Where do I draw the line?

A lot of people I know either have no problem exercising regularly, or no problem dieting. Very rarely do most adapt a diet regimen AND exercise. For example, when my mom wants to lose weight she goes on a diet, but she walks everyday and never switches up the exercise routine. She walks because she enjoys it. At the same time, I know a lot of people who LOVE really intense workouts. For these people it's really tough to find that healthy eating balance. What do you say to that person who enjoys running everyday and needs to get enough nutrients, but still wants to either lose, or maintain a healthy weight? I've had a lot of marathon runners/bootcampers/die hard gym goers in this dilemma, and I've had different discussions with different people. The answers are always different, because no two people exercise, eat, and metabolize EXACTLY the same. So if you're one of those people a few things need to happen..

1.) Keep a daily food journal and record WHAT foods you eat, the exact TIME of day you eat it, and exactly how much (quantity). You may be eating super healthy, but notice that your quantities may be a little too much, when you're actually taking note of it. You may be eating healthy meals, but notice that you're snacking a little too often, or on the wrong foods. A lot of you may be leaving too much space in between meals, which causes your metabolism to drop slightly or contribute to a binge on the next meal. Whatever your weakness is, keeping a food journal will help you become conscious and aware of these habits.

2.) Avoid a plateau. You can reach a plateau in your exercise routine very easily. When you do the same exercise too often, without stepping up the intensity level, your body adapts to that exercise routine, and less change occurs. For weight loss, it's essential to have fitness goals, and keep working towards those goals. For example, if you're a runner training for an upcoming race, depending on your fitness level, you want to shoot for a specific time on distance runs. For short runs, you want to increase hill trainings, and also use different sprint intervals. If you're a bootcamp class person, performing intense exercise intervals frequently, you may want to keep a specific # of reps in your interval or circuit training. This way, if you have a minute to perform the max # of push ups, keep track up those numbers, and always try to increase those reps the more classes you take. These goals should be in the back of your mind, so you're always increasing your intensity level and overall fitness level. When you notice after a certain amount of time, you're completely gassed, it's important to keep track of how much time it takes you to recover, and then over time you will need less and less recovery, to the point where you can max out, take a break, and then max out with less of a break needed. The great part about interval training is that you can always increase your intensity level, which increases metabolism. This may increase appetite as well, and THAT'S OKAY. You're burning more, so you'll need more fuel. When you step up your exercise routine, and feel that you're more hungry, more often, listen to your body and give it what it needs. As long as your sources are mainly: fruits, veg, and lean protein, and WATER, you really can't go wrong. Know the difference between hunger, and a craving.

3.) Eating schedule. Once you keep a food journal and track what you're eating at what time of the day, do your best to plan ahead and pack all of your meals/snacks for the week. You want to eat small meals every 3-4 hours consisting of fruits, veg, lean protein. This eating schedule will keep your metabolism up, while avoiding starvation/binging. It looks like this..

7:00am-breakfast-egg white omelet. 3 large egg whites, 1/2cup spinach, tomato, peppers, 1/4 cup feta cheese, one small apple

10.00am-mid morning snack- shake-1/4 frozen mixed berries, 1/2 cup almond milk, 3 ice cubes, 1 scoop whey protein.

1:00PM-lunch 3oz grilled chicken with 1 cup steamed broccoli, cauliflower medley

4:00PM-pm snack-1 medium banana 1 tbsp. natural reduced fat peanut butter

7:00PM-dinner-3oz grilled salmon, 1 cup steamed green beans, 3/4cup brown rice

10:00PM-optional pm snack-1/4 dry unsalted almonds, or 2 tbls reduced fat natural peanut butter

Small meals, frequently throughout the day will prevent you from overeating one or two meals/day (a guaranteed way of gaining weight). Your body can naturally metabolize 300-450cal every 4-5 hours (depending on your age, sex, activity level) just by daily function. The more lean muscle mass you have, the more fat your body is able to burn at rest. Yes, muscle burns fat. This is why men have higher metabolism than women, because they typically have more lean muscle mass. Small, frequent meals=good. Overeating=bad.

This way, when you go to an event on the weekend, or find that you do not have control of certain food choices, you won't feel to guilty about having a slip up. One cheat meal a few times/month will not completely destroy your progress if you're making the right eating choices 95% of the time. The key is to be honest with yourself about your eating choices, and write it down so that you're accountable. You can't look at the scale, act confused, and then go back to your food journal convincing yourself chicken parmesan was a healthy option. Being extremely active, also allows you to feel a little bit better when you do enjoy a cheat meal on occasion. What you can't do is justify frequent cheat meals with exercise. Too often we feel like "well, I worked out today, so I'm going to overindulge." Calories in/calories out.

4. The overeater. If you do tend to overeat at times (let's be honest we're all capable of this), here are some tips to avoid that kind of behavior. Take your time eating. Cut a piece of food, chew it, enjoy it. Converse. Take another bite. I think this is how God intended us to eat anyway. When you scarf up all of your food in three bites, your body literally doesn't have time to signal to your brain WHEN you're full. If you get the hiccups, indigestion, burp way too often, chances are you're eating way too fast and need to slow down. Take smaller bites, chew slower, enjoy! Besides getting all of our nourishment, that's what eating is all about anyway. Drinking more water also helps fill you up. If you think you're still hungry, drink a full glass of water and listen to your body. If you didn't have a plate of food sitting right in front of you, would you still think you're hungry? Your stomach is about the size of your hand, so just keep that in mind.

The bottom line is balance here. When you find that you have a very healthy eating/exercise routine. It's a win-win. You can have cheat meals without destroying progress or fitness level, and you don't need to feel guilty at all either. This is what healthy living is all about, balance. If you're dieting and exercise regime is causing DRAMATIC weight loss, you may need to adjust. If you're exercise is at a plateau and you've been enjoying cheat meals a little bit too often, you need to adjust. Track it all, but mostly enjoy it all. KILL IT at the gym and feel awesome about yourself. But also remember to live life and enjoy a nice Italian dinner twice a year and take a couple days a week off from the gym for Christ's sake. You only get one body, true, but you also only live ONCE :)

Choose your vices wisely

If your vice is soda, and you drink 8 regular cokes a day, then clearly you have some cutting back to do. Simple stuff like that you start small, and begin replacing 3 or 4 of those sodas/day with water. Eventually you think more and more water, less soda, until your down to about 1 or 2/week. I love people like this, because your vices are one at a time, and at first it's simple. Switching from white bread to wheat, to whole grain. Replacing mashed potatoes with a sweet potato, to vegetables. Fatty snacks can be replaced with fruit. These are simple fixes. Things so simple, yet can make a whole world of difference. You may find that in that time replacing all of those sodas with water, you've lost 10lbs in a month. Without even changing EATING habits, just drinking habits. What do you say to the person who doesn't have many "vices" but still needs to lose weight?

Even the healthiest people have their stuff. Like my mom tries to act like miss health queen, but I'm pretty sure she will eat mayonnaise or some sort of cream based sauce, in some fashion, every day. I consider myself very health conscious as well, but there's no way in hell I'm giving up coffee WITH half and half. Don't get my wrong, I've tried to do the stevia with almond milk. It's not the same, I'm sorry. I've tried to give it up completely and drink organic decaf tea instead. You would've thought aliens took over my body for that 3 week timeframe when I was a raging bitch without my coffee every morning. Just ask my husband, trust me, he will tell you. Yeah, for those of you who know, yes Caitlin Hanrahan/Mundy, gave up coffee for a period of time. A short period yes, but I did attempt it. And no, it wasn't worth it. On my death bed I'll be wishing I had those three weeks back, because I should've just said fuck it, and had a cup of coffee. Now if you're a 6 pack of equal or splenda/day person, you might want to consider using stevia all natural sweetener because aspartame is the pits. Just saying..

So obviously there are things in our lives that we will be unwilling, or unable to give up (ie the coffee). To this day, I'm wondering if I'll be able to do decaf when I'm pregnant. I just don't know. What are some of your vices? Could you turn a once/day habit into a once/week, if you REALLY had to? Would you even want to? Would you at least consider giving up that one meal/snack/drink you have almost daily to make it an occasional treat?

Just curious. Feedback. Don't be shy ;)

There is no magic pill, shake, or fad..

Guys-ever see a commercial, ad, facebook post, what have you, about some sort of pill, shake, fad diet that seems almost too good to be true? That's because it is..

Do you really think that meal replacement shakes, diet pills, or any other diet that requires you to totally eliminate a food category is the answer? OF COURSE you will lose weight when you're cutting calories, fat, skipping meals, but how long is that realistic? Most importantly, is this your HEALTHIEST option? Or will you find yourself in the same position 6 months from now, once your physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted from this ridiculous fad diet? Try one of those diets and see how long you can last during a vigorous workout. I challenge you.

I know, I know, they get you SO GOOD w/ those gimmicks right?! Look at these success stories, look at these before/after photos, look at these deals I'm running. " OMG all I have to do is drink two shakes/day and one meal for the rest of my life WOOOO!" Stop trying to take the easy way out, Karen. Get your shit together, Carol, you didn't put weight on overnight so it's not coming off in one day. Put in the painful effort, time necessary by making small changes and convert to healthy living.

As a fitness professional, nothing makes me sicker than the people who sell these weight loss products and pretend to 1.) have nutrition/fitness knowledge 2.)have your best interest at heart. They're in it to make money. They have no money invested in fitness/nutrition certifications or degrees, so why would you invest any money in them? When you stop looking at food for how it tastes, and start looking at it as pre and post workout fuel, you have won the battle! Working out without getting essential nutrition is downright dangerous.

Ever wonder how to get a six pack? You don't get from starving yourself. You get it from fueling your body with excellent sources of carbohydrates, protein, and other essential fat burning, muscle building nutrients and actually EXERCISING. That's right, you actually have to get off your ass and move! In order to boost your metabolism, you need to eat in a way that will keep your body in a fat burning state (along with increasing activity level). When you provide excellent sources of carbs (your body's first energy source) along with protein, vitamins, minerals which are best from raw fruits, veg, grass fed, lean animal protein, you give yourself sustained energy. Any time you overeat, your body stores the excess to your fat cells wherever genetically you have the most on your body (you got a big ass, your mom's got a big ass, your grandmom's got a big ass). Wanna know the other thing that sucks? When you skip a meal, your body goes into starvation mode and stores your next meal to those fat cells, thinking it will need the fat later for energy. This cycle repeats itself, so you see, skipping meals really has the opposite effect you're looking for IF you're looking for weight loss. Don't care about your weight or health, go ahead, starve/binge away! You'll never get that six pack you want though, I guarantee it.

Don't listen to me, who am I? I'm just a fitness prof. w/ a few years experience. Try out those fads, let me know how it works out for you a year from now, two, three years from now.

When you're ready to change your life and adapt a healthy, fit lifestyle then call me.

For those of you who think going "gluten free" is an awesome idea..(Miley)

Cutting gluten won't help you drop pounds - and could even cause weight GAIN: Experts' backlash over Miley Cyrus's endorsement of restrictive diet

By Kristie Lau

After proclaiming on Twitter that the reason behind her skinny new frame is a gluten and lactose-free eating plan, Miley Cyrus has come under criticism for her endorsement of the heavily restrictive diet.

The 19-year-old pop star tweeted to her 5.4million followers yesterday: 'Everyone should try no gluten for a week! The change in your skin, physical and mental health is amazing. You won’t go back!'

But dietitians and nutritionists have warned that a gluten-free diet, which omits grains such as wheat, rye, barley and triticale is said to be detrimental to a person’s health if they are not genuinely allergic to gluten.

Then and now: Miley Cyrus, 19, has claimed that a gluten-free diet is the cause of her thin new frame

Karen Ansel, a registered dietician and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told Today.com: 'A gluten-free diet can result in a diet that's low in iron, zinc and B vitamins such as folate and niacin.'

And Dr David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, told ABC: 'Cutting gluten… it is advisable only for those with genuine sensitivities.'

 

Rachel Begun, a food industry consultant who has Coeliac disease which is an extreme intolerance to gluten, explained that gluten-free products can even make a person put on weight.

She told Today.com: 'People who go gluten-free may gain weight if they rely mostly on highly-processed gluten free foods, many of which tend to be higher in fat, calories and sugar than their gluten-containing counterparts.

Twit: The singer tweeted earlier in the week about how she had ditched gluten

'Gluten-free foods also tend to lack fiber that fills us up and can help us manage our weight.'Gluten and lactose-free diets have been glamourized in recent times by the endorsement of celebrities like Zooey Deschanel, who is sensitive to dairy products, eggs and wheat and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a host on The View who has Celiac disease.

Dr Peter Green, director of Columbia University's Celiac Disease Center in New York, told ABC that 'the trendiest thing in the food industry right now is gluten-free.'

He added that almost 90per cent of dieters omit gluten products as a food fad, or a 'weight reduction thing.'

So unless you have celiac disease, there's really no need to be gluten free. YOOUUUURRRRRR AN IDIOT, THANK YOU MILEY.

Dina Manzo recently tweeted "I'm now gluten free, meat free, and dairy free, so basically I'm a huge pain in the ass to go out to eat with"

No Dina, you're a fucking idiot and have no idea what your talking about.

My mom is reading a ridiculous book called "Wheat Belly," which also credits gluten found in wheat products to obesity. Might as well call it "the next new fad." The author (who unfortunately is a cardiologist and should know better), claims that America's obesity epidemic is directly related to how much wheat we eat. Dr. Davis is about as smart as Dina Manzo. Apparently too much "wheat" is the reason for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. TOO MUCH EVERYTHING is the reason we are obese. This guy actually had the balls to test the blood sugar of people after eating "wheat" (pretty vague) compared to a candy bar and found that the subjects who had wheat, also had blood sugar that was twice as high. My personal favorite was my parents' reaction to that study "SIGH, TWICE as HIGH?!!" THAT'S CRAZYYYYYY. Why don't we actually compare apples to apples. Simple carbs vs. complex carbs, instead of "wheat" with sugar and fat. See, here's the difference when you eat a potato vs. a sweet potato; a complex carb vs. simple carb. Or white bread vs. wheat bread for that matter.

Starch takes two main forms in plants: amylose and amylopectin. Amylose is made up of long, unbranched chains of glucose molecules, where- as amylopectin is made up of branched chains of glucose molecules. Wheat flour contains a higher proportion of amylose, whereas cornstarch contains a higher proportion of amylopectin. In the body, amylopectin is digested more rapidly than amylose. Although the body easily digests most starches, a small portion of the starch in plants may remain enclosed in cell structures and escape digestion in the small intestine. Starch that is not digested is called resistant starch. It will hang around if needed for energy, but eventually be stored in fat cells if not used. So a starchy potato, or white bread, gets broken down much quicker, spikes blood sugar, and rapidly gets stored as fat if it does not get used. The sweet potato or wheat bread takes a lot of time to get broken down. The body needs more work to break down slower because these carbs are designed for sustainable energy with their high fiber content, leaving you fuller longer and able to use those carbs for energy. The sweet potato or wheat bread will be used for energy longer, because the process of digestion is much longer, leaving blood sugar more regulated. If we compared the blood sugars for those who ate a potato vs. a sweet potato the numbers would be much different. However, the length of time after eating is crucial, since a white potato would have a blood sugar spike, then drop quickly after. The sweet potato will keep the blood sugar sustained for longer without having a dip. Diabetes is caused when too many blood sugar spikes leaves the body unable to control its own insulin, so it needs insulin from an outside source. The pancreas needs to work overtime to allow insulin to regular blood sugar, and the pancreas does not get stronger as it sees continued stress like the heart does. Eventually, insulin is needed in people who are pre-diabetic or full blown. Who's to blame? The white bread and potato or wheat bread and sweet potato? Hmmmm...tough one.

Better yet, to further disprove Dr. Davis' argument, let's look at how a candy bar get's broken down also. A candy bar is comprised of sugar and fat, possibly other artificial ingredients. Saturated fat has many functions in the body, but it will not be used for energy unless there's an absence of carbs and amino acids. When we eat fat, our bodies almost immediately store those fat with other fat cells in the body. Fatty acids are composed of triglycerides and phospholipids which often get attached to cholesterol. These long and short chains of fatty acids immediately act as transports and have no place providing the same type of function as carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are essential for energy. You are what you eat. You eat fat, you get fat. Simple as that. To compare apples to oranges in the way Dr. Davis did, just simply doesn't prove anything. Using terms like "Lose the wheat, lose the weight!" He's obviously just in this to sell books, and doesn't care at all about nutrition. A fad is a fad, and illuminating one food group is not only unrealistic, it's UNHEALTHY! This is the adkins diet with a different name. Dr. Davis should know better, than to take advantage of desperate people who just want to lose their belly weight fast. He should be ashamed of himself.

We all need balance, our diets should consist of healthy bountiful nutrients, with all the fun stuff in moderation. This goes back to what I've been saying. Dr.'s should prescribe medicine, nutritionists should prescribe diets. Both parties need to just stick with what they know.

Now, if you think you can eat wheat bagels, whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, and brown rice all day long and think you won't gain weight think again. Overeating will contribute to weight gain, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR SOURCES COME FROM. Calories in/calories out. This also doesn't mean that you can eat 500 calories of pizza, and 500 calories of grilled chicken, brown rice, and leafy greens, and expect to SEE the same results. The scale doesn't lie, but the way your clothes fit is the best indicator.

If you think you should be losing weight, and you're not, keep a food diary. This way you can track all of your calorie sources and be mindful of portions. Don't let these fads, celebrities, even Dr.'s fool you with their books, and their bullshit "secrets." Be fit. Be healthy. It's not rocket science.



 

Came across some interesting FAQs from this morning's Preston and Steve Show. So I felt compelled to respond.

They were discussing the highest caloric menu items at certain chain restaurants (including children's menus) which were of course appalling, but can't say I'm super surprised with the whopping amounts of calories and fat in these menu items. It's so surprise that Outback's babyback ribs (full rack) along with the sides of fries, salad, and bread add up to close to 3,000 calories and over 120 grams of fat. That really isn't rocket science, but it just goes to show you that there's no wonder there is an obesity problem in our Country. If people were made aware of nutrition facts before ordering, would they change their mind?

Kathy Romano brought up the point that if you want to lose weight, you basically can't go out to eat. BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE KATH. This is so on point. The men began to argue the point that if you want to eat out, you could save all of your calories for one of those meals, which would account for your days worth of calories. Like most men, they are wrong. Well, not completely, but if you go over your days caloric intake (no matter what sources the calories come from) yes you will gain weight. If not, you will not gain weight, but most people don't know what their BMR (Basil Metabolic Rate) is. Your metabolic rate is the amount of calories your body needs for daily function and basically burns at rest. Everyone has a specific BMR which can be calculated through a formula

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )

This is your basic number, which doesn't account for activity level. There's another formula to account for your amount of exercise. If you are sedentary, which obviously most American's who do nothing, or have desk jobs, are..then you can see how much wiggle room we really don't have.

EXERCISE.

This is the best way to increase your BMR. Who wouldn't want to burn calories by doing nothing? Interval training=getting your heart rate to different levels throughout a workout. BEST way to increase your BMR.

If you exercise constantly, and check your body composition (body fat %, BMR, etc.) and you see that BMR going down, you need to INCREASE your caloric intake. Let me repeat. If you are INCREASING your amount or intensity of exercise, your BMR should also INCREASE. If it is decreasing, you are putting your body in a deficit, from exercising without the proper amount of fuel your body needs for energy.

CARBS are your body's first energy source. Your diet should be comprised 50-70% carbohydrates. When your body needs energy, it turns to carbs. It loves burning carbs because that is the main function. When it doesn't get enough carbs, it turns to other things for energy..protein, then fats. Protein doesn't want to be used for energy, but muscle repair and tons of other transports for body function. Protein will be used for energy if there aren't enough carbs around. Finally, fat. Healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, fish oils, walnuts, almonds, etc.) are essential nutrients. They would rather provide other functions than be burned for energy also, but they will if there aren't carbs or protein around. When we use fat for energy, your body saves the fat from your next meal and stores it all again, thinking it will need it later. This cycle repeats itself. This is what happens when you put your body in a starvation mode, and then overload with fat. Your body will just continue to store the fat cells wherever genetically your fat is distributed throughout your body.

Tell this to the idiot next to you at lunch with their "low carb" bullshit meal.

In theory, you can save all of your calories for one meal, and not gain weight if you do not surpass your daily caloric intake, but you'll still have the stored fat on your body so you probably won't like the way you look.

Eating smaller meals, allows your body to burn calories as needed throughout the day. No overload=no stored fat. No stored fat=dead sexy

EAT THOSE SMALL MEALS AND SNACKS. Plan your eating day. Why wouldn't you? You plan the rest of your day right?

Change.

Now again, I'm not some yoga teaching, tree hugging, fitness obsessed fireplug, who claims to have all the answers here. I'm just a fitness professional who loves fitness a perfectly normal amount. I don't overdo, I do not have an eating disorder, I actually have a pretty healthy balance with family/friends, work, fitness. I've just been in the industry for a while and have solutions to problems that many people face with diet and exercise. From talking with clients, friends, people who struggle, people who have overcome struggles, I've gotten to see some patterns.

It's no secret by this point that change is a conscious decision/effort. Anything worth anything takes time, and sacrifice. Weight loss is no different. People view change in many different ways, but overall change is scary. It's a disruption of daily habits and routines that we're so comfortable in. Since weight loss is a consistent, conscious effort internally, combined with external influences (fast food commercials, people eating junk food around you, etc.) it takes some real will power and self talk. Everyone has communication with themselves. Whether you realize it or not, we see or hear something, our brain triggers certain emotions involved with that image or sound. This is what makes us crave a pizza as soon as it's in front of us, when before that, we weren't even thinking about pizza. If your self talk is negative, or if you ask yourself questions as if there's no answer vs. questions with endless answers and possibilities, this could be the difference between (finally) reaching a goal, or giving up yet again. For example if you were to ask yourself "How am I everrrrrr going to lose weight; I hate dieting, what if I fail AGAIN?" Instead of "How can I lose weight and enjoy the process?" By answering that second question, I can come up with possibilities that I never knew existed. Maybe I can discover that I like dancing, and if I tried a zumba class, I could dance and have fun without even realizing I'm losing weight in the process. You must have a positive, CAN do attitude. There's plenty of people out there waiting to see you crumble..don't be one of them!

Let's talk stats. Obesity is defined as the excessive accumulation of body fat leading to a body weight in relation to height that is substantially greater than some accepted standard. More than one third of US adults are obese. According to data from the NHANES, reports that obesity has increased significantly over the passed 30 years. How do we break the cycle of obesity? I have some thoughts.

Reasons you haven't lost weight..

• Portions. I've heard that going out to dinner in Europe is a completely different experience than it is in America. First of all, you get portions that a human being will actually eat. Not a portion that you can eat tonight, take home and eat again, and again, for the next three nights. I don't know how we've gotten into this "bigger must be better" society but it has got to stop. When it comes to TVs, yeah maybe bigger is better. But when it comes to food, get some smaller plates, fill your plate with your protein and two vegetables, and your food should be about the size of your hand, because that's how big your stomach is. That's why eating out, even when choosing healthy options, is the reason you're still fat.
• Satiety. To know the difference between hunger, and a craving, we must learn the difference between what drives us to eat, and what gives us our DESIRE to eat CERTAIN foods. We make our eating choices based on smell, texture, color, and taste. Hunger prompts eating. Satiation tells you when to stop eating. Satiety determines the appropriate time intervals in between meals. Internal and external cues stimulate the appetite, which complicates the inner workings or hunger, satiation, and satiety. Appetite is the real desire to eat, hunger is the actual need to eat. This is what makes us eat dessert, even when we're still stuffed from dinner. It's helpful to know and separate certain foods with high satiety value. Protein based, fiber full, nutrient dense foods and drinks have a high satiety value. High fat, low nutrient foods and drinks provide low satiety levels and empty calories. Healthy foods make us feel fuller, leaving us with less of a need to eat more at our next meal. Unhealthy foods not only provide less nutrients and more calories, but often don't even make us feel full.
• Cravings. A lack of planning ahead often leads to giving into temptations around you, and binging. Know the difference between real hunger and a craving. Don't go more than 4 hours without eating to avoid starving and slowing metabolism. Cravings are a bitch. Keep a photo of a sexy celeb in a bikini on your fridge for motivation. It's like hey you wanna open that fridge? Think again, biotch.
• Consistency. Most people think "Hey I've eaten so great these last three days, so why haven't I lost 10lbs by now?" Doesn't work like that. Eating well needs to be consistent, not convenient. That means setting a healthy eating schedule for the month, while including one or two cheat days. Craving pizza? Write it down, save for your cheat day, and get it out of your system so you can start fresh. Stop crying because your depriving yourself. Healthy living doesn't mean depriving, it just means substituting healthy alternatives on a consistent basis. One or two cheat days a month will not completely destroy your progress.
• Accountability. Lack of accountability is a great way to NOT reach your goal. Figure out what your starting weight is, figure out how much you want to lose. Healthy weight loss is 1-2lbs/week. Come to terms with the amount of time it will take to reach your goal weight, and plan weekly weigh ins. I can't even tell you how many times I've heard "I just can't figure out why I'm not losing weight." Weight loss is black and white. Calories in, calories out. Are there other factors that contribute to your progress or lack there of? Sure. Now figure out what they are FOR YOU. If you eat well all day and then sneak a bag of potato chips in your room and binge every night, then be honest with yourself and admit it. Stop trying to rationalize things. "Yeah, but I don't eat that bad," "Yeah but I only eat three cookies now instead of a whole bag," these are excuses that will destroy you. Be honest. Keep a food diary. Track everything. THEN come back and tell me why you can't lose weight.
• Get tough. Stop waiting for someone to hold your hand through this process. No one feels sorry for you or really cares where you are in your life or where you want to be. In fact, most people have other insecurities and hate seeing others succeed at anything, let alone losing weight and looking phenomenal. If you realize that now, it'll make it easier to depend on no one but yourself. Is it nice to have a gym buddy, or have your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife diet along with you to make it easier? Sure it is, but don't ever depend on someone else to reach YOUR goal. You made the choice, now you have to do the work. DO all of the necessary research, DO come up with a plan of action, and DO encourage others to adapt to this new healthy lifestyle and weight loss journey, but DO NOT expect others to help you. It's easier to prepare yourself to have a healthy meal when everyone else around you is eating shit. You'll feel more accomplished when your fitting into those skinny jeans, and they're going up a size.
• Be real. Everyone knows the foods we all should be eating in order to lose weight. We don't actually eat them on a regular basis, but we like the say "Oh I had some broccoli on Tuesday, I should be down 5lbs by now." I don't know who made the rule that we have to absolutely love everything we put into our mouth, but I would recommend keeping an open mind. I don't know one person out there who doesn't love good food. Good food is a part of life, and we celebrate with cakes, and greasy delicious foods for a reason. These needs to be taken in moderation. If you're over there thinking "Yeah but I know a girl, she's sooooo lucky, she can eat whatever she wants, anddddd doesn't exercise, anddddd she doesn't gain weight, so why can't I be like that." Yeah I hate to break it to you, but some people are genetically gifted, and have a higher metabolism than most people and can get away with eating like shit. For the majority of people though, this works passed the age of 7 and then you have to actually make a conscious effort to maintain a healthy weight. Sometimes, I want to tell THAT GIRL to fuck off too, as she's eating a pizza, and I'm busting my ass 5 days a week and eating 6 servings of fruit/veg everyday so that I can drink a glass of wine on occasion, but we can't just go around telling people to fuck off. So get real. Keep an open mind on trying healthy foods (which most actually are delicious). Remember your taste buds change every 7 years or so. So the foods you thought you didn't like as a kid, you actually might love today. I used to hate peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Now I eat them literally every single day.
• Resiliency. In life we fall, we get right back up again. Some people get right back up. Others kind of lay there and wallow in self pity for a while, then think about getting back up, then lay back down, then eventually someone PICKS their ass up off the ground. I've seen this time and time again with weight loss. Someone sets an unrealistic weight loss timeline, goes really hard in the beginning when they're motivated, then motivation kind of wears off a bit (because they're eating 1200 calories/day to try to lose double the weight that is actually healthy and safe) starts to binge, then falls off the wagon. Do we get right back up after this? NOOOOO we eat all the foods we missed out on while we were "dieting" and throw ourselves a little pity party during the sugar crash. Couple ways to avoid this

1. Come up with a healthy weight loss strategy. Sure we could all starve ourselves in order to lose weight. Maybe we lose 10lbs in a week. Maybe we pass out during spin class. Maybe become anorexic. Probably not the best strategy. Find something healthy that works for your lifestyle. I hear weight watchers is great if you don't think you can go it alone.
2. Come to terms with a realistic timeline and prepare for setbacks. Guess what, you ate a cookie. Good job dumbbass, now DON'T eat one tomorrow, and you'll be right back on your way to downsizing.
3. Rewards for progress is a great way to stay motivated. Treat yourself to a new outfit or a mani/pedi every time you lose 5lbs. Those 5lbs get harder and harder to lose as you go on.
4. Think with the big picture in mind. In 6 months you could be down close to 60lbs (if you have 60 lbs to lose). Or you could play the yo-yo game and end up in the same exact position you're in right now. It's up to you either way.

FAQs

Being in the fitness industry is really cool and exciting, because you learn facts about exercise science and nutrition that let you distinguish between the bullshit that's out there on the market, the bullshit people talk about when they have no idea what they're saying, and the idiot models/actresses who act like eating 5-6 meals/day and exercising will help you reach the 95lb frame that they are (which is disgusting and unhealthy) when they really just starve themselves and drink diet coke and coffee. UGH.

There's no denying that America is the fattest country in the world with more than half of our population being overweight, and more than 1/3 being obese. Yet, there's also about 40 billion/ year being made in the weight loss industry with ads of false promises of magic pills, shakes, fad diets, sensa? If I had a dime for every time I turned on the TV and heard "Take this drug, and without diet and exercise, or even changing your habits at all, you will lose weight, and burn fat in no time." It tickles me that there are people who actually buy into that shit. No wonder we can't stop yo-yo dieting. The same goes for exercise equipment, the shake weight, the thing that's supposed to wrap around your stomach and "stimulate your abdominal muscles." It all appeals to the majority of people out there who 1.) want to lose weight, but don't want to have to work hard or give up any of the foods they love. Let's face it, no one wants to know the truth which is dieting sucks, especially when you're EXTREMELY overweight or obese. You didn't put that weight on overnight either, so it'll take twice as long to take it off. It's going to suck every single step of the way, so you might as well realize this going in. That magic pill, cure, overnight fix that you thought existed..doesn't. Sorry. Now get over it. Move your ass. Because anyone and everyone who has lost weight, and been successful in keeping it off, has already discovered this, but maybe they don't always want to share what worked for them. The truth is, everyone is different. Everyone has different motivators and triggers for weight loss. The key is to find what you're bad habits are and coming up with a strategy to overcome those certain behaviors. Any successful business person or athlete keeps climbing the ladder of success because they identify their weaknesses and come up with a plan to attack those weaknesses. We'll get more into that later..

I have a lot of family and friends who ask me legitimate questions about (mostly) fitness "the do's and don'ts" but also help with distinguishing fact, and myth..so here's some of the questions I wanted to answer to end some of these misleading marketing tactics out there.

1. "I'm seeing gluten free foods, and tons of celebrities doing gluten free diets. Should I be doing it? What is gluten anyway?"
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It's what makes the dough bind together when making bread and pasta, so if you ever see or taste gluten free breads and things, the texture just sort of crumbles without that gluten holding it together. People who have Celiac disease cannot digest gluten; once it gets into the small intestine, it attacks these little fibers that are supposed to filter out protein and amino acids leaving these individuals with intestinal issues and upset stomach. This disease is becoming more prevalent, calling for the demand of more gluten free options in supermarkets, restaurants, etc. Unless you have this, you're pretty much good to go on breads, pastas and barley, although it's always better to choose whole wheat or grain instead of white breads, pastas, rice. NOW; I would never tell a person with Celiac disease this, but I'm still not completely sold on this "genetic disorder" that is all of a sudden affecting so many people. I think people with intestinal issues may often have a form of Chromes disease, or have some food allergies that they are not yet aware of, OR they have an eating disorder and are looking for an excuse to basically only eat fruit, vegetables, and lean protein. There's no way that a "genetic disorder" that affected no one, now all of a sudden affects EVERYONE. I think they food industry did what they do best every time there's a new craze, they capitalized on an opportunity to cash in and create gluten free products. Just like the low carb craze, and all of the low fat, low sugar, shit that's out there, it's like all of a sudden you walk down the supermarket, and there's a whole gluten free section now and people go "what the hell is this?" In the defense of Celiac disease, I think that Dr.'s don't know shit about nutrition, they know how to prescribe drugs, so when they can't prescribe a drug for something, they come up with these nothing diseases, and the food industry goes crazy for it. If you have celiac disease and I offended you, then I apologize, but do yourself a favor and get a blood test for food allergies. Do some research, before you take the word of a Dr. who knows nothing about nutrition (and they don't even claim to). Who am I kidding, if I offended you then FUCK OFF I don't care.

2. Is meat bad for you/should I become a vegetarian or vegan?

Red meat does always have a higher fat and cholesterol content of the meat/poultry category. When you think about it, cows and pigs are fat animals, so when we eat them, we’re getting everything from them including fat. However, animal protein is the only protein which gives us B12. Better sources for B12 are lean turkey, chicken, eggs (especially egg whites).  Some great alternatives for red meat burgers are turkey and veggie burgers. The Morningstar brand has the best veggie burger I’ve ever had, it tastes just like a real burger, and the lean ground turkey is much leaner. Vegetarian or vegan, this is a COMPLETELY personal choice. Most people who choose to become vegan, do so, because they don't believe in animal cruelty, etc. If this a route you're interested in traveling, just make sure you do your research, and find ways to get enough protein and especially B12.

3. I want to tone, but not add "bulk" what's the best way to do this?
First of all, unless your a female bodybuilder and jack yourself up with supplements and hormones, you're never going to add "bulk" when you lift weights. This is the biggest misconception I think there is. We are not men, so will not look like men when we lift. Weightlifting, combined with cardio and a healthy diet is essential for adding lean muscle mass. The more muscle to have, more your body will burn fat at rest. This is good. Go nuts and lift as heavy as you can/want to. Just make sure you're on a proper routine using correct form. I bet you'll get that toned look you're going for too.

4. "I know soda is bad for you because of all the sugar added, but what about DIET soda?"
All diet sodas contain NutraSweet, which along with most other artificial sweeteners contain aspartame. Long story short, the FDA approved aspartame to be used in food and drinks in the 1970s but there was much controversy over this because of its contents. Aspartame has 3 parts- 1.) Aspartic Acid, which has been linked to chronic and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and MS, also causes neurological side effects like migraine, anxiety, depression, etc 2.) Phenylalanine- an amino acid normally found in the brain. People with the genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot metabolize phenylalanine. This leads to dangerously high levels of phenylalanine in the brain. It has been shown that ingesting aspartame, especially along with carbohydrates, can lead to excess levels of phenylalanine in the brain even in people who do not have PKU. 3.) Methanol-Even though Aspartame is only 10% Methanol, it breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. Do yourself a favor and drink water. "But what about fruit juice?" Eat fruit. Drink water. "But what about those naked juice drinks?" Juice your own fruits, or eat them. Drink water.
Get it?

5. "I don't understand why I can't lose weight, I never eat breakfast.."
DUH, that's why. People who don't eat breakfast gain 7-8lbs/year on average. Get your metabolism going and EAT in the morning. Eat 5-6 small meals/day every 3-4 hours. This prevents you from feeling starving at any point in the day and binging. This also allows you to keep your metabolism and energy up. Your body is amazing. It can use about 300-450 calories for daily function every 3-4 hours (depending on age, sex, and activity level). So if you think about it, when you eat this way, your body naturally metabolizes mostly everything you eat (granted your getting your calories from great sources like fruits, veg, whole grain, protein, etc.) without having to store any excess calories for fat. ISN'T THAT FUCKING AMAZING? "So Caitlin, you're telling me that I can eat every 3-4 hours and lose weight? Not only CAN, but like basically guaranteeing weight loss?" YES, THAT IS WHAT I'M TELLING YOU. I'm not reinventing the wheel here. These 5-6 small meals have been around forever, but most people would rather just have one huge meal and overindulge. Every time you overeat, your body can't process all of the pasta with alfredo and chicken you've just consumed, so it takes what it needs for energy and body function at the moment, and then stores the rest acts like it's going to use it later, but it goes right to your ass. HUGE MEAL=FAT ASS. small meals=small ass.

I have so many more, I'll keep it going. But for now, just remember this.. everything you see on tv, hear on the radio, hear from your friends about diet/exercise is bullshit. Unless your friend is also a fitness professional or your watching the biggest loser on TV because those fuckers are working their asses off literally and deserve some serious praise for putting up with Jillian Michael's loud bitch ass in their face every single day. HARD WORK+DIET+EXERCISE=WEIGHT LOSS. Everything else is someone telling you a lie because they want to make money and don't want to see you succeed.