Battling fat? Make minor adjustments and then forget about it!

Cardio: Just a little will do the job!

Along with this goes the recommendation:

Have faith that your adjustments will bear fruit, i.e., fat loss.

I’ve been using this strategy for years to get back on track and I have to recommend it. I do this after a period where I feel I’ve gotten off course and maybe put on some pounds.

And since we’re coming up on the holidays, likely with some enhanced opportunities for indulging, I thought this was an apt time to write about it.

The “make it a lifestyle” approach works. That is, it still works! And, as I’m inching towards 57, that’s really nice to know. (Things do change, as we know.)

Make HEALTH your priority and the body will follow.

A couple months back I was lamenting having put on a few pounds. How many, I couldn’t tell you, because I rarely get on the scale.

But the signs were there. Bra spillage, the sign I hate most. Plus, too much tummy jiggling (noticeable while driving).  

It was the result of too many calories IN. Too few calories OUT.

Too much dark chocolate and Cabernet. Too much avocado and/or feta cheese in my salads. Goat cheese in my eggs.

Not that any of these treats are bad. And not that I overindulged in any of them at any one time. (I only drink a glass of wine at a time—no more or I get silly, sleepy and hungrier the next day from the sugar overload.)

But too much of all of them makes for excess calories and weight increase. Especially if these excess calories put you in calorie surplus mode.

As for calories OUT, I had stopped doing cardio because I was feeling wiped and run down.

Not doing cardio WAS the solution to my fatigue. I had to recover. But I paid a small price.

NOTE: I would probably have been okay had I been more cautious about my food intake.

So at first I felt a little desperate and panicky. And I started perusing the diet books and deliberating my course of action.

But in the end I calmed myself down.

I simply decided to stop buying dark chocolate (if it’s in the cupboard, I will find it) and limit the wine to weekends only. I also stopped buying the cheese and cut smaller pieces of avocado for my salads.

And I got back to cardio…slowly. I started back with 12 minutes of treadmill walking or elliptical. And a week or two later bumped it up to 12 minutes of interval cardio and sometimes bodyweight (or light weight) calisthenics-type cardio.

And as I got into the groove, my panic subsided.  

Not too many weeks have elapsed since that time I was picking up the diet books. I’ve suddenly noticed that my weight is down. My jeans fit. Bras fit.

Less “me” in the tub!

And I had to share, because what works for me just might work for you.

My advice: Focus on health.

Take it one day at a time. Don’t stress about the occasional detour.

Yes, detours make it take longer to get where you want. But as long as you get back on the path, you’ll get there.

Make it a lifestyle. Eat healthier. Move around more. And don’t stress the occasional lapses.

That’s why they call if a “lifestyle.” Because it’s something you do MOST of the time. MOST.