‘A Simple Guide To Losing Weight, Keeping Fit & Staying Healthy’ Mark Lancaster – Independent Herbalife Coach 1 Contents Contents .................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3 Chapter 1: The Last Weight-Loss Plan You’ll Ever Need! ......................................................... 5 Chapter 2: Setting Targets & Your Food Diary .......................................................................... 7 Chapter 3: Ordering Your Herbalife Products .......................................................................... 11 Chapter 4: The Importance of Hydration.................................................................................. 16 Chapter 5: Sleep More to Lose More ....................................................................................... 18 Chapter 6: Calorie-burning Activities ....................................................................................... 20 Chapter 7: Put A Stop To Emotional Eating............................................................................. 23 Chapter 8: Tips for Staying Motivated ..................................................................................... 25 Chapter 9: The 80/20 Plan - In Brief ........................................................................................ 28 Chapter 10: The 80/20 Plan - In Detail .................................................................................... 31 Chapter 11: The 80/20 Plan – Weight Maintenance ................................................................ 37 Chapter 12: The 80/20 Plan – The ‘20’ Part is Exercise! ......................................................... 38 Chapter 13: The Balance Between Exercise & Diet ................................................................ 40 Chapter 14: Do You Have Any Questions? ............................................................................. 43 Chapter 15: Get Your Herbalife Products At A Discount ......................................................... 45 Chapter 16: Recap and Resources ......................................................................................... 48 Chapter 17: How To Contact Me ............................................................................................. 50 2 Introduction “When it comes to losing weight, one thing is a certainty: It took you time to gain your excess weight, and it will take you some time and a little determination to lose it!” But there are steps you can take to speed up the process… I’m Mark Lancaster from the UK & one of the jobs I have is running the Lose Weight Feel GR8 Website. I’ve been an Independent Herbalife Coach since 2006 and my aim is to help motivated people like yourself to improve your health, lose weight, become fitter and enjoy life a lot more! Important: Although this e-book mentions mostly references to the UK, Herbalife is present in over 80 countries, so wherever you are, the 80/20 Wellness Plan will still work for you. Just email me with any specific questions you have to: [email protected] The 80/20 Plan is simple - to lose weight you don’t need to spend all your waking hours at the gym! 80% of your weight loss will come through targeted nutrition and healthy eating. The remaining 20% is through moderate, regular exercise. But, if you prefer to be more active, that’s excellent – you will lose your weight a lot faster! The Herbalife range of products work and have helped millions of people to lose weight through great nutrition for over 30 years! For a full, detailed list of products, click here The important thing is to lose weight at a sustainable rate through good nutrition, moderate exercise and creating new eating habits – this way you will not put the weight back on - EVER! The formula for losing weight is simple: 80% nutrition and 20% exercise – not the other way around! Using Herbalife products is not really a diet as you might have tried before where you’re always hungry and waiting for your next meal! It’s important you lose your weight in a healthy way – in some weight control programmes, the pounds/kilo’s just comes straight back on once you stop the diet! 3 This method is a way of changing your eating habits so it becomes a normal way of life and won’t feel like a diet at all! Not all weight loss will be fat loss. You will also lose weight by getting rid of the retained fluid, bloating, and waste products that keep your weight high. In a very short time, you’ll feel like a new person – a much lighter one and with lots more energy to enjoy life more! This e-book will be your guide through every step of the journey. You will begin by learning how to mentally and physically prepare yourself for healthy weight loss. Without further delay, let’s set off on your weight loss journey! PS. The full link to see the range of Herbalife products is: https://www.goherbalife.com/marklancaster/en-GB/Catalog/ 4 Chapter 1: The Last Weight-Loss Plan You’ll Ever Need! A healthy diet is the basis of balanced nutrition; having balanced nutrition helps to maintain or improve a person’s overall health and lowers the risk of a number of health related issues. A healthy diet is about consuming the right amount of essential nutrients and drinking enough water. Balanced nutrition therefore is about consuming the right amounts of macronutrients (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates) calories to support energy needs, and micronutrients to supports the needs for human nutrition. You’re about to embark on the last, healthiest and easiest weight loss plan you’ll ever need – the 80/20 Plan! As I mentioned earlier, Herbalife have been producing innovative, effective products for over 30 years and have helped millions of people in over 80 countries to fulfil their weight-loss goals and become healthier in the process. These scientifically developed products make it so easy for you to lose weight, gain more energy and feel fit & healthy again! I Wanted An Easy To Follow Routine With a hectic work and home life, I wanted an easy-to-follow way of losing weight which didn’t need me to spend hours counting calories, starving myself on salads, weighing food or spending hours at the gym! The annoying part is that I joined Herbalife in 2005 while living in South Africa – I got great results from the products and lost lots of weight. But after relocating to the UK in 2006 and changing jobs several times, for one reason or another I put Herbalife aside (a big mistake on my part) and over a period of 4-5 years, my weight gradually crept up and up. Before – 17st 6lb (112kg) I reached my heaviest weight at 17st 6lb (about 112kg), had high cholesterol, high blood pressure and to top it all off, was then diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I was told that I would be on tablets for the rest of my life IF, I lost weight and started to look after myself more. If I didn’t, there was a possibility of the diabetes becoming worse and having to take insulin injections – this I didn’t want! I hate needles… 5 After a long look in the mirror, I realised that I needed to change things – and straight away! May 3rd 2013 was my 49th birthday – my father died at an early age through a heart attack and I didn’t want my children to go through the same experiences I did so I made a decision there and then. To make sure I would reach my 50th birthday in May 2014 in a healthy way, I set myself some challenges: To bring my weight down in to the ‘normal’ range for my height – 13 stone (82kg) Bring my Body Mass Index (BMI) reading back to the ‘normal’ range Reduce my blood pressure Reduce my cholesterol level And the big one … to reduce my blood sugar levels to stop taking medication for type 2 diabetes! Progress is going well and you can see how I’m getting on at the website where I post updates at regular intervals. ‘During’ – Latest 15st 2lb (96Kg)! But as you can hopefully see in the recent ‘during’ photo on the right, I’m heading in the right direction! I definitely feel better in myself and I look forward to posting my ‘after’ photo in the near future, but my main goal is to reach my 13st target before May 2014. When losing weight, it shouldn’t be a short-term diet but a life-long lifestyle change to ensure you don’t go back to where you started – or worse! Although Herbalife products are 100% safe, it’s wise to make sure your doctor is okay with it if you are suffering from certain health conditions, malnourishment, or a compromised immune system. If in doubt, check first! Keeping that in mind, let’s walk through the steps you need to take to get started… 6 Chapter 2: Setting Targets & Your Food Diary We need to have something to aim for when planning to lose weight. So how do you know what a healthy weight is and what you should weigh? There are two main ways to find out your target weight: - BMI: you can check your Body Mass Index and this is a good indicator of whether you are in the normal, overweight or obese range. You can Check Your BMI Here at the Lose Weight Feel GR8 website or try this NHS BMI tracker app for iPhone - click here for the free app My advice is not to target the ‘Healthy/Normal’ BMI range straight away. Aim for mid-way in the range below where you are e.g. if you are currently in the ‘Obese’ weight range, set your first target for the middle of the ‘Overweight’ range. There is another great little tool were you can find out what weight you need to be to reach a certain BMI target with some sliders – click here for the BBC BMI tool - Use A Weight/Height Chart: this will show you the ideal weight range you should be in for your height. There is a chart below to give you an idea of what you should weigh for your height. (This is for adults only and is intended as a rough guide.) 7 Sometimes the 'ideal weights' shown on these charts are a bit optimistic so be sensible. For example, when I started this journey at over 17 stones 6lb’s, the charts told me my ideal weight should be 11 stone! I hadn't been that weight since I was fighting-fit in the Army! Why is a food diary important? The thought of keeping a food diary usually scares people! It’s either because they think it’s going to be a boring, time consuming task to complete a log of everything you eat during the day – which I suppose it could be if you eat a lot! Or it’s because they know they are eating too much and don’t want to face up to the fact… But it is important before we start the plan that you know exactly where you stand when it comes to what you eat and how much you eat. About Calories Calories are a measure of the amount of energy in food. Knowing how many calories are in our food can help us to balance the energy we put into our bodies with the energy we use. And that’s the key to a healthy weight. You can read more about calories here An average man needs around 2,500 calories a day to function normally – most people that struggle with their weight eat MUCH more than that without realising it. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000 calories a day. These values can vary depending on age and levels of physical activity, among other factors. We measure the amount of energy contained in an item of food in calories, just as we measure the weight of that item of food in kilograms. If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s a good idea to eat less and be more active. Eating less is important when you're trying to lose weight, even if you already have a balanced diet. Although we won’t be counting calories in details, for the initial weight-loss phase of the 80/20 Plan we are going to limit our calorie intake to around 1500 calories per day! Weight gain occurs when we regularly put more energy into our bodies than we use. Over time, that excess energy is stored by the body as fat. Research shows that most adults eat and drink more than they need, and think that they are more physically active than they are. 8 How To Keep Track Of What We Eat Nowadays, keeping a record of what we eat is really easy thanks to modern technology – if you use a Smartphone or tablet there are apps and websites that make it easy not only to keep track of what we eat but how many calories are being consumed. You can use the simple paper and pen method if you wish – it doesn’t really matter – as long as from the moment you wake up to the second your head hits your pillow, you have kept an accurate record of what you’ve eaten. If you do like to be a bit ‘techy’, I use this free app from My Fitness Pal and this is available on various platforms – you can access it from anywhere and each time you eat, it can be logged with a running total of how many calories you eaten plus how many you have remaining if you have a set amount to use. There’s also a web-based guide to the different amount of calories in various food groups at Calorie Counting UK which may also help when filling out your food diary. You can also try this calorie counter too! So, here are your first steps of your 80/20 Plan: Step One Find out what your Body Mass Index (BMI) reading is and what your first target weight should be. Remember to make small moves rather than one big leap to what the charts say your weight should be! Check Your BMI Here Important!! Take a ‘Before’ photograph of yourself – take a few, from the front, side and back if you have a friend! This will give you a start point and in the months and weeks to come, you can look back and see what amazing progress you’ve made. This will also be the start of your weight loss story… Step Two Make a food diary – whether it’s an app on your phone or just plain old paper and pen, write down everything you eat for the next 5-7 days before you get started on the plan. Below is an example of what a food diary may look like but whatever works for you is just fine – but don’t cheat! 9 10 Chapter 3: Ordering Your Herbalife Products So, now you should have started planning your food diary – if it’s going to a paper and pen job or going more high-tech, start tracking your calorie intake for the next week before starting on the products. You should also know what your BMI is and what your first target weight should be – if not, go back to the previous chapter and find out how to calculate these. Plus, and very importantly, you should also have your ‘Before’ photograph to look back on in the weeks, months and years to come as to where you ‘used to be’ in terms of your weight! The Next Step We’re going to be replacing 2 of your meals per day with the Herbalife F1 Shakes in the initial weight-loss phases of the 80/20 plan. Once you are happy and reach your target, to maintain weight we’ll reduce this to 1 meal replacement. What meals you replace is up to you – but I would suggest that you start the day at breakfast with an F1 Shake – this gives you the best start after your previous nights’ rest. Lunch will then be F1 Shake and your evening meal will be ‘colourful’ including veggies which is high in protein and fibre. You need to snack at certain times of the day to keep your blood sugar levels up which again should be a protein based snack & fruit which are taken together. You should NEVER feel hungry at all during the day with this eating plan! As long as your other meal is healthy, still watching portion sizes and calorie intake, then you WILL lose weight at a steady, sustainable rate. You should be looking to lose weight at a rate of 1.5 to 2lbs a week – that’s up to 1kg for the metric people! This will give you the best chance of keeping the weight off! 11 Why Herbalife? Herbalife products have been helping people around the world for the past 30 years achieve their health and wellness goals. With a presence in over 80 countries globally – and growing – you can rest assured that these are the best wellness products available. Which Products Do You Need? There is a huge range of products available from Herbalife but for the 80/20 Plan we are going to focus on a few core products. You can choose whatever suits you – don’t feel that you need to order all the products below to be successful! For a more detailed product list, click here Here are my ‘Big Five’ that I use every day, but some are optional: 1. Formula 1 Shake Meal - When trying to lose or manage your weight, it’s important to maintain a nutritionally balanced diet. A healthy meal like Formula 1 helps you to control your calorie intake whilst also providing essential vitamins and minerals, with carbohydrate and protein. Available in various flavours. 2. Thermojetics Herbal Beverage - A low calorie refreshing drink infused with green and black tea. When leading a busy or active lifestyle, do you often feel less than alert and struggle to concentrate? With 6 kcal per serving, Instant Herbal Beverage is a refreshing drink enjoyed hot or cold, and a great way to help you reach your required fluid intake each day. Thermojetics are also designed to boost your metabolism which will in turn, help you burn fat faster – up to 80 calories per drink. You can ‘drink & shrink!’ 3. Protein Snack Bars - Herbalife Protein Bars are a delicious high protein healthy snack. With approximately 140 calories, each Herbalife Protein Bar contains almost 10g of high quality dairy protein, which can help build lean body mass. Increasing your body’s lean body mass can contribute to an increased metabolic rate. 4. Aloe Juice Concentrate - Made from the Aloe leaf, Herbal Aloe Concentrate is a refreshing drink which contains Aloe Vera juice to give water a citrus twist. Add 3-4 capfuls of Herbal Aloe Concentrate to water to provide a refreshing and soothing drink, which may stimulate you to drink more water thus helping you to achieve the required fluid intake of 2-2.5 litres per day. 12 5. Formula 3 Protein Powder - Formula 3 is an easy way to personalise your protein intake to suit your weight management or fitness needs. Proteins from foods like soy and dairy are termed ‘complete’ proteins because they contain a balance of all the essential amino acids (or building blocks) for the growth and maintenance of muscle. Your body needs 1g of protein per 1kg of body weight. Those are my personal favourites but to get the best possible start, when you order a Weight Management Starter Programme or Basic Wellness Programme you also get these two great extras: Fibre & Herb Tablets - Fibre & Herb contains oat fibre together with parsley, orange blossom, hibiscus flower and fennel seed powder. Fibre supplement to help you reach the recommended daily fibre intake of 25g per day. Take two tablets with each meal, three times per day. This product may be used in conjunction with Herbalife Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix. F2 Multivitamin Complex – this Formula 2 Multivitamin is your daily healthy supplement with over 15 vitamins and minerals to help you reach your Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA.) One tablet three times daily with meals. This product can be used in conjunction with Herbalife Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix. How To Order Your Products So now it’s time to decide on which Herbalife products you want to get started with – it will take a few days for them to arrive depending on where you are in the World! If You Are In The UK: There are two ways to order once you decide which one is best for you: 1. Pay Via PayPal – just email me with which products you wish to order and I will send you an invoice where you can pay through PayPal. Once payment is received, I will contact you for your contact details and delivery address. Your order will be delivered by courier direct to you within 3-4 working days. 2. By Internet Transfer – choose which products you want and deposit the amount to the following account: 13 Account Name: M Lancaster Bank: Santander Bank Branch: 09-01-28 Account No: 35482292 Use your full name as a reference number so I can track your payment. If You Are Outside The UK: Remember that Herbalife operates in over 80 countries worldwide so there’s a good chance we can process your order in your country too, although delivery times and methods may be slightly different to here in the UK. If you would like to order the products in your country, just email me at: [email protected] If not, I can let you know where the nearest Herbalife Coach/Distributor is to you – or maybe even you would like to join the team as a Distributor/Nutrition Coach in your country! If you would like to know how to get started, just email me at: [email protected] Which Herbalife Programme Is Best For Me? Now it’s time to decide on which programme or products are best for you to get started with the 80/20 Plan. I’ve listed them below in order of what my choice would be but this will depend on your own personal choice, your budget and how committed you are at getting healthy! 1. Weight Management Starter Programme £110.90 – this is the best & most complete programme to get you started. - 2 x Formula 1 Meals (Vanilla Plus 1 other flavour) - Formula 2 Multivitamin Complex tablets - Fibre & Herb tablets - Thermojetics Herbal Beverage - Original Flavour 50g 2. Basic Wellness Programme £82.90 – a great way to get started & contains 1 x F1 Shake, but all the other products as per the Starter Programme above. - 1 x Formula 1 Meal (Choice of great flavours) - Formula 2 Multivitamin Complex tablets - Fibre & Herb tablets - Thermojetics Herbal Beverage - Original Flavour 50g 14 3. My ‘Healthy Breakfast’ Programme £94.90 – this is a great way to start the day with a healthy breakfast – the most important meal of the day! - Formula 1 Shake Meal – various flavours - Thermojetics Instant Herbal Beverage - 50g - Aloe Juice concentrate 473ml - Protein Bar (box of 14) 4. ‘Shake & Tea’ Special £49.90 – the essentials to get you started if you just want to try the products first or are on a tight budget. - 1 x Formula 1 Meal (Choice of great flavours) - Thermojetics Instant Herbal Beverage - 50g All the above 80/20 Wellness Programmes come complete with a Herbalife starter pack (excluding the ‘Shake & Tea’ Special.) The Starter Pack includes: - Shake bottle Measuring spoon Tablet box Tape measure 15 Chapter 4: The Importance of Hydration Have you ordered your Herbalife Starter Programme yet? What are you waiting for!? If you haven’t ordered yet, go back to the previous chapter and find out how – in the meantime we can look at the importance of keeping hydrated. And keeping hydrated is a key part of healthy weight loss! We’re often told about the importance of adequate water intake, but do you know why it’s so important? Water can contribute to weight loss – even fast weight loss – in several ways. First, since our bodies need water to survive, they have a self-defence reaction when we don’t consume enough water. In response to dehydration, they start to hold on to every bit of fluid they get. This is called fluid retention, or bloating, and it can cause the scale to leap up by several pounds. The cure for bloating is to drink more water. If you drink at least 2-2.5 litres a day, your body will start to let go of the fluid it has been retaining. Your waist will shrink, and you will lose some superfluous pounds. To tell if you’re bloated, clench your hands into fists. Do they feel tight and puffy? Are your rings leaving indentations on your fingers? If so, you might be bloated, and water can help. Secondly, water acts as a vitamin delivery system. The vitamins you consume through food will be distributed throughout your body if you’re properly hydrated. If you haven’t had enough fluids, the vitamins will have trouble getting where they need to go. Finally, water keeps our organs functioning at their highest level. This directly affects your body’s ability to burn fat. You see, our bodies have a natural filtration system that gets rid of toxins and built-up fluid: the kidneys. But the kidneys need plenty of water to be able to do their job properly. If you don’t drink enough water, the kidneys have to call on the liver for back-up filtration. While the liver is busy helping out the kidneys, it’s not metabolising fat as efficiently as it should, and more of the food you eat will be stored as fat. 16 What I make a point of doing each and every day is to drink at least 2 litres of water – more if it is hot weather. My sports bottle contains 750ml which I try and finish before lunch & refill so that’s 1500ml right there! My Formula 1 Shakes each contain 250ml of water so there’s another 500ml, and I have the occasional tea/coffee (in moderation) so on a normal day I easily reach my 2 litre target. By adding ½ teaspoon of Thermojetics herbal tea in to my sports bottle, it gives me a boost if my energy levels are running low and it also speeds up my metabolism which aids in burning fat! The original flavour Thermo can taste a little bitter so I usually a splash of sugar-free apple juice (you can use any juice concentrate really) to take the bitterness away. 17 Chapter 5: Sleep More to Lose More When you think of weight-loss measures, sleep isn’t usually the first activity that comes to mind. But sleep is one of the most important things you can do when you’re trying to lose extra pounds. Like hydration, adequate sleep benefits the dieter in many ways. First and foremost, sleep relieves stress. Stress is actually counterproductive to weight loss. That’s because stress triggers a chemical reaction in our bodies that actually promotes weight gain. Think about our ancestors: They had to store body fat to help them survive through times of famine. Therefore, whenever their bodies were stressed (as in times of starvation), a hormone called cortisol was released. Cortisol tells our bodies to save up their fat stores in preparation for hard times ahead. In modern days, we have more stress than ever before due to job pressure, family obligations and financial concerns. We are bombarded with information and advertisements. Many of us work around the clock to make ends meet. Sleep soothes the mind and body, gives us a chance to slow down and process the events of our day, and tells our bodies to replace cortisol production with endorphin production. Endorphins are feel-good chemicals that relieve stress and give us a general sense of wellbeing. Finally, sleep gives our bodies the opportunity to repair themselves. If you exercise, and especially if you do strength-training, you might end up with achy muscles. That’s because exercise and weight-lifting cause microscopic tears throughout your muscle tissue. When you sleep, your muscles repair these tears, rebuilding your muscle tissue stronger than before. This leaves you with more lean muscle mass, which means you burn more calories all day and all night, even when you sleep. In spite of its many benefits, adequate sleep is something few of us enjoy. Studies have shown that most people don’t get the 7 to 10 hours of sleep that their bodies require. Insufficient sleep can have a direct impact on how much weight you lose or gain. 18 When you are completing your food diary, why not note down your sleep patterns too? Look at the amount of sleep you get each night. Is it enough? If not, what is keeping you from sleeping more? Sometimes the answer is obvious, like a newborn baby or a demanding work schedule. Other common culprits include too much computer time before bed (computer and video games stimulate the brain, preventing it from winding down in preparation for sleep); alcohol consumption; and insomnia due to stress or anxiety. Do what you can to manage your stress level while you’re awake. Get some exercise each day, in the sunlight if possible. Yoga and meditation can also help. Never use sleep aids unless your doctor gives you the go-ahead, as you can become dependent on them. Finally, make sure your bedroom is conducive to a good night’s sleep. If noises tend to wake you during the night, invest in a cheap pair of foam earplugs, or drown out background noise with a fan. Make sure the room is dark, and turn off any electronic devices that have flashing lights. Wind down before bed with a warm bath, a cup of chamomile tea, and a book. 19 Chapter 6: Calorie-burning Activities Weight loss comes easier when you add physical activity. Many of us have plenty of excuses for our sedentary lifestyles: We work too hard, can’t afford gym memberships, have too many demands on our time, or just plain don’t like to exercise. If you hate exercising, it’s probably because you’re not getting the right kind of exercise. Some people are perfectly happy running on a treadmill day in and day out, but there are many more who dread the monotony. Find out some quick & easy exercise routines here If boredom is keeping you from getting a healthy amount of cardio, mix up your routine with some fun activities. Group sports like basketball and soccer burn far more calories per hour than a treadmill, and they’re fun and social to boot. Call up some friends, or visit your local activity centre to sign up for an amateur sports league. Swimming is another great way to burn calories. Jump in the pool and paddle around, then jog as fast as you can in the shallow end. The water provides enough resistance to kick your metabolism into high gear. If you have a local beach, brisk walking on the sand will burn more calories than walking on pavement. Kids also provide opportunities for calorie burning. If you have a baby, contact your local crèche or mother/toddler club to go on walks with other new parents. You can keep an eye on your little one while you get in shape. If your child is older, they will appreciate some one-on-one time spent tossing a football, shooting hoops, or just swinging and sliding at the playground. These activities help you burn calories while you bond with your child. If you have a garden, you’ve got a calorie-burning goldmine. Lawn work, including mowing the grass and planting shrubs and saplings, is a great way to firm up and lose pounds. Weeding, pruning, picking flowers and vegetables, and laying sod are all calorie-burning activities. Spend an hour a day working on your landscaping, and you’ll soon see the results in your yard – and on the scale. 20 Maybe you’re an animal lover. Try walking your dog in the evening, or taking the neighbours’ dogs for a walk. Don’t have a pet of your own? Try volunteering at a farm or animal shelter. Caring for and cleaning up after the animals is a rewarding act that enriches their lives and helps you keep in shape. 7 Ways To Stay Motivated For Exercise You've been told the benefits of exercise a thousand times and you know what you should be doing, but it can be so easy to find excuses. 'I'm comfortable on the sofa', 'My favourite TV programme is on', or 'It looks so cold outside'. We've heard them all before, so how do you get (and keep) the motivation to get up and exercise regularly? 1. Plan Leading a busy life, it can be hard to think there is room to fit in daily exercise. Make exercise a priority and plan it into your daily routine. Don't make it optional. It also helps to plan exercise when you're more likely to enjoy it. For example, if you find it hard to get out of bed in the mornings at the best of times, don't try and exercise in the mornings. Try your lunch break or after work. 2. Get your gear on The first step (and often the hardest is just putting on your shoes and exercise gear). Once they're on, it's much easier to get going. Even better, treat yourself to something new. It's surprising how a new pair of running shoes, item of clothing, or new gadget can encourage you to 'try them out'. Plus you look good and feel good! 3. Variety is essential Change your running route, try cycling instead, or swim in an outdoor pool instead of indoors. Keep it interesting by changing parts of your workout so you don't get bored. The gym can quickly become a sterile environment, so if you're a gym go-er, throw in the occasional outdoor session. 4. Make it social Exercise with friends, have a laugh and you'll keep each other motivated. They offer you support, can give positive feedback and make it fun! Alternatively, try group fitness classes or join a local team. If you thrive on competition, team sports are great. As is exercising with someone who's slightly better than you so you are always are pushing yourself to keep up. 21 5. The art of distraction Exercising to music or while chatting to friends keeps you distracted. You may just find yourself exercising for longer or finishing quicker than you thought. If you're at home, try exercising while watching TV or during the ad break. 6. Have realistic goals You may not be planning to run a marathon, but it's important to have goals and put them into practice to keep yourself motivated along the way. But be realistic! Don't set them too far above your level that you'll never achieve them. Write them down and remember to review them regularly as your fitness improves. 7. Don't forget to reward yourself. It could be running an extra mile or losing a couple of pounds, but as you reach your personal goals and are happy with your performance, reward yourself. You might give yourself a day off or buy a new pair of jeans. Be proud of yourself. Always remember the feeling you get after exercise – endorphins flying around your body, you feel healthy and pleased with yourself. Next time you're thinking of skipping a session, remember this feeling and get exercising! Keep checking the Lose Weight Feel GR8 website for great ways to exercise and keep more active! 22 Chapter 7: Put A Stop To Emotional Eating Emotional eating is more common than you might think, but it makes sense. Think back to your memories of childhood, times when you felt happy, secure, and cared for. Chances are, those memories involve food. As children, we did much of our bonding with family members during mealtimes and holidays. Those fond memories stay with us as adults. When we feel lonely, bored, or sad, instead of reaching out to another person, we often reach out for food. It makes sense on a scientific basis as well. The foods we typically think of as “comfort foods” are high in fat and carbohydrates. Fat satisfies our hunger, and carbohydrates cause our bodies to produce the feel-good chemicals known as endorphins. The result is a sense of relaxation and well-being. While there are more dangerous coping mechanisms in the world, using food to sooth your emotional pain can have many negative consequences: guilt, shame, low self-esteem, and obesity and all of its related health concerns. Emotional eating also prevents you from getting to the root of the problem. While the food picks you up temporarily, the underlying problems still exist, causing you to go back top the food when your emotions flare. If you are one of the millions of people who engage in emotional eating, there is good news: You can stop the cycle and learn to identify your true needs. All it takes is a desire to change and a little persistence. The key to beating emotional eating is to identify the triggers that send you off in search of food. Think back to the last time you ate food for comfort. What was your emotional state like? Were you sad or stressed out about something? Were you lonely or bored? Maybe you were angry and didn’t have an outlet for that anger, so it quickly turned into sadness and despair. Emotions can be confusing, but they always make sense. Now imagine the next time you’ll feel the urge to binge on comfort foods. What will you do differently? Instead of eating to cheer yourself up, maybe you can talk to a trusted friend, write out your feelings in a personal journal, or simply take a walk in your neighbourhood or local park. 23 If you typically eat out of boredom, find something else to do to occupy yourself. This could mean taking up a new craft or hobby, volunteering to help people or animals in your community, or exercising. Try to avoid activities that you associate with mindless eating, such as watching television. Find something else that engages your mind more fully. If depression is the underlying cause, try speaking with a doctor to discuss treatment options. Depression can be seasonal, situational, or perpetual. A doctor or even a therapist could help you get to the bottom of your depression. If a chemical imbalance is causing it, drug therapy could work wonders. Once you understand why you feel the urge to eat for comfort, you can take steps to change your behaviour. Then, you can eliminate unnecessary calories and start to slim down – permanently. 24 Chapter 8: Tips for Staying Motivated It’s pretty easy to feel gung-ho about your diet when you’re first starting out. It’s something new, you’re hopeful and enthusiastic, and you might even be looking forward to your new way of eating and exercising. Fast-forward two weeks, and you might find a different story entirely. You’ve gotten bored with your daily menu, the exercises seem like a chore, and perhaps you’ve even fallen off the wagon completely. Finding the initial motivation can be a challenge, but staying motivated is at least as difficult. Here are some ways you can sustain your enthusiasm until you reach the finish line. Set Small Milestones For the sake of this example, let’s say you need to lose around 3 stone (around 19kg) - that sounds daunting! The goal might seem more manageable if you break it down into smaller milestones. For example, you could set yourself the goal of losing 2lbs (around 1kg) in a week. If you stick to the plan, you can almost certainly reach that goal. Treat Yourself Often Humans are wired to love rewards. Personal achievement might be enough to keep some people going, but the rest of us need tangible rewards to keep moving forward. These rewards don’t need to be expensive, but they do need to be motivational. For example, let’s imagine you’ve reached your first milestone – one pound gone in one week’s time. You could reward yourself with a shopping trip, rent a movie you’ve wanted to see, or have an at-home spa session complete with a homemade facial and a do-ityourself pedicure. Special milestones, such as the loss of 10 pounds, deserve larger treats! Get creative, and you’ll come up with several ideas. Should you use food as a weight loss reward? The concept is pretty controversial. Experts warn against it, but some dieters say it works for them. The bottom line is that you have to set up a reward system that will motivate you to keep going. If that means indulging in a hot fudge 25 sundae, then eat the sundae. It’s far better to have those extra calories than to give up on your diet because you feel deprived. Just be careful. If you tend to eat for comfort, the taste of a sundae could send you into a binge. Some dieters find it easier to stay on track by rewarding themselves with non-edible treats. Find What Motivates You – and Be Honest Why do you want to lose weight? Many of us would answer with safe responses, like “I want to do it for my health”, or “I want to fit into my old clothes again”. These might be 100% true, but for many dieters, that’s not the whole story. Be brutally honest with yourself. Even if you think the truth is ugly, go ahead and take a personal inventory of all the reasons why you want to lose weight. Do you want to be considered a hottie? Do you want your exes to kick themselves for letting you go? Do you want to be able to wear more risqué clothing styles? Do you want to avoid getting jowly as you age? Some of those reasons might sound vain and selfish, but plenty of dieters use them as personal motivators. If they help you stick to your diet and fitness plan, use them. Keep a Journal Studies have shown that dieters who keep food journals are more likely to lose weight and keep it off. But you can keep a journal to track more than just your calories. Start writing down your moods, level of hunger, and thoughts about your weight loss journey. Seeing everything in print can help you identify situations that make you want to eat. A journal can also help you discover patterns in your eating, like skimping on breakfast and subsequently overeating at lunchtime. You can also use a journal to plan your milestones and rewards. Seeing your next reward spelled out in ink can keep you from giving in to a temporary urge to binge. Share With Others There’s no need to go through your weight loss alone. The Internet has brought together millions of people who want to lose weight. They have formed communities, meet-up groups, and social networking sites. 26 Don’t be shy; many of these people face the same hardships and struggles as you do. Jump right in and introduce yourself. Ask questions of long-time members. Share every little victory and setback, and congratulate and comfort others when they do the same. You might find that joining a community keeps you accountable not only to yourself, but to your new friends as well. 27 Chapter 9: The 80/20 Plan - In Brief By now, you should have your Herbalife products (whichever programme you ordered) and you will have your target weight/BMI set. So how do we put the 80/20 Plan in to action? This chapter will run through your routine for the weight loss phase of your new lifestyle! Remember this is the plan that I use for my wellness routine and it’s pretty easy to stick to, I have never felt hungry at all since I have been on the plan and get great results week in, week out. Once you have reached your target weight, you will have a good understanding of what is a healthy diet and you can modify the plan to suit your own requirements. When Do I Start? I gave you a week or so to give you time to order your Herbalife products and also to keep the food diary for a few days and see what you ate – probably more than you realised? I always think Mondays are good days to start new things – but that’s just me! You can start the plan anytime you like. Day One Whatever day you start, here’s what you should be doing on Day 1: First Weigh-In: on Day 1 you should take your starting weight reading with some accurate scales and weigh yourself only once per week. Try and use the same scales every time and also try to weigh yourself at the same time of day. Weight can fluctuate during different times of the day by up to 2lb’s! For example, I always do my weekly weigh-in each Saturday morning after my morning shower and before breakfast – what day and time you choose is up to you but keep it the same each week. Keep a written record of your weight each week. Take Measurements: as well as your start weight, make sure you take body measurements for key parts of your body (see the sheet below) – the reason is that some of the time, you will get a good weekly weight loss result but it’s not always apparent where the weight has gone from! You will lose cm’s, drop dress or waist sizes with the 80/20 Plan! Keep a written record of your measurements each week. 28 Take Your ‘Before’ Photo: this is really important – make sure that before you start your plan that you take your ‘before’ picture. Take a photo from the front, sides and back if possible and in the weeks & months to come, you’ll be surprised at how different you will look! 29 How The 80/20 Plan Works – In Brief As I mentioned earlier, once you are down to your target weight, you can modify the plan to suit you, but here is what I recommend in the ‘Weight-Loss Phase’ of the 80/20 Plan. The Daily Routine – Outline The next chapter will go in to your daily routine in more detail but briefly, here is how the 80/20 plan will work: Breakfast – Formula 1 Shake: This will ensure you have the best possible start to the day ahead providing you with all the essential nutrients you need. This will give you a steady stream of energy rather than the short bursts common from high energy foods. Mid-Morning Snack: You probably won’t feel hungry after your shake but eating little and often is the key to a healthy diet – as long as it is a healthy snack! You’re going to have 1 protein and 1 fruit together which will keep you from feeling hungry and blood sugar level steady. Lunch – Formula 1 Shake: Exactly the same as breakfast but there are endless ways to add different ingredients to your shake to make it interesting – experiment with what you like to eat fruit-wise and even try different flavours of F1 Shake! Mid-Afternoon Snack: Again, it’s better to keep eating regularly throughout the day in between your meals – protein and a fruit together is the key! Evening Meal: Your evening meal should be a ‘colourful’ meal – protein again can include chicken breast (no skin), meat – around a palm-sized steak is fine, tin of tuna or extra-lean mince. The ‘colourful’ part will be your steamed, cooked or grilled vegetables and a salad if you like. Portion size is key and also trying not to eat your evening meal after 7pm will help too. Hydration: Your fluid intake is vital to your weight-loss success – first signs of hunger are usually signs that you’re dehydrated so try throughout the day to drink at least 2 litres of water – more in hot weather. 30 Chapter 10: The 80/20 Plan - In Detail In the previous chapter, we look briefly at the 80/20 Plan for the Weight-Loss Phase which involved replacing two of your meals – breakfast and lunch – and then having a healthy evening meal. In addition you’ll also have two healthy snacks of fibre & fruit mid-morning and mid-afternoon. In this chapter we’ll look in details at each meal starting with the most important – breakfast! Why breakfast is so important Your body uses energy (macronutrients) you provide it during the day as fuel. (Macronutrients, micronutrients and water are required by the body each morning for your body to begin fuelling itself again.) At night your body uses the building materials (micronutrients) you provide it to replenish itself at night. In addition to this you lose a litre of water while you sleep through breathing, sweating and going to the bathroom. Breakfast should provide one quarter of your daily nutritional requirements! The two most common options people take at breakfast time are: 1. No breakfast – for one reason or another, many people don’t have breakfast at all! If you skip breakfast altogether your body tries to draw on its reserves of nutrients and water which have been depleted during the night. If you don’t eat anything you are likely to feel tired and hungry by midmorning and choose to snack on chocolate, biscuits or chips -any quick fix to raise your energy levels. Skipping breakfast can lead to: Constant feelings of hunger Cravings for sugary snacks Difficulty concentrating Tiredness and lack of energy Forgetfulness Irritability and mood swings 2. Carbohydrate-based breakfast - You eat pastries, white bread, toast or sugary cereals which are all simple carbohydrate based breakfast choices. These choices are missing all the nutrients necessary for your body to function properly; protein, fibres, vitamins, minerals and non saturated fats. They result in a short burst of energy followed by a drop in energy levels; you will soon feel tired, lose your concentration and feel hungry again all before lunchtime. 31 Breakfast of champions! Which breakfast category above do you fit in to? Do you recognise any of the signs as the result of low energy levels from either no breakfast or maybe a quick coffee and muffin on the way to work? 32 Your new breakfast! Here’s the basic F1 Shake recipe/method that I use every day – feel free to change the fruit element depending on what your personal tastes are: 2 scoops of F1 Shake (my favourites are Tropical Fruit or Vanilla! - see more here) 1 scoop F3 Protein Powder (optional) 250ml cold water ½ frozen banana ½ cup of fresh fruit – can be tinned but try to use fruit in juice rather than syrup – my favourites are pineapple, peach, pear and strawberries but you can use anything. 5 ice cubes All the above are mixed well in a blender ideally and then consumed immediately Variations on the F1 Shake recipe Personally, I prefer a water-based Shake with half a banana but that’s just me! The recommended mix, and what a lot of people prefer, is to use semi-skimmed or soy milk which provides the protein you need. I don’t like the Shake made with milk so add the F3 Protein Powder to make up for that. You might prefer a more exotic flavour of F1 Shake like Cookies and Cream, Cappuccino or Toffee Apple and Cinnamon – it’s all personal preference and you can experiment with the fruit ingredients as you like until you find your favourite. If, like in our home, your spouse or partner is using the F1 Shakes as well, just double up on the measures in the basic recipe above. Check in at the Lose Weight Feel GR8 website for latest F1 Shake recipes and videos on how to make them. Your snacks – morning and afternoon During the day you are going to have 2 healthy snacks. One should be mid-morning an ideally the other mid-afternoon. It’s important when you have your snack to have 1 fruit and 1 protein together. My personal preference is a Herbalife Protein Bar and a green apple – ideally the Granny Smith variety which is low in sugar. 33 Other good fruits are pears, plums, oranges and peaches which are all high in fibre too. Good sources of protein come in the form of dried meat/biltong/jerky, almonds, baked beans, yoghurt, tuna etc. Herbalife also have a range of other snacks that are excellent sources of protein. See the snack list at the end of this book which you can print off and stick on the fridge for quick reference. Your lunch This one’s easy – in the weight-loss phase of the 80/20 plan and until you get to your target weight, you’re going to replace lunch with a healthy F1 Shake as well! See the breakfast section above for the basic Shake recipe but again, feel free to experiment with different fruits, add yoghurt or muesli etc. – send me your favourite Shake recipes! Your evening meal So, you have had 2 awesome nutritional meals for breakfast and lunch, had 2 protein & fibre snacks – you shouldn’t even feel close to being hungry! Your evening meal with the family should just be a ‘normal’ healthy meal – portion size is still important so don’t go overboard! Have a look at how your plate should be made up in terms of food types – tips for healthy eating Ideas for evening meals could be: Chicken breast – normal size with NO SKIN! (the skin is almost all 100% fat!) Meat – whatever type it should be ‘palm-sized’ with the fat removed Tuna – a tin of tuna is a great meal & make a salad to go with it Extra lean mince – ideal for curry, meatballs. You can use soya mince but this has less protein than meat. Stirfry – these are easy to make and the whole family can enjoy them. For 4 people 3-4 chicken breasts cut in to bite-size pieces with lots of stirfry veggies is an option Whatever meal you decide on, make it ‘colourful’ by adding lots of vegetables which should be steamed, cooked or grilled if possible. A great free resource for choosing healthy meals can be found at the Change 4 Life website where you can find suggestions and recipes for your meals. 34 Drinking Water You can refer back to Chapter 4 for more details on keeping hydrated – but this is really important in your daily health routine. Water will speed up your weight loss, ensures nutrients are distributed around your body more easily and flushes toxins from your body. You can 1 cap of Herbalife Aloe Concentrate to your water intake and remember to use Thermojetics beverage 2-3 times a day to boost your energy levels. Some extra tips to help you Snacking is not negotiable! You need your protein and fibre snacks through the day to keep your blood sugar level steady. Snacking helps control your hunger and speed up your weight loss – make sure you stick the healthy snacks though! Try to cut out all sugars – even sweeteners! If you find that hard, at least cut down by half ie. 1 spoon of sugar in your tea/coffee instead to 2, use brown sugar instead of white etc. Try to cut out starches such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta – but, these are healthy in moderation if you try to choose the healthy option – wholemeal bread, brown rice and wholewheat pasta. The key is everything in moderation! Only eat green apples – the best are Granny Smith’s which are low in sugar. If you don’t like green apples, pears are an alternative. Fruit juice is high in sugar – if you add it to your F1 Shakes, use only 50-80ml Start with any form of exercise to get moving and push yourself further each week. 30 minutes fast walking every day is a good start if you can find time – exercise is also non-negotiable! See the next chapter for ideas on exercising. Remove all chicken skin – it’s almost 100% fat! Spices are fine for your cooking – without MSG’s if possible. Use olive oil, balsamic or lemon juice instead of creamy dressings on salads – the calories are in what you put on your salad! 35 In general, watch all sauces and dressings – try to avoid ALL white sauces! 36 Chapter 11: The 80/20 Plan – Weight Maintenance So once you are down to your target weight – what’s next? First of all – a huge well done to you! If you are moving on to this phase of the 80/20 Plan then you will have achieved your weight loss target and are now looking to maintain a healthy weight from now on. So how do you maintain your weight? With some weight loss ‘quick-fix’ solutions such as pill, tablets and drops – as soon as you stop taking them, the weight tends to creep back up again. Up to now, the 80/20 Plan has replaced 2 meals – breakfast and lunch – and you have made your evening meal healthy by cutting down portions (hopefully!) and having ‘colourful’ meals packed with vegetables and mainly protein. All you need to do now is just replace breakfast – the most important meal of the day – with your Formula 1 Shake the same as before and now substitute lunch with a healthy option. This will ensure your weight remains the same. Exercise still needs to be done – but that now should be part of your daily routine and maybe you’re even starting to enjoy it now!? 37 Chapter 12: The 80/20 Plan – The ‘20’ Part is Exercise! As mentioned in the introduction, getting fit & healthy again if you have gained weight is more about nutrition – what and how much we eat – rather than spending hours in the gym working out. It doesn’t matter how long you exercise for, if you are not providing your body with the correct balance of nutrients, vitamins and minerals it needs on a daily basis, you will always struggle to control your weight! Having said that, the more exercise you can fit in to your schedule, by combining this with your healthy diet, you will lose weight at a faster rate. Have a look at the Healthy Exercise Section on the Lose Weight Feel GR8 website for tips on how to warm up and cool down plus workouts for your stomach, legs and thighs. 7 ways to stay motivated for exercise You've been told the benefits of exercise a thousand times and you know what you should be doing, but it can be so easy to find excuses. 'I'm comfortable on the sofa', 'My favourite TV programme is on', or 'It looks so cold outside'. We've heard them all before, so how do you get (and keep) the motivation to get up and exercise regularly? 1. Plan Leading a busy life, it can be hard to think there is room to fit in daily exercise. Make exercise a priority and plan it into your daily routine. Don't make it optional. It also helps to plan exercise when you're more likely to enjoy it. For example, if you find it hard to get out of bed in the mornings at the best of times, don't try and exercise in the mornings. Try your lunch break or after work. 2. Get your gear on The first step (and often the hardest is just putting on your shoes and exercise gear). Once they're on, it's much easier to get going. Even better, treat yourself to something new. It's surprising how a new pair of running shoes, item of clothing, or new gadget can encourage you to 'try them out'. Plus you look good and feel good! 38 3. Variety is essential Change your running route, try cycling instead, or swim in an outdoor pool instead of indoors. Keep it interesting by changing parts of your workout so you don't get bored. The gym can quickly become a sterile environment, so if you're a gym go-er, throw in the occasional outdoor session. 4. Make it social Exercise with friends, have a laugh and you'll keep each other motivated. They offer you support, can give positive feedback and make it fun! Alternatively, try group fitness classes or join a local team. If you thrive on competition, team sports are great. As is exercising with someone who's slightly better than you so you are always are pushing yourself to keep up. 5. The art of distraction Exercising to music or while chatting to friends keeps you distracted. You may just find yourself exercising for longer or finishing quicker than you thought. If you're at home, try exercising while watching TV or during the ad break. 6. Have realistic goals You may not be planning to run a marathon, but it's important to have goals and put them into practice to keep yourself motivated along the way. But be realistic! Don't set them too far above your level that you'll never achieve them. Write them down and remember to review them regularly as your fitness improves. 7. Don't forget to reward yourself It could be running an extra mile or losing a couple of pounds, but as you reach your personal goals and are happy with your performance, reward yourself. You might give yourself a day off or buy a new pair of jeans. Be proud of yourself. Always remember the feeling you get after exercise – endorphins flying around your body, you feel healthy and pleased with yourself. Next time you're thinking of skipping a session, remember this feeling and get exercising! 39 Chapter 13: The Balance Between Exercise & Diet Since managing weight effectively depends on calorie balance, it makes sense that we talk about not only diet (calories in), but exercise (calories out), too. Trying to lose weight through increased activity alone is tough to do. To lose a pound in a week’s time – strictly through exercise – you’d need to burn up an extra 500 calories a day, above and beyond your current activity level. That’s no small task. You’d need to hike uphill for an hour with a 10-pound backpack or swim laps for 90 minutes – without stopping. Trying to lose weight only through increased activity – or only by cutting your calories – won’t be nearly as effective as a combination of diet and exercise. Cutting calories may cause your metabolic rate to drop somewhat. Your metabolic rate represents the number of calories your body burns just to keep basic processes going - and is a big part of your ‘calories out’. But your metabolic rate can dip a little when you cut back on your eating. So even though your ‘calories in’ may be lower, your ‘calories out’ can drop, too – and leave you more or less in calorie balance. Strength training can help to increase metabolic rate. When people think ‘exercise’, they usually think aerobic exercise, like cycling, swimming or jogging. But strength training is important, too – in part because it helps to build lean body mass, which can bump up your metabolic rate and help offset the drop in calorie burn that takes place when you cut your calories. Having lots of protein in your diet will also help build lean body mass which in turn burns fat too! It’s easy to make mistakes when counting calories – both in and out. People tend to overestimate the calorie cost of the exercise they do – and underestimate the number of calories they eat. Which helps explain the frustration many people feel when they’re sure they’re doing ‘everything right’ – but the scale just won’t budge! Exercise is key to good health and anything is better than nothing. When people hear that they might need an hour or more of exercise a day to keep their weight under control, it can be a little daunting. But don’t let the numbers discourage you. Do what you can, do it regularly, and try to go a little further – or work out a little harder – each time. 40 How to squeeze a workout in to your day! Here’s how to stop using excuses and finally squeeze in a workout. When it comes to finding motivation to get up off the couch and improve your fitness level, sometimes it takes more than willpower alone to make it happen. ‘I’m too busy and I can’t find the time.’ And this ‘I’m too busy…’ excuse sounds so much better and less embarrassing than the truth: ‘I’m just too tired and I don’t have the motivation.’ The reality is that we can all make time to add activity into our life. All we need to do is realise that excuses will only hurt us in the long term. Sometimes it takes a health scare to get us in to action – for me it was finding out I had developed Type 2 Diabetes This was all the motivation I needed to get my body and fitness back on track. 3 ways to squeeze in a workout into your day: 1. Set your alarm 30 minutes earlier This may seem like an obvious tip but it definitely takes motivation not to hit the snooze button and lie back down! My next piece of advice may seem crazy but it worked for me: for the first few weeks wear a loose fitting workout kit to bed or place your workout outfit with your training shoes right next to your bed. When the alarm starts buzzing, put on your socks and shoes and get to it! Working out at home or close to home is the best way to start out because it removes any excuses about joining a gym or having to travel anywhere. As your body gets used to the time adjustment, add an extra 10 minutes so that you can actually comb your hair and brush your teeth before you go! Remember, new habits take 90 days to get used to so stick with it! 2. Pack your workout clothes and take them to work If you are not a morning person then it’s time for Plan B: the lunchtime power-walk. Schedule it in like you would a dentist or your hair salon appointment. It’s funny that we 41 wouldn’t dream of not getting our hair cut but taking care of our health often gets overlooked or sidelined. Asking a co-worker to join you will give you the extra motivation not to skip a session. 3. Split your workout into smaller segments If finding a full 30 minutes is too difficult, then try to do three or more mini workouts. It’s fine to accumulate your workout throughout your day. This tip works especially well for stay-at-home-mums with young children because occupying a child for 10 minutes while you jump around and squeeze in a workout is a realistic goal. If you work in an office and sit down all day, try taking a brief 10 minutes to stretch out or walk around the office, it may improve your energy levels and boost your concentration. Making an activity part of your lifestyle instead of a chore makes results easier to achieve. You might be amazed at how quickly small changes really do add up. Trust me, I’ve tried these and they worked for me. When I first got back into exercise, I sometimes went with tip one and other days I chose tip two or three, but I made sure to aim for at least 30 minutes every day and I began feeling more active. So, no excuses - everybody can find time to exercise. 42 Chapter 14: Do You Have Any Questions? Is that a stupid question or what? I’m sure you have a hundred questions after reading this eBook up to this point! If you have any questions that aren’t covered below, please do email me at [email protected] and I will try my best to answer any queries you have. But for now, here are a few of the most common questions below: 1. Herbalife is too expensive isn’t it? This is one of the most common questions I come across absolutely not! An amazing F1 shake meal (THE core nutritional product you’ll use) including fruit will cost you less than £1.50! (or the equivalent in your country!) How many people will think nothing of spending up to £5 or more on a sandwich & coffee or a ‘quick-fix’ fast-food meal which may temporarily fill you up but has little nutritional value and will leave you hungry a short time later! 2. I don't like to replace my meals, can I just take tablets to lose weight? Most weight-loss tablets are likely to control your appetite and fats accumulation. Such tablets only address the symptoms and are not a long-term solution. That is, once you stop taking the tablets (even if they work) your weight problem will creep back. The key to permanent weight lost is none other than the age-old suggestion to watch your diet and lead a healthy, active lifestyle. 3. Can Herbalife products be use for gaining weight too? Yes they can! All you need to do is eat 3 healthy meals per day and have a nutritional Formula 1 Shake after each meal. Add protein powder to your shake and in just a short time you will see your lean muscle mass develop and you will gain weight the healthy way. 4. Can I lose weight without exercising on the 80/20 Wellness Plan? Yes, although exercise can certainly increase your rate of weight loss. Simply try adding 15 to 20 minutes of some activity into your life on a daily basis and you should notice increased energy as well as faster weight loss. See the previous chapters on exercise 43 which may help give you some ideas. But, if you find it difficult to find time to exercise, as long as you stick with the ‘80’ part of the plan, you will still lose weight. 5. I just want to lose my stomach fat – will the 80/20 Plan work? Although this plan doesn’t target certain areas of the body specifically, if you follow the plan you will lose weight overall. It’s important to take those body measurements as well as recording your weight – you may find some weeks that your weight hasn’t decreased very much but you have lost cm’s off your waist or hips! Try targeting certain areas of your body with specific stomach exercises – have a look at these Stomach Exercises which may help as well. 6. Why can't I simply skip meals or eat less to lose weight? Yes, you may lose a lot of weight with these "crash diet" plans initially. The chances are that you'll reach a plateau after some weeks and find that unless you skip another meal or eat even less, your weight won't go down anymore. What's more, during this period of ‘fasting’ you'll probably feel hungry a lot of the time and tire easily. As a result your mood suffers and you’re probably not a nice person to be around! Once you resume normal food intake upon reaching your target, your weight is likely to shoot up again, often putting back more weight than before you started - this is also known as yo-yo diet. The 80/20 Wellness Plan is a change in your overall lifestyle rather than a short-term burst of ‘healthy living’ and once you have reached your ideal weight, in the weight maintenance phase it’s usually a case of keeping up with the healthy meals for lunch and evening meal and keep up with the Formula 1 Shake as your ideal breakfast! 44 Chapter 15: Get Your Herbalife Products At A Discount Remember, this is going to be a change in lifestyle for you – a change in your eating & exercise habits and hopefully a change for the better in your life! To that end, you will need to re-order more Herbalife products at some point. You don’t really want to keep coming back to me all the time so why not register as a Distributor? This means you can order your own products online & get them delivered direct to your own home PLUS, get a permanent 25% discount on everything you buy! If you wanted to make a go of it as a part-time of full-time home business, you can go right up to the 50% discount level and beyond! Why Register As A Herbalife Distributor? Don’t worry, by registering as a Distributor, this doesn’t mean you have go selling products door-to-door! You don’t need to do anything at all – it’s just an easier and cheaper way for you to order your Herbalife products. But, as I’ll show you later, when other people see your results and want to know what you’re using and where to get it – they can buy it from you! And because you can get it at a 25% discount, you’re making some extra money as well! What You Need To Do To get registered as a Herbalife Distributor, you need to order an IBP – an International Business Pack. These prices apply to people who are buying the IBP in the UK. If you are outside the UK, contact me and I will tell you how to order the Business Pack in your country. There are 2 types of IBP from Herbalife: 1. Standard IBP – this option contains Herbalife products you that will be using in the 80/20 Plan. The pack contains the following: 1 x Formula 1 Shake (vanilla) 45 1 x Thermojetics Tea 50g 1 x Multivitamin tablets 1 x Fibre & Herb tablets 1 x Starter Pack (measuring spoon, tape measure, tablet box, shake bottle) Your business licence & Distributor forms, training material etc. Herbalife bag The cost for the Standard IBP & products delivered to your home (UK) is: £ 96.00 2. ‘Healthy Breakfast’ Mini-IBP With Products – this is a second option with slightly different products, but still what you should be using as part of your 80/20 Plan. The pack contains the following: 1 x Formula 1 Shake (vanilla) 1 x Thermojetics Tea 50g 1 x Aloe juice concentrate 1 x Starter Pack (measuring spoon, tape measure, tablet box, shake bottle) Your business licence & Distributor forms, training material etc. Herbalife bag The cost for the Mini-IBP & products delivered to your home (UK) is: £ 78.00 3. Mini-IBP Only – this is an option with just the IBP to get you started plus one product. The pack contains the following: 1 x Formula 1 Shake (vanilla) 1 x Starter Pack (measuring spoon, tape measure, tablet box, shake bottle) Your business licence & Distributor forms, training material etc. Herbalife bag The cost for the Mini-IBP & products delivered to your home (UK) is: £ 42.00 46 How To Order Your IBP There are two ways to order once you decide which one is best for you: Pay Via PayPal – just email me ([email protected]) with which pack you wish to order and I will send you an invoice where you can pay through PayPal. Once payment is received, I will contact you for your contact details and delivery address. Your order will be delivered by courier direct to you within 3-4 working days. By Internet Transfer – choose which pack you want and deposit the amount to the following account: Account Name: M Lancaster Bank: Santander Bank Branch: 09-01-28 Account No: 35482292 Use your full name as a reference number so I can track your payment. It’s that easy! You never know, what starts out as just a way of buying your Herbalife products at a discount, may end up being a full-time business once people see the difference in you! Training is free once you join and I would be your personal sponsor and business mentor – there are also training sessions near to where you live that I can organise if you prefer. Good luck if you decide to get started! 47 Chapter 16: Recap and Resources Well, that’s about all I have to tell you! I hope this eBook has been useful – it won’t be for everybody – we’re all different and what works for some people, might not work for others. All I can tell you is that Herbalife has worked for me and as a business it continues to grow and grow… Here are the key points of the 80/20 Plan to follow: Make sure you prepare and plan before you start i.e. order your Herbalife products early – it will take 2-3 working days for them to be delivered to you (UK). If you’re in another country, delivery times may be different. Find how to order your products in Chapter 3 Make sure you know your targets – get your BMI readings and calculate what your first target weight should be. Have something to aim for. Take ‘before’, ‘during’ & ‘after’ photographs of your weight-loss journey to look back on how much you achieved – this will be your story! In the ‘weight-loss’ phase, replace 2 meals – ideally breakfast and lunch – with Formula 1 Shake Remember that water intake is really important – 2-2.5 litres a day is the minimum you should aim for. Read more about hydration in Chapter 4 Remember that your snacks are really important – 2 snacks of protein and fibre as mentioned in Chapter 10 Remember your 30 minutes of exercise a day if you can – recent studies have shown that as long as you complete 2.5 hours of aerobic exercise per week, it doesn’t matter when or how long you do it for – just get those 2.5 hours in every week! Stick to the plan! Remember is take 90 days for us to form new habits so don’t give up! Once you reach your final target weight, go on to the weight management phase – just replace 1 meal per day – ideally breakfast – to keep yourself in shape! 48 Think about everything you eat – look at the amount of calories contained in foods you might be tempted to eat that aren’t included in the 80/20 Plan. For example, that burger and fries that looks so tasty but stacks up at 700 calories – it will give you very little nutritional value and will probably leave you feeling hungry pretty quickly! Stick to the plan!! Useful Links Healthy Snack Ideas Healthy Meal Recipes Easy Ways To Get Exercising Check Your BMI About Type 2 Diabetes 49 Chapter 17: How To Contact Me Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions at all about the 80/20 Plan or anything related to the Herbalife products or business opportunity. There are many ways to get in touch with me: Email: [email protected] [email protected] Social Media Facebook Personal Page - https://www.facebook.com/mlancaster1964 Facebook 80/20 Wellness Page - https://www.facebook.com/8020WellnessPlan Twitter - https://twitter.com/LoseWgtFeelGr8 Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/LoseWgtFeelGR8 Google Plus - https://plus.google.com/u/0/116043288818463767455/about Instagram - http://instagram.com/loseweightfeelgr8mark/# Thanks again for downloading this e-book! Mark 50
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