WEIGHT LOSS DIETS
WHAT IT MEANS TO COMMIT TO A WEIGHT LOSS DIET PLAN
Following a diet is a test in every sense of the word, because:
– We have to get back into the same old pattern, one which hasn’t worked for us so far, and we always have to go back to the starting line.
– We have to make many sacrifices in our daily lives.
– We have to change our habits for more austere ones and our happy-go-lucky attitudes for a new reality that deprives us of all the things we enjoy.
– Shopping becomes more complicated and we actually have to cook, whereas before pizzas and sandwiches made our lives so much easier.
– We have to limit ourselves to the foods that are allowed on our latest “miracle diet” and follow specific and complicated dietary advice, generally from some fit trainer who has never endured the trials of being overweight or suffered through a restrictive diet; someone who has no respect for us other than to tell us in general when you’re naked on the scales, “oh yes, we must do something there” and afterwards, gives us a list of homework assignments, overall quite discouraging.
– We have to give up all the good things: nights out, freedom to eat what we want, dinners with friends, drinking parties, birthdays, weddings, family get-togethers, weekends, vacations …
– We have to measure portions and weigh our bland, tasteless food prepared without seasonings, color or flavorings.
– We have to endure the frustration of finding ourselves alone in front of a refrigerator stuffed with dull, boring foods like carrots and leeks.
– We get hungry but are sick and tired of eating food that tastes like cardboard.
– We feel tired, angry, and frustrated with our lives and with ourselves.
– We have to return to the gym in shame and pay for yet another membership that will likely never get used more than a couple of times.
– We’re left to our own devices and have to tell ourselves that, once again, we will have to face the same old struggles, false hopes and fear of failure.
– We feel alone and lost, except for those old demons that are still with us, repeating the same dreadful stories: “This time is no different, you’re going to fail, you’re no good for anything but stuffing your face, you know…”
– We have to confront the rude stares and comments of those around us who unwittingly make our journey more difficult. “Oh? You’re on a diet again? Hope it works out better than the last one… hahaha, sure, you have the will power, if you say so”.
For the last twelve years, hundreds of you have come to me for help. Out of those, I would say that only 5% came to see me without trying other diet plans. Some have even told me, “I must have lost at least a thousand pounds in my life with all the diets I’ve followed!” This statement is very evocative of reality.
Most of us follow the same chaotic path, and all of us have already tried all kinds of weight loss diets. Our series of failures, our despair to finally find the method or miracle product that will work, makes us excellent guinea pigs and easy prey for all these miraculous diets.
I’ve been there. First, I would try them, then I’d get hooked, I’d put all my hopes into each one, until the “compulsory stall” that awaits us from one day to the next, because we can’t take it any more … Yes, I know what I’m talking about.
Because of these successive failures, I gained even more weight. I lost my dignity, my self-esteem and all faith in these barbaric, unrealistic and ineffective weight-loss systems.
On the plus side, all these failures gave me an obsessive desire to do things differently. I made the decision to transform all the limitations into freedoms, all the suffering into pleasure, all the frustrations into triumphs, all the obstacles into life tools.
Unlike other weight loss diets, Smart and Light is designed with a view to help you gain control of your life, to motivate you and take you to your destination, safely. With no constraints, no drugs, no meal replacements, or dangerous and ineffective miracle products, the Smart and Light system provides all the tools you need to achieve your weight-loss goal on your own.
With Smart and Light, there’s no need to give up your social life or radically change your lifestyle to lose those extra pounds; you do it through self-control, will power, common sense and intuition. If 1,500 people, from children to seniors, have managed to change their lifestyles for the better with Smart and Light, why not you?
LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT DIETING, OR HOW TO BE FREE AND HEALTHY FOREVER
Losing weight without dieting is possible if we take the trouble to go back to the roots of what we are and gain a new understanding of what made us fat in the first place.
What are we? We are of the species homo sapiens, descendants of the great apes, which appeared on earth about 7 million years ago. Homo sapiens evolved into “modern man”, a species which has been walking the earth for about 2.5 million years. For most of this time, we survived as hunter-gatherers with a diet consisting mainly of raw foods: fruits, vegetables, game, meat, fish, and fibrous plants.
Then, about 10 000 years ago, we gave up our nomadic lifestyle and settled in fertile valleys to raise crops and livestock. This led to a greater consumption of fatty meats and milled cereals.
With the relatively recent expansion of agribusiness, unscrupulous, profit-oriented corporations, in an effort to increase their bottom lines, began poisoning us as well as our food supply, thereby causing an actual genetic mutation of our species into an obese, lethargic humanity.
If, in the past, we were not eating processed food products and were not obese, why are we today? Our ancestors would eat their fill and food was within reach. Granted, their daily lives included much more physical activity, but they ate what they wanted, without limit, except for those imposed by drought or poor hunting and fishing.
Today, our modern societies do not suffer from food shortages. Everything is available, even junk food, and in such large quantities that we are tempted toward overconsumption.
The food industry inundates us with highly processed “food” products that do not correspond to our needs, let alone to our genetic heritage.
The Smart and Light program can help you become what “you” really are and what “you” have always been.
Through our behavioral, culinary and physical coaching workshops, we take a step back in time and learn again through:
Behavioral Coaching, in which we begin to:
– Know, understand and accept ourselves as a man, woman or child;
– Recognize and identify the problems of overweight or obesity with which we live, and to accept them so that we may heal;
– Understand the way that our bodies and our minds work;
– Understand the ins and outs of weight gain;
– Accept certain truths regarding overweight and obesity;
– Take control of and redirect our impulses, our desires, our fears, our phobias, our dreams, and our obsessions;
– Learn how to break free of preconceived ideas which limit us with respect to others and to ourselves;
– Feel the strength within ourselves, learn to live in harmony with what we are and to refocus;
– Get centered;
– Identify different aspects of our personalities, our strengths and weaknesses, and learn to either use them to our advantage or change them for others that serve us better;
– Send more positive messages to our brains, and change our “beliefs”;
– Believe once again in our innate power to change, grow, and evolve;
– Master different aspects of our lives, and successfully identify the manner in which we face up to difficulties: failures, break-ups, and grief as well as how we manage change: in our marriages, in our work, in our relationships, and in our role as parents;
– Take our rightful place in our families, our relationships, and our professional and social environment;
– Reconnect with our purpose in life, for we all have one, and we must try and remember to focus on the meaning of our earthly journey;
– Examine the way we see the world and our place in it, our lives, our priorities, our desires, and our ambitions;
– Understand the importance of devoting time to ourselves in order to attain optimum moral and physical well-being;
– Reconnect with our true selves, and not pretend to be something we’re not; to better accept what we truly are;
– Develop a strategy for our daily lives by adopting a constructive and intelligent attitude;
– Know exactly what our goals are, to recognize the person you wish to become, as well as the one who you no longer wish to be;
– Ascertain the impact that this change, which we hope will be for the better, will have on our lives, our environment, our work and especially on our spouses and our children;
– Make concrete life changes towards a path of transformation on all levels.
Culinary Coaching, in which we learn to:
– Make healthy foods that correspond to our physiology;
– Acquire new tastes and discover the flavors of traditional foods;
– Enjoy better quality ingredients;
– Make use of fresh, wholesome ingredients, organic whenever possible;
– Discover the secrets of a healthy, fine cuisine – it’s easier than you think;
– Prepare meals according to our tastes and our traditions, but with healthier products;
– Buy the best products on the market or through ethical breeding and slaughter industries which provide a greater traceability of the life course of the animals we eat. (Eating the flesh of abused, malnourished animals which are then brutally slaughtered, is to swallow their suffering);
– Avoid toxic, processed products that our bodies cannot tolerate;
– Adopt new ways of cooking which substitute healthier fats for the ones that are usually used;
– Substitute new, natural sweeteners in drinks and desserts instead of sugar or the very dangerous chemical aspartame;
– Rediscover the countless varieties of vegetables, fruits, fresh herbs, condiments, spices, and all manner of wonderful foods items that are within our reach;
– Choose the best meats, fish, and seafood, and new ways of cooking them;
– Prepare food in advance: cook large batches, store and freeze meals for the week, and keep the fridge organized;
– Make our flagship recipes, a great help on your road to success;
– Prepare healthy snacks that you can nibble on all day;
– Entertain your friends with snacks, fabulous desserts, and light cocktails that will brighten any dinner;
– Eat out, either at restaurants or at a friend’s home;
– Cook with love and joy for yourself and those who are dear to you;
– Find the right moves and develop good habits such that you will never again be tempted by unhealthy fats and harmful foods which damage our bodies as well as our minds.
Physical Coaching, in which we learn to:
– Move our bodies once again, rediscovering the need to move that was no longer a part of our lives, and to break out of our immobility to move forward and live again;
– Understand our body, our muscles, our members, our stature and size, in short, to gain a better comprehension of this powerful tool and land vehicle in which we live;
– Regain the flexibility and the energy which motivates us to persevere and move beyond those first aches and pains;
– Take back the desire to care for this swollen body that we’ve been neglecting because of our weight gain and our sedentary lifestyles;
– Get passionate about moving around outside in order to reconnect with our bodies and with nature at the same time;
– See our body morph throughout each session and through the entire program;
– Feel more vitality, greater endurance, and enhanced well-being;
– Reconnect with this body that is and remains our best ally and to live in harmony with it;
– Relieve stress, and find joy in moving and pushing our limits;
– Develop better muscle tone and a more pleasing shape, one that is both firmer and younger-looking;
– Find balance and serenity in expending energy, such that the days are no longer a source of stress, but filled with true happiness.
WEIGHT LOSS TIPS
Today, on the Internet, there are hundreds of sites where you can find tips on how to lose weight. Much of this information is interesting and can be taken into consideration.
The tips that we see the most often are :
Drink lukewarm water, water with lemon, eat apples before every meal, do not take the car or the elevator if you can walk or use the stairs, eat more vegetables, take the time to chew your food well, get some exercise, eat less fat and sugar, get a good night’s sleep, take some time for yourself, etc. All these tips are generally quite good and not to be disparaged.
If you just need to lose a couple of pounds, these nice, sensible tips will certainly do the trick, but if you happen to be significantly overweight, it won’t be enough.
Whatever method you choose to lose weight, I suggest that first you ask yourself a few questions, as more information about the transformation process you’re about to take can only help you do better. This will allow you to begin this journey in full control of yourself and this journey that you will be taking.
My tips are just the right questions that anyone with a desire to lose weight needs to ask themselves before choosing and committing to a new way of life.
I have been coaching for twelve years, just so I can offer the secrets of my method to everyone who asks. The Smart and Light program boils this body of knowledge down to a series of daily tips which we reveal to our participants during our coaching sessions.
To lose weight, and do it in a natural and permanent manner, it necessarily follows that you need to know how to do it.
But, above all, you need a set of guidelines, a complete program and an itinerary, because losing weight cannot be done in a day and there are a number of steps that need to be taken. To succeed, you need to follow the right path; one which has been laid out for you by your guides. It is important that you use the same approach as those before you, one with proven results.
Following this route is the easiest, safest and quickest way to reach your goal.
To lose weight successfully, you must first understand your weight problem in order if you wish to gain control over it.
Imagine for a moment that you want to take a trip to a place you’ve never been before. Now, even though you may have the best guidebook available, you still need to, at the very least, look at a map before leaving in order to better understand where you’re going, what steps need to be taken and which traps need to be avoided. Then, consult your guidebook for advice on what to expect.
We don’t just take off blindly; we must also prepare ourselves intellectually.
Smart and Light is both a guide and a scout; it maps out the route for you. This journey, which might otherwise be long or dangerous, becomes easy and quick. However, the outcome also depends on your willingness to make this journey in the best possible conditions.
This E-learning program provides helpful and relevant tips and tricks, so that you never feel lost or alone. We are here to support you each and every day of this journey. Day by day, step by step, you will discover new information that will motivate you to reach your goal in the best way possible.
To successfully reach your goal, it is important to have the proper guidance and a clear, comprehensive plan on how to get there.
Of course, we can guide you from point A to point B, but it is essential to clearly define exactly where your own personal point B is.
Let’s say point A is today, the moment at which you decide to change your life and enroll in the Smart and Lite program. However, if you’re not sure just what your goals are, it will be much harder for us to provide you with the guidance you need.
REAL TIPS AND TRICKS THAT WORK, ACCORDING TO SOPHIE REVERDI
I’m going to give you what I think are the 8 best tips and tricks for losing weight in a committed, self-aware and reflective way, in a state of the greatest comfort and calm. These tips are the ones that will really make all the difference, and which are, in my opinion, the first questions you must ask yourself before even saying the words “weight loss”, and before setting out on a successful and rewarding journey of transformation. Without a plan and a well-defined strategy, any attempt is doomed to failure…
Defining a clear and precise goal is a major factor for success. You have to know exactly what you want. Ask yourself :
Do I want to lose weight because I want to conform to the aesthetic norms of society?
Do I want to lose weight because I want to be beautiful or handsome?
Do I want to lose weight because I don’t feel comfortable in my body?
Do I want to lose weight because I hate seeing myself in the mirror?
Do I want to lose weight because I feel people are staring at me?
Do I want to lose weight because my partner doesn’t find me attractive?
Do I want to lose weight because I’m too embarrassed to get undressed in front of my partner?
Do I want to lose weight because I can’t climb stairs any more or bend over to tie my shoes?
Do I want to lose weight because my clothes don’t fit any more, and I can’t find anything in the store that’s my size?
Do I want to lose weight because I’m afraid to go to parties with friends, attend family dinners, or participate in social gatherings?
Do I want to lose weight because I feel alone and isolated, like I have no social life whatsoever?
Do I want to lose weight because I hate myself the way I am?
Do I want to lose weight because this excess weight makes me feel sad and depressed?
Do I want to lose weight because I’m sick and tired of never reaching my goal, of following one diet after another without success? Do I want to lose weight because I’m afraid I’ll get sick?
Do I want to lose weight because I want to have more energy and feel younger?
Do I want to lose weight to learn how to gain control over my life, my eating habits, my body, and my cooking?
Do I want to lose weight because it affects my children to see me handicapped in this way?
Do I want to lose weight so I can enjoy playing with my kids and look good in their eyes ?
Do I want to lose weight so I can set an example for my children, show them that anything is possible and that I’m willing to invest the time and energy needed to achieve this goal ?
Do I want to lose weight because my friends and relatives are worried about me ?
Do I want to lose weight because I can’t put up with the teasing and sarcasm any more ?
Do I want to lose weight because I want to regain the self-confidence that I’ve lost ?
Do I want to lose weight because I have a sense that people don’t believe in me ?
Do I want to lose weight because I’m afraid to lose my current job, or that I won’t be able to find one ?
Do I want to lose weight because I want to be comfortable in my body again and feel sexy?
Do I want to lose weight because my doctor thinks I’m in danger ?
Do I want to lose weight because I suffer from sleep apnea ?
Do I want to lose weight because I feel left out, rejected, ridiculed ?
Do I want to lose weight because I sweat a lot and I’m always out of breath ?
Do I want to lose weight because I hate this feeling of heaviness and how it affects my lifestyle ?
Do I want to lose weight because I need to move on to the next phase of my life ?
Do I want to lose weight so I can feel stronger and better equipped to face life ?
Do I want to lose weight because I don’t want to give up on my life and I believe it’s not too late to fix it ?
Do I want to lose weight because this life does not suit me, because I feel I am at a crossroads ?
Do I want to lose weight because I’m sick and tired of getting bigger, of abusing my body and suffering the consequences in my daily life ?
Once we’ve gone past this first step, we can start thinking about a couple more things…
Ask the right questions before you start so that you feel comfortable with any aspects that might discourage you.
Am I ready to take on this responsibility and tackle this transformation?
Have I established well-defined goals?
Have I fully understood that I am the only one who can make these changes to obtain the results I want ?
Do I have the will power to reach my goal ?
Do I have the right tools to carry this out?
Am I in the right program, the one that best suits me?
Am I ready to make changes in my everyday life?
Do I prefer to progress at my own pace, on my own, using what I believe are the right methods?
Or, am I ready to learn how to lose weight within a proven, effective framework?
Am I ready to trust in this coaching program, and in this diet plan?
Will it provide me with the answers I’m looking for, the right way of eating for me?
Will it provide me with the behavioral and physical routine that best suits me?
Do my coaches meet my expectations in terms of experience, skill set, profile and personality?
What other options are open to me?
Do I want a learning approach that will serve me throughout my life?
Would I benefit from questioning a large number of preconceived and limiting ideas?
Would daily behavioral, culinary and physical coaching sessions help me along this path of change?
Would lessons on organic foods and light cooking, providing marvelous, easy-to-prepare recipes every day, benefit me while making these changes?
Would it help me to have the support and advice of a high-level sports coach every day for two months?
Would participating in these coaching sessions from the comfort of my own home be a bonus to me?
Do I accept the idea that eating unlimited quantities of wholesome, natural foods could improve my life, especially if these foods help me lose weight?
Make a list of your good qualities and your perceived shortcomings in order to have a more balanced view of yourself.
For example:
If, for your good qualities, you have listed:
I am brave
I am persevering
I am fair
I am compassionate
I am generous
I am optimistic
I am practical
I am tolerant
I am gentle
I am high-performing
I have a good ability to adapt
I am methodical
I am kind and sympathetic
And, for your shortcomings, you have listed:
I am shy
I am not sure of myself
I am impulsive
I am anxious
I am compulsive
I am sensitive
I don’t like physical exertion
I don’t like change
I am timid
I am highly strung
I am stubborn
I am always in a bad mood
I am critical about everything
I am unlucky
Ask yourself some questions about the good qualities you listed. Do you use them wisely and to your advantage? Have these qualities helped you lead a better, more fulfilling life? Do you take advantage of these qualities to improve your everyday life, and become a better, more mature, more constructive, more optimistic person, or are they generally reserved for the benefit of others, and never for you?
Think about your shortcomings as well, and try to work out if they could be preventing you from getting ahead in life. Could there be a way of reducing and eliminating them; of not remaining passive and simply saying to yourself, “This is how I am and that’s that, I can’t do anything about it”. This is completely wrong, because at the end of the line, it is up to us to change our course and improve things for the better!
Close your eyes and try to reconnect with your inner strength and the internal rhythms you feel in every moment of your life but choose to deny much of the time when outside events darken your vision of life and of yourself.
List the challenges you have already overcome in your life as well as fond memories in which you or those closest to you were proud of your achievements.
Remind yourself of the strength that lies dormant within you, but which is nevertheless present, and ready to be used again at any moment. List these elements and use this list to reconnect with yourself and with your potential. We cannot imagine the extent to which we have been gifted with an incredible and infinite strength that allows us to climb mountains. Sadly, we prefer to play the role of victim in an effort to avoid admitting our difficulties and facing up to them. This behavior is not characteristic of the animal kingdom, connected to its own internal force. We constantly doubt ourselves, and this is, by far, our greatest shortcoming…
Before starting any diet plan, you need to be sure you understand what it’s all about. So, ask yourself:
What are the ins and outs of being overweight?
Do I understand why natural, unprocessed foods without chemical additives are what is best suited to our human genetics and why they allow our bodies to function at their best?
Do I understand why I eat in a disorganized, compulsive manner, without thinking about what I’m eating?
Do I know and recognize the dangers associated with obesity and being overweight from a medical perspective?
Do I know what foods are good and bad for me?
Do I understand how the body and brain function?
Do I understand the importance of eating healthy cuisine as opposed to chemically treated food products?
Do I understand the importance of each of my organs and the different functions each one performs?
Do I understand the behavioral and nutritional choices made by someone who is overweight?
Do I understand that certain methods of cooking are not suitable for overweight people?
Do I understand that it’s possible to make meal choices that are both healthy and tasty as, if not better than, the toxic choices I’m used to, without depriving myself of anything?
Do I understand that I can eat when I want to, as many times a day as I like, but only food that is good for me, and that I can eat almost everything, and have a normal social life, just like everyone else?
List your worst memories or your worst emotions associated with being overweight, all the situations where you suffered because of your weight, both physical and mental, the criticisms and insults you received, the nasty and aggressive words directed at you and how you felt about them, and the condescending words that you used against yourself in those bleak moments of sadness and despair.
Picture yourself in a brighter future, where you are completely in control of yourself, your cooking, your shopping, your diet, your behavior, your mind and your body. Visualize what you want from yourself. Someone glowing with health, strong, serene, joyful, happy, sure of him or herself, slim, comfortable in their own radiant skin, elegant, svelte, admired, etc.
If, after all this introspection, you choose to follow our program, list all the changes which you are prepared to make in your life in order to shed those pounds.
In order to never again have to suffer from being overweight, I agree:
To take into consideration the advice of a coaching team and of a method which has been proven effective, and to stick to it in a rigorous and positive manner;
To have faith in myself and faith in the program I have chosen;
To follow all the advice and recommendations which are presented in the program with a smile and with determination;
To joyfully accept the information and instructions that are revealed to me, and not see in them the least constraint or sacrifice;
To make changes in my day-to-day life, and in my way of referring to myself and others;
To give myself all the time I need, to take my “self” into consideration, and to become the center of my own universe;
To make myself, and this journey of transformation, a priority in my present life;
To become the change I dream about, by taking responsibility during this stage of learning and guidance, and by being a studious, curious and intelligent learner;
To be fully aware of the opportunity which has been presented to me, to learn how to become my own coach by following two months of coaching geared to provide the life tools needed so that I may become healthier, slimmer, more responsible, more mature, and consequently happier;
To go all the way until I attain my goals, without deviating from my plan, in order to achieve complete success.