The Do's and Do Not's of Fat Loss.

  We were all there once. Looking in the mirror, wanting to change. But not really knowing how. We over complicated it. And we stress our selves out. We hop on the scale, and frown when it says we actually GAINED weight. And we scream "HOW CAN THAT BE I HAVE BEEN ON KEY ALL WEEK". Well. In this article I will tell you a few key Do's and Do Not's for your fat loss journeys.

-DO: Eat Clean "Organic" Foods:

  I cannot stress this point enough. Just eat food, nothing processed. No grain infused frozen meals. Animals, and plants. That is all. No corn or grains. No starchy carbs like potatoes. Just eat an abundance of plants and some animals for protein.

-DO NOT: Over complicate things:

  Just do it, don't think too hard. Don't weigh yourself everyday. You'll only psych and stress yourself out. And stress, will make you retain and even gain weight. Just, do what you're suppose to and look in the mirror, measure your waist. And if they don't go down, change your diet. Train harder. Do something different. It's nice to see weight go down, but on any given day your weight can fluctuate 3-5lbs. It's usually water weight. So don't stress those few pounds heavier you are. Also, you have to factor in muscles, if you are strength training. As you can see, the scale can be your worst enemy on any fat loss venture.

-DO: Train hard:

  Give it your all, no matter what you're doing. Weather it is a lifting program, a body weight program. Or if you're just starting out and you're walking. Just give it your all. Don't give up. In the words of the late Master Yoda. "Do or Do Not, there is no Try/" And that is so true, you either do it, or you don't. There is no "trying to do" something. Because if you wanted it bad enough, you would just fucking do it. No complaints, no whining, no "I'll do it tomorrow," Or "I'll do it monday, it's good to start on the first of a week". Who the hell gave you that stupid ass idea? I don't care if it is, 3 a/m/ and you are sitting there and you get that twinge of something deep within you, you want to change. Don't say "I will do it in the morning" You want results, put in the fucking work. You get your ass up off the couch THAT NIGHT, and you go for a walk before bed. I don't care what time it is. If you want it done, do it/ Quit eating those foods, quit drinking that soda. I believe in each and every one of you. So believe in your damn self for once. Because I did it, I lost 115lbs. Not because I "did it on Monday" I looked in the mirror, and said "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING TO YOURSELF" and I made that change. I know you can too.

-DO NOT: Let people bring you down:

  Don't let someone bring you down. You're in a good mood, working out. You're eating better. Granted, maybe not as good as you should. But you dropped the soda, and got to walking and stuff. And BAM, you hear someone whisper "damn that guy/girl is so fat why are they even trying?" Or maybe someone isn't noticing your weight loss, or how good you're doing. So you go back to your comfort. You binge, you eat so much till you get to the point of being sick. You get depressed, and you don't want to move on. You go back to your old habits. NO, YOU DON'T. You look them in the eyes, and say "FUCK YOU" because you're doing what YOU know is right. What helps YOU in YOUR life. Not theirs. If you're doing it right. Putting in the hard work, and you are seeing even small changes. You KEEP DOING IT. Despite what anyone says. Because, they don't see your struggle. They don't even know you. They just speculate based on what they perceive. So be strong. Do not, let uneducated people bring down your mood. You're doing this for you, keep at it and one day you'll laugh in their face when they haven't achieved their goals, and you have.

-DO: Write it down:

  Everything, yes I said it right, EVERYTHING. Every little morsel you eat. Weather it is a 12oz porterhouse. Or one cookie. Every calorie counts. And you'll be able to see, on those days you "cheat" and have a brownie or a piece of pie. How many calories over your goal you've went. How, empty those sugary concoctions are for your health. They're sugar and carbs, and all sorts of additives. So, skip those if you're looking for fat loss. Write down all the food you eat, the drinks you consume. Your morning coffee or green tea. Your afternoon sweet tea, or un-sweet if you're like me. Your dinner, every oz of that chicken or fish or whatever you fancy. You're at work and someone offers you a piece of their food, say, fried chicken. And you haven't had any for a while, so  you think, sure why not? WRITE IT DOWN. That friend chicken leg, has many calories, probably over 100. So write it down. Those calories count. They all count. Also, write down your workouts. Log your reps and weight if you're strength or body weight training. If for 3 weeks, your weight hasn't increased or even decreased. Change something up. Don't idle in your workouts. Don't stall on your nutrition. Because those plateaus are hard to bust through. And you WILL hit one. Just don't be the cause of it. Do yourself a favor, and actually log every food item, every workout. And even your sleep schedule. It all effects your weight. Maybe something has been stressing you out lately? And your weight loss has stalled. BINGO, get rid of that stress. And just WRITE IT DOWN. Simple as that.

-DO NOT: Blame anyone but yourself:

  That's right. I will probably get A LOT of people mad at me with this one. I don't care. The truth hurts. But fact is, you caused all of this. No one forced you to eat like you did. No one forced anything on you. I blamed a lot of things for how I was. My feet, because I couldn't do the things I liked. My dad for leaving us. I blamed it on a lot. But it was all a sweet comforting lie, to help myself justify how I was. No one forced me to eat in abundance, or to not be active. I did that to myself. No one forced me to drink ever single day. Or pop pills. I chose that life. To ease the pain, when I could have as easily just got my ass up and did something about it. Instead I numbed myself, and I numbed the pain. It did't go away. No, I covered it up. That is the WRONG way to go about things. Don't blame your parents, your environment, your school, the other kids, don't blame the commercials, or Mc Donalds for being so bad for you. Just don't. No one forced your hand. It was you. And only YOU can change yourself. Only YOU can do what needs to be done. On your own time. Don't do it for anyone else, nor wait for anyone else. If you don't like something, change it. You might not be able to do it overnight, the change. Because it has been ongoing for YEARS. But, you CAN do it. You just have to get your mindset into it. And BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Because you are capable of doing it, You didn't get this way overnight. You've eaten like this for years. Small baby steps. And, eventually you'll look back at the person you WERE and see the person you're designed to be. Because you're strong, you're powerful, mind body and spirit. So don't even think you can't and don't ever think, it isn't your fault because, ultimately it is. So change it.

-DO: Believe it is possible:

  There are people worse off than you. There are people with various diseases and various different things wrong. Don't make the excuse that you "Can't" because you CAN. People do it everyday. People with so many problems do it. Physical and psychological diseases. They get it done. So you can too. No feat is too hard. No mountain too high. No path unable to be crossed. You can do what you set your mind to. If you give it your all, you'll get it all in return. Life works in mysterious ways. And sometimes it's hard. Sometimes, that light at the end of the tunnel seems SO far away. But, it's not. If you believe, you can achieve. You will never do anything, unless you can believe in yourself. Because, that is the ONE and ONLY person who matters in the end. Not the neighbor, not your significant other, not your parents or friends. Not that "guy/girl" you want to impress. You do this for YOU. You believe in YOU. It is possible, To quote the famous Spartacus, "Anything in this life is possible, if mind and heart are put towards it." Give it your all, your blood, your sweat, your tears, your mind and body. Your heart. Give it everything you got, and never give up. Never let life push you back harder than you can push it. Because, you're better than that. Better than someone so eager and willing to give up everything they've worked for. Believe it is possible, even when everyone and everything else tells you it isn't.

-DO NOT: Feel you have to compare yourself to others:

  Everyone is different. We all have different bodies. Different levels of health and such. So it is normal, that someone else, who is the same weight as you, for them to lose it faster/slower than you. Because, we all have different DNA. While, it is all pretty cut and dry. The basics are the same. Calories in VS Calories out. But, everyone is different. So don't ever compare yourself to someone else. To someone who loses it faster than you. It will only stress you out. It will only make you want to give up. You will compete with them, even if not on purpose, subconsciously, and you will attempt to train like them. And only injure yourself. You will only give up, when you cannot do what they can. So, never compare yourself to another person. Because, you will only be discouraged.

  The most important rule of any fatloss/nutritional/workout program, is to just do your best. That simple. Just give it your all. Don't be discouraged if someone else is more fit. Or if they are losing weight faster. Etc. Just do you. Don't compare yourself. Don't look in magazines, and say you want that body. Chances are, if/when, you get to that level of fitness, you will NOT look exactly like Arnold did when he did body building. Nor will you look like your favorite athlete. You will be you, but a stronger version of yourself. And that is what we all want to work for. To be stronger, fitter, faster, harder and all over healthier.

  Keep doing what you do, keep being strong. And. being yourself. Don't listen to others, let the critics do what they do. And you do what you do. Because, you CAN do it. If you put your mind to it.

Check out my book, How To Get Everything You Want:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/609912

I'm also selling custom made T-shirts, to which half of the proceeds will go towards testicular and prostate cancer charity.
https://teespring.com/liftwithyourbeard

How to calculate calories:
http://coreysperspective.blogspot.com/2016/01/so-you-want-to-lose-weight.html

Until a further time,

Corey.