How many times have you looked at someone else and thought that you would love to have a body like him or her?
Have you every actually put your head on that body and imagined what you'd look like?
This article talk about what our ideal or "happy weight" is and how to determine and accept it.
There's five things that are listed:
1. Take into account when you're looking at your body things like your age, exercise habits, whether you've had kids are going to have an effect on your "happy weight." The link to the article also provides a link to a calculator to determine what you're happy weight is.
2. Aim for a healthy body fat percentage. Seems as though the definition of a "healthy" body fat percentage is around 22%. The article again gives you a link to a calculator to determine your percentage (although looking at the calculator, I'm a bit skeptical that it's going to even give you a ballpark figure).
3. Be critical of media images of women. This has been a problem for a long time and will probably continue to be. Some of those models out there are just walking skeletons that I would never want to see any of my clients strive for.
4. Give yourself enough time to take the weight off. I've always pushed that if you lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you're on a good path. Not that I think there's anything wrong with losing a little more than that a week, but losing 1 to 2 pounds can add up to 25-50 pounds in 6 months.
5. Recognize that you're ideal weight is going to change over time. That stupid thing called "getting older" can cause problems with your weight. Have stressful jobs, have a kid, metabolism slows down, etc can all have an impact on how your body is going to respond and it may respond differently than it use to before.
I think the article is getting at that you don't want to get to the point of being completely consumed and obsessed over how you want your body to look.
At the same time, I don't think there's anything wrong with having a goal. If you have an ideal in your mind and you want to give it a shot to try and get to it, then by all means give it a try. But just give yourself time and don't let it take over your life.
www.leanbodyfitness.com
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Yo-Yo Dieters
This article goes over what probably most people go through: yo-yo dieting. They get on a new diet, stick with it for a little while determined to stick with it forever and then it all comes crashing down.
From the article on some reasons why it's not working:
Completely agree with those. Especially the one about setting unrealistic goals. I do think it's a good thing to have an overall goal of what you want your weight to be and what you want to look like. That's a good long term goal. But, you need to also take it in steps. You need to realize that it's going to take some time and you are going to hit some frustrating plateaus. But, you have to keep pushing forward.
Not enough social support. That's another big one. When you decide that you're going to lose weight and stick with it, have a talk with your family and friends and let them know what you're doing. A lot of times family and friends think it's great that you're trying to lose weight. But then want you to continue to do the same things that you've always done, whether it be go out to dinner and/or drinks every weekend, have parties at your house, etc. They need to know that this is a big change, and for at least for an initial time period in order to get your self control in line, those types of things are going to have to stop.
The rest of the article gives some talk about whether yo-yo dieting is healthy or not and gets into the issues that Oprah Winfrey has had with it.
Eat right, stay on a good efficient workout program that changes things up every month or so, get your social support network in line, and be patient. I know, easier said than done but, if it's something that you really want, then it'll be worth it to you in the end.
Side Note
Are you on Facebook yet? If not, sign up. If you are, I've got a page out there now so go ahead and become of fan of Lean Body Fitness, LLC here.
www.leanbodyfitness.com
From the article on some reasons why it's not working:
Experts cite many reasons for weight regain, including:
• Relying on fad or crash diets that often make people feel deprived.
• Practicing bad habits, such as skipping meals, that lead to overeating.
• Setting unrealistic weight-loss goals.
• Not having enough support.
Completely agree with those. Especially the one about setting unrealistic goals. I do think it's a good thing to have an overall goal of what you want your weight to be and what you want to look like. That's a good long term goal. But, you need to also take it in steps. You need to realize that it's going to take some time and you are going to hit some frustrating plateaus. But, you have to keep pushing forward.
Not enough social support. That's another big one. When you decide that you're going to lose weight and stick with it, have a talk with your family and friends and let them know what you're doing. A lot of times family and friends think it's great that you're trying to lose weight. But then want you to continue to do the same things that you've always done, whether it be go out to dinner and/or drinks every weekend, have parties at your house, etc. They need to know that this is a big change, and for at least for an initial time period in order to get your self control in line, those types of things are going to have to stop.
The rest of the article gives some talk about whether yo-yo dieting is healthy or not and gets into the issues that Oprah Winfrey has had with it.
Eat right, stay on a good efficient workout program that changes things up every month or so, get your social support network in line, and be patient. I know, easier said than done but, if it's something that you really want, then it'll be worth it to you in the end.
Side Note
Are you on Facebook yet? If not, sign up. If you are, I've got a page out there now so go ahead and become of fan of Lean Body Fitness, LLC here.
www.leanbodyfitness.com
Friday, March 6, 2009
The Perfect Diet
So what's the perfect diet to be on to lose body fat?
Turns out, there isn't one. This article talks about a recent study that shows that the type of diet that people were on came out with basically the same results in the end.
From the article:
So the key seems to be not the type of eating your doing (low carb, low fat, carrot diet, etc), it's that you stick with it. That's where I think we run into some issues as it seems to me that's the hardest part for people: sticking to it for more than a couple of weeks.
I had written back a while ago here on how the number of diets out there are really making it confusing for people.
I'll admit, in the past I've been a pretty ardent supporter of low-carb diets because they've worked for me. But, I've loosened up a bit lately and opened up to other possibilities that work just as well, and it seems that a study like this is helping me realize that even more.
Bottom line, try out a couple of diets and see which one works for you and stick with it. Or, maybe an even better route is to take a few diets and cycle through them. Do one diet for a month, then another diet for another month, then another one a month after that, and then swing through all three of them again. That way you keep the variety going and you don't get bored (because chances are, when you start getting bored with a diet, that's when the trip through the candy aisle occurs).
A final note that should be mentioned about the study that I think is really important was that the people on the diets got social support throughout the study. Meaning, you're going to have more success losing that weight when you work with others. Don't try to do this alone. Get together with some friends and do it together and look up a nutritionist to consult with on a recurring basis.
On that same note, I'm currently using myself as a guinea pig on a new diet I found. Although it's really not a diet. More to come on that in the following weeks so stay tuned.
Have a good weekend.
www.leanbodyfitness.com
Turns out, there isn't one. This article talks about a recent study that shows that the type of diet that people were on came out with basically the same results in the end.
From the article:
The kind of diet doesn't matter, scientists say. All that really counts is cutting calories and sticking with it, according to a federal study that followed people for two years. However, participants had trouble staying with a single approach that long and the weight loss was modest for most.
So the key seems to be not the type of eating your doing (low carb, low fat, carrot diet, etc), it's that you stick with it. That's where I think we run into some issues as it seems to me that's the hardest part for people: sticking to it for more than a couple of weeks.
I had written back a while ago here on how the number of diets out there are really making it confusing for people.
I'll admit, in the past I've been a pretty ardent supporter of low-carb diets because they've worked for me. But, I've loosened up a bit lately and opened up to other possibilities that work just as well, and it seems that a study like this is helping me realize that even more.
Bottom line, try out a couple of diets and see which one works for you and stick with it. Or, maybe an even better route is to take a few diets and cycle through them. Do one diet for a month, then another diet for another month, then another one a month after that, and then swing through all three of them again. That way you keep the variety going and you don't get bored (because chances are, when you start getting bored with a diet, that's when the trip through the candy aisle occurs).
A final note that should be mentioned about the study that I think is really important was that the people on the diets got social support throughout the study. Meaning, you're going to have more success losing that weight when you work with others. Don't try to do this alone. Get together with some friends and do it together and look up a nutritionist to consult with on a recurring basis.
On that same note, I'm currently using myself as a guinea pig on a new diet I found. Although it's really not a diet. More to come on that in the following weeks so stay tuned.
Have a good weekend.
www.leanbodyfitness.com
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Why Your Workouts Aren't Working
This article from Shape gives a list of ten reasons why your workout isn't working anymore. Let's briefly go through them:
1. You're doing the same routine over and over again and your body has adapted. Change it up every 6-8 weeks (although, there's some studies that show that you don't even need to change exercises, just change the rep range and the amount of weight you're using for each exercise and that should be enough to get past a plateau).
2. You're performing the repetitions to quickly (the article states to take 6 seconds for each rep and I think that's a little slow. If you take a controlled movement going down, pause a second, and then come up in a controlled manner, you'll be fine).
3. Get your rest between hard workout sessions. Your body repairs the muscle and breaks down the fat after the workout so give time for that to happen so you don't overreach.
4. Mix some intervals into your workout (it doesn't take a genius to see where I stand on this).
5. Lifting the wrong amount of weight. This is absolutely on the money. Go progressive. Don't just lift the cute little pink weights, challenge yourself but do it progressively so that you don't overtax your muscles too soon.
6. Squats and don't let your knees go past your toes. Absolutely disagree with this. I won't get long winded as I've already written about this.
7. Bend Over Lat Row. It's a good description of the correct form for these. The important piece of it is to make sure you're pushing your butt back to support your body and not just lowering your back down with your legs straight.
8. Tricep Kickback. These are just stupid in most cases. As a friend of mine Lou Schuler once said in an article, these are like Chinese water torture. You're doing a lot of them but not getting any real benefit because they're an isolated exercise and only working a very small muscle. Do pushups and their variations instead.
9. Crunch. I'm actually falling away from doing these as I've found other ab exercises to do that I think are much more effective, such as planks, side planks, bird dogs, mountain climbers, elevated pushups, just to name a few. But, a weighted crunch on a stability ball isn't so bad.
10. Dumbbell Bench Fly. I don't like this for the same reason I don't like the tricep kickback. So see number 8 above.
Clear as mud?
www.leanbodyfitness.com
1. You're doing the same routine over and over again and your body has adapted. Change it up every 6-8 weeks (although, there's some studies that show that you don't even need to change exercises, just change the rep range and the amount of weight you're using for each exercise and that should be enough to get past a plateau).
2. You're performing the repetitions to quickly (the article states to take 6 seconds for each rep and I think that's a little slow. If you take a controlled movement going down, pause a second, and then come up in a controlled manner, you'll be fine).
3. Get your rest between hard workout sessions. Your body repairs the muscle and breaks down the fat after the workout so give time for that to happen so you don't overreach.
4. Mix some intervals into your workout (it doesn't take a genius to see where I stand on this).
5. Lifting the wrong amount of weight. This is absolutely on the money. Go progressive. Don't just lift the cute little pink weights, challenge yourself but do it progressively so that you don't overtax your muscles too soon.
6. Squats and don't let your knees go past your toes. Absolutely disagree with this. I won't get long winded as I've already written about this.
7. Bend Over Lat Row. It's a good description of the correct form for these. The important piece of it is to make sure you're pushing your butt back to support your body and not just lowering your back down with your legs straight.
8. Tricep Kickback. These are just stupid in most cases. As a friend of mine Lou Schuler once said in an article, these are like Chinese water torture. You're doing a lot of them but not getting any real benefit because they're an isolated exercise and only working a very small muscle. Do pushups and their variations instead.
9. Crunch. I'm actually falling away from doing these as I've found other ab exercises to do that I think are much more effective, such as planks, side planks, bird dogs, mountain climbers, elevated pushups, just to name a few. But, a weighted crunch on a stability ball isn't so bad.
10. Dumbbell Bench Fly. I don't like this for the same reason I don't like the tricep kickback. So see number 8 above.
Clear as mud?
www.leanbodyfitness.com
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
The Fizzle on Diet Soda
I tend to go back and forth on the issue of diet soda and whether I'm for it or against it (I know this would appear obvious but, there really is no reason to drink regular soda, see my write up on that here).
But I think i'm starting to lean a little more towards the side that it's not the end of the world is someone is addicted to it.
This article talks about the "dangers" of it and quite frankly, I think the author is reaching a little bit.
Here he says:
I guess I just don't know if I can relate to that. What he's saying is that because diet soda taste sugary, then it might lead you to dive into wanting to eat something else that really does have sugar in it (ice cream, candy, etc). I think that's assuming a lot. From my own experience, there are times when I'll grab a diet soda just to get a little caffeine in me because maybe I'm feeling sluggish. I've never had one and then thought "I know those Ho-Ho's are around here somewhere!!"
His second part of the argument says:
Okay fine. I'll give him this one.
And lastly he states:
This one bothers me the most. These side effects in my opinion don't seem all that common. But the bigger issues I have with this is that these effects are no where NEAR the effects that other man-made ingredients such as trans fats and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
have that can out and out lead you to possibly falling over dead while waiting for the bus.
I guess the bottom line is that I think we need to look at the big picture and realize that sure, maybe diet soda isn't the greatest if you're consuming a case a day, but, I don't see any studies out there that are concluding that it's leading to heart disease, increases in cholesterol, causing your brain to drip out of your ear, etc. Let focus on the man-made crap out there that we're consuming that's actually doing us harm rather than maybe making us sit on the toilet a little longer than we wanted in the morning.
www.leanbodyfitness.com
But I think i'm starting to lean a little more towards the side that it's not the end of the world is someone is addicted to it.
This article talks about the "dangers" of it and quite frankly, I think the author is reaching a little bit.
Here he says:
Just because diet soda is low in calories doesn't mean it can't lead to weight gain.
It may have only 5 or fewer calories per serving, but emerging research suggests that consuming sugary-tasting beverages--even if they're artificially sweetened--may lead to a high preference for sweetness overall. That means sweeter (and more caloric) cereal, bread, dessert--everything.
I guess I just don't know if I can relate to that. What he's saying is that because diet soda taste sugary, then it might lead you to dive into wanting to eat something else that really does have sugar in it (ice cream, candy, etc). I think that's assuming a lot. From my own experience, there are times when I'll grab a diet soda just to get a little caffeine in me because maybe I'm feeling sluggish. I've never had one and then thought "I know those Ho-Ho's are around here somewhere!!"
His second part of the argument says:
Guzzling these drinks all day long forces out the healthy beverages you need.
Diet soda is 100 percent nutrition-free, and again, it's just as important to actively drink the good stuff as it is to avoid that bad stuff. So one diet soda a day is fine, but if you're downing five or six cans, that means you're limiting your intake of healthful beverages, particularly water and tea.
Okay fine. I'll give him this one.
And lastly he states:
There remain some concerns over aspartame, the low-calorie chemical used to give diet sodas their flavor.
Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar, and some animal research has linked consumption of high amounts of the sweetener to brain tumors and lymphoma in rodents. The FDA maintains that the sweetener is safe, but reported side effects include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss, and mood changes. Bottom line: Diet soda does you no good, and it might just be doing you wrong.
This one bothers me the most. These side effects in my opinion don't seem all that common. But the bigger issues I have with this is that these effects are no where NEAR the effects that other man-made ingredients such as trans fats and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
have that can out and out lead you to possibly falling over dead while waiting for the bus.
I guess the bottom line is that I think we need to look at the big picture and realize that sure, maybe diet soda isn't the greatest if you're consuming a case a day, but, I don't see any studies out there that are concluding that it's leading to heart disease, increases in cholesterol, causing your brain to drip out of your ear, etc. Let focus on the man-made crap out there that we're consuming that's actually doing us harm rather than maybe making us sit on the toilet a little longer than we wanted in the morning.
www.leanbodyfitness.com
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Trying to Find Healthy Fast Food
Okay fine, we've all been there where we just can't help the circumstances (or at least that is what we tell ourselves...) of stopping at a fast food place for a bite to eat. Maybe you're traveling, got home unexpectedly late from work, whatever.
This article TRIES to give you some tips on how to get through a fast food meal without completely going over the top.
I guess they work in an emergency, but that's about as far as I'm going to go with an endorsement. It's still just jaw-dropping the amount of calories that are in that stuff (even with the modifications) and how quickly you can eat it AND actually feel hungry again about 30 minutes after you're done.
On a related note, I guess if i really did have to give an endorsement to a fast food place I'd have to give it to Subway. Last summer it seemed I was addicted to that Oven Roasted Chicken Breast sub....
www.leanbodyfitness.com
This article TRIES to give you some tips on how to get through a fast food meal without completely going over the top.
I guess they work in an emergency, but that's about as far as I'm going to go with an endorsement. It's still just jaw-dropping the amount of calories that are in that stuff (even with the modifications) and how quickly you can eat it AND actually feel hungry again about 30 minutes after you're done.
On a related note, I guess if i really did have to give an endorsement to a fast food place I'd have to give it to Subway. Last summer it seemed I was addicted to that Oven Roasted Chicken Breast sub....
www.leanbodyfitness.com
Monday, March 2, 2009
Portion Control
If I had to guess, one of the top three problems in the weight loss fight is with portion control. I know I've read this somewhere that for the most part, people underestimate the amount of calories they eat by at least 20% (and I actually think that's pretty conservative).
This is a good article with some tips on how to control the portions of food that you eat. I found this interesting in the beginning part on the study that was conducted on cookbook recipes and how the amount of calories in the servings of food have steadily increased over the last number of decades:
Which is interesting because I was looking at my plates today and thinking about when I was growing up and it occurred to me that the plates I have now are quite a bit bigger than the ones that I remember having growing up.
Here's a summary from the article of how you can control the portion sizes of your meals:
1. Downsize the size of your plate.
2. After you get done cooking, immediately stash half of it away for leftovers for the following days.
3. Eat in one room, but leave the remainder of the uneaten food in another room so you don't get tempted to pick at it.
4. When out to eat, order off the kid's menu (but don't accept the crayons when the waitress/waiter offers them to you...).
5. When out to eat with others, order things that you can all share, and make sure it includes salad, a non-creamed soup, and a vegetable dish.
6. Learn how to estimate what the measured serving size is from the nutritional information part on the food container (in other words, if the ice cream container says a serving is only 200 calories for a half a cup...don't think a half a cup is half the carton of ice cream...).
7. And the 7th thing was a promotional part to sell you something that you can probably do for free so I won't waste my time mentioning it here.
Give these a shot and see how they go.
Thanks to Ingrid Kreger for forwarding me this article.
www.leanbodyfitness.com
This is a good article with some tips on how to control the portions of food that you eat. I found this interesting in the beginning part on the study that was conducted on cookbook recipes and how the amount of calories in the servings of food have steadily increased over the last number of decades:
The study covered cookbook recipes over the last several decades (with emphasis on recipes in The Joy of Cooking), and it was discovered that calorie counts have gone up dramatically as authors have increased portion sizes to conform to new cultural norms. Where the 1936 edition of the kitchen classic averaged 268 calories per serving, the most recent 2006 edition averaged 384 calories. Lower costs of food and larger plate sizes are theorized as part of the reason for the increase, but nutritionist Marion Nestle says that mainly it's just a reflection of people becoming accustomed to eating more and more overall.
Which is interesting because I was looking at my plates today and thinking about when I was growing up and it occurred to me that the plates I have now are quite a bit bigger than the ones that I remember having growing up.
Here's a summary from the article of how you can control the portion sizes of your meals:
1. Downsize the size of your plate.
2. After you get done cooking, immediately stash half of it away for leftovers for the following days.
3. Eat in one room, but leave the remainder of the uneaten food in another room so you don't get tempted to pick at it.
4. When out to eat, order off the kid's menu (but don't accept the crayons when the waitress/waiter offers them to you...).
5. When out to eat with others, order things that you can all share, and make sure it includes salad, a non-creamed soup, and a vegetable dish.
6. Learn how to estimate what the measured serving size is from the nutritional information part on the food container (in other words, if the ice cream container says a serving is only 200 calories for a half a cup...don't think a half a cup is half the carton of ice cream...).
7. And the 7th thing was a promotional part to sell you something that you can probably do for free so I won't waste my time mentioning it here.
Give these a shot and see how they go.
Thanks to Ingrid Kreger for forwarding me this article.
www.leanbodyfitness.com
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