 Food is all that's on the brain. Turkey, stuffing, gravy, corn bread, ham, alllllll the works. But it's not just a one meal extravaganza, its the pre, during, post meals as well. It's getting drunk Wednesday night (tonight) and getting munchies on the ride home to stopping by different family houses on Thanksgiving, maybe a friends-giving and then the best part, the leftovers on Black Friday! It is a three day, maybe into your weekend if you're lucky of delicious homemade foods that are only acceptable to devour once a year.
So how can you stay on your healthy lifestyle journey without completely ruining it with three consecutive cheat days? It is possible! Here are the tips: Thanksgiving Eve: Drinking alcohol? Go for vodka or tequila and a splash of seltzer with lemons, limes, oranges, whatever the bartender will offer up to you. I personally like tequila with seltzer, 2 limes and an orange- it tastes like a stronger margarita to me. Hungry after your night out? As tempting as it is to stop at Rosa's Pizza in Penn Station while waiting for your train, don't let a couple slices of pizza mess you up! While it may not be the more appealing food choice, go for a sandwich or something with protein. Pizza usually consisting of cheese, dough and sauce isn't as filling if you grabbed a grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce, avocado and a little mayo. It's not "perfect" healthy eating, but way better for your body and more filling! Thanksgiving Day: Hungover? Drink a nice large glass of lemon water and a coffee to wake yourself up. Although going for the greasy foods is always a hangover choice, cook up some eggs with veggies and bacon or sausage (your fatty desires) load it onto some Ezekiel toast and you're good to go! If eating out, ask for whole wheat toast or a whole wheat wrap, keep it egg whites and add avocado or some low fat cheese to add to the fatty greasy foods you desire. Try to avoid sugary drinks like Gatorade or Vitamin Water, instead have an unsweetened ice tea and add sugar in the raw, or stick to your coffee and lemon water. Thanksgiving Dinner: Bring it on Grandma! If you're like me you have at least 3 stops before Thanksgiving dinner. Stopping at your friends house for apps, your significant others for early dinner, Grandma's for dinner and evening drinks with your cousins. While it is all exciting and filled of delicious foods, it is also filled with thousands of calories. We don't want to take away from our time with friends and family, or be that person that shows up with a protein shake and will only eat a salad so let's be smart about it. Appetizers: Shoot for the healthier items, vegetables and hummus dips, shrimp cocktails, even cheese and crackers with moderation. Dinner: LOAD UP on proteins! Turkey, ham, chicken, whatever your family serves, take a decent size portion as well as the vegetables. Classics like green bean casseroles, sweet potato and marshmallows, cream of spinach are all amazing but you can probably find a few healthier choices. Stick to the regular green beans, sauteed vegetables, salad and any other fresh veggies. Dessert: UGH who can deny your Aunt's homemade apple or pumpkin pie? I'll answer that for you, no one. My advice? Go for it. Indulge on your dessert. Yes, I am sure there is a huge bowl of fruit salad and eat that also! But if there is a cookie or brownie, or a slice of pie calling your name, go enjoy it. Drinks: When eating, stick to water. Drinking alcohol? Still make sure to drink a glass of water in-between each alcoholic beverage to keep yourself hydrated. If you are a big drinker, I would stick to liquor like vodka or tequila as described above. If you are more of a casual drinker, red wine is actually recommended to have a glass a day. A glass of red wine is delicious and would actually benefit your diet. Leftovers: If you're like me, you have a brother who eats all the leftover before you can get to them. But if you are like me, don't be upset because he's doing you a favor! Try to stick to the left overs that won't screw with your diet like the veggies and proteins. Let anyone else in the house snack on those desserts at 2am. Enjoy your time with family and friends, give thanks to who and what you are thankful for. Be thankful for the beautiful body you have inside and out, regardless of where you are in your journey. Happy Thanksgiving from Fitness With Fi! XO
0 Comments
 "I eat so clean, I workout 6x a week, I barely drink alcohol AND I go to bed by 9pm every night". Reality, I eat a salad for lunch everyday I have to go to work, my workout really consists of walking for 20 minutes on the treadmill a couple days a week, the bartender at happy hour knows my name from my regular visits and sleep is rare to come by. If I just explained you in one sentence, I promise you, you're not alone. We always want to make ourselves sound better to the outside world, and that includes ourselves. We want to tell ourselves were better then we are. But let's take a minute, and be real honest with ourselves. Answer the following below;
Realistically: How often do you eat healthy? Daily, 5-6x a week, 1-3x a week, 1 day a week How often to you exercise? Daily, 5-6x a week, 1-3x a week, 1 day a week How often do you eat out? Daily, 5-6x a week, 1-3x a week, 1 day a week How often do you drink alcohol? Daily, 5-6x a week, 1-3x a week, 1 day a week After you've honestly answered to yourself, think about it. Are you really doing everything you are telling others and even yourself? Are you eating super clean during the week or does a yogurt and salad consist of your "clean" diet. I am allllllllll about being positive and making those positive changes, but you can't make a change unless you face the truth. Lying to yourself is only hurting you, in the long run. Plenty of people act a certain way and portray a fake image and you know exactly what people are like that in your own life! What I am saying is, don't be one of those people. Be better then that. Be the girl (or boy) that went for it. Be that person that is barely recognizable from high school, or that person who turned their fitness hobby into a career that is now the talk of town. In today's society we have the opportunity to be anyone we want. There are so many resources in the world that excuses and failing is simply not the answer. If you want something done there is at least 5 other people that have gone through a similar experience. And that is amazing! There support systems all over the world, if they aren't stemming from your friends and family. If your struggle is weight loss, nutrition, diet, working out, simply learning about your body, wanting to teach others, wanting to impact the world by leaving your green footprint behind, whatever it is, there is a way! Now that you have been completely honest with yourself, I want you to think what it is you really want out of your journey. Is it that you want to lose your post baby weight, drop some lbs from your college drinking years, maybe gain muscle to fill in your physique. The options and dreams are endless. Figure out what your goal is and give yourself a time line. It takes 21 days to form or break a habit. That is 3 weeks of your time, 504 hours to be exact. Within this time what can you do? What difference can you make? Who can you impact? Who can impact you? Make yourself a short term, middle and long term goal. Here is an example for myself! I wanted to lose weight and have a flat and more muscular abdomen for Christmas. My short term goal was simple, find a nutrition guide and coach that worked best for me. CHECK! I started my program 9 days ago. Middle term goal, my 21 days in break my bad habit of fast food eating. (I am still on my way there, but happily haven't had any fast food in 9 days). Long term goal is to lose a specific number of fat by Christmas. I am surprisingly already closer then I thought I would be! That simple! Write it down somewhere where you'll see it every day. If that means on your bathroom mirror, the back of your front door, on your boyfriend's forehead, wherever! Give yourself a plan, do your research and I can guarantee the results come faster then you believe. Consistency and knowledge is a beautiful thing. #fitnesswithfi Cheeeeeese! We scream it to take a picture or when we get a hot box of pizza delivered to our house. There's so many different kinds, like sharp cheddar, feta, Italians favorite mozzarella, neutral kinds like swiss and even moldy like blue. Whatever your preference we all love it. And while we all love it our bodies don't seem to.
Have you ever thought about it like this though? When you are born your mother (usually) breast feeds you until you can start to process real foods. Have you ever thought why don't they bottle up mother's breast milk and sell it or turn it into something else? EW! Of course you haven't because that sounds disgusting and a many other immoral things. BUT! We do that to cows...also weird right? Is it because to use they are just animals although we really are a breed of an animal also, or is it just because that's how its always been so no one questions it. Who really knows the answer. But my answer is pretty clear, to me at least. Humans + dairy (or cheese in this case) = weight gain Now, why do I say its simple? Well because it is. Our bodies were not created in way to digest another animals milk. Our bodies can handle our own mothers because that is simply where we were birthed from. When you look at milk, cheese, yogurts, creams and all that other good stuff the basis of it is coming from a cows utter. When understanding my body, I didn't understand why after I had a dairy product I felt bloated or had stomach aches, or was gaining weight when I was eating yogurt each morning. Until, I changed my nutrition. I stopped eating dairy as much as possible. I changed my regular yogurt to coconut milk yogurt. I decided to use almond milk in my coffee instead of half and half. These small changes gave me one huge result. No bloating, no stomach aches, no weight gain. So as if that wasn't clear enough I figured oh I must just be lactose intolerant. Not the case. If you think about it, a majority of people are lactose intolerant. And why do you think that is? Lactose intolerant isn't a "thing" someone has or develops, or you're born with, its something we all have! Some people may be able to digest or handle it better then others, or have slightly different results but at the end of the day we are all very similar. Our bodies can't handle a lot of the processed, refined crap we put in our bodies and dairy products are no different then eating a candy bar. Now, I'm not saying cut dairy out completely because for some that isn't realistic or something they could never live without. But I am saying is watch your choices. Look for products that are more pure then others. Look to see if you can make those small changes like almond or cashew milk in your coffee each morning instead of whole milk, and see if you see any changes in your body. It is amazing how our body speaks to us. The human body can heal all on its own if treated and fed the right way. SO listen to your body! If after you have a chicken and cheese quesadilla you start to have a stomach ache, or after your morning coffee you realize you're bloated, LISTEN! You have all the answers within you, you just have to listen to yourself! #fitnesswithfi If you've asked yourself this after your first few days on a new diet plan, then we are all on the same page. Something about having to wait longer then you'd like makes you want it that much more. Wouldn't it be so cool if you could overnight delete your fat, like how you could ship overnight a dress you want for the next evening. But see, that is our problem! We live in a world where everything needs to be instant. Responses, food, deliveries, we want everything just as fast as the words come out of my mouth. I am so guilty of it, and I mean all the time! What many of us don't understand is that losing weight takes time, just like gaining weight. I mean yes, you could eat 5,000 calories a day and by the end of the week have gained a few pounds which is pretty quick (and pretty gross). But you could also eat fewer calories and exercise everyday for a week a lose a couple as well. It is sooooooo easy to want it all of right now right away, and have your way. But think of it like this. While no one usually puts fat on intentionally, it does take time. Over time its laziness, poor decisions, rushing for food and those decisions lead to unwanted fat. Sometimes those decisions turn into habits, and sometimes those habits are really hard to break. Once a habit is a part of your routine it takes a lot more energy and self control to break that, then it did to develop the habit.
Now, I don't want to come off negative and sound mean but it is the truth. We all do it, even if it's not with food. It could come down to the smallest things like a habit of drinking a coffee with loads of dairy and sugar which may taste great, but having it 5x a week on your way to work could develop a bag habit, real quick. But I have good news for you! First off, you're not alone! And if you think that isn't true, take a look around. Look around your work place, your friends, your family, whom you live with and people watch for even 5 minutes a day. While you watch others you'll see different habits other people have. Your co-worker it may be snacking on a "protein bar" that's really just as good as eating a snickers for lunch, but yet she always complains about being tired and not having enough energy. Or when you're working out with a friend who does the exact same workout routine every single day and says he doesn't understand why he hasn't seen any changes in his body. It's simple! We are ALL in this together. And the answer is simple too. Change. No one likes the word, we run and hide from it. Change, who wants to change? Who wants anything to change? Well, if you're like me you look for a lot of things in your life to change, all the time. Now no one likes the change where you get fired, or break up with your boyfriend, but I'm talking about the positive changes. The changes that make you a better person. That makes you wake up in the morning, a little bit more excited about your day. SO, positive changes you say? What could that mean for you. If you're trying to lose weight and understand why you haven't yet try a few new changes. Here are some super small examples I started to implement in my life, that I know are making me better day by day. Multi Vitamin - It's less then $10 to buy an adult chewables that tastes like gummy bears, take it in the morning and you are on your way. Coffee - If you can't survive without caffeine like me but don't love all the calories, then cut them out! Use coconut milk or almond milk instead of dairy products, and lower your sugar intake using less packets of sugar in the raw. Body wash/scrub - Obviously you wash your body every day, or hopefully you do! Buy yourself a body scrub (I use Frank Body) and use it a couple of days for a deeper exfoliation for your skin. You instantly feel smoother, cleaner, and helps a lot with "winter skin" like eczema and psoriasis. Snacking - If you're the typical person working a 9-5 you get one lunch break, which doesn't allow you to eat multiple meals every 2 or 3 hours. So, snack better. Graze is an awesome service where you can pick which snacks you want delivered and can even be sent directly to your work, so you can keep it in your desk draw! Another option, purchase pre-packed snacks like hummus and carrots, or guacamole and celery. You can find them at your local grocery store or even at 711. Teeth care - Weird, I know. Most of us will swear to our dentists we all brush 3x a day and floss after every meal but we don't. Make yourself brush and floss every morning and night. Develop the habit, even if you have to check it off a list every morning and night. It is amazing what a clean mouth can do for your overall health. If you didn't know, built up plaque can contribute to heart complications. No joke! Everything is connected. November 14, 2016 by LETA SHY
2.4K Shares Whether you exercise because you want to lose weight, or are just trying to be as healthy as you can be, there are guidelines to follow that will help you get to where you want to be. And while diet plays a major part in a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly is a major part of the equation. What's your workout goal? Read on to see how many hours you should be spending on moderate or vigorous exercise every week. If you want to . . . Lose weight: Creating a calorie deficit that results in weight loss is hard work. Most recommendations say that to lose weight, you must exercise for at least an hour a day, five times a week. The type of exercise matters, too. The FDA says that the best way to exercise for weight loss is the kind that gets your heartbeat up, so light-intensity exercise — like walking or doing some household chores — won't contribute very much. Maintain weight loss: Studies from the American Council on Exercise show that the people who were most successful at keeping the pounds off after losing a significant amount of weight were the ones who, among other healthy lifestyle habits, worked out for at least an hour a day. The FDA, too, recommends that most people who want to maintain weight loss exercise for at least an hour and up to 90 minutes a day (for five times a week). Stay healthy: A regular exercise routine is a powerful way to lower your risk of getting cancer and other diseases. The American Cancer Society recommends that you get at least 45 to 50 minutes of exercise five times a week to help lower your breast cancer risk. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that all adults under 65 at least do moderately intense cardio, 30 minutes a day, five times a week or vigorously intense cardio, 20 minutes a day, three days a week, to lower risk of disease and keep their hearts healthy. Spending 300 minutes a week sweating it out takes dedication, and it can be hard to work in an hour each day devoted only to fitness, so it's OK to break it up. As long as exercise is moderate to vigorous (meaning your heart beat is raised and breathing becomes harder, as in a brisk walk or a run), you can achieve the same benefits by breaking up exercise into 10-minute bouts. So don't think you have to block out a whole hour before you go to work. Incorporate heart-pounding activities like walking briskly and taking the stairs into your day to complement your normal 30-minute treadmill session. Like anything in life, there is what is true, what is false and then the somewhere in between. Our health is something that isn't so black and white, since we all are made uniquely. As I've said so many times, and always reiterate to my clients, we are all different people. A female my height and weight may have a completely different experience with the same weight loss program due to plenty of other variables. Because of the "variables" there are plenty of different excuses people can use to believe why they can't lose weight. Some sound like oh well I am just big boned, its hereditary, I'm allergic to vegetables, whatever it is, those reasons are out there and are very real to some people. I look back on my own life and remember when I was in high school being told to be careful when I do cardio on the treadmill, because if the incline is too high your legs will become bulky and manly like. Now that I am a certified personal trainer I know that the "bulky" legs I was afraid to have meant muscular. Meanwhile I had been a dancer my entire life, so my legs were already "bulky" as many would say or muscular, toned, defined and f***ing awesome if you ask me! BUT nonetheless, there are still so many people who are uneducated or just simply don't know. I have been lucky enough to grow up in a household with a mother who was a fitness instructor and fed us to keep us healthy. My siblings and I joke now, how we had milk with dinner nearly every night and rarely had something like gushers in our snack cabinet but that was all for the right reasons! If I can do anything with my experiences and knowledge it is just to just educate more people on how to be the best healthiest version of yourself. The image below are some of the many myths that so many people find to be the truth. Comment, tag or send this article to those who struggle with the same issues. Spread the knowledge! Myth #1 - Your cardio machine is counting the calories you burn Okay lets address this one...we are ALL different. Calories burn depending on your age, BMI, sex, and fitness level. Some machines don't even ask you to enter in your information, but all these factors tie into different caloric burning. Myth #2 - Your heart rate monitor will tell you how hard your heart is working Heart rate monitors can be tricky depending on the type of monitor you have as well as what exercise you're doing. The best way to measure your heart rate is to listen to your body! Simply measure it by how you can speak from a high intensity workout, long sentences, short phrases or completely out of breath. Myth #3 - Your weight is the end all be all Measuring by your weight isn't so accurate when it comes to "losing weight". Muscle weighs more then fat so after a couple weeks of weight lifting you may see an increase in weight. The best way to measure is by how your clothes fit or simply measuring your body with a tape measure. Myth #4 - Low intensity exercise burns more fat The more intense your workout the higher proportion of carbs you burn. You may burn less fat but you burn more calories. HIIT workouts are my favorite way to lose stubborn fat. Switch it up, take a class, do other things other than just run on the treadmill. Myth #5 - Chug a protein shake after a workout Of course the best way to get your protein is through real foods, but sometimes on the go protein shakes are all you can grab. They aren't meant to be chugged, as eating quicker makes you feel hungry still. Drinking food automatically tricks your brain into thinking it isn't enough, because our bodies love to chew and swallow our food. Myth #6 - You can spot reduce for tight abs or toned arms Specifically working on one muscle group with a lot of reps will increase muscle memory thus decreasing fat burning. The best way is to do workouts with all muscle groups involved, and to switch up workouts to avoid muscle memory and burn more fat. Myth #7 - You can eat whatever you want as long as you workout WHAT?!? AS IF! Who started this rumor! Simple. You cannot workout a bad diet. You cannot eat whatever you want and workout daily and expect a difference. Health and fitness go hand in hand for a reason! If you are consuming more calories then you are burning then, you will not lose weight. To replenish your body you must give it the proper amount of proteins, carbs, and healthy fats to keep your energy up and reach those goals. Myth #8 - Cardio is the only way to lose weight Cardio is great for your heart and to increase endurance. But, lifting weights burn more calories then cardio since your muscles store more energy within them. Your body will actually begin to feed off of your muscles after long cardio sessions for that energy. 10-25 minutes of cardio for your heart and to increase endurance, without feeding on your muscles for that energy. Myth #9 - You have to do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach in order to lose weight Fasted cardio is supported by some and denied by others. If you want to have a long and energized workout, eating a fully balanced breakfast and then working out will help in the long run. Myth #10 - Drinking ice cold water burns fat There is no research that proves this to be true. Although drinking warm water with lemon in the mornings, is supposed to help with your digestive track and waking your body up after sleep.  Oh and they're healthy. Yeah, they exist. Starting Sunday I will be working with a nutritionist to help tweak my own diet and nutritional plan. We all have different goals and mine is to have some crazy looking abs for the holidays! Because I want to try something different, I must do something different to see those changes. Like Albert Einstein said, doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results is insanity. So, since I know I have never had anything close to some ripped abs I had to reach out for extra help. In my process of learning more about my body and what works best for me, I have been looking for new recipes to go along with some new foods. I've eliminated some not so great foods and replaced it with better ones, and in these small changes its crazy how quick you can see results! Now, that's not to mean I don't still want to eat tacos all the time, but I just make sure to have lettuce cups instead of flour tortillas. On Pinterest, my absolute favorite place to find anything and everything, I've come across a lot of awesome recipes. And the best part? I can still have my fav foods like burgers, tacos, hell even pizza all just made a bit different. Who knew making a change would be so fun! Check it out below: Paleo Chicken Taco Burger Recipe by Cheeky Kitchen
Paleo Chicken Taco BurgerA paleo-friendly favorite, these bunless burgers call for just a few fresh ingredients and cook up quick! Ingredients 3 pounds ground chicken breast 1 packet Old El Paso™ taco seasoning mix 1 large jalapeño, deseeded and diced 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro 2 tablespoons coconut oil 2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted 2 limes, freshly squeezed 3 scallions, finely chopped Salt and pepper to taste Directions
 The Best Research on Body Fat, Losing Fat, and Eating Fat Tom Kelso Coach If I see an article on the Internet or in paper publication worth reading, I take notes of the gist of the article and secure its reference. If it contains valuable and practical information, then it is worthy of passing on to others. I've accumulated a few such articles over the last months. What follows is a brief synopsis of these articles and the related research links. I’m hopeful they give you a greater insight to facilitate better training and nutrition. For the Best Fat Loss, Don't RunNate Miyaki wrote an excellent piece on T-Nation regarding cardio training for fat loss. Let's take a look at what we can learn from him and others who share his opinion. When it comes to running, people typically have one or more of these reasons:
These are all fine justifications for running. If it makes you happy, go for it. But if you’re running as a means of reducing body fat, you have better options. "The key is to elevate your resting metabolic rate (via anaerobic work) to promote better post-workout fat burning and muscle building." Look at true runners - marathoners. Their training is primarily (relatively speaking) low-intensity and non-muscle-building. No one is tackling or colliding with them. They don’t normally find themselves in compromised positions (e.g., changing multiple directions, landing awkwardly). They’re in control of their mostly straight-line task. But distance running is a contact sport. It involves thousands of single-leg collisions with the ground. Over time, it creates havoc on your joints. In his article, Miyaki expounded on the downside of cardio and why traditional cardio is poor for fat loss. The majority of your training should be anaerobic (strength training/interval training), as opposed to aerobic (traditional lengthy and low-level) in nature. Attempting to alter your physique goes beyond simple calories in versus calories out. The key is to elevate your resting metabolic rate (via anaerobic work) to promote better post-workout fat burning and muscle building. And yes, diet is important here. Strength training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and anaerobic-based circuit training are much better options than long-distance running or plodding away on a treadmill for an hour. The calories in versus calories out faction run into issues. Over-the-top aerobic exercise coupled with a large reduction of calories consumed leads to decreased muscle tissue (the muscle gets used as energy) and the tendency to store more body fat as a survival mechanism. This is not good. For optimal fat loss and lean tissue gains, go in this order of priorities:
"If the benefits of a forty-minute training session can be obtained from a twenty-minute higher-effort training session, why would you not opt for the more time-efficient session?" Brief repeated sessions of high-intensity interval exercise garner changes that are elicited by traditional endurance training. Think about it. If the benefits of a forty-minute training session can be obtained from a twenty-minute higher-effort training session, why would you not opt for the more time-efficient session? Most studies use prolonged exercise involvement; however, but this 2009 study published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism showed a small dose of intense interval exercise - equivalent to two-minutes of all-out cycling - was sufficient to improve gains. As little as six sessions of HIIT performed over two weeks - a total of fifteen minutes of all-out effort - increased maximal activity of the cell factory (mitochondria) and improved performance during tasks that previously relied on aerobic energy activation. HIIT increased the potential for glucose and fatty acid oxidation. Wow. "[A] small dose of intense interval exercise - equivalent to two-minutes of all-out cycling - was sufficient to improve gains."The Battle Over Fat ConsumptionAuthority Nutrition put together a great set of facts explaining how the war against saturated fat has to be one of the largest misconceptions in the annals of human nutrition. It's an emotional issue with both sides strongly hanging on to their arguments based on the science that is promulgated to everyone, whether it is peer-reviewed or not. So, good gracious, what should we take as proven facts and proven crap? How about these discussion points?
Courtesy of National Center for Health Statistics (US). "Health, United States, 2008: With Special Feature on the Health of Young Adults." Hyattsville (MD): National Center for Health Statistics (US); 2009 Mar. Chartbook. Many large studies have concluded low-fat diets do not cause weight loss and have a negligible effect on long-term cardiovascular disease. Women who ate a high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet until satiated actually lost twice as much weight as compared to those who ate a restricted low-fat diet. Additionally, all major risk factors for heart disease and diabetes declined. Courtesy of Brehm BJ, et al. "A randomized trial comparing a very low carbohydrate diet and a calorie-restricted low fat diet on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy women." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2003. The heart disease epidemic began in 1930. The obesity epidemic started in 1977. Around 1990 is when the diabetes epidemic began. These diseases have increased even more as animal fats have been replaced with vegetable oils and trans fats. When saturated fat began getting a bad rap relative to heart disease, high-fat dairy products such as butter were considered evil. Ironically, like with other nutrition beliefs, it turns out saturated fat is undamaging and trans fat is more dangerous. Courtesy of Hu FB, et al. "Trends in the Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease and Changes in Diet and Lifestyle in Women." The New England Journal of Medicine, 2000. My Advice to YouSo there you have it - some solid science-based advice and research for you to sit down and spend some time with. My advice is to read as much as you can, study the facts, and be vigilant. What you have been doing may not be working, and what you thought wouldn’t work may have merit to it. This article is everything. Read it, share it, let it influence you.
November 6, 2016 by JENNY SUGAR 3.3K Shares Whether it's the Freshman 15, breakup weight, baby weight, or can't-stay-away-from-the-dessert-cart weight, losing those extra pounds is not as easy as putting them on. It doesn't matter if you have five or 105 pounds to lose, here are the top reasons most people abandon their weight-loss goals, and what you can do to prevent it from happening. It's Taking Too LongJust as those pounds seemed to slowly creep on, it also takes time to slowly shake them off; coming to terms with this will make it easier to stick with your plan. Know that to safely lose weight and keep it off, you'll only drop one to two pounds a week, so do the math and you'll have an idea of how much time it'll be before you're near your goal weight. Find ways to celebrate your smaller goalsand it'll help keep you on track. I'm HungryWeight loss comes down to simple math: calories in cannot exceed the amount of calories out. If you choose high-calorie foods, you'll only be able to have a few bites, which will leave your belly empty and unsatisfied. Eat smarter by choosing low-calorie foods like vegetables, high-fiber foods like whole grains, and foods with high water content like fruit. These foods will keep you feeling full, preventing hunger pangs. Related: Do You Need to Feel Hungry in Order to Lose Weight? I Miss My Favorite FoodsFrench fries, pizza, burgers, chocolate cake, ice cream — it's hard not to spend every minute thinking about the foods you shouldn't eat. Plain and simple: diets don't work. You can't sustain an eating plan that is too restrictive. Of course, you won't lose weight on a diet of doughnuts alone, so eat healthy most of the time and allow yourself a little splurging to prevent feeling deprived; or find healthier ways to enjoy the foods you crave, like with this pizza quinoa polenta instead of a regular slice from the pizzeria, or this three-ingredient chocolate ice cream that's completely dairy-free. I Hate ExercisingIf you don't love it, find something you do. Maybe running on the treadmill isn't for you, but try giving that indoor cycling class a shot. Maybe you can't stand working out alone, and need to join a gym to get involved in some group classes. Or maybe exercise can't seem like exercise at all, and you'd rather go for an adventurous hike or mountain bike ride. If you look forward to your workouts, they're more likely to happen. Also be sure to mix up your workouts, because even though you're obsessed with Zumba, you don't want to go so often that you get burnt out. I've Tried Everything and Nothing WorksWhen you're eating right and exercising and the scale isn't budging, it's understandable why that frustration would make a person give up. There are many reasons why what you're doing may not offer results, such as not doing the right kind of exercise, not exercising enough, overdoing it on healthy foods that are high in calories, or miscounting calories. Seek out the help of a professional like a nutritionist or a personal trainer, or sign up for a weight-loss program that offers support. Experts in weight loss can offer tips and shed some light about what mistakes you might unknowingly be making that are sabotaging your weight-loss goals. When I was 19 I joined a company called Vemma. Where most people knew it as the scam or pyramid scheme. Regardless of what you want to call it, it was some of the best years and experiences of my life. I learned more about myself in three years of personal growth then I ever had in a classroom or from an elder. We were put into situations where you had to face yourself, dig deep and see what you could really push yourself to do. Ever since I have left that company, I have carried all of those lessons with me.
We used to say "20 seconds of courage" JUST 20 seconds is all it takes to do something that scares you. I love this article because it speaks just about that. It may be a bit long but definitely worth the read! We are all in the "business of self esteem". Regardless of who you are or what you want to do in your life, career wise, relationship wise, anything we all want to be the best versions of ourselves. If you're 15 or 55 this article makes you take a step back and analyze who you are and what you want. Check it out below! Business of Self Esteem |
