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.

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 tricks you employed the whole week before. Derail yourself every week and you’ll never get anywhere. Again, stop dieting and start making small changes you can live with.

Do more today so that you can do more tomorrow.

If you exercise…
1 day a week you will feel frustrated and can’t get ahead
2 days a week you will feel frustrated and still can’t get ahead
3 days a week you begin to maintain (not losing or gaining) and are becoming healthier
4 days a week you begin to see yourself getting ahead and reaching your goals
5+ days a week you will not just see physical results but also begin to feel and see emotional/mental results…self confidence, self discipline, organization, etc…

It is important to exercise 4 days a week or more. Exercising less than 4 days a week will keep you from seeing the results you want.

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 want to go back to the same vacation spot right after you left would you? Well, maybe you would! But in the exercise world we all like variety. If your last goal was to do the half marathon or full marathon, let your next goal be something other than running. Maybe a triathlon is in your future: swimming, biking, and running! Let your imagination be your guide. But most importantly set another goal.

Write it down! A goal not written down is just a dream. Remember to set small term goals to help you reach your long term goal. Give yourself sufficient time to get ready for your new goal. I believe three months after you complete a  goal is a good amount of time to complete another.

Once you have written down your goal, write out a plan that will take you to the finish line. This will help you stay on track when it gets hard, or when you don’t feel like doing it. If you have a written plan that maps out your steps you will be less likely to quit just because you miss a day or two. You can pick back up right where you left off.

The bottom line is to have a goal in mind that you would like to achieve before you complete your current goal. Write it down and map out a plan that will help you stay on track through the hard times. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to reach your new goal. Three months is a good time frame to shoot for.  And last but not least, have fun doing it!

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 below your total metabolism.

Let me give you an example….. My BMR is 1739 calories. Because I exercise pretty hard 5 to 6 days a week, my total metabolism is somewhere around 3000 calories. In order to lose 1 pound a week I need to eat around 2500 calories a day. See how that works? Now, lets take it one step further!

It would not be smart to attempt to eat all 2500 calories in one meal. You should spread your calories throughout the entire day, eating every 3 hours. Eat more when you are going to be active and less when you are sedentary. At the onset of the day you will eat more carbs with some protein, by noon you will eat a balanced meal with calories coming from equal amounts of carbs and proteins, then by the afternoon limit your carbs and consume most of your calories from protein. Here is an example of this…

As soon as I get up in the morning I hit the ground running! Therefore, I eat breakfast with the majority of my calories coming from carbohydrates and some protein. Because I am still active three hours later, I eat a snack (not a meal) with the majority of my calories coming from carbs and some protein. Now, three hours later, it is time for lunch and that is a  great time to have a balanced meal of both carbs and protein. Here comes the switch…My day is beginning to wind down in the afternoon (three hours later) so I do not need to consume as many carbs, therefore the majority of my calories are coming from protein and just a few from carbs. The last meal of the day (three hours later) is dinner and this meal will consist of protein and vegetables (these are my carbs). If I need a snack before bedtime it is simply a small amount of protein and no carbs.

And that’s how Weight Loss is done!!!! It takes Patience, Dedication, Consistency, Preparation, and Moderation to live this way. But that’s another topic for another day!

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.

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.

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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 and coat the back of a spoon.  Taste and season if needed.  Transfer to a bowl and add chopped cilantro. Refrigerate.  Good for 7 days.

Red Pepper Vinaigrette

3               Roasted Red Bell Peppers

2 Tbsp      Honey

¼ cup       Red Wine Vinegar

Pinch        Cayenne

½ cup      Canola Oil

¼ tsp       Salt

Add first 4 ingredients to a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Slowly drizzle in oil.  Season with salt and stir.  Taste for seasoning. Refrigerate.  Good for 3 days.

Sherry Vinaigrette

¼ cup         Sherry Vinegar

1 clove       Garlic

1 Tbsp       Chopped Fresh Thyme

1 Tbsp        Brown Sugar

1 tsp          Salt

1 tsp          Black Pepper

¾ cup       Canola Oil

Add all ingredients, except oil, to a bowl and whisk together.  Slowly begin whisking oil into mixture.  Taste and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate.  Good for 5 days.