Some dieters have struggled for years and have not managed to lose much weight at all. They go from one fad diet to the next and get discouraged when it doesn’t work as they were promised. Instead of following the latest trend in wight loss it is far better to stick with a time-tested and proven plan that keeps on working. Avoiding the misinformation you get in the world of fat burning is a good start.

We have been on the road a lot this month, traveling between our home in Baja and family’s homes in Sacramento and Paradise.  I have even spent two weeks alone while Chuck attended a family get-together in Texas.  Being alone presented it’s own challenges and rewards.  I find that when not faced with the routine of the regular meals I was quite content to graze through my days on fresh fruit and yogurt concoctions.

It’s hard to believe we have been at it for a month but the calendar doesn’t lie. With the exception of the week I was sick with the flu, Chuck and I have stuck with this workout and are now increasing the number of sets we are doing on most of the exercises so that we are up the number recommended in the book.

May not seem like much to the gym regulars, but for us couch potatoes it is a big deal.

By Cory Brusseau

Every exercise, fitness, and muscle magazine available today gives you new ways to get faster results, get bigger biceps, or cut your fat fast. The problem is although the ideas may be anchored in truth, most develop bad habits, and go against the one idea that is the cornerstone of building the body you dream of.

Cutting Calories Without County Calories By Susan Young The one rule I set for myself at the beginning of this journey was NO MORE DIETS!  Here I am starting week three with the gals at DailyBread365 and the topic of today’s thought (Day 22) is cutting calories!  I almost skipped it entirely but knowing Lucy’s dedication a healthy lifestyle, I jumped in and gave the article a closer look.  Sure enough, Lucy is not advocating getting on the merry-go-round scale or measuring and weighing each bite of food.  She is merely reaffirming common tenants that some types of food contain higher caloric content and are more easily converted to fat storage. Today’s “lesson” touches briefly on  the difference between essential and non-essential fats, refined or processed foods, and the dangers of filling up on empty calories. Good information to recall, even when you are NOT dieting, like me. If you have read my previous posts you will know that I am working on changing my whole life experience.  I am using self-hypnosis books, tapes and videos to reprogram myself to see food and exercise in a different light. I have spent a lifetime using food as a substitute for other things I thought were missing in my life.  Food was love.  Food was affirmation.  Food was comfort.  Food was entertainment. Now, I have come to realize that food is fuel.  Fuel to accomplish the tasks I need and choose to do each day. Another pattern of thinking that I am working on changing is my attitude about exercise.  As a child, young adult, and middle age women, I saw exercise as work, punishment, torture, the enemy, or something other people did. Now, I am learning to find health and well-being as rewarding incentives to exercise.  I am learning to appreciate the improved mobility and strength that are the results of a few hours a week of activity. I’m not all the way there, where ever there might be but I am progressing nicely along the path to a healthier, stronger and fitter body and lifestyle.