Bucket List Weight Loss Concept #2

If you're depressed, feeling miserable, or angry, DO NOT medicate with food and booze!!  You'll only compound your misery!

Accept the fact that sometimes life is just crappy...and the only way to get past it is to muddle through the rough patch.  Go ahead and be angry, but don't punish yourself by overeating!  Remember the adage, "This, too, shall pass."  If you resist overeating during bouts of depression or anger,  they'll pass faster and you'll be happier (and thinner) when they do.

Use your frustration to fuel an exercise session.  Go ahead, get mad!  Rebel!  Jog a mile with hand weights.  Do 20 extra minutes of Zumba.  Kick a punching bag.

Life may still be crappy tomorrow.  But at least you'll be thinner and healthier, and thus more in control of your day and your destiny.

For more Bucket List Weight Loss concepts, download the e-book (Bucket List Weight Loss) today for just $2.99 at http://www.amazon.com/Bucket-List-Weight-Loss-Manning-ebook/dp/B00AUZPP2S/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1388444721&sr=1-1&keywords=bucket+list+weight+loss.  You can also get it here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/269119

Weight loss:  START HERE

What will you be doing four hours from now?

Whatever you eat at this moment will affect your feelings, functioning ability, and overall performance four hours from now.

You know certain foods bog you down.  You know certain foods give you gas.  You know certain foods give you headaches or fog your brain.  AVOID EATING THOSE FOODS if you want to be at your best four hours from now.

This is Concept 1 in my Bucket List Weight Loss program .  Do this one simple thing: become more aware of how the foods you eat affect you four hours later.  Do this, and you will be on your way to a life-changing weight loss.

Want to know the other 10 concepts of Bucket List Weight Loss?  Stay tuned.  Or, you can get them all now by purchasing my e-book for $2.99 and downloading it to your Kindle, other reading device, or PC.

Order it from Amazon right here:  http://www.amazon.com/Bucket-List-Weight-Loss-Manning-ebook/dp/B00AUZPP2S/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1388040054&sr=1-1&keywords=bucket+list+weight+loss

And you will be SO ready!

Isn't it a great feeling when the Christmas treats are finally gone from the pantry and fridge?  It's a wonderful thing to see the rum balls disappear, to see the nut dish getting empty, and to know the egg nog is going bad and should be thrown out.  You really can't wait to see these disgusting globs of calories gone from sight!

Sure, the temptation is there right now, and you've succumbed to it more than once.  And every time you do, you're thinking, "Just a few more days and then I can get a fresh start and it'll all be over.  I'll be back on my regular eating plan then, and I can work on losing the weight I've gained these past few weeks."

Be even more ready for that fresh start.  Buy my e-book, Bucket List Weight Loss, now and put it on your Kindle or other reading device.  It will be waiting for you when the cheese stix and sour cream dip are gone, and you're ready to return to a more sanitary and healthful life.
book,

I'm going to be re-reading it myself, because I too have tossed caution to the wind a few too many times this holiday season.  I wrote Bucket List Weight Loss primarily for myself, because I wanted a roadmap of how I achieved the greatest dream of my life--when I lost 43 pounds two years ago and became a Size 6.

Read it again with me in January.  But buy it today and tuck it away.  It's only $2.99.  You deserve that much!

Bucket List Weight Loss, available at amazon.com and also at smashwords.

Go ahead and enjoy it!!

It's a week before Christmas and all through the halls
You see fruitcake and fudge and sugared rum balls.
The cookies and cheese cubes sit there on a plate
While your conscience is screaming about gaining weight.
Just stop it, just end it, just quit the obsessing.
Enjoy a few snacks, it's a seasonal blessing.
But do buy my book and be ready to roll.
On New Year's Day you can regain your control.
"Bucket List Weight Loss" is waiting for you,
And once again to thine own self you'll be true. 



Worried about weight gain this holiday season?  Stop it!  Worrying about will only cause you to eat more.  That's because worrying leads to obsessing.  The more you worry about weight gain, the more you'll think about that carton of eggnog in the fridge and that pan of fudge in the pantry.  Obsessing invariably leads to system failure and overeating.

So here's what you should do instead:

1. Enjoy the holidays!  If you want a shortbread cookie, have it.  If you want a glass of eggnog, savor it.  Indulge yourself, knowing that you are ready and prepared for Bucket List Weight Loss on January 1.  It will work for you.  

2. Arm yourself so you can take control again when the holidays are over.  Purchase the $2.99 e-book, Bucket List Weight Loss, and you'll be ready to take charge on January 1.  Glance through the book now, so you'll know what to expect in January.  Instead of obsessing about shortbread cookies, obsess about starting the Bucket List Weight Loss program and getting control of your life again.  Whet your appetite by reading the 12 concepts that will lead to rapid and permanent weight loss.

 Bucket List Weight Loss, your ammunition for post-holiday weight loss.  Available as an e-book from Amazon.com.  $2.99.

Conversation with a scale (Part II)

"Ohmygod, thank you, thank you, thank you."

"For what?"

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be."

"See, I told you.  Only one problem now, though."

"What's that?"

"You may not have any dramatic weight loss by tomorrow."

"That's okay, at least I know where I'm starting now."

"So how much DID you gain?"

"You don't know?"

"No, of course I don't know.  I'm a SCALE.  I don't read and I don't judge."

"I'm up 10 pounds from a year ago.  Weird thing is, I still wear the same size clothes, although they're more snug."

"Uh huh.  So, you gonna lose it again?"

"Of course.  Piece of cake."

"You sure?"

"Oh, yeah.  I can lose it in a couple weeks."

"WHOA!!  I doubt that!"

"Well, if I really try hard--if I crash it off--I could do it in three or so."

"And it'll come back fast if you lose it that fast."

"So are you saying I shouldn't even try?"

"Heck, no!  I'm saying just go about your business.  Live your life the way you know you're supposed to.  Act like an adult.  Take responsibility for your health and your diet.  It'll come off.  Why not set a goal of two pounds a week?  You can probably do that."

"No, that's not enough.  I want to be 10 pounds lighter by tomorrow!"

"You won't be.  You'll get on me tomorrow, get depressed that you didn't lose 10 pounds, and then go drown your sorrows with a pastry overdose."

"So what should I do?"

"Keep track of your calories today and drink lots of water.  Even if you weigh more tomorrow, it'll be water weight.  You'll actually be thinner.  TRUST ME."

"Maybe I shouldn't even weigh myself tomorrow then."

"Ah ah ah....I want to see you back here tomorrow morning before you eat breakfast.  You can cuss at me if you don't like the numbers.  But you still have to trust me.  Watch your calories today, drink lots of water, and you will be skinnier tomorrow morning.  Then we'll talk some more..."

To be continued . . .

www.bucketlistweightloss.com

Get the e-book for $2.99 at Amazon.com

Conversation with a scale

"I'm afraid to get on you."

"Why?"

"Because I haven't done it for three weeks, and I'm sure I've gained weight."

"Will NOT getting on me make the weight go away?"

"No, but I can pretend I haven't gained the weight."

"Pretending is for children.  You're living in denial."

"But I'd just rather not know about my weight gain."

"You already know about it; that's why you don't want to get on me."

"Yes, but I just don't want to SEE it on the scale."

"Would you rather SEE it in the mirror?"

"No...."

"Then get on the scale. It will be easier to see your status here than to look at yourself in the mirror after you've gained an additional five pounds."

"But I'm afraid I'll get depressed if I know the truth."

"Like, you're not depressed already?  Come on, you have been OBSESSING about me for the past couple weeks!  Yet you're afraid to get close to me!  Your fear is making you fatter!"

"Can't I just starve myself for a couple days before I get on you?"

"No!  That will be worse.  First, you'll never do it.  Second, what if you starved yourself and then found out you weighted WAY more than you thought?  You'll shoot yourself!  So you might as well weigh yourself now.  It won't be any better or worse tomorrow.  It's right now that counts."

"I'm afraid of the numbers I'll see."

"They are numbers.  I'm a scale, not a human.  I'm a machine.  Besides, you are what you are.  You will weigh the same today whether you get on me or not...so you might as well climb on and find out those numbers!"

"Shouldn't I wait till I have a big bowel movement?  And I think I'm retaining water."

"FANTASTIC!!  That means you'll be just that much lighter the next time you weigh, after you've lost all that waste.  That will make you feel wonderful!"

"Can't I wait just one day and get myself back on track?"

"No.  Today is the day you weigh.  Today is the day you start getting back control of your reality."

"Must I?"

"Yes.  Start acting like an adult with a brain.  Stepping on the scale is the most important step you'll take toward regaining control of your weight.  I want to see you here every day.  Let's start up a relationship again."

......to be continued......

Lose the drama and just do it.  www.bucketlistweightloss.com

You can have your wish

Some wishes are ridiculous or futile...

• "I wish I could win the Powerball."
• "I wish my husband looked more like Tom Selleck."
• "I wish I could bring a deceased loved one back to life."

Some wishes are entirely attainable:

• "I wish I could shrink my Size 18 body down to a Size 6."

When one of your wildest wishes is so attainable, what's stopping you from achieving it?  Healthy and permanent weight loss costs NOTHING except perseverance and a little time.  Do you really want to check out of this life regretting that you did not attain the one wonderful and life-changing goal that is so easily within your reach?

I got my greatest wish, and I wrote about it so you could have yours too.

My NEW "greatest wish" is that you, too, will make your own weight-loss wish come true.  You can have your wish if you truly want it.  So what are you waiting for?

If you'd like to read how I achieved my permanent weight loss goal after 45 years of dieting, read my e-book, Bucket List Weight Loss.  It's $2.99.  There's nothing else to purchase.  The answers are all there.

What are you waiting for???

Oh...if you don't have a Kindle, go here to download it: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/269119 and scroll down to "Available E-book Reading Formats" to choose which you want.

Blessings,
Jan

The Rear View

Have you ever done this?  You get dressed, pick up a mirror and hold it up while you stand facing away from a full-length mirror.  You're checking your rear view.  What you see is so repulsive that you slam the mirror down in horror and change your clothes, hoping to find something that won't make your ass look so big.

That was my routine for most of my adult life.  I did a lot of wardrobe changes.  Sometimes nothing looked good, so I'd opt for a long, baggy top that would mask the big butt and the saddlebag bulges.

In March 2011, this is how I lived.  The fact that the rest of society was also getting fatter did nothing to console me.  It wasn't what I wanted for myself.  Forty-three years of being "big" was enough.  I didn't want to die fat.  I wanted my rear view to look positively slim and attractive. so I'd never have to hide or apologize for it again.

My transformation began in April of that year.  I started out weighing 183 pounds and wearing a size 12 on "thin" days and a size 14 most of the time.  I had always dreamed of being a size 6, but thought it would never be possible for me to get that small.  I'd seen size 8 in the past, but never a real size 6.

Ah, but in  a short eight months, I was wearing "real" size 6s!  What I'd imagined impossible easily became a reality.  I'd lost 41 pounds!

Now we're hurdling toward 2014 and I'm still wearing 6s.  I fully expect to be a size 6 for the rest of my life.

By the way, I was 58 when I began my journey to the destination of a lifetime.

How did I do it?  Well...I really did not diet.  I didn't take drugs or get injections.  I didn't join a program.  I didn't have to buy pre-packaged foods.  But I did make some changes that immediately made me feel better.  The weight fell off quite effortlessly and naturally, and I discovered my "true" size was a 6, not a 14.  I wanted to write down my method, and I came up with 11 concepts that led to my "Bucket List Weight Loss."  The book, by the same title, is available for Kindles and other tablets, for $2.99.  I hope you'll buy it, because it can change your life as it did mine.  Don't believe what diet marketeers are telling you.  Don't waste your money on costly gimmicks and potions.  Do what I did--what I outline for you in Bucket List Weight Loss.  Give yourself the greatest gift you could ever imagine.  Get thin and healthy, and stay thin for the rest of your life.

www.bucketlistweightloss.com

Purchase at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bucket-List-Weight-Loss-ebook/dp/B00AUZPP2S/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1378396551&sr=1-1&keywords=bucket+list+weight+loss

My own "before & after" photo

The photo on the left was taken in 2008 (before Bucket List Weight Loss).
The photo on the right was taken in July 2013 (after Bucket List Weight Loss).

After 48 years of dieting and obsessing, I lost the weight and became the size of my dreams.

More importantly, I regained the health and youth that had aged me prematurely when I was 40 pounds heavier.  Now, at age 60, I'm enjoying a life that's more active than ever, unhindered by the extra poundage I once carried on my frame.

I wrote the e-book, Bucket List Weight Loss, to let others know how they can do the same thing, and to encourage you to just do it.  It's not a diet, and you won't have to buy anything other than the book ($2.99).  No drugs, no injections, no pre-packaged foods.  There's just a lot of common sense that can be individualized to anyone's situation.  There are no longer any excuses for you to be even a little overweight.

If you don't own a Kindle, Nook, or other reading tablet, simply download the book file to your PC and read it right there at your desk.  For instructions, go here: www.bucketlistweightloss.com.

To order the book for your reading tablet, go to Amazon.com.

Act like a grown-up!

The adult inside you says, "I shouldn't eat that."
The child in you says, "But I want it so much."
The adult says, "No, I can't have it because it's not good for me."
The child says, "But I don't care!"
The adult:  "Why don't you care?  Be an adult!"
The petulant child screams, "I AM an adult, and that's why I can have anything I want!"

How ironic!  When we're young, we want to be adults so we can make our own decisions.  Yet the decisions we want to (and often do) make are often those of a petulant child.

We're children living in adult bodies.  The child wants to eat cookies until she feels sick.  The adult rationalizes that it's okay to do that.

GROW UP!!!!  Next time you catch yourself sounding and acting like a spoiled 8-year-old brat, remember that you're an adult and act like you have a brain.  Let the adult inside you calmly take over.  Walk away from the temptation.  Find an alternative activity.

It's the petulant child inside you that's allowed you to become overweight.  The adult in you knows better!  Tell that kid to shut his or her pie-hole (literally) and get a life...and there is no life in the bottom of a potato chip sack.

Common sense splashed in your face can feel as refreshing as a sprinkler on a hot day.  Find it here:

Bucket List Weight Loss

the e-book by Jan Manning 

for $2.99

www.bucketlistweightloss.com

 

Before and After

If you think you can't....

or don't want to bother....

If you think you're big for life....

Think again.

You have the power within you to change your life forever, and to reach your Bucket List Weight Loss goals.




Stop cheating yourself.  Stop selling yourself short.  You're already a relatively small person.  The part that makes you big is the extra fat. 
Melt it off. 
Become the person your body wants you to be.  Have the body your mind wants. 
These people did it. 
They are just like you. 
No smarter. 
No richer. 
No better looking. 
But now they're healthier...and happier...and will live longer, better lives.  Join them!

Bucket List Weight Loss, an e-book by Jan Manning.  Get it done once and for all.  Download to your computer or e-reader for $2.99.  Click here to order, and GET STARTED ON THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!

Not sexy 

I have a male friend who's shaped like a balloon with piano legs.  He insists he's in great shape, that he works out every day, and that he really doesn't eat "that much."

"It's all solid," he says, referring to the belly that strains over his belt buckle.

Hmmm....I don't buy it.  He looks like his belly would pop and send him airborne around the room if I poked it with a needle.  He didn't get that way by working out and watching what he ate.  He'd like to find a girlfriend, but I frankly don't know any women who are attracted to that look.  And let's face it, while looks aren't everything, they're mighty important when it comes to making first impressions with the opposite sex.

My friend could change his shape if he really wanted to. He'd have to eat and drink a lot less, but he could do it.  That rotundness isn't muscle or internal organs or skeletal structure.  It's fat.

Women stress more about their weight and their appearance than men; that's hard-wired.  But we women really appreciate it when our men make an effort to keep themselves trim, attractive and healthy as well.  And we show it...in ways that most men like!

The e-book, Bucket List Weight Loss, has some strong words for men who've allowed themselves to develop "Dunlaps Disease" (a condition where the belly "done laps over" the belt buckle). Men, lose the belly by drastically reducing your caloric intake.  Add some crunches so you can see that six-pack that's been hiding under the fat.  Your love life will improve dramatically, and you'll probably live longer to actually enjoy it.


Bucket List Weight Loss, an e-book for $2.99.  Click here to order and download to your computer or reading device.

Why are you still fat???

Okay, so maybe you're not fat.  Maybe you only have 10 pounds to lose.  Whatever the amount, why do you still have more fat on your body than you want?

Losing your fat is simple; it's just not "instant."  You don't see the results right away, but you must believe your efforts are working, and you must use a scale to keep you honest and accountable.

I'm not saying that losing your fat doesn't take effort.  It takes a lot of effort, but it's primarily mental effort.  You have to want it enough to go hungry and to change your eating/exercising/living habits.  You can't do that?  Then you don't want it badly enough.


Once again, losing your fat is simple.  You must expend more calories than you consume.  How you do that is up to you.  There are thousands of weight-loss books, journals, programs and gurus who can help you find a way (and charge you thousands of dollars in the process).  Or you can do it on your own, by counting calories and listening to your body's very individual nutritional needs.

My advice?  Save all that money for a new wardrobe or a trip to celebrate your weight loss.  You're smart enough to do this without making someone else rich in the process.  I lined a few pockets myself--for 45 years' worth of diet programs--until I discovered the secret to permanent weight loss resided within me.  And it doesn't take years!  You can be the size of your dreams in months if you just start now!

Remember that new weight-loss program you started last year?  What happened?  Why aren't you skinny yet?  If you weren't able to stick to that program, it wasn't right for you.  Let your own body write your next program.  That's how I did it.  That's why I wrote a book that only costs $2.99...you see, it was so simple that I think you deserve to be thin too.

I'm Jan Manning, and Bucket List Weight Loss is my e-book.  See it here:  www.bucketlistweightloss.com.

Three Steps to Weight Loss

Let's boil it down. Want to lose a bunch of weight?  Here's what you do:

1. Eat fewer calories than you burn.  
2. Burn more calories than you eat.
3. Drink water.

Want it put another way?

1. Eat less.
2. Move more.
3. Drink water.

Oh, but you have special needs?  Okay, here's YOUR prescription:

1. Eat fewer calories than you burn
2. Find a way to move, so you can burn more calories than you eat.
3. Drink water.

It works.  100% of the time.  No, you won't lose 40 pounds overnight.  But you will lose and lose and lose.  You may not feel it, but you'll wake up just a little bit thinner each day.

Burn enough fuel, through extra movement and daily living, to use the calories you have consumed along with some of your stored bodyfat.  Melt the pounds.

It's simple physics.  Don't over-complicate it!

EAT LESS

MOVE MORE

DRINK WATER

Need a few more cold-water splashes of common sense?  Download the e-book, Bucket List Weight Loss, to your computer or tablet.  Just $2.99. 

A Tale of Two Skeletons
Take a look at these two female skeletons.  They're the same size, probably about a Size 6.   Now look at the extra flesh that covers the skeleton on the right.  That extra padding makes her a Size 14, or maybe larger.

Next time you think you can't get small enough to wear small sizes, remember this illustration.  Your frame, without the extra padding, is a Size 6.  If you're wearing a Size 16 instead, it's not because you were "born big" or have "plus-size genes."  It's because you have about 40 extra pounds of fat that you've allowed to accumulate on your frame.  Get it off and discover the "Size 6 You"  that's lurking beneath the surface!

For help in your discovery, download the e-book, Bucket List Weight Loss, by Jan Manning, available at Amazon.com.

You're gonna love yourself in the morning....

Ever heard the old Kris Kristofferson song, "You're Gonna Love Yourself in the Morning"?  It is, of course, a 180-degree turnaround of the old phrase, "You're gonna hate yourself in the morning."

Which do you do?  If you eat and/or drink too much of the wrong things the day before, you're familiar with that sensation of self loathing the morning after.  You wake up groggy, lethargic, and feeling "fluffy" because of all the calories you ingested the day or night before.

This is NOT a good way to start your day!!!  You're likely to continue on a negative path that spirals downhill, leading to even more misery tomorrow.

However, if you "live well" today by eating small to moderate amounts of delicious and healthful food, you truly will love yourself in the morning.  You'll awaken tomorrow with an abundance of energy and a "nothing can stop me" attitude that propels you toward an even better morning the next day.

Take steps today and tonight to make you love yourself tomorrow morning.  Once you find out how good it feels, it will be easy to repeat it...day after day....and you'll see pound after pound disappear!

Based on the book, Bucket List Weight Loss, available for download at Amazon.com and other e-book retailers for $2.99.  By Jan Manning.

The Duct Tape Diet

Remember the last time you had a bag of candy sitting next to your desk, and all the contents just sort of vaporized by the end of your day?  Oh, you know where they went.  You just don't know precisely when or how it happened, because you were eating rather mindlessly.

Don't you wish there were an alarm you could set to go off every time you mindlessly reached for something to put in your mouth?  After all, you really didn't mean to eat that whole bag of candy.  It just happened.  You weren't even aware it was happening.

Well...there's no food alarm on the market right now, but you can always try duct taping your mouth shut.

Yes, I'm kidding!  But wait....think about the concept!  You want a barrier between the food and your mouth.  It needs to be a barrier that's hard to break.  With duct tape, the easiest way to break the barrier is to rip it off.  That causes pain!  Not pleasant!  It's far easier to simply keep the duct tape in place until you are thin.

Granted, you can't and shouldn't do this.  There's only one other way to keep the food from traveling into the mouth.  That's to become more aware of what you're doing.  Make yourself a rule that you will only do "conscious eating."  In other words, if you want to put food into your mouth you'll have to remove the virtual duct tape first.  So take a moment to recall how it feels to yank that tape off your mouth.  Ouch!!  Is that bag of candy really worth it?

Avoid the pain.  Keep your virtual duct tape in place., and remove it ONLY when you're ready to NOURISH your body with what it wants and needs.

Bucket List Weight Loss, an e-book for $2.99, by Jan Manning, available here.

A great natural appetite suppressant!

If you've ever planned an exciting trip, you know this sensation.  It starts months ahead of departure time.  Your mind is flooded with endorphins that create a kind of natural "high."  You see yourself on the plane, on the cruise ship, on the trail you've dreamed about for so long.  You imagine how you'll feel, what you'll be wearing, what foods you'll eat, the sounds, smells and other sensations that will surround you.

Anticipation is half the fun of a well planned trip!  You get to live the perfect experience in your head over and over before you actually do it for real.

Book your weight loss destination (Size 6, let's say) today. It's a big trip, so you'll need plenty of advance planning.  You should probably start a year in advance to fully enjoy the experience.  Book it right now and put down a nonrefundable deposit.

Hmmm....if this really were a dream trip, you'd be jumping for joy.  You're going to your bucket list destination, after all. 

So why not embrace the excitement of getting to this other Bucket List destination (the Size 6)?  Think about how wonderful it WILL be (not how wonderful it "could" be).  You're going there.  You've made a deposit!  Next time you feel hungry, or next time you feel like snacking, rejoice!!!  You're getting closer to your destination because you will RESIST the temptation.  Rather than feel deprived or resentful because you're not eating, feel strong and empowered because you don't cave in.

Onward!  Keep your eyes on the prize ahead!

www.bucketlistweightloss.com

Download the book, Bucket List Weight Loss, to your reader or computer.  $2.99.

More fun than eating!!

Granted, eating is fun.  Textures, tastes, sensations, satisfaction, memories, associations....all these elements make the experience of eating pleasurable.

 Here's something 100 times more fun:  LOSING WEIGHT!!

Compare recreational eating to losing weight, and it's like comparing a kids' merry-go-round to a theme park rollercoaster.  You'll get a whole lot more lasting thrills from losing weight than you will from that five minutes of junk food ingestion.

Next time you're thinking, "What the hell, I'm hungry, I want it, and life is short so I'll eat it," think this instead:  "It's more fun to get on the scale and see my weight drop, it's more fun to see my clothes get loose, it's more fun to feel great, it's more fun to shop for smaller sizes, it's more fun to know I look terrific."

Get off your butt and go have some FUN!!  Choose activity over inappropriate eating.  Take the wild ride and get your money's worth from this day and this life.

Bucket List Weight Loss, an e-book for $2.99, by Jan Manning.  www.bucketlistweightloss.com

If nothing else, just do this

Okay,  so you pigged out for the past two days and ate way too much salty food.  You suspect you've gained five pounds since last week and you'll be damned if you're going to WEIGH yourself when you feel like this.  Maybe you'll crawl on the scale again in a couple days, after you've cleansed....

If you ever find yourself in this miserable predicament, there's still one thing you can and should do.  It'll help you get back on track and keep you healthy in the meantime.
DRINK WATER.

Water is heavy.  You don't really want to drink a quart of water right before you weigh yourself (you'll be up two pounds).  But if you're not going to weigh ANYWAY, then you might as well seize the opportunity to DRINK (water, that is).  Drink as much as you can.  Start with at least 96 ounces a day.  (That's a mere 12 cups of water.)  It'll wash through your system and flush out some nasty stuff that's helping you retain weight.  You'll be more ready than ever to jump back on the scale in a couple days of more moderate eating.

WATER--LOTS OF IT-- IS NECESSARY FOR HEALTHFUL AND SUSTAINED WEIGHT LOSS.

Remember....if you're not going to weigh that day, DRINK MORE WATER.  It will become a happy habit before you know it.

Bucket List Weight Loss, an e-book by Jan Manning, available for download to readers and computers for $2.99 at Amazon.com and other e-book retailers.

Four hours from now I will be . . .

• In a yoga class.  I don't want to have gas or indigestion.  So I won't eat anything NOW that has that effect on me.  No cookies, cake or wheat products, no potatoes, no bananas, beans, oatmeal, peanut butter, etc.
• Riding my horse in mid-day heat.  Can't eat anything now that will upset me or feel heavy.  No big, rich anything.
• Giving a lecture.  I want to be absolutely clear-headed and alert.  Can't eat any candy or refined sugar now, or I'll be buzzing like a drunk.
• Running a road race.  Can't eat anything now that will affect my performance or upset my stomach then.  That means I stick with small portions of good carbs and protein, and plenty of water.
  
• Sitting at the kids' soccer game.  I want to have the energy to cheer, and I want my jeans to feel a tad loose.  Better not eat anything now that's going to bloat me, or fog my mind.
• At a semi-formal dinner party, and I want to look and feel sensational.  Can't eat anything now that will detract from that!  No greasy fries, no beer, no junk food.
• Making love.  Can't eat anything now that will gas me up or make me uncomfortable.
• Sleeping.  Can't eat anything now that will detract from restful, quality sleep.  That means nothing after 8 p.m. except water.
  

The "four hours from now" mindset becomes a tad addictive, especially when you discover how good it is to feel good...and how that fat is melting off your body with virtually no effort!   Before you eat that, think four hours ahead!

Bucket List Weight Loss, an e-book by Jan Manning  for Kindles, Nooks, iPads and computers. 

Embrace your journey

"I want to lose weight.  I want to be thin.  Life will be wonderful when I've lost weight.  It will be the best thing I can possibly do for myself.  I'm so excited to know I'm finally going to lose weight!"

"But it will be awful getting to my goal.  I'll be hungry, cranky, impatient and disgusted.  I will crave things I can't have.  I'll be miserable.  It will be horrible.  I will hate the time between now and when I'm thin, because dieting sucks.  I wish I'd never let myself get fat in the first place."

Whoa!  Wait a minute!!  The journey toward your destination to the Size 6 rack should be enjoyable.  How could it not be?  Think of where you're going!

Remember the last big vacation trip you took?  You probably started planning for it several months in advance, and half the fun of the trip was in the planning and anticipation. Your weight-loss journey should be the same!  You're going to one of the most exciting places you've ever been (the Size 6's).  Embrace your journey and enjoy every minute of it!

• "I love being hungry because I know I'm losing weight."
• "I love being tempted and saying "No thanks," knowing I'll be thinner tomorrow."
• "I love being tired because I know I've burned calories and worked by muscles."
• "I love drinking water because I know it's helping me reach my weight loss goal."

Negative thoughts ("I hate this, I'm starving, I'm depriving myself, I resent not being able to eat like a pig, I'm destined to be fat...") won't get you ANY positive results.  Next time a negative thought about your diet enters your mind, sound a little alarm that turns it into a positive thought:  "I will be thinner tomorrow if I don't eat this.  I'll feel better.  I'll be that much closer to my goal."  After all, you have SO MUCH to look forward to!

What is YOUR personal favorite diet book?

Yesterday I told you about my favorite diet book.  It's my favorite because I can read and re-read it and draw inspiration from it each time.

What's your favorite, and why?  Did it suggest a specific diet program or was it more of a general approach?  Was it filled with anecdotes and success stories?

Think back to how charged up you felt after reading it.  Perhaps you could recapture that energy and drive if you read it again today.

Or...maybe you should do as I did, and write your own book.  You've had hundreds and maybe thousands of self talks over the years, and you've come up with some pretty good insight and weight-watching wisdom on your own.  Write it down!  Write about the successes.  What were you doing then?  What was your motivation?  Let yourself relive the joy and satisfaction you felt during an especially effective period of weight loss. 

You hold the keys to permanent and healthy weight loss inside you.  Books will help, but only if they lead you to the self discovery of a weight loss system designed by and for you.

Bucket List Weight Loss, an e-book by Jan Manning
www.bucketlistweightloss.com

My all-time favorite diet book

I gotta be honest.  My all-time favorite, and the most personally effective diet book I've ever read, is the one I wrote and published last December.  Bucket List Weight Loss tells my story of 40 years of weight struggles, and it chronicles how I finally got to where I am now, wearing a Size 6, and where I plan to finish out my life.

Half the reason I wrote the book was so I'd have a personal reminder...a documented approach to what I did (and why) to lose 40 pounds once and for all.  The other half of the reason was so I could share it with others.  It seemed so simple, after all, that just about anyone should be able to do it.

Every couple months I re-read it as a refresher course, and it gives me the inspiration and confidence to keep doing what I'm doing to stay thin.

Two other books that stand out from the pile of diet books I've read over the years:
Diets Don't Work (Bob Schwartz) and The Story of Weight Watchers (Jean Nidetch).  Like Bucket List Weight Loss, they're both full of personal anecdotes to which I can relate.  They're also heavy on common sense.  You know as well as I do that you won't get permanently skinny by drinking diet milkshakes or buying pre-packaged diet foods.  You need the same reminding I do:  losing weight (and keeping it off) requires lifestyle changes, none of which need be unpleasant.

Until you write your own book on the subject (and I encourage you to do it!), get mine and re-read it every so often.  It's an easy read, and it will help get you back on track if think you're about to derail.

Bucket List Weight Loss, an e-book by Jan Manning.  $2.99.  Available for instant download to Kindle, Nook, iPad, other reading devices, and your home computer, from all major internet book dealers including Amazon.com.

How much time do you have left?

We call certain things "bucket list" items.  Not goals.  Not dreams.  Those are all different.

When I hear "bucket list," I feel a little pressure from the old ticking clock.  If something's on your "bucket list," it means you'd really like to do it before you die.  You're not quite sure you'll get the chance, but you're pretty sure you'll regret it if you don't at least give it a try.

Losing weight was a "bucket list" item for me.  I'd been bulky all my life and had just about accepted the fate of being that way for the duration.  I also wanted to go to Antarctica.  And hike down into the Grand Canyon and back.  Antarctica's too darn expensive.  I might still do the Canyon if my knees hold up.  But the "losing weight" part is now off the list.  Done it!  Ironically, it was at the top of my list.  Ironically, it didn't cost me anything!  Ironically, now that I've lost the weight, my knees will probably hold up for that Grand Canyon trip in the future.

How much time do you have left to work on your own bucket list?  If losing weight is on it, know that it's entirely possible to reach that Size 8, or 6, or 4, even if you've been a Size 18 all your adult life.  It simply takes some lifestyle changes that are neither difficult nor hurtful.  Don't diet.  Just live right, and become naturally thin.  Don't let your lights go out without accomplishing this thing that is important to you.  Don't die with regrets.

How much time to you have left? 

Bucket List Weight Loss, an e-book by Jan Manning, available for download on all computer and reader formats.

Weighing yourself  as a biology experiment

Some people advocate weighing yourself only once a week.  Some would say never.  I say once a day, but not so you can praise or punish yourself every day at 7 a.m.  I say do it as a biology experiment that teaches you about your inner "clock."

You'll discover there's neither rhyme nor reason for your daily weight fluctuations.  If you're 153 this morning, change nothing about your diet, and weigh in at 156 tomorrow--and if you can trust your scale--then you'll know your body found an excuse to retain extra fluid.  No big deal.  Weigh yourself the next day and you may be down to 151.  (Remember that a quart of water weighs two pounds!)

Your body may also have a delayed reaction, weight-wise, to something you fed it several days earlier.  Fat takes a while to "settle", so when you overindulge on Monday, don't be shocked if it doesn't show up on the scale till Thursday.

So what good is the scale if you can't trust it on daily readings?  Oh, but you can trust it.  Just beware that most of your body is liquid, and that you'll be retaining water for various reasons, some of which seem inexplicable.  Don't argue with the scale and don't get angry with it.  The scale is inanimate and objective tool..  You could be one five-mile walk or one trip to the bathroom away from losing a couple pounds. 

When the scale truly  "does a number" on you, shrug it off and do the biology.  What have you eaten that would cause you to retain water so drastically?  Is it hormonal?  Was it the high-sodium soup you had for dinner last night?  The variables are many.  If you're inexplicably up from yesterday, remember that you are not necessarily any "fatter" than you were yesterday.  The weight gain is temporary, which you will happily verify when you weigh tomorrow!

My book, Bucket List Weight Loss, tells you how you can finally lose that 40 pounds without diets or supplements,  live out the rest of your life with better health , and be the size of your dreams.
www.bucketlistweightloss.com