Author=Colin Rose from Montreal, Canada

It’s sad, but true. Having spent the last year focusing on getting my books off the ground, I’ve let myself go a little. True, it’s not that bad. It’s not like I’ve gained thirty pounds. As a trainer, I would never allow myself to gain more than a few pounds. In the midst of all the donuts, chocolate, and pizza that went down my throat this past year, not to mention all the wine I drank, I worked out more or less as much as ever. Being active and working out is like brushing teeth to me, something I could never not do. So I’m in good shape cardiovascularly and I haven’t lost any muscle. This will serve me well in my weight loss quest. My body feels good, but too heavy for my liking.

Now that my books are doing decently, I’ve decided to focus on getting myself back into tiptop shape. For me, weight-wise, that means getting down to about 136 pounds and 16-17 percent body fat. Size-wise, it means I’d be a two or a four depending on which clothing store I visit instead of a six or sometimes even eight. (I have lots of muscle, so I’m heavier than most typical women of my size.) At the moment, I weight 146. Yikes! A lot for a girl who’s five foot seven and a quarter inches tall… While I have yet to check my body fat, my guess is, it’s about 21 right now, maybe 21.5. I’ll get back to you on that.

Too many of these is never good…
(By Tomwsulcer)

To lots of people,  my situation would not be a big deal, but it is to me. I’m only doing this because it will make ME feel better, not to please anyone else. That should be one’s ultimate goal when it comes to weight loss (and lots of other things we can discuss another time). So now I have decided to shed those ten extra pounds I slowly but surely put on in 2015. It’s about a size and a half that I’m looking to get rid of, and I’m determined to succeed. How about you join me in my weight loss quest? You can do it!

To be successful, one has to have a strategy. Because I have gained a few pounds before in my life that I later shed successfully, I’ll draw from those strategies. However, this time around, I will add in factors that will make me keep those darn annoying extra pounds off for good. Hopefully.

My strategy is based on a few truths when it comes to weight loss and fitness.

1. In most cases, diet trumps exercise. Unless your name’s Michael Phelps, don’t do what I often do–eat everything that’s around me whenever I want to. It’s almost impossible to outrun/outexercise a calorie-rich diet.
2. Starving yourself to trim down is a VERY BAD IDEA. You will almost always gain the weight you lost back in a month or two, not to mention screw with your metabolism.
3. Make sure you shop for healthy foods to keep in your house so you always have something healthy to eat. In other words, preparation is KEY.
4. Follow the 80-20 rule. Eat well 80 % of the time, cheat the other 20 because your body will be able to absorb it. We have to have fun, too:)
5. Mindfulness. Unlike the other times I shed those extra pounds, I will focus on trying to truly make this new way of eating my lifestyle. I’m hoping this will make me keep my new weight FOREVER:)

Never stop weight-training!
By Roberto Berlim

Because I eat like a horse but am good with exercise, in order for me to lose weight, I need to cut down my calories significantly. I have estimated that I eat between 2,500-3,000 calories/daily. My daily calorie goal now is 1,800-1,900/daily. Keep in mind that I exercise about an hour a day, usually intensely, so for me, eating 1,800-1,900 should be enough to lose about two pounds a week. Especially since I have a lot of muscle, which means I have a pretty good metabolism. By the way, age matters little when it comes to weight loss. What matters is how much muscle you have on your body. The reason our metabolism slows as we age is because we lose muscle, not because we all of a sudden change with each milestone birthday. The average person does not replenish their lost muscle by strength-training, so of course their metabolism will slow. Keep up the strength-training, guys, and you’re good.

Really all I’m changing is cutting my calories on average by a thousand daily. Mostly this means I’m cutting out all the crap I ate. In between the donuts, excessive carbs and wine, I eat healthily. I’m counting my calories to be sure I stay within my calorie range.

I’m expecting to reach my match weight in a month and a half, giving myself a little extra time in case I need to cheat a little extra. Are you going to join me on my quest? There’s only one answer to that question:) YES!!! What’s YOUR strategy? Let me know and maybe I can help you fine-tune it! Stay tuned for updates on my weight loss quest.