Aim to Walk for 30 Minutes Each Day!

Walking for 30 minutes a day sounds too easy. The truth is, it is easy and it's something you can easily fit into your daily routine. You can break it into two 15 minute outings. You don't have to hop in a car and go to a gym. You don't have to schedule it at any certain time. You can simply grab your I-Pod and walk out the door whenever you find that window of time. It's like anything else that's important in our lives, it needs to become a PRIORITY!

That's what's so great about always having your workout clothes on throughout the day or right after you return home from work. You're always ready to walk out the door to get your walk in for the day. Simply choose your own pace. Some people are brisk walkers. Some people walk so fast they end up jogging at times. All of this OK and it's something you can work up to over time.

It's a great feeling to get your 30 minute walk in each day. It revs up your metabolism, produces endorphins that make you feel great! You also burn calories while observing nature, getting fresh air and clearing your mind.

That's hard to beat and it's free!

Top Tips From Tame Your Inner Octopus! Wear Your Workout Clothes Every Chance You Get!

Make it a goal to slip into your workout clothes first thing in the morning or as soon as you arrive home after work. I know this tip sounds simple but this single tip automatically puts you in the best position possible in order to get your workout in on a daily basis. You don't have to stop to change your clothes; you're ready to go whenever you create or find that window of time!

Trust me, this works beautifully! When I first began to incorporate daily exercise into my life I quickly realized that I did not like the idea of having to stop what I was doing in order to change my clothes for a workout. I wanted to fit my exercise routine in when I felt like it and when I felt I had a window of opportunity.

It didn't take me long to figure out that I would always be in a great position whether I was ready to in pop in an exercise DVD or take it outside to get my 30 minute walk/run in. One thing's for sure, I'm dressed to go!

If you take the time to stop and look around while you're out doing errands, you'll notice that there are many people who are dressed to workout. In most cases these people are in great shape because they have made exercise a daily priority in their lives.

Dressing to workout not only provides you with comfort but most of all it puts you in a great position to fit exercise in as a priority. You're always ready to go! All you have to do is pop in a 20-30 minute Pilates or conditioning DVD or step outside to get your walk or run in for the day!

It's true! "Dressing to Workout" can assist you greatly in making exercise a priority in your everyday life!

Top Tips on Weight Loss From Tame Your Inner Octopus! Eat to Live! Aim to Get The Best Fuel Into Your Body Each and Every Day!

I was the type person who "lived to eat" each and every day! I ate when I was stressed. I ate when I was bored. I ate when I was happy. Truthfully, most of the time I ate for no reason at all! I didn't have to have a reason because food is everywhere we look! Yes, I did look just like the grabby Octopus, without the hat of course! To me, eating was one of my hobbies, and I had become an expert at it over the years.

I now realize that I allowed food to control me. I'm the type person who does not like feeling controlled by anything! I finally realized that one simple fact before I set up my healthy eating pattern for life. I also realized I was far from alone, approximately 68% of our nation is either overweight or obese. For some reason, that made me feel better. I guess I realized that food controlled millions of people's lives and it wasn't just my problem. Do you ever feel controlled by food or are you able to stay on course and eat in a healthful manner and in the proper amounts throughout the day?

I made the decision to let go of the guilt and set up a healthy eating pattern for life. I made sure not to mention the word "diet". To me, the word "diet" describes a temporary change. I knew what I was about to do had to be way more than the latest or greatest diet on the market. This was to be an incredible major change in my life. I realized I had already spent 18 years of my life eating out of control with no established healthy eating pattern in place. In most cases, I was eating based on my emotions and that is never a good thing. I made up my mind that I had to once and for all put the time and research in so that I could set up a healthy eating pattern for life.

I now control what I eat each and every day. I have learned how to put the best fuel into my body each and every day and I try to stay within my required daily caloric count in order to maintain my weight. If and when I "choose" to eat off track, it is a conscious decision that I make and I take responsibility for that "choice".

My goal has been to get the best fuel into my body in order to lose weight or maintain my weight on a daily basis.

I feel great every day and food no longer controls me. I no longer "live to eat".

I now "eat to live" and I love my healthy eating pattern.

Most anyone can do it!

Top Tips for Weight Loss at Tame Your Inner Octopus! Don't go on a diet; set up a healthy eating pattern for life!

It's important to realize that the words we choose to use in life are many times directly related to the goals we wish to achieve. Right from the start of my weight loss journey I knew what I was about to do would have nothing to do with the latest or greatest "diet" that was currently on the market. I knew my short and long term goals had to be much more than a temporary "diet" in order to lose weight and keep the weight off on a permanent basis.  I strongly felt that diets don't usually work for long term success in establishing permanent weight loss.

That's why, right from the start, I decided that I was going to set up a healthy eating pattern for life. To me, telling myself I was on a "diet" would have made me feel like I was continually depriving myself of so many of the foods I loved. I didn't look at it that way. I made the choice to tell myself that I was going to once and for all learn the correct way to eat on a daily basis for life. Words are important so we must choose them wisely. They frame our mental state and help set up our overall goals.

I didn't broadcast what I was doing because I wanted this commitment to be on a personal level. Of course, friends and family continually asked if I was on a "diet". It was so funny; they were amazed! It was like I was doing something so unnatural and going totally against the grain. Sadly, with approximately 68% of our nation either overweight or obese, I was going against the grain when I was setting up my healthy eating pattern. It's totally understandable why so many people asked but my answer was always the same and it was truthful. I simply stated, "I'm setting up a healthy eating pattern for life." To me, that's a profound statement.

It sounds simple doesn't it? It was a simple statement but that simple statement was loaded with conviction and determination. I was tired of carrying around the burden of the extra weight and I felt like I was stuck with my unhealthy daily eating patterns. To me, I felt like I was in the movie "Ground Hog's Day" where each day I would set out to eat in healthful manner but before I knew it I was stuck right back where I started the day before. I think many people feel the same way most days but I wanted out. I wanted to eat in a healthy fashion 95% of the time. That was my goal.  I knew I had to take the time, once and for all to heavily research what I needed to do to make these permanent changes.

First I found out how many calories I should be eating on a daily basis. It's funny but many times people embark on a diet because they want to follow an eating schedule that's already set up. They want a fool proof method to lose the weight. Sure, it may work temporarily but usually when people get off the diet, they fall right back into their former eating pattern. That's why the basic eating pattern of a person or family must change if there is to be long term success. That's why we all continually hear, it has to be a lifestyle change.  Many people don't know how many calories their body requires on a daily basis. I now know the average woman requires approximately 1,800 calories a day.

It's important to know that number. From that point I knew I had to create a deficit of calories in order to lose the 40 pounds I had put on over many years. That's right, I called it a "deficit" of calories instead of saying I was on a "diet".

I then created a healthy eating plan derived from the basic food pyramid. Many experts suggest the area of 1,400 calories when creating a daily deficit for women. I think it's a great spot. It's important to go no lower than 1,200 because your body may think it's in a starvation mode and then you may plateau or not lose weight.

I eventually lost all of the weight in a matter of 5 months. To me, that was such a short amount of time when compared to the 18 years that it took me to put the extra weight on.

That's how important my healthy eating plan is in my life. I started out in the right place by eating healthy foods at scheduled times throughout the day. In weight loss mode I stayed within the deficit level I had created. Thereafter, in maintenance, once I reached my goal weight, I simply added in a few hundred calories in order to maintain my goal weight.  It's great because I started the basic healthy eating pattern in weight loss mode and I didn't have to change any of the foods I was eating once I reached my goal weight.  I simply added in a few hundred calories from the same healthy items. 

If you wish to lose weight and keep it off permanently, take the time to Tame Your Inner Octopus and set up your own personal healthy eating pattern for life!

Best Wishes!

Top Tips for Weight Loss at Tame Your Inner Octopus! Don't Put Junk in Your Trunk! Purchase Healthy Items Each Week at the Grocery Store!

My new Twitter account is called inneroctopus.

Please follow me! One of the best and easiest ways to eliminate junk food from your daily eating pattern is to not purchase it or bring it into your home in the first place! Remember, we do not want to look, think or behave like the grabby Octopus!

I know, this sounds so darn simple but trust me, this is one of the very first things I did when I was in weight loss mode over two years ago. Think about that fact for one moment, if the unhealthy, high caloric items are not in your home, you can't eat them, so why purchase them in the first place! This one tip is extremely important both in weight loss mode and thereafter in maintenance once reached.

Think of it this way. When mothers are ready to wean their babies from the bottle, they don't put the bottle on the counter to remind the baby of the habit they wish for them to break. It would be sort of cruel to do so.

This is why it is extremely important not to purchase and bring these foods into your home or workplace in the first place. There's no need for them to be hanging around when you're in the process of getting extra weight off or when you're continuing to maintain your weight for life. Some experts state that it takes approximately 30 days to break a habit. It makes a great deal of sense to me not to have items in our home that work against what we are trying to achieve, especially when we are weaning ourselves from unhealthy habits.

From the very first week I made up mind to set up a healthy eating pattern in weight loss mode, I made sure that no foods of this nature were purchased or brought into my home on a weekly basis. I did it and it worked beautifully. If foods gifts from special occasions did come into my home, they were put out of sight very quickly, eaten by other family members or thrown away.

Remember, there's a difference between going on a temporary "diet" in order to lose weight and making a permanent lifestyle change and setting up a healthy eating pattern for life.

There's no room for unhealthy high caloric foods in life on a daily basis if we wish to be successful for life.

Try not to purchase them in the first place and save them for "special occasions" only in your life.

Have a great day!

Oprah! You Are Not Alone!

A few months ago, I, like many, witnessed "Oprah" expressing her long term struggle with weight loss. Tears came to her eyes, and I found myself cringing because I too have been there and like many, I have felt her pain. I wanted to say, "Hey Oprah, I know exactly what you're feeling! I've been there; I was just like you, minus the billion and I found a clear way to lose the weight; I can help you!" That's how life is for the most part, when we find a "solution" to anything we struggle with in life, we want to share it with those who may still be searching for answers.

Actually, I have a lot in common with Oprah. Please, refrain from laughing. We are approximately the same age at 55. We were both born in the month of January. We both have struggled with weight loss. We were both born in the deep south in states right next to each other, she in Mississippi and I, in Louisiana. Yes, unfortunately, I am not a billionaire like Oprah but fortunately I am no longer overweight.

I feel one of the reasons Oprah is so successful is due to the fact that she is a down-to-earth, open and honest person. She makes people feel like she's just like one of them and most people would would welcome the opportunity to get to know her better. Oprah is the real thing!

I admire the fact that during that small interview she had the courage to declare out loud, to the world that even with all of the avenues of help she has had in this area of her life, she still struggles with the issues of being overweight.

Oprah is one of the approximate 68% of people in our nation who is either overweight or obese. She's in the majority because there are only 32% of us that are not overweight or obese. Now that's a staggering statistic, isn't it? This is what I quickly came to realize at the start of my research at the beginning of my personal weight loss journey two years ago. After researching the statistics, right off the bat, I felt a sense of relief. I was not alone, this was not merely about me and my overall failed attempts at weight loss. Being overweight or obese in our country is close to a darn near national epidemic!

My next step was figuring out how and why becoming overweight or obese happens to so many of us. Then I had to delve much deeper to learn how to turn it all around.

I did, along with my co-author, and that's why we felt the great need to write the book, "Tame Your Inner Octopus!" in 30 Days or Less! We know for a fact that it is never too early or too late to make these type changes in your life.

It's real simple once you come to certain realizations and set up a healthy eating and exercise plan.

We did it; you can do it too!

Have a great day!

I Ordered a Slice of Key Lime Pie...

No, it's not a big deal if you choose to order Key Lime Pie. Unfortunately for me, at this particular time, it was not the smartest move I could have made. Allow me to set the stage.

My husband and I traveled to a nearby city so that he could play tennis with our eldest daughter. It was a beautiful day and I had been ahead of the game all week with my eating well and exercising routines. I was feeling pretty good while still trying to shed a couple of pounds I had put on over the course of the holidays, a cold weather snap, a brief unexpected medical problem, a four day mini trip and my recent birthday celebration. I was well on my way towards accomplishing the goal of losing the weight and feeling good. My plan was to stay away from reasons to celebrate where food was involved. Now we all know this is quite hard to do in America.

I had a great workout the day before and my plan was to sit on the sidelines, enjoy the beautiful weather and finish a book I had been reading. Not long after, during a court switch, my daughter casually asked if we would like to go out to eat after the tennis match. If you know me, I don't need to be persuaded in the least when the subject of food or eating out comes into play. I was like, "Yeah, I'm in!" Truthfully, I almost fell off the bench in anticipation.

So much for control, not even a moment's hesitation. After the match, we piled into our cars and proceeded to drive to a quaint little seafood/burger type restaurant on the beach. I ordered the peel & eat shrimp for an appetizer.

By the way, peel and eat shrimp is always a great choice! We split it three ways and I had five shrimp.

Here's the aha moment that I apparently missed. I didn't stop to think about the best choices I could have made for my main meal, in fact, I felt entitled to eat a hamburger because I rarely eat one out anymore and I rarely eat fries. Forget about the things I sometimes do eat that I shouldn't, these two things I rarely eat and that's a fact if anyone cares.

That's when my husband and eldest daughter's mouths dropped open and their faces immediately expressed great concern. You see, it's like my little family unit has this fear that I'll turn back into the grabby Octopus and start treating myself like a human version of a garbage disposal. Hey, guys, I got rid of my GDS or Garbage Disposal Syndrome two years ago! Give me a break!

Then it came down to another big decision. Do I order a burger and fries for myself or should my husband who can finish a half burger in two bites in less than minute and I share one order? I don't trust him. I know the pattern. He eats his and then starts in on mine. I have a problem with anyone touching the food on my plate. It is my domain and everyone who knows me knows this. I wasn't about to let that happen and again, I had done so well all week long, this was my REWARD! Yikes, food can't be a reward, I know that, it's in our book, "Tame Your Inner Octopus!" Yes, I knew all of this but when the waiter came over I promptly blurted out. "I'll take a hamburger medium well with FRIES!" I could see the fear in my husband and daughter's faces. It was like they were thinking, "Wow, she's going for it; I hope she's not reverting to her old pattern of eating."

I ate only a half of that burger and of course, I didn't eat all of the fries, my husband and daughter took a few and there were a few left over. I was TEMPORARILY happy but then I had another dilemma, was I to "choose" to order dessert?

Well, remember I had done well with my eating and exercising all week long, why not I told myself. My daughter sort of looked at me like, "You're not going to order dessert Mom?" In fact, I don't think she thought it, I think she said it out loud, "You're not going to order dessert Mom?" I've always been the rebellious type and I quickly stated, "Yes, I am."

I did it and I ordered coffee too. In my mind I was celebrating the beautiful day, the quaint little beach side restaurant and the opportunity to be with my husband and eldest child. In my mind I was creating a beautiful memory.

The truth is, I have a lot of beautiful memories and I really did not enjoy that Key Lime Pie, it wasn't the greatest I had ever eaten. I only ate about four small bites of it and it wasn't worth ordering. I wasted money and it simply wasn't necessary. Another valuable lesson learned and at least I am now able to assess the situation after the wrong choices are made.

In the past, when I was overweight, I wouldn't have cared or have been aware because I was the grabby Octopus who ate mindlessly throughout the day and I did treat my body on a daily basis like a human garbage disposal.

The moral of this story is to know when not to order Key Lime Pie!

Have a great day!