Let me start by saying there is a difference in weight loss and fat loss. Fat loss is when you decrease you body fat and increase or maintain your lean body mass (muscle). Weight loss can mean you lose fat, water and muscle. Here are a few details of each.

Weight Loss: Anyone can loss weight (in the beginning), by simply not eating. Now here is  what happens when you do this. You lose some fat, water, and the most important tissue to your body, Muscle. As most of you know who have tried this approach you can’t go long before you have to start eating again and when you do, you gain back the fat and the water but not the muscle, therefore lowering your metabolism. (Your metabolism is your bodies ability to burn calories). Then this becomes a cycle, don’t eat, lose weight, eat, gain weight. This will work for a while until your body catches on and you have burn up most of your muscle tissue. Then it just will not work any more. So you get bigger and bigger and that becomes the cycle.

Fat Loss: This is the most optimal and effective way to lose weight and keep it off. Why? Because you maintain your metabolism by maintaining your muscle. Think of muscle as your engine. The more muscle you have the faster your engine runs, burning calories like crazy.

So how do you lose fat and maintain your muscle? Its pretty simple, eat enough calories to keep your body from going into starvation mode but fewer calories than you burn. We each have a certain number of calories in order for our body to work correctly, this is called your BMR (base metabolic rate). When you eat fewer calories than your BMR you start lowering your metabolism and prevent your body from burning fat. So stay above that number. (If you need that number click here). Once you know BMR simple eat that many calories and you will be sure to lose the right kind of weight!

Example:

Jill’s BMR is 1200 calories. Here total metabolism is some where around 1800 calories with daily activity and exercise. If she eats 1200 calories for that day she will be in a calorie deficit of 600 calories. This will allow her to lose approximately 1-2 pounds a week and be sure to keep that weight off! If you have questions about this please send the to me by clicking here.

Must See for true Motivation and Inspiration. Let us know what you think.

Does it seem like some people are aging slower than you? If it does, it’s not in your head. Science has shown us that we are able to alter the rates at which our bodies progress through the years. We do this by eating right and maintaining regular exercise programs.  The true measure of living your “best” life can be linked to good nutrition, overall attitude about wellness and your physical activity. Each decade of life can be the best-if health and wellness remain a priority. In a study conducted at the University of South Carolina on folks between the ages of 56 and 87, changes in the aging process were observed just 6 weeks after incorporating exercise into their daily routine.

Metabolism starts to slow down in the 40s, so increasing physical activity to approximately 30 minutes per day is a great way to stay fit. Focus on cardiovascular activity to get your heart pumping, and participate in that activity five days each week. Remember, you’re doing this for you!

So what do you do if you don’t belong to a gym to tone up? Invest in exercise bands! Exercise bands have the undeserved rep of being “second best” to bulky weights or complex moves, but they pack a powerful workout. Band users exercised more. Lightweight, packable  exercise bands are easy to use at home or on the road, and they deliver what experts call “functional training”–mimicking real-life actions, such as taking out the garbage, and targeting more muscles in the process. The result: Everyday tasks are easier, and you shape up quickly.

All you need is one exercise band with handles. Choose light resistance if you’re new to strength-training, medium if you’re already working out.

Consistency is key to dropping pounds. Researchers found that those who eat similarly day after day are more likely to maintain  weight loss than others. One splurge meal in a restaurant can easily undo all the small calorie-saving (more…)

So often I find that once a person reaches a goal they lose motivation to continue exercising. There is a sense of accomplishment but then a sense of emptiness and lack of inspiration. This may last a week, a month, or in some cases a year. It’s like being on top of a mountain but then having to come down. Your proud of yourself, but if your not careful your success can lead to complacency. How do you prevent this from happening to you?

I believe reaching one goal should be the beginning of another. I had a client who once said “I don’t leave one vacation without booking my next.” I say don’t reach one goal without setting another. This will give you something to look forward to and keep your momentum moving forward. Now I’m not saying to never take some time off to let your body rest. In fact I believe you should take a little time off in between goals. One week is sufficient. Then get back at it.

When deciding on your next goal, make it something a little different than the one you just finished. You wouldn’t (more…)

So many times people over complicate weight loss. It is pretty simple. Burn more calories than you consume with out going under your Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) but staying 500 calories below your Total Metabolism. So I know I just threw a monkey wrench in your chain with the BMR and Total Metabolism thing, right? Let me explain.

Your BMR is the amount of calories you need for your body to function correctly. If you go below it you cause your body to go into survival mode storing fat rather than burning it, burning muscle rather than building it, and ultimately lowering your bodies ability to burn calories. Now, you might have some success losing weight this way at first, but eventually you will hit a wall and the damage you have done to your metabolism will be hard to correct.

Your total metabolism is your BMR plus the calories you burn exercising and preforming normal activities. That number is usually somewhere between 1000 and 1500 calories depending on how active you are, how hard and long you exercise. The best way to know your total metabolism is to were a heart rate monitor or a Body Bug.

Ok, here is how I recommend someone lose weight. First learn your BMR. If you need to know it click here and I will calculate it for you. From that, estimate your Total Metabolism according to your activity level and stay 500 calories (more…)

This is delicious, low fat and quick!!!

Grilled Flank Steak with Citrus Vinaigrette

1 to 2 lbs   Flank Steak

Citrus Vinaigrette, see recipes on Blog

Salt and Black Pepper

Place Flank Steak in a 1 gallon ziplock bag.  Cover with 2 cups Citrus Vinagrette.  Reserve ½ cup for use later.   Refridgerate 24 to 48 hours.

Remove steak from bag and season with salt and black pepper.  Grill over high heat.  Rotate ¼ turn on each side of steak while grilling to prevent burning and promote even carmelization.

When disired temperature is achieved, let meat rest for 5 minutes.  Using a sharp knife, slice against the grain into thin strips.  Drizzle remaining vinagrette over steak.

The Fact or Fiction quote was “You should only weigh once a week”. Here is my answer…

It depends on where you are in your weight loss journey. I have found that weighing more than once a week can be very frustrating if you are not getting the results you want. Often times, when someone starts a fitness plan that includes resistance training, it is possible for them to gain weight. This happens for several reasons; water retention, muscle gains, and in most cases, people start eating more food. This is ok!!!! Your body will adjust if you stick with it. You have to allow the process of building muscle and losing fat to take effect. This can take several weeks. In this case I suggest the client weigh once a month.

Now, if you are on the right track and losing weight but have not yet met your goal than I suggest you weigh once a week. This will allow you to monitor your progress and stay on track without getting frustrated with the every day weigh ins.

If you have reached your desired goal and are looking to simply maintain your weight, than it is perfectly fine to weigh everyday. Research has shown this to actually be a great way to keep the weight off.

For those of us who eat healthy tend to eat a lot of chicken! Personally, I get tired of grilled chicken marinated in Italian dressing and get very crabby when I know that it’s waiting for me a few hours later! I have come up with three vinaigrettes that are DELICIOUS and low in calories. Use these as either a marinade for your chicken or as a dressing on your salad.

.

Citrus Vinaigrette

½ cup        Orange Juice Concentrate

3                Limes (Juiced)

1 clove       Garlic

2 tsp          Red Chili Flake

2 Tbsp       Sugar

1 tsp          Salt

1 tsp          Black Pepper

½ cup        Olive Oil

½ cup        Canola Oil

¼  tbsp      Chopped Cilantro

In a blender, add first 7 ingredients and blend for 10 seconds.  Begin drizzling in oils slowly.  Vinaigrette should thicken (more…)