what you are supposed to be doing — you will have a great time that night and also have a great morning after.  If you want to feel good and see the results you have to start by committing to yourself and the program and trust yourself and the trust the program.  You see all the clients who lose weight on it.  You know when you do it how immediately better you feel.  Just commit to doing the right thing and following through with the right choices in 2020!  Because when you do — it won’t matter what you have on your path you will get through it and you will feel accomplished and proud of yourself for doing it.  You will enjoy every step of the journey because you will love to live the healthy balance of the program eating clean for health and weight loss 6 days a week and having your one cheat day that is all for you.  But this will never happen until you commit and move forward with the attitude that no matter what is going on you will not try to get out of anything you will just do what is right and do what you are supposed to — because that is what brings results!   And it’s not just in weight loss — When you do the right thing day after day  you get the best results in every area of your life.  Make 2020 about doing the right thing for you and for everyone that loves you.  Believe in yourself — you are no different than all the other clients who have amazing success on program — you can do this!

2020

Believe in yourself and Just do it.

~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

Today at Sundown begins Yom Kippur the holiest day of the year — for those who observe it’s the day on which we are closest to G-d and to the quintessence of our own souls.  It is the day of Atonement — be forgiven and cleansed from all your sins before G-d.

For nearly twenty-six hours — from several minutes before sunset tonight to after nightfall tomorrow — we “afflict our souls”:  we abstain from food and drink, and head to temple and our time is spent in prayer to G-d.  It’s truly a beautiful holiday.

For those of you who fast, it’s a great time to give your weight loss a boost as well.  Your last meal today should be a nice balance of protein and healthy carbohydrates and this combination will sustain you throughout the fast.  Some great choices would be:

• Grilled or roasted chicken (no skin)
• Vegetables – Green Beans, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Asparagus.
• Mashed Sweet Potato – no milk or cream
• Fresh fruit

Water, water, water throughout the day today.  You should never wait until you are thirsty to drink water.   Once you are thirsty you are already dehydrated and when you are dehydrated you will feel hunger.  You should drink water all day when you are NOT thirsty to avoid dehydration.

Let’s Talk Breaking the Fast:  If you don’t cheat after the fast you will actually use the fast to your benefit. It will be a great addition to your weight loss.  After the fast you should start with a small on program snack and a bottle of water.  Then follow it by an on program meal.  Some examples:  Skagel or ezekiel bread with lox and light cream cheese; Light Tuna or Chicken salad with ak mak,  wasa or Innovation flax  crackers; vegetables and hummus; roasted chicken or fish with vegetable side.  If you really want to stay on program it’s very doable.  There will be a lot of temptation at the table so the results are all going to be about what you want when you step on the scale Saturday not what you want tomorrow.

PLAN AHEAD:  If you planned on cheating tomorrow then I am going to assume you saved your cheat day from this past weekend for tomorrow.  But if you didn’t save it and you decided you want to cheat tomorrow then I would simply skip this coming weekend cheat day.   It’s one or the other. You can’t have 3 cheat days in one week and lose weight.   Make the choice and stick to it.

Very Important – don’t cheat tomorrow and say you are going to skip this weekend cheat day and then you don’t skip it.  Because we all know where that will have you end up – yikes 🙁

Final thoughts:  You should only be breaking the fast if you actually fasted.  If you are not fasting because of medicine, not religious, you just can’t do it- or don’t want to do it… then you should be sticking 110% on program, and eating clean on program food.

Whether you are having a cheat day or deciding to stay clean on program – plan it and follow through.  I think especially on such a holy holiday it’s really important to stick to whatever you plan.  You don’t want to end the holiday and start the New Year beating yourself up because of  the decisions you made and how they made you feel.  If you are cheating then enjoy it and if you are staying on program enjoy it.

Don’t always base your decisions on what is in front of you.  Think about and base your decisions on how you will feel at the end of the night – how you will feel tomorrow getting dressed and how you will feel when you step on the scale this weekend.  

Whatever you decide— have your plan and stick to it.  Because the most important thing is owning it, — accepting it and enjoying every second on it.

Atone for the sins of the past year and learn from those sins

so that you can be a better person for the year ahead.

Innovation Weight Loss wishes you all a healthy, peaceful and fulfilling year.

G’mar Hatimah Torah

~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

I was originally going to put this blog out on Tuesday but I really thought that you would and could relate to it more today since we are starting super bowl weekend.  Think before you grab before you eat :).  Everything has a result.

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL!  First I have to start off by giving compliments and credit to so many who had such amazing weight loss numbers this past week.  I was so so happy to hear that last weeks blog “Being Comfortable with being Uncomfortable” helped make a difference.  Actions create results and in this case you read the blog and followed it and it worked!  I was so beyond thrilled to see the results of it.  Thank you!  I know how difficult it is to walk away from temptation.   But you got to feel and see the amazing results this past weekend by walking away, and embracing the uncomfortable.  YAY!!!

EVERYONE HAS WEAK MOMENTS:  We all have weak moments.  Sometimes they are random, and other times they are specific.  You step on the scale mid week and it throws you into sabotage, or you have one glass of wine and it triggers you to have the bottle.   It could be at the end of the day at dinner or before bed when you are just so tired from the day and don’t have the same mental strength you had when you woke up.   Most of the time weak moments occur right before cheat day.  It’s the time of the week where you would think you would be the best but the truth is you are the most mentally and physically exhausted.

FUNNY STORY:   A good example is my husband John.  Last Saturday night out of the blue he says to me at 8pm – can I start my Cheat Day now?  When I gave him a blank look like –is he really asking me this right now?–   he went on to explain (as if I never heard this before) — I can start now and go 24hours and end my cheat day Sunday night at 8pm.  He was so proud of this new idea!  As he was saying it I was visualizing my clients text messages literally being printed in the air as he spoke the words – CAN I SPLIT MY CHEAT DAY AND START RIGHT NOW.—   It’s a text that we get minimum 20 times on a the weekend.  First I had to break it to him that he wasn’t the first person to think of this amazing idea.  Then I explained that this was a moment of weakness that so many clients have at random times and they usually are the day before the cheat day.    You made it all week long and now it’s the end of the week and you are tired and hungry and you are just done.  You are mentally and physically weak and it’s easy to give in.  But I explained it’s the night before cheat day and this is when you have to be your strongest because it’s when all the magic happens from all your hard work all week.  You don’t want to throw it all away for a slice of pizza.  But he clearly wasn’t feeling the same passion that I was expressing.

I said — I’m sorry but no you can’t do that.  You didn’t even weigh in and you won’t have the same results tomorrow if you cheat now.  You can wait until tomorrow.  I promise you will be happy if you wait–.

Needless to say he wasn’t happy waiting and he wasn’t happy with me or my response at that moment.  But I new he was just mentally weak and it was easy to just throw all his hard work away.  Instead I walked to the refrigerator and heated him up Innovation meatballs and a spring roll and some string beans.  He made it through the night and lucky he did because he ended up having a great weight loss week losing over 2lbs.  — he was so beyond happy with his weight loss Sunday morning.

What I did notice that helped a lot was once the meal was heated up and put in front of him he was fine.   Because of my crazy schedule John always heats up his own meals.  It’s always an Innovation meal and a side.  It’s simple, healthy and he loves it.  But because he was mentally weak Saturday night and his mind started taking over his thinking he became obsessed with the idea of Pizza.  So instead of heating up his dinner he was too busy thinking of a way he could start his cheat day early.  But once I saw his mental state and I heated it up and put it in front of him he was totally fine.  He was hungry and when he ate he was okay and was able to think more reasonably.  If I wasn’t there – who knows what would have happened- probably pizza!.  I was super proud of him for staying strong through it and a the same time I realized what so many of you go through.  Even the most perfect week it’s so easy to fold in a moment of weakness.

The point of this story is whether it’s food or alcohol –  it’s important to not let yourself get to the place where you have no control.  The place where you are past the point of thinking clearly.   Especially at the end of a day or the end of a week when we are most exhausted, tired and hungry it’s so easy to let our guard down.   In the begining of the week you have more mental and physical energy  and are more likely to get through the challenges.  But at the end of the week when you know you are both mentally and physically  exguasted is when you have to be stronger and more on your guard from sabotaging yourself.

THE CONVERSATION OF THE WEEK:  The funny thing through all of this which I know so many of your will relate is Sunday John didn’t even want the pizza.  In fact, he said he didn’t even want to cheat.  He was so excited with his weight loss and he felt so good that he couldn’t even think of what he wanted to cheat with.    — The conversation from clients in my office and on text is always

 “Why does everything look so good all week long except on Cheat Day?!”   During the week you want everything in sight.  But when it’s cheat day and you can have it – you don’t want any of it.  Why???  The answer is simple – it’s because it’s the mental part of the program that teaches – we always want what we can’t have.  But when we can have it we don’t always want it.  

I think that goes for a lot of things in life.  But when it comes to Cheat Day sometimes just knowing that you CAN have it is enough.  So next time you have the mental challenge and you feel a little weak minded – before you cheat ask yourself if it was cheat day would I eat this or do I just want it because I can’t have it.?  The answer might help you get through your next moment of weakness.

The struggle you feel today develops the strength you need for tomorrow 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick