Fact 1: The cardio machine manufacturers have come up with the "fat burning zone" and "calories burned" to market their equipment and make it attractive and easy for people to use, just like every other great invention of mankind that claims to slim and tone you without having to expend the necessary effort. All of the infomercials and supermarket magazines lie, all of them! If you are looking for a shortcut you are setting yourself up for failure and will never see results. Aside from the treadmill, ellipticals, stationary bikes, and any other cardio machines are mostly over calibrated, some as much as 25%-30%. They don't ask your age, resting metabolic rate, sex or anything, but they give you a "value" for calories burned. HHHHHHmm. They're either very intelligent machines or marketed falsely. You guess!
Fact 2: The fat burning zone is one where you are working at a lower output rate (less effort, less taxing) but are in a higher fat to carb ratio, meaning, more of your energy comes from burning fat than burning carbs. I will NOW reveal the trick to it all: if you are working harder and your total output is much higher, even at a less favorable ratio you are burning more TOTAL fat (and total calories) than at a lower effort. Let me explain it again: say you are working in your "fat burning zone": that is 70% of your heart rate, that burns 600 calories per hr. Your fat burning zone's ratio will burn 40% fat of 600. That's 240 "FAT" calories. OR, you put some real effort into your workout and do some high intensity interval training with short bursts of taxing intervals such as hills and/or sprints, the kind of workout that burns 900 calories per hr and gets your heart pumping at 85% MHR. Your fat burning is not optimal (as far as a ratio) but at 30%, you are still burning 270 "FAT" calories.
Say that you have worked for a half an hour in your fat burning zone (I'm sick of writing this already) than you got a 300 total calorie negative with 240 of those from your fat a... Say that you have worked ABOVE your fat burning zone for half an hour than you get a total of 450 negative cals with 270 of those from your fat a...Well, which is more?
Fact 3: If your goal is to burn a certain amount of calories, doing high intensity interval training will be more effective (faster) hence cutting your workout time.
A good general rule for judging where the heck you are: if you are panting and gasping for air and dripping sweat you are NOT in your "fat burning zone" but you are smart and are working hard. If you are reading a novel and chatting with your neighbor you are both in your comfort zones and are the average gym goers who will never shed a pound. But you are in the "zzzzzone"... the stupid, lazy, unproductive one... at the end of the day it all depends on one thing. Where do you want to be, what is your goal? If it is to make friends and socialize than who am I to judge? This blog is not for those though:) tah-tah
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
these will move you
Two things from my previous Sunday evening tv watching. Some of you might have seen these. You will know what I meant by "move".
The first is the Venezuelan National Orchestra, and the power of classical music and the power of human compassion and perseverance. This musical group is comprised of children from the slums (starting at age 2) and is (now) sponsored by the government, organized by one man, and admired by many, all over the world. This doctor who started the group in the 1970s has built a huge orchestra of energetic (and desperate) children who start playing an instrument as early as age 4. They grow up in poverty, in REAL poverty (the kind we have no clue about) and some of them are from gangs with little hope to reform and become something in their violent, and pitiful world. They play with such vehemence, as if to cry their escape or salvation from the nothingness in which they were born. One can only understand this if experienced or at least has seen the lives of these people. It's barely human... music, however, is passionate, sad, happy, cheerful and energetic, it is without borders and boundaries and limits and restrictions. It is mastering emotions and sending them off through one's fingertips and delivering it to the world in a harmonized sound. Music is power and this power has been given to these kids by one man, whose dream is now a multibillion dollar project, self supportive and widely successful! They have become the symbol of hope and the tiny bright light in their dark alleys. They recruit and teach their kids and make some of their own instruments. They give hope and life back to the destitute. They are real heroes.
The second one is one hopeless man who found, rather, created hope for all man kind. John Kanzius, indeed. Just read about him and judge for yourself: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/10/60minutes/main4006951.shtml
The first is the Venezuelan National Orchestra, and the power of classical music and the power of human compassion and perseverance. This musical group is comprised of children from the slums (starting at age 2) and is (now) sponsored by the government, organized by one man, and admired by many, all over the world. This doctor who started the group in the 1970s has built a huge orchestra of energetic (and desperate) children who start playing an instrument as early as age 4. They grow up in poverty, in REAL poverty (the kind we have no clue about) and some of them are from gangs with little hope to reform and become something in their violent, and pitiful world. They play with such vehemence, as if to cry their escape or salvation from the nothingness in which they were born. One can only understand this if experienced or at least has seen the lives of these people. It's barely human... music, however, is passionate, sad, happy, cheerful and energetic, it is without borders and boundaries and limits and restrictions. It is mastering emotions and sending them off through one's fingertips and delivering it to the world in a harmonized sound. Music is power and this power has been given to these kids by one man, whose dream is now a multibillion dollar project, self supportive and widely successful! They have become the symbol of hope and the tiny bright light in their dark alleys. They recruit and teach their kids and make some of their own instruments. They give hope and life back to the destitute. They are real heroes.
The second one is one hopeless man who found, rather, created hope for all man kind. John Kanzius, indeed. Just read about him and judge for yourself: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/10/60minutes/main4006951.shtml
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
shasta notes
I was at a TRX workshop (which I absolutely loved, by the way) this weekend so I asked a friend to come and look in on my puppy and take her for a walk a few times. While she gladly accepted she also wrote this this little story that made me smile and appreciate her even more (my friend, that is). I thought I'd share it with the world because it's so adorable. Please read on....
"Sunday, July 13 - Mom is gone. Slept peacefully until about 11 am when this loud, blond woman showed up and started calling my name. I thought I was pretty well hidden but she found me in the computer room closet. I knew it was rainy and wet so I ignored her and refused to get up. I guess the rain let up later because she came in, scooped me up and made me put on my "bra". I decided that a walk did sound like a pretty good idea. We headed to Olive. It was sprinkling a little but nice and cool I found a good place to pee at the corner. Then we headed south on Olive. About halfway down the block I paused to do some serious sniffing and found the perfect place to poop. It took that woman FOREVER to untie the bag from the handle of the leash! You would have thought I had invented the cure for cancer the way she bragged on me!! I convinced her that saving the bag in the refrigerator for mommy to see later was NOT a good idea. She put it in the trash later...One more pee stop, then we went back home. I thought for sure mommy would be there. I looked for her but she wasn't there. Oh well, I went back to sleep. It apparently rained the rest of the afternoon. Around 4pm that woman showed up again. She caught me in the living room, where I was waiting for mom. The rain FINALLY let up and I was ready to go for a walk. I gladly put on my bra and hopped out the door. There were a couple of good pee stops and I saw a cat down the street. I told her who was QUEEN and ran her off! Now I am snugly warm on the funny white pillow. I can see the door. Maybe I will sleep a little. Hopefully, the next voice I hear will be my mommy home at last!"
"Sunday, July 13 - Mom is gone. Slept peacefully until about 11 am when this loud, blond woman showed up and started calling my name. I thought I was pretty well hidden but she found me in the computer room closet. I knew it was rainy and wet so I ignored her and refused to get up. I guess the rain let up later because she came in, scooped me up and made me put on my "bra". I decided that a walk did sound like a pretty good idea. We headed to Olive. It was sprinkling a little but nice and cool I found a good place to pee at the corner. Then we headed south on Olive. About halfway down the block I paused to do some serious sniffing and found the perfect place to poop. It took that woman FOREVER to untie the bag from the handle of the leash! You would have thought I had invented the cure for cancer the way she bragged on me!! I convinced her that saving the bag in the refrigerator for mommy to see later was NOT a good idea. She put it in the trash later...One more pee stop, then we went back home. I thought for sure mommy would be there. I looked for her but she wasn't there. Oh well, I went back to sleep. It apparently rained the rest of the afternoon. Around 4pm that woman showed up again. She caught me in the living room, where I was waiting for mom. The rain FINALLY let up and I was ready to go for a walk. I gladly put on my bra and hopped out the door. There were a couple of good pee stops and I saw a cat down the street. I told her who was QUEEN and ran her off! Now I am snugly warm on the funny white pillow. I can see the door. Maybe I will sleep a little. Hopefully, the next voice I hear will be my mommy home at last!"
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
why I say no to sugar free
Please read this! I am copying straight from my certifying entity's, NCSF's newsletter. When I talk about it, it doesn't sound so scientific, but I am serious about my core beliefs and this is just a little proof that maybe sometimes the mad Hungarian is right... check it out:
"Individuals on diets tend to rely on flavored non-caloric soft drinks and beverages as an integral part of their meal plans. Foregoing calories from beverages without giving up taste is a luxury offered in thanks to the development of today’s non-caloric artificial sweeteners. However, recent studies seem to indicate that the artificial sweeteners used in these drinks may possibly have the opposite effect of what was intended when a person incorporates these non-caloric items into his or her diet. The body has a regulatory system in place that, in theory, allows it to anticipate the intake of additional calories related to the sweetness of a food. This trait is believed to be developed early in life, when animals and babies associate breast milk with nourishment. If the anticipated calories do not appear, however, the body’s caloric intake regulation becomes altered to account for the absence of the perceived energy. This action possibly leads to an overall increase of calories. When the adjustment to correct the caloric intake drives a person to consume more calories, the intake can lead to a positive energy balance and potential obesity over the long term.
Researchers theorized that compensatory eating in response to adjustments in the brain mechanism would occur when rats were fed yogurt sweetened with saccharin. The researchers performed three interrelated experiments on different groups of rats. In the first experiment, the researchers fed the rats yogurt along with their regular meals for six days of each week for five weeks. On three of the six days, the sweet-predictive group was fed plain, unsweetened yogurt; the other three days the rats received a yogurt sweetened with glucose. The second group also received plain, unsweetened yogurt three days out of six; on the other days, they ate yogurt sweetened with saccharin. The control group ate glucose-sweetened yogurt only on the days the rats who were assigned to the artificial sugar group received their saccharin-sweetened yogurt. The researchers measured the weight gain at the end of five weeks and found that even though the sweet-predictive group took in 58 additional calories per week, the rats that ate the saccharin-sweetened yogurt gained the most fat weight throughout the five weeks.
Research has also demonstrated that the body has an innate ability to compensate for increased caloric intake by reducing caloric intake later. Researchers looked at this link and attempted to establish a further connection between the real and artificial sugars and the body’s caloric compensation mechanisms. This time the researchers used a 14-day window and employed the same yogurt diets. At the end of the 14 day yogurt diet, the accompanying rat food was removed overnight. The next morning, half the rats in each group were offered a pre-meal chocolate drink that was left out for half an hour before the rat food was returned to all the rats. Again, the rats fed the yogurt sweetened with saccharin consumed the most calories. Also, the rats ingesting the saccharin-sweetened yogurt gained significantly more weight than either the control group or the glucose-sweetened yogurt group. Most significant to this experiment, the rats fed the glucose-sweetened yogurt ate significantly less rat chow on the days they were fed the pre-meal chocolate drink than on the days they did not receive a pre-meal shake; the non-predictive rats fed the saccharin-flavored yogurt did not show such negative caloric compensations. They consumed essentially the same amount of rat food regardless of whether they received the pre-meal shake or not.
Lastly, the researchers examined the theory that a thermogenic response to the taste of sweetened foods would evoke a higher core body temperature, and thus a slightly higher rate of caloric burn, in the rats already familiar with the glucose-sweetened yogurt than the rats not exposed to the glucose-sweetened food. The rats were first implanted with remote-operated transmitters that monitored core body temperature; they were then fed in a manner identical to that of the second experiment. The core temperatures of the rats were affected by the time of the testing, the type of yogurt the rat consumed and whether or not the rat drank the pre-meal shake in conjunction with the saccharin-sweetened yogurt or the glucose-sweetened yogurt. The sweet-predictive rats showed the greatest increases in core body temperature when they were fed the sweetened yogurt as opposed to the plain yogurt, while the non-predictive group showed very little change in body temperature -- only the last test taken an hour after the yogurt was eaten showed a slight increase. The results were similar when testing was performed in conjunction with the pre-meal chocolate drink.
The results of this study seem to indicate a plausible and interesting link between non-caloric, artificial sweeteners, positive caloric balance and weight gain. In each experiment, the rats fed the saccharin-sweetened yogurt ultimately consumed more calories, gained the most body weight and increased body fat. Additionally those same rats showed the lowest thermogenic response to feeding and failed to regulate their caloric intake to compensate for the additional calories in the pre-meal drink like the other rat groups. This link parallels the apparent relationship between the increased use of non-caloric sugar substitutes and the increasing rate of obesity in the country over the past eight years. While sugar substitutes have long been recommended as one way for dieters to reduce calories, this study seems to indicate that the artificial sugars may in fact add a possible hindrance to efforts to reduce one’s weight. It should be noted that humans have cognitive control to mediate internal drive and can regulate actions using psychological controls. Unlike humans, rats simply follow physiological drive with no cognitive, emotional, or psychological association between their food intake and the decisions they make regarding food choices or total calories consumed. Even if the human body mirrors the physiological mechanisms of rats and increase its desire for calories when artificial sweeteners are used, there are certainly still arguments that the zero calorie foods are useful in maintaining lower caloric intakes. More research is certainly needed before switching back to high calorie beverages containing sucrose and high fructose corn syrup. It is still likely beneficial to consume a diet beverage and a turkey sandwich with low calorie, high fiber bread, than a regular sugar-rich cola."
"Individuals on diets tend to rely on flavored non-caloric soft drinks and beverages as an integral part of their meal plans. Foregoing calories from beverages without giving up taste is a luxury offered in thanks to the development of today’s non-caloric artificial sweeteners. However, recent studies seem to indicate that the artificial sweeteners used in these drinks may possibly have the opposite effect of what was intended when a person incorporates these non-caloric items into his or her diet. The body has a regulatory system in place that, in theory, allows it to anticipate the intake of additional calories related to the sweetness of a food. This trait is believed to be developed early in life, when animals and babies associate breast milk with nourishment. If the anticipated calories do not appear, however, the body’s caloric intake regulation becomes altered to account for the absence of the perceived energy. This action possibly leads to an overall increase of calories. When the adjustment to correct the caloric intake drives a person to consume more calories, the intake can lead to a positive energy balance and potential obesity over the long term.
Researchers theorized that compensatory eating in response to adjustments in the brain mechanism would occur when rats were fed yogurt sweetened with saccharin. The researchers performed three interrelated experiments on different groups of rats. In the first experiment, the researchers fed the rats yogurt along with their regular meals for six days of each week for five weeks. On three of the six days, the sweet-predictive group was fed plain, unsweetened yogurt; the other three days the rats received a yogurt sweetened with glucose. The second group also received plain, unsweetened yogurt three days out of six; on the other days, they ate yogurt sweetened with saccharin. The control group ate glucose-sweetened yogurt only on the days the rats who were assigned to the artificial sugar group received their saccharin-sweetened yogurt. The researchers measured the weight gain at the end of five weeks and found that even though the sweet-predictive group took in 58 additional calories per week, the rats that ate the saccharin-sweetened yogurt gained the most fat weight throughout the five weeks.
Research has also demonstrated that the body has an innate ability to compensate for increased caloric intake by reducing caloric intake later. Researchers looked at this link and attempted to establish a further connection between the real and artificial sugars and the body’s caloric compensation mechanisms. This time the researchers used a 14-day window and employed the same yogurt diets. At the end of the 14 day yogurt diet, the accompanying rat food was removed overnight. The next morning, half the rats in each group were offered a pre-meal chocolate drink that was left out for half an hour before the rat food was returned to all the rats. Again, the rats fed the yogurt sweetened with saccharin consumed the most calories. Also, the rats ingesting the saccharin-sweetened yogurt gained significantly more weight than either the control group or the glucose-sweetened yogurt group. Most significant to this experiment, the rats fed the glucose-sweetened yogurt ate significantly less rat chow on the days they were fed the pre-meal chocolate drink than on the days they did not receive a pre-meal shake; the non-predictive rats fed the saccharin-flavored yogurt did not show such negative caloric compensations. They consumed essentially the same amount of rat food regardless of whether they received the pre-meal shake or not.
Lastly, the researchers examined the theory that a thermogenic response to the taste of sweetened foods would evoke a higher core body temperature, and thus a slightly higher rate of caloric burn, in the rats already familiar with the glucose-sweetened yogurt than the rats not exposed to the glucose-sweetened food. The rats were first implanted with remote-operated transmitters that monitored core body temperature; they were then fed in a manner identical to that of the second experiment. The core temperatures of the rats were affected by the time of the testing, the type of yogurt the rat consumed and whether or not the rat drank the pre-meal shake in conjunction with the saccharin-sweetened yogurt or the glucose-sweetened yogurt. The sweet-predictive rats showed the greatest increases in core body temperature when they were fed the sweetened yogurt as opposed to the plain yogurt, while the non-predictive group showed very little change in body temperature -- only the last test taken an hour after the yogurt was eaten showed a slight increase. The results were similar when testing was performed in conjunction with the pre-meal chocolate drink.
The results of this study seem to indicate a plausible and interesting link between non-caloric, artificial sweeteners, positive caloric balance and weight gain. In each experiment, the rats fed the saccharin-sweetened yogurt ultimately consumed more calories, gained the most body weight and increased body fat. Additionally those same rats showed the lowest thermogenic response to feeding and failed to regulate their caloric intake to compensate for the additional calories in the pre-meal drink like the other rat groups. This link parallels the apparent relationship between the increased use of non-caloric sugar substitutes and the increasing rate of obesity in the country over the past eight years. While sugar substitutes have long been recommended as one way for dieters to reduce calories, this study seems to indicate that the artificial sugars may in fact add a possible hindrance to efforts to reduce one’s weight. It should be noted that humans have cognitive control to mediate internal drive and can regulate actions using psychological controls. Unlike humans, rats simply follow physiological drive with no cognitive, emotional, or psychological association between their food intake and the decisions they make regarding food choices or total calories consumed. Even if the human body mirrors the physiological mechanisms of rats and increase its desire for calories when artificial sweeteners are used, there are certainly still arguments that the zero calorie foods are useful in maintaining lower caloric intakes. More research is certainly needed before switching back to high calorie beverages containing sucrose and high fructose corn syrup. It is still likely beneficial to consume a diet beverage and a turkey sandwich with low calorie, high fiber bread, than a regular sugar-rich cola."
Sunday, July 6, 2008
at the end of the day - about life
What is this all about? What does everyone want, at the end of the day? I'll tell you: to be loved. To have affection and human touch, and have some to love. Fat, skinny, blue, white and yellow, we all want some affection. But also, at the end of the day we must ask: is it worth denying self, is it worth the sacrifice, the hardship, the friction and the sadness? I answered this myself and now I am alone. And I can tell you this much; loneliness is painful and it takes a lot of fish oil to keep smiling. But at the end of the day I know that I like myself and I like who I am. I cherish everything I have and everyone I know. It's all precious and I am fortunate to have this all. But at the end of day it's sad to be alone and it physically hurts sometime.
So how important is it? Is it worth the pain?
I am not sure...
So how important is it? Is it worth the pain?
I am not sure...
at the end of the day - about training
When I said in my earlier post that one who doesn't accomplish his or her original goal is a failure, I was wrong. And I didn't mean it literally. What I should've said is at the end of the day we have to ask ourselves what is really important. I mean, REALLY important. That is when we have to be brutally honest and sharply self assess and weigh the outcome together with the necessary work towards that outcome. For instance, take an average trainee who sets out to loose weight while working with a trainer for 3 months, 6 months, a year, any length of time. She works when supervised but lacks discipline and commitment on her own. She gets stronger and fitter by far, but the weight is not coming off. It's not increasing either. Is this a failure? Well, here we go! It could be! But this is the end of the day; what is really important to this person? If loosing weight was, I think she would have made a more serious commitment and wouldn've known not to waste all that time and money just to beat herself up about not loosing weight - expecting a miracle! As we say in the military: you set yourself up for failure...So, is it really the weight loss? Is that the ultimate goal, or should that be revised to, say, maintaining weight while living a comfortable and familiar lifestyle and improving overall fitness. Is that not a great goal, better than most people achieve? It certainly is! When setting a goal this person should've been more realistic and decide how much she's willing to sacrifice and how long she can actually commit to a strict discipline which may bring her the desired weight loss. And if that happened I ask, would it be something that is a life long change or a temporary triumph, one that will actually ignite an even worse self indulgence when abandoned? Because, my friends, at the end of the day the question you must answer is this: Do I want a life style change, or do I want a happy median? What can I live with? How important is this desired change to me? Are you tracking?
And now, I wow to be brutally honest with everyone when starting a program with me: if you tell me what you want and I tell you what you must do and supervise some of your work, I will not not fail you. I promise you that! But I will also not stand there trying to come with things to say when asked for why all this time has not brought the result that was promised by me. Hmmm...Now you're tracking...
And now, I wow to be brutally honest with everyone when starting a program with me: if you tell me what you want and I tell you what you must do and supervise some of your work, I will not not fail you. I promise you that! But I will also not stand there trying to come with things to say when asked for why all this time has not brought the result that was promised by me. Hmmm...Now you're tracking...
when training is a waste
I had a not so good day last week when (starting at 5:30 am) one client after another was "going off", looking for reasons to blame, what else, their own failure, on me! Which, I must admit, really disheartened me and made me sad for the rest of the day. I know it shouldn't have, but I felt such an overwhelming sense of helplessness and frustration that I had to talk myself out of spiralling down with the bad mood currents. I tell you exactly why this is so sadly pathetic and why it got to me so much.
The first client is a golf fanatic, so much so, that she had set a handicap goal of "0", and she employed me as her trainer to get her stronger for her game. Than she has golf pros and other trainers with her at all times, only to improve her golf playing skills. And it's not coming along. Why? I don't know. Because she started too late, she is a sucky player, or just doesn't have what it takes. Is a "0" handicap a reasonable goal, anyway, I ask you? Hell no...but I am to blame for her lack of improvement. I am not doing "my job". Ok, that was just out of the realm of reality and I had to let it go. I have, now...let it go. Give me a break, Ms. Cookoo!
The next one is an overweight, overindulging, fun loving, fun fellow whom I enjoyed training from day one. It's been almost 6 months, on and off, with a few breaks here and there and the weight is not coming off. It's not going anywhere. He has gained a lot of strength and some stamina but the weight...? Hm, it's sticking. Why? Because this painful and dreadful workout is not working. So why continue? If someone works with a trainer twice a week and sometimes even less, not doing anything at all on his own and having the nightly cocktails and good dinners and parties and so forth, what am I supposed to accomplish without having him on a crack diet? What indeed? Is it reaaaaaaaaaaaaly my shortcoming or his lack of commitment and work? How does one measure success?
My point here is that if I am hired to help someone attain a specific goal and he or she doesn't get there I would like that person to honestly evaluate all of the factors going into the process, STARTING WITH THEMSELVES, that goes something like this:
Am I eating well, keeping to a smart nutrition, one that is parallel with my goals?
Am I doing MY homework and the additional work I am not paying this person to do with me?
Am I sleeping enough?
Am I consistent with all of the above AND my training?
Now, why is that trainer not giving me a proper workout? Is my program kaka? Is my trainer and idiot?
Thank you, and good bye. Start with the mirror, people, and don't freakin' lie to yourself, I am not in the business of indulging sorry people. I am NOT the failure, YOU ARE! And until you realize that, not me, not your mom, not your dog, no one can help you get better, you are ultimately in charge of your results and I am a damned good aid to get you there - if you keep up.
Woooooh!
The first client is a golf fanatic, so much so, that she had set a handicap goal of "0", and she employed me as her trainer to get her stronger for her game. Than she has golf pros and other trainers with her at all times, only to improve her golf playing skills. And it's not coming along. Why? I don't know. Because she started too late, she is a sucky player, or just doesn't have what it takes. Is a "0" handicap a reasonable goal, anyway, I ask you? Hell no...but I am to blame for her lack of improvement. I am not doing "my job". Ok, that was just out of the realm of reality and I had to let it go. I have, now...let it go. Give me a break, Ms. Cookoo!
The next one is an overweight, overindulging, fun loving, fun fellow whom I enjoyed training from day one. It's been almost 6 months, on and off, with a few breaks here and there and the weight is not coming off. It's not going anywhere. He has gained a lot of strength and some stamina but the weight...? Hm, it's sticking. Why? Because this painful and dreadful workout is not working. So why continue? If someone works with a trainer twice a week and sometimes even less, not doing anything at all on his own and having the nightly cocktails and good dinners and parties and so forth, what am I supposed to accomplish without having him on a crack diet? What indeed? Is it reaaaaaaaaaaaaly my shortcoming or his lack of commitment and work? How does one measure success?
My point here is that if I am hired to help someone attain a specific goal and he or she doesn't get there I would like that person to honestly evaluate all of the factors going into the process, STARTING WITH THEMSELVES, that goes something like this:
Am I eating well, keeping to a smart nutrition, one that is parallel with my goals?
Am I doing MY homework and the additional work I am not paying this person to do with me?
Am I sleeping enough?
Am I consistent with all of the above AND my training?
Now, why is that trainer not giving me a proper workout? Is my program kaka? Is my trainer and idiot?
Thank you, and good bye. Start with the mirror, people, and don't freakin' lie to yourself, I am not in the business of indulging sorry people. I am NOT the failure, YOU ARE! And until you realize that, not me, not your mom, not your dog, no one can help you get better, you are ultimately in charge of your results and I am a damned good aid to get you there - if you keep up.
Woooooh!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Eating tips for non dieters
These little "rules" will help optimize your nutritional awareness and perhaps aid in weight loss. If you can adopt one rule, maybe you can adopt two, than three and more, and before you know it you have revamped your eating habits. Also check out my more detailed nutritional check list on my website that you can download and go through every night to help with smart eating. I hate calling it weight loss. Let's just say; smart eating and no greediness.
Here we go: for starters, don't skip meals, ever! Must have the main three and two little meals or snacks in between - this is the MINIMUM! Yes, I eat 5-6 times a day, sometimes more. I might snack on fruit, apple, nuts (macadamias or walnuts or almonds), figs, ginger, veggies, cottage cheese or yogurt, whole grain cracker, tuna, etc. Try to stay away from low fat and fat free and sugar free. If these were labeled "chemical laden", or "slightly poisonous", than you wouldn't touch it, would you? Well, guess what? They are... so eat real and eat small. Get smaller serving plates for your home. Seriously, get smaller plates and bowls. Your portions will shrink automatically. Do not eat anything out of the package, put it in a small bowl or on a small plate and stop there. Drink a little water before you start eating and after. Also drink water at bedtime to aid the digestion of your food and keep hydrated through the night. You will not have cramps and headaches and dry mouth when you wake up. You may have pee pee in the middle of the night but it's worth it. Have water at your bedside too. Eat proteins and complex carbs and fats all, but try not eating anything sugary (including fruit) after 6 pm. Do not eat up to two hours before bedtime. If you feel hungry grab a few nuts or a few crackers only. Try and clear up your liquids, that is: drink water only!!! Drop the soda, the juice (maybe 4 oz a day) and even the milk. One glass of milk a day is enough, you can get calcium from other dairy such as cottage cheese, regular cheese and whatever else squeezes out of cows (yumm!). No fried foods! No desserts! Did you know that dessert is NOT part of a complete meal, it never was till the all American cafeteria food makers made it so, probably because it's cheap to throw some puddin' into your daily calories. There are lots of dessert alternatives, such as fruit, fruit smoothies (sherbet, not the milky kind), but if you really have to, get a piece of chocolate withouth the crap in it, just plain chocolate. By the way, peanuts are not the greatest either and they're not even nuts. Look it up. Soy, in higher quantities, is even bad for you. So don't substitute.
See, this is my philosophy (and that's my big word for the day); if nature wanted us to drink soy milk she would've made bean cows. There's no such thing. If nature wanted us to have sweets without sugar we wouldn't have sugar at all. We wouldn't know sugar. Sugar would be an element on a distant start that we hoped one day to reach with our high powered machines. Maybe sugar would be a fuel, it wouldn't be for consumption. OK, I digress, you get the point! Don't inflate, polish and recolor the fruits and vegetables, don't spike the animals with hormones and don't take the good tasting stuff out of food - eat less of it! Eat with measure and eat colorful! Unlike like the Britt's...lol, the only color on their table is beige. Eat lots of fish or take fish oil! Unlike the Cubans. The only condiment they use is frying oil! Ok, I stop poaking fun, I told you that I grew up on lard...ewh!
Eat enough, not as much as you can! Separate your food when dining out and put it in a go box right away - eat half of what they serve (except if you are in the Cheese Cake Factory, than eat a quarter portion). Be happy but not fat - go see Wall-e!
Here we go: for starters, don't skip meals, ever! Must have the main three and two little meals or snacks in between - this is the MINIMUM! Yes, I eat 5-6 times a day, sometimes more. I might snack on fruit, apple, nuts (macadamias or walnuts or almonds), figs, ginger, veggies, cottage cheese or yogurt, whole grain cracker, tuna, etc. Try to stay away from low fat and fat free and sugar free. If these were labeled "chemical laden", or "slightly poisonous", than you wouldn't touch it, would you? Well, guess what? They are... so eat real and eat small. Get smaller serving plates for your home. Seriously, get smaller plates and bowls. Your portions will shrink automatically. Do not eat anything out of the package, put it in a small bowl or on a small plate and stop there. Drink a little water before you start eating and after. Also drink water at bedtime to aid the digestion of your food and keep hydrated through the night. You will not have cramps and headaches and dry mouth when you wake up. You may have pee pee in the middle of the night but it's worth it. Have water at your bedside too. Eat proteins and complex carbs and fats all, but try not eating anything sugary (including fruit) after 6 pm. Do not eat up to two hours before bedtime. If you feel hungry grab a few nuts or a few crackers only. Try and clear up your liquids, that is: drink water only!!! Drop the soda, the juice (maybe 4 oz a day) and even the milk. One glass of milk a day is enough, you can get calcium from other dairy such as cottage cheese, regular cheese and whatever else squeezes out of cows (yumm!). No fried foods! No desserts! Did you know that dessert is NOT part of a complete meal, it never was till the all American cafeteria food makers made it so, probably because it's cheap to throw some puddin' into your daily calories. There are lots of dessert alternatives, such as fruit, fruit smoothies (sherbet, not the milky kind), but if you really have to, get a piece of chocolate withouth the crap in it, just plain chocolate. By the way, peanuts are not the greatest either and they're not even nuts. Look it up. Soy, in higher quantities, is even bad for you. So don't substitute.
See, this is my philosophy (and that's my big word for the day); if nature wanted us to drink soy milk she would've made bean cows. There's no such thing. If nature wanted us to have sweets without sugar we wouldn't have sugar at all. We wouldn't know sugar. Sugar would be an element on a distant start that we hoped one day to reach with our high powered machines. Maybe sugar would be a fuel, it wouldn't be for consumption. OK, I digress, you get the point! Don't inflate, polish and recolor the fruits and vegetables, don't spike the animals with hormones and don't take the good tasting stuff out of food - eat less of it! Eat with measure and eat colorful! Unlike like the Britt's...lol, the only color on their table is beige. Eat lots of fish or take fish oil! Unlike the Cubans. The only condiment they use is frying oil! Ok, I stop poaking fun, I told you that I grew up on lard...ewh!
Eat enough, not as much as you can! Separate your food when dining out and put it in a go box right away - eat half of what they serve (except if you are in the Cheese Cake Factory, than eat a quarter portion). Be happy but not fat - go see Wall-e!
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