This week marks the beginning of a mini series that I will be podcasting called the Weight Loss Success Series.

Over the next few weeks, I will spotlight some of the main aspects of being successful at creating a healthy lifestyle and habits that will support you in weight loss and good health for the long haul.

This week our podcast is about setting yourself up for weight loss success through being clear about the reasons why you are doing it, strengthening your commitment to yourself, examining your priorities and the importance of a support system.

What is going to be there for you when birthday cake and the urge to snitch your children's easter candy becomes an obsession?

You and your core commitment and your support system, that's what!

That's what will see you through.

Speaking of easter, watch for my article about what to do with easter chocolate and candy to avoid the massive pig out and the sugar withdraw hell days that are sure to follow (for you and the kids!). 

BTW, in the audio, I appear to have been a little slaphappy with the edit button, when I say Ya, when talking about commitment, it is supposed to be YUCK! 

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST - WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS SERIES EPISODE #1 - CORE COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT 

SUBSCRIBE THROUGH iTunes! 

READ THE TRANSCRIPT

Weight Loss Success Series - Core Commitment and Support

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Weight Loss Success Series - Core Commitment and Support Podcast Episode #3

Monday was my 44th birthday.

Since beginning the Fit Yummy Mummy transformation Challenge, I have really been interested in how to stay healthy and age "gently" - basically how to stay fit and functional into my golden years.

The past few years, I was viewing getting older as anything but golden.

Some of the reason for my attitude was the realization that I am running out of time on some things I had rolling around in my head to do "someday", and that on a few things, I have already missed the mark.

Some of the reason was the passing of my grandparents - my grandmother in particular - we were very close and her passing was difficult. I saw up close how completely unglamorous and ugly death and and aging can be.

But probably the biggest thing was the evidence that I was looking at every day.

I used to glow. I didn't have "jowels", grey hair or that middle age spread. I didn't know what alligator skin was - now I do! 

Had I never participated in a spring fitness challenge - either the one at our local gym a few years ago, or Holly's Fit Yummy Mummy Transformation Challenge this year, I truly would have believed that I was getting old… that's it for me… accept it.

But by doing the challenges and seeing the changes - and especially feeling the changes - it was glaringly obvious that the state of my self was solely due to the fact that I had become complacent and even lazy in my habits.

I was obsessed with work, and added to that my family obligations, I had let myself go.

When I was in school, I was an athlete. I won the ribbons and continued up into high school.

After that I gained some weight but soon became obsessed with my body image and ultimately got back into very good physical condition.

But after kids, I let it all slide and never did really pick back up again until I participated in my first bikini ready spring challenge when I was 41. (OK, I probably will never feel comfortable wearing a bikini at the beach, but it was nice to know that I could :0) 

THE OBVIOUS BECAME OBVIOUS 

And then the obvious became - obvious!

I wasn't feeling and looking frumpy because I had magically hit "that age" - it was because I wasn't doing what I needed to do to be healthy.

That applies at any age.

Craig Harper, author of my new favourite motivational blog wrote and article called Teaching the Old Dog New Tricks, that is a must read for anyone who thinks that they are on a permanent down slide because of age. 

Had I the same lifestyle when I was younger, I would have had the same results, albeit with a few less wrinkles and grey hairs. 

That revelation - because I am over 40 I don't have to decay - I can still grow - improve - be in peak condition "for my age", had made a miraculous change in me - both physically… and mentally.

So this weeks podcast is about that, I will have more articles an information coming up on being the best you can be - at any age.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST - Subscribe through iTunes!

READ THE TRANSCRIPT

Are You Aging or Decaying?  

Get with the Fit Yummy Mummy Lifestyle and find out firsthand what I'm talking about!

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Are You Growing or Decaying? Podcast #2

The end of this week will mark the half way point of the Fit Yummy Transformational Challenge.

It seems like hardly any time has passed.

THE FIRST REAL CHANGE SETS THE PACE

The funny thing is that the biggest change I am seeing - and feeling - is not in my size.

It's in my attitude.

I had been "intending to lose", the last 10 lbs for about a year.

Ever since I started packing it back on after our local gym closed.

I had lost 10 lbs there, vowed not to fall into my old ways - you'd think I would have known better.

Anyway - sure enough - I gained almost 5 of it back.

I was carrying around that feeling of failure - both in losing my hard won win with the weight I had lost - and because I just couldn't seem to get back on track - even though I knew how to do it?

I found Holly's Fit Yummy Mummy, weight loss program for mom's and even then, left it sitting on my computer for 2 months, pulling it out for a day here, a day there, but not getting on the program.

February marked the 2 year anniversary of the first spring "bikini" ready challenge I had been successful with.

I was primed and vowed that I was going to get on the program.

And as it goes sometimes, I hit the jackpot when I got an email from Holly saying she was running a Fit Yummy Mummy Transformation that would go from Feb - May for a total of 12 weeks.

I was on board!

Over the past weeks I have been getting increasingly stronger, have lost about 4 lbs of the 10 I'd like to loose.

I am heading in the right direction.

And I can tell you, it's so much better than knowing that I am heading in the wrong one.

I don't feel guilty anymore.

I don't feel like I am schlepping through life.

I feel stronger.

In body but especially in spirit.

The good news is that that strength spurs me on, it keeps me going and wanting to do better.

PROBLEM SOLVING OUR WAY TO A SMALLER DRESS SIZE

I have been finding some interesting things going on as the challenge progresses.

The first one is again - frame of mind.

When things aren't easy, when things aren't going as planned - the cookie jar is no longer the solution.

I'm finding also, that we are problem solving. It has become the natural thing to do.

Members of the club will post a problem and ask for feedback.  We'll get our thinking caps on and share what has worked for us.

I've received very helpful advise and hopefully given some too.

And of course, Holly is always there with a solution.

It has become a process to look for the answer - to find out what we can do differently - where we are going wrong - how to solve it, instead of mindlessly eating, excuses, neglecting exercise and wondering why we are out of shape and growing out of our clothes.

The process of problem solving is a major component of successful weight loss and good health.

THE ACT OF CHOICE

The next thing that I've noticed, and it is the foundation of problem solving, is that we are actively choosing - making the choice to eat better, to exercise regularly.

Weight loss and good health is a series of small choices made daily.

The first choice is the act of deciding either to develop the habits we need to have to accomplish a healthy lifestyle - or not.

I hear women making food jokes quite often - the sea food diet - when I see food - I eat it type of thing.

These women are making a choice every time they decide to sustain the lifestyle that enables them to keep cracking the food jokes.

They are giving themselves permission to live this way.

Which brings me to the last point.

GIVING YOURSELF PERMISSION - It's not what you think.

One of the biggest changes that I made - during both of the weight loss challenges I have participated in - has been to withdraw permission for myself to continue with unhealthy habits.

When I stand at the cupboard intending to graze mindlessly on dead, processed food - I make the choice to deny myself permission to continue.

I like to say "lets not and say we did".

I walk away and 5 minutes later, it doesn't matter to me if I ate it or not, I've forgotten all about it - one of the good things about getting older.

USING THE POWER OF CHOICE, PROBLEM SOLVING AND SELF PERMISSION

These are 3 key areas in developing the kind of midset that you will need to take the weight off and to continue with your healthy lifestyle. 

GET THE PODCAST - Subscribe through iTunes!

Get the audio and listen in when ever you need some motivation. We'll be podcasting weekly, don't miss a show! 

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3 Keys to Weight Loss Podcast