Posts Tagged ‘Weight Loss’

Excuses & Meme’s…The Great American Way! Part II

Please read part I posted last week to shed light on what I am about to suggest in this post.  Last week I told you that all of us have meme’s and that they act to impede our fitness and nutrition goals.  Today I would like to give you some simple steps that you can apply to change your current mindset so that you can obtain the lifestyle that you truly deserve.

Step #1:  Acknowledge that you make excuses:

No, you’re not in AA but this first step CANNOT be overlooked. If you do, you will pay the price of failing.  You make excuses…yes you do.  There is absolutely nobody that is exempt from excuse making and you are no exception.  That is ok.  The good news is that you can change your mind once you identify your excuses and memes. 

Step #2: Write down all of your excuses and memes:

This is more of a process.  For the next 30 days I want you to write down all of the excuses and memes that you make to yourself.  See last weeks post for examples.

Step #3: State the opposite:

Once you have written down all of your most annoying excuses and memes you need to write down the exact opposite.  For example if you say, “I am too tired to exercise after work”, write down “Because I am proactive and take responsibility for my life, I will exercise before work to increase my energy level”. 

Step #4: Change your Sub-Conscience Mind: 

Your sub-conscience mind is the part of the brain that stores all of your habits.  It steers the proverbial ship.  This is where the vast majority of all your behaviors are stored and processed.  To change your sub-conscience mind you have to do the following things.

            a. Convince it that it is wrong:  You do this by stating the exact opposite of your memes.  The very moment that a negative or damming thought enters your head you must replace it with the opposite thought…even if you have to say it out loud.

            b. Construct a list of positive affirmations:  On this list could be something like “I am in control of my eating at all times”, or “Exercising daily is just part of who I am”. 

            c. Repeat your list of affirmations daily, morning and night: Do this when you first awake and before you go to sleep.  The goal is to be in a relaxed state where not much will bother you and where your mind can be at ease. 

            d. Be in a state of believing:  When you are repeating your affirmations, do so in a state of positivity and optimism

Step #5: Disarm your alarm system!

When you begin doing these simple steps your brain will tell you that you are crazy and that you are acting weird or like a moron.  This is normal because your brain is still convinced of the validity of your previous mindset of excuses and memes.  Persistence is the key here.  If you persist and repeat your affirmations day after day you will begin to believe the things that you are telling yourself and BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE YOURSELF YOU WILL ACT ON IT!  Yes your behavior will start to change in a way that you never imagined possible.

Step #6:  Realize that you never “Arrive”.

We live in a world of complacency, feeling entitled and laziness.  If you are not constantly reinforcing your sub-conscience mind, rest assured you will slip back into old ways.  Stay focused and realize that you have to be proactive to win the battle.  Things will not magically work out for the best if you are not constantly bathing your mind with the things that you want to accomplish.

Step #7 Action:

This is where it is time to get off your butt and get into action.  You can have the most wonderful meditation sessions of visualizations and imagery known to mankind, but if you don’t move you will never change your behavior.  It is much easier to shed your old excuses when you see yourself doing the opposite of them.  Soon you will be excuse free!

Step #8 Making it Long-Term:

Realize from the get-go that this is about lifestyle change for the long-term!  Never allow any short-sightedness to enter the picture here.  When you are planning your visualizations and affirmations make them long term.  You want to adopt a mindset of permanency.

 Well there you have it my friends!  Properly applied these principles can and will change your lifestyle for the better.  Start applying them today…there is absolutely no room for procrastination here.  Remember…life is good!

Remember that there is a difference between a snack and a meal.  A meal is fully BALANCED meaning that it contains all three macro-nutrient ratio’s (Carbs, protein, fat) in the correct ratio.  For example putting together a snack would mean nothing more than slamming a few crackers and calling it good, whereas if you want to make it a meal you would have to put some protein in there as well such as a protein shake, yogurt, cottage cheese…you get the point.  You may be asking yourself, “well what about the fat?”  Remember a simple little saying, “the fat will follow”.  What this means is that if you are actively trying to get a low glycemic carbohydrate and a quality low-fat protein, then you DON’T have to worry about adding the fat in…it will naturally occur in about a 20% ratio if you are choosing healthy choices.

 Below are some simple suggestions to spark your mind.  Following the food list, you will find suggestions for quick, balanced, on the run suggestions.

Quick-On-The-Go-Meals

The only thing that you may need with these meals is a mini cooler with ice or a micro-wave oven.  These meals are designed to be quick and easy and worker friendly.

          1- Sandwiches:  Just remember to limit the condiments, dressing and cheese.  These items add fat calories galore!  Egg salad sandwiches work great as well!  Just remember to limit the egg yolks in the mixture and you should be great! 

2-Whole Grain pasta’s:  You may be saying “what, pasta?  That is not quick!”  Hear me out…This can actually be one of the quickest ways to have a pre-made meal.  All you do if make a big serving of whole grain pasta that will last for 2-4 servings and pre-dress it with a healthy sauce (low sugar/fat) and then you have a quick meal ready to be eating at any time.  The only drawback to this is that you may need  microwave to warm it up.

3-Protein Bars balanced with fiber:  It is not enough to just have a protein bar and call it good.  You need to balance that bar with adequate fiber.  So be sure to take along a baggie of pre-cut veggies and fruit to go along with your bar and you will be set for the next three hours. 

4-RTD’s (Ready-To-Drink Meals):  These have become popular in the last decade due to their extreme convenience.  To give you an example of what I am talking about just think of EAS’s Myo-Plex Shakes.  They are pre-packaged shakes that need to be refrigerated and that is just about it.  Just as the protein bars you need to balance this meal with a serving of veggies and/or a serving of fruit.

5-Left-Overs:  This is something that can make your life a whole lot more enjoyable!  If you have more of a formal dinner with healthy recipes (such as in this book) you can intentionally make more servings and package up the rest for later…all you need is a microwave!

6-Pre-made protein shakes:  This is an economical choice because all you have to do is buy a big 5lb jug of Whey Protein and then make 5-6 pre-made shakes and keep them in your fridge.

7-Whole Grain Crackers and a Protein source:  Triscuits, wheat thins, or any other low-sugar/fat cracker combined with a protein source such as tuna fish, yogurt, cottage cheese, lean deli-meat, or any other protein source such as a pre-made shake.

8-Salads:  If you can grab an extra ten minutes the night before and prepare a salad, they make great convienance meals.  You may need a fridge or you can keep it in your cooler if you are on the road.  Just be sure to spice up your salad with adequate protein such as shredded chicken or turkey to keep the protein high.

9-Whole Grain Cereals:  Yes you can have breakfast for your meals if you need to!  Just be sure that it is whole grain and low-sugar/fat…sound familiar?

 Well there you have it my friends!  Some of the fastest meals available for all of you busy people out there!  Remember life is good and I will see you next week!

Wow!  It is already Summer 2010 and man are we feeling it!  I don’t think too many of us object to the warmer weather!  Summer is a time that reminds us that life is to be lived ACTIVELY!  During the winter it is much easier to get into an “office” or “house” routine that limits our physical activity.  Unfortunately some of us get into “vacation” mode during the summer with is great…but it sometimes transcends into our fitness and nutritional way of life as well.  “I will start back on my routine when school starts” is a common theme I have heard countless times.  I must be honest, when I say this is frustrating to say the least.  In keeping with our mission to help change your lifestyle I want to devote this blog to that purpose.

 Step #1:  Re-Focus your Lens

 Most of us view fitness and nutrition as a vehicle to deliver us to a short term destination.  What I mean by this is, “I have a Lake Powell trip coming up in two months”, or my personal favorite, “I have a class reunion coming up in three months and I need to drop 40 lbs.”  It’s as though we are only concerned about our health for a specific period of time and for superficial reasons.  The perspective that is essential to have is that of a long term lifestyle change.  You have to start to think in terms of permanency.  Try this today.  Think of what you want to achieve and then imagine maintaining that for the rest of your life…that is exactly what you are going to do.  No more diets, no more funky workout programs that only last for a predetermined amount of time, just a lifestyle where working out is the norms and healthy eating

 Step #2: Adjust your attitude

 There are many activities in our lives that we do not initially enjoy but learn to love later.  Entering into a healthy lifestyle is very similar.  At first you will find the changes hard and challenging but eventually your daily activities will become habit and you will find yourself enjoying your newfound lifestyle.  It helps to look upon your new life as rewarding and enjoyable rather than daunting and repressing.  Attitude goes further than most people realize and this step should not be overlooked.

 Step #3:  Give your new lifestyle a chance (Be consistent and persistent)

 I have seen countless people get very excited and motivated to start an exercise program but then fizzle out later when the going gets tough.  “I get too sore”, “I don’t have the time”, “I don’t know what I am doing” are some of the common excuses employed preceeding the drop-out of that persons exercise and nutritional routine.  The problem stems from the fact that we need a little will power to change our lifestyle but our current “convienant based lifestyle” mentality kicks in to sabatoge our efforts.  Do not ever give up!  Yes it will be a little hard but worth it!  The only way to change your lifestyle is to give it an adequate chance to change…something very few of us ever achieve.

 Step#4:  Schedule your workouts and meals

 This is where you design your battle plan.  Take a few moments at the start of every week and schedule your meals and your workouts.  This is where you are making your lifestyle a priority.  This is a very important step because it forces you to make time for yourself a priority.  The #1 reason that people fail at fitness is because of “lack of time”.  In my opionion this is an absolute load of nonsense because we ALL have the time it is the act of making the time.  This step is worth the 15-20 minutes invested into it.

 Step #5: Stop being LAZY!

 Yes you heard me right!  Laziness has become an American Pastime as it relates to healthy nutrition and fitness.  If you don’t believe me checkout the latest statistics concerning obesity in America.  This means getting our butts off the couch on a consistent basis and following through with your plans.  If you find yourself offended by this suggestion then please refer to step #2 again and apply it again.

 Step #6: Form a new habit!

 Your habits are a sub-conscience function.  Think about it…do you think of your daily routines?  Do you think about whether to take a shower or brush your teeth?  I hope you are answering no at this point J.  My point here is that you need to be so habitual about exercise and nutrition that it becomes second nature to you on a sub-conscience level.  It is at this point that you will not have to worry about regression or relapse.  The only way to get there is to continue on your healthy lifestyle path day after day, month after month, year after year.

 Step #7:  Maintain your lifestyle and ENJOY it!

 Unfortunately those who have truly obtained a Phase IV lifestyle (a good healthy lifestyle) are the minority in America now.  More than half of the American population is either overweight or obese.  I congratulate all of you that have successfully changed your lifestyle and urge you to enjoy it!  Hold your head high and be of good cheer because now all you have to do is maintain it.  I would also encourage you to spread the word!  Fitness is infectious and you will find yourself influencing many people to change their lives for the better.

 Well there you have it my friends.  I realize that many of you are at different steps in your lives and I would encourage you to apply these principles as appropriate. I would encourage you to always remember one thing…life is good!

The following is a list that you can use as a nutritional checklist.  If you can answer yes to these questions you will find yourself on the fast track to success.  If you find yourself at a plateau, oftentimes you will find yourself negligent in one or more of these areas.  These principles are based on long term lifestyle change and I promise you that if you apply them and are able to answer “yes” to all of these on a CONSISTENT basis, you WILL succeed!  Best of Luck!

1- Am I within my calorie range on a daily basis?

This is extremely important.  Most people get frustrated because they fail to lose/gain/maintain weight even when they are making healthy choices.  The problem is that the body can get quite particular and even 300-500 calories in either direction can make all of the difference.  Log on to www .fitday.com to enter your calories and find out if you are indeed within your range.

2-Am I eating 5-6 SMALLER meals spaced out every 2-3 hours?

Remember that the reason behind this one is to activate your metabolism and supercharge it!  You can eat the same amount of calories but only in 3 square meals and you will NOT lose the weight that you would with 5-6 smaller meals spaced out every 2-3 hours.  Why?  Because your blood sugar levels stay much more steady when eating the smaller more frequent meals.  Never neglect this principle.

3-Are my Macronutrients (Carbs, Pro, Fat) in Balance?

Remember that the body prefers a balance of these sources.  You should be around 50% Carbohydrate, 30% Protein, and 20% Fat, unless otherwise directed by your trainer.  This pertains to each individual meal and to your total daily intake.

4-Am I Consuming Moderate to Low Glycemic Carbohydrates?

This is by far the most overlooked nutritional aspect that can have a huge impact.  Please refer to the book, The New Glucose Revolution, The Complete Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index for further insights and understanding on this topic.  It is essential to gain a complete and thorough understanding on this topic so that you can reap the benefits of eating moderate to low glycemic carbohydrates.

5- Am I consuming adequate Fruits and Vegetables on a Daily basis?

The body demands nutrients, fiber, antioxidants that are found in fruits and vegetables.  Don’t like veggies?  Get over it and get used to them because they are the life blood of good nutrition and you cannot consider yourself truly healthy until you are getting at least 3 servings (3-5) of veggies a day and 2 servings (2-4) of fruit.

6- Am I eating Breakfast?

This is an absolute must!  I know that many of you struggle with this one…if you do start small and work up to a moderate meal.  This sets your body’s metabolism into motion for the day and ensures that you keep your blood sugar levels in check.

7-Is my sugar/treat intake low?

Nobody is telling you that you can never have a treat, but if you do so earlier in the day and make sure that you keep your portion size small.  Your total daily sugar intake should never be more than 10% and lower is much better.  Sugar is a death nail when it comes to weight loss.

8-Is my fat intake low? 

Remember that you should never be over 20% in the fat category and of that 20%, no more than 10% (and much lower if possible) should come from saturated (animal) fat.

In my next post I will do a Non-Nutritional checklist that will work hand in hand with this one.

Life is good!

1. Severely restrict their caloric intake.  A starvation diet (i.e., reducing your caloric intake to less than 50% of what your body requires) presents a number of problems to people who are trying to lose weight.  First and Foremost it doesn’t work.  Any weight that may have been lost is subsequently regained because most individuals cannot maintain such a restrictive eating plan over the long haul.
2. Have an unduly NARROW perspective of the problem at hand. Too many people view losing weight as simply a matter of cutting back on what they eat.  In reality, it’s an issue of basic physics—balancing energy in with energy out.  As such, if you really want to lose weight (and keep it off), you need to increase your level of physical activity and eat in moderation.
3. Ignore the need to maintain their level of lean body mass.  A common tendency among individuals who exercise is to focus their activity efforts solely on aerobic exercise.  In the process, they lose muscle mass, which is replaced by fat when they inevitably regain whatever weight they lost.  In turn, their metabolic rate as well as the number of calories that they need to maintain their current weight, is diminished.  This adjustment creates a cycle that is counterproductive to sustained weight loss.
4. Misinterpret what some food labels are actually telling them.  It is extremely important for individuals who want to control their weight to be aware of the fact that labels that state that a particular foodstuff is either “no fat” or “no sugar” does not mean “no calories”.
5. Try to lose too much weight too rapidly.  Research shows that a weight-reduction program that involves a slow and steady loss (i.e, approximately 1 lb or less per week for women and 2 lbs or less per week for men) has the best chance for success, particularly when it is combined with an effort to change any inappropriate lifestyle habits.
6. Believe that spot reduction is possible.  The concept of spot reducing is a complete myth.  No exercise will eliminate fat from a specific area of the body, just as no change in your level of caloric intake will guarantee that the fat will melt away in the area of the body you most want to address.  As a rule, the pattern in which you lose body fat is genetically predetermined.
7. Mistake water lost through sweating for actual fat and weight loss.  Your body has millions of sweat glands hat cover your skin, excreting water and electrolytes.  When you exercise, the amount of water (sweat) that is perspired increases in an effort by your body to help keep you cool and regulate your body temperature.  The water you lose for perspiring can mislead you into believing that you’ve lost more fat and body weight than you may have actually lost.  Such water weight is replaced when you subsequently consume fluids.
8. Buy into the “magic beans” theory.  Selling supplements and related pills, powders, and potions that purportedly will somehow facilitate a person’s efforts to lose weight is a multi-billion dollar-a-year industry.  Other than being a waste of money and a purveyor of false hope for individuals who are looking for an easy and quick-fix approach to losing weight, such items also can have negative health consequences.
9. Follow unproven and spurious dieting advice.  The number of unsound diets that target unsuspecting individuals with undocumented claims and unhealthy practices seems to grow exponentially every year.  Truth be known, these diets share at least two traits—they don’t work, and they may actually be harmful (physically and financially) to a person who tries them.
10. Consider a surgical solution to their “weight” problem.  Some individuals consider a surgical option for losing weight.  In this regard, two procedures tend to receive the most attention—liposuction and gastric bypass surgery.  Although guidelines vary, gastric bypass surgery is generally reserved for severely obese individuals.

So there you have it!  When you are setting your goals with your trainer, please keep in mind these myths that pervade the public in general.  I would ask you to pay particular attention to #1, 2 3, 5, and 9.  I would say that 90% of our clients have had or still have some of these flawed beliefs.  Please know that we care for you and hope greatly for your success.  Please allow us to work within our professional realm to help you get the results you have always dreamed of.  Remember life is good when you are physically active! 

Please talk to your trainer about re-committing to your New-Year’s resolutions and we will be happy to help you.

Ok, you are talking to a friend that you have not seen for a while, just shooting the breeze and catching up when all of the sudden you hear him say, “I just started a new exercise program and I am doing my cardio 6 times per week to burn the fat and I lift in the gym 3 times per week to firm up”.  You nod your head in an affirming gesture, end the conversation, and go on with your day.  You return to work after your lunch-break and over hear two ladies in an adjacent cubical saying, “Yea, I just started working out again but I am just focusing on cardio for now to burn the fat and then when I reach my goal I will start with the weights”.

Many of us have heard statements such as these and many more.  Those that make them have the very best of intentions but the very worst of factual information.  Today I want to give you some facts that will change your approach to fitness and ultimately point you in the right direction for whatever your fitness goal may be.

Must Have Natural Metabolism Elixirs:

1- Resistance Training:

For those of you already involved with resistance training congratulations!  For those of you who are either not doing it or putting it off, till “I have lost some initial weight”, please reconsider the following physiological process of fat burning:

-Resistance training is the nuts and bolts to building muscle

-Muscle is a metabolically active tissue, meaning that it is the tissue that is constantly burning         calories and fat.

- Resistance training is the ONLY way to maintain a level of lean muscle tissue that will help you in your fat-burning quest.

2- Proper Cardio/Resistance Training Balance

This goal will vary for everyone depending on fitness levels, goals, age, gender, and so forth.

A few rules of thumb that might help you…

A- If your goal is weight loss: You want to start with 50/50 split between cardio and weights.  For example cardiovascular activities on M/W/F and weights on T/TH/SAT.

B- If your goal is muscle gains: You want to start with the scale swayed towards more weight training days.  So you might go to four days of weights and only two days of cardio.  In reality this particular set-up can burn just as much and in some cases more than the weight loss regime that I just listed under letter A.

C- If your goal is weight maintenance:  typically weight training 3-4 days per week with 2-3 days of cardio injected on your non-weight training days.

3- Muscle Building Nutrition

How many of us go to the gym, do our workout and then lie to ourselves with some of the following excuses…

-“I workout so that I can eat like I want to”

- “I workout so hard that my body can handle some of the junk food that I consume frequently”

- “I am not making progress in the gym so it must be my workout” (completely turning a blind eye to poor nutrition)

The truth is that nutrition is 80% of the fat loss battle whereas the gym is only 20%.  Yes we need to workout and workout hard, but how can we expect our bodies to build muscle and burn fat if we are giving it crap food every day?  The math does not add up and that is why there are so many frustrated, plateau stricken, ever persistent gym going people out there that never get over that last fat hump.

The bottom line:

We all have certain beliefs and perspectives about resistance training that may or may not help us in our fitness goals.  I am speaking to some people in particular.  1-) Those wishing to shed body fat 2-) Those only participating in cardiovascular exercise 3-) Those who have viewed resistance training as a “guy thing” or those who have been turned off by massive bodybuilding men and women thinking that they will look like them if they participate in a sensible resistance training program.  Resistance training consistently beats cardiovascular exercise when it comes to burning fat and maintaining healthy body fat levels.

If you truly want your body to become a Fat Burning Machine please do away with those worn out and tired myths and consider the aforementioned points in this article.  Become a believer as your fat melts away and you maintain the lean muscular and sexy body that you have always wanted.

Oh carbohydrates!  We hear about them all of the time!  Carbs are bad, carbs make you gain weight!  Heck, this is the only macro nutrient (carbohydrate, protein, fat) that goes by a nickname!  Having served in the health and fitness industry for more than 8 years I have found this single macro nutrient to be the most misunderstood with no exception.  Granted it is the most complicated macro nutrient but it CAN be simple if we understand the basics.

Basic Principles:

1-The Glycemic index is a rating system ranging from 1-100

2-This scale pertains to carbohydrates ONLY.

3-The higher the rating, the faster that particular carbohydrate breaks down into  blood sugar (your immediate and ultimate source of energy)

4-Every time a carbohydrate is broken down into blood sugar you have a corresponding rise in the hormone insulin

5-Insulin acts as a transport hormone that shuttles the blood sugar into one of three containers in your body (blood sugar, glycogen, and fat)

6-High insulin levels are equated with fat storage and other hormonal shifts that cause hunger pangs and satiety issues.

Summary:  Each carbohydrate source that you ingest has a glycemic index attached to it.  The higher it is, the faster that carbohydrate breaks down into blood sugar which is your immediate source of energy.  The faster it breaks down the more insulin is required.   Chronically high insulin levels are associated with a plethora health disorders such as insulin resistance, hyper-glycemia, metabolic syndrome and ultimately Type II Diabetes.

SO…Who should care about the glycemic index?

As we all know, nutrition is the most vital part of any fitness program.  It can make or break our goals and ambitions.  Furthermore, when it comes to nutrition there is little discussion that carbohydrate seems to be the most confusing macro-nutrient (out of carbs, protein, and fat).  Why is this?  Let us think about a few reasons.

1.  Carbohydrates are all listed on the glycemic index, while protein and fat are not.  This means that we need to educate ourselves as to what carbohydrates are good and which ones are bad.  This can be tedious at first, but will eventually become second nature to us as we form a new lifestyle. 

2.  Carbohydrates are shrouded with myth.  What have we been told by popular diets such as Atkins®?  We have been told that carbohydrates are the culprit for mass weight gain.  Is this true?  Stay tuned.

3.  Carbohydrates come in all shapes and sizes.  Carbohydrates range from simple carbohydrates to complex carbohydrates and everything in between.  What further complicates the scenario is that some complex carbohydrates are high on the glycemic index and some simple carbohydrates are low.  However some general rules can be established.  Remember that complex carbohydrates are generally lower on the glycemic index and simple carbohydrates are generally higher.

In my next post I will delve into some common myths that surround carbohydrates and I will give you some ammo as to how you can dispell them and make the right carbohydrate selections.  Please stay tuned!