Top 7 Tips for Weight Loss Success and Long Term Wellness

Top 7 Tips for Weight Loss Success and Long Term Wellness

by Sarah Gogarty ACE-CPT

 

1.       Focus on Behavior changes.

Why do exercise programs and nutrition plans fail? Usually because the person doing them doesn’t follow through with the major life and behavior changes involved. It’s not as simple as “Eat X number of calories per day.”  What we put in our mouths and how much we exercise is linked to the way we behave & think. But when we can change the behavior, the success rate can be monumental.

Here’s an example – Let’s say you’re the person who always snacks in front of the TV. Well reduce or eliminate watching TV and you eliminate the behavior. Or you could try to change that habit by adding a positive behavior such as getting up and doing an exercise during the commercial breaks.

2.       Establish a Support Group.

Remember that feeling? The Peer Pressure you experienced in school? Well believe it or not, social pressures and the urge to feel accepted does not go away post teen years! When you surround yourself with people making poor life decisions, you are more likely to participate in those poor choices too. Get involved or surround yourself with people who have like-minded goals, or participate in healthy social activities. Join a fitness community or weight loss group to get you started!

3.       Make your Fitness FUN.

Why the heck do they call it a “Workout?” Does it have to be such hard “WORK” for it to count as decent exercise?  The answer is NO! As long as you’re bringing up that heart rate and working up a little sweat, then you are exercising. If everything inside you screams THIS SUCKS! – even after exercising – then find a different activity to do that you actually like! There are so many different ways to exercise-from traditional training to group fitness, sports and rec, to dancing the night away. Chances are you plan to spend a lot of your time doing these to reach your goals, so make sure you enjoy it! Life is too short to torture yourself.

4.       Eat Intuitively.

Food journaling has been a proven way to successfully achieve weight loss. But if that’s just not for you – that’s ok! You can still be successful! As long as you are MINDFULLY EATING, then you’re probably eating well enough. This essentially means to THINK about WHAT you are putting into your mouth. Eating intuitively means not to eat in front of the TV, or in the car. Paying attention to portions and balance your plate with lean protein, healthy carbs & fats; or, planning your meal and snacks ahead. Keep in mind that being prepared in advance with healthy options will significantly aid in your nutritional success.

5.       Live Upright.

It’s simple. The more you are on your feet, the more calories you burn. Finding small ways to get on your feet more throughout your day really adds up over the course of a week. In fact, we sit so much as Americans that they’ve given the hazardous practice a medical term. They call it “sitting disease,” and most people who work desk jobs are at risk. “A desk-bound man or woman takes only 5,000 to 6,000 steps a day. That compares with about 18,000 steps a day for the average man and 14,000 for a woman…” Try adding more upright activity in your day to avoid “sitting disease.” For example, get up from your desk every 20 minutes. Park further away from the building and walk. Walk to the local market for milk. Take the stairs, etc. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2009-01-21-fidget-activity_N.htm

6.       Think Well – Be Kind to Yourself.

Our emotions generate hormonal responses that play significant roles in what we do. Therefore it is SO important to get your mind “thinking well.” This is arguably an even more important step than the rest. Without the right mindset, we can’t implement behavior changes and thus achieve goals. Must try tips on how to reach emotional wellness include practicing meditation, using affirmations, visualization tactics, implementing unconditional “Self-Love,” and eliminating personal “FEAR,”  or “False Evidence Appearing Real.” ~Gabrielle Bernstein, page 16. “May Cause Miracles.”

7.       Give Back!

When it comes to staying positive, staying the course in weight loss, and generating emotional wellness, giving back is a major player. As per Huffington Post article written by Betty Ann Heggie, “Giving detaches us from our obsessive thinking about ourselves. It breaks down loneliness by creating a human connection. Giving and happiness feed one another — both are intertwined. Giving to others is a gift to yourself.” Try adding a little Gratitude and Charity to your schedule for a wellness boost! http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/betty-ann-heggie/positive-effects-of-giving_b_4418893.html

Weight Loss, Peer Pressure and Holiday Pitfalls

With Memorial Day come to a close and the BBQ’s and long weekend celebrations coming to an end how did you do? Did you stick to your goals? Did you get your exercise in? Did you keep track of how you ate?

Holidays and parties are some of the hardest times to keep on track with your weight loss goals. Here’s a few reasons why:

1)  Unhealthy Food in large supply

2) Unhealthy Portion Size

3) Alcohol in large supply.

4) Social Pressure to be part of the party

5) People who don’t understand what you’re trying to do.

The first thing we need to address is if you fell off the wagon this weekend, get back on. You have not failed, it’s not all lost, and you haven’t destroyed everything you’ve worked for these past few weeks. A single weekend of bad choices won’t kill you. A lifetime of them will.

Second, how do we deal with these pressures and temptations? This past memorial day weekend Sarah and I visited the in-laws while participating in a 30 day Primal/Alcohol free challenge. It was tough at times to keep on track but we succeeded. Lets go through the above list and see how we can overcome some obstacles.

1) Unhealthy Food: Pack healthy food for yourself. For our challenge we had limitations on what we could eat so we packed up what we needed and brought it with us! Feel uncomfortable bringing your own thing? Bring enough to share and make it part of the weekends eats! You just might help someone else choose healthy too!

2) Unhealthy Portion Size: All those bowls of potato salad and other tempting dishes spread out before you! How to survive? Grab the smallest plate you can and stick with it. Being forced to go back to the table to get another serving will help you think twice. (Only have big paper plates? Rip it in half!)

3) Alcohol…..ooooh! A tough one. The majority of calories consumed on long weekends come from what’s in your glass. If you really feel uncomfortable when everyone around you has a beverage, substitute! Get a bottle of club soda and fill your glass with ice and some lime. The bubbles and taste will give you enough kick to keep you sated and keep your thirst in check and the act of having a drink in your hand will keep people from badgering you to have another.

4&5) Social Pressure: When people question why you’re not having a drink, helping yourself to the buffet, taking part in Dad’s famous bacon wrapped burger, or make remarks about the choices you’re making remember:

You are on a journey to improve yourself and your life. It is your journey and no one else’s. You make the rules and you pay the consequence when you break them.

If someone puts down your choices it is only because you are holding a mirror to their own shortcomings and bad decisions. When someone feels bad their natural reaction is to try and make you feel bad so they feel better.

We have to live like no one else now so We can live like no one else later.

A Contract with Myself.

I _______, promise to make a commitment to my health & wellness…

 

I will LOVE myself.

I will acknowledge that I DESERVE this and that I am worth it.

I will beleive in myself.

I will not give up.

Even if I slip up, I promise to not beat myself up, but to get back on track.

I will be brave & bold.

I will try new things.

I will educate myself.

I will be dedicated to my goals.

I will trust the process and understand that it wont happen overnight.

I will feed my mind with positive thoughts.

I will feed my soul through positive actions.

I will not be jealous of others for acheiving their goals, (or for winning,) but instead be understudies to their success.

I will praise them for reaching them because I know they have faced their own struggles.

I will do it for MYSELF first.

I will do it for my family.

I will do it for my friends.

I will do it to inspire others and create a better world.

I will do it to LIVE a Long, Healthy, & Happy Life!

This is my Mission and my Mission starts right now!

9 Inspirational Tips to Keep Your New Years Resolutions

Well…It’s Jan 18^th!  We are fast approaching February.  And how are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions?  Most likely many of you are just now starting to face the music.  It’s getting tough right?!  Well DON’T GIVE UP!  Here’s 9 Great Inspirational Tips to keep you on track:

 

1)      Set Realistic Fitness Goals: This is such an important tip.  It can be very overwhelming, and people are more likely to fall off the wagon, if they’ve set unrealistic large goals.  This doesn’t mean you can’t eventually accomplish a large goal.  But you should think about setting your goal plan to a smaller scale.  For instance, make reasonable small goals that will lead up to your main goal, (such as lose 5 pounds in 4 weeks, or finish a 5K in a month, etc.)  Please, consult your Trainers if you need some help setting some realistic goals.  That is what we are here for!

2)      Get Pumped:  Always go back to your original goal and keep that in focus.  Try to remember that where you will be in 6 months has everything to do with what you are doing now!

3)      Get Inspired by Others Success Stories:  Look to your fellow Bootcampers.  Watch weight loss shows like “The Biggest Loser.”  Or check out some Fitness Magazine articles.

4)      Reward Yourself:  How do you reward yourself without giving in to your previous vices, or throwing your healthy diet out the window?   It’s called MASSAGE!  It not only feels amazing, but is recommended for better performance and injury prevention!  Schedule one once a month, if you can or, if massages aren’t your thing, maybe another form of rewarding yourself might drive you such as a movie night out, or get yourself a new book, or maybe go to the next tip: number 5!

5)      Buy New Workout Gear: This gets me every time!  Once I buy a pair of kicks, I can’t wait to lace em’ up and take them for a few test drives!

6)      Find a workout buddy:  You are more likely to show up for your Saturday workout if your Bestie is expecting to sweat with you.  You are also more likely to stick to a program when you exercise with a friend!

7)      Try a New Physical Activity: Open your mind and don’t be afraid of the unknown.  You may discover new things that bring you joy!  Go hiking, take a dance class, go for a bike ride.  You may love it!

8)      Sign Up for a Race:  Registering for a 5K Run, Sprint Triathalon, or Obstacle Course Race is a great motivator.  Not only are we all inherently competitive, but it gives us a deadline to work towards.  The proceeds benefit a good cause, and they are super FUN!

9)      Get your Mind Right & Lose the Excuses: We have all heard the saying, “misery loves company.”  If you are a “Debbie Downer” you are only hurting yourself, keeping yourself from achieving your goals and reaching your full potential.  Eliminate all of those negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones.  Positive Energy is a must for success!

REMEMBER…You can accomplish anything with the right attitude, hard work, & dedication.  Your friends at SGO Fitness are here to support you every step of the way!

Have a great rest of your week everyone!

Dedicated to your success,

 

Sarah Gogarty,  ACE-CPT

Founder

SGO Fitness

Turkey Toss Workout

SGO Fitness Turkey Toss!!

Thanksgiving is a time of large meals, turkey and family gatherings. We decided to help keep our bootcampers on track this year by holding our inaugural “Turkey Toss” bootcamp Thanksgiving morning. Bootcampers were challenged to a 3 circuit workout with the added bonus of tossing one of our 15-20 lbs “Turkeys” as far as they could. The winners won some fabulous prizes and we all had a great time earning our Thanksgiving meals!

Check out the video below for a glimpse of the action!

http://youtu.be/bCI6mCLkZw4

Dedicated to your success,

Sean & Sarah Gogarty ACE-CPT

SGO Fitness

Paleo Diet

SGO Fitness

The basic theory behind the Paleo diet is simple. For millions of years our ancestors survived on diet provided by a hunter-gatherer lifestyle which consisted mainly of meat, fish & foul, vegetables & fruits and nuts & seeds. With the introduction of the agriculture approx 12000 years ago that diet changed to include grains and dairy, which are believed to cause several autoimmune diseases and digestive distresses. By avoiding these and a few other foods you can expect to see a dramatic change in your health, performance and physique. For an in-depth explanation read The Paleo Solution.

What drew me to this diet, other than the amazing personal endorsement from my friend Kevin Dusi which you can read below, is that its all natural. There is nothing in this diet that you would not be recommended to eat by your own doctor or nutritionist. There’s no miracle potion you need to take, no supplement with additives you really have no knowledge of. Just wholesome great tasting food that you cook for yourself. I’ve always said for most food “If it comes in a box or a carton, its probable not that good for you.”

Before I began this 30 day Paleo Challenge experiment I’d been getting a lot of questions and also having a lot of conversations with people about the diet and their opinion of what it was all about. In order to get a personal take I decided to call my good friend Kevin Dusi, and avid Triathlete and soccer player. Kevin had been eating paleo for several months as a means to help with his training and I wanted to get his take on things. His answers were so informative and helpful I thought I’d post our conversation here:

 Hey Kevin, 

Minds answering a few questions? Not at all. 

Why did you decide to go paleo in the first place? I had hit a plateau. I was training 5-6 days a week, often twice a day, for my events. However, I was stuck at 210 pounds and still had a decent amount of ‘squish’ to my frame. My friend had the physique I was looking for and sent me some reading materials when I asked. 

How long have you been eating paleo? Starting Jan 1, 2011, essentially.

What physical changes have you experienced since you’ve been eating this way? Weight loss, illness, how you feel daily? In two months I went from 210 to 190 with no effort. On a general day, I have a lot more energy. I haven’t gotten anything worse than a headache in 2011 (knock on wood) and that is generally more of a result of eating something I know I shouldn’t. I suppose a great overall comment for ‘physical changes’ would be that you get to be much more in-tune with how your body reacts to what you put in it. Eat a carne asada burrito? Tasty as hell, but expect a headache and a “food coma” after. Eat right? Expect what I refer to as a “food high”. You seriously will get a rush of energy. It’s weird. 

What were the biggest hurdles you had to overcome to stick to it? At first: wheat headache. It sounds odd, but when people first kick gluten they will get to look forward to something similar to a caffeine headache. Your body is addicted, in a way. Now the hardest issue is travelling for work, as I prefer to prep my own food. On a normal week, I’d say prep time for what I want to eat is probably the biggest thing, but you get into a routine with that… and you really do start to look forward to feeling great and dreading how you feel if eat wrong. 

Have you “fallen off the wagon” on anything? What did you do about it? I fall off the wagon all the time. But each time you do, your body reacts and it’s enough of a lesson to get back into eating right. The beauty is that it is really easy to re-set. I’ll bounce from 190 to 193 any given week based on how “well” I’m doing. 

Now that you’ve been eating this way for a while are there any variations to the diet you’ve added or recommend? I’d say I eat more “primal” than “paleo”, but even that isn’t a very big distinction. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/whats-the-difference-between-primal-and-paleo/a paleo “purist” would shun dairy (I love me some cheese and butter), alcohol, etc. Primal allows for a little more flexibility. I think the main thing I’d recommend is to go at least a month completely committed to the paleo way of eating. No booze, no dairy, no gluten, etc. and see how you feel. If you go into it feet first, it will be night and day. After 3 or 4 days when I started I was sold, but went the full 30. After that, tinker around and reintroduce some stuff. Like dairy? Add it in. Note how your body reacts and use that as a guide.

Where do you shop for most of your meals? Any great places to go? I love farmers markets. Poway has a good one on Saturdays, Hillcrest has an amazing one on Sundays, and if you have clients on the coast I’ve been to the one in Solana Beach on Sunday afternoons and it’s decent. Fresh vegetables are amazing. For stores, I live right next to a Henry’s and that’s typically where I’ll go. For eating out, places like JSix downtown (pricey but worth it), Urbane Solace, and The Linkery are my three favorites, and they generally have stuff that’s Kevin-approved.  

What would be your recommendation for someone who’s thinking of trying to eat this way? What would you suggest to someone who’s never worked out, watched what they ate, or even heard of this type of diet until now? Do the homework and commit to 30 days.  By homework I mean either read everything you can online or get a book. I went the book route. Either Robb Wolf’s or Mark Sisson’s is a great place to start. Also, keep in mind that it’s NOT just a gluten-free diet. A lot of things are hitting the shelves at supermarkets with “gluten free” stamped all over them. That’s great, but there’s other stuff besides gluten that you want to avoid. It’s just the big one. That’s why reading up on it first is what I’d recommend, so you don’t shoot yourself in the foot over it. I’d hate to see someone do what they *think* is paleo only to fail because they didn’t know the full story. Also, it’s easier in groups. As far as someone that’s never worked out… I’d say diet is 80%, sleep is 10%, and working out is 10%. They can see a ton of improvement by doing nothing more than walking and getting some sun. Mark’s Primal Blueprint goes into a lot of detail on that. Robb’s book does to a lesser extent. FYI, when I lost my 20 pounds, I cut my working out to maybe 1/10 of what I had been doing. Now I work out when I want to, which is maybe twice a week for 30-40 minutes, similar I’d imagine to your boot-camp.

Thanks Kevin! That was awesome! I think you just wrote my blog post!

 I’ll be posting how we’ve been doing shortly. All I can say is that we’re feeling great, cooking more than every and loving learning new recipes we’ll share in a bit. Thanks for reading!

dedicated to your success,

Sean Gogarty

SGO Fitness

Reasons for Sean & Sarah’s 30 Day Diet Challenge

SGO FITNESS

Hello Everyone,

It feels like forever since we last posted for SGO fitness and there have been tons of subjects we’ve been wanting to cover!

So here’s the scoop, over the next several posts we’ll be covering a bunch of topics that have spurred Sarah and I to undertake a diet challenge of our own.

Over the past several months we’ve been working with a program called The Losers Club. This is a 12 week weight loss challenge where contestants have the opportunity to win a cash prize for the most weight lost. As the exclusive trainers for the group we’ve run into many questions and diets brought to our attention by contestants as they’ve explored their weight loss journey.

Sarah and I decided, after weeks of exploring some of their questions, to focus on two diet programs for ourselves. Sarah focused on a whole food diet avoiding meat and dairy protein. (see Forks over Knives for a quick summary) and I have focused my eating habits on the Paleo Solution, a diet eliminating dairy and grains otherwise known as “The Caveman Diet.”

We’ve been following these programs for 17 days now and we’ll post shortly about our findings and personal opinions. But I wanted to list a number of topics we’re going to cover over the next few days in addition to these two subjects. (Honestly, it’s an attempt to have you hold us accountable and not let work and bootcamps get in the way of us posting regularly)

Subjects on the block:

1         Paleo and everyday eating

2         Whole Food

3         Grocery Store Survival

4         Juice Fasts

5         Eating in the AM.

6         Pre and post workout meals! What do I eat?

7         Why did the scale go up after a good week?

8         Sarah and her Soy Protein Journey

9         Where we’re at after 14 days

So Keep you’re eyes open and your questions ready!

Dedicated to your success,

Sean Gogarty

SGO Fitness