For a plan to work, it has to work for YOU. \u00a0Your personality plays a big part in whether you stay the course or abandon it. \u00a0We’ll take a wide view and then talk about more specific personality types to help you find who you are and what works best for you.<\/p>\n
Most folks are one of two basic types. They are either Blitzers or Baby-Steppers.<\/p>\n
Blitzers are the folks who like it best when they are doing things in a blitz — all at once and in a hurry. \u00a0They \u00a0are goal oriented, gung-ho on a new plan, and tend to be a bit (or more than a bit) obsessive about their activities.\u00a0 Whatever they are doing, they want to DO it and not stop until it is done.\u00a0 Is this you? (You can\u2019t see me raising my hand, but here I am.)<\/p>\n
There are real advantages to being a Blitzer.\u00a0 We can focus and get it done, and feel great while we are forging ahead.\u00a0 We are the ones that set the goals and tend to reach them. \u00a0Blitzers see quick initial weight loss, which is an encouragement to keep up the plan.<\/p>\n
Blitzers don\u2019t all succeed long term, though.\u00a0 While they can focus on one thing to the exclusion of others, they burn out faster than the slow and steady types.\u00a0 They tend to overdo any new plan — eating too few calories and working out too much.\u00a0 Both are counter-productive in the long term.\u00a0 That leads to a loss of interest and discouragement.\u00a0 A new project can totally derail the whole plan as the Blitzers switch gears and go full speed ahead in another direction, taking their extra fat along with them.<\/p>\n
So how can an Blitzer stay the course?\u00a0 Give yourself permission to plunge ahead into a short term, all-out routine.\u00a0 Go to the gym every day and stay at a low calorie level if it makes you happy.\u00a0 Just don\u2019t be too crazy about it.<\/p>\n
And here is the key:\u00a0 Plan to fall back, not to your pre-plan level of eating and exercise, but to a moderate one.<\/strong><\/p>\n Say you want to weight 130 lbs., so a moderate person would say, \u201cI\u2019ll eat around 1300 calories, mostly from the green list.\u00a0 I\u2019ll add steps or step equivalents until I reach about 10,000 to 20,000 steps a day.\u201d (Depending on your age, the condition of your joints, and what you are currently doing.)<\/p>\n That\u2019s reasonable and doable.\u00a0 If you are a Blitzer, you won\u2019t want to do this. You want to UNreasonable.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll eat 1200 calories a day,\u201d you say, since that is the minimum you should have. And you actually plan to skimp and eat less than you are supposed to. \u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll do a big workout at the gym every day with 45 minutes on the treadmill and 45 minutes on the weights.\u00a0 I\u2019ll do the “Kill-Shred-Burn” exercise videos every afternoon and go for an hour walk after dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n That schedule will not work for most people, simply because it will take lots of time.\u00a0 You do have a life to live, after all.\u00a0 Besides, jumping into that much activity from doing nothing much will hurt.\u00a0 A lot.<\/p>\n But if you are a Blitzer \u00a0and want to do this UNreasonable plan for awhile — go ahead! \u00a0Have fun! \u00a0Just determine to go back to reasonable when you can\u2019t keep up the rigid schedule you set for\u00a0 yourself.\u00a0 That way you are happy, you give your fat loss a boost, and when you fall back to reasonable, it will seem easy.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t fight who you are.\u00a0 Well, you might want to rein yourself in a bit so as not to hurt yourself.\u00a0 But work with the personality with which God gifted you.\u00a0 Figure out how to use your strengths and set up a safety net to catch yourself when your weaknesses make you fall.<\/p>\n Do you recognize yourself as a Blitzer? \u00a0I’d like to hear from you. \u00a0What plan has worked best for you in the past? Does the Blitzer look absolutely crazy to you?\u00a0 We\u2019ll look tomorrow at the Baby Steppers — the folks who tend to be slow and steady \u00a0— but sometimes hard to get moving.<\/p>\n Eating to live and living for Christ,<\/em> For a plan to work, it has to work for YOU. \u00a0Your personality plays a big part in whether you stay the course or abandon it. \u00a0We’ll take a wide view and then talk about more specific personality types to help you find who you are and what works best for you. Most folks are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nSusan Jordan Brown<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"