Marty Gets Tough with the Sweet Connection Editors

Q and A with Marty Hames

Okay you guys...time to talk!!

First of all, I want to congratulate all of you on your decision to lose weight, get in shape, and get healthy!! As you make progress, you'll reap the benefits of increased energy, looking and feeling better, and just increasing your overall health! However you're not going to see those results, or you're going to get frustrated without a serious plan of action. And that's what appears to be missing after reading some of your posts in the blog. 

Here's the deal: The key to weight loss, and keeping the weight off comes down to consistency. There are dozens of diets out there, and to one degree or another, they will all work, IF you stay consistent. You need to find what works for you and stick with it. You need to want to get healthy MORE than you want that Starbucks Frappuccino, or that milkshake. And just because you are in a social setting, like a party, is not an excuse to blow all your hard work and pig out on cake and ice cream. Remind yourself that you are there to enjoy the company of friends, not to eat the wrong foods. Losing weight is not easy. You've got to change the way you think about food, in order to see changes.

 Here are a few tips:

1. Think of food as fuel… Stop allowing your taste buds to determine what you want to eat. Use your brain instead, and feed your body what it needs.


2. Eat every three hours… this means three meals and two small snacks. This will help keep blood sugar levels steady, and cravings at bay


3. Stay hydrated… Oftentimes we feel hungry, when we're actually just in need of more water.


4. Don't think of exercise as an eraser… Although exercise will certainly help you feel great, and support your weight loss efforts, true weight loss comes down to what you are eating and drinking. Don't get in the habit of thinking of your workout as a way to undo damage done by bad food choices. It doesn't work that way.


5. Plan ahead… If you know you are going to be somewhere or go somewhere where there won't be anything you can eat, take your own food, or "pre-eat." Don't allow yourself to be in a situation where you are starving and surrounded by bad food choices. Set yourself up for success — not failure.


6. Set aside one day a week for a cheat day… experts go back and forth on whether or not this is a good idea. I personally don't do this, however, some people find that having one day a week when they can indulge in their favorite "cheat" food, gives them something to look forward to, or as a reward. I prefer to thinking of eating foods consistent with a strong healthy body as the reward in itself.  If you need a cheat day, then make sure you stay clean with your eating the rest of the week.


7. Change your mindset… Several of you commented that you had tried many diets, or been overweight for years. Aren't you ready for this to be the time you actually lose the weight, and get in shape? Make the decision today that this is no longer a diet, or punishment, but the way the new, healthy you eats everyday for the rest of your life.


8. Be patient… You eat healthy for one day, or even for an entire week, and still don't see the pounds dropping, and you get frustrated... Give it time! Your body needs to learn that you are serious and not going back to old eating ways... again, it's all comes down to consistency.

Good Luck!

You can follow the editors' progress in their blog.  Check it out!

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