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In this holiday season, many of us tend to eat more than might be optimal. I posted on my LoseIt page about my upcoming Christmas Dinner and a friend named Gordon responded with “Enjoy….no guilt!” And I thought, “I never feel guilty about what I choose to eat.” And why should we feel guilty? It is ... Read moreMYST 198: I Feel Guilty

Success is the result of finishing a task. But the ability to finish a task is dependent on whether we work toward our goal consistently, and if we enjoy what we are doing to reach that goal. That applies to weight loss, writing a book or running a marathon. If we don’t enjoy the process, ... Read moreMYST 197 How Do You Do It?

We trap ourselves with our beliefs. We let our previous stumbles define our total capabilities. Weight loss is hard, and it never ends. We sometimes find ourselves stepping on the scale and seeing a number that our mind says “Nope! That’s it! We can’t lose more!” And you don’t lose more. You have reached your limit, ... Read moreMYST 196 Trained Fleas

Are you good enough? How about your weight? Is it “good enough”? Are you quitting? “Good enough” implies that you are complacent now and that any further progress is not worth the effort. And if that’s the case, then just say “I’m done”. To do anything else is to play word games with yourself. You ... Read moreMYST 195 Good Enough

“Wow! You’ve lost a lot of weight. I think you might be getting too skinny!” “Huh. Sure, I suppose YOU are going to just eat a salad while we all eat real food!” How do those comments make you feel about yourself, about your progress, about your self-worth? Your friends and family might actually think ... Read moreMYST 194 Family Advice

Winning a race and setting a record does not happen by accident. Without the proper preparation, planning and the ability to choose the environment–and reject unhealthy environments–success will not happen. And even then, usually success only occurs after at least one failure. Roger Bannister set a new record in the one-mile race on May 6, ... Read moreMYST 193 Sharp Spikes

In this show, I am not talking about just any food, but food kryptonites. Those are food that will trigger a binge. These are foods that you truly cannot “eat just one” because once you start it as though someone opened the floodgates of hunger and you won’t stop eating until it is all gone ... Read moreMYST 192: GIGO

We plan our work days and work weeks months in advance. We keep our calendars with us at all times. In the “old days” we used paper day planners (remember the big “Franklin planners”?) Now all of our calendars are on every digital device we have. Why? It’s because we are busy! We have so many demands ... Read moreMYST 191 Preplan

Photo via Pixabay by rawpixel All images and videos on Pixabay are released under the Creative Commons CC0. Thus, they may be used freely for almost any purpose – even commercially and in printed format. Attribution is appreciated, but not required.   All images from LoseIt are mine, and cannot be used without permission. _________________________ Music composed ... Read moreMYST 190 Weekends

What are you going to do when your current plan falters? Yes, of course, you can keep doing what you have been doing, but when that fails what will you add? In episode 187 I talked about FOCUS (Follow One Course Until Successful–or Stagnant) and I believe that is the most basic action. Find a ... Read moreMYST 189 Next Step

KISS: Keep it Slow and Simple Success requires changes in actions and attitudes, and not all changes are simple. When you choose a plan–for a weight loss goal or any other goal–if the plan is complex, it is more likely to break down. Compare a boiled egg with a basic souffle. Each recipe uses the same ... Read moreMYST 188: K.I.S.S.

Photos via Pixabay by Pexels (camera) and Skeeze (archery) FOCUS: Follow one course until successful (or stagnant). And in weight loss, “stagnant” does not mean “Oh, woe is me, I haven’t lost weight in two days”. It means no change in more than a month. (And “no change” is exactly that. If you’ve lost one ... Read moreMYST 187 F.O.C.U.S.

Things can be simple. Things can be easy. Some things are both. But not weight management. The rules of weight loss–whether it is CICO or keto, or Nutrisystem–are simple. Rules and instructions can be simple. It is the performance and follow-through that is not necessarily easy. And is even harder to continue indefinitely. Photos via Pixabay ... Read moreMYST 186 Simple and Easy

How do you find success? You don’t find success. You make success from the raw materials you are given. That means you don’t lose weight magically. You need to eat less. Or move more. Or both. You may want to lose weight at two pounds a week, but you may only be capable of losing ... Read moreMYST 185 Grab Your Success

Accountability is one key to success. Do people know what you eat? Do they know how much you eat? When those details are hidden, it is easier to apply a veneer of misleading success to an otherwise successless journey. I have decided to post more frequent shows, and for every show, I will have a ... Read moreMYST 184: Log Your Food!

So, backyard chickens alone won’t disrupt a weight loss plan. But if you decide to get backyard chickens, and then other life events strike (and nothing that is considered a “strike” is usually good) then the combination can roll into a mess. That’s what happened to me. I received three new chickens in April. Coop ... Read moreMYST 183: Chickens and Other Changes

People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily. Zig Ziglar Photos via Pixabay by Alexas_Fotos _________________________ Music composed and performed by Jason Shaw, courtesy of Audionautix.com Voiceover courtesy of Matt Young. Matt is a professional voiceover artist. If you have any need of voice-over work, for your podcast, radio spot, or ... Read moreMYST 182 Prospective Statements Bring Power!

There are tens of thousands of books on weight loss. Maybe hundreds of thousands. All of them are correct. And all are wrong. See, here is the thing. Those books are written by experts. They know exactly what you need to do to have weight loss success. And every authors says “This is the best ... Read moreMYST 181: Talking to the Expert

Lawn Care, Ego, and Habits The Wisconsin seasons are beautiful and messy, wonderful and terrible. (If you didn’t know, Wisconsin has weather that can change rapidly.) But the weather can also be used in weight loss. Winter snows bring Fitbit Adjustments, especially if you have a moderate-sized driveway and a sidewalk to clear. Spring brings yard ... Read moreMYST 180: Forget Inspiration!

  Bathroom scales. We love them. And we hate them. But mostly we hate them. I mean, think about it. When you see a weight drop, you think to yourself “Well, finally!” as if the scale had been cheating you recently but not showing a loss. When you see a weight gain—and we all see ... Read moreMYST 179: Chaos, Confusion and the Bathroom Scale