Fitting
into Your Skinny Jeans Again by Monika Klein, BS, CN
Clinical Nutritionist and Lifestyle
(excerpted from Monika’s original article written for
Your Health Connection Magazine)
Yes, this is the time of year when all thoughts go to getting
back on track with our weight. You are no longer motivated
by repentance and guilt but rather by belt size or and the
unattainable fitting into your skinny jeans. We’ve all
been there, myself included, whether its 5 lbs or 50 we imagine
how wonderful life would be if we fit into our special jeans
once again. Whether you want to make a million dollars, win
a race, get married or fit into our skinny jeans this year?
They all take commitment. It can be hard to accomplish these
feats on your own, this is the reason coaching has become
such a popular resource for achieving success. In my field,
I have seen failure over and over again – people starting
diets with great expectations and either giving up before
they have started or more often than not losing all the weight
and then sadly gaining it back.
The yoyo effect of gaining and losing repetatively can actually
be more damaging than keeping on a few extra lbs. It is hard
on your body to be constantly in a state of starvation than
one of feasting over and over again – it puts unnecessary
strain on all systems of the body. There is more assurance
of keeping if off if you know how to lose weight properly
and if you are losing fat and not muscle. There are special
food combinations as well as exercise regimens that focus
on proper fat loss while maintaining muscle. Many weight loss
programs focus only the lbs you lose and not the type of weight
your are losing. Lean wasting is often associated with debilitating
diseases such as Aids and Cancer – where the body is
actually wasting away and muscle is being lost. This is a
state we never want to be in when losing weight. Eating proper
amounts of protein as well as including weight resistance
exercise is essential for healthy weight loss and maintenance.
So what about fitting into your Skinny Jeans?
Its nearly every woman’s desire and goal to fit into
their skinny jeans again. I, too, will attest to this desire
at this very moment I have a couple of jeans in the back of
the closet that I can’t fit into right now and I wish
I could. Our jeans act as monitor for sense of health, fitness
and even attractiveness. They symbolize a 20th concept of
youth, beauty and even sex appeal. Something so simple as
a pair of jeans can make or break our day affecting what we
think of ourselves - either increasing or decreasing self
worth in its wake.
So how to get back into your skinny jeans?
The first step is not to try to do it on your own. Its not
easy getting motivated if you have no new fresh ideas to draw
from and no one to support you along the way. There are qualified
lifestyle coaches who have a background in weight loss and
nutrition that can help you achieve your goal. Do no look
for a quick fix – that often perpetuates a vicious cycle
of failure upon failure. Take your time. The body can only
lose about 1-2 lbs of fat a week – again its fat not
muscle we want to lose. If you are losing quicker than that
you are either losing muscle or you may have been retaining
water and your body has finally released it from your tissues.
A
qualified professional will help you determine how will
recommend a body composition test which will help you gauge
the percentage fat you are losing. Also, many of these newer
and more advanced body composition machines will also provide
hydration levels as well as your basal metabolic rates. Your
basal metabolic rate indicates how quickly you burn calories
at rest in a 24 hour period.
Now that we’ve pinned down the basics to getting in
shape, below are the true experiences of women who’ve
succeed by losing weight and keeping it off the right way.
Nicole tried everything to get the weight off. No matter how
little she ate or how much she exercised, she still couldn’t
lose the extra weight she’d gained since turning 40.
She’d always been active and now she was more exhausted
and frustrated. She started a healthy weight loss program
and she not only lost the extra 40 pounds, but also started
feeling more motivated and positive about her life. As a result,
she began developing ideas about starting a non-profit organization,
something she had been thinking about doing for years.
Jean moved into her new home a year before starting to work
with a coach. It was only after she lost 25 pounds and starting
feeling more energetic and good about herself that she finally
started organizing her home, which meant getting rid of a
lot of the boxes she had been living out of. She started by
first taking care of herself and then taking care of her immediate
environment. Her self care centered on more than just her
body. She started feeling a sense of confidence and pride
and soon she received an unexpected raise and promotion.
How to stay in your skinny jeans and beyond.
Long term health and wellness programs need to address lifestyle,
psychological and physiological issues. Think of this as your
very own unique health journey. Whether its habits you need
to change or changing your biochemistry through proper diet
and nutrition, you can change and live a healthy life. You
do not need to feel alone in your journey there are qualified
professionals and experts out there to help you. I see lives
change everyday – people feeling a strong sense of accomplishment
and tapping into their natural beauty, vibrancy and fitness.
