So you want to lose weight?
There is not a lack of nutritional tactics and ways to lose weight in the world. Just start watching television, read about the new diet from Dr. Oz or just google "Ways to lose weight" and you will find a boatload of information. The question is whether or not you can trust this information.
The short answer
Probably not!!!
Without actually going into a very long rant about these fad diets and easy methods. Here are some surprising 5 ways to lose weight
Did you know that dieting actually causes your body to lose weight more slowly?
It’s true! You see your body is wired for survival, and so if you try and starve it from the essential nutrients, minerals and what not that come from eating food… Well it’s not going to be too happy…
And so everything you do eat while dieting is locked in and stored away with even more stubbornness than normal because your body thinks there’s some sort of food shortage going on, and so tries to stock up and make the most of what little scraps are available. And remember, your body has been using this little survival technique for two million years now, so there’s no use in fighting it. Diet, and the food you eat burns off slower, it makes sense right?
But that’s not the worst of it; not only is dieting counter-productive, it can also cause:
* Thinning of the hair
* Dry skin and chapped lips
* Hair growth on the body
* Weakened immune system
* Pale Complexion
* Tooth decay
* Constipation
* Headaches
* And more
Frankly dieting is just downright dangerous; and some of the symptoms are very un-lady like I’m sure you’ll agree… More body hair anyone?
And then there’s grumpiness, tiredness, and a sluggish brain to deal with too!
It’s simply not worth it (nor is it practical to walk around like a zombie everyday)!
The only exception where I would recommend dieting is if you were severely overeating; but it’s rare for me to need to do that. You see, surprisingly those little nuisance body lumps and bumps you want to get rid of are normally caused by the complete opposite of overeating...
That’s right! If you want to really lose weight, heck you probably need to EAT MORE! (Next, find out if I’ve gone bananas, or am actually talking some sense…)
Remember I told you about how our bodies are finely tuned survival machines…
Well anyway, just as our bodies cling on to food when it’s scarce; when food is in abundance our bodies don’t feel the need to stock-up for the “famine” ahead and so let food, fats and other fuels slide through our system almost as easily as they came in.
Let me explain what I really mean by eating more though…
As you can see I left a “fill in the blank” for the headline of this little tip (mainly just to arouse your curiosity) So what are you thinking… Eat more fruit? Eat more vegetables? Eat more donuts? … Nope, eat more often!
Of course what you eat is very important, but I’m sure you’ve heard it all before and are smart enough to know what’s good and bad for you so I won’t go over all that here as I want to keep these tips quick, easy and instantly usable for fast results.
So exactly how often should you eat then?
Well, being in the health and fitness industry for 20 years, I have found 5 to be the magic number (3 main meals and two snacks). So here’s what a typical meal plan would look like for you; this is actually a good one for you to follow:
Breakfast (An essential meal, you must never, ever skip breakfast)
Snack (Piece of fruit, yogurt, rice cake, healthy shake, bar, etc)
Lunch (Another essential, a nice light, easy on the dressing salad will do the job)
Snack (Piece of fruit, yogurt, rice cake, healthy shake, bar, etc)
Dinner (Again essential, you can “pig out” – on healthy foods – at dinner time)
Not a bad deal right? You get to stave off hunger with snacks, keep energy high throughout the day and tell your body – “Hey, look at all the food I am giving you on a regular basis! And there’s tons more where that came from too, so you don’t have to store excess “survival” fat!”
Believe or not, your body will heed your call and hold-up on fat stockpiling, which will allow you to drop pounds faster. Again this only works if you’re eating healthy food, and the right amount of it, I’m sure you’ll know if you are… or are not.
Don’t worry; I’m not suggesting for a minute you become a version of Arnold Schwarzenegger here, in fact far from it!
But there is something interesting you should know about old Arnold, in his heyday he would have probably been burning anywhere up to 200 calories or more every hour – at rest! That is to say, he could burn 200 calories per hour doing diddly squat… That’s burning a whopping 4,800 calories a day!
The reason for this is because muscle is a big energy consumer.
Now the number of calories you burn at rest right now (known as your basal metabolic rate, BMR) will probably be somewhere around 60 calories per hour (about 1,500 per day)... However with a little muscle it’s quite easy to get that up to 80, maybe even 90; and if you do the math…
That would mean your body could burn an extra 400 – 700 calories per day, at rest! That’s up to 4,900 extra calories you could be burning every week sleeping, watching T.V., etc!
Like I said though, achieving this extra calorie “burnage” doesn’t require you to have tree trunk arms, with just a few simple exercise you can quickly and easily build muscle that will increase your BMR and give you a tight, toned, firm and very awesome body.
What kinds of exercises?
Well, unfortunately I don’t have enough space to tell you (remember these are quick tips). Just a few sentences trying to describe all the different exercises is dangerous frankly, because you can cause yourself some damage if I don’t make it clear, exactly what you need to do.
Be sure to remember this though, building muscle is good… Done properly, you won’t look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but you will lose more weight!
Building this “right kind” of muscle is something I work on with all of my transformation challenge peeps. And remember you too can come along and see this for yourself, check out the website below for more information.
https://strivefitness.lpages.co/8weekchallenge/
“I can save money AND lose weight?!”
Yes, absolutely! In fact you’ve probably heard of this old weight loss “secret” so many times you’re tired of it, but I’m going to tell you again one more time anyway because it’s almost always overlooked despite being so incredibly effective…
And if you’ve put two and two together you might have already cracked it…
Yes, you can save money on fuel and burn off those wobbly bits simply by walking more.
Walk one daily trip where you’d normally take the car (where appropriate), walk the kids to school for example… For the sake of the 30 minutes or so you might lose walking instead of driving a mile – you get sooo much back.
In fact, according to the surgeon general, a brisk 30 minute walk improves mood, energy, weight loss AND life expectancy by reducing the risk of developing chronic illnesses.
So look for those opportunities to walk more, and give your car a rest.
If you’re guilty of snacking when you really don’t need to, this natural appetite suppressant will help you eliminate the munchies for good; making it much easier for you to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
What’s more, the American Journal of Epidemiology found that drinking this magic potion at least five times a day reduced the risk of heart attack in women by up to 41%.
But that’s not all, this magic potion will also…
* Improve your energy
* Increase your mental performance
* Increase your physical performance
* Remove harmful toxins and waste from your body
* Give skin a healthy, young looking glow
* Reduces headaches and dizziness
* Improve digestion
* And more!
So what is this “magic potion” and how to you get your hands on it?
Well, you can buy it in most stores; however it can be found FREE without having to look too hard… Yes, the “magic potion” you can (and must) drink for all of these health benefits is simply, good ol’ H20!
Now get this, some nutritionists say that up to 80% of the population is dehydrated; and that means it’s very likely YOU could be at risk from basically all the “opposites” of the list above.
Drinking enough water in the day is crucial for normal functionality. Hunger in between meals, energy crashes in the afternoon and more can all be eliminated simply by drinking more water – which isn’t that hard to do when you think about it.
For starters, why not swap your morning coffee for a glass of water? What caffeine gives to you in the morning it takes back in the afternoon (with interest!), while water will keep you going all day long – It’s a no brainer really – shoot for at least 8 glasses a day, if you start today you’ll be feeling the difference in no time at all!
I know its rocket science but no matter what the "gurus" tell you, this is #truth.
Committed to your success,
Derek
P.S. If you wish to get ready for summer by joining our 8 WEEK TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE click HERE (https://strivefitness.lpages.co/8weekchallenge/) or message me directly for more information. If you and another person join together you SPLIT THE COST!!!
Weight loss is hard!! Not only are you trying to accomplish something that is not your normal...Often times life gets in the way.
When our clients here at Strive Fitness and Performance become insanely busy, it can be tough to focus on your goals in a healthy, sustainable way, let alone work towards them at all. It’s easy to fall into pitfalls. Here are some helpful tips that you can avoid as you start your weight loss journey.
1. FOCUSING ON WHAT YOU CAN’T EAT
So many people embarking on a weight loss journey focus on what they can’t have. Examples are things like no sugar, no alcohol, no dessert, no bread, no cheese. They restrict everything that they usually have...This often causes the relapse after a couple of days or weeks as they start to crave those foods.
Instead, people should not necessarily worry about eliminating the bad foods, but adding some healthy foods. As you add healthy foods, you will start to eat less of the bad foods.
2. ADOPTING AN ALL-OR-NOTHING ATTITUDE
The all-or-nothing attitude is very similar to the above tip. Too many people who are trying to lose weight develop the all-or-nothing attitude. This way of thinking can be detrimental in the long run. Instead of depriving oneself of foods they love, they should learn how to incorporate them into their diet in a healthier way. For example, love pasta? Instead of adding a creamy high fat sauce, add lots of veggies, grilled shrimp, and toss in olive oil and garlic. Can’t live without bread? Well, you shouldn’t have to. Make a healthy sandwich for lunch on 100 percent whole grain bread with grilled chicken, avocado, lettuce, and tomato.
3. EATING TOO FEW CALORIES
The biggest pitfall I constantly see my clients falling into is the calorie counting trap. Many women come to me struggling to follow a 1,200 calorie per day diet and ask me what would help them to feel more full during the day. My answer is always to eat more! We live in a culture that is so obsessed with calorie counting that oftentimes we are depriving our body of the very nutrients that will actually help us not only to live healthier, but lose more weight.
4. TAKING THE WEEKENDS OFF FROM HEALTHY EATING
You should take the weekends off from your job, not your diet. Sure, you can still have fun and go out to eat on the weekends, but make an effort not to stuff yourself to the brim with food or drink. Getting away from the healthy habits of the week and going the exact opposite way can be very disastrous. A simple weekend day can easily amount to 5,000 calories (beer, pizza, wings etc.).
Simply eating mindfully when you are enjoying good food can be enough to not wreck your hard work during the week. If the weekends are a problem for you, consider eliminating one of the party days
5. Not Having A Plan
Not having a solid, realistic plan is a huge mistake. People should set themselves up for failure by going all in and not having a set plan of action....They just know that they want change. Start off with a few actionable and specific goals for the first week. Once you master those, keep adding on. Before you know it, those action steps will become lifelong healthy habits.
If you need help with organizing your plan feel free to contact us here at Strive Fitness and Performance and we can go over your nutritional breakdown
Isn't it interesting how obsessed we get with losing weight?
Seriously, a LOT of people will start their day happy or sad based entirely on the 3-digit number they see flashing back at them each morning.
But what's even more interesting than our obsession with losing weight is the fact that "weight loss" isn't always the most useful marker of progress. You see, there are a buttload of things that influence your daily & weekly body weight....
🍕 A higher/lower salt intake than normal
😷 Food intolerance's
🙋 Where you are at on your cycle
💦 Hydration levels
💩 You need to good to the bathroom
🍔 Food still in your body
💉 Hormones
💊 Supplements
💪 DOMS from your heavy workout
You know what you don't see on that list? FAT LOSS
Reason being, fat loss doesn't happen over the course of a day or even a week (well, it does "technically", but not in a very noticeable or meaningful way.) Instead, fat loss happens over the course of multiple weeks and months.
So really, it is just a matter of understanding that weight loss and fat loss are not synonymous. Once you realize that, you can start taking steps that will put the power of the scale back in YOUR hands.
✅One way is by taking measurements:
Soooo many things influence your scale weight, which makes it difficult to know if you are making progress. But if you are losing inches, even at the same weight, it is a good sign you are losing fat!
✅ Another tip is to start analyzing your AVERAGE weight over the course of weeks and months.
The bottom line: Don't let your daily and weekly fluctuations in body weight discourage you. Instead focus on fat loss by tracking your measurements, weight averages and progress pictures
Losing weight is hard. We focus solely on the number on our scale (mostly because it is fast an easy to do). That number goes up, it goes down and so does our sanity.
Losing weight it involves spending time at the gym, stopping yourself from eating your favorite foods, and saying “no” to things that make you happy in general and “yes” to things that don’t.
If you’re like most people, you want to see results that justify your hard work. And that result, more often than not, has to do with seeing that number on the scale go steadily down. So you weigh yourself. Even though you know you shouldn’t, you weigh yourself every day because you need a reason to keep going.
Everything is fine, until the unthinkable happens: the scale stops going down. Or, after one “cheat day” you find yourself 8 pounds heavier and you think, “Oh no! Everything I’ve done for the past 2 weeks is for nothing!” Repeat this a few times and before you know it, you’ve given up on working out and you’ve dumped your diet and are back to squat one.
The truth is you were probable doing a great job. You were just overly focused on the wrong indicators. Wanting to lose weight is a great goal, but the scale is just a number. It tells us how much you weigh (water, fat, muscle, bones etc.) not how much fat you have in your body.
Here are some reasons why you should not depend on the scale.
First and foremost…
It’s a safe bet to assume that when people want to lose weight, what they really mean is that they want to lose fat. The problem is, many people use the words “weight loss” and “fat loss” interchangeably, which are two separate concepts.
Losing Weight is not hard– you’ll drop a few pounds if you sit in a sauna for a while. Fat loss is harder to achieve, depends on several factors, and it takes more time than you think to truly lose it. Here are a couple key points about fat loss to consider:
Muscle and water are two other components that make up your weight, and when you lose weight, you can lose some of each. How much of each you lose depends in part on how much fat you have to lose when you start. Overweight people have more to lose than thin people, and will be able to lose weight faster as well.
Many people set fat loss goals for themselves that are unreasonable (see any challenge/product that will get you to lose 30 lbs in 6 weeks). The truth is, without going on an unhealthy near-starvation diet, you can only expect to lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week at best. If you are unsure about whether you are losing weight or fat, contact us for a FREE INBODY ASSESSMENT SCAN
Don’t expect to lose 10 pounds in a week, because even if you do, that weight is not going to be all fat. Losing muscle is not good for your health, and you will want to preserve it as much as you can.
2. You’re retaining water due to your salt intake
Salt (or more accurately, sodium) is everywhere and extremely hard to avoid. It might not surprise you that a single patty cheeseburger contains over 500 mg of sodium (nearly a quarter of the daily recommended levels).
Sodium is linked with water retention, and it is the job of your kidneys to expel unneeded sodium out of your body. Until your kidneys are able to do that, you will temporarily be holding onto extra water.
So, if you were on a diet but flooded your body with more salt than you normally have, you can expect to see a temporary increase in weight. It doesn’t mean that all your hard work is for nothing; it just means that you’re experiencing additional water weight because of the extra sodium in your body.
However, there are other factors other than diet that can lead to fluctuating weight on the scale, including…
3. Your muscle gains are outweighing your fat loss
If you’re lifting weights as part of your strategy to burn fat and lose weight, you’re doing something right! Adding resistance training to your fat/weight loss plan is a great way to protect and preserve muscle loss as you subtract fat from your frame. This is why we focus on changing the body fat % of clients, so we focus on not only losing fat, but also focus on getting our clients stronger.
However, if you’re new to weightlifting and you’re pushing yourself hard, you’re going to see some things on the scale that may surprise you. Your weight might actually not go down; it might go up! Why?
This is because as you are losing fat, you are replacing that weight with muscle. Your weight may not go down, but your body fat percentage will.
There are so many things that can affect your weight, so you should never get into the habit of weighing yourself every day. So if not that, what should you be doing?
As difficult as it sounds, if you are using just a scale to determine your progress, you have to take the averages from your measurements. This will help us determine trends in your weight and will help you go against going all out for some quick fix or to get to a certain number fast in order to win a competition.
Because your weight is made up of many different elements and can fluctuate for so many different reasons, assessing your weight by tracking your body composition is a much better way to determine how you’re meeting your goals.
Don't let your daily and weekly fluctuations in body weight discourage you. It is completely normal and it does NOT reflect fat loss programs. If you diet and exercise properly with enough patience and determination, you will reach your goals.
If you need help reaching your goals, contact us here at Strive Fitness and Performance and we can set up a consultation to figure out the right path for you.
Committed to your success,
Derek Ledwidge
Even the most prepared individuals seem to struggle during the holidays. The odds are, you will gain weight over the holidays (average is 8-10 pounds), so wouldn’t it be a good idea to head into the holiday season armed with some tips that could keep you from gaining the extra pounds in the first place?
Here are 10 Holiday Eating Tips to help you fight off that holiday weight gain:
1. Exercise! If you’re already committed to exercising, keep going! Just 1-2 workouts/week will help you maintain your weight. Don’t let the busy season break you from a routine that’s hard to get back to. If you’re not exercising, simply start by walking 20-30 minutes each day.
2. Rest up! Did you know that on average, adults who didn’t get a good night’s sleep will consume an extra 300 calories and choose higher fat foods the next day? So, if you plan to attend a party or event, be sure to get at least 7 hours of sleep the night before.
3. Bring a healthy dish or two to with you. This way if you’re faced with poor options you at least have something healthy to eat.
4. Eat a small, healthy meal before going out. If you are used to prepping your meals....Keep doing this. You don't really have complete control when you go to family parties or going out with friends. You do have control over what happens before you leave
5. Survey the buffet table first. Know what healthy options are there. Don’t feel compelled to take a “little of everything.”
6. Start with the healthiest items first. Studies show that you consume the most food on your “first pass” through the buffet line, so load your plate with healthy items like salad, lean protein and vegetables.
7. Choose a salad or dessert plate instead of a dinner plate. The average calories consumed at a holiday dinner or buffet is 3,000! If you use a smaller plate, you’ll take smaller portions and eat about 40% less.
8. Take small bites and eat slowly. You’ll trick your brain into thinking you’ve eaten more than you have and you’ll feel full faster.
9. Go easy on the alcohol – it’s loaded with carbs, sugar and calories. Plus, the more you drink, the more likely you are to take on an “Oh, the heck with it!” attitude when it comes to eating. Drink a lot of water instead!
10. Remember why you’re there. Did you go to a party to share the holidays with friends and family, or to eat? You can eat at home, so socialize! Station yourself as far away from the food table/kitchen as possible. Engage people in conversation, mingle, laugh and enjoy!
If you want some extra guidance and support during this holiday season, contact us and we can set up a FREE consultation. Click HERE to set up a time.
