Now think for a minute how different things would be if you went in to your goal without a deadline, and realizing that you will have to give up some of your favorite habits to get where you want to be. Then  have the attitude that even if you don’t lose weight right away, at least you are getting healthier every day. This will make a world of difference in your mindset and your goal. People that go in with a mindset of longterm health as opposed to short term weight loss  tend to be much more succesful in losing weight and keeping it off.

So take a deep breath, calm down, and if you haven’t lost 20lbs in two weeks, its okay! You’re still better off than when you started. Change your mindset and reach your goals.

Now go get em’ Fat loss in 2012!!!

With so many people trying to get in shape before summer, you may be tempted to try a diet. There are so many out there and they do seem to work. I mean the before and after pictures are always impressive. Well my fitness friends, let me tell you something about diets. Unless you are changing your eating habits entirely ( and that means forever) diets only work for a short period of time. Most diets are based on extreme calorie restriction with no attention to how many nutrients you’ll be missing along the way. This causes your body to go into starvation mode. Also known as survival mode. Once this happens you will begin to store everything you eat and your body will start to get rid of your precious muscle mass. Whoa! Thats definatlel not worth it! There is no easy way out. In order to lose body fat you have to : 1 eat clean on a regular basis. This means eating good nutritious food 99% of the time and allowing yourself a cheat meal about once a week. 2, Lift weights, this will vastly increase your metabolism and you will burn fat at a higher rate, and 3, Do Cardio! 20-30 min of medium intensity cardio 4-6 days a  week will give you enviable results!

Alright, now go get em’!

So it’s after the Holidays and I’m willing to bet that you’ve made some weight loss resolutions for 2011. I’m also willing to bet that you have some kind of game plan in your head as to how you are going to achieve this. Stop! Before you make any ridiculous plans to go on any kind of Hollywood diet, lets keep things realistic. This time instead of going for the ten pound loss in 2 weeks, shoot for the steady weight loss. This is safer, effective and the results last. Did you know that over 90% of people that go on a diet will gain the weight that they lost back? Did you know that odds are that those same people will also gain more weight back then they lost? That can be pretty discouraging when you’re not educated. Now for those of you reading this blog, you are not going to be discouraged, because you know that by losing about 2 lbs a week, you will be losing mostly fat and maintaining your muscle. By maintaining your muscle mass, you will keep your metabolism revving. Remember, you didn’t gain the weight in two weeks and you will not lose it in two weeks, but as long as you are consistent, you will lose weight safely and effectively. In turn you will not fall into that percentage that gains your weight back. Remember it’s like math. No matter how many times you move the numbers around, it’s still the same system. Eat clean, 5-6 times a day, weight train 3-4 times a week, and get in your cardio 3-6 times a week and you will NEVER fail in your weight loss goals. Remember, even if you can only get in 30min of training 5 times a week, that is better than training  for 2 hours one day a week. Be smart, be consistent, and you will succeed!

I love Christmas time.  I love all of the corny decorations, the parades, the Christmas church service and even though I’m in my late 20′s I still LOVE Charlie Brown Christmas and all of the puppet movies like Little Drummer Boy. Now lets talk about what I don’t love. Candy at every desk. Brownies at every meeting, and wine at every Holiday dinner party. How are you supposed to get through this month without gaining weight?

One step at a time, one day at a time and one week at a time. Here are some of my favorite tips!

STEP ONE: Pack food. From breakfast to lunch and all of the snacks in between. Put it in a bag and in the fridge at work. Eat every 2.5 hours, that way when they break out the brownies it will be easier to walk away.

ONE DAY AT A TIME: From the moment that you get out of bed, to the moment you come home at night you should have a mental plan of attack. Being healthy doesn’t just happen. It has to become a practice. Put your workout clothes in your car so  you can fit in a quick lunch break workout. Have healthy snacks in reach so you don’t fall to the candy. Eat frequently so you never get to that “I’m so hungry I don’t care” point. Also plan your rest hours. Thats important. For example. I will not workout after 6pm. That is my time to get dinner ready and prepare for the next day before I unwind. So I know that I have to get my workout in before then. Procrastination is not an option.

ONE WEEK AT A TIME: Plan for a cheat day. Allow yourself one cheat meal and one cheat dessert a week. Don’t go crazy, but give yourself a break. No one wants to be that person. You know that person thats always on a diet, or can’t eat anything at the party because “they’ll get sick if they eat whats there.” Gimme a break! Be mindful. “I know I promised to go to my office Christmas party this weekend. So I’ll eat really healthy throughout the week, since I know that my healthy options will be limited there, and most likely I’ll have dessert.” Just plan ahead. Also I find that drinking water and snacking on veggies before the main courses come out helps a lot by limiting amount of bad food that you consume.

LASTLY: Enjoy the Holiday Season! Have some wine, have some cookies, have some chocolate. Just a small amount of it. Just once or twice a week, and be sure to stay active. Get a walk in whenever you can. Go to Bootcamp before work and be done with your workout for the day. You’ll enjoy the Holiday favorites and you won’t gain weight in the mean time. You’ll be satisfied with your sugar cookie and your small glass of wine at your in laws and your butt will still fit into your jeans;)

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good weight!

-Grace

Every Year around this time I have a client that says something like “well the Holidays are coming so I guess I’m gonna gain weight.”  Then I say something like “thats not a good attitude to have. You’re defeated before you even start.!” This attitude is the reason that most people gain somewhere around 9 pounds between Halloween and New Years. This attitude of I’ll worry about it later is not healthy! Let’s look at a healthy point of view of living life in the now. “Right now I am happy with my weight loss, or weight, so on the Holidays I’m just going to eat a little bit of everything.” By eating just a little of everything, you don’t feel deprived and at the end of the day you’re not overstuffed or way over your calorie surplus. America in general needs to get rid of this idea that more is better. Trust me, at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year, just have a little of your favorite things. You’ll feel better and your waistline will thank you.

I was watching the today show this morning.  They were going through the audience to get questions from a crowd member.  One woman said ” I have lost about forty pounds since January, and now I have reached a plateau. What should I do?”  The woman had about fifty or so pounds left to lose.  And of course the answer that comes out of the mouth of the woman on the show makes me want to yell!  ” I suggest that you just eat when you’re hungry, and eat enough for your bodies comfortable size.” WRONG!!! I’m sure the woman on the other end of that answer felt like that was a waste of time.

The real answer to the problem when you hit a plateau is to change things up.  That means if you have been walking everyday for thirty minutes to lose weight and now the scale isn’t moving, change your method.  Try weight training for 20 minutes and walking at a fast pace for the next 20. And for the Love of skinny jeans eat when you’re not hungry! Thats right split those meals up throughout the day into 5-6 smaller servings and eat every 3 hours, even when your not hungry.  When your body signals that you have an adequate amount of calories (equals energy), your metabolism will speed up and you will drop pounds faster.  Moral to the story. Plateau= complacency.  If you have hit a plateau your body is used to the way that you’re doing things so change it up!

“change your body”

-Grace

I’ve been having trouble keeping my hunger in check recently. In turn my calories have been out of balance and I find myself waking up at 4am to grab a glass of skim milk because I am hungry.  Whats up with that?  I followed the same advice that I always give my clients and that was to assess the situation.  Whenever anything seems out of balance with your diet, or exercise, its time to take a step back and really look at the situation.  It did not take me long to figure out what was wrong.  With my new schedule being all over the place I was not sticking to my usual eating habits.  Which is eating a combination of proteins and carbohydrates every two and a half to three hours. So sure enough just like I’m always preaching to everyone else “If you wait until you are hungry to eat, you will over-consume calories and have cravings”.  That is exactly what was happening to me! I would sit down for lunch and not feel satisfied until I ate about 150-200 more calories than usual.  Even fitness coaches need to be reminded of the basics sometimes:)

Now that I am back to eating on schedule.  I am eating extremely clean and not thinking of cake anymore. Why is that? Well when I eat a piece of fruit and some nuts for my snack, my blood sugar levels out. I get some simple sugars, some fiber, a little protein and healthy fat, and I don’t want cake because my body is properly fueled.  Now when I wait too long, my body still wants the sugar and fat(sugar to quickly up your low energy levels, and fat to hold you over) in a easier to digest, much more calorie dense form (because your body signals preservation).  Hence the cravings for cake! So trust me, eat every three hours, be consistent, and you will be amazed with how easy it is to walk away from the donuts in the office!   Remember Knowledge is power, but application gets results!

“You can succeed in your fitness journey”

-Grace