How to Lose 5 Pounds This Week

If you had the power to do something extraordinary at this moment and implement it not only for the next week what would you do?  We all have this power if we know it or not.  It's knowing and understanding how to make what you want happen in you body.  Although everyones body is different most of us will have trouble losing weight if we eat too many foods with added sugar.  This sugar is used to make the food even sweeter than it already is, and although it may taste good you really have to think of the long term, and ask yourself the question, "the food tastes good right now but how will it affect my body?" for most people it'll slow metabolism slowing down fat loss within you body, and you have a higher chance of heart disease and diabetes.  Is it worth the risk of eating these junk foods full of bad sugars?

How can you take action to eat better food today?

How many people do you know eating candy, chips, or drinking pop on a regular basis?  Do you yourself continually eat this way?  If you already read this far my guess is you wanna change these foods your eating.  If you are eating fruit flavored candy or chocolates there are 2 very simple alternatives, the first is you can switch out these candies for fruits which not only taste better but like veggies are there to help you body and make you feel more alive.  Instead of eating chocolate bars switch it out for dark chocolate.  Why dark chocolate?  Unlike milk chocolate bars it has a lot less sugar, eating a few pieces (not a whole bar) 2-3 times a week improves blood pressure and blood flow, and what I've noticed from my own experience is that it calms and relaxes me, and the best part it tastes way better than milk chocolate my opinion.

So what's the first step in losing 5 pounds this week?  You must become knowledgable about everything and I mean everything you eat on a daily basis.  Without tracking what you eat it's nearly impossible to make any results.  The easiest way to track what you eat is by writing it down, I would've payed anything to know that one simple strategy 3 years ago.  I now write down everything I eat, it not only helps me know what I put in my body, but also encourages me not to eat junk food.  It might just be me but if I was to eat something like a snickers bar or pizza everyday and write that down everyday I would feel embarrassed to myself.  No I'm not saying completely give up candy or pizza unless thats your goal, but I am saying if you are going to have that, its best to have it once a week at the most.  Although the food we eat plays about a 70% role in our body fat there is another way to lose fat which you probably guessed to be the gym, here you not only can do cardio but can also lift weights, which in my opinion is the best combo along with a healthy diet for losing fat, maintaining low body fat and gaining muscle.  

Why You Should Start Your Journey Today

Have you ever looked in the mirror and said to yourself something like "I should lose weight" or "I should really cut down on all the junk food"?  Although those phrases might sound good, do most of us take action right away?  From what I notice people too often use the word "should" which feels often feels nice because its telling yourself to maybe take a little action but not fully commit to it.  What we need to do is use a different simple word.
Identifying your goals.
For most people identifying what they want to do is the hardest part, many of us will start something then 5 minutes later see no results and try the next "shiny object" idea.  If theres something you love doing then chances are you have the ability to do it even if right now, at this moment you feel as if you don't.  The way to accomplish your idea's and goals are to work at least as hard as the people who are where you want to be and learn from them and their mistakes so you don't make the same mistakes.  I say find something you love because there are plenty of jobs in life that pay a good salary each year, but if they bore you why would you want to do them?  Find something that makes you jump out of bed in the morning, it can be anything, starting a business, having a dream job, helping peoples long as your truly happy and are consistently working at it each and everyday.  Surround yourself with pictures or reminders of the things you want in life, this will make you always remind you why your working your life and keep you pushing for your life.

For me its cars, beautiful places, and spreading knowledge with people that interests me.  Finding the things that drive you in life are one of the most important points to take away from this post, without motivation to get to your goals you have no reason to achieve them, believe me it's worth taking time to write down, find pictures and visualize your goals.
Taking the first step.
The simplest way to change the habit of saying "I should do this" or "should do that" is to switch the word "should" with "need".  Making your goals a necessity in your life will defiantly increase the chances of you working on your goals.  Next time you find yourself saying "I should replace pop with water for a meal today" or "I should read today" replace should with need and WRITE IT DOWN!  In my life I have seen big results in writing my goals down and "needing" to do them each and everyday.
You don't always have to start off with big goals, they are nice to have but if your only goal is make $1,000,000 your most likely going to have trouble without smaller goals to lead up to that $1,000,000.  As I talked about before building momentum is the key to getting anywhere.  The first dollar earned or pound lost will always feel so good and make you see it is possible to live your greatest life and achieve that $1,000,000+ goal.
Let's get to know each other!
Share the top 3 goals you have in the comment section below.

Starting my Life's Journey at 18

Although I have little to share because I really just started my journey this last year, I would like to show you how fast things can change in your life.  Firstly the way I like to start off my mornings.  I found it best for me to start my day off with water or lemon water, and either a fruit smoothie with avocado, or having some greek yogurt with fruit or nuts.  The lemon water gives me a huge boost of energy and really wakes me up literally right away!  With my fruit smoothies I love adding ginger, cinnamon, chia, and flax seeds for an extra boost of energy and protein.

5 benefits of lemon water.
1:  Removes uric acid in joints reducing inflammation.
2: Aids digestion by loosening toxins in your digestive tract.
3: Relieves heartburn and bloating.
4: Keeps skin blemish and wrinkle free by detoxifying your blood it has been shown to maintain your skins radiance.
5: Know to help reduce anxiety and depression.

5 benefits of ginger?
1: Reduces pain and inflammation.
2: Can help with headaches and arthritis.
3: Stimulates blood circulation.
4: Good at subsiding forms of nausea.
5: Can kill cancer cells and prevent them from building up resistance to chemotherapy.

What can you do to start you journey today?
First off you need to identify what it is you want you goals to be, then make a plan and follow it EVERY SINGLE DAY!  It is very simple but just because its simple it doesn't mean its easy.  Just like quitting a bad habit like drinking pop, it sounds simple to just drink water but anyone who has tried know that its not as easy as it sounds.  After all you are used to the sugar and flavor of your favorite pop and water at first tastes so bland and without flavor, but after drinking water you feel so much more alive.  This is the same for anything you want to accomplish, you are in your comfort zone when you start off and its gonna take tons of willpower to take that first step, but once you take it you see your comfort zone isn't the only thing out there and that you can, with enough drive and consistency reach your goals

Overcoming Eating Challenges and Gaining Expeirence in Area's of my Life

I'm eating this good tasting food but don't have the body I dream of, how can it taste so good and be so cheap and do less good for my body than "boring" food?  I'm eating a Big Mac and drinking a large Coke, filled with high fructose corn syrup, which metabolizes much slower than regular sugars. Not only would HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) have an affect on me but so would the caffeine in the coke, going a day or 2 without it would cause severe headaches.
What made me change my eating habits?
I Could tell I was heading in the wrong direction and if I continued to eat this way any longer I could easily become a lot worse than I already was.  I decided to eat at least a little bit healthier and get a gym membership, although at first I still ate unhealthy but at least less unhealthy than I did before but rarely went to the gym.  My diet alone got me close to where I wanted to be and defiantly showed from losing 20-25 pounds.  If you can take one thing from this post I would say it building the momentum steady over time to produce amazing results.
How did fitness help me change other aspects of my life?
At first my main goal was to just be thin and have some muscle, but that thought grew to have big gains/bulk, which is what I'm now working towards.  Along with building up my body I found myself also trying to better my mind with knowledge.  Before this year started, like most teens I hated reading books and thought it would be a waste of time, until I thought of the bigger picture and looked at many successful people such as Warren Buffett who read 250-1000 pages a day!  If the 3rd richest man in the world fills his brain with that much knowledge over decades maybe theres something I could gain from reading myself.  The thought of learning from people who are where I want to be not only motivated me but added some fun to reading.
Do you really need to read as much as Warren Buffett to be where you want to in life?
You may be thinking 250-1000 pages is an insane amount, and you are right.  For most millionaires read an average of 50 books a year, which is still an insane amount but is attainable if you are consistent.  Reading is not only good for gaining knowledge and learning how the great people in history lived life, and how to implement their strategies into your life, but is also a great way to relax whether it be chilling out after work or before bed.  

About Brian: My Journey

I was born in Michigan and lived my whole life here and am currently 18 and training to become the best version of myself, mainly in fitness. I'm currently a skinny guy trying to maintain low body fat and gain muscle.  A few years ago (around the ages of 12-15) I used to eat junk food like crazy, and saw that needed to change.  I not only was 20 pounds overweight but would eat fast food almost everyday, which wasn't just making me fat but was making me sluggish and tired and destroying my body just to have something that at the time tasted good to me.

I joined the gym when I was 15 but haven't really used it consistently until the last 5-6 months.  I remember a year ago having big gains then by the time winter came I never wanted to go because it was "too cold".  Over the course of the winter I lost muscle but at least maintained a low body weight.  Since around April-May I started going at least 3 times a week gaining back muscle but not as fast as before.  I am learning that as long as I work as hard on my life as anyone who has accomplished their goals in life I will become the best I can be, all it takes is the effort.

My main goals are to not just better my own life in fitness and other success areas, but also to help as many people as I can along the way. If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask!