Weight Loss Guru

Hi everyone, here's a great little piece from a friend of mine. Her name is Susan Cass, she's a Personal Fitness Trainer and she really knows what she's talking about... Enjoy :)

I can't have that, I really can't have that - I want it, I want it - oh okay I'll just do an extra hour in the gym tomorrow, donuts aren't that bad after all anyway are they? Especially if I scrape a bit of the sugar off and it after all it has a hole in the middle.....

So tell me, Dust? high in fat, low in fat? Well probably both depending on your mind set that day. Had a great day? - yes? so its okay to reward yourself with "CAKE". Had a bad day? Yes? so it's okay to cheer yourself up with "CAKE"

Do you remember being at school and doing exceptionally well in your spelling test? Well it was more than likely your folks were waiting at the school gates with a huge smile and armed with that finger of fudge for being great. Didn't make the soccer team first squad? Your greeting at the school gates is now open arms, a sympathetic expression and that finger of fudge. So you can see a distinct pattern emerging. From a young age food was generally interpreted as both reward and condolence.

As we have gotten older we've understood that more calories we consume than we actually need leads to carrying additional body weight - so we start trying to balance out our calorie intake/expenditure formula by overtraining or going on bouts of sudden and severe training regimes which overtime can damage our internal body systems. For example in order to have that Krispy Kreme, you HAVE to do an extra hour on the stepper or run an extra 6 miles, or you'll feel guilty for the rest of the day.

So food can quite often resemble an emotional crutch to get us through any situation and battling your conscience on a daily basis could feel like the energy equivalent of fighting 10 rounds head to head with Mohamed Ali (if only the calorie burn were the same!)

The question is, Do I REALLY want to eat that, do I REALLY need it? If the answer is yes - then you will have it. If the answer is no, think about doing something that makes you feel good? Perhaps a long walk in the countryside alongside a babbling brook breathing in the fresh air? A competitive game of 10 pin bowling with friends at the local alley? a game of five aside with your friends after work? shopping with girlfriends and the purchase of those killer Jimmy Choo's, going to see the newest film release at the cinema? - just reading that probably made you smile.

Somewhere deep within us, we have some unique behaviour triggers, the things in life that truly inspire us and make us feel great and want to push on. Write down those thoughts, aspirations and goals that inspire you as well as your measurable goals and how you are going to achieve them. Refer back to them as often as you can as a reminder that will keep you on course. It will act as a motivational tool to make sure you stay focused and on track. Over time your goals and dreams may change, so you may need to try a variety of approaches and change your diet to find that winning formula for you. There is no right or wrong - if it works for you, it works!

If you always do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got - so chuck away those emotional food crutches, think about the consequences of your actions everyday and take a positive stance to change by taking responsibility to break the bad habits. Its truly liberating and you'll step out of bed every morning healthier, happier and more in control of you. No more food rewards and no more Majorie Dawes!

Article by
Susan Cass
Personal Fitness Trainer

"I enjoy following the plan and it's great to go to the workshops where you can meet other members who you have got to know online.  I have lost over 4 stone following PCTV - it's such a different and refreshing approach to weight loss."
Ruth Alexander
 

"What makes PCTV and specifically being on the blogs extra special is that you soon become part of our family, we're all together pulling in the same direction and we are accepted and feel free to be ourselves with our ups and downs. Once we're helping other people we're also realising our own abilities to help ourselves - what could be better and I have lost 6 stone"
Annie Garcia

"I joined the programme back in June after being bowled over by Pete and his amazing system, it has worked for me where 40 odd years of conventional dieting hasnt, in just over 3 months i am 3 stone plus lighter, i am walking unaided where before i needed a stick, i was virtually housebound and now i go out every day, its completely lifechanging and the best thing is I haven't once felt hungry or deprived."
Sue Hedges
 

"PCTV has changed my entire view on getting slimmer, fitter, healthier and happier. Ten months on, I'm still on the programme and still losing weight. I have never managed this before- usually I'm "good" for a few weeks then fall off the wagon and give up. Then as the next big thing in my life approaches I try to "diet" again. I've now broken this cycle thanks to Pete and all the wonderful people on the Weightloss Journals Blog. Since starting PCTV on Jan 1st 2008 I have lost 2st 10lbs. I attended Pete's weight loss event in London on Oct 11th and it was an elightening and motivational day."
Vikki Crawford

Thanks so much ladies! It was great to see you all again at the event. Keep it up you're all doing so incredibly well!

When I was at school, our biology teacher told us a story of what happens when you put a frog in boiling water. I have no idea why he did, but it’s interesting from a behavioural perspective. In the same way as if you or I were put in a bath of boiling water, the frog will jump straight out. He will then be petrified of going anywhere near the water because he knows how hot and uncomfortable it is, which is understandable. So how do you get a frog to stay in boiling water, assuming you have a good reason for doing that? Well, you put the frog in water of a comfortable temperature and then gradually heat up the water: the frog gets used to the rise in temperature so stays there even when the water is at boiling point. Unfortunately the frog is unlikely to be able to survive and will die but doesn’t jump out because he doesn’t realise how much danger he’s in because he’s got so used to it.

With the hundreds of people with whom I’ve worked, I see a similar pattern in how people look after their health: people collect unhealthy habits, none of which seem that bad in isolation but over time they add up to be really painful. Just as the frog doesn’t realise how the temperature of the water is getting dangerous, many people don’t realise how their gradual decline in health is dangerous. For example, someone may start by putting on a bit of weight; then their excess weight makes it harder for them to breathe; this is followed by high blood pressure; and they then end up with Type 2 diabetes. At each stage, it’s ‘one more thing to cope with’, ‘a bit of bad news’, or, simply, ‘bad luck’: but, rather like heating up the water one degree at a time, this person eventually finds themselves in boiling water but doesn’t realise how serious it is. If they had suddenly gone from fine to poor health overnight, they would have noticed the significant change in how they felt: but because their health problems have been gradually building up, they don’t realise how far removed they are from perfect health. The good news, however, is that, even when you’re sitting in boiling water, many health problems can be reversed simply by changing your behaviour

I do come across some strange things in my life - one of them was the other day when I walked past a sandwich shop only to see these packages of food. It kind of takes synthetic, processed foods to another level!

I am sure the real sandwiches in this shop were great but it got me thinking that so many people don’t realise that if they eat lots of packaged and processed foods that they’re probably not getting the necessary nutrients to be healthy.

You may have heard that apparently there are about as many obese people in the world as there are those who are starving. The difference between these groups is that one is overeating and one is under-eating: the similarity is that both are malnourished. Whilst those of us in the developed world have more than enough to eat, the food we’re eating is less nutritious than it used to be. In addition, we lead more stressful lives than we used to and our bodies need vitamins and minerals to help us recover from stress: so we are suffering both from how we live and what we eat, or rather what we don’t eat. Every process that takes place in our body (such as digestion, fat burning, thinking, breathing, walking and talking) requires vitamins and minerals. If we fill up on junk foods, processed foods, sugary foods, deep fried foods and takeaways all we deplete our body’s stores of nutrients. If we don’t replenish our stores, over time, we suffer from poor immunity and, ultimately, ill health; we’ll find it harder to concentrate and process information; we’ll have less energy; and we’ll find it more difficult to metabolise food and burn fat. The good news is that we can reverse this process. When we eat fresh, natural foods, we top up our stock of vitamins and minerals.

Let’s imagine for a minute or two that it’s mid-afternoon and you are hungry. You fancy a snack and you have two choices: an apple and a chocolate bar. What does each option give you? The apple will give you a steady release of energy; vitamin C, which is good for your skin, bones, blood and building immunity; potassium, which helps to regulate your water balance, blood pressure and your heartbeat; and fibre, which keeps your digestive system healthy and helps reduce the risk of colon cancer. The chocolate bar, on the other hand, will give you a sugar hit, which will cause your energy levels to crash; saturated fat, which increases your risk of heart disease – and nothing of any value. When you look at foods like this, don’t you think there’s little competition between them?

Food manufacturers refine foods to make them last longer and so they’re more profitable; but you deserve better than that. No matter what you might think about your body or how long you’ve been abusing it with poor quality food, your body deserves to have fresh, nutritious, natural food.

If social pressures to eat have brought you down in the past and you find it hard to say “NO” it doesn’t matter. You’re free to make up a whole new set of rules for dealing with situations in the future. Your circumstances might not change, the people around you might not change. But you can change!

So why do we find it so hard to say NO when we are offered tempting food? There are few reason for this, one being that we don’t want to hurt other peoples feelings when they offer us something. Another reason is the simple fact that these foods taste great and give us a high. In the western world most people eat, not because they are hungry, but because food stimulates their senses and makes them feel good.

We're biologically driven to feel good and our brain seeks out pleasure. Food fits the bill for a lot of people a lot of the time and this is why so many waistlines are expanding.  To help you, the next time someone offers you something and you are not hungry, stop for a moment and ask yourself the question “Do I like this food enough that I want to wear it?” Then picture this food on your thighs or on your backside. I am sure this will make you think twice and make it easier for you to say the magical word “NO”

HEY, I'm in London again in October for a live weight loss workshop…. and you’re invited!
Click here and find out more!

Change your habits of a lifetime in just 21 days!

I'm working with The School of Personal & Professional Development who invite you to attend my amazing one day workshop called “SORT YOUR LIFE OUT - WEIGHT LOSS”

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It’s time that you finally break the habits that are holding you back and smash through those limiting beliefs, to enable you to create the life you want with the figure and fitness that until now you have only dreamed of! The School of Personal & Professional Development invites you to attend Pete Cohen’s outstanding one day weight loss workshop... 'This has to be the most valuable seminar that anyone could attend if they really want to make a genuine commitment to a healthier and slimmer lifestyle.'

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Hi there everyone,

As you probably already know I have weight loss programme called www.petecohen.tv

It's been up and running for about eight months and during that time we have had some amazing results from people following it. 

Recently we were able to get a few of these people together to film their testimonials about the programme. If you like, you can see this video here

Hope you enjoy,
Best, Pete.

I am often asked by people who want to lose weight the best ways to measure their progress. The most popular measure is of course using the scales. I sometimes tell people that weigh themselves often that scales are for fish rather than weighing.

It’s important to remember that the scales don’t always give an accurate reflection of how you are doing. When you get on the scales, you’re not just measuring fat loss, you’re weighing everything else as well: muscle, bone, skin and water. Fat loss needs to be your primary focus and it should be a priority to actually increase your muscle and bone density. There’s a lot more to slimming than shedding fat. If you just shed fat, it’s very likely to creep back on again. If you want to be permanently slimmer you’ll have to replace some of that fat with energy-burning muscle.

Fat takes up to five times more space on your body than muscle, but muscle weighs a lot more so the scales won’t show that rapid reduction you’ve been hoping for. Remember that your weight can fluctuate from day to day for many biological reasons – and women, in particular, retain more fluid at some times of the month than at others. More important, even with modern scales it’s hard to be exact about your muscle mass and tone, or work out exactly what proportion of your weight is made up of fat, muscle or bone.

Over the years, I have seen hundreds of people, who have followed my weight loss programme, who couldn’t understand why their jeans were getting baggier when the scales didn’t register any change for, three, four, or even six weeks. The reason, of course, was that as they were losing fat they were gaining muscle, and the muscle they gained was heavier than the fat, it also took up much less body space.

When some people follow my programme they find that their weight can fluctuate a bit to begin with, especially if they have been yo-yo dieting. Some people start to lose around 2 pounds a week steadily right from the first week. While others will be two or three weeks into the programme before they see a consistent loss. This is absolutely fine – it took you a long time to gain the weight, so give your self time to lose it.

Check out my guidelines for measuring your weight loss success:

• I suggest you weigh yourself no more than once a week.
• Weigh yourself first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything.
• Weigh yourself no more than once a week to give your body time to respond.
• Get yourself a good pair of scales.
• Remember, the scale weighs everything! Just because your scale weight hasn't changed doesn't mean you aren't making progress.

Take Your Measurements

This is one of my favorite ways of tracking progress because it doesn't require any fancy equipment and anyone can do it. Taking your measurements at certain areas can give you an idea of where you're losing fat, which is important since we all lose fat in different areas and in a different order. Taking your measurements can help reassure you that things are happening - even if you're not losing fat exactly where you want just yet. Start by wearing tight fitting clothing (or no clothing) and make a note of what you're wearing so you know to wear the same clothes the next time you measure. Here's how to do it:

• Bust: Measure around the chest right at the nipple line, but don't pull the tape too tight.
• Chest: Measure just under your bust
• Waist: Measure a half-inch above your belly button or at the smallest part of your waist
• Hips: Place tape measure around the biggest part of your hips
• Thighs: Measure around the biggest part of each thigh
• Calves: Measure around the largest part of each calf
• Upper arm: Measure around the largest part of each arm above the elbow
• Forearm: Measure around the largest part of the arm below the elbow.

Record your measurements and take them once a week or once a month to see if you're losing inches.

Eyeball It

It may seem obvious, but don't overlook one of the simplest ways to track progress - how you look and how your clothes fit. You may want to take a picture of yourself wearing a bathing suit and keep it in your weight loss journal. Each month, take a new picture... you'll be surprised at how many changes you notice in a picture as opposed to just seeing yourself in the mirror. You can also use your clothes to keep track of your progress.

Use one or all of the methods above to keep track of how you're doing, keeping in mind that realistic goals are essential for your success. And don't forget, it takes time to lose weight so don't panic if you don't drop 10 pounds in a week. Most people don't see significant results for weeks or even months. If you're losing weight the right way, your progress will be slow and steady and your actual fat loss should be around 1-2 pounds in a week.

Hi there everyone.

I have come up with a new survey to find out about how people's weight affects their summer holidays.
http://www.petecohen.tv/go/weight-loss-questionnaire/

I would really appreciate you taking the short bit of time that it takes to fill it in. We will be colating the results at the end of the month and be sharing them with you all.

Please could you ask anyone you know who wants to lose weight, even if it's just a few pounds to fill in the questionnaire.
Thank you so much.
:)

In my last post, I was discussing the stuff we are made of and how important it is to eat food that helps our minds and bodies work to their optimum.

I know that, for so many people, this is easier said than done because as the pressures of modern day living increase, we can be left feeling squeezed from all directions. Many people respond to these pressures by reaching for food as a means of changing how they feel and a way of gaining an energy high. In a working environment, this may often be sugar or caffeine-laden, which can set in place an energy roller-coaster of highs and dips. If we use the motor car analogy, it is easy to ‘fill up’, but that doesn’t mean that we are nourishing ourselves. In essence, we are storing problems for later life.

Just because these products generate instantaneous energy and people use them, doesn’t mean they’re good for you. Relying on sugar doesn’t move you in the direction of generating energy from within. Sugar takes your power away by making you believe that you can’t do it alone. Before our minds became tainted with ideas of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods, we were able to tell what our body needed. I want to share with you a technique that will help you to regain this ability. Like any exercise, this needs to be practised until you naturally make healthy food choices based on your body's needs.

Think Before You Eat

First of all, think of a possible portion of food. Imagine smelling that food, tasting it, feeling it in your mouth and then imagine swallowing it.

• How would this food make you feel half an hour after you’ve eaten it and then an hour afterwards?
• What do you imagine this food looks like inside your body?
• Does it give you energy or take energy away?
• Do you feel tired or bloated?

If you think this is a food choice that your body needs and you think it will give you energy, put the item on to a mental list. However, if you don’t think this food will see you happily through the next few hours, then discard it.

Repeat the process with two or three other portions of food, or until you find something that feels right for you right now.

People who have used this technique over a period of time have found that they have rediscovered a better relationship with food and make better food choices.

You might also want to check out the 'Think Before You Eat' video resource from my weight-loss-program here at YouTube
See you again soon. Pete :)