Happy New Years!

First and foremost, Happy New Years!

I've made many new years resolutions, all of which never happened. That seems to be very common.

As I write this I sit here & reflect back on the one time I conquered my new years resolution. Then after that, everything seemed to click & fall into place.

New Years 2010: Lose Weight ✓
New Years 2011: Keep off the weight ✓
New Years 2012: Keep off the weight & tone my body ✓

New Years 2013: Keep off the weight, tone & define my body even more, eat better

I can't believe how much has changed in those short 3 years of my life. In 2010, I promised myself to change my life for the better and it has been the best decision I have ever made. Do you have a New Years resolution for 2013? If so, what are they? 

Most people laugh at that resolution, mostly because people dive head first into the goal early in January and by mid February they've given up.

You will mess up, you will fail, you will feel like you are losing, you will feel like the world is against you. Well I'm here to tell you something...
IT CAN & WILL HAPPEN!

I lost 31 pounds and guess what? I've kept it off. A lot of people ask me how I did it and I think they're always expecting a "real answer". Like..."I was on so & so diet" when in reality I was just altering the kinds of foods I was eating and working out. I'm sometimes at loss for words when I've explained how I did it and I know it wasn't the answer they expected. Here are 10 realistic advices that I'd give to anyone who wants to shed a few pounds:

1. Love yourself

• If you don't love yourself now, losing weight won't make you love yourself. This CAN NOT come from the image we see but from who we are and what we love to do that makes us love ourselves. This comes from within. I learned this when I lost weight and was still not happy. YOU MUST LOVE YOURSELF FIRST!

2. Eat at least 6 times a day

• Constantly eating (healthy stuff anyway) keeps your metabolism working. This means that your body is constantly burning fat for energy. This is what they mean when they say "Eat what you want & lose weight while doing it."
• Breakfast
• Snack
• Lunch
• Snack
• Dinner
• Small pre & post workout meal (counts as one)

3. Find motivation

• Workout with friends, siblings, parents. This is a good way to interact with people who have the same goals as you.
• Read motivational quotes (my favorite) Nothing gets me more motivated than reading a few uplifting quotes.

4. Ditch the sodas

• Water, un-sweet tea & coffee are the only drinks I drink on a daily basis. On special occasions I'll have an alcoholic beverage.
• Still miss the sodas? Try drinking flavored carbonated water. Try this until you're able to say bye-bye for good.

5. Portion/Self Control

• You need to know your portion sizes!
• This does not mean you need to restrict yourself to anything you want to eat. Want that chocolate cake? Have it, just remember to workout extra hard and/or swap out the next thing you eat with something much healthier.

6. Set realistic goals

• Chances are, you won't lose X amount of weight in X amount of time, especially in a week or two (like most crazy weight loss programs promise)
• Set goals like beating the time on your last run or lifting more weights every month. If you are watching your weight, aim for 1 pound every 1-2 weeks.
• If you're a beginner, try not to set a time frame on yourself.

7. Realize that this is a healthy lifestyle

• There should be NO time frame whatsoever. This is a lifestyle you have decided to live. You can't expect to stay healthy if you are putting yourself on a time frame. What's supposed to happen after your done with your highly talked about "10 week bikini bod" program? Chances are you'll gain back the weight.
• Every change you make should be a change for the rest of your life; until your last dying breath.

8. Cook at home

• Get rid of processed foods and start cooking fresh, real food.
• With the internet to powerful these days, all it takes is 5 minutes to look up a healthy recipe.
• If you're going out to eat, look at the menu ahead of time or check out the restaurant edition of the "Eat This, Not That" book.

9. Sleep

• Seriously, who doesn't like sleeping? Staying up late makes you grab for dirty greasy foods.

10. Exercise

• Abs are made in the kitchen but you also need to workout to tone your body if you ever want to see that six pack that we all have but is hiding under our FAT.

Remember to live your life & to love every second of it, most importantly, love yourself. You'd be surprised how much happier you can be if you just learned to love yourself. Loving yourself should be a sign of respect for yourself and to others, from there you and others will know your worth.

Good luck ;)

Make 2013 your year!