1. Re-evaluate your calorie intake:

Every 10-15 lbs. you lose (even if you have a lot of weight to drop) always re-evaluate your calorie intake to ensure you are eating less than you were before. As you lose weight, not only does it become harder, but you must take proper steps to make sure that you can get past your weight loss plateau and reach your goals.

2. Keeping track of your nutrition:

The best place to start is to track your food intake if you are not already doing so. There are many awesome reasons to keep a food log. Tracking your nutrition (long term) is possibly the smartest and most important step you acquire to improve your nutrition regimen.

3. Progress your body:

While nutrition and exercise is likely the culprit for stall in your weight loss journey, always make sure you are progressing the intensity of your exercise routine as it can only improve your results. Continue to push yourself and stay focused.

Cheers,

Gina

1. Work with your heart:

Be strong and you will immediately feel a boost of healthy inner confidence and self pride. Reflect on your positive accomplishments and blessings. Focusing on what you love in yourself and others is key to feel happy and successful with your life.

2. Step out of your comfort zone:

Attempt to try something new and overcome a fear. This will make you feel powerful and that you can take on the world and tackle any challenge. Perhaps it is signing up for a zumba class, joining a marathon or reaching out to a new person or self-help group.

3. Break a sweat:

Having a solid work-out will make you feel so good and confident. By sweating, it releases endorphins to help you experience a calm, relaxed feeling and tones your muscles at the same time. Training will elevate your mood and make your body feel remarkable!

Cheers,

Gina

Since I have lost weight, I have been struck by how many individuals notice me now. Before, the kind of notice I received was negative. People used to tell me I need to take care of myself. I felt embarrassed and ridiculed. Now, when friends notice me, they say “How did you do it?” or “You look fabulous!” I feel proud of myself and acknowledged for my effort. Before, when I would run into acquaintances I was ashamed by my appearance. Now, I feel more accepted and my self-esteem has vastly improved.

My relationship with the world has transformed. It is heartbreaking to look back at old pictures and realize how out of control my weight was. I know that I was not happy. I feel compassion for myself and others more than I ever have. I never want to go back to that weight again. I realize that I used food to comfort me during a very demanding time. Looking back, I had a lot of poignant effects during the full course of my weight loss, but have conquered the battle and feel so blessed!

To my fellow WEIGHT CLIQUERS, Take a step towards a healthy lifestyle even if it’s drinking more water or choosing to eat smaller meals through out the day. Challenge yourself each day so that you can feel good about yourself too! GO FOR IT!

Cheers,

Gina

1. Developing positive affirmations:

I learned to develop positive affirmations to counter all of my fears and self-consciousness. Some of the things that I tell myself are, “Keep moving forward and do not look back.” Also, “The harder I work the more I achieve.” In my mind, I craved to be thin. I dealt with my self-consciousness by exercising when it was the least crowded at the gym.

2. Getting started:

Do not be shy about asking for help to work the equipment. I selected the work-out machine that I thought would be the easiest, which for me was the treadmill and bike. During my initial training, I walked the treadmill until I was tired which was approximately 20 minutes. I felt relieved and hopeful that I could accept the challenge. The fitness instructor assisted me with how to start slowly and cool down. At the end, I walked an additional 5 minutes at a slower rate.

3. How to set exercise goals:

Before I started each work out I set goals regarding distance and incline. I went from 20 minutes in my first week and increased my distance by 10 minutes per day at the same speed. I progressed by gradually adjusting the incline to a steeper level. I varied programs from day to day. I changed the program with how I felt during the course of the work out.

To my fellow WEIGHT CLIQUERS, You may think that you are not up to exercise on a regular basis, my experience was losing weight became easier with daily work outs. My confidence, attitude and training exertion made me continue to persevere. I noticed that I felt more relaxed, calm and my health was continuously improving.

Cheers,

Gina

Staying away from unhealthy foods felt like it would be impossible to do. What I found helpful was keeping my goals in mind. I started easing myself away from food by eliminating the obvious culprits such as fast food, soda, chips, cakes and candies. Even with abstaining from foods over the last 25 months, I have occasional cravings for them. I have noticed that with time the foods I used to eat have become less desirable. Learning to be consistent with my food choices showed me how strong I really am. When I made the choice to switch from eating junk food to eating organic food my life drastically changed.

To my fellow WEIGHT CLIQUERS, These are some of the things that what worked for me and now you need to find out what works for you! YOU CAN DO IT!! I BELIEVE IN YOU!!

Cheers,

Gina

I thought bariatric surgery would be an easy fix. Boy was I wrong!! When I met with the bariatric coordinator and nurse, they were pretty stern with me. I thought they would have been more comforting during my appointment, yet they were all about the facts. I was shocked as to how serious they were with me. My expectations were much different than how they presented all the graphic details of what was entailed for this irreversible surgery. Listening to what they put it in perspective for me and how tough they were (in a good way) was fuel for me to get motivated to prove them wrong.

After a lot of meetings and a huge packet of information, I went home and thought about everything. I came to the realization I needed to take control of my weight and life again. At first, I did not like the idea of having to lose the weight naturally. I thought surgeries would solve my rapid weight gain. I recognize now it was a blessing to have my doctors there to help me focus on what I needed to do. I learned that there are no quick fixes to weight loss or anything in life. By staying consistent with my choices, it kept me going in the right direction.

To my fellow WEIGHT CLIQUERS, There are no secrets to losing weight. All it takes is some guidance, a great support system as well as believing in what you set your mind out to do. Keep people around that want to help you achieve your dreams, not tear them down. Let go of anything toxic in your life and positive things will come in time.

Cheers,

Gina

Food and I used to have a love hate relationship. I used to love the way it tasted, comforted me in times of need, and hated the way it made me feel and look. After doing my fair share of research, I made the decision to join Jenny Craig for their support, and knowing that I would have someone that would hold me accountable daily. I did not purchase the pre-made cuisine Jenny Craig offers. Instead I chose to purchase pre-made organic food from Whole Foods every morning.

The Jenny Craig counselors allowed me to weigh in everyday and my dietitian helped me with ideas on what to eat as well as portion control. The team at Jenny Craig also encouraged me to cut out fast food, soda, sugar and creamy dressings, something I thought I would never give up. Whole Foods was a place where I trained myself to eat clean and nourish my body. This was primal for me in continuing the challenge that was ahead of me. I remember being so angry at how I let myself spiral so out of control with food.

To my fellow WEIGHT CLIQUERS, choosing healthy foods didn’t come easy at first, but with each day that passed the positive results that I started to see and feel made me stop and think of the finish line….I cheer all of you on to keep moving and to make the decisions that sometimes aren’t the easiest but well worth the effort to see solid results….

Cheers,

Gina

To keep me in the mindset of losing weight, I found it helpful to journal. I would journal, my daily weight, what I eat, how long I exercise for and what I decide to do at the gym.  I also found it helpful to go to Jenny Craig and have them witness my weight losses, gains or plateaus.  Having another person witness my fluctuations motivated me because it gave me a sense of validation or sometimes the encouragement to keep moving forward.  I always felt nervous about stepping on the scale, but for me it was a way to hold myself accountable.

Going to the gym was something I wanted to avoid, yet I knew I had to face the inevitable.  I started off slowly, by challenging myself to work out on the treadmill.  I surprised myself and was able to do 20 minutes. To me this was encouraging. I was slowly facing my fears and creating a new life for myself. I pushed myself each day with a mindset to get up, get moving and go to the gym. I was astonished when I started to notice that I was able to increase my distance over the course of a few months. My insight for helping you to accomplish your goals is to get up, get moving, become accountable and know that this discomfort doesn’t last forever.

Cheers,

Gina