Check out the 21 Weight Loss Tips

Download and print out the Food Diary

Find your height, frame and target weight on the Tables for Men and Women

Read informative articles to help you with your goals

Find inspirational stories of actual Chicago Fit 4 Life clients who have lost weight and changed their lives, complete with "before" and "after" photos!

1. The desire to lose weight must come from you and not somebody else.
2. Don’t be so hard on yourself if you aren’t perfect.
3. Avoid surroundings where you know you’re tempted to make poor food choices.
4. Surround yourself with people who support your efforts.
5. Decide on some non-food rewards for yourself when you reach interim goals.
6. Stock your pantry and refrigerator with healthy foods.
7. Set small goals and focus on these rather than the “big picture.”
8. Journal your food intake every day along with your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and your analysis of your progress. (See Food Diary below!)
9. Write down your goals, desires, and simple wishes -- put them on paper and refer to them often to help you stay focused on what you want in life (i.e. to lose weight, be healthier, have more energy, climb a flight of stairs easily).
10. When the urge to eat strikes you, call a supportive buddy, check into one of our community support boards, take the dog for a walk -- do something that diverts your attention from the food to a more healthful activity.
11. Plan ahead so that your cupboards and refrigerator are stocked with healthy food.
12. Learn to cook differently. Subscribe to a healthy cooking magazine.
13. Eating out at restaurants can be very challenging. Have a plan in hand and stay away from buffets.
14. When self-defeating thoughts creep into your head, refer to your list of goals and remind yourself that this is hard work, but you are worth it.
15. Chew your food slowly, savoring each and every bite. Make sure you swallow everything in your mouth before taking another bite of food.
16. Eat only at the kitchen table -- not standing up, not in the car, not while on the phone. Limiting your eating to one spot will help control your intake.
17. Use luncheon-sized plates for your meals so the food will look more plentiful.
18. Don't fixate on food. Instead, talk about things in your life.
19. Weigh-in once a week only. Being tethered to the scale is emotionally defeating.
20. Record your physical activities every day or buy a pedometer and keep track of the number of steps, striving for 10,000 daily.
21. Cope with cravings by taking just a few bites. Then ask yourself whether it is worth it to continue or if you've satisfied your desire.

Over indulge in alcohol

Drink and be Merry! Consuming alcohol is a great way to ingest large quantities of sugar and calories with little or no effort. Plus, there are added benefits of the next morning hang over. And don't forget the greasy breakfast that is required after a night of drinking. Sugar has 7 calories per gram, which is twice the amount of protein and carbohydrates. This can sky rocket your caloric intake and you won't even realize it. For some serious poundage, drink alcohol frequently and add fruit juice or a carbonated beverage.(We are not endorsing drinking and driving! You can be safe and gain weight effectively without putting others at risk!)

Don't eat the day of a party

You want to look slim in your party outfit, so you avoid eating all day making yourself ravenous. Make sure you start the party off with some cocktails and appetizers, specially the fried appetizers. Make sure you eat a bit healthy by grabbing raw vegetables and coating them in dip. Now socialize by the dessert table, making it very convenient to reach for that extra cookie, brownie or chocolate.

Skip meals

Ideally, you want to make the most of a big meal, so go ahead and skip breakfast and lunch. This way you can consume your daily caloric intake in one sitting. And remember, since you're so hungry make sure you eat extra fast that way you can consume more food before you feel full.

Avoid the vegetable tables and go straight for the desserts

This is a given. Stay away from anything that is green, unless it's green icing on cookies or a cake! Vegetables will destroy your chances of real weight gain. The desserts are where it's at. Consume as many as possible. Be sure to take a doggie bag home with you for a late night snack.

Don't make time for fitness

You've worked out all year. Forget working out. There's no time, right? With parties and shopping and parties and shopping (I meant to write that twice) who has time for working out? We can pick up working out at the beginning of next month.

Hey, that's a great New Year's resolution!

Avoid extra movement. Better yet, lay around a lot!

Working out is definitely out, but make sure you don't do any extra physical activity either. This could increase burning calories. If weight gain is truly the goal, sit as much as possible. Stay sedentary long enough and that lower back pain you once had, yeah it will come back too! That's an added bonus to following this program.

Definitely Ignore the "Rule of 3"

Starchy carb, Fibrous carb, Lean protein blah, blah, blah. Go back to the way you ate before you were introduced to the "Rule of Three." This will add pounds on faster and more efficiently than ever before.

Don't drink water

Don't drink it. Drink plenty of sodas, beer and wine instead. And remember to order the largest flavored coffee you can find, with extra whip cream! Pumpkin Spice lattes at Starbucks work great!

Talyia "After"

I embarked upon my endeavor to be "Fit 4 Life" in the summer of 2005 while getting ready for my wedding. I thought it might be "cute" to lose a couple of pounds before my wedding. I never realized that by hiring Siddiqu as my trainer, I was beginning a radical change in my body, appearance, and overall health. At that time I wore a plus size 24. I was probably tipping the scales at 300. I can't say for sure. Due to the fact that I was so ashamed of my obesity initially, I wouldn't weigh in until after I had been working out with Siddiqu for about three weeks. When I finally got up the courage to step on the scale, it read 286. At 5'10" I wore it better than the average 5'7" woman would, yet I was still dangerously overweight.

Talyia "Before"

One of the first changes I made in my diet was to eliminate red meat. This was not a big deal to me. Several years prior, as a Lenten sacrifice, I had given up red meat. Next, I cut out the fried food. As the pounds continued to fall off, I was motivated to make even more changes. I switched from caramel in my coffee to sugar-free vanilla, and stopped using sugar to sweeten beverages. Around the time that I lost my first 50 pounds, Siddiqu put me on a Food Diary, which I loved. He instructed me to record everything I put in my mouth, and avoid snacking. I found that because I didn't want to write down anything "bad", I exercised extreme discipline. Speaking of exercise, at this point, I was seeing Siddiqu every Wednesday, going to the gym for three additional workouts weekly, and walking about a mile on Saturday mornings. The pounds kept coming off, 4-6 a week! I amped up my work-outs by adding 2.5-pound ankle weights and 3-pound hand weights to my weekend walks, and then decided to wear my ankle weights through the week as well. When I felt the weights getting too light, I upped to 5-pound ankle weights and 5-pound hand weights on the weekends. Though I was still eating healthier and limiting my portion sizes, I still had an infallible sweet tooth. Siddiqu encouraged me to increase my fruit intake to 4-5 servings daily to reduce my sweet cravings, and limit my chocolate and alcohol intake to once a week. Again the scales continued to tell the tale of success. By around the time I had lost 80 pounds, Siddiqu made even more changes in my regimen. He introduced jogging to me, a previously abhorred activity. I was surprised that with controlled breathing, it wasn't as exhausting as I had expected (although it is still my least favorite form of exercise). Additionally, around this time, I decided to eliminate dairy and chicken from my diet to shave off more calories.

Currently, I weigh 196 pounds and wear a size 14. This is ninety pounds less than my first weigh-in. I have successfully kept the weight off for two years! Praise God. I work out 5-6 days a week and try to get in at least 3 days of weight training. Some weeks go better than others. I also incorporate dance into my fitness plan, and still manage to squeeze in a weekend walk every now and then. Since I only eat fish, fruit and vegetables, my diet defines me as a Pescatarian. When I do consume alcohol, I confine myself to lo-cal elixirs such as Pinot Noir or Bacardi Light.

My typical daily diet is as follows:
Breakfast: coffee w/sugar free caramel& soy milk and a banana
Lunch: an apple, strawberries, mandarin oranges and a spinach salad or peanut butter & jelly sandwich
Dinner: tilapia & couscous or salmon, a sweet potato, and broccoli
Snack: pecans, diet coke
My favorite food: guacamole

Talyia "After"

Talyia Eve Riemer-Mallory, Ed.D, NBCT

Jacob "Before"

Jacob was heavy all his life, and carried the weight with a smile. As he got older, however, he noticed he had trouble walking up stairs without being out of breath. At 18 years old Jacob weighed a whooping 235 pounds! Having never weighed over 200 pounds before Jacob enrolled in Loyola for his freshman year, he was ready to seek out extra help to lose a healthy 10 to 15 pounds over six months. He remembered when his grandmother would plead with him to lose weight. Her passing was his inspiration to improve his overall health and slim down. When Siddiqu "The Personal Trainer" met Jacob he literally laughed at his goal to lose 15 pounds in six months and said “If you are really serious about losing weight, give me six months and I will change your life!”

Jacob "Before"

To better assess Jacob’s specific needs, his CF4L trainer asked him to keep a food journal for one week. Reviewing the journal at the end of the week revealed Jacob was consuming too much junk food. The next week he focused on cutting back on the snacks he consumed during the day at school. Specifically, he monitored his intake of his secret indulgence – vending machine potato chips. The result at the end of the second week was a credit to his determination – he lost five pounds. His success in the first two weeks encouraged him to increase his original goal from 10-15 pounds to 30 pounds.

Jacob realized to reach his new goal it would take more than a change in diet; he needed to commit to a lifestyle change. To make this change less stressful, his CF4L trainer suggested he be strict with his diet during the week and allow himself some indulgences on the weekend. Therefore, at breakfast he ate fruit, for lunch he ordered salads, and for dinner he kept the portion size of his meals small. In between meals he drank lots of water to keep him full and hydrated throughout the day.

In terms of exercise, Jacob met with his CF4L trainer once a week for an hour. A main focus during their workouts included strength training. This allowed him to increase the intensity of the cardio he did on his own. Furthermore, his CF4L trainer concentrated on increasing interval cardio activity. These types of exercises helped burn more fat than continuous aerobic cardio. Outside of working with his CF4L trainer, Jacob did an hour of cardio 4 times a week expending 700 calories per workout. By sticking to his decision to change not just his diet but his lifestyle Jacob lost 55 pounds in six months!

Currently, Jacob weighs 175 pounds. He has set a new goal for himself at maintaining a steady weight between 160 and 165 pounds while building muscle mass. On a personal level Jacob admits he feels more energetic, positive, and looks forwards to workouts that challenge him. His experience of working with his CF4L trainer has taught him consistent cardio, ab exercises, and stretching is vital to maintaining one’s fitness level. When working out by himself now he does not quit as easily as did before. Rather he remains focused and determined to complete the workout. His Grandmother would be so proud!!

Removed from Jacob's diet:

processed meat
anything with corn syrup
food with chemical dyes

Jacob "After"

Story by Brittany Turski

Shawndel "Before"

When Shawndel said YES, it was to JD and to a personal weight loss commitment. Her engagement became the catalyst she needed to jumpstart her weight loss ambitions. Upon deciding on the wedding gown of her choice she ordered it a few sizes too small for extra motivation. The timeframe she allowed herself and Siddiqu "The Personal Trainer" was nine months to slim down and tone up for her big day. Immediately, "The Personal Trainer" gave her specific feedback on realistic goals and focuses she needed in order to reach her deadline successfully. Such goals included making serious changes in her diet and utilizing cardio based exercises to burn fat.

His feedback allowed Shawndel to leave their first meeting with a plan of action she could begin applying to her life before her first workout session. She began reducing her portion sizes at meals and cutting back on her sugar consumption. As a self proclaimed sweet tooth, Shawndel admitted the latter of the two changes was hard to consistently implement. However, to maintain her focus she kept a food journal of everything she ate and she would review the journal with her CF4L trainer every week. Furthermore, her CF4L trainer consistently checked in with her outside of their work out sessions. He provided her encouragement as well as extra support by emailing her lists of foods to look for and avoid at the grocery store and specific suggestions on what to order in restaurants.

In addition to her diet, she met with her trainer for one hour once a week and focused mainly on doing different resistance exercises along with static stretching. Such exercises included boxing and ab shocker after ab shocker after ab shocker. These changes produced results after the first few weeks. Shawndel’s family and friends took notice and further encouraged her to keep striving towards her goal. Everyone’s positive input motivated Shawndel throughout the week when she did cardio activity on her own for 30 minutes at least two to three days. At the end of the nine months Shawndel lost a total of 45 pounds and was able to fit beautifully into the gown she ordered nine months prior.

After her wedding she took a small break from training to enjoy her marital bliss. It was not long, though, until she was back working with "The Personal Trainer". She says she wanted to continue working with her trainer because he was realistic about the goals he set for her. To date, she has been training with CF4L for one and half years. Shawndel asserts the most important element to her experience is her trainer’s support and commitment to her success and keeping her on track to reach her goals.

Shawndel "After"

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