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All of us here at Vtrim were psyched to see the Vtrim Weight Management Program highlighted by MizFit Online.  Yes, I used the word psyched on a research-based, very serious weight loss program blog!  After reading through all of the informative, practical and frankly hysterical posts by “MizFit” herself – Carla Birnberg – I’m inspired to jazz up my post today.  Thanks, Carla.

First, I must say that the amount of comments made on MizFit’s blog made me realize just how many people she reaches. Readers weighed in on Heather’s top five tips to trim calories from your daily diet – and had some great things to say about the Vtrim approach.

We want to know what you’re thinking! Chime in and leave a comment, question or story for us – we’d love to hear from more of you. You can also let me know what you want to know more about (and what you’ve heard enough of!).  I promise Heather and I will oblige. (I’ll admit I’m still getting up to speed on all things blogosphere, Twitter, and Facebook).

I was happy to see that the comments regarding MizFit’s Vtrim post were exactly what we think up here in the far northeast neck of the US.  Weight management doesn’t have to be incredibly complicated to work.  Science-based does not mean the latest, quick-fix formula in a bottle that will solve all of your weight issues. If only it were that simple! Well, it almost is. Vtrim is about embracing the simple formula of “eat less, move more” on an everyday basis.

From research, we do know that the formula is in fact that simple, but the implementation is not so easy in the crazy, fast-paced world most of us live in.  Simple and easy just aren’t interchangeable words.  Modifying ingrained behaviors and having lots of support to change an old mindset is what’s critical to making the changes stick.

Take a peak at the MizFit post – we even got a “Vtrimmer,” as we like to call our participants, to pipe in on the comments section and speak from experience.  Thanks, ubervixen – your story was inspiring!

The support people feel in their Vtrim online group (plus a lot of hard work) is what helps propel them from wanting to lose weight to actually losing weight.  There is no better day than today to evaluate where you are and where you want to be.  Vtrim can help you get there.

Ciao for now!  Beth

“When motivation lags, try self-discipline.” That thought will carry you through a lot of days when you “you just don’t wannaaaa.” You know that whiny thought that creeps in your head and tempts you to say the heck with it, it’s too hard. You need to talk back to that voice and recommit to why you are working so hard to change your life through conquering weight management. If you rely on willpower in these moments, you might find yourself curled up with a good book. Willpower is never enough. Self-discipline, a plan and strategies to stay motivated when you’d rather say “forget it” are absolutely essential to long-term success. Discipline yourself to make some of these strategies work when you need them most:

1. Exercise first thing in the morning. Get it out of the way and start your day on the right foot. This is a guaranteed way to get you to be mindful about food throughout your day. You won’t want to negate the calories you’ve already burned.
2. Pack your exercise bag the night before and leave it by the front door. And we mean right in front of the door so you’d have to trip over it to forget it.
3. Ditto for your lunch. Do the work when you have brain room and aren’t rushed. Don’t give yourself reasons to quit by not being prepared.
4. Take an exercise class. Sign up for Zumba or kickboxing. Shake up your routine to keep it fresh.
5. Fake it ‘til you make it. Who do you want to be? Do you want to be that person who is jogging down the street in their jogging gear? What are you aspiring towards and then be that person today. Look in the mirror and decide you are there and then act accordingly.
6. Sign a contract with yourself and have a supportive friend or family member sign it too. Putting your goals down on paper and recommitting with a witness is very powerful. You’ll want to follow through.

As you know, weight management is not easy. Sometimes you have to fight the tide of old engrained patterns. You can do it by relying on strategies to keep yourself in the game and flowing with the new current of a healthier lifestyle!

Vtrim was one of 4 university-based weight loss programs profiled in this month’s issue of Prevention Magazine. The article featured a success story from each program and highlighted Nancy Rabinowitz of Vtrim. Great job Nancy! It is fun to see our participants get press and kudos for all of the enormous lifestyle changes they have achieved.

Vtrim, a University of Vermont program, is in good company with this list. Duke University, University of Alabama and the University of Colorado were also featured. All of these universities are home to obesity research programs that inform their community offerings. Jean Harvey-Berino, PhD,RD Chair of Nutrition and Food Sciences at UVM and Vtrim Founder has been conducting behavioral weight loss research at UVM for the last 17 years. Of those 17 years, the last 11 have focused on delivering weight loss and weight maintenance treatment over the internet. This research formed the basis of the Vtrim online program which is now available nationally. Our online program differentiates us from the others in this article because we have removed the need to be local to a university in order to receive high quality research-based weight loss treatment. Participating in a highly successful and clinically effective program is now only as far away as your nearest internet connection!

You can check out the article by following this link (Vtrim review begins on page 4):

Vtrim Featured in Prevention Magazine