Tag Archives: obsessive food habits

Top 7 Weight Loss Triggers

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by Marc Woodard, 9 January 2020

Which Weight Loss Trigger Will Defeat Your Weight Gain Nemesis?

As a fit healthy lifestyle consultant and author of Ageless MirrorAthlete “Overweight and Unfit No More,” I can tell you there are lifestyle changes you can make right now to trigger weight loss and stop weight gain. Below I list seven weight loss triggers through lifestyle change my clients have used to reverse an overweight and unfit condition.

New Year – New You. You Deserve it!

Change One or More Weight Loss Triggers Below to Lose Weight Now

This year set a new year’s goal. Plan to focus on a known bad habit and/or behavior triggering your weight gain and keeping you overweight. Then apply a lifestyle change to remove that trigger once and for all. You do not need to apply all seven weight loss trigger changes listed below. I recommend focusing on one at a time. As will power increases to sustain the course this will motivate you to include other healthier lifestyle changes that trigger weight loss at a more rapid rate.

Ageless MirrorAthlete – Overweight and Unfit No More by Marc Woodard
When You Have a Good New Year’s Resolution Plan, Hard to Change Habits… Change.

When mindful of daily stress triggers it’s easier to target then minimize or remove them.

Target, then minimize or remove environmental stress triggers, or factors causing an unhealthy habit(s) and/or behavior(s) keeping you overweight and unfit. Once you know the cause of your overeating, addiction and/or sedentary habits, then it’s easier to modify or remove them.

Once you become aware of an environmental stress that causes you to stay overweight and unfit, it’s easier to shift course. For example, if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable, or causes anxiety, or obsessive behaviors, remove yourself from the situation, or minimize the exposure time. If a relationship makes you feel bad, remove yourself from it, or seek relational and behavioral therapy if your more inclined to make a relationship work. Or if the workplace presents undue stress within a hostile work environment, seek Human Resources help per company policy. Or if food addiction is the source of your stress and increasing health risk concern – seek medical treatment.

Pain Trigger Factor

All pain triggers are directly related to mental and physical illness, disease and/or injury. And with pain comes more sedentary habits that cause weight gain. It is for this reason you confide in a doctor and request a referral to see a pain management specialist [physiatrist]. Don’t let your pain keep you in a sedentary weight gain hurt locker.

Party On Triggers Weight Gain

Some carry the end of year festivities into the New Year. This behavior can last for months, or the entire year. This perpetual party habit will not help you lose weight. First and foremost, you must understand this is occurring and break the habit. A referral to see a behavioral therapist can help target and change unhealthy habits and behavioral triggers keeping you overweight and put your health at risk.

Weekly Calorie Excess Will Not Help You Achieve Your Weight Loss Goal.. Moderate food/drink splurges to once per month.

Fast foods after Holidays Trigger More Weight Gain

Too many Americans consume fast foods especially during the Holidays. Here lies the crux for much of Americas obesity and related diabetes and obesity problems. Processed foods are convenient, chemically addictive and cause unhealthy weight gain. Food ingredients on labels you can’t pronounce or recognize are generally unnecessary food chemical additives that cause weight gain and illness and disease. Now you can better differentiate between healthier foods and processed food triggers that increase health risk. Labels on decorative packages tell the unhealthy processed food story. Whereas whole foods in their organic form are: meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, grains, seeds, dairy, etc., Not tough to identify in their organic form.

Love of Baking Triggers Excess Weight Gain

I know the kids love your homemade cookies, cakes and pies. Remember moderation with deserts. Too much sugar, fat and salt is not good for anyone, even children with fast metabolisms. Try serving healthier desserts, i.e., fresh fruits, jello, pudding and peanut, oatmeal raisin and pumpkin cookie and cake treats, etc. Search on-line for low glycemic (GI) dessert recipe ideals. The GI has a foods list rating of low to high sugar foods. Learn how to bake delicious deserts without triggering more weight gain, and cause illness and disease.

Learn How to bake awesome deserts using low sugar ingredients that don’t spike blood sugar levels. Search the Internet using Glycemic Index (GI) to learn how.

Use Portion Control to Reduce Over Consumption Trigger

Regardless of season, there are many who continue to cook for an entire family after the children have left home. Modify home recipes for one or two to reduce left overs and temptations that trigger you to eat more than an average serving size. Use portion control to reduce calories. Simply fill your plat a 1/2 serving of a normal portion. No piling on. Take 20 minutes to consume your food. It takes the brain that long to determine if the stomachs been satisfied. If your still hungry, add another 1/4 serving. At this rate calorie intake is reduced and the over consumption is NOT turned on.

Low-Impact Aerobic Dance is a Good Fat Burning Exercise

Low-impact aerobic exercise is very important to perform – Especially throughout the Holidays.”

When you consume excess calories on “any day,” you will need to mobilize the body to remove the unspent fat fuel. I highly recommend at a minimum… a daily walking program, or other low-impact aerobic activity at least 30 minutes a day. It is low impact aerobic exercise that triggers the fat burning furnace. The large muscles in the legs and buttocks prefer body fat as it’s fuel source during low-impact aerobic exercise. In my opinion, daily brisk walking is the best low-impact fat burning exercise almost everyone can perform anytime and anywhere.

Once you target the cause of your weight gain nemesis and make healthier lifestyle choices – your fitness levels and health will improve while achieving your weight loss and fitness goals during and throughout the New Year. Live the lifestyle you need and want and deserve now. Get’er Done!

Good Health to You and Your Family!

Author: Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, ARNG, CPT, RET2020 Copyright.  All rights reserved, Mirror Athlete Publishing @: www.mirrorathlete.org,  Sign up for your Free eNewsletter.

Restrictive Weight Loss Diets Increase Health Risk

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Understanding how food calories and macro-nutrients impact body weight and increase health risk is important. Especially when long-term mobility and longevity expectations are at the top of your fit healthy lifestyle goals.

Ageless MirrorAthlete has extensive information on fit healthy lifestyle change habits which include healthy dietary change habits. If you want to learn how to live life to the fullest and reduce health risk Click to Learn More.

When thinking about a diet plan specifically used to lose weight fast, immediately suspect it to be a restrictive or limited macro-nutrient diet that can’t be sustained long term and typically increases health risk as duration continues.

The 3 macro-nutrients are protein, carbohydrates and fats.

For example, if a weight loss plan is composed mostly of protein and lacks essential fats and carbohydrates the metabolism will be starved of the other two macro-nutrients.

With the absence of carbohydrates for long periods of time – ketosis occurs… “when the body doesn’t have enough carbs it burns fat and makes substances called ketones, which it can use for fuel.” This metabolic process after a period of time is hard on kidney function and can also lead to Osteoporosis and kidney stones.

High Fat Casserole Meal

If the diet is too high in fats over the balance of the other two macro-nutrients, one is at higher risk of diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancers may result.

High Carbohydrate Meal

On the flip side, if the diet is too high in carbohydrates (especially refined carbs) and lacks the other two macro-nutrients – one is at higher risk of fatty liver, cardiovascular and diabetes disease.

If your fitness goal is to lose weight, it is wise to avoid products and services that guarantee amazing results within a 10-30 day window. Restrictive macro-nutrient diets are very stressful on the mind and body and leads many to experience the yo-yo affect [weight re-gain with a vengeance]… and cause of associated ill-health problems.

When calorie nutrient imbalances limit or restrict metabolic energy exchange then the mind and body begin to feel sick and depressed. You may lose the weight, but you’ve also become habitually dependent on someone, or product providing little choice outside of the routine. In other words, you don’t learn how to change habits and/or lifestyle to a healthier outcome.

Every diet plan offered in the marketplace no matter how good it looks or appears to work for others, if it doesn’t include balanced food choice, then the program will likely fail you in the long run.

Our encompassing [mind, body and spirit] fit healthy well-being is dependent upon balanced organic diet, exercise activity and healthy environment. When the encompassing being is in balance, so is body weight, health and sense of well being.

Author: Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, ARNG, CPT, RET. 2019 Copyright. All rights reserved, Mirror Athlete Inc., www.mirrorathlete.org, Sign up for your Free eNewsletter.

Weight Loss Consultants Greatest Client Challenges

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Last Updated:  March 23, 2015

I’ve worked with many clients throughout the years who had unrealistic weight loss goal expectations and were willing to risk their health to achieve results no matter the cost. When clients came to me desperate to lose weight they were my greatest challenge as a fit healthy lifestyle consultant.

A percentage of those overweight tended to ask questions about fast weight loss that included specialized diets, pills and supplements. I often found myself working to convince them that slow and steady was the healthier and sustainable course rather than fast and furious. However, I had to be mindful of the ‘I want it now’ mentality and sensitive to their particular situation. I didn’t sell them on anything beyond what I considered safe and healthy. But provided other solutions and informed them of risks should they choose a different route.

Exercise Activity Alleviates Pain
Today I walked 8 miles for low impact aerobic benefit and stopped into local gym to run through a 30 minute strength and flexibility routine. Fall 2014. My wife said I need to smile more. That’s a tough thing to do when taking your own selfie;]

Certain client types needed an understanding of the results, risk benefit and rewards scenarios to make an informed decision should they decide to apply a specific type of weight loss program. I always made it clear, I would not recommend or sell any product or service that compromised health. They definitely understood upfront their health and safety was my number one priority.

For those who’ve used diet pills to control appetite, or have sought surgical procedure or invested hundreds in dietary supplements – always brought about interesting discussions. As if my job was to lead some to the next weight loss or anti-aging… ‘fountain of youth product fad.’

I have to say, there’s a certain type of client mentality and expectation that contribute to a fitness trainer or consultant burnout factor. This has a lot to do with why I take on very few clients today.

People who are not willing to change bad habits and behaviors can be very challenging to work with… because they often expect exceptional results without working for it. We’ve entered the “I want it NOW,” Willy Wonka World. Where at a finger tip, the Internet can provide you anything you need, want and/or desire.

And to tell you the truth – is why I retired from taking on clients full time. Let me be clear, all clients are not highly demanding and will work for their fitness goals. I had some very good experiences with clients. However, after going through hundreds of client consultations, a good percentage wanted what they wanted, when the wanted it and just wanted a quick fix. They didn’t care how they got their fitness results and didn’t want to work for it

There’s only one way to cheat achieving quick weight loss, performance and strength enhancement results… drugs and unhealthy supplements, diet and herbal concoctions.

I’ve often resisted the temptation to immediately set clients straight on the what, when, why and how – fitness goals and results expectation… realities. They needed time to talk to someone about their battle of the bulge, or other body image flaws they wanted to improve. They needed time to convince me to provide the magic formulae I knew would fix them without investing a lot of exercise time, or changing their lifestyle significantly.

I heard things like, “yah, but I know this guy who took this natural herbal steroid, dropped 30lbs of fat and gained 10 lbs. of muscle in one month. And is having the best sex of his life.  Or, ‘this diet pill is amazing, no more hunger and the weight melted away like butter.’ Can you offer me the same program/product and results?” Or, “what do you think about xyz diet plan?’ Linda lost 14 pounds in two weeks on this stuff, can you hook me up?” Oh yes, let’s not forget the most obvious, “can you get me some steroids?” I don’t know how many times I heard that one.”

Yes, “I’d love to make a ton of money at the expense of your health.’ Not!”

What do you think the number one fitness goal females wanted? You guessed it, weight loss. And many of them wanted diet pills, diet meal replacement and high intensity aerobics exercise to achieve the objective. I’d ultimately mention as a matter of fact, over the counter diet pills and restrictive meal practices were dangerous because they can be very effective at reducing unwanted body weight fast. Sounds counter intuitive – I know… but then I’d have to follow up with how quick weight loss increases health risk and is not sustainable in the long run.

I had to get creative in how I responded to each one without cracking up, or resist saying something unprofessional. Or just simply looking board. The insanity of it all.

How little consumers and especially our children know about their bodies. I’ve had many conversations with my wife about these very topics. People place greater value on personal possessions than their own bodies. It’s interesting how so many prioritize quick weight loss diets and muscle bulking formulae’s and not consider the health risk in taking such action.

As a fitness-health educator, I felt a moral obligation to help steer clients toward healthier lifestyle choice and customized fitness programs relevant to their fitness goals. Programs that would help them achieve the results they wanted and could be sustained long term without increasing health risk.

Start a New Activity and Meet New People.
Start a New Activity and Meet New People.

An interesting conversation always occurred when it came to high-intensity aerobic dance programs for weight loss. Why? Because when intensity of aerobic exercise is too high, instead of burning body fat weight, you may gain more weight. That also sounds counter intuitive – “unless you explain the muscle physiology and metabolism behind it.” Simply put, when target heart rate increases to a certain point during high intensity aerobic workout, the body prefers more blood sugar from carbohydrates then body fat to sustain the intensity. As intensity of exercise decreases below a set target heart rate the body prefers body fat fuel.

With regard to manmade products – Some clients believed manufactured products wouldn’t make you sick. Then I’d have to explain, almost every product man sells in fancy packaging is not natural to the organic body and can ultimately harm it.

And when clients brought up natural herbs used to suppress appetite, or increase muscle mass, sexual performance, etc., … I’d state, “even high concentrates or doses of herbs engineered by man to stimulate a metabolic or hormonal change/response is not natural to the body because God didn’t design our bodies to receive food this way.” … but if intent on using a product that increases health risk, you should consult with a medical doctor prior to use, or be supervised through its use if using a product that will harm you in the long run.

“Any organic edible manipulated and engineered by man and consumed to achieve a quick physical change or performance result is not of earths natural order. And in the long run ‘will’ cause permanent harm to long term health should this habit continue to repeat itself” [Ageless MirrorAthlete].

In the short term you may lose weight, or gain muscle mass fast. But long term you may break your metabolism and fat burning furnace. And then later experience illness and disease and cancer.

Here is a good point and case. It is a fact – too many young women use diet pills as a convenient and quick weight loss solution. And coincidently is proven scientifically to have negative effects on behavior and health. So the question becomes, why wouldn’t diet pills for example be only prescribed through medical personnel?

I realize there are more questions than answers when choosing a fitness trainer or consultant, and/or products and programs and services to help you achieve your fitness goal. However, maybe I can offer the following advice. It’s always been my contention anything manmade with unnatural chemicals added to it is not compatible in the long run with the organic being and healthy lifestyle change goals.

When we’re not taught to value ill-heath prevention and fit healthy lifestyle at an early age, unhealthy lifestyle is often the result with increased health risk. Then those habits and behavior get passed onto the next generation.

Working in Office

The answers and solutions you need to preserve your good health are dependent upon understanding the organic body within environment to live a long, productive and healthy lifestyle. Don’t let the market hype and fitness product fads put you into a weight gain and unhealthy lifestyle spiral.

If you want to learn how to live the lifestyle you need, want and deserve now, click on the Ageless MirrorAthlete “Overweight and Unfit No More” link above. Read the free book review and consider purchasing a copy of my fit healthy lifestyle book. It’s like a fit healthy lifestyle consultant is in your corner. Especially when you need truthful and honest programming advise most.

Author: Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, ARNG, CPT, RET. 2015 Copyright. All rights reserved, Mirror Athlete Inc., www.mirrorathlete.org, Sign up for your Free eNewsletter.

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