You know, life is funny. I went from being a well conditioned fitness instructor to a fat 40 year old in what seems like the blink of an eye. I always joked that my metabolism went on strike at age 30 and just plain quit by 35. But it's more sad than funny and age has little to do with it.
I know what I have to do to be in peak shape. Even worse, I often do it but get nowhere near the results I should. Let me rephrase that... I get nowhere near the results I used to promise my clients they would get if they would only "try harder and have more self control." What a schmuck! I am fully ashamed of myself. I bought into all the hype that was laid on me. And I lived and breathed that hype religiously the years I spent as a fitness instructor.
But I was wrong; dead wrong. And based on what I have recently learned I can say with confidence that if you are fat, it's probably NOT your fault. And I tell you this from the bottom of my guilt ridden heart; please don't blame your fitness specialist or diet advisor. Chances are they are just as ignorant as I was. I'm sure they mean well.
You see, diet and fitness "experts" can only teach what they know. And what many of us know is simply wrong. Sure I was in great shape. I even earned a black belt in karate, which took more self control than any diet I ever tried. But I did not know the real truth about losing weight and being healthy. I'm still not an expert, but in the past couple months I have lost more weight than in the past ten years. I feel better than ever and it was easier than I thought possible.
By the way, I did NOT invent any of the great concepts that worked so well for me. Dr. Suzanne Gudakunst is the brains behind the only weight loss plan that ever helped me get into shape (Thank you Suzanne!)
In my very novice way I can tell you that I made a few simple changes at first, like eating more fruit and buying organic produce whenever possible. More importantly I learned that slow and steady really does win the race. But here's the real kicker. I found out why making changes too fast is why so many people not only fail in diets but gain back more fat than they lost! Talk about a no win situation. The more I read the more I realized, "Wow! This really isn't our fault!" But I digress...
Here's what worked for me. I gradually removed unhealthy influences like soda and certain junk foods over the course of several weeks. I went from four sodas a day to three. Then a week later I realized I did not have the urge to finish the third so I slowly removed that over the course of a few more days. In just a couple short weeks I gave up soda completely and it felt amazing. I even had a sip of my old favorite last week to see what it would taste like, and I spit it out because it was so nasty. Now, that's a big deal for me!
But this is only the beginning. There's a lot more to what makes us fat that we could really know without either being a doctor or hearing it first hand. Here's one little tidbit that still makes me quiver...
It's kind of sickening but a big reason most of us can't lose weight is because of disgusting little parasites living inside of us. Yeah, that grossed me out too when I first heard it. But I can tell you that once you accept it and move on, you can healthily lose weight faster and easier than you ever dreamed possible. And keep it off! The free videos at
http://LoseFatNow.org helped me a lot.
More than anything I urge you to not lose hope and please know that you CAN lose weight. I'm embarrassed that I used to be one of the "fitness enforcer" types but I am extremely grateful that I got this second chance. And that it's working!
Thanks and best of luck.
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Mike Small is a 2nd degree black belt and self confessed recovering fitness junkie. He hosts a free information site promoting healthy habits at
http://www.LoseWeightRightNow.org .
