Loss Running Weight; How you can lose weight by not running

I added a master cleanse drink in the morning to my daily routine and even did a healthy, 2 day fast to kick start the weight loss (read "secret weight loss tip!").

Cleansing is an incredible way to support weight loss, I think. I read study after study that showed drinking cleansing drinks with lemon actually help you lower the cravings for food and tell the body to start it's natural detoxification process.

By drinking a cleansing lemon drink throughout the day you're taking the extra work off your liver, cleansing the kidneys and helping flush out the stuff your body no longer needs.

The only time I've ever been on a "diet" was during college when I wanted to lose the weight I'd gained from drinking beer. I saw a nutritionist and she helped me learn more about the good foods for weight loss and not so good foods (damn, cookies and ice cream weren't on the good foods list!). I went completely off alcohol for three months and using her guidance I lost the weight I wanted to lose. I now think most of what caused me to lose the weight was the not drinking - those extra calories (lots of carbs!) really add up.

Today I drink an occasional glass of wine with dinner, but I don't drink like I did in college (could we ever survive if we did?). Anyway, the way the nutritionist taught me to eat (the pyramid diet we see so often) served me well for awhile, but I found I slowly added about 10 extra pounds and all the running in the world never seemed to help.

I decided I needed new information - that was then, this is now. I found out that people like Tony Robbins (the infomercial/personal development seminar guru) support what's called an Alkaline Diet. Whenever I've seen that guy ,he's always in great shape and has tons of energy!

I figure if it works for him, it can work for me. And it did. You can learn more about the alkaline diet here.

I also tried a Negative Calorie Food program which was cool because it included an ebook and recipes because I'm not a great cook.

One of the best eating tips I picked up in all my research was my love of sweet potatoes and that they're actually good for me. I now eat baked sweet potatoes with cream cheese and walnuts (think balance fat-carb-protein) almost every day. I've heard Japanese women eat them each day and they don't have a word in Japanese for "menopause". That's cool.

The best advice was in John Gray's Diet and Exercise book though. The way he taught me about the differences between men and women and how women need more fat (yipee!) and men need more protein with each meal was incredible. John's book transformed my life. I shared it with my friends, my family and everyone I know. I learned more from that one book than every other book or website I've ever read on wellness. Can't recommend it enough. It even helped me improve my relationship with my husband because we now have the right balance of brain chemicals in our bodies. If I am feeling down or sad, I know I need to bump up my serotonin so I call a friend to help me produce more serotonin. Just talking to friends on the phone is one of the best ways to improve serotonin prouction - did you know that? Really.

Like I said earlier, I put away my running shoes to lose weight. And the weight loss was immediate.

I learned from John Gray in his book The Diet and Exercise Solution (see below), that intense exercise can actually increase our craving for carbohydrates, promote premature aging (yuck), adversely affect our moods -- even causing depression -- and put unnecessary wear and tear on our bodies.

I bought John's bounce and shake video and my husband and I have fun doing it together each day. He's a carpenter and says he has much more energy for his work when he does the exercises each morning and really notices when he doesn't do them.

After a month of not running and bouncing instead, I lost 10 lbs with 2 inches off my waist and 2 1/2 inches off my hips. My pants are looser, my weight loss was fast and I really like the way I feel. Oh, and running is something I do for fun now, not to lose weight.

Before this weight loss, I would never have guessed that running was actually keeping me from losing weight. Now I do low-impact, strength exercises like yoga and Tai Chi to keep me fit and strong. I am more alert, my relationship with my husband is better than ever and I look and feel great.

You can find some of my favorite exercise videos below. If you don't have a lot of time, like me, just pop in a video and get your routine out of the way and never leave your home!

I wish you all the best of success in your weight loss. And remember, you can stop running and lose weight.