No Failing

Some of my clients are facing new weight loss challenges and the dreaded plateau, but you can actually be on a successful weight loss track, and because you don’t KNOW what a successful track looks like, it may feel like you are failing.

Once you believe that you have screwed up, it is easy to say “screw it” and really screw up. I am good at that! If only you knew how well you were doing! While success does depend on your specific goals, starting point, body type and exercise routine, there are a few things that are consistent across the board. Here are some things to consider:

1. Weight loss does NOT come in the form of losing two pounds every week until you reach your goal, no matter how well you’ve stuck to your food and exercise plan.

When you gain weight, you don’t gain two pounds every single week in a measured fashion. You’re not going to lose it in a measured fashion no matter how well you stick to your plan. You might lose two pounds one week. You might even lose three pounds in a week. Then, you might lose one pound the next week.

Some weeks you might lose zero, and there are weeks you even gain. These weeks are the most frustrating, and we all have these kinds of weeks where we feel like we’re doing everything right and the scale doesn’t give us what we want.

Keep track of the weekly weigh-ins but take a look at the month and see the overall trend. You might have gained a 1/2 pound one of the weeks but take note if you lost 4 pounds overall for the month. If the month is trending downwards, you are in the right place.

2. Nobody is perfect 100% of the time.

Just because you went out drinking and ate all the bread, stuffed yourself with fried food and had two desserts, and then woke up and had eggs Benedict the next day does not mean you have failed.

Everyone does this.

We all make a commitment and we all slip up. I ate an entire chocolate cake the other day. You fell. So what? Learn what will work for you to get back on track. You can fall and still be on a successful weight loss track by simply making the decision to get back there.

Real life weight loss is like a marathon, some miles are effortless, some are excruciating and the only way you really fail is if you quit.

The Realistic Victory

You’ve been cutting carbs, lifting weights, and doing cardio till you are soaked. You’ve actually dropped two sizes. You feel fabulous. You look fit. Now if only you could lose those last five pounds…

Sound familiar? Welcome to the infamous Diet Plateau. After making a mountainous effort to exercise and eat right, you find your weight loss results have come to a halt. Diet plateaus are very real, usually occurring four weeks to two months into a diet.

I have a friend who I see about every six months.  For the last three years, every time I see her she is complaining about losing that last five pounds.  Talk about a diet plateau.  We all know it doesn’t take three years to lose five pounds. She seems to be doing the right things, but just can’t seem to get those last few pounds off.

To lean down for my bodybuilding competition I lost around 20 pounds.  This was not a sustainable weight, and it was purely for the competition.  However, I did want to equalize at around a 10 pound net loss after the competition.  I was able to keep my weight there for about five months, but then it started to creep up. 

I have never been a fan of scales, and I even recommend that people put their scales away and just go by the fit of their clothes, and how they look and feel.  When I was training, though, it was important to keep track of my weight loss and fat loss, so I started weighing myself every few days. This continued after my competition was over, and that is how I noticed this creep.  I really couldn’t understand it. I was eating about the same as I had been eating the past five months, yet my weight was five pounds higher, and I couldn’t seem to get it off.  I even bought a scale (for the first time in 30 years) because I thought that there MUST be something wrong with the scale at the gym.  I know… a little obsessive.

(Below are some tips to help with a plateau.)  However, I have been considering some other things.  As I really look at how much exercise I am doing, I realize that I have not decreased the amount of time or intensity.  I also know in my heart of hearts that it is not realistic to do more exercise than I am already doing.  I also took a look at my diet.  I am averaging 1400 calories a day.  That is sustainable for me.  I do not feel deprived or hungry, but if I start to cut a few hundred calories, it is not realistic.  I have decided that I have reached my ideal weight. My sustainable weight.  Yes, I would like to be five pounds lighter, but it is not realistic, so I am okay with it.  I think my friend has also reached her ideal weight, and she just needs to be okay with it.

Anyway, on to the tips…

A diet plateau can result from several factors. It may be a question of what, exactly, you’re losing. Seventy percent of the weight you lose in the first two to three weeks of a diet is water.  By the end of the third week, water loss will account for only about twenty percent of weight loss. Once you begin burning body fat rather than merely shedding water, you have to work harder.  Most people can lose a pound of water weight a week by cutting their daily intake by 200 to 300 calories. Losing a pound of fat a week requires cutting about 500 calories a day.

Beware though… consuming too few calories also can waylay weight loss. You need a certain amount of calories for everyday functioning. If you try to lose weight too quickly by radically reducing calories, your body will slow your metabolism to compensate, creating a weight-loss plateau.

Other ways that diets are unintentionally sabotaged include underestimating portions—essentially overeating without realizing it—and consuming hidden sources of calories, such as excess fat used in meal preparation. You also may not be working out at the right exercise intensity, thereby overestimating the calories you’re burning at the gym.

Consume the Correct Number of Calories
Eat enough to maintain weight loss at a pace of one to two pounds per week.  If you’re losing more than two pounds of body fat a week, some of that weight loss is coming from muscle. When you lose muscle mass, you slow down your metabolism. Check out the links to the right. The Calorie Need Calculator link and Activity Calorie Calculator link can help you to figure out the perfect number for you.

 Exercise
Add some exercise. Do some form of extra aerobic exercise three to five days a week and strength training two to three times a week. Strength training maintains and/or increases muscle mass, helping boost your metabolism.

Start a Food Journal
Recording what you eat make you aware of extra calories. The numbers don’t lie and they can add up fast. That handful of Doritos will affect your body, even if it came from a bag on someone else’s desk.

 Be Patient
Sometimes we need to allow the body a period of time to adjust, and then weight loss will resume.

 The Bottom Line: Take time to congratulate yourself on having come this far. Then adjust your routine to carry you to weight-loss victory. But make sure that your victory is realistic and sustainable.

Staying Firm

Staying firm is an expression women use to describe how they would like to look and feel about their body. As we get older, staying firm takes on a whole new meaning.  FIRM in our 20’s is way different than FIRM in our 40’s. Most women are happy with just staying firm as opposed to building muscles, but the two go hand in hand.

To stay firm you do need to keep your muscles healthy and conditioned. Even if you don’t want to train to gain more muscle size, you still need to train to keep the muscle from shrinking away. At the same time you also need to keep the body fat percentage low by doing cardio exercise regularly.

For many people staying firm and toned requires less effort and exercise then building a lot of muscle mass or size, but regardless of what your fitness goal is there is no way to achieve your dream body without the discipline and consistency of an exercise routine.

One of my favorite descriptions of fat is “Layer upon layer of dormant muscle.” Since firm is the opposite of soft, you get a picture of what you want to achieve. You want to burn off the fat on top of the muscle so the soft layer of subcutaneous fat goes away and your body feels tighter all around.

Taking aerobics and sculpting classes is a good way of getting firm muscles at the same time as you are burning unwanted body fat. Circuit training programs are also good for combining the right level of resistance training to get that firm and toned body.

Drinking a lot of fluid in the form of water is key to keeping your skin nice and tight. Your body needs a certain amount of fluids every day to be able to flush out the waste products from your system. Carrying a lot of waste products in your body can also give you a feeling of being soft and puffy.

The best measurement when trying to get a firm and tone body is to not look at the weight or the pounds on the scale, but to look at the inches in your hip area, abdomen, thighs and upper arms.

This is a better tracking system then stepping on the scale three times a week. The important part is how you feel that your clothes fit. If your pants feel loser you have successfully lost inches even though the overall weight might be the same or only slightly lower or slightly higher than before.

Looking in the mirror is a good way of keeping your results in check for yourself. You need to be in tune with your body, but you should be able to tell just by looking in the mirror if you are tighter.

Keeping healthy circulation to the skin will also help in keeping a nice and tight skin from losing its elasticity. You can scrub your body with a loofah sponge every time you take a shower to promote healthy skin and a good circulation of your whole body. This will also remove dead skin cells and promote the replacement of old ones keeping a healthy skin surface that will show off your new firm body.

5 People = 6 Answers

Ask five different experts, get six different answers.   I read a lot of articles, blogs, and web sites about nutrition and fitness, in addition to talking to fitness trainers and instructors.  Honestly, it makes my head spin.  There are so many schools of thought and strategies for eating healthy and exercising most effectively, sometimes I am not sure if I am doing the right thing.  Often times I will read something that says the exact opposite of what I have been doing and believing to offer the max benefit. Crap! Have I been wasting my time? Have I been doing it wrong? What to believe?

Recently a friend of mine decided to substitute agave nectar for refined sugar in an effort to eat healthier, only to read an article saying that agave nectar is not much better for you than sugar. What to believe? Salmon is good for you, salmon is bad for you. What to believe? Google search SOY, and within seconds you will have no idea whether soy is good or bad for you.  By the way, we used to only drink soy milk and used it for our kids when they were babies.  That has since changed after researching it more thoroughly, but who knows what to believe.

Exercise strategies are the same.  Some experts say the only way to get the max benefit from cardio is to do it before weight training.  Other experts say the exact opposite.  Some fitness pros say to always do a push pull routine by exercising chest and back together.  Others say to never work the big muscle groups like chest and back in the same session.  My trainer said not to work legs with any upper body muscles, because then your blood is flowing in opposite directions, and you can’t get the max blood flow to the muscles for the best growth.  Most exercise splits pair legs with shoulders in the same session. The most recent article I read stated that cross trainers (like and elliptical machine) are completely worthless for burning fat… a complete waste of time.  I do the elliptical at least four days per week.. Crap!

I wish I could say believe this and don’t believe that, but I can’t say with 100% certainty.  I know what makes sense to me, but who am I to say.  However, the one thing that almost everyone agrees on, as far as exercise, is to change your workout (mix things up) every few weeks.  So, here is my strategy – As long as it is not a ridiculous sounding workout, I will try it.  Every 4-10 weeks I change my workout.  Some weeks I will do cardio first, some weeks I will do it after weights. Some weeks I will work chest back, some weeks I will work chest biceps (or triceps or shoulders) etc. Some weeks I will do the elliptical, and some weeks I will row or run or bike.  I figure I will definitely stack the odds in my favor of getting some of it right.

As far as eating healthier, part of the equation is eating foods that are not AS BAD.  I told my agave friend that agave may not be a completely healthy choice, but is a better choice than refined sugar… and that is a good thing.  Marketing can be truly misleading by making us believe something is healthy, when in fact it is not.  However, if it is not AS BAD as the alternative, and it allows you to eat the foods you enjoy without feeling deprived, that is okay.  Just don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are eating “healthy” if you are eating anything that is processed.  Low fat, low cal, no Trans fats, high fiber packaged foods are usually better alternatives, but they are not healthy.  Whole is healthy.

Learn what you can, question most of what you read, and make choices that make sense to you.  Make choices that you can stick to and integrate into a healthier way of living. And, try not to beat yourself up if you find out that something you thought was a health benefit is actually not a benefit at all.  As long as you try to do the right things.

Get yourself a nickname

So there is this guy at the gym, The Walker.  I have never seen him do a single exercise. 
He just walks around the gym.  Is that his exercise? Milling about? I wonder how many calories
he burns by doing that?  Then there is The Balancer.  She does every exercise on the Bosu ball. 
Very tricky. She might be a great contestant for some of those Survivor balancing challenges.
There is also The Reader.  He spends an hour and a half on the seated bike reading his newspaper. 
My favorite is Inspector Gadget.  He has all these "accessories" that he works out with. 
They look kind of cool in a torturous kind of way. I could go on and on... The Giraffe, Mt Dew Man,
The Jumper.  I don't know their names, but they have these nicknames because I see them every day
at the gym doing some sort of activity.  Some of them I have seen almost every day for over eight years. 

When I am at the gym, I used to think that nobody really noticed me.  I put my iPod on (really loud)
and stay to myself.  I am in - I am out. I am not anti social, I will always smile and wave to everyone,
but I don't spend a lot of time chit chatting.  Last week I had to work out much later in the day,
so I was surprised when The Scowler noticed me and came up to ask me what I was doing at the gym so 
late.  Hmmm, I wonder what my nickname is. Yikes! 

It doesn't matter what type of exercise or activity you do, as long as you do it and do it
consistently.  The Walker probably burns a good amount of calories, more than if he was just
sitting around watching TV.  You don't have to join a gym to get a nickname, either. 
Don't let me forget about Pajama Man. I see him every morning on my way to the gym. 
He is in his pajamas walking his dog.
Every morning.
 

Get yourself a nickname.

Focusing on the basics… again

Everyone gets off track.  Clearly, I have gotten off track of keeping up with my blog over the past few weeks.  That is not a reason to give it up all together, but to re-commit to getting back into the groove.

If your exercise routine is off track, don’t worry. Now is the time to re-commit. Right now.  If you have gone a few days or a few weeks without exercising or eating healthy… go grab an apple right now. Go for a walk right now. Go to the gym right now. Let’s get back on track together.

 

Your first main goal with weight training isn’t appearance. Focus on strength and then appearances can come later. Build on becoming stronger in the basic moves each week, even if it is only a little bit, and then after several weeks you can move to isolation(moves that focus on certain muscles) movements.

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Improve your posture while training and at home. Stand and sit up straight. No slouching while exercising. This helps you improve your self image and prevent injury by reducing bad form. It also promotes a stronger core, which can protect your lower back. So stand tall, shoulders back, stomach in and it will make the form of the movement balanced and more effective. Working smarter not harder.

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While strength is your mission, it should be about form too.  Throwing around heavy weights improperly will not do any good for your muscles. There are a ton of videos on proper exercise form that you can find on U-tube.  You can also get assistance from a good personal trainer.

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Have a recovery period.  Your muscles develop and grow during rest. So make sure you give your muscles time to rest. 3-4 days rest for each muscle group is best for the most effective muscle development.

There is an effective time limit for Cardio. You don’t want to end up breaking down muscle mass, and simple sugars, over fat. Normally this is about 45 minutes on a treadmill. Any more is a waste of your time and gains. If you really need more cardio, you can move to two times a day to be effective.

Every 6 weeks try something fun you couldn’t do before.  For example, try a new exercise class. If you were worried before that you wouldn’t be able to last an entire session, try it anyway.  If you have been walking, add a few minutes of interval jogging in your routine. You are six weeks stronger and you will definitely surprise yourself. Knowing that you can do something you couldn’t before is a great motivator.

A healthy portion of skepticism

I love infomercials.  I am a sucker for many of the products that I come across while channel surfing.   Products that promise quick and easy weight loss without diet or exercise  seem to run 24/7 . Wouldn’t it be nice if — as the ads claim — you could lose weight simply by taking a pill, wearing a patch, or rubbing in a cream?

Doctors, dieticians, other experts agree that the best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories and increase your physical activity so you burn more energy…. and we all know this. But these infomercials can be really convincing.

A reasonable goal is to lose about a pound a week. For most people, that means cutting about 500 calories a day from your diet, eating a variety of nutritious foods, and exercising regularly.

When it comes to evaluating claims for weight loss products, the FTC recommends a healthy portion of skepticism. Before you spend money on products that promise fast and easy results, weigh the claims carefully.

Here are some of the most common, yet rediculous claims:

#1) “Lose weight without diet or exercise!”

 Fact: Achieving a healthy weight takes work. Take a pass on any product that promises miraculous results without the effort. Buy one and the only thing you’ll lose is money.

#2) “Block the absorption of fat, carbs, or calories!”

 Fact: Doctors, dieticians, and other experts agree that there’s simply no magic non-prescription pill that will allow you to block the absorption of fat, carbs, or calories. The key to curbing your craving for those “downfall foods” is portion control. Limit yourself to a smaller serving or a slimmer slice.

#3) “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!”

 Fact: Losing weight at the rate of a pound or two a week is the most effective way to take it off and keep it off. At best, products promising lightning-fast weight loss are false. At worst, they can ruin your health.

Fact or Fiction

 If you can’t put in enough quality time to exercise, than there’s really no point in doing anything at all…

FICTION

 A lot of dieters/exercisers think that if they can’t get at least 30-60 mins in at the gym then they’re not doing enough to make a difference in their body. That is absolutely false. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when trying to get your body into shape, or at least shape-up your health, is to think “there’s not enough time in the day.” What about when you were at the mall this week and took the escalator rather than the stairs? That was a moment when you could have made a choice to make your body work a little harder, and when you make choices like that multiple times throughout the day, the sum effect will start to show on your body.

Small Acts of Fitness Equal Great Returns

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator
• Walk during your lunch break instead of sitting down to eat
• If you work at an office, take small breaks throughout the day to walk around
• Go talk to a co-worker face-to-face instead of using the phone, email or instant messaging
•  Take the dog out for a walk in the mornings or at night
• Park farther away from the office, store, mall or wherever you’re going and walk the extra distance
• Take the kids to the park and play on the jungle gym with them
• Walk in place or do sit ups while watching your favorite show

You really can make a difference in your health and in the way your body looks by making random acts of fitness a part of your day, everyday.

Here and Now

Why do we want life to be different than it is? Why do we think about who we were and who we’re going to be more than who we are? We certainly talk a good game about who we are now. Why do we try to predict the future with the hope that wishful thinking is enough to change it? Life is NOT the way it was. It’s the way it is. Life is not our fantasy predictions of the future or our glory days of the past. Life is that thing that is happening to you as you read this. We fall into the trap of living in the past and future because right here is not good enough. Back then and up there are keeping you from right now.

When it comes to food, think about the here and now. What choice will you make right now. It is not rocket science as some diets would have you believe. Don’t worry about percentages, formulas, and “weird” combinations of different foods to trick the body into losing weight for a short period of time. This battle of overeating, eating garbage pretending to be food, and choosing dangerous ways to lose weight is a nightmare. If you really care about your health here and now, you must clean up your diet today. If you consume high-quality fuel, your mind and body run smoothly. Low-fat chocolate cake is NOT a healthy choice. Fat-free potato chips aren’t healthy either. Don’t get caught up in all the fad diets and weight loss pills. Long-term success doesn’t happen with Atkins, Slim-Fast, or the Coconut Diet. It happens when you consistently choose and eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats. Showing up for six workouts a week requires great discipline. It’s also important to show restraint and discipline in your choices regarding food and supplementation. Our bodies don’t run on exercise, they run on the fuel we put in our mouth. You cannot substitute good exercise for a bad diet. Good diet and exercise have to happen at the same time. If you bring the same level of consistency and discipline to your daily fuel intake as you do to your workouts, you’ll greatly reduce a lifetime of health risks, improve your overall quality of life, and see much greater physical change here and now.

Easy Swap – Cut 150 Calories

Sometimes the littlest swaps or tweaks can make a big difference. If you cut 150 calories per day through diet or exercise, that equates to 54,750 calories per year, which equals almost 16 pounds!  Here are some food swaps you can make to cut 150 calories from your menu.

1. Use mustard instead of mayo on sandwiches.

2. Buy 6-inch low-carb, whole-wheat tortillas instead of the 10-inch flour ones. Not only will you lose calories, but you’ll also get four times the fiber!

3. Avoid soda and juice and drink water instead (or unsweetened tea).

4. If you need a potato fix, try a baked potato instead of french fries.

5. Choose brown rice and rye bread instead of white rice or white bread.

6. Keep 100-calorie popcorn snack packs on hand to eat instead of a bag of chips from the vending machine.

7. Skip the grande Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks and opt for a small latte with skim milk instead.

8. Trade in a normal bagel for a toasted whole-wheat English muffin.

9. Load your pasta with veggies to cut calories but not bulk. Instead of two cups of pasta, try one cup of whole-wheat pasta and one cup of cooked veggies. (Remember to cook whole-wheat pasta longer for the best taste).