Breakfast In A Pinch

A common trait among those who are successful losing fat is eating breakfast.  Yes, I have heard the excuses; I don’t have time, it makes me feel yucky, I’m not hungry in the morning. Those are simply excuses. 

 

 

Breakfast is important and an absolute must for anyone seeking to lose fat.  Breakfast should include lean proteins and fibrous carbohydrates.  Two of my favorite breakfast meals can be prepared in 15-20 minutes and can squeezed in during your current morning routine.
 

Here are my two favorite breakfast meals:

·       Scrambled eggs with spinach (1 Tbsp of olive oil,  ½-1 cup fresh spinach, 3-4 whole eggs*)

·       Scrambled eggs with a Green Pepper ( 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 3-4 whole eggs*, 1 green pepper)

*If you prefer you can use egg whites only, just some an additional egg white.

 

 

By nature I am a morning person: I know I am in the minority but I have to be true to who I am. I am up and ready to go when the alarm goes off.  Being ready so quickly has its up’s and down’s.  The up is I am ready to go after a quick brush of the teeth, wash of the face and hands, insertion of contacts, brush of the hair and dressed. The downside, I will strive to get every minute of sleep I can.  So in order to squeeze in breakfast I have to do some multi-tasking.

 

 

Let me walk you through a typical morning and how I squeeze in a cooked breakfast.  I will wake up put the skillet on the stove (set to medium) with one tablespoon of olive oil.  Go brush my teeth.  After brushing my teeth I will add 1 cup of spinach to sauté while I wash my hands and face and insert contacts.  I add the eggs.  While the eggs are cooking I will prepare a cup of black or green tea and get dressed.  Check on the eggs; scramble as needed.  Put on my shoes and prep my bag for work (on colder mornings I will start the car to allow it to warm up).  Presto, breakfast is done.  Breakfast takes 5-10 minutes to eat and I am on my way.  

 

 

For mornings that I am on a tighter schedule, I scramble the eggs and eat the green pepper whole.

 

 

Ideally I would encourage you to have your meals prepped and ready to go, but that is not always the case.  Sometimes you have to make the most of the time you have.  When it comes to losing fat just as in life, it is about finding a reason to be successful; not an excuse to fail.

The Truth about Fat, Sugar, and Food Labels

Enough literature has been published teaching Americans about the nutritional havoc excessive dietary fat can play. Unfortunately, too much of a good thing has led to so much misinformation that while Americans attempt to eat in a manner that they perceive to be healthy, few rarely have a sense of the role fat plays and where fats are. Ordering the chicken mixed salad in a restaurant might often have you ingesting more dietary fat than you would if you ordered the cheeseburger! Often the chicken breast is “marinating” which means “soaking up oil” for hours or days before it makes it to your plate. Add croutons, dressing, bacon bits, and you are stacking up fat calories in the “healthy” salad.

Since so many attempts to eat “low fat” or “fat free,” marketers have learned that if they can plaster those words all over their label, people will buy!  Loopholes in the FDA labeling laws have allowed food companies to mislead on their labels by promoting high fat foods as “low fat” and pure fat in some cases as “fat free.”  

Skip the big print and read the label. 

        

If any ingredient contains fat or oil, the food cannot possibly be “fat free.” 

      

While some “fat free” labeled snacks may really be pretty close to fat free, the most abundant ingredient in most cookies, cakes and ice cream is sugar. When you ingest simple sugar, it causes a rush of insulin which leads firstly to a compromise in fat release, and secondly, to the possible storage of body fat.  Too often, those attempting to avoid fat wind up having their dietary attempts fail due to excessive intake of simple sugars!

 

Supplements:  Magic in a bottle?

 

There are some supplements that are valid. They are, however, “supplements,” and by definition mean, “in addition to.” A supplement cannot and will not be a solution.  Most supplements are single micronutrients (vitamins and/or minerals) or combinations of micronutrient compounds. The processing of food in itself is synergistic and all of the nutrients work together.  For the most part, the micronutrients act upon the macronutrients for metabolic processes to take place. A concern for single vitamins and minerals without concern for intake of proteins, carbohydrates, and essential fatty acids can only leave you frustrated and short of achieving your health and fitness goals. Once you get the Synergy between exercise and supportive nutrition through food right, you can “fill in the gaps” or seek to optimize performance using supplemental aids. The most vital “supplement” in quest of supportive nutrition would be one that provides all of the nutrients you’d obtain in a meal in the event that a supportive meal is not accessible or convenient.  These are often called “meal replacements” or “nutrition formulas” Don’t get fooled by ads and labels that promise “magic.”  Look for a formula using a high quality protein and complex carbs, free from saturated or hydrogenated fat, and low in simple sugars. Also seek out a formula that maintains a high and complete profile of vitamins and minerals.

Successful Cardio

Did you know that doing aerobic exercise is making people fatter?

If you have ever been a health club you’ve seen em’ people who run for hours on end or climb until you are pretty sure they should have made the top of the mountain by now. Yet day after day month after month, they are showing no signs of physical change. Some may even look like they are in good shape have a nice physic, but get them our of their clothes and they are just a self-conscious as you might be. Let us refer to them as the fat-skinny-yes it is possible to be skinny and yet have enough fat on your body to be classified as obese.

Do I have your attention? Good!

You probably already know that aerobic exercise burns fat, so it seems logical if we want to lose fat, we should do aerobic exercise. So what’s the answer?

The answer is complex so I am going to simplify things a little. The body does not exclusively burn fat during aerobic exercise, its direct fuel source is ATP. ATP can be created from fat and glucose. In addition, the fat you have accumulated is not the exclusive fat supplier to meet your body’s energy needs. The dietary fats in your digestive tract can be broken down into fatty acids that travel as triglycerides in your blood stream; therefore, there is no guarantee that your stored body fat will be the preferred source.

If you exercise aerobically beyond your body’s ability and/or willingness to supply fat and stored sugar (glycogen) as fuel, your body can do a little trick. It will convert amino acids (protein) into sugar and use the newly created sugar as a source of ATP. Those amino acids are coming from muscle tissue and muscle is huge in improving your ability to burn fat. (More on this in a later article)

Far too often aerobic exercisers cut back on their caloric intake and exercise more trying to burn more fat, cannibalizing muscle.

While they are losing weight, doing to much aerobic exercise and lacking concern for muscle, you will lose muscle. If you lose weight and a predominance of that weight is muscle you not only increase your body’s percentage of fat, but you have decreased your body’s ability to burn fat.

I hope you are still with me. Aerobic exercise is part of the secret just not all of it.

Recommendation

For fat burning do some sort of aerobic exercise at least 5 days a week for a minimum of 20mins and no more than 45mins. (If you are just starting our work your way up to 20mins and then go from there) Work with in your Targeted Heart Rate Range:

220-Age= Max Heart Rate (MHR)

MHR x 60%= Lower end of Range

MHR x 80%= Upper end of Range

Any activity will work!

Is Resistance Training Important?

By now you know that aerobic exercise burns fat, but doing to much aerobice activity breaks down amino acids and that those amion acids are coming from muscle tissue, which can cause the loss of muscle!

There is another term we need to become familiar with and that is anaerobic exercise.  Anaerobic means without oxygen.  Aerobic you might have guessed means with oxygen. Anaerobic exercise are activityes in which you become exhausted very quickly (ie sprinting or weight training).  Anaerobic activities build muscle.  What you should know anerobic exercise develops muscle and aerobic exercise burns fat.  Fat is burned inside the muscles.  As you develop more muscle you have the ability to burn more fat when you do the appropriate amount of cardio (aerobic) activity.  Good  news right?  Well for most yes, but for others the image of getting big muscular body is not something they want to visualize.  Let us examine the commonly used phrase, "I don't want to get big I just want to get toned."  Take a deep breath, "toned" means to grow or gain muscle.  What happens here is as the muscles grow they utilized more fat in the body.  As the muscles demand the use of fat stored in the body the muscles grow the fat disappears and you begin to see muscle definition- muscle tone!

So how do you build muscle?  In order to build muscle you must ask the muscles to do more work than they are accustomed.  Then provide supportive nutrition to supply the muscles with the right nutritients to grow.

To sum it up.  Anerobic exercise builds muscle.  Fat is burned inside muscles.  Aerobic exericse is the primary system in which to burn fat.  More muscle means faster utilization of fat.


 

Motivation For Fat Loss

 

Finding the motivation to lose fat should be easy.  Nearly 2/3 of Americans are considered overweight or obese.  The side effects of carrying extra fat have been well documented: side effects such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, etc.  Let us not forget about the psychological effects that can be associated with being overweight or obese. Such as low self esteem, decrease sex appeal and decreased libido. So how does one find the motivation to lose fat?  It starts with two choices.  1. A choice to commit to making healthier choices.  2. A choice to be consistent. 

 

Let me be more specific.  It starts with YOU making the two choices.  Understand nobody else can make the choice for YOU. 

 

Here are 5 tips to help you find motivation:

 

1. Action is Power

 

The idea behind losing fat isn’t complicated.  In fact I am sure if I asked, you could easily name 5 or more methods of losing fat. So it is not a lack of knowledge that is holding anyone back.  So, what is holding them back?  Fear!  I believe most people are afraid to take control and make changes in their personal lives.  They have become accustomed to how things are.  When it comes to making changes goals must be set.  The goals need to be realistic.  Start the journey towards losing fat by setting up realistic goals.  And take action.  Take that first step.  Start with the easiest goal and proceed.

 

2. Reward the Day to Day Successes

 

Eating healthy should be one of the goals. But what is eating healthy?  Sure, there is a ton of information about eating organic foods, cutting out processed foods, avoiding sugar and increasing intake of lean proteins, but what are your current eating habits?  Current eating habits will dictate how successful you will be in changing future eating behaviors.  Here is what I mean: if you food eat 3 jelly glazed donuts for breakfast, a candy bar for a mid morning snack, a hamburger, fries and coke for lunch, another candy bar for a mid afternoon snack, then fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn on cob for dinner, followed by 4 brownies before bedtime, the likelihood of you switching over to organic foods, cutting out process foods, avoiding sugar and increasing you intake of leans proteins at a moments notice is unlikely.  Sadly, this is how many try to change their eating behaviors.  But it is not realistic and leads to failure.   The goal should be to make small changes.  Using the above example if you cut down to one jelly glazed donut and one brownie you will have eliminated over a 1,000 calories from the diet. This is something worth celebrating!  That change is the equivalent of a 2 pound weight loss after one week.  Okay so you didn’t eat any vegetables (and NO I’m not counting fries as a vegetable).  Once able to sustain the reduction in donuts and brownies a new norm will be established.  Next, make another healthy change perhaps instead of the jelly glazed donut for breakfast you switch to oat meal. Recognize the small changes as a series of successes.

 

3. Don’t focus on the end result

 

Don’t get me wrong the end result is important.  However, it can be quite a distance from the starting point.  This can lead to feelings of despair and hopelessness.  Make sure you have set a series of short terms goals, sometimes referred to as mile markers, and focus on the positives.  We already discussed the impact of small realistic changes to your diet, but what about exercise?  If you are a couch potato now, a short realistic goal might be to walk in a 1k walk.  This could be something you would be ready to do in just a week.  In 30 days you could be ready to do a 5k.  Focusing on the positive short term success is part of the journey towards achieving the end result.

 

4. Seek Out Supporters

 

People who share their goals and associate with like minded individuals are more successful at losing fat.  Seek out people whom you trust and share a common interest or goal.  Sharing your goals with someone you trust makes the goal real and creates a sense of accountability.  For this reason it is important to confide in someone you trust.  It is also important to understand hanging around family and friends who don’t share common goals will dramatically decrease your chances of success.  I know this can be scary but if they are true friends they will understand.  It is about putting yourself in a position to be successful.  This is an action step and often times a difficult step.

 

5. Plan for Success

 

When it comes to fat loss success planning ahead is vital.  When we fail to plan, we plan to fail.  This could not be any truer than when it comes to fat loss. If you plan what to eat on any given day you are much more likely to be successful.  If you don’t plan you will eat what ever is most convenient.  Planning ahead is a choice and takes a commitment.  It is not always easy and comes with a sacrifice.

 

Motivation will vary from day to day.  There will be days motivation is greater than others. Such is life.  However, hold to the 5 tips provided and excel on the days motivation is high and preserver through the days motivation is low.

Dynamic Warm Up

If you are tired of the traditional warm up routines then take a shot at a Dynamic Warm Up.  The concept behind doing a Dynamic Warm Up is to engage as many muscles as possible and get the blood flowing to all areas of the body.  Complete a Dynamic Warm Up and cut your warm up time by 50%.

Here is the routine:

1. Standing Twist 10 per side
2. Wood Chops 10 per side
3. Extensions 10 reps
4. Push Ups 10 reps

Choose a medicine ball that is approximately 5-10% of your body weight.  You can also use DB's or resistance cords if a medicine ball is not available.

p.s. on the extensions you don't want to arch the back.  In the video I am a bit soft spoken and all you hear is arch the back.  Remember don't arch the back.

Fat Loss 101 Believe That You Can

In the third part of the fat loss series I want to address the importance of believing in you.  When you watch infomercials and see before and after pictures there is a disclaimer at the bottom that states ‘results may vary’ or ‘results not typical’.  This is because one of the three items was missing; commitment to make better choices, a technology that works, or a belief that you can.  If you commit to making better choices and find a technology that works; then all that is missing is the belief that you can.

I find the vast majority of people when looking for the best fat loss plans or best fat loss programs truly don’t believe that they can change.  Believing and wanting to change are two different things.  It is easy to want.  Saying I want to lose body fat is easy.  Believing that you can is another.  Everyone wants something very few ever get what they want. 

It is not uncommon for someone to start a fat loss program with the best of intentions.  They believe they can use will power to get them through the program.  In reality will power only buys you a couple of days.  In fact will power usually doesn’t kick in until day three or four and quickly fads away between days eight and fourteen.  Most fat loss programs target this two week window.  The marketing is designed to feed upon the individuals emotional needs and achieve a fast result.  The programs are designed to provide fast results to strengthen the belief that you can do it.  Resolve gets tested.  Excuses begin to arise. Distractions become obstacles. It is at this point that distinguishes those who can and those who won’t succeed.  It is the person who has a strong enough belief in themselves that will go on to be successful.  The person that truly doesn’t believe they will succeed will not. Think of the first two weeks on a fat loss program as a jump start to developing a habit.  On average it takes 28 days to make a habit.  It is going to be your belief that you can and your commitment to make better choices that will allow you to press on after will power is no longer the driving force.

                     

There are hundreds of books and resources discussing the power of belief so I am not going to go into all the science and research.  What I am going to tell you is that if you have doubt in yourself and you do not believe you can be successful you are selling yourself short and I truly believe you will never be happy or satisfied with who you are.  Remember this quote “whether you think you can or can not, you are right”. 

 

When starting a fat loss program make sure it meets the criteria “A Technology that Works”. If the program meets the criteria then it is up to you to bring a commitment to make better choices and a belief that you can.  If all three are present you will succeed.

Fat Loss 101 'A Technology That Works'

In the first article in the Fat Loss 101 series we discussed the number one priority when it comes to fat loss; committing to make better choices. The second thing you need to have is a technology that works.  The phrase “a technology that works” simply refers to the right knowledge.  Here is what you need to know regarding fat loss.  First you need supportive nutrition.  Second a concern for muscle and third moderate aerobic exercise.

Supportive nutrition - Supportive nutrition means fueling the body for the desired results.  If fat loss is the goal then you need to practice the following two nutritional concepts.  First, eat a supportive meal every 3 to 3.5 waking hours. Second, each supportive meal should consist of the following: a lean protein, starchy carbohydrate and fibrous carbohydrate. Here is a sample of what your meals might look like:

• Breakfast- eggs, spinach and brown rice
• Mid morning snack- goat yogurt w/celery
• Lunch- spinach based salad with broccoli, green peppers and chicken
• Mid afternoon snack- almond butter with apple slices and celery sticks
• Dinner- Salmon, asparagus, quinoa

Have a concern for muscle - Fat is burned in the muscles. In fact you should think of your muscles as a fat burning furnace. The more muscle you have the more fat you can burn.  This doesn’t mean you have to be a massive body builder.  But it does mean that you need to maintain or increase the amount of muscle you currently have.  In order to maintain or build muscle you need to provide a stimulus the challenges the muscles. The easiest way to challenge the muscles is through resistance training.  Resistance training can come through the use of body weight exercises, dumbbells, exercise tubes, etc.  How much weight, how many times, and how often will be determined by your current fitness level. 

Moderate aerobic activity (cardio) - Performing endless hours of cardio is not the goal.  In fact the mere thought of having to do long bouts of cardio is a real turn off. I recommend only 20-30 minutes.  The best way to accomplish this is to perform interval training.  Interval training basically means combining moments of high intensity activity with periods of low intensity activity.

When you combine supportive nutrition, a concern for muscle and moderate aerobic activity you will see fat loss.  Your body will change.  You will see an increase in energy levels.  Decrease in clothing sizes.  Increase in self confidence.