Beat the Diet Blahs

"The minute you settle for less than you deserve,
you get even less than you settled for."

Maureen Dowd
(American Newspaper Columnist)

I know a guy who's trying to lose a good amount of weight before his daughter's wedding.

He's only into the third week of his new diet and fitness plan and he's already whining about how bored he is. You just know I sent the following to him:

Battling the blahs and it's only week 3 of your "Father-of-the Bride Boot Camp?!" And already you're whining about how bored you are? Shame on you! You need to hire me as your motivational coach. I guarantee you won't have another blah week of dieting and fitness for as long as you live. Trust me on this one - but it takes work. And not so much "drill sergeant-y" work, either. More mind work.

I see this happen all too often when people come to me for motivational help. After only a few weeks into their diet, they experience exactly what you are - the Blahs - and then they call me.

If you're getting tired of fruits and veggies, you need a more interesting and more effective diet. You, yourself, once said that the Atkins diet did a great job for you. Well, why not go on a modified version of the Atkins again. Modify it so that you can live on it Monday through Friday - long term. You should know by now what works for you and what doesn't. I can help you sort this out.

By the time I was three weeks into my diet, I was rockin' and rollin' - I was down a few pounds and felt relieved because I could finally see a faint glimmer of light at the end of the yellow brick tunnel.

Was I bored with what I was doing? Nope. I was extremely hopeful that this was finally it for me. I figured out how to "bend" my diet and daily cardio to suit me - to work for me instead of against me.

You have a copy of my book, Commit to Get Fit: The Secret to True and Everlasting Weight Loss. Pull it out and read it. It's all right there.

How many weeks till your daughter's wedding? Eight, not counting this week? And if you take off the week right before, you have only seven. And, well, I need all of them from you - and I guarantee you'll be Speedo, I mean Tuxedo worthy just in time for the final fitting the week before the wedding.

There's the pitch, the gauntlet, if you will. Whatever it takes, I'll help you do it - but you must pick a diet where you'll see the best results possible for the amount of effort you put in. And you must read my book so we're on the same wavelength.

And walk daily - tennis a few times a week doesn't cut it for the weight loss you're after. Walking. Walking. Walking. Cardio daily. And forget the 50-yard sprints and runs - just walk, for cryin' out loud. Put all that extra energy into a solid, brisk walk every single day. Build up to a real good clip - but walk.

If you spent 60 minutes a day walking, your weight would melt off, just like mine did. You would stop struggling and you would certainly not be bored.

You can incorporate tennis to help round out your maintenance plan after the wedding. But do not rely on tennis for your cardio to lose those pre-father-of-the-bride pounds. Those days are over. What worked for you when you were younger won't work as well for you now.

Capisce?

While I think you're doing great on all those crunches you say you're doing, I'm afraid I cannot share your enthusiasm for them. I do the Pilates equivalent of "Hundreds" - and work my way up from there. But, you're a guy and guys tend to do more "guy" kinda exercises - like your push-ups and pull-ups, for instance. Whatever works for you. Do it. Just make sure you're getting positive results for the effort you're putting in. If you're not, your plan ain't workin'. You're wasting your time, spinning your wheels. The same goes for your diet.

I also have several physical therapy exercises and Pilates moves that I practice almost every morning, so I can walk and make it up Michigan Avenue and all around town getting in my minimum of five miles a day. Some days I walk lots more, but it didn't start out that way. You need to build up to five miles a day and squeeze in a biggie on the weekend.



Rounding out my fitness, I do weight training six times a week - alternating three days of upper body with three days of lower body, a private Pilates lesson and a physical therapy session once a week. Sounds like it's a whole lot more than it really is, but trust me, it's very manageable.

I work with a few other guys who are on the weight loss and wellness wagon, also. So, give my way a try. What've you got to lose but all your weight and gain better health along the way.

Then you'll fit in a much smaller, trimmer Tux.

I promise!

Don't settle for less than you deserve.

You deserve the best.

Get it now.



Laura Dion-Jones
550 N. Kingsbury St. #120
Chicago, IL 60654
312-933-7325
June 1, 2008 ©
dionjones@aol.com
http://www.lauradionjones.com/
http://www.elginsbiggestloser.com/
http://www.dionjonesltd.com/