Chapter 5: Nobody Expects a Spanish Inquisition

       Knowing what to eat, how to think and when to exercise are great ways for keeping you on the path to your success. However, knowing what you’re up against and that there is going to be opposition is a very critical tool to have indeed.

I find that the moment you start to diet or care for your health, everyone has an opinion or a piece of advice to offer you to help you. Though their help is good and often sound, nobody wants to be bombarded by unsolicited advice.

I am here to tell you, it is going to happen, whether you want it to or not. People who have been successful with their diets, people who follow the hype on TV, or the latest diet trend/ fact are going to tell you about it. They are going to offer you their tips for success.

Personally I would say, “IGNORE IT ALL! It's all a bunch of hogwash!” However, that's not a great tone to take with someone trying to give you advice. After all, you never know when it might be good advice and good for you.

Nevertheless, keep this in mind: it is your diet, not theirs. Take their advice and keep it in your mental notes. Thank them for their help and support and that you will look into it. If you don't want their advice you can simply tell them, “Thank you, I appreciate your advice and I will take it in consideration, but for now I am going to stick with my plan.” If they continue, you can simply nod and smile. After all they are only trying to help.

In addition to this, you will be up against yourself. There will be days that you don't want to diet, you don't want to workout, you don't want to do anything but lay on the couch and pet a cat. You may get depressed that perhaps your weight loss isn't as progressive as you like. When this happens it is a good idea to measure yourself, because even if the weight isn't coming off, maybe your body is just reshaping itself. Like your weight, keep track of how many inches you've lost. It might just be the rewarding news you need to push you forward.

“But what if I haven't lost any weight, and my measurements are the same?” Well, that's life. However, don't let it get you down. When this happens it is a good idea to re-evaluate your plan, and what you are eating. Ask yourself these questions:

• Have I been doing everything I can to consume the right amount of calories every day?
• Did I consume enough fiber, every day?
• Did I consume enough protein, every day?
• Did I consume enough potassium, every day to balance out my sodium?
• Did I keep my sodium low, every day?
• Did I keep my fats low, every day?
• Did I keep my carbohydrates low, every day?
• Did I keep my sugars low, every day?
• Did I drink enough water?
• Did I do enough exercise?
• Did I vary my exercise levels?
• Have I pooped regularly every day? (see Chapter 3)

If you answered “No” to any of these questions, then those are the areas you need to focus on and look into. If you answered “Yes” to every single question above I want you to ask yourself this:

What is my level of Will Power?

If your Will Power is in the lower levels, it is time to find out why. In the end it might be more in your head then it is in your body. When you are not losing the weight or inches you want to, and you are doing everything to make it happen, you can hit a brick wall of depression. It is at this time that you need to do some research about what you are eating and what you are doing to get you back on the path to success. It is a good time to look at your goal and remind yourself that it is what you are working towards. Whenever I got down in the dumps to my lack of success, I reminded myself of the dress size I wanted to be. I then looked at where I was on my path to that dress size and attempted to analyze what it would take to reach my goal. In the end it meant that I had to do some harder work and some deeper motivation to not give up and stay the course. My best motivation tool of all was and is music.

Nothing can inspire or motivate you more like music. If you have access to music and can make your own play-list or mixed CD, do it. Find songs that will help boost your spirits into taking charge of your health. I found songs like Journey's “Don't Stop Believing,” and the musical Wicked's “Defy Gravity,” are great motivating songs. Now they may not be your musical tastes, but I know that there are hundreds, possibly even millions of songs out there about positive motivation. I recommend opening a Spotify account or Pandora to find new music that will help you get into the beat

When you create your own playlist remember that these are songs should inspire you to move forward and to stay the course. When you’re done, pick one song to be your anthem. This will be your own personal reverie!

Excellent! Now it is time to motivate you a little more with a little reward. There is nothing better then a dangling carrot or the light at the end of the tunnel to help push you to your next level of success. Think of it as a Mini Goal or even a personal oath you are going to take with yourself. Every time you feel as though  you are up against all odds with your success and are not going anywhere in your diet plan, I want you to give yourself a reward to work towards with two weeks to earn it. This reward can be anything (try to avoid fast foods though, because they can put you right back into the negative the following day). Treats can be as easy as material items like new cloths or even a single yummy desert. A simple desert can be just what the doctor ordered.

Enlarge, print out, fill in and place it where you will look at it everyday.

Now that you have made this oath, renew it and update it every time you feel as though you can't go on. Another thing you can do to help motivate your spirits, is taking a full length photo of yourself, and comparing it to a photo of you at the beginning of your diet. A picture can say a thousand words and help you to physically see the progress you have made. This should help you make it to your goal with leaps and bounds, and before you know it, you're a size smaller and emotionally richer for it.

This photo was my progress from 235 lbs to 190, back in 2009-2010. This is 4 months of progress.

Chapter 2: The Will Powers

         Over the last few months I have been asked, “How did you do it?” and “What's your secret?” If I had to sum it up in one simple thought it is a matter of Will Power.

Typically when I tell people this, they say “Oh, you're Will Power is stronger than mine.” My first thought is, they just don't want it bad enough, but my second thought makes me wonder is that even true?

I generally think of Will Power as what drives me to do something and reaffirms discipline in my method of thinking and doing. However, something needs to drive the Will Power and that would be determination.

There are many things that can influence your level of determination and cause you to stay back or move ahead. I found that whenever my determination was low, all I needed was a single thought to get it back up again. That single thought could be a number of things, but for me it was and is my goal. Now it’s time for you to decide upon yours.

Instead of an ideal weight I decided to focus on an ideal dress size. I want to be a size 9-10. So I made this my goal. Come hell or high water, I would lose the weight to fit into this dress size.

Believe it or not, my Will Power has varied from month to month, but every time I get really down and childish about my dieting, all I have to do is remind myself of my goal. I picture me wearing the dress and then suddenly the Tasty Kake Eclair goes back on the shelf rather than in my mouth and on my waistline. The best way to think of Will Power is to think of it in levels, and I call them the Will Powers:

Level	Spelled Out	Defined
Will0	Will to the Power of 0	You have no Will Power at all and you are doing nothing to help progress you towards your goal. Activities Involve: Nothing  Apathy about health and nutrition
Will1	Will to the Power of 1	Taking the first step and creating the ability to do something about your health and weight. You are formulating a goal. Activities Involve: Thinking about getting healthy  Drinking more water than you do other beverages Added 20 minutes of exercise to your weekly routine and life  Reading this blog or other self-health materials Researched how much weight you should lose to get healthier  Did something healthy, etc.
Will2	Will to the Power of 2	Taking charge and following a program and directly influence your behavior and the course of events and have a goal in mind. Activities Involve: Applied one or more activities to your life from Powers 1 Set a healthy weight loss goal Bought a scale and/or a pedometer Decided upon a health program and regiment  Added another 20 minutes or more exercise to your weekly routine and life Purchased any fitness equipment, dusted off any old equipment, or joined a gym – or developed a run/walk routine. Replaced soft drinks with water or green tea Choose a fruit or vegetable over junk food Made a conscious effort to limited calories, sugars, carbohydrates or sodium in your diet, but increased fiber, protein, and potassium  Did something healthy, etc.
Will3	Will to the Power of 3	Learning more about your health and knowing what to do to make your goal happen for you Activities Involve: Combined and applied the knowledge and activities to your life from Powers 1-2 Researched something to improve your health  Learned your BMI Turn over packages regularly to review the Nutrition Facts on your food Got a physical Started to chart your progress
Will4	Will to the Power of 4	Taking the knowledge you learned and applying it to your life so you are managing and doing what needs to be done to stay the course Activities Involve: Combined and applied the knowledge and activities to your life from Powers 1-3 Maintaining a fitness schedule Maintaining a record of your progress Reminding yourself of your goal Adding more goals to your goals  Getting rid of all poor health choices so that only the healthy options remain
Will5	Will to the Power of 5	Nothing keeps you from your goal. Knowledge, awareness and bold determination are driving you to you goal, worry free Activities Involve: Combined and applied the knowledge and activities to your life from Powers 1-4 regularly  Maintaining a fitness schedule and adding more or changing your fitness routines to your plan when it becomes stagnant  Your goal is clear in your mind You know what you have to do to stay the course. You face all health challenges with enthusiasm and a cool head

I feel that every day you have a certain level of Will Power, as does every step of your progress. If you manage to stay in Will Powers of 4 & 5, you are doing well and on your way to achieving your goal. When doubt, frustration and procrastination set it, you lose some of the power you gained, and usually end up in Will Powers 1 & 2. If you do something healthy every day, whether it is drinking one glass of water over soda, or choosing to have less sodium in your day, you are always at a least atWill Power of 1.

When you know you are at Will Power 1, and you feel as though you could easily slip into Will Power 0, review the Activities Involved in Will Power 1, and see if there is one thing on that list that can keep you moving forward. Chances are, simply doing one thing will lead to another, and then another, and before you know it you will be up in Will Power 4 & 5 in no time at all. If you have the mind to do it, you have the power to get through it!

Mind over fatter! After all, this is your kingdom, and you have the power. The only person that can take it away from you is yourself.