Okay, here we go … the big reveal. I hold in my hand the answer sought after by millions of people worldwide - the magic formula for losing weight and keeping it off for good. Hmmm, here I am considering a career change … perhaps I should market this “magic pill”. They say that the diet industry alone is a multi-billion dollar one, why can’t I have a piece of the pie ??? Okay, are you ready for it? Here it is:
I follow a healthy diet, and I exercise regularly.
TA-DA !!!!! That’s it folks, pretty boring eh ??
I want to say I’m sure most people know this, but it never ceases to amaze me how so many don’t. I am still constantly confronted by people that follow fad diets - low carb is the newest craze, but give it time … this too shall pass. As I said before, I’ve tried various diets over the years: I've taken supplements, shakes and pills, I’ve done fasts, cleanses ... the works. The best “diet” that I did over the years admittedly was Weight Watchers, and the reason I liked it was because it was realistic. No foods were banned, and it strongly supports my life motto for food today – everything in moderation. The one thing I didn’t like about it and why I personally felt it didn’t show me lasting success was because it was very low calorie. I was always hungry, and you remember how much I love food and eating right ?? Hunger sucks :( It was not sustainable for life.
But I’m never hungry anymore :) There is nothing that I don’t allow myself to eat or drink, and I always eat foods that I love.
Now don’t get me wrong, although this advice sounds ridiculously simple, it’s not easy. I say that I’m surprised not everyone knows this, but perhaps I take for granted my knowledge and experience around diet and fitness. I am by no means an expert (yet), I can only speak from experience. Everyone wants the magic pill, the fast and easy route to success. Unfortunately neither of these exists, trust me, I’ve tried. They do if you want temporary success, but ultimately you won’t see lasting results.
And while I say diet and exercise are an obsession of mine, I don’t truly obsess about my actual diet and exercise. I work hard at it, damn hard actually, but I don’t obsess. I obsess about gaining knowledge, reading, experimenting, organizing, and researching constantly about these topics.
Each and every weekend I sit and plan my diet and my workouts for the following week. I pour over my large pile of cookbooks and browse the internet for healthy recipe ideas and write out my grocery list. I open up the Excel spreadsheet I created with my extensive library of exercises I’ve researched and gathered over the years, and write out my workouts for the upcoming week in my little exercise book. I carry my book with me on every trip to the gym – I get comments (snickers) about this constantly from fellow gym members and even gym employees. I count calories almost every single day and record them online, and I often weigh and measure my food. I weigh myself every day and then some.
Ya, sounds pretty obsessive to me !!
However what I don’t obsess about is following these workouts and meal plans 100% of the time. Today for example, I had planned to go to the gym but felt really sluggish and tired, so I took the day off. Tomorrow I’m heading out of town to attend the Niagara Wine Festival – sampling various wines from local vineyards all day long followed by dinner, likely at a pub and definitely not low calorie, and of course more wine !! Sometimes these skipped workouts and eating & drinking fests happen once a week, sometimes more, but overall I’d say my diet is “clean” 80% of the time, and my exercise patterns are even better. I rarely miss workouts for more than 2 days in a row, except when I go on vacation ;-) And these off days are typically not planned – many diet books will tell you to plan a cheat day or cheat meal. I don’t like this advice because (a) I don’t think of it as cheating, and (b) you never know if or when it’s gonna happen.
I can live with that. I still get to indulge now and again, so I never feel deprived and there are never any foods that I crave or miss. Carbs are my best friend !!! And even though some days I have to drag my ass to the gym, I always feel great when I leave … lean, mean and stress free ;-)
So all this being said … I do consider trying to stay fit and healthy a passion of mine, one that I tinkered with most of my life but seem to have finally found my peace with – I found a way to make it work for me for life, and you’ve all heard that advice right? This is a lifestyle and not a quick fix or temporary solution – yes it’s hard work, but the rewards are totally worth it :)
At the same time, I get that pissed off feeling that was talked about in 'A Lazy Man’s Guide to Success'. When someone tells me they are popping diet pills or cutting out all carbs or something along those lines, I get PISSED OFF !! I really and truly want to help these people. I know what they are going through as I’ve experienced the same struggles, and when people ask me my advice, about diet or exercise, I’m always more than happy to oblige. It makes me feel good to share and help any way I can.
So this, my friends, is the path I have chosen to pursue in my dream of a new career. I haven’t quite narrowed it down yet … as all the books on success I’ve read suggest, I’m just gonna follow my dream. I want to help others in their quest for good health, and help them to find a way that works for them for life. I could be a nutritionist or a dietitian, a personal trainer, owner/operator of a gym or weight loss clinic; who knows ??
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