Welcome back to The Diet Oracle! Today I’m excited to share with you the next installment in A Plan for Success! In this series, I show how everyday people can reach their goals with personalized weight loss strategies and custom meal planning help. From identifying obstacles and establishing a goal to developing individualized tactics and a sample meal plan, I’ll demonstrate step-by-step how to make weight loss a reality, no matter the circumstances!

So without further ado, allow me to introduce you to our fictional friend, Evelyn. I suspect that if you have ever struggled with stubborn pounds, her story will sound all too familiar.

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Evelyn’s Story

Changing Seasons

Ask anyone and they’ll tell you, Evelyn is the heart of her family. She is all at once a daughter, wife, mother, and now one very happy grandma! Between checking in on her aging parents and babysitting the grands a few days per week, Evelyn finds herself as busy as ever.

Life’s theme these days has definitely been all about change, including the big one–menopause. As if adjusting to an empty nest wasn’t enough, going through ‘the change’ has been no walk in the park. Between the hot flashes, brain fog, and raw emotions, Evelyn often wonders who’s driving this crazy train! And, just to add insult to injury, she’s also gained a good 15 pounds seemingly overnight. She can’t really think of anything she’s doing differently, and so figures her metabolism must be yet another casualty of the Big M.

Typical Diet

Evelyn describes her eating habits as ‘pretty normal.’ She’ll have something quick for breakfast, like instant oatmeal or a muffin, alongside a couple cups of coffee with creamer. Lunch varies, but is usually eaten at home. She might make herself a sandwich or warm up leftovers and she always tries to throw in a serving of fruit or veggies for good measure.

Dinner is definitely the most variable meal in her day. Now that the kids have flown the coop and started families of their own, Evelyn and her husband often grab dinner at one of their favorite restaurants or order take-out. Though Evelyn used to love cooking, 25+ years of heavy lifting in the kitchen has left her more than a little burnt out.

While she doesn’t particularly see herself as a snacker, Evelyn confesses to having quite the sweet tooth. She tries to exercise a little restraint, but who is she kidding? By mid-afternoon, she’s ready for chocolate and pretty much any kind will do.

Fitness

Evelyn admits that exercise has slowly gone by the wayside over the last 5 or 10 years. Though she used to be an avid swimmer and enjoyed taking group classes at her neighborhood gym, Evelyn can’t think of the last time she swam a lap. She can feel that she’s gotten weaker over the years and doesn’t like the hit her stamina has taken as a result. Afterall, she’s got grandbabies to chase!

Stubborn Pounds

Evelyn has made a few attempts to lose the weight, but without any real success. She used to have no trouble dieting to keep her weight in check, but that’s all changed, too. It just seems like no matter what she does, the pounds simply will not come off.

Despite these set-backs and frustrations, however, Evelyn is determined to be successful. Aside from the aggravation of pants that won’t zip, recent lab work hasn’t been looking so good either. With a family history of both diabetes and heart disease, she knows she needs to take action now. Ultimately, Evelyn wants to lose those stubborn pounds, regain her strength, and protect her health; fitting into her old swimsuit will just be icing on the cake!

Evelyn’s Obstacles

Goals worth achieving are seldom easy, and Evelyn here is no exception. Though she is motivated and determined to make changes and get results, losing weight is rarely a cake walk. So let’s take a moment to identify the very real obstacles that Evelyn will face on her weight loss journey.

• Despite nearing retirement age, Evelyn’s days are full to the brim. She’s committed to caring for her parents and helping with the grandkids, but often feels worn out by the end of the day and less than motivated to exercise.
• Without an army to cook for, Evelyn and her husband have started eating out multiple times per week. While this is certainly enjoyable, restaurant meals are notoriously high in calories and can make weight loss difficult for even the most dutiful dieter.
• Based on her eating habits, there’s a good chance Evelyn is consuming much more sugar than she realizes and will need to cut back if she is serious about losing weight and improving her health.
• After so many years of cooking for her family, Evelyn has lost the motivation to get back into the kitchen. Any realistic meal plan will have to take this into consideration.
• Over the last decade, Evelyn has let exercise go by the wayside and with it, her fitness. As a result, she has likely lost significant muscle mass.
• While age can and does contribute to less than favorable changes to metabolism, the combination of an increased caloric intake, a decrease in physical activity, and a decrease in metabolically active muscle is most definitely a recipe for weight gain.
• And finally, menopause can certainly add its own challenges to any weight loss effort. In particular, changes in fat distribution, fatigue, mood swings, and possible changes to metabolism can each throw a wrench into even the best of plans. Though frustrating to be sure, these obstacles are not insurmountable and can each be dealt with.

Embrace change!

As Evelyn herself has noted, this season of life is all about change, so what better time to embrace the changes that will improve her health, elevate her wellbeing, and enable her to achieve her goals? It will take commitment and at times, even a stubborn will to succeed, but with the right plan in hand, she can do it!

Next time, we’ll start to piece together the weight loss strategies that will equip Evelyn to reach her goals. And who knows? Perhaps you’ll learn a trick or two that will help you on your own weight loss journey! Thanks for reading and don’t stop chasing down your goals!

If you’d like to read other posts in this series, check them out here!

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Hey there! Welcome to our second installment in A Plan for Success! In this series, I want to show you how everyday people can lose weight and get in shape with personalized strategies and custom meal planning. Using the example of familiar (albeit fictional) faces, you’ll see that with a SMART goal and solid action plan, change is possible for anyone, no matter their circumstances. Whether your goal is to lose the gut and get in shape or improve your health and wellness, you can reach your goal!

Today we’re going to meet Chuck, a husband and father of two who’s had a bit of a reality check. Trying to recapture the glory days at a recent reunion, he made the startling discovery that the ole’ bod ain’t what it used to be. Let’s take a closer look at Chuck’s experience.

Meet our Busy Dad

Rude Awakening

Chuck’s a hardworking family man who woke up one morning and realized he’s pushing forty and has gained as much in pounds since his bachelor days. Working a hectic office job and keeping up with his family hasn’t left much time for hitting the gym and he knows his eating habits are nothing to brag about.

What meal pattern?

Chuck’s never been big on breakfast, relying instead on coffee to get him through the day. And what about lunch? Definitely hit or miss. With looming deadlines, Chuck will often work right through his lunch hour, though he does end up eating out a couple times each week with clients.

Naturally by the time he gets home, Chuck is ravenous and dinner is the main event. He loves a big steak with all the fixings. Never been much for vegetables, though he’ll take a few if only to avoid a scolding from his 4-year-old. Dinner is always followed up with some sort of treat. Perhaps a big bowl of ice cream or a few cookies and a big glass of milk. After a stressful day at work, it’s hard to beat dessert with his favorite people.

Workin’ for the Weekend

Chuck lives for the weekend and weekends are all about family, friends, football, and lots of great food! Ever a sports fan, he loves watching the big game, be it one of his kids’ little league matches or his favorite team on the big screen. And what’s a game without some snacks? Chuck loves a good spread with some good brew. Chips and dip, hot wings, bar mix, sliders–you name it.

Wake-up Call

Chuck used to play a variety of sports in high school and would love to join one of the local clubs, but a recent alumni game at his 20 year reunion proved he is way out of shape and useless on the field. Coming to grips with the trajectory of his weight and fitness level, Chuck’s decided it’s time to make some changes…even if it means eating vegetables.

When it comes down to it, Chuck knows he needs to lose weight and start exercising again. Though he doesn’t feel like he needs to get back down to his ‘fighting weight’ of days gone by, dropping 30 wouldn’t be a bad idea. Ultimately, he’d just like to lose the gut and be able to spend an hour on the field without keeling over.

Ready to Lose the Gut

Chuck has seen the writing on the wall and is ready to make some changes, but he’s definitely got some obstacles ahead of him. How many can you spot? Let’s go through them.

• To begin with, Chuck’s time and energy are stretched to the max. The demands of work and home life leave him with little wiggle room in his schedule. As a result, penciling in exercise will be a real challenge.
• Chuck’s eating habits are erratic, to say the least. He tends to skip meals–sometimes both breakfast AND lunch–only to indulge in huge portions later in the day.
• Chuck eats out at least twice per week, likely a huge source of extra calories.
• Chuck tends to graze all weekend long on high-calorie, high-fat snacks with reckless abandon. It’s something he associates with friends and family and not a habit he’ll be eager to give up.
• Though not a binge drinker, he does put down quite a few beers over the course of a weekend and could definitely cut back.

Fortunately, Chuck doesn’t have to try and change everything overnight. By tackling a few things at a time, he can begin to reshape his habits and that midsection. No doubt, it will take commitment and a willingness to do things differently, but with a solid and realistic action plan, he can lose the gut and reclaim his fitness.

In our next post, we’ll start to formulate Chuck’s battle plan and who knows? Maybe you’ll discover a few helpful strategies to work into your own battle plan!

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Happy New Year and welcome back to The Diet Oracle! I hope you had a blessed holiday season wherever you call home. We had a wonderful Christmas and even managed to get out NYE, so I’d call that a roaring success! With four boys between the ages of 2 and 10, life continues to be full to overflowing and the years just seem to be whipping by at an astonishing rate. I don’t know about you, but I can hardly believe we’ve just jumped into 2020!

For a lot of folks, a new year means new resolutions. We all need a fresh start now and then and it’s hard to beat January 1, no? So what’s on your list? Do you have any big goals for the new year? The new DECADE? Yikes. That makes it sound serious, now doesn’t it?

While the new year can seem like the perfect time to shake things up and make some worthwhile changes, just remember that everyday is an opportunity for a fresh start. Heck, if you’re trying to lose weight, each MEAL is a chance to make better choices! Though embracing the hope and enthusiasm a new year brings can give you a powerful kickstart, know that everyday offers you the chance to make changes and get closer to reaching your goals. If your goal is worth it, don’t give up! When you fall and take a header off that horse (and trust me, at some point you will), don’t wait for a new year to grab those reins and get back in the saddle. Don’t even wait until next month or next week! Seize the day and chase down your goals. You can do it!

Whatever your goals may be for 2020, I wish you a year of success and look forward to sharing with you some solid strategies and practical tips to help you along the way! As always, thanks for reading and happy New Year!

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Any attempt to change an ingrained habit is no doubt going to be difficult. After all, some habits–like eating–we’ve had since birth! And with each passing birthday, these behaviors can truly become second nature. Just like the saying goes: Old habits die hard.

So taking into consideration that we are not only creatures of habit, but also live in a world that we can’t always control, it is only natural that we’ll be faced with obstacles when attempting to make serious changes. As I’ve said before, if weight loss was easy, the diet industry wouldn’t be the multi-billion dollar industry that it is!

With all that in mind, let’s look at that third question on our list:

When you’ve tried to lose weight in the past, what obstacles seemed to pop up, time and time again? 

Weight loss success hinges upon steady determination and thorough planning—planning which MUST include strategies to overcome potential roadblocks or temptations that may arise.  Think back.  What snags caused you to stumble during previous endeavors?  Instead of ignoring these problem areas, determine ways to overcome them.  Take an honest look at your habits and consider ways to re-wire the eating patterns you’ve developed over the years. Removing obstacles may also involve readjusting your surroundings to be more conducive to your goals.  While self-control and willpower are well and good, why not create an environment that will nurture success and lessen your chances for failure?

So take this chance to make an honest list of the obstacles you’ve faced before. This is the first step in overcoming them.

In the comments, share your thoughts! What obstacles have YOU dealt with before? And how did you handle them?

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Instead of letting history repeat itself, learn from your experience! Take a moment to reflect and consider the next question on our list:

Which aspects of your previous diet attempts were difficult or frustrating?

While it may be tempting to answer, “What wasn’t frustrating??” take a minute to jot down what about those previous diets became tedious, irritating, or simply undoable.  Common culprits include nagging hunger, boredom, having to eat more/less often than you’d like, lack of cooking skills or time to cook, poor variety, and overly restrictive rules that left you feeling deprived.  If you can identify just a few strategies that simply did not work for you, you’ll save yourself precious time, effort, and willpower.

A weight loss plan doesn’t have to cause suffering!  By choosing a plan that best matches your preferences, you’ll be able to stick with it and adopt the changes as part of a new lifestyle.

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