4TH OF July Weekend has arrived — it’s time to make your choice and stick to it.

As many of your know it doesn’t take much to gain weight.  All it takes is not thinking, not planning, and frequently over indulging — very easy to do any time of the year but especially over a long holiday weekend.

THIS WEEKEND

you have 3 choices — Lose, Maintain, or Gain

WEIGHT LOSS:  If you are really motivated and the weight loss means everything to you and you don’t want anything in your way of reaching your goals then you will continue to stick to your menu and ONLY HAVE ONE CHEAT DAY THIS WEEKEND.  That means no extras at all.  Simply stick to your meals and snacks and only cheat the ONE cheat day.  If you do this and treat this weekend like any other weekend you will continue to stay on your path and lose weight.  Will it be easy — that depends on how much you have going on  — it also depends on what is most important to you.  While some can go to a BBQ and focus more on how they feel others are challenged by what is around them.  These are choices only you can make.  There are always options — if you are going out make sure you bring what you need or make sure they will have what you need available to you.  Plan before not after.  Don’t give yourself reasons to do the wrong thing.  If you want to stay on program and feel your best then follow your plan and stick to your clean meals and snacks.  The most important thing is to make your choice before you go and stick with what you plan.

MAINTAINING:  If you have a lot going on this weekend and you feel really good about where you are and you want to enjoy a little extra then you will split your days.  You pick 2 out of the 3 days and you stay on program for breakfast and lunch and cheat dinner, drinks and/or desserts; and you do it Friday and Saturday OR Saturday and Sunday or Friday and Sunday (you choose 2 days of the long weekend and cheat any one meal, drinks and/or desserts and the rest of the day you are 100% on program).  If you follow this you will maintain your weight through the holiday weekend — very doable.  But again the most important thing is to make a choice, plan for it and then stick to it.

WEIGHT GAIN:  Very easy to do but NEVER an option!

We always talk about planning and how important it is. But what is more important is following through on the planning.  Do the right things and make sure that if you planned on being 110% today — then you are 100%.  If you planned on cheating for dinner and dessert and then right back on the next day — make sure you go right back on the next day — no excuses.  If you planned on being off program 2 nights but clean all day then make sure you do it.  Always think things through — what is tomorrow going to feel like, and what the end result of your choices will be.  Will it make you happy? Is it worth it? Think about where you are today and where do you want to be come Monday.  Learn to live and enjoy today but plan for what you want and where you want to be tomorrow.

ALCOHOL – THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK:  One drink you are okay — TWO drinks you are forgetting what is important to you — THREE drinks you are done. It’s not the alcohol that is the issue it’s what the alcohol makes you do and what it makes you forget.  It’s fun to have but it can be very damaging on so many levels.  Remember to think before you drink.  Like everything else have a plan and know how many you are having and stick to what you plan.  Drink water throughout it’s hydrating and it keeps your hands busy.

FINAL THOUGHTS…. whether you want to lose weight this weekend or maintain you can do it.  You follow your plan and decide before so you know what you are doing and what the outcome will be.  Think things through and always remember that just because it’s a holiday weekend that you want to enjoy and celebrate doesn’t mean that you need to cheat at everything you go to or everyday of the weekend.  You can enjoy and celebrate everything without constantly indulging unhealthy weight gaining foods.  We know you will feel better mentally and physically and have a happier time staying on program.  When you can be amazing and on program do it because every good healthy clean choice can make the difference between maintaining and gaining.  And all the choices you make as the weekend progresses will make the difference in how you look and feel each day.

You are the only person who can make the excuse of why you are going off program and you are the only person who can give yourself a better excuse of why you are staying on program.  Monday is only 4 days away — think about how you want to wake up and feel when the weekend is behind you.

Make good choices today so you don’t have regrets tomorrow

Innovation Wishes everyone a Happy, Healthy and Safe 4th of July

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick 

Hi Everyone!  This is your Mid-August Check in!  I just want to make sure that everyone is on the right path because we all know how easy we can take a wrong turn.  Seriously, the end of August is so dangerous for so many reasons.  Vacations, no schedules, the feeling that the end is coming or the very common and damaging — Im just gonna “wait” until September to get back on track—   I’m reminding you not to do it to yourself.  I’m not saying that I want you to be perfect.  I know in August that is not realistic for so many of you and that is okay.  But what I am reminding you is that regardless of where you are right now if you have a plan and stick to it you will feel so much better than going completely off the cliff and then trying to climb back up in September.

Put everything aside regardless of what you have done up until now.  Good, bad or somewhere in between let’s continue to move forward in a very positive mindset.  From now until Labor Day have a plan and follow it through. 

Planning is so important because it helps us understand what we are actually capable of at this moment.  Different times of the year we are capable of different things.  Some may be more strict in the winter or the summer or right before vacation.  For others they are strict because they are getting married or turning a certain age, or planning big parties and celebrations.  We all want to look and feel our best when big exciting things are going on in our life.  It creates motivation that comes on more urgent and rapid.  And that’s great because we can use it to our advantage when we have it.  But when you don’t have that sudden urgency is when you have to maybe have more of a realistic plan.  One that fits you right now.

What I want you to think about is where you are right now.  If you are struggling to stay on program then change your day.  Maybe your plan is too strict for what your life is right now.  Maybe you need an extra on program snack or to add in a  drink or two or an extra cheat meal on the weekends when it’s not your cheat day.   Remember whatever changes you make right now are not forever.  They are for right now.  So add an on program extra snack or change whatever part of the day or week you are struggling with to give yourself a little extra.  Im always here to help you navigate your day.  But the point is to have the plan so you know what you are trying to achieve.  Even if you won’t lose as much the key is you will follow through on your planned day and even more important you won’t gain.  Once you get through your planned day you will feel more accomplished and then maybe next week or the week after you can start to make it even more of a weight loss day by getting rid of the extra snack or extra cheats.  Make the plan realistic for you this week and once you get a solid week of following your plan then you will feel better and more confident moving forward.

REMINDER:  For those going on vacation it’s so important to follow through with your plan.  If you don’t follow your plan you know by mid vacation you are going to be miserable with how you feel.  Stick to your plan – even if the plan includes when you are cheating it’s still a plan and will keep you in a great place mentally which is what vacation is about.  Vacation is not about going and sabotaging yourself – putting you in a place of feeling bloated, heavy and miserable.  Vacation is about resting the mind, having some fun with those you love and staying in a great place of happiness — making happy memories.

Maintain – Follow your program and have planned cheat meals when needed.  When you do this you must follow the 80-20.  Eat clean 80% of the time and 20% of the day you are off (maybe dinner and drinks or dinner dessert or for the breakfast lovers you cheat breakfast and clean the rest of the day).  Plan it and follow through and I promise you will feel so much better come September.  You may not be exactly where you want to be but you will feel so much better than where you could be.

Losing Weight Is Always an Option –  Now of course if you want to lose weight you can do that!  I can’t tell you how many clients have continued to lose weight this summer.  Just to mention a few we have very exciting — Joe just reached his 50lb weight loss this past weekend!!  Woo Hoo!!! So proud of him!!  And Lauren reached her super awesome 25lb loss and Ilene is at her new low since she started!  I can go on and on about the clients that lost weight this summer.  They went into the summer with a plan to stay on program and lose weight and they are following through with it.  So if that is something you want to do- don’t wait — start now and do it.

Do the right thing and you will feel so much better – Whether it’s weight loss, work, family, relationships, 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.

Final Thoughts –  Just because it’s a plan doesn’t make it easy.  We all have difficult days and it’s on the hardest days tha you have to find your strength to follow through.  Reach down and find it and talk yourself through it.  You are capable of so much more than you might be willing to work for at that moment but if you get past that one moment of weakness you will feel so much better and it will make such a big difference on so many levels.

THERE ARE PLANNER AND DREAMERS

PLANNERS MAKE THEIR DREAMS COME TRUE.

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

It’s not easy being uncomfortable.  One of the biggest things about weight loss and getting results is we have to be okay with being a little uncomfortable.  Both mentally and physically being uncomfortable takes getting used to.  Mentally it’s not easy to say NO to something we want.  Especially when the only one holding us back from it is us.  Physically we have to be okay with not having what our body physically feels it needs at the moment – reminding ourselves that we feel a little hungry because we have to eat less than what we currently need to have weight loss.  When your body is used to eating more of course you will feel little hungry.  Not all day but there will be times when your body realizes you are taking in less and it’s going to want you to feed it so it doesn’t feel uncomfortable.  Not an easy thing to get through – yet very doable.

We live in a society that prefers instant gratification and pleasure.   You see it and you want it.  We almost never think of the consequences until after we did it.  When we are uncomfortable we want to get rid of the feeling and we do what makes us immediately comfortable – regardless if the result is going to make us unhappy.

CHOOSE YOUR HARD:  UNHAPPY vs. UNCOMFORTABLE – What you have to remember is the uncomfortable is temporary.  It will be gone and you will get past it and the results of it are what makes you happy.  If you choose the easier path and grab without thinking or caring you will be unhappy and bloated and that’s a whole different kind of uncomfortable.  So which is it?  You want to be uncomfortable a little hungry or uncomfortable in your clothes?

Here are some things to remind you why it’s okay to be uncomfortable:

• Nearly everything that generates any kind of value requires effort, focus and discomfort.
• It’s the fear of discomfort that drives us away from our goals
• It’s this fear of discomfort that drives us to search for endless shortcuts.  How can we make this all easier. How can we achieve success without the hard work?
• The truth is the only real way to get comfortable is to realize discomfort is where your success is.  Follow it, embrace it and you will get it.

If you think about how society today is so terrified of pain and discomfort.  Many will do anything to avoid pain and suffering.  We have endless pills and alcohol to make all manner of discomfort go away.

• Don’t fall into the trap of becoming comfortable with simply existing. You must want and love putting the work in to get results. It’s okay to feel both the pain and pleasure from working hard for something. For example let’s take weight loss – It’s uncomfortable and there are days you have to walk away from what you really want. I think we can all agree there is pain involved. Both mental and physical pain. It’s not easy to walk away from something you want. But the results of doing it are beyond amazing. The feeling of waking up healthy, light and thin. Grabbing anything in your closet and it fits and feels good. Your confidence is high and your days are always great. You feel healthy. You feel like you can face anything and get through it. And you feel this way all because your body and mind feel good. When your body is in a good place your mind is in a happy place. When you feel good you are happy and when you are happy you always look amazing. There is nothing more beautiful then a happy confident person. When you are comfortable in your own skin – it makes all the little uncomfortable times worth it.  Who wouldn’t want this.  We see people all the time that have it and we want it.  But in order to get to this amazing feeling you need to work hard and feel the little pains of being uncomfortable.  When you are willing to do that you will get the results.

What I want you to think about for the remainder of January and into February – is becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable.  It’s okay to be a little hungry – you won’t starve.  It’s okay to go to a party and not indulge .  It’s okay to feel a little mental pain without having to numb it. Face your fears and embrace them – it’s the only way to get through them.   I want you to embrace it and be happy that you can embrace it and happy that you can work for what you want.   Nothing in life comes free.  You must put the work in.   Don’t wait for the perfect time – it doesn’t exist.  There is always going to be something – it’s all part of the uncomfortable.    You have to get past it.   It’s not always going to be a perfect day or situation – but you  keep moving forward and keep working hard.   Do what you need to and get to where you want to be.  Think about it -if you don’t do it now -when?   Start now and make it happen.  You will feel the joy of being uncomfortable because you will see the results it brings.   Remind yourself that uncomfortable is where your success is!!  When you work at it and embrace it – the toughness of being uncomfortable passes and you find yourself in a place of control and happiness.

It's only when you see the positive changes in your mind and body 

is when you feel the most comfortable and genuinely alive


~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

With just a hop skip and a jump you will be on Holiday Break.  As fast as it arrives it will be gone.  So make sure you enjoy every second of it and do tithe way that will make you the happiest – with No Regrets.

Here are some Holiday Tips and Advice I would like to share with you:

1. Whether you are on the beach, the mountain or home you should be drinking water throughout the day.  Dehydration can cause hunger, headaches, constipation and fatigue.  Plan your water intake throughout the day.  for example a great practice is to drink an 8oz bottle of water when you wake up first thing.  Your body is dehydrated from sleep and the activities from the night before – whatever that may have been.  So wake up and drink.  Every time you plan a meal or a snack drink 8 oz of water before you eat.  You will not only consume less but you will feel and look so much better throughout the day.  ** Did you know that alcohol and caffeine are diuretics.  If you are drinking alcohol or any caffeinated drinks – make sure you have a glass of water in between every drink.
2. Stay of the gym BUT stay active on Vacation.  You want to change it up of your mind and body and vacation is the perfect time to do that.  On the mountain go skiing, sledding, shoe walking, or horseback riding.  On the beach take a long walk or jog on the sand.  Go swimming.  Do an outdoor yoga or bootcamp.  Enjoy your surroundings and plan activities according to the weather you are in.  If you are staying home with the family play hide and seek or tag.  Go bowling or ice skating.  Take long walks in the park or go hiking.  It will be enjoyable and nice change for the mind body and great family time.
3. Always always plan your meals and snacks.  Regardless on vacation or home you need to plan your meals and snacks because believe it or not while it’s uncomfortable to over do it at home it’s even worse to over do it on vacation.  Whether you are home or on Vacation you want to choose one of the following to keep you on track:

• STAY ON PROGRAM:  and follow your 6 clean days and 1 cheat day.  If you do this you will of course lose weight and feel great.  Plan your food and snacks in advance each day.  if you are drinking then that is your snacks.  if you follow the 6/1 I would recommend having your cheat day at the end of the week before you go home.  All week long you can make a list of the foods/snacks/desserts you see that you want try on your cheat day.  If you save the Cheat Day for right before you return you will have a much better chance of sticking to the 6 clean days.
• SPLIT THE HOLIDAYS:  We have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and New years eve and New Years Day.  If you split them and stay clean all day and only off at night – Dinner and Drinks or Dinner and Dessert.  You do it for both Holidays with super clean days in between.  You will absolutely maintain but for many will still have a great chance of losing if you have SHARK DAYS in between.
• MAINTAIN YOUR VACATION:   If you feel you need the break from the everyday mindsets vacation is a good time to take advantage of it.  Whether you are homer away you will choose one meal and one dessert/drinks each day.  The remainder of the day keep clean. So for example you might do Muffin for breakfast and bar for lunch and then cheat dinner and dessert/or drinks (desserts are your drinks.  The next day you might decide to cheat at breakfast and eat clean the rest of the day with cheat dessert.  It’s up to you to choose each day your cheat.  The key is not to have a full cheat day that week.  You come home and you go right back on program.  No scale.  You go back on program for one week and then you go on the scale and you will see your  pre-vacation weight.

While I wish food and drinks didn’t play such a big part in how we feel – the reality is it does.  And Im a big believer in addressing things rather than ignoring them.  Since what we eat and drink affects our mindset and personality, I think it’s super important to think through how you want to feel and what is going to make you happy.  Do not cheat everyday if you  by mid week you will be miserable because that will use make everyone you are with miserable.  As hard as it may feel to stay on program – think about how hard it will be to feel bloated and uncomfortable in your own skin.  In not suggesting you stay 110% clean on vacation.  I know you all so well that I really believe there is a different option for each one of you.  But what I am telling you is that while going off program makes you feel free of stress and structure – if you over do it you will begin to feel uncomfortable and out of control and I don’t want you to have that feeling on your vacation.  Think about it and plan how often you can cheat and still feel okay.  Because when you start out in a bathing suit or snow pants and end up mid week in a cover up or feeling like frosty you have to be okay with it.

FINAL THOUGHTS:  Remind yourself two things.  It doesn’t matter how amazing you were up to this point.  You will feel the effects of daily over doing it and you will feel it quickly.  Smoke the choices because this vacation isn’t only about you it’s about your family and what mood they have to deal with when you lose control.  I know it’s the harsh reality but I’m telling you now so you don’t look back and feel like you should have made different choices.  You have all been on vacation before and you know what it does to you mentally and physically the you are consistently off program.  Some are okay with it and can just deal with the affects of it and go right back on program when they return — others will let it ruin the holiday/vacation mid way through.  Don’t do it.  this year you are going to THINK BEFORE YOU ACT and make sure your choices are what is good for you and all those you love.  And always remember if you lose control and you realized you over did it and start to feel uncomfortable there is a simple solution –  the very best thing to do is regardless of where you are you just go right back on program to a 110% shark day.  After one solid day back on program you will feel so much better.  We are always here for you if you need guidance – simply reach out.  Remember this isn’t about being perfect it’s about being happy.

HAPPINESS LOOKS AMAZING ON EVERYONE!

The most wonderful time of the year!  I thought today would be a perfect time to talk about the WEEKEND!  You know that really difficult time that everyone has keeping to one cheat day.  Yes I know we are in the most festive and the busiest time of the year.  I know we had parties every week. That’s why they call it the happiest season of all because everyone is eating and drinking!  But I also know how fast weight comes on and how much longer it takes to come off.   That’s why it’s important for me to remind all of you – the next two weekends are super important.  If you keep it to one cheat day a weekend you will see the number go in the right direction.  If you cheat a little the night before or the day after you will maintain.  It’s that simple.  to see the number go in the direction you want you must keep it to ONE CHEAT DAY A WEEK.  That includes No Extra’s at all.  Stick to your menu and you will feel the best and get the best results.

ALL THE MAGIC HAPPENS THE NIGHT BEFORE

If you weigh in Friday morning and your Cheat Day isn’t until Saturday you should not be cheating ” a little” Friday night.  Just because you weighed in does not give you the freedom to cheat Friday night.  If you cheat a little Friday night that will reflect in the following week.  You should not be drinking extra drinks or eating extra snacks you should stick to your meals and snacks on Friday like any other weight loss day and Cheat ONLY on your Cheat day.  Again this is only if you want the very best results every week.  Remember that all the magic happens at the end of the week so even if you weighed in Friday morning but your Cheat day is Saturday you stop the weight loss and the magic as soon as you are “off program” Friday night.

THE NEXT TWO WEEKENDS

There are only two weekends left until Break.  whether you are celebrating the holidays or vacationing or just hanging with the family – the real challenge will be from December 24th through Jan 1.  So for the Next week and two weekends keep it laser focused.  Live the program – 110% six clean days and only one cheat day.  You will go into the Holiday week feeling mentally and physically amazing, strong, healthy, thinner, happier and full of life!  Because when you do the right things it shows in everything about how you look feel and act.

THE STRUGGLE  THAT YOU FIGHT THROUGH

IS WHAT GIVES YOU THE RESULTS.

Innovation Tips for the Upcoming Holiday Season

THE HOLIDAYS ARE MORE THAN ONE DAY – KEEP THIS IN MIND NOVEMBER THROUGH JAN1

1. Don’t just do the program – live the program
2. Walk away from the temptations and remind yourself to choose your hard.  – HARD TO WALK AWAY OR HARD TO DEAL WITH THE RESULTS OF YOUR ACTIONS
3. One drink is a snack – Before you go for the second drink – remember it’s not the alcohol it’s what the alcohol makes you do.
4. Be a Shark – it feels great!
5. Be happy! No one wants an Eeyore in the room.  Everyone wants to be around the happy Tiger who is excited and feels good because they are doing the right things for their mind and body.
6. Don’t live in the moment.  While it’s fun to do something spontaneous – make sure it’s not with food – the results can be both mentally and physically draining.  Plan, prepare and follow through
7. Everything matters – every bite, sip crumb that you have extra is one extra to many.  Live by 6 clean days and 1 cheat day and you will feel great, be happy and lose weight!
8. Everyday you will either lose weight, maintain or gain.  The choice is always in your control
9. Less is always better when trying to lose weight.  If you don’t need it don’t eat it.
10. If you want to feel amazing you must act amazing.  Stay on program, work hard and do the right things.

The better you feel the better you will live and the happier you will be

Stay on Program!

Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick