In the last few posts we focused on the importance of setting goals. We looked at why determining exactly WHAT you want to accomplish is paramount to goal achieving.

Then we discovered that after deciding exactly what you want to achieve (your target), identifying WHY you want to accomplish the goal is the second-most important step. Without a strong WHY, daily distractions and other people’s agendas can derail you. You’ll find yourself dealing with the “urgent”, making it difficult to get to the “important”.

We also learned how “tracking” can help bring a moment to moment awareness to the many unconscious choices we make. These unconscious choices can sometimes sabotage your good intentions, which negatively impact your results.

Although we are all unique individuals, we have many similarities, thanks to evolution and how our brains are wired. In fact, we are all driven by a desire to gain pleasure and a need to avoid pain.

These 2 powerful forces are involved in most, if not all of our decisions. They are major unconscious motivators and influences behind “why and when” we do things. So it’s important to recognize these forces so you can take control of your decisions by leveraging them to your advantage.

“The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you’re in control of your life. If you don’t, life controls you.” – Tony Robbins

Think about how you get yourself to do something that you really don’t want to do. What motivates you to take action? To get it done? The carrot or the stick?

We are all motivated by different things. Every decision we make is influenced by one of these two principles. And whichever of the 2 emotions is stronger in a given situation will usually determine our next step.

For example, let’s say you plan to go to the gym in the morning. But when you wake up it’s dark, cold and rainy; and it’s so warm and comfortable under the covers. So you start negotiating with yourself (in the comfort of your bed).

You may try to rationalize that you’ve already worked out 4 days this week and missing a workout isn’t going to hurt. Or that you’ve been working long hours and could use an extra hour of sleep. How do I know? Been there, done that!

But if your WHY for going to the gym is stronger, then your feet will hit the floor and you’ll be on your way, rain or shine.

On the other hand, let’s say you’ve got a proposal to write that you’ve been putting off. And in that moment, you perceive that pain to be less than the intense workout you are now dreading. Maybe you’ll work on the proposal now and postpone your workout until this evening (’cause you want to mix up your routine, or something like that…).

See how it happens? There’s no right or wrong answer here. Only you can determine what’s best for YOU. And that could include taking in that extra hour of rest and blowing off your workout, without feeling guilty (as long as it doesn’t happen every day).

Sometimes you just need to slow down and listen to your body.

These are only a few examples. My point is to bring your awareness to these 2 forces and help you understand how they play a part in every area of your life. And once you become aware of how this desire to gain pleasure and need to avoid pain influences your choices and decisions, you can be better equipped to make more conscious, positive changes in your life.

This is a simple concept to understand in print, but not always so easy when you’re busy, stressed out or not consciously thinking about it. And that’s the point – to be more conscious and aware of your choices, habits and decisions.

If you want to lose those extra 30 pounds once and for all, and keep it off forever, it’s time to discover your pain & pleasure drivers. Understanding these 2 forces, and how they influence your choices & decisions adds another dimension to helping you succeed.

Let’s face it, we all have areas in our lives where we want to improve. But things like “life” can sometimes get in the way or take a priority over our own plans. Whether that means you’re spread a little thin, overwhelmed & stressed, or dealing w/struggles & setbacks, you have a number of tools and strategies for dealing with the hand you’re dealt.

I’m not sure who said it but it’s genius. “It doesn’t matter what happens to you. Stuff happens to everyone. What matters is what you do about what happens to you.” – Unknown.

The great John Wooden also said it well when he said “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out”. I love these 2 quotes.

Now go make something happen and let us know about it. To your success…

You’ve heard the phrase “garbage in, garbage out”. Now I’m not suggesting that calories and garbage are related, but if you think about it metaphorically, it’s a great example that can be expressed in many ways. For example, ” you are what you eat”, or “you get out what you put in”. It also reminds me of the phrase “what you think about most of the time, you become”, because it all starts on the inside.

Let’s start the discussion with a little Q&A:

So what’s a calorie?

A calorie is simply a unit of energy. Nutritionally, calories refer to energy “consumption“ based on what we eat & drink. This also includes energy “usage“ through physical activity. Here’s an example: I eat a large apple every day which contains approximately 116 calories, while a 10-minute slice out of my 40-minute elliptical workout burns approximately 175 calories. This is sometimes referred to as calories in vs. calories out.

Why are calories important?

Most of us associate calories with food and drink, but anything that contains energy has calories. We need energy (calories) to survive. And we acquire this energy directly from the food and drinks we consume. Without this energy we wouldn’t survive. And just for the record, the quality and the quantity of the calories you consume matters – bigtime!

How many calories do you need?

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is a metric that quantifies the number of calories your body needs to consume daily to function, excluding any calories you burn during exercise. This measure is best estimated by scaling your Basal Metabolic Rate to your level of activity. But don’t try to calculate this manually. There are plenty of good TDEE calculators online. Click here and plug in your info. Your TDEE calculation is the first step in identifying your daily calorie requirements.

Does counting calories really matter?

Calories DO matter! And depending on the amount of weight you need to lose, you’re gonna be counting calories in some way. That is, if you’re serious about losing the weight and keeping it off. This includes keeping track (remember tracking?) of the calories you consume every day. You can do this easily with an app on your phone, which I’d strongly suggest, like My Fitness Pal. Although you could also use a spreadsheet to track your calories, you’re better off searching for the My Fitness Pal app on your phone.

Or you can create meal plans in advance. This approach saves time and helps you plan better since you’ll know the number of calories you’re consuming in advance. However, you may find that a combination of the 2 approaches is necessary to fit your busy lifestyle. The key is to figure out a plan that works best for you. And remember to track the number of calories you burn at the gym.

Calorie math anyone?

Macronutrient caloric breakdown:

• Protein contains 4 calories per gram
• Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram
• Fat contains 9 calories per gram
• Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram*

*Alcohol is obviously not a macronutrient, but the calories can add up. In the United States, a standard drink (which is usually defined as 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits) contains 14 grams of pure alcohol. At a minimum of 100 calories per drink before mixers with no nutritional value, it’s easy to see why alcohol is referred to as “empty calories”.

Let’s use an example that your current TDEE (the number of calories your body needs to function) is 2,500, which is known as your maintenance level. And you’ve determined that you want to achieve a 20% reduction in your caloric consumption, approximately 500 calories per day. This means that you can expect to lose approximately one pound per week (500 calories X 7 days = 3,500 calories per week).

This calorie reduction can be accomplished in a few ways.

1. By reducing the number of calories you consume by 500 per day.
2. By increasing the number of calories you burn by 500 per day.
3. With a combination of reducing calorie intake and increasing calorie burn every day.

I would suggest that you experiment with the online TDEE calculator to help you understand the impact that your “activity level” has and how you can maximize your results. But please realize that it’s not always that simple or exact. There are many other factors to consider including your body composition.

For one person with a lot of weight to lose, reducing 3,500 calories in a week may equate to losing 1 to 2 pounds from fat and water. Meanwhile, for another person that’s in pretty good shape, reducing the same 3,500 calories in a week may result in the loss of 1 pound or less, but possibly at the cost of some lean muscle loss. This is because your body will hold onto fat stores as you get closer to your ideal weight. And as a result of your biological “survival mechanism”, your body will sacrifice muscle over fat.

By the way, a 20% reduction in calorie consumption per day is about as high as you want to go. Otherwise, you’re cutting too many which will result in constant hunger. That’s no way to live and nearly impossible to sustain long-term. So don’t set yourself up for failure. Remember, slow and steady wins the race. Achieve big, long-term results with small, incremental positive changes.

You can do it! My goal here was to familiarize you with the basics of calories. We’ll cover this topic in more detail in a future post.

For now, start by figuring out how many calories your body needs. Think about how your activity level can influence this and accelerate your weight loss. Ideally you want to plan to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week, so set your calorie reduction goal accordingly. Develop your meal plans so you can eat clean and give your body the best possible fuel. Track it relentlessly. Learn from your wins and losses. Have some patience and compassion for yourself, but don’t settle for mediocrity or excuses. It’s not hard, but it does require effort, discipline and perseverance.

This is your one and only body so go make the best of it!

The timing for this post couldn’t be better. Especially as it relates to your weight loss and fitness plans; but equally as important based on the time of year. December is a very motivating time to plan out the things you want to accomplish in the coming year.

But please don’t misinterpret this and equate goal setting with New Year’s resolutions. New Year’s resolutions in my opinion are a waste of time. Unless you commit to them and follow the steps outlined below, your resolution is only a poor, delusional attempt that will quietly fade away, lacking any results or achievement.

Without ongoing focus and accountability, it’s like placing your faith in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

So let’s assume that we all know the obvious answer to the question, “Does goal setting work?”. And that you already know what goal setting is and why you should set goals; so we can dig right into how to set them.

Achieving a goal not only makes you feel great, the sense of accomplishment motivates you to set more challenging ones in the future.

How To Set Goals

Let’s face it, there’s a wealth of information on goal setting. My goal here is to share some basic strategies that I’ve learned and have used successfully to help you get the most out of your setting & achieving initiatives.

I hope to be able to influence your thinking because setting goals and effectively achieving them is an essential fundamental skill that you must master if you’re going to take control of your life, including your health & wellness. And isn’t this what Thin2Win is all about?

You’ve probably heard of and perhaps even tried the widely publicized S.M.A.R.T. methodology for goal setting, which helps you establish concrete and achievable goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

If you’re new to goal setting, the SMART template is a good place to start. So let’s take a closer look:

Specific – Your goal should include detail, but it should also be clear and easy to understand.

Measurable – How will you track your progress and know when you’ve reached your goal? Include some tangible ways to keep score.

Attainable – Make sure it’s realistic (and believable to you). Your goal should take you out of your comfort zone, but not be too extreme. I’ve heard it said that your goals should scare and excite you at the same time.

Relevant – Make it important to you and where you’re heading.

Time-bound – You need a deadline. Determine realistically when you want to complete this because without a finish line, your goal is more like a wish or a dream. So bookend it with a time frame and create a sense of urgency to help you to get it done.

Other Goal Setting Basics:

1. First off, you have to determine what you want to accomplish. This is so essential but can sometimes be one of the most difficult elements. Put another way, without a target or destination, you have no idea where you are going. So figure it out up front.
2. They must be in writing. Until you put your goals in writing, they’re only dreams or fantasies. There’s an amazing, magical force that occurs when you put your goals on paper and develop plans for their accomplishment.
3. They must be positive. Your brain is like a super computer. It will process exactly what you program it with, positive or negative. You’ve heard sayings like “thoughts are things”, “you are what you think about”, “the power of positive thinking”, “the magic of thinking big”… Well it’s true. What you think about on the inside manifests itself on the outside.
4. You should only set a few major annual goals, and no more. Why? It’s gonna take effort and focus, and you can’t humanly focus on too many things. It’s like the old proverb about the person who chases 2 rabbits and catches neither. Keep it manageable with 3 major goals.
5. You should think about your goals daily, review them regularly, and track your progress. Hey, you’re human so you will find yourself drifting off-course at times. It’s okay. But remember, you can’t measure what you can’t see. So establish times to review your goals, and then re-calibrate when necessary.
6. You should chunk your bigger goals down into smaller, mini-goals. This helps to make them less daunting in the beginning and allows you to prioritize your next step.
7. You need a strong WHY. Or better yet, a lot of WHY’s. Forget about willpower. That only takes you so far. Motivation is easy in the beginning. Your “WHY-power” will help you stay motivated and focused on what’s important during the inevitable obstacles & setbacks you’ll encounter along the way. This means if you associate more meaning with WHY you want to accomplish your goal, you position yourself to be unstoppable, despite the challenges you’ll face.
8. Visualize your desired outcome. You need to be able to see it before you can make it happen. And visualization is a powerful technique that can help. It’s like a muscle; the more you use it the stronger it gets. But it’s not a substitute for hard work.

One Final Comment:

Think about your goal as if you are standing at the bottom of a staircase and your goal is sitting at the top. To succeed at accomplishing your goal, you don’t have to figure out every step of the way before you start. All you need to do is figure out the next step, and take it. Then figure out the next step, and take it… all the way up until you reach your goal. It’s mainly about taking action, then assessing, and taking more action. And at some point momentum will kick in and help you break through the finish line. I recently learned this valuable tip from Darren Hardy and think it’s an interesting way to put the process in perspective, which can seem daunting and overwhelming at times. So determine what you want to accomplish, then simply figure out the next step, and take it!

In closing, take some quiet time over the next couple weeks (without your phone, email, TV, or any other distractions), where you can just sit and think. And think about what you want to accomplish in the coming year. Jot it down on paper. Start out simple and just set one major goal for the year, and a couple minor ones. Then go through the process of the SMART template and the other goal setting basics outlined above to allow your goal to take shape. Then don’t worry about how you’re gonna get it all done. Do what Darren said and figure out the next step, and take it!

Here’s to your health, happiness, prosperity, and success in 2015!!!

I thought the best place to introduce my new health & wellness blog would be to share my vision through an elevator pitch (a concise 30 to 60 second description), so here goes:

Thin2Win is attacking the obesity epidemic in America, one bite & one step at a time. We’re a do-it-yourself health & wellness “movement” that helps people get lean & stay fit by incorporating proven nutrition & fitness strategies into their lives.

Thin2Win focuses on fundamental philosophies that achieve long-term results. There’s no quick fix, magic formulas or immediate gratification here. Effort and discipline are required.

If you’re ready to make a change and have the desire to embrace a healthy lifestyle that includes eating clean & training mean, then we can help. And we’d love for you to join us!

Our ideal clients are over 40 and serious about getting their health and wellness on track so they can live a long, prosperous, healthy & active lifestyle.

Our goal is to improve at least 1 million lives by 2020. Help spread the word and experience the difference for yourself .

You can subscribe here to be notified when new posts are published, or find us at www.thin2win.net.

I will be posting something new every Tuesday. Thin2Win will curate ideas and synthesize content from multiple sources. Our do-it-yourself, self-serve approach will allow you to integrate our proven concepts into your current daily routines while you create your new healthy lifestyle.

We look forward to providing you with consistent, quality content on relevant topics with one main guiding principle: To help you gain control over your health & wellness by understanding “what to do” and “what not to do”. Then it’s up to you to find your own “WHY” so you can make the right choices, develop the right habits, and make the necessary decisions to build on your successes.

We welcome your thoughts & feedback.  Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment.