CLEAN LEAN -Fat loss for life

“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are

doomed if you don’t try.”

-BEVERLY SILLS

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Introduction

It’s Never Too Late to Change Your Life!

Are you familiar with the phrase, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?”
It implies that after a certain age, you’re stuck. You cannot change your habits or learn
new ideas, or ways of doing things.

No, I am not comparing you to a dog. And this phrase couldn’t be further from the truth.
The truth is that it is important to your mental health and well being that you do continue
to learn new things, adopt new habits, and continuously strive to improve.

One of the best ways you can focus on your personal self improvement is to lose weight
and get healthy.

The Benefits of Losing Weight

When you lose weight you instantly begin to lengthen your life. You also begin to reduce
your risk of getting some serious diseases like cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular
disease. Not to mention you also reduce your risk for other ailments like depression,
chronic pain and fatigue.

You also gain confidence, an appreciation for your body, a “can do” attitude, better
relationships with people and a better relationship with food.
Additionally, you’ll:

• Increase your energy level

• Lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels
• Improved mobility
• Improve your breathing and cardiovascular system
• Sleep better
• Improved blood sugar levels and stop the constant cravings

And the good news is that losing weight, whether you’re twelve or seventy-two, isn’t
about deprivation and extreme measures. If you want to lose weight, get in shape, and
keep the weight off for the rest of your life the key to success rests in your habits.

Definition of a Habit

The word “habit” is defined in the dictionary as:

• A recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through

frequent repetition.

• An established disposition of the mind or character.

Habits are things that you do every day without really paying too much attention to them.
You get out of bed and make a cup of coffee, that’s a habit. You take the same route to
work every day, that’s a habit. You brush your teeth with your right hand after you’ve
washed your face, but before you’ve brushed your hair, that’s a habit.

The fun thing about habits, whether they’re “good” or “bad” habits, is that they can be

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changed and modified. They’re not set in stone. They can change as you do and you’re in
control.

You decide what habits you want to keep, change, adopt, or eliminate. You control your
habits. They don’t control you.

Let’s say you have the habit of coming home every day after work and sitting down on
the couch to rest.

While that certainly isn’t a “bad” habit, there are other things that you could do that
would be just as relaxing and definitely healthier for you. You could come home, change
your shoes and go for a walk. You could come home and meditate or unwind with a
meditative activity like knitting or cooking.

A Few Concepts to Clear Up

Before we get started it’s important to know what this ebook ISN’T about. It’s not about
elimination or deprivation. It’s not about losing forty pounds in four days, starving
yourself, or exercising for six hours a day.

It is about modifying your life and changing your habits so you can live a healthier life. .

And the results will be amazing.

When you make changes to your habits and embrace a healthier and more active lifestyle,
you will lose the weight and you will keep it off.

One more thing…

Earlier the word “Bad” was mentioned in reference with a habit. That is the first and last
time you’ll read that word. Yes, there are bad habits and you know what they are.
However, from now on we’re calling them “unhealthy habits,” and to be honest a little
walk on the wild side every now and again is probably just fine.

The goal in this ebook is for you to learn to identify the habits you have right now,
healthy or unhealthy, and to modify them so that you’re living your best life. This process
will help you lose the weight once and for all and it will help you keep it off for life.

Inside This ebook

Over the next twenty pages you’ll discover…

• Why Losing Weight Slowly Is Better Than Rapid Weight Loss

• What Happens To Your Body When You Lose Weight Quickly
• Six Tips To Lose Weight Slowly and Permanently
• How To Set Realistic Goals
• How To Track Your Success
• Tools and Resources you can use to achieve your goals
• The Three Step Process to replace your unhealthy habits
• How to plan your weight loss success, and why it matters
• Tips for Habit Building Success
• Tried and True Diet, Fitness and Lifestyle Habits to Consider – 37 habits!
• Tips for Weight Loss Transformation and Lasting Success

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How to Use this ebook

This ebook is designed to help you make this year the year you finally lose the weight
and keep it off. It discusses everything from how to choose the right goals for you to how
to successfully change your habits and why slow weight loss is the key to lasting success.

There are two potential approaches to using this ebook.

The first is to read it through cover to cover. Then go back and review and highlight the
areas you wish to focus on first.

This is the appropriate approach if you like to read material and think on it before you
take action. However, you may want to keep a notebook handy when you’re reading so
you can jot down any thoughts or notes.

The second approach is to read the ebook and take action as you work your way through
it. Of course you can always take a combined approach. Take notes on some items and
action on others!

Now let’s get started!

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 PA R T 1

Slow and Steady Wins The Race

We’re a society that is focused on quick, easy, and overnight solutions. We want a magic
pill that makes everything better. There’s nothing wrong with that hope. However, it isn’t
usually possible and when it is, it comes with serious and unwanted consequences.

The truth is that in most cases weight gain often happens over time. A pound here, a few
pounds there. It adds up and eventually you’re at a point where you know, and maybe
your doctor is telling you, it’s time to lose weight and get healthier.

Much of your weight gain over the years is probably due to two key things:

1. Habits

2. Your body (By this we mean that you have certain predispositions to weight gain
and metabolism. For example, if you’re over 40 then your metabolism is slowing
down. Your habits need to reflect this change or you’ll gain weight.)

In this first section we take a look at why it’s so important to lose weight slowly by
systematically changing your habits and adopting new ones.

Why Losing Weight Slowly Is Better Than Rapid Weight Loss

While many health and fitness experts promise you can lose weight quickly, losing it
slowly is a much better strategy. Here’s a common scenario that you may be familiar
with.

Joan wants to lose weight. She’s about fifty pounds overweight and is starting to notice
the effects on her health. She reads about an amazing diet that helps you lose twenty
pounds in two weeks. She thinks, “Great! That will get me almost half way there. Then I
can follow up the diet and lose the rest. I’ll be down to my goal weight by the time summer
rolls around.”

So Joan goes on this fad diet and she loses the twenty pounds that the diet promises.
Of course in order to lose that weight she’s been essentially fasting for fourteen days
drinking nothing but vegetable broth and hot sauce.

When the diet is over, Joan is so desperate for anything that doesn’t taste like vegetable
broth, and who wouldn’t be!, that she goes out to dinner and eats her favorite foods.
We’re talking about pizza, fried chicken and burgers. Within a week Joan has gained
most of the weight back. She feels frustrated and defeated. She starts to believe that diets
just don’t work.

Of course Joan is a positive person and tries to lose weight several more times during the
year. Each time she tries a different fad diet, has moderate success and then gains the

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weight back. At this point Joan actually weighs more than when she started.


This is a very familiar story to many people, both men and women, who are struggling to
lose weight. It becomes a vicious cycle of fad diets. You lose weight, and gain it back,
lose it and gain it back again. The result is a body that is exhausted and a mind that is
losing hope.

What Happens To Your Body When You Lose Weight Quickly

When you lose a lot of weight very quickly it can affect your body in a negative way.
Your body can go into starvation mode. That means that your metabolism slows down so
your organs don’t have to work as hard and you burn fewer calories. Yo-yo dieting can
actually cause you to gain more weight in the long run.

Rapid weight loss can also put many of your hormonal systems in shock.
They become unbalanced and you may feel hungrier, more tired, and you may even become and
have trouble sleeping.

Yet, when you lose weight slowly, your body has time to adapt to the changes. Your
metabolism and hormone levels can improve and stay in balance. Your body becomes
optimized and that’s the key to keeping the weight off for good.

Lasting Change Takes Time

Just like in Joan’s story, most of the time when people lose a lot of weight very quickly
they gain it all right back. They often gain more weight than they originally lost. This is
hard on your body. It’s also hard on your motivation.

To lose weight and keep it off for the rest of your life you’ll want to create a plan to steadily
lose weight over time. It is possible! And it can be tremendously rewarding. Oh, you’ll have
days, weeks and months when you do see a significant weight loss. Those are fun times.
You’ll also be able to smile because you’ll experience consistent weight loss.

Gradual and lasting weight loss isn’t the result of deprivation or a fad diet.
It is the result of cumulative lifestyle changes. Change your life and change your habits
and you’ll lose the weight and keep it off.

How To Lose Weight Slowly

There’s a secret to losing weight slowly, actually there are a few secrets. They include:

Commitment

In order to adopt any new habit or modify an existing habit it takes a commitment.
Experts say that it takes three to four weeks to make something a habit. You need to
be willing to change and grow, to learn and improve. And you need to be willing to
give a new habit at least four weeks. (Don’t worry, throughout this ebook you’ll
learn tips and strategies to help you succeed.)

Motivation

Why do you want to get healthier and lose weight? The answer to this question is key

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to your motivation. Do you want to get healthier because you think you’re supposed to?
That’s not very motivating.

Do you want to get healthier so you can chase your grandchildren and great grand
children decades from now? Do you want to get healthier and lose weight so you
have energy and vitality today, tomorrow, and thirty years from now?

Now there are tricks to finding motivation too. Exercising with friends is motivating.
Doing things you love is motivating too. We’ll talk more about that in a bit. However,
consider this. What fitness activity do you dislike intensely? Is it running or lifting weights?

Imagine an activity that you dislike. How easy would it be for you to get out of bed every
morning to go do that activity?

Now imagine an activity you love. Do you love to play basketball or dance? Imagine how
you’d feel getting out of bed each day to go and do that activity. It feels different in
your body, right? It’s much easier to find motivation to do something that you love.

Healthy Foods

There’s no avoiding the fact that food plays a very important role in your weight gain
and your weight loss. And no, you’re not expected to give up your favourites.
However, you will want to modify your eating habits. In Chapter Four we discuss
an abundance of healthy food habits to adopt and consider adding to your life.

Move Your Body

In addition to helping you lose weight, physical activity helps with so many other
systems. For example, scientists know that physical activity releases “feel good”
hormones into your body. It improves your outlook and your ability to handle stress.

Again, in Chapter Four we’ll take a look at fitness tips you can embrace and add
to your lifestyle.

Modify Your Mindset

One of the wonderful benefits about starting on the path to improve your health is
that as you achieve success, your mindset changes also. The more successful you are,
the more successful you’ll want to be.

You’re about to undergo and amazing transformation. It’s empowering and exciting.
For now, now spend some time assessing what has been holding you back from
getting healthy. Are you dealing with fears and limiting beliefs?

For example, do you believe that you’re too busy to get healthy? Consider creating
a list or journal entry to write down what has been holding you back, if anything.
How will you manage those fears and limiting beliefs now?

Learn to Set Good Goals

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One of the biggest reasons that resolutions fail is that people go into them with grand
ideas but no real goal or a plan to achieve it. For example, “This year I’m going to
quit smoking.”

Great resolution, terrible goal. A better goal might be to say, “On the path to quitting
smoking, I’m going to cut back to three cigarettes a day using nicotine gum.”

The same is true for diet and fitness goals. In the next chapter we take a look at
how to set realistic weight loss goals, and how to achieve them.

Action Step

Spend some time contemplating your past experience with weight loss. If you’ve yet
to have success, why not? What fears, obstacles or limiting beliefs got in your way?
The important thing to keep in mind during this exercise is that these experiences
are in your past. You’re not rehashing them so that they get in your way again.
You’re analyzing them with your logical mind to explore what went wrong and what
you can do about it now.

Many experts talk about the “Why” of weight gain. They say there’s often an emotional
reason why someone is gaining weight. Understanding this emotional reason and analysing
it with your logical mind can help you get control over it.

For example, many times people eat because they’re stressed. It’s a habit they’ve
developed and the food helps calm them down. Once you realize you eat because
you’re stressed, you can begin to think about why you’re stressed and other ways to
manage that stress.

So, grab a journal or a voice recorder or just call a friend who is a good listener and
dig deep. If there are things that have gotten in your way in the past bring them to the
surface so they don’t get in your way anymore.

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 PA R T 2

Weight Loss For Life Goal Setting

Once you have embraced the “slow and steady” mindset to losing weight
it’s time to talk numbers. It’s time to begin looking at where you are, where
you want to go and how you’re going to get there. It’s time to talk goal

First, let’s set some ground work. Most reputable health and fitness experts will
tell you that the best weight loss rule of thumb is to plan on losing one to two
pounds a week.

So let’s to a little math. If you want to lose 50 pounds then that’s about 25 weeks
assuming you lose two pounds a week. You will probably lose zero or one pounds
some weeks and three or more pounds the next week. Don’t sweat it too much.
Just aim for an average of one to two pounds per week.

Twenty-five weeks is approximately six months. When you break it down and look
at the numbers reaching your weight loss goal in six months is great. It’s particularly
wonderful because you know that this weight isn’t going to come back.

How To Set Realistic Goals

So now it’s time for you to begin looking at your own goals.

To be fair if you have a lot of weight to lose you may very well lose quite a lot in
the beginning depending on the habits you focus on. For example, if you’ve never
exercised before and you begin introducing exercise to your body you may lose
a lot of weight quickly.

That’s a side benefit and it’s best to think of it like that. The first step is to create a
realistic goal for your weight loss. Most experts recommend establishing two
primary goals. Establish and overall weight loss goal. Then also establish your
weekly weight loss goal.

Your Overall Weight Loss Goal

For that initial weight loss goal aim to lose between 5% and 10% of your body weight.
That means if you weigh 200 pounds then 10% of that or 20 pounds is a realistic goal.
Don’t worry about when you’re going to achieve this goal. Right now you’re simply
deciding on how much you’re going to lose. (Once you’ve lost this weight, if you want
to lose more, then you’ll set another overall weight loss goal. Have you ever heard
the joke, “How do you eat an elephant?”

The punch line…”One bite at a time.”

That’s the same way you’re going to lose weight. One pound at a time.

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Your Weekly Weight Loss Goal

We’ve already said that a good weekly weight loss goal is to lose one to two pounds each
week. So if you want to lose 20 pounds then plan on it taking about three months or around
fifteen weeks.

What about if you lose more than two pounds a week? As mentioned earlier, if you
have a lot of weight to lose you might notice a bit more weight loss right in the beginning
of your transformation.

Don’t let that weight loss side track you. It’s easy to think “Oh, I lost my weight for the
month so I can relax and I’ll pick this weight loss thing back up next month.”

Yikes! That’s a surefire way to gain the weight back. Then you have to start from
scratch. Remember we’re talking about creating habits and lifestyle changes. If you quit
or relax before something has become a habit you’re going to have to start all over again.


The other thing you may think if you experience rapid weight loss is that you might
expect that type of weight loss to continue. It probably won’t. Don’t let that deter you.
On the contrary, you have a head start. When your weight loss plateaus to one or two pounds
a week you’re on schedule. As long as you’re gradually seeing improvements
you’re on the right path.

How To Track Your Success

You’re probably familiar with the phrase, “Knowledge is Power.” This is certainly true
when you’re losing weight. If you don’t know how many calories you’re consuming or
burning you just don’t know where to start or how to control the process.

When you have all the information necessary to make educated decisions you can
make the best diet and lifestyle decisions for your lasting health.

For example, do you know how many calories you’ve consumed today? If you did,
you’d know whether you’re on track to lose weight or if you’ve indulged just a bit too
much and might gain weight. You’d know what you were dealing with and how to respond.

The Power to Plan

Calorie information gives you is the power to plan. For example, if you know
your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate –the number of calories you burn while your body is at
rest) then you can determine how many calories you need to eat each day to lose weight.

For example, if your BMR is 1800 calories and you want to lose a pound a week you
know that you can eat 1300 calories a day and lose a pound a week. (500 x 7 days = 3500
calories, which is equal to a pound of fat)

You can also eat 1800 calories each day and burn 500 calories with exercise. It’s your
choice and the information gives you the power to make the right decisions for your goals.

There are many tools and resources available to help you learn and track your health information.

Remember, the little secret to weight loss is energy balance. You need to make your

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body more efficient by consuming fewer calories than your body burns.

Tools and Resources

There are many ways you can track your daily calorie intake and expenditure.
The key is to make it as easy to follow through on as possible. If it is a complicated
process and difficult to use than you may not follow through and knowledge really is
power. Here are just a few of the tools you can use to track your information:

• Fitness Journal – If you like paper then consider buying a journal

or a specialized fitness journal.

• Online software or community – There are many online fitness communities

and membership programs. You can sign up and track your information.

• Mobile application - There are dozens of fitness tracking tools

you can use. Many of them are free.

• Devices – Pedometers are the tip of the iceberg. They track steps.
You can also find devices that help you track calories consumed and
calories burned.

Action Step

Make a list of goals you might want to achieve. Don’t carve them in stone just
yet; the next chapter discusses healthy and unhealthy habits. You’ll begin to assess
your current habits and prioritize the ones you want to change. Then you can come
back and revisit your goals.

Ready to take a look at your habits?

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 PA R T 3

Replacing Your Unhealthy Habits

First of all, know that everyone has “unhealthy” habits. No one is perfect. We all, each
and every one of us, have room for improvement. So the first thing to remember is that
this isn’t about judging yourself or being critical. This is about loving yourself and being
empowered to make changes.


Got it? Ready to take this first step?

Great!

Step One

List Your Unhealthy Habits

This may be the most difficult but also the most empowering step of the entire weight
loss transformation process. Take some time, a week or more, if you need, to honestly
assess your current habits. There’s no judgment here. No self recrimination. Simply
write down the habits you’d like to change.

For example, your list might look something like this:

• End late night eating
• Start exercising
• Eat breakfast
• Skip the fast food
• Stop snacking on carbs and sweets
• Drink less soda/drink more water
• Move around a bit more
• Drink 1 or 2 cups of water before every meal
• Quit Smoking

Use whatever method seems the easiest. You might simply grab a journal or a ruled
notebook. You might choose to dictate your list or to type it up on a spreadsheet. You’re
going to be expanding on this list with a plan for each habit. If you want to keep everything
in one place a spreadsheet might be helpful but it’s certainly not necessary.
Just use whatever works for you.

Also spend some time writing down your good habits. For example, your list might look like this:
• Drinks black coffee, no cream or sugar
• Eats high fiber cereal
• Loves to make fresh fruit smoothies
• Laughs a lot
• Meditates most days
• Enjoys taking the dog on regular walks around the block
This list helps you balance out the other list. It brings to your awareness the fact that
you probably are doing something right. And it helps your all important mindset. It’s

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important to stay positive!

Why Write Down Your Habits?

Documenting your habits helps you see where you can improve. It also helps you
create a plan to change those habits. You see often the hardest part about losing
weight is the deprivation. Many diet experts and even fitness trainers preach elimination
and intense exercise. They talk about getting rid of bad habits.

This is a very powerful first step. It gives you the ability to start taking action and
making change. Be proud of yourself for taking this first step!

Step Two

Create a Plan to Replace Your “Unhealthy” Habits with Healthy Ones

Okay, so now you have your list of habits you want to change. It’s time to
plan how that transformation is going to happen. It’s a process of making
one change at a time.

You’ll probably be tempted to try to pile on several new habits at once. Resist this
impulse. Applaud yourself for the enthusiasm and motivation. However, instead of
spreading your focus too thin, apply all of that motivation and enthusiasm to really
making great changes one habit at a time.

Here’s what happens if you try to tackle too many habits at once.

Let’s go back to poor Joan. Joan decided she was going to work out every morning.
She was also going to stop eating lunch at the drive through and she was going to
meditate in the mornings after she worked out. To accomplish her new morning habits
she now has to get up two hours earlier.

Ouch! She needs time to work out, meditate, and pack her lunch. That’s asking a lot.
Her attention is going to falter quickly and she’s going to struggle to make such a huge
change. She’s also going to be tired for a few weeks until her body adapts to the new
change. So tired that she may end up going through the drive through for dinner
because she doesn’t have energy to cook dinner.

Joan would probably have more success if she focused on one task that only required
her to wake up fifteen to twenty minutes earlier. Once she’s successfully adopted that
habit, she could add a new one. This gradual change allows her body to adapt.

Instead of eliminating foods from your life or getting rid of bad habits, a more successful
approach is to gradually change your habits. And to change those habits one step at a time.

Step Three

Triage (Prioritize)

You’re probably thinking, “okay so where should I start? What habit on my list will
have the most impact?”

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Take a look at your list. What habit on your list feels as if it is the most important?
For example, take a look at this example list of unhealthy habits:

• Going to bed at midnight

• Drinking too much diet soda (more than a 12 ounce can a day)
• Drinking cream and sugar in my coffee
• Not eating breakfast every day
• Drive through, fast food, lunch at least twice a week.
• Not enough fruits and veggies with meals (lucky if I have two servings a day)
• Too many cookies and muffins for snacks
• Allow myself to get too hungry and then make poor decisions – need to eat more frequently
• No exercise – at all.

This is a pretty typical list. Sure there may be other things on it but it’s a glimpse into
the life of the average person.

So where would you start? What would be the highest priority habit to change?
It’s tempting to choose more than one. However, we’re talking about making lasting
change her and adopting new habits. You’ll likely achieve better success if you focus
on one habit at a time. So where would you start?

The best place to start is probably with the exercise. When you begin to exercise you’ll
likely find that other good habits begin to form naturally.

For example, you may sleep better at night and thus have more energy during the day.
This may mean that you have more energy to make and eat breakfast. You’ll feel better
and you’ll automatically start taking better care of yourself.

Tips for Habit Building Success

1. Focus on one habit at a time. Put all your energy and attention into that habit.

2. Document your goal along with your plan to achieve it. If you’re aware of any potential
challenges, write down how you’ll overcome or deal with those challenges.

3. Track your progress and hold yourself accountable for the results.

4. Get support from friends, family, or online peers. It’s important to have people
rooting for you and helping you heal when you make mistakes.

5. Reward yourself when you’re successful.

6. Forgive yourself for mistakes. Analyze what went wrong and try again.

7. Understand what motivates you and embrace it. Use it to help you move
forward and succeed.

Finally, trust yourself to succeed. You can do it and when you think positively anything is possible.

Action Step

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Have you created that list of habits? If so, you’ve completed most of this action
step already. The next step is to choose the first habit you want to focus on. Go ahead
and prioritize them.

What will you focus on first?

What will you focus on second? You can change the priority later so don’t worry
if you change your mind.

And if you haven’t created your list then go ahead and do that now. If you don’t know
where to start, this next chapter will help you brainstorm and get started!

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 PA R T 4

Tried And True Healthy Habits To

Consider
This chapter has a slightly different format. You may want to print it out so you can
simply tick off the new habits as they become part of your life.

Diet Habits

1. Eat vegetables at every major meal. Vegetables are packed with fibre and
nutrients. Fibre fills up your stomach. You feel full longer and it helps combat
hunger. You eat less and may therefore consume fewer calories.

2. Consume metabolism boosting foods like black pepper, tomatoes,

and drink beverages like cold water, green tea, and oolong tea.

3. Start drinking water. It sounds so simple and it is. Replace juice,

soda and other sweetened beverages with water. Experts recommend
drinking warm water in the morning, if you don’t drink tea or coffee, because
it keeps you regular. Then drink ice water during the day. The cold from the
ice actually helps you burn more calories.

4. Snack. Balanced blood sugar is essential for a speedy metabolism

and optimal fat burning. If you normally eat two or three meals a day,
start eating smaller meals and add snacks to your daily routine. Try for 5-6
small meals.

5. Drink your coffee black – no sugar, no cream. (Or use skim milk). If you
drink tea, then drink your tea without any additions.

6. Add fruit to your breakfast. It adds fiber and nutrients to your day and it’s low in calories

7. Eat breakfast every morning. It’s the best way to fuel your body right away and
get your metabolism humming.

8. Get your fibre! If you cannot get enough in your meals, take a supplement like Psyllium.

9. Replace processed foods with whole foods. Whole foods are much better for you.
They contain fiber and nutrients that you just cannot get from processed foods.
They’re lower in salt, sugar, and fat too. The end result is that whole foods fuel your body.
They fill you up and you don’t feel the need to eat as much.

10. Switch to whole grains. Replace your white bread with whole wheat.
Replace white rice with brown rice. Replace instant oatmeal with steel cut
oats and eat whole grain cereals.

11. Reduce consumption of your favorite “Unhealthy” foods. For example, if you eat
French fries several times a week, reduce consumption and eat them once a week, or less.

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 Don’t try to eliminate your favorites instead make them rewarding your foods.

Deprivation isn’t fun and it won’t get you excited about changing your habits and losing
weight. You can also look for replacements. For example, instead of eating fast food French
fries, you might start baking oven fries or sweet potato fries.

12. Skip the salt. Flavor your food with spices instead of salt. Unlike salt which can cause
high blood pressure, they have health benefits like boosting your metabolism.

13. Cut back on the fat. Replace butter with healthier fats like olive oil and vegetable oil when you cook.

14. Stock up on healthy and portable snacks. Nuts, fruit and even some meal bars can be
wonderful mid day snacks. Look for snacks that have protein and complex carbohydrates so they burn slowly.

Lifestyle Habits

15. Get 20 minutes of sunshine every day or take vitamin D. It boosts your immune
system and affects your hormone levels- which in turn regulate your metabolism.

16. Laugh more! Laughter boosts your hormone levels and subsequently it affects your metabolism.

17. Sleep. Create a sleep routine that supports you getting around eight hours every night.
Studies show that sleep has a very profound impact on weight loss and weight gain.

18. Eat smaller meals and eat more often. Spread out your calories so you eat every two to
three hours. You’ll stay satisfied, energetic and you’ll lose weight faster and keep it off.

19. Make eating fun and interesting. Explore with new foods. Try new recipes and embrace
all the colors of the rainbow.

20. Learn about portion sizes. For example, four ounces of meat is a serving. Four ounces of
meat is about the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand. When you can accurately
estimate portion sizes you can control your calories and intake better. Your eating becomes
mindful and aware.

21. Take a multi-vitamin every day. Make sure you’re getting the calcium and omega three fatty
acids you need too.

22. Don’t skip meals! Skipping meals causes low blood sugar levels. This then leads to
cravings and often it leads to poor food decisions. Generally, when blood sugar is low you crave
starchy carbs and sugar.

23. Meditate. Meditation really is an amazing habit. It helps you reduce stress. It
boosts your immune system. And it will help you make more conscious decisions about your lifestyle.

24. Wash your hands often, especially before you eat. When you ingest germs and
bacteria your body has to fight them off. This takes energy away from your other systems.
The result can be weight gain and you may retain water as your body struggles to stay healthy.
Simply washing your hands, and your fruits and veggies, will prevent many illnesses.

25. Track your caloric intake and burn. Find a system that makes tracking the data easy.
Know how much you need to burn each day to meet your weekly weight loss goals.

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26. Get out and get social. Friends make a difference in your happiness which does
affect your weight and your body’s ability to manage stress and illness.

Fitness Habits

27. Walk every day. 10,000 steps isn’t difficult to attain if you make small changes to your
routine. Take a fitness challenge like hike 15 kms or cycle 50 kms or swim 3 laps. Learn
a new sport or start playing your once upon a time favourite sport, find a partner.

28. Move more. Sitting causes inflammation, weight gain and other health and joint
problems. If you sit for your job try to get up and move every hour. If you can,
get a standing desk.

29. Find activities that make you smile and fill your heart and mind with joy.

30. Mix it up. Once you’ve established your initial fitness habit or activity, consider
adding more activities to your life. For example, you may walk for thirty minutes each day.

You can also add home strength training to your evening television viewing hours.
Do sit ups and pushups while you watch. You don’t have to limit your fitness to one
sport or activity. Your body, and your mind, benefit from variety.

31. Take advantage of time pockets. Time pockets are those little moments of time
when you’re waiting. For example, when you’re waiting at the doctor’s office you
can stand instead of sitting and reading a magazine.

32. Pace. When you’re talking on the phone stand up and walk. It burns calories
and helps you build a habit of moving your body instead of sitting.

33. Park at the back. We live in a car culture and drive almost everywhere. However
that doesn’t mean you have to park right next to the store. Park at the back and walk to
the store.

34. Stretch in the morning and before you go to bed. Stretching in the morning
gets your blood flowing. It also puts you in touch with your body right away. The more
aware you are of your body, the more you’ll be inclined to improve it and enjoy moving it.

35. Don’t push for numbers, push for enjoyment and consistency. Many
people get caught up in the numbers. For example, if they’re running they may
decide that they need to run a ten minute mile or it’s just no good. Unless you’re
training for a competition the numbers just don’t matter. What matters is that
you’re moving your body and having fun.

36. Workout with friends or in a group. Working out at home is fine. Working out
with friends or in a class environment is motivating. There’s something fun about
working out with other people and the trainer or teacher can help you improve
your skills and form.

37. Share your success! When you achieve a fitness or diet goal, share your
success with others. It’ll motivate you to continue and it may motivate someone
else to start their own weight loss transformation.

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You now have thirty seven new habits to consider and embrace into your lifestyle.
Each one of these habits can contribute to your weight loss transformation. You have your
goals, your list of habits, and you may know where you’re going to start first. In the next
and final chapter you’ll find a list of tips for success.

Losing weight and keeping it off is a process. The more information you have before
you begin, the more successful you’ll be and that’s the goal – for you to be infinitely successful!

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 PA R T 5

Transformation Tips For Success

Ready to surge forward and get started losing the weight and keeping it off for
the rest of your life?

Before you begin your path to transformation Keep these six tips in mind.

1. Make It Fun!

If your transformation feels like a chore, it won’t happen. Make sure you enjoy
the things you’re doing. That means finding physical activities that you enjoy.
It means working out with others.

It also means eating foods that you enjoy and that taste good. Healthy can
taste magnificent. Have fun with your food. This entire year of change should be
an exciting and invigorating time.

If it’s not fun, take a step back and assess why it’s not fun. What can you do to
make it more fun? Often, simply shifting your mindset from one of negativity to one
of gratitude can make a huge difference.

For example, instead of thinking, “Ugh, I hate my thighs.” Think, “I am so grateful for
my body and for my amazing spirit and ability to take better care of it.” That simple shift
in mindset can put a smile on your face and a bounce in your step.

2. Make Changes Slowly

I know I have mentioned this a few times and even devoted an entire chapter to it.
It’s really important. Choose one main habit to focus on. Plan how you’re going to adopt
that habit or change an existing one. Then give yourself at least three to four weeks to
make it a part of your life.

3. Forgive Mistakes

No one is perfect. You’ll have some days that are more challenging than others.
Forgive those days and start over the next day. Journaling is a wonderful way of
contemplating those difficult days and finding meaning and reason behind them.

4. Replace Don’t Eliminate

Elimination and deprivation causes more wanting and desires. People tend to want
what they think they cannot have. If you tell yourself you cannot have chocolate you’re
more likely to obsess about chocolate. The next thing you know you’ve eaten a bag 

of chocolate candy and there goes the diet!

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Instead of depriving yourself of the things you like, reduce your consumption of
them. It’s much easier to manage a lifestyle change when you know you don’t
have to give something up that you like.

5. Set Small Realistic Goals and Plan How You’re Going To Achieve Them

Big goals are fun to set but difficult to attain. Smaller goals are easier to attain and
the cumulative effects of them can be extraordinarily satisfying. Set overall goals and
then create a series of smaller goals to help you achieve success. Create a plan
for each smaller goal.

For example, if your goal is to exercise an hour a day a smaller goal may be to start
by exercising ten minutes a day. You may plan to reach your larger goal by adding five
minutes to your workout each week. Planning helps you maintain control over the process.
It also helps you adopt the habit into your lifestyle in a realistic and practical way.

6. Celebrate Each Day Regardless Of Your Success (And Then Celebrate

Your Successes Even More!

It’s important to celebrate and pay attention to all of the good in your life. It’s so
much easier to make changes if you’re positive and optimistic about your life. And
of course take time to celebrate your weight loss success too!

Conclusion

Losing weight in this gradual and comprehensive manner is a different approach than
you may be accustomed to. It is a proven approach that will change your life in more
ways than you can imagine. It’s an exciting time!

To your great health, success, and lifelong vitality!

- PC
Founder SquattingChimp.com

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