The Beach season is here. Are you happy with your body? I’m not. I’ve tried a lot of things in the past to lose weight. I tried diet pills, joining a gym that I would only go to on random spurts but not consistently. I even tried motivating myself by doing the Biggest Winner Weight Loss Challenge on youtube and it started out great as I lost about 25 pounds in 6 weeks. The second half didn’t work out so well and the reason was simple. Excuses. Personal issues making me want to give up, cheating on my diet because I’m doing well, taking days off from my workout, and so on. It’s even harder to stick to a diet when you’re doing well because you feel you’ve earned the right to cheat. I’m not saying you shouldn’t treat yourself every now and then, but set a limit at least like once a week I can have whatever it is that you want to reward yourself with. Because if not then it will get out of hand and you will waste what you’ve accomplished and eventually give up.

People are always looking for the easy way out by buying a product they see on a commercial. But let’s face it. The pills have a bunch of caffeine or other energy drugs that aren’t healthy for your heart and especially damaging if you’re not using the energy. The belts and other ideas that don’t involve you actually exercising are too good to be true and they don’t work. People just love to scam people who think they are going to pay some money and have a perfect body. It doesn’t work that way and many people have tried it. Eating healthy and exercising is the only way to get a great body.

Obesity is considered an EPIDEMIC in the US and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Obesity can cause heart disease, diabetes, and other health issues. When you are overweight your energy level is lower than that of someone who is healthy which makes it that much harder to get motivated. People suffer from low self esteem and depression so it feels like there is no way that you can accomplish a healthy lifestyle. You have to crawl before you walk. Take baby steps. Give up certain things that aren’t healthy and you will see a difference. Then gradually drop other unhealthy things from your diet. For example, if you drink soda then stop and switch to juice and then eventually just water. If you eat fast foods, stop. Easier said then done I know, but we all know that fast food is not healthy. You don’t need a nutritionist to tell you that. If you can handle a drastic change and go straight to nothing but healthy foods then go for it, if not then take baby steps until everything you eat and drink is healthy.

Exercise is another important part of losing weight. If you can afford a gym then go for it, but be consistent. Make a schedule and stick to it. Don’t make excuses. If you’re schedule says you go to the gym before or after work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, then stick to it. Don’t say you’re tired and you’ll go tomorrow instead. That’s when you start to fail. It’s great to have someone go with you to motivate each other, but if you can’t find anyone or if they quit on you then you have to realize that this is for you and no one else, so if they quit that’s their problem, not yours, stay motivated and stick to your schedule. Go as often as possible but make sure you meet your minimum which should be at least 3 days a week to see results.

Not everyone can afford a gym which I understand, but we all know that exercise is something that can be free. Walk to the store or other places instead of driving, walk just for the sake of walking, do push ups, sit ups, or other exercises right in your home. Once again set a schedule and a minimum of what you want to get accomplished. Example 50 push ups and 100 sit ups a day. That’s just an example everyone is different so it could be more or less. If you have a video game system like wii, kinect, or playstation move, then use it. It can be a fun way to burn some calories. If you like sports throw a ball around with someone, go to the tennis, handball, racquetball, or basketball court. There’s public courses everywhere and if that’s not your thing then running and walking is always free. If you have joint problems then take it easy but if you can walk then do what you can and it will get easier as time passes.

Dieting is the most important thing to do in order to lose weight. Like I said earlier everyone knows that fast food is bad. I know it’s cheap which makes it even harder. Buy your fruits and veggies at the cheapest place you can. Turkey, fish, and chicken are lean so you don’t have to go vegan if you don’t want to. White bread, rice, and pasta are high in carbs. I’m sure most of you know this already. Atkins diet is crazy, you will lose weight but it’s not healthy which is why he died of a heart attack. Don’t go no carb counting crazy but there are wheat breads and pasta, as well as brown rice. I know it doesn’t taste as good but you need to get your priorities in order. If taste is the most important thing then it will be harder to lose weight. Even with the whole grain products try to limit the intake because they are still high in carbs. Carbs and calories are energy which turns to fat if you are not using the energy. Chicken, fish, and turkey all have protein which will reduce your appetite but if your trying to lose weight you don’t need a high protein diet. Two servings of those meats should suffice and mayonnaise is not necessary but if you must, then at least get light mayo or a light salad dressing to put on the meat. Fruits taste great and have sugar but it’s natural sugar that breaks down quicker then powdered sugar or high fructose corn syrup. When you buy wheat bread or any other product try and stay away from high fructose corn syrup. Don’t listen to those commercials saying high fructose corn syrup is the same and sugar is sugar and your body doesn’t know the difference because it’s just not true. It’s just companies trying to make you continue to buy their products.

I know what some of you are saying. Statman, aren’t you fat? Yep, but not for long. I’ve been dieting, exercising, and losing weight. You will see soon once I reveal how much I have lost in the near future. I am not done with my diet and exercise and I never will be. This is a lifestyle change. People ask me don’t you miss the fast food and snacks. Yes I do, I miss smoking to. What I don’t miss is the low energy levels feeling sluggish and overall horrible. I feel great and I won’t sacrifice that by going back to burgers, fries, and shakes. My day starts off with a fruit (usually a banana because of the potassium which helps me from becoming sore after a workout) and a coffee. I know coffee is another bad habit but I will try and quit that later. Like I said before, baby steps. Then I drive from Brooklyn to the Bronx for 2 1 hour classes at the Jungle Gym which is my MMA gym. I usually pick up one or both Arthurdamus and Trip Yung to join me. After the workout I go to the juice bar and have a frsh drink as my lunch. Depending on the schedule afterwards we sometimes play some basketball if there’s time. For dinner I either have a grilled chicken salad, Tuna or turkey sandwich, or grilled chicken with wheat pasta and marinara. I drink a vegetable juice drink (which is high in sodium so water would be better but I get my vegetable servings from it) with a scoop of wheat grass. Wheat grass is a healthy natural ingredient that has many health benefits. For more information about wheat grass you can visit http://wheatgrass.org/. Also during the course of the day I drink a lot of water. I’m fat and I sweat a lot. Sport drinks taste great but unless you’re in a competition then water is fine and you’ll lose more weight drinking water instead of a sports drink. Keep checking back on Real Fans Real Talk to see my results. You know what’s good for you and what isn’t by now. Cake, burgers, fries, and fried food is not a good idea. If you make this lifestyle change you will have more confidence, higher energy, and a better looking body.

Don’t put it off until a New Years resolution or even tomorrow. There’s no better time then the present. If you’re putting off until another time then you’re making excuses and excuses don’t bring results. My new slogans that I created and live by are “make results, not excuses” and
“Life is short but it’s even shorter if you’re not healthy”