Diet

There are two types of diets I am going to talk about today. The first is the food diet, with the Holidays over and all of us enjoying those cookies, pies and other great food, and the 2nd is the success diet. I know, you are asking yourself how am I putting diet and success in the same sentence; just read on.

First the food diet, I don’t like to call it a diet, I much rather refer to it as food management. I don’t like to see people on diets, because diets never work and statically after the diet is over you gain the weight back. If you manage your food you are essentially creating better eating habits and are more likely to keep the weight off or at least maintain your weight. I lost 25lbs in 8 months; let me tell you how I did it. All I did was count my carbs, (carbohydrates). I allowed myself 60 carbs per meal and 15 carbs inbetween meals. This means I ate about 4-6 times a day. While counting my carbs I noticed my meal portions were a lot smaller but I ate more meals during the day. It was not often I went hungry but there were times I was. When I was hungry I drank water and that helped most of the time. If I was still hungry I had a light snack, fruit, cereal, vegetables. Did you notice anything NO COOKIES! The junk has been written off and all I drink is water and some flavored water but NO SODA! As my weight started to go off I started to add a little exercise, just some walks in my neighborhood, as that progressed I bought an exercise CD which I have not been very good at keeping up with that. I have also been writing down what I eat and the carb amount which really gives you a big picture of your eating habits. What you should do before you start counting your carbs, is for 1 week write down everything you eat and drink, you notice a pattern and you will be surprised.

The last couple weeks have been very bad for me on the food diet, I had surgery and my Grandfather had a stroke. So I have been running to the hospital or preparing for surgery. The surgery is over my Grandfather is out of the hospital and recovery has been very well. I can now get back on track.

The second thing is the success diet. Just like the food diet; (which I do like the word diet) or should I say success management. Track what it is you are doing to improve your success. I am reading books, attending seminars and talking with people who are also tracking their success. It is not easy seeing your flaws and admitting them, but when you do see your flaws and make adjustments that really lift your spirits. One of the most important things to do is find people who are serious about their own success and be each other’s sounding board. You have to be honest with each other and keep in mind you are only trying to help each other. As you grow start adding people your group. If finding someone to be your sounding board, start right at home. Get a couple books on areas that you are weak on or go to the library. Keep track, at least weekly, of your growing and don’t be afraid to think outside the box. I know for me it was a few years ago I meet a person, now my friend, and during some of our conversations he turned me onto some books and a seminar and ever since then I have been hooked and have grown tremendously. I still have a long way to go but being able to write this blog is something I would not have been able to do a few years ago. My friend, Bob Mlynek has just been a great inspiration. You can reach him at www.operationcrusader.com.

One of my most important things I do is write a goal list. A goal list should be your top priority; I will be talking about this at a later date. You a road map so you know where you are going. Reading has been a very important part for me, ranging from working with people to personal development. John C Maxwell is my favorite author, two of my favorite books are 21 Indispensible Qualities of a leader and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Today Matters is also a book I use for reference. Another Author I read often is Dave Romeo, I am constantly using his book Designing Your Destiny as a reference. I also attend his seminars which are very good and has helped me in making most of success changes. I have listed a few things I do that help me with my success diet. I am growing every day, I have to keep myself focused and on track. Some days are harder than others and some days I just want to give up. Just keep your goal list in front of you and follow your plan. Those days when you don’t feel like it but you do it any ways will make you a better person in the long run.

Get ready and start that success diet for 2009

E.J.