Hello my wonderfully amazing readers! I’ve got news for you!

To date this year I’ve lost 16lbs, bringing my weight loss to a 40lbs weight loss mark. Happy Dance! Woot woot! It means I am less than 15lbs away from meeting my short term goal and reaching the 55lbs mark. It is quite joyous!

I’ve had plenty of people ask me what the “secret” is. Well, I don’t have secrets when it comes to weight loss but I would LOVE to share with you some tips that have definitely worked for me on this journey.

• Drink Water, Lots of Water- it’s simple, really. I carry a water bottle with me everywhere I go. It also means that I have to go pee everywhere I go but that’s okay. So keep hydrated!
• Eat Dinner with the Senior Citizens- No, you don’t have to literally go dine with them, although they would be great company while you learn to eat dinner early. Don’t eat dinner past 7pm. My husband and I have learned to eat dinner daily around 5-6pm. The later you eat, the longer your body takes to process food. If you eat dinner earlier, you get more time to burn dinner off!
• Eat A LOT- Many people have the misconception that the less you eat means the more you lose (in weight). WRONG. I don’t want you to be eating a steak dinner ever night with a side of Twinkie’s. Eat a lot of veggies, whole grains, fruits, lean proteins, and less processed foods.
• Work Out- Ha, this should be a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how many people expect to lose weight without having to workout. Find a program that works for you. In my case, P90X has worked for me and I love it. Workout 5-6 days a week to get results.
• Get Your Sleep- Make sure to be well rested. Your body needs time to recover overnight and a few hours just doesn’t cut it. Get at least 6-8 hours of sleep.
• Get Support- Weight loss is tough and when the scale seems to get a little stubborn, one might feel discouraged. To avoid any discouragement, make sure you find a support group that will keep you encouraged and accountable for your daily workouts. If you want to join my free support group, leave me a comment and I’ll add you right away!
• Set Reasonable Goals- One thing that can get a person discouraged about weight loss is having unreasonable goals. Many of us hope to lose 100lbs in 5 months and while it’s not all too impossible, it definitely will be hard. Set a short term and long term goal. For example- my short term goal is to lose 15 more pounds. My long term goal is to lose a total of 105lbs. Breaking up these goals will make your long term goal seem less overwhelming and more doable.

This has been an exciting journey. When I first started this weight loss journey, I’d cry in the middle of mountain climbers because how hard they were. Now I am 40lbs lighter finishing up one of the hardest workout programs ever (P90X). So don’t be discouraged when some days you are not seeing the scale go down or when you simply struggle to breath. Take it one step at a time!

Need any help? Want some encouragement? Head over to my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/coachbettybarrera