Complications can occur when you first try to lose weight and not much is happening. There are barriers to weight loss that cause complications.  But, if you know what they are and prepare for them, you can make it!

Barrier 1:  Not knowing what diet works for you.

People  need to learn a way of losing that works for them.  I have a client who swears that Weight Watchers works for her, but wasn’t working for her daughter.   reasons that was so was because:

1.  Her daughter was compulsively eating in times of emotional stress.

2.  Her daughter has an extreme sensitivity to sugar and wheat products and needed a Paleo diet.

Instead of being told this by Weight Watchers, the daughter continued to try their diet and felt like a failure.  I stepped in and pushed for the Paleo Diet and sure enough, it helps.  But, now the daughter is having to deal with the emotional issues behind the emotional eating through therapy and Overeaters Anonymous.  So her diet issues were two-fold.  Physical and emotional–mixed in with change of lifestyle choices.

I tried all diets, nothing worked until I went to Lindora and went on a carb-restricted diet.  But, by adding in my own restriction of wheat products, I managed to lose it all and keep it off for a year now.

You have to keep trying and not give up.  I will tell you though that if you followed the diet that I write about all of the time, you will lose, pretty much no matter who you are, unless you have the emotional barriers in the way.  I will write on that soon.

Keep motivated and re-read my blogs on the rules.  Here is a quick tip link.  https://skinny-rules.com/2013/02/02/eat-lunch-lose-weight-2/

Barrier 2:  You Need Some Basic and Easy Food to Prepare:

It is important to find recipes that work for you.  You need to not be lazy and prepare meals.  I always go shopping once a week minimally and have the ingredients to make easy quick meals.  If you don’t shop ahead of time, you are more likely to eat out, pick up junk food or eat something bad at home.  The lack of preparation is the number one killer of a diet.  I cook some things on Sunday night to prepare.

Barrier 3:  You Need a Weekly Basic Shopping List:

SHOPPING LIST:

1.  Salad mix and delish salad dressing that is low in carbs.

2.  Chicken–bagged and one whole organic bird to cook in the oven.  So easy.  Throw into a pan of water quarter of the way up, salt the outside with kosher salt, stick a sprig of rosemary inside and cook for 1. 20 hours at 450,  How hard is that?  It is delicious and smells so good.

3.  Cheese–shredded, Baby Bell, string and slices

4.  Cauliflower for my cauliflower-based pizza (basil for flavor) and veggies

5.  Turkey burgers (I pan fry with seasoning–buy some.  Emeril makes a good one.  Garlic salt is good too.

6.  Turkey slices.  Get the better thick good stuff and not the cheap nasty sandwich meat.

7. Ground turkey meat to make meatloaf

8.  Shiritaki noodles and spaghettis sauce http://www.amazon.com/Tofu-Shirataki-Noodles-Angel-Shape/dp/B003H26J5I/ref=sr_1_6?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1359834639&sr=1-6&keywords=noodle+shirataki

9.  Pizza sauce

10.  Eggs (to cook and to have hard-boiled)

11.  Low carb bread or the Perfect 10 bagel from Western Bagel (for something different now and then)

12.   Low carb tortillas and enchilada sauce–plus taco seasoning.   Cheese and turkey is already on the list.  Pan fry it all inside of the tortilla.  Great food for under 10g of carbs.

13.   Low Carb Greek Yogurt like Dannon Light and Fit and some fruit like strawberries to make yourself a yummy dessert.

14.  Low Carb Ice Cream for an immediate dessert satisfaction need.

Barrier 4:  Being a Lazy Butt and Not Preparing Your Food Choices the Night or Days Before:

You don’t prep, you might eat crap.  If you really want to lose the weight, then you have to do this, otherwise, you are setting yourself up for failure.  Don’t procrastinate.  I buy my stuff at Trader Joes and I am not there for longer than 20 minutes.

Do it for yourself and do it to teach your loved ones how to eat right and how to stay motivated and follow up on something important like your HEALTH!  You are more likely to eat the foods if that is all you are buying and you make them because they are all very tasty.

Every weekend, go to the market with your list.

Barrier 5:  Not moving and not exercising.

MOVE YOUR BODY.  Take the stairs, walk a block if you have to, but MOVE.  Excuses that you are tired are excuses.  I have Fibromyalgia, work out and eat carefully and sometimes I am pooped and I still go to Pilates class.  If you can’t during the week, then do SOMETHING before you join the family for the day and move!  Go for a hike, walk, do some exercise from a TV show.  Move 3 times a week, if you can.

Barrier 6:  TV with food and not liquid–mindlessly eating while watching TV instead of eating with purpose.

Eating in front of the TV, you might mindlessly eat.  Try eating with your family and talk.  Eat to eat, not to numb out.  Pay attention to what you are mindlessly eating and why you are doing it. Have fluids and keep drinking them instead of keep eating.

Buy some jars of things you like or put the right measured amount of something in a cup and only eat that.  I know people who eat peanut butter or other things like sauces from the jar–spoon after spoon, mindlessly, without counting the spoons.  If you are to have two tablespoons of peanut butter, then you need to COUNT.  Or you can buy the foods in small packs like what kids get in their lunch bags.  People who buy the big bag of chips (I never recommend chips), and not the small controllable bags are asking for a weight problem.  I have even seen little kids eat an entire large bag of Doritos because it was there to eat!

I buy a large thing of nuts from Costco and it would be so easy to mindlessly eat those all day long, but I pay attention the number of pieces I take and I only allow myself a certain amount in a day.  So, you have to pay attention.

Try all of these ideas for success!

BLOGGERS NOTE:  I am a hugely busy person.  I take care of a large house by myself, even the outside.  I have three needy dogs and one has diabetes, a busy therapy practice and I even clean my own office–and if I can find time to exercise 5 days a week, shop and prep my diet and still write this blog–and still get enough sleep…then what is your excuse if you can’t do any of this??