Forget being slender and healthy, who wants to know how to get fat and stay like that? Well . . . no one, obviously. So my question is – why do they consistently make the worst decisions when it comes to their body? Read on to discover the top 5 things that will make you gain weight and the (obvious) simple fix for each.
1) Drink calories.
If Aladdin gave me one wish and I chose to eliminate all liquid calories (soft drinks, sweet tea, loaded coffee drinks, alcoholic beverages, juices, etc) the world would lose tons of weight. That’s not exaggeration.
When I start working with clients, one of the first things we do is eliminate all liquid calories. The result – typically people lose 3 to 5lbs in a matter of days. Wake up call! Nearly all of us EAT plenty of calories. There’s no need to pour more in on top of that.
The major problem is that our body and brain does a very poor job of recognizing the calories we drink. We feel and experience some degree of satisfaction from calories we eat, but not calories we drink. So … if you’ve always wanted to be chubby, drink away!
2) Don’t eat veggies.
If you’ve read many of my blogs, heard me speak, or just hung around me for a period of time, you know . . . I’m nutso when it comes to veggies. They are the perfect food – period. I’m not a vegetarian, nor do I push people toward that lifestyle. I do, however, encourage everyone to eat tons of veggies. They’re slammed full of health-promoting nutrients, super low in calories, and fill you up.
Veggies are the nutrition equivalent of a get-rich quick scheme that actually works! All you have to do is eat loads of veggies all day long and you will lose weight, feel better, and look great. Or . . . if you want to pack on the pounds, just refuse to eat veggies and watch the scales scream for mercy!
3) Eat whatever sounds good.
Along the same lines of not eating veggies, we have this awesome practice of only eating what sounds good. Maybe … just maybe … we should occasionally replace the thought “Hmm. What sounds good?” with “Let’s see. What should I eat right now?”
Look, I believe food is meant to be and should be enjoyed. I also believe that nutrition is like everything else in life – to get what you truly want, to get the body you’ll love, the health you don’t worry about – you must do and eat some things that don’t always sound best. Sure, the Chinese buffet may sound sooo good for lunch, but if you really want to lose that 20lbs and have more energy at 2:30pm, you should probably make a wiser choice.
Or … just totally ignore that lame nutrition coach, because after all . . . you can’t wait to bust the seam in those new jeans and eating whatever sounds good is the golden ticket!
4) Fool Yourself
If you’ve ever said or thought this -“Ya know, I eat pretty good and I exercise. I really don’t know why I can’t lose weight.” Then you’re guilty of fooling yourself.
As the old saying goes – the proof is in the pudding. If you have too much pudding around your waistline, then there’s the proof!
Human beings are SO incredibly good at fooling themselves. I do it too, so don’t think I’m coming down on you. We think we’re more active than we are. We think we eat better than we do. And ultimately, we’re overweight and out of shape and we think it’s not our fault.
Just go ahead and accept that, because you’re powerless until you do.
There is a reason you’re NOT losing weight and there’s a really good chance it’s the day-to-day choices
you make. So, quit fooling yourself and own it. Unless you want to audition for the next season of the hit Japanese TV show “Who Wants to be a Sumo Wrestler,” then just keep fooling yourself.
5) Believe it won’t happen to you.
Maybe you’re not that overweight or not overweight at all. You’re one of the lucky ones. You’ve been cruising through life, never worrying about what the scale or doctor says. The worst thing you can do is . . . keep doing that and believe it won’t happen to you.
Science shows the average American gains 3 to 5lbs per year during adulthood. So, you’re 35 or 40 and doing pretty dang good. Suddenly, you blink and you’re 50-55 and suddenly you’re 20lbs overweight, a borderline diabetic with high cholesterol.
When it comes to the grand scheme of life, good things rarely happen by accident.
Translation – you must be intentional about your body and your health.
Maybe you’re overweight now, maybe you’re not. Regardless, one of the best things you can do is to engage with your body and your health. Don’t just float through life and expect/hope that everything will be okay. Make a conscious, intentional effort to be active every week, to eat more veggies, to drink more water, to make sure your weight isn’t trickling upward every year.
Be – conscious, engaged, intentional.
Just pay attention for goodness sakes. Or not . . . because the pharmaceutical industry loves it when people get fat and stay like that!
Wrap Up
My wife, Ally, and I are real people with a real passion for helping other folks live a better life. She’s a PE teacher by day, ninja by night. I’m much more boring (and paler), but I do have the honor of coaching some amazing people to some ridiculous results.
If you enjoy my blog, you’re tired of all the bullcrap and dishonesty in the weight-loss industry, and you’re ready for something different then shoot me an email CoreyLittleCoaching [at] gmail.com. Or snag my free weight loss secrets download. It contains 10 “do this now” steps I teach every client.