Happy Friday everyone!  It’s been a long week but I’m glad I made it to Friday.  The bad news is our air conditioning is on the fritz so it’s hotter than biscuits in our house.

I had to get some AC is out provisions.  Hopefully, the unit will be fixed today but I’m skeptical.

Anyway, I wanted to start doing the Friday Five thing but with a twist…with some helpful information for people so this week’s topic will be weight loss.

1. Weight loss is a process.  It’s not going to happen overnight so be patient.  It always helps if you start with a plan and make those appointments with yourself to work out.

2. You can’t out work a BAD DIET!  You’re working out to lose weight so don’t try to justify your working out by still eating bad.  You can’t lose weight without getting active and changing your eating habits.  It’s a one two punch. Just because you worked out for 2 hours, doesn’t justify eating back all those calories and fats…plus some.  It doesn’t work like that my friends.  Try the 80/20 rule: eating right 80% of time could make a big difference.

3. Log your food.  If you are logging your food, you’re really seeing what you’re eating.  You’re paying attention to calories and portion size. It’s all about portion control.  But don’t ignore all your other macros too.  Getting in the right fats, carbs and proteins and all that other stuff is important too.

4. Learn to read a nutrition label.  There’s so much information there that you should know how to read.  Pay attention to what is in your food, pay attention to what a portion size really is and pay attention to the macro make up.  Food is our fuel and you don’t want to eat empty calories because you’ll just end up eating more.

5. Weight/strength workouts are just as important as cardio.  Those are workouts that aren’t always everyone’s thing because they feel like they aren’t burning the calories they need.  Weight training isn’t as flashy as cardio but it’s something you need to get in.  As you gain muscle, your body will burn calories more efficiently and that will definitely help with losing weight.

Are you on a weight loss journey?  How far are you in your journey?