Motivation will almost always beat mere talent. – Norman R. Augustine

You may have hit a plateau because your body has reached equilibrium. A diet that helps a 200 lb person lose weight may be what a 150 lb person uses to maintain their weight. Remember that losing 10 lbs when you are starting at 300 isn’t nearly as difficult as losing 10 when you are approaching your ideal weight. Don’t let this come to you as discouragement. Just recognize that changes might not come as quickly as they once had and resolve to stay the course.

If you want keep losing weight, you are going to have to switch things up and reevaluate your plan.

STRATEGIES TO BREAK THROUGH

Write it Down – According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, those who kept a food diary in a 20-week study dropped double the weight of the dieters who did not chronicle their food choices. Keeping a food diary makes you accountable for what you eat because it forces you to consider your actions before you take them. This is an effective safeguard against mindless snacking or emotional eating.

Stay Hydrated – Lots of times we misinterpret thirst for hunger. Try drinking a glass of water first. Wait 20 minutes and see if you are still hungry.

According to Barbara Levine, R.D., Ph.D., the Director of the Nutrition Information Center at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, overweight people need more water than the typical 8 cups a day rule. “Overweight people tend to need more water, because fat cells hold more water than other cells in the body. To determine the number of ounces of water you need per day, divide your weight by two. For example, a person who weighs 140 pounds should consume 70 ounces, or about 9 cups. Of course, this is an estimate. The best way to gauge whether you are getting enough water is to monitor the color of your urine. If you’re drinking enough, it should be the color of pale straw. If it is a deeper yellow, you’re not getting enough fluids”.

Take your measurements – Often even when the scale isn’t moving, we’re still improving our health and our bodies, which will show up in other ways other than the scale. Have your measurements gone down? How are your clothes fitting? Can you climb a flight of stairs without being winded? Has your cholesterol gone down? Can you walk now for 20 minutes when before you were huffing and puffing at 5 minutes? How do you feel?

I will conquer what has not been conquered. Defeat will not be in my creed. I will believe what others have doubted. I will always endeavor to pull esteem, honor, and respect out of my team
I have trained my mind and my body will follow.

Who am I? I AM A CHAMPION!

I will acknowledge the fact that my opponent does not expect me to win. But I will never surrender. Weakness will not be in my heart.
I will look to my comrades and to those who are a part of me in this world and those who have trained me. And I will draw strength from them.

Who am I? I AM A CHAMPION!

I will gladly go out into the field of battle and I will move in everything I can do. And I will reach my field of battle by any means at my disposal. And when I get there, I will arrive violently. I will rip the heart from my enemy, and leave it bleeding on the ground because he cannot stop me.

Who am I? I AM A CHAMPION!

To my side I have comrades, comrades that have been with me through thick and thin. Who have sacrificed their blood, sweat and tears. Never will I let them fall, never will I let them down, and I will never leave an enemy behind. Because our opponent does not know my heart.

Who am I? I AM A CHAMPION!

No one will deny me, no one will define me and no one will tell me who and what I am and can be. Belief will change my world. It has moved continents, it has moved countries, it has put men on the moon
and it will carry me through this battle.

Who am I? I AM A CHAMPION!

Defeat, retreat: those are not in my words. I dont understand those definitions. I dont understand when things go wrong. I dont understand mistakes. But I do understand this: I understand victory,
and I understand never surrendering no matter how bad things go. My heart and my mind will carry my body through limits and weakness.

Who am I? I AM A CHAMPION!

Today will be that day. Not tomorrow, not next week, but right now, right here in your house and in your homes.

Who am I? I AM A CHAMPION!

History will remember me. I will not let worrying affect my cause
I will define myself. I will write my own pages and no one will tell me what I cannot be. I will never give up. Not until Ive given everything I got.

Because who am I? I AM A CHAMPION!

Who am I? I AM A CHAMPION!

What you need:

• 1 room temperature tilapia fillet.
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon pepper
• 1 tsp Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning
• 1 tsp fresh parsley
• 1 sheet of aluminum foil

1.Drizzle olive oil on the tilapia fillet.

2. Gently coat the fillet with the spices.

3. Fold it in the foil making sure no fluid will escape while in the oven.

4. Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes depending on the size of your fillet.

They have outdoor dining, and the restaurant has a bright, open, contemporary feel. We had Potstickers, Shiitake mushroom spring rolls, and garlic fried tofu and grilled shrimp entrees, all for about $28 for two !! Definitely worth checking out. And stop in and say hi to us next door.

A hip flexor stretch for couch potatoes. Via – nanoworkout.com

Nick Vujicic was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs. As a child, he struggled mentally and emotionally, as well as physically, but eventually came to terms with his disability and, at the age of seventeen, started his own non-profit organization, Life Without Limbs. Vujicic presents motivational speeches worldwide, on life with a disability, hope, and finding meaning in life.