Watch your body – it’s talking to you.

So do you want to lose weight? OR do you want to look and feel slimmer and tighter. There's a big difference.

Your success can be measured a lot better if you hide your scale. Don't panic. You can do it and I promise you, you will be surprised.

Healthy habits breed better bodies

When you change your eating and exercise habits in just small ways, you immediately start to see decreases in medical problems, injury, and other health risks.

You will sleep better and more peacefully. You'll have more energy throughout the day.

You may even find a decreased reliance on medications, especially for headaches or stomach problems. You will have an increased ability to perform physical activity. You might feel a bit sexier. Your jeans will begin to fit again!!

Forget your last 100 diets

Start slowly by reducing your fat intake. Just for today, use a little less butter or a little less salad dressing. Eat one extra leafy green vegetable and fruit to increase your intake of dietary fiber. Maybe only a half a candy bar if you can't live a day without it.

Start taking a good daily multi-vitamin. Tomorrow add 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C, the next day, start with 400 milligrams of vitamin E. Already, you may see sweet cravings stop calling your name so loudly.

Try to remember to have protein every morning for breakfast. Throw a protein powder in the blender with some fruit or just mix it in some fruit juice. Buy one without sugar. Egg whites cooked with veggies and fat free cheese or boiled carried in your bag can become your next best friend.

On a roll to ridding the belly roll

Start making slight changes in how you cook or prepare your food- a little more steaming or broiling.

Start reading labels at the grocery store, checking for high fat and sugar. Try some new foods to discover new tastes and textures.

And, get this: eat more! Most women and some men eat a big salad at lunch thinking they are being so good. What happens at 3 p.m.? A big crash and the search for sweets is on.

Tomorrow ask for a boiled egg or some chicken or tuna on top of that salad. Think protein and you'll last longer through the afternoon. And you need carbs! They are not the enemy. I think oatmeal may be the world's most perfect food. So do my clients. A lot of them eat the great big rolled oats RAW mixed with no sugary applesauce. Yummy.

Move it if you want to lose it

Think small. Just go buy a pair of nice sneakers. Tomorrow, try them on and walk around the house. Next day exercise....any old form will do... for just 10 minutes. See if you can go a little longer the next day. Don't worry about having to do all this for a life time. You can do it just for today.

With these small changes, you're already making great improvement toward a healthier lifestyle.

Acknowledge the changes you're making and give yourself a treat... a movie or a bubble bath instead of the chocolate bar. Remember, it's all just for today. Feel a little skinnier already and you're more likely to keep moving forward on your path.

Your scales are not your buddy

Your weight does not reflect how healthy you are or the progress you've made. When you step on the scale, your weight reflects the combined total of both your lean body weight (muscle, bone, organs, and fluids) and body fat. Two people with identical body weights do not have the same body composition. They could have entirely different body types.

Using the scale to measure your progress gives you no information about your body composition (fat vs. muscle) changes that are actually starting to occur. The scale might show that you've lost 7 pounds, but it can't tell you that half of the weight was muscle and water, not fat.

Scales can equal depression

Tell the truth. When you see that you haven't lost any weight, you can just cry. But you may have actually lost pounds of fat and replaced them with pounds of firm, fat-burning muscle.

Developing these healthier eating and physical activity habits will most likely result in a loss of body fat even though the scale may indicate that you weigh the same. Start paying attention to how you feel. Do you walk a little taller with a little more self-esteem? Do you like your physical appearance a little more when you walk past a mirror.

One of my clients says she can feel her muscles coming from inside out. She complains, ‘‘They are still surrounded by cellulite!“ and then pumps her arm to show us her new found muscles. Her next step is to keep working out so the fat then starts to burn off. It’s working. She says she can now stop wearing the fat pants in her closet.

Let the BOD POD do the work

One of the best ways to determine your physical progress is check your body fat. Don't freak out. No one is going to pinch your dangling tricep!

At Royal fitness and nutrition, we use the latest technology. We have a BOD POD that you simply sit in, blow a few breaths, and we tell you your body composition. It is 99.9 percent accurate. (The BOD POD is only available at RFN and NIH. Ask us if you have any question about it.) Then we design a complete program of exercise and nutrition. You won't be eating sticks and twigs.

Some of our clients have already shared their recipes that keep them on track. Bring in yours and you'll get a free aqua massage.

Trade fat for brain power

Many of our clients tell us that as they start to eat more healthfully and to exercise, all of a sudden, they are performing better at work. They think more clearly, don't have as many mood swings, get along better with co-workers. We can't stretch it to say you'll get a raise, but anything is possible.

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