Excerpt
Personalize Your Program
Sarah dropped 35 pounds and two dress sizes in time for her 10-year highschool reunion. Her family, friends, doctor, and coworkers complimented her onhow wonderful she looked. "Denise, you have helped me to look and feel betterabout myself—thanks for your motivation."
There is only one you. You are unique in every way, from your fingerprints toyour sense of humor, and from your reason to lose those last 10 pounds to howyou need to do it. I created this plan as a framework for all of us. But sincewe're all different, you and I need to work together to develop your ownindividual weight-loss plan. The first thing that we need to do is figure outwhere you are and where you need to go. Read the scenarios presented here andtake some time to find the one that most closely applies to you. This way,you'll be able to focus on your specific needs as we work together over the next28 days.
Situation 1: You have a big event coming up...a wedding, a reunion orvacation to a sunny place.
Your goal is set: You need to fit into a snug bridesmaid dress. You hope to look"exactly the same" at your high school reunion. You want to throw on a bikiniinstead of shorts and an oversized T-shirt when you hit the beach. And you havejust four weeks to make it happen!
First, let's get your priorities straight. For the next four weeks, you need tostay focused on your goal. This may mean making substantial changes to yourroutine. I'm going to ask you to devote at least half an hour a day to exercise.You'll have to say a loud "No!" to temptations like rich desserts and alcohol.You may have to spend less time watching TV and more time planning healthymeals. Or you may have to make other concessions, such as going to bed earlierso you can get up in the morning to do your workout. But trust me—the endresult will be worth it!
A month before I begin the filming schedule for my television show, I reallystart watching my diet and exercising more. I know that in a few short weeks,I'll be putting on a leotard and stepping in front of a camera. And we all knowthat the TV camera can make a few extra pounds look like 10. So donuts are outand longer workouts are in. Although it might be difficult at first, I'm alwayshappy later—and usually I'm happy during, too. When I eat well and exerciseregularly, I'm full of energy and confidence. And you will be, too.
To stay focused on your goal, keep imagining yourself without those extra poundsyou've been wearing—and with a tighter tummy and more muscle tone in all theplaces you want it most. Post positive reminders (phrases like "You can do it!"or "You deserve to feel good!") on your refrigerator, your calendar and yourdesk at work. Remember that every minute you exercise brings you that muchcloser to your goal. Let your loved ones and coworkers in on your plan and askfor their help. A good support system is often the key to successful weightloss.
No matter how anxious you are to shed those last 10 pounds, don't do anythingdrastic like starving yourself. Extremely low-calorie fad diets may help youdrop some weight fast, but the weight you lose will be water and muscle tissue.By the time your big event arrives, you probably won't have the energy to enjoyit. You won't have done a thing to firm up those flabby areas. And you're almostguaranteed to gain back the weight as soon as you start eating normally again.
Your goal may be to fit into a new dress size for a particular event, but I wantyou to fit into that new dress size forever. If you follow the steps presentedin this book, you'll learn new habits to help you lose and keep the weight off.You'll feel (and look) so good at end of four weeks that you won't want to goback to your unhealthy habits. I promise!
Situation 2: You've already lost some weight but have hit a plateau.
Talk about frustrating! You've lost 15, 20 or maybe even 30 pounds and dropped adress or a belt size or two. Then all your progress seems to trickle to a stop,and the scale gets stuck about 10 pounds above where you want to be.
Weight-loss plateaus happen for different reasons. In your case, you've probablybeen following the same routine for too long. You've been consuming the samefoods day in and day out, and your exercise program hasn't changed since youstarted working out. The good news is that your body has adapted to it andlearned how to do it more efficiently. The bad news is that since your musclesaren't working as hard as they did in the beginning, you're burning fewercalories with each workout.
Don't quit now! Getting past a plateau can be tough—but it can be done. Youjust need to shake things up and give your metabolism a little kick. You canbegin by making changes to your diet. While my eating plan encourages you toexperiment with different foods, you can also try changing how you eat. Smaller,more frequent meals are key, as they enable you to keep your body constantlyfueled throughout the day—without overdoing it. Whatever you do, DON'T SKIPMEALS! Depriving yourself of calories causes your metabolism to slow down andwill ultimately defeat your efforts to reach your target weight. We'll discussthis more in chapter two.
To keep your body burning as many calories as possible, you need to keep yourmuscles guessing. The program in this book is designed so that you never do thesame aerobic workout twice in one week. If you decide not to follow the aerobicworkouts I've provided, try creating your own mix-and-match schedule. Do mySizzler video one day. Another day, ride an exercise bike, go swimming orplay tennis. On the next day, jump rope, climb stairs or take a power walk. Makeit your goal to stimulate as many different muscle fibers as possible.
If you have a favorite workout that you love, you don't have to abandon it. Justmix things up a bit by changing your intensity, time or tempo. If walking isyour thing, try changing your routine a bit. Walk hills. Add a few minutes ofslow jogging. Really pump your arms to get your upper body involved. Take along, slow walk one day and a short, superfast walk the next. Throw in someskips or jump up and touch a tree branch (when no one's looking, of course.)
In Chapter 2, I'll discuss interval training—a fabulous fat-burning workout. Ifyou've been exercising regularly and are in relatively good shape, this could bethe ticket to jump-starting your metabolism. If you're just launching anexercise program, you'll need to build a solid fitness base before getting intointerval training—it's intense, and doing too much too soon can createunhealthy stresses on your bones, joints and muscles.
You've worked hard to get where you are. Now the key is to work smart.You may resist change at first, but give it a try. You'll be surprised at howfun and liberating it can be. You're close to your goal...just hang inthere!<br><p>Situation 3: You still have 20 or more pounds to lose.
You're probably thinking that this book is just for those lucky people who haveonly to lose 10 pounds or less. Not so. Whether you need to lose seven pounds or47 pounds, you have to start somewhere—and this book is the perfect place. Why?My plan is designed to create healthy eating and exercise habits that will lasta lifetime. No matter how much you have to lose, you need to do it safely andeffectively. It's the only way to do it without experiencing a rebound.
Since you have more than 10 pounds to lose, you're going to have to work longerthan 28 days—but believe me, you'll be happy you did. I know it's difficult andintimidating, so pace yourself by focusing on small goals. Use my plan to lose10 pounds, then do it again, and again, and again, until you've reached yourideal weight. Small goals are wonderful, because they allow you to measure yoursuccess. With every 10 pounds you lose, you'll feel better and better. And ifyou feel great, you'll want to keep going! You'll change your habits to includemore fruits and vegetables in your diet and less fast food. As you becomestronger and more fit, change your routine regularly by adding intensity andinterval training to help you avoid a weight-loss plateau. You will have a newfound awareness and respect for you body and your health, and I promise you, theweight will come off.
Recently, my mom needed to lose 20 pounds. The weight had crept on over theyears—and because she had high cholesterol, high blood pressure and a familyhistory of heart disease (her father died of a heart attack at age 44), she knewthat she had to trim down. At first, she felt overwhelmed and kept putting itoff, so I encouraged her to begin by setting her goal at 10 pounds—and she did.By cutting back on junk food and exercising more (she did my Lifetime TV showFit & Lite every weekday morning), she was able to lose those first 10.Even better, her cholesterol went down 20 points. So did her blood pressure, andshe was able to cut her blood pressure medication dosage in half. She felt soencouraged that she's decided to keep going and try to lose the remaining 10.
The more weight you lose, the more fun you will have incorporating movement andexercise into your daily routine. Don't get discouraged when you first startexercising. If you walk half a mile every day for a week, the next week you'llbe able to walk three quarters of a mile, and eventually a whole mile. Exercisewill become increasingly easier, and before you know it you'll be followingalong with the exercise plans I've outlined. Remember: Losing the first 10pounds deserves as much applause as losing the last 10!
Situation 4: You're a new mom.
First off, let me say congratulations! Motherhood is a truly joyous experience.From the moment you feel the first kick inside of you, you learn the meaning ofunconditional love and understand what life is about. But it also can be a bitof a shock. Suddenly it feels as if you have a new body, and you wonder whetheryou'll ever get your old one back.
You can. I know—I've done it twice. With each of my pregnancies, Igained 35 pounds. By the time I left the hospital, I'd lost only 10 pounds andmy belly was so big and mushy that I looked as if I had another baby on the way.I had 25 pounds to lose and a lot of work to do to get my tummy back to itsusual size and shape. The pounds slowly came off—and the last 10 were thehardest. But with a little sweat and perseverance, I was successful.
Whether you had your baby two months or two years ago, you can be successful,too. Personally, I think it's best to start losing the baby fat soon afterdelivery. Otherwise, it's easy to let the extra pounds accumulate. But you stillcan lose the weight and reshape your body, even if your "baby" is now apreschooler or even a teenager. It's never too late to get started.
The four-week eating plan in this book provides good, balanced nutrition forboth nursing and non-nursing moms. If you are breast-feeding, you'll need to add500 extra calories a day; when your baby's relying on you for sustenance, youdon't want to cut back on calories too much—and breast-feeding burns 300 to 500extra calories a day. To support your milk supply, aim to get those extracalories from calcium-rich foods such as yogurt or cheese.
If you're a brand-new mom, you should get your obstetrician's approval beforebeginning an exercise program. With vaginal deliveries, most doctors recommendwaiting two to four weeks to resume full activity. If you had a C-section, youshould wait a little longer—maybe starting with slow walks at week four andslowly building up to full activity after six weeks. Always listen to your body;don't do too much too soon.
Of course, your abdominal muscles will be in serious need of attention.Tightening your tummy after having a baby is no different from doing it anyother time—you just need to start slowly and be patient! In this book, you'llfind some of the best postpartum abdominal exercises, such as the Reverse Crunchand the Basic Crunch. As with everything else, consistency is key. Once yourdoctor gives you two thumbs up, begin doing crunches every day, then graduallywork in other abdominal exercises.
If you have a newborn, your next question will probably be "But when willI find the time to exercise?" My answer: You have to grab every chance that youget—and there are more chances than you realize. When I had my two beautifulgirls, Katie and Kelly, I would do toning exercises during their morning naps.Twice a day, I would put them in a carriage and go for half-hour walks. Onceyour baby is about four months old, you can also put him or her in a baby joggerand do one of my 30 exercise videos or my morning show on Lifetime.
It won't always be easy. But keep reminding yourself that you're doing somethinggood for both you and your family. Exercise will give you energy so you'll bebetter able to handle the demands of being a new mom. You'll teach your baby andany other children the importance of good health habits. Plus, you'll feelbetter about yourself—and you'll pass those positive feelings along to yourkids!
Situation 5: You've gained 10 pounds because you quit smoking or arerecovering from an injury or surgery.
If you just quit smoking, you get my hearty congratulations! You have just takenthe single biggest step toward improving your health. Smoking causes more than400,000 deaths in the United States each year; you would have to gain 100 to 150pounds after quitting to make your health risk equal to what it was when yousmoked. So don't let the extra pounds you've gained tempt you to light up again.My fat-busting plan can help you return to your former weight while controllingyour cravings for nicotine. The key? Exercise. Instead of reaching for thelighter, walk around the block, go for a jog or walk up and down the steps atyour office. Your body will release endorphins that elevate your mood and makeyou feel better—the same thing a cigarette used to do. Since nicotine is anartificial stimulant that helps keep you going, exercise—a stimulant—is anexcellent substitute.
Many former smokers gain weight because they replace cigarettes with food. Oneof my metabolism-boosting strategies is to eat more often, so you satisfy yourneed to go from hand to mouth with healthy snacks like celery sticks filled withpeanut butter, juicy apple slices or watermelon chunks, or bowls of crunchycereal. Be sure to stock up on good-for-you snacks both at home and the office,so you don't end up reaching for fattening junk food if a nicotine cravingstrikes. You can refer to the daily meal plans listed later in this book formore ideas.
Are you recovering from an injury or surgery? Then chances are you've simplybeen sedentary for too long. Your body has forgotten how great it feels to moveand exercise. Once you get your doctor's OK, you need to start slowly and dowhat you can at your own pace. If you've suffered an ankle injury, for example,concentrate on upper-body exercises while you build up strength in your ankle.If you can't do one particular move, pick another—don't use your injury as anexcuse to skip exercising. Check with your doctor or physical therapist to findthe exercises that are suitable for you and do them regularly. The mostimportant thing is to keep moving in whatever way you can. You may not be ableto do it all, but don't let that stop you. You can still do it—I know you can!
As we move forward, keep your special needs in mind. I'll remind you of what'sbest for your specific circumstances, but only you know your real limitations.My plan is designed to meet the needs of many people. You can pick and choosewhat feels good and what works for you. Instead of being restricted to a dulldiet and boring routines, I want you to explore all the different food andexercise options and see how great they make you feel. This will be your pathwayto better health...and a better body.
Next stop—revving up your metabolism!
Continues...
Excerpted from Lose Those Last 10 Poundsby Denise Austin Copyright © 2001 by Denise Austin. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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