Eat This, Not That

"About 10 years ago I went from a size 12 to a size 4. I tried a million fad diets, but I realized making healthier choices was the way to keep the weight off. There is no magic pill."

Jillian Michaels (Black Team trainer on Biggest Loser)

The great food debate has been going on for quite some time. Everywhere you look there are articles and entire books dedicated to food and the types of food one should eat, or not eat. Is there a lot of good information out there? Yes there is. Am I going to reinvent the wheel with this post? I most certainly am not.

Here’s the deal with food and your quest for health. DO NOT deprive yourself of the food you really enjoy eating. I REPEAT: DO NOT deprive yourself of the food you really enjoy eating. One day soon I will post my philosophy on the word “diet” but for now I’ll use the term very,very, very loosely.

When you decide to become more healthy by losing excess body fat most people go on a “diet”. Most diets involve restricted calories and the giving up of one’s favorite foods. The combination of those two things is why most people fail at “diets”. Another reason people fail is “diets” require such an immediate and drastic change in the calories and foods you consume that the deprivation is overwhelming. Changing your lifestyle to become a more healthy person is hard enough without have to deprive yourself of your favorite foods.

When you want ice cream, eat ice cream. If you want pizza, eat pizza. Here’s the catch, don’t eat half the container of ice cream or the entire pizza in one sitting. Try to control the Neanderthal-like urge to eat as much as you can just because the food is there. I believe everyone is smart enough and informed enough to make “the right” choices when it comes to food. However, I completely understand and empathize with how tough it can be sometimes to resist the urge to gorge on the foods we love so much. So be conscience of what you decide to eat. If possible seek a healthier alternative. If there isn’t a healthier alternative, just choose your portion size wisely.

My friend Allison has a blog post that has a little more meat for you to chew on about this subject. You can check it out HERE

If you’re looking for a little light reading, try to track down a copy of the book Eat This, Not That! by David Zinczenko. He points out some simple food swaps that can save you calories and pounds. Every little bit helps!!

 

If you’d like to join my email list, have a question, or have a topic suggestion email me HERE 

Next week’s topic: Don’t Worry Ladies, You Won’t Get “Swole” or Why I Emphatically Dislike the Concept of “Dieting” ( I haven’t decided which one of these two topics for next week just yet.)

Thanks for reading!

Your Friend,

RJ

How can my clothes be getting looser but my weight is staying the same/going up?

“Why choose to fail when success is an option?” 

Jillian Michaels (Black Team trainer on Biggest Loser)

Last week we talked about measuring the success of weight loss without letting the scale be the judge and jury. I briefly mentioned using the fit of your clothes as a tool to measure your success. If you missed last week’s post, CLICK HERE. 

I chose today’s topic because it’s a question I get pretty often and it is often the topic of conversation amongst those who are trying live a healthier lifestyle. The answer to the question is pretty simple. Muscle is more dense than fat. So what does that mean? It means that it takes less muscle than fat to equal one pound. Think of it like this, if you had a 1 pound bag of ground beef and a 1 pound bag of feathers which bag would be bigger? The feathers right? The ground beef is like your muscle and the feathers are like your fat. It takes a lot more fat to equal the same weight as muscle. 

The difference in density of muscle and fat is why your body weight can stay the same or increase even when your clothes are fitting more loosely. The closer you are to your ideal body weight and body fat percentage the more you will notice the disparity between the number on the scale and the fit of your clothes. If you are considered obese or morbidly obese you will mostly see your weight go down until you get closer the ideal body weight for your body.

When you workout and become more physically active you build muscle. It’s inevitable, it will happen even if building muscle isn’t your goal. Don’t worry, you won’t look like a body builder if that is one of your concerns, but you will be heavier and more dense. Be excited about that. You want more muscle. Muscle works for you, fat doesn’t. Adding muscle density will help ramp up your metabolism which will help you burn more calories, even when you’re just sitting around doing nothing. Don’t let the number on the scale discourage you. You’re on the right track. You chose to be successful, now enjoy that success. Reward yourself with a new pair of jeans!

If you’d like to join my email list, have a question, or have a topic suggestion email me HERE 

Next Week’s Topic: Eat This, Not That

Thanks for reading!

Your Friend,

RJ

THE SCALE

Now that we’re in the new year and a lot of resolutions include losing weight and getting healthy let’s talk about something we all use recklessly. THE INFAMOUS SCALE! DUN DUN DUUUNNN (that was supposed to be my scary music. It sounded frightening and suspenseful in my head.)

After you get on the scale do you look like this guy. . .

This is what I want you to do. Pick up your scale, take it outside, throw it in the street, then run over it with your car. Sound a bit drastic? Good! If not used properly the scale can be your enemy, an enemy that plays tricks with your feelings and emotions. Scales can lead you to believe you’re making progress when you’re not and lead you to believe you’re not making progress when you are. The scale is a tricky thing if not used smartly.

Ever wonder why one day you can weigh 2 pounds less than you did the day before, then the next day be 3 pounds heavier according to your scale? This is especially aggravating if you’re in the midst of “dieting” and exercising.  It’s because your body weight fluctuates from day to day depending on one or more of the following: the amount of water you’re drinking from day to day, the amount of food you’re eating from day to day, if you’re menstruating, if you’ve gone to the bathroom (#1 or #2) that day and how many times, if you exercised and how intense that exercise was, time of day you got on the scale, what you ate or drank before you got on the scale, and how many items of clothing you are wearing. This list is in no way the end all be all of list of contributing factors that manipulate the number on your scale but it does give you an idea of the number of variables that can influence a scale reading.

For now don’t worry about the scale. Here are a few ways you can track your progress without a scale. These are better signs of your progress:

·         Photograph - Take a picture of yourself in your underwear or bathing suit once every 30 days. You see your body every day. It’s hard to notice your progress on a daily basis but your pictures will show you how well you’re doing.

·         Body Fat - Have a fitness professional take your body fat measurement. DO NOT BE AFRAID. Before you start any fitness/exercise regiment or “diet” there are two things you should do. Visit your doctor and get your body fat measurement done. After your initial measurement get it done again every 60-90 days. 

·         The Tape Measure - Have a friend take your measurements with a tape measure and record the readings. In 30 days do it again and see how much progress you’ve made. Measure your neck, shoulders, chest, waist, hips, upper arms, upper legs, and lower legs. Be sure to measure both sides. Most people are not exactly the same on both the right and left sides.

·         Clothing – How are your clothes fitting now? Pants getting a little baggy? Shirt fitting a little looser than it used to? Good, you’re making progress. All you have to do is keep it up.

·         Your Friends – As you make progress people will begin to ask you this question, “Have you lost weight?”.  When you hear that, pay attention. It means you’re making progress. Especially if the person who asks you hasn’t seen you in a while. 

If you really feel the need to use a scale be smart about it, use it as an averaging tool. Pay close attention to the time of day and what you’re wearing when you get on the scale. Try to wear the same thing (preferably nothing) and weigh yourself at the same time every time you get on the scale. Track your weight for 4-7 days. Add up your total weight then divide by the number of days you weighed yourself that week. Tracking your average weight will give you a better idea of your progress than weighing yourself everyday and looking at those numbers independently. 

Use as many progress measuring tools as you can. Don’t let the evil scale discourage you!

If you’d like to join my email list, have a question, or have a topic suggestion just send me an email to stepbystepfit@gmail.com

Next week’s topic: How can my clothes be getting looser but my weight is staying the same/going up?

Thanks for reading.

Your Friend,

RJ

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The New Year for many of us often symbolizes a new beginning, a chance for a fresh start. This is the time we forget about the past and look forward to the future. We set new life goals and revisit those we may have fallen short on accomplishing last year. At this time of the year we call them New Year’s Resolutions (even though I’ve never heard of an Old Year’s Resolution or a End of Year Resolution. Just a side note). There are some who scoff at New Year’s resolutions for their own reasons. I personally think New Year’s resolutions are a great thing.

There are several definitions for the word resolution. Here is the one I feel is the most appropriate for this topic. Resolution - a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

Goals and resolutions are great things. They can help keep us focused. Plus, we feel a sense of accomplishment once a goal is reached. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum is the feeling of failure when we fall short of that goal. The most important question is this, Why do we fall short? Why do some new year’s resolutions fail so soon after we make them? I’m sure there are lots of reasons and even more excuses why, but here is one of the most important reasons why resolutions fail. THEY ARE NOT REALISTIC.

Setting a realistic goal is a key component to accomplishing a goal. By setting an unrealistic or overly ambitiousgoal you are subconsciously setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. New year’s resolutions are meant to be attainable. They are supposed to be challenging but not impossible. If you have a gym membership now and went to the gym today you probably noticed that it was packed! There were probably twice as many people there than there was just last Monday or two Mondays ago. Gym’s love January, their membership sales sky rocket this month because droves of people have made the New Year’s resolution to be healthier. Which is awesome!!

Realistic goal setting is important to maintaining motivation. If you are overweight, setting a goal to lose 30 pounds by March 1^st is not a realistic goal, especially if you are new to fitness or have been sedentary for more than 6-12 months. Instead set smaller goals that lead you to your supreme goal of 30 pounds. Make your goal to lose 2 pounds of fat this week (by the way, the scale is not your friend but that’s a topic for another day). That would be realistic and attainable.

Haven’t been to the gym in a while? Making a resolution to go to the gym or exercise 6 days a week is probably not a realistic goal. You will burn out quickly feel what I like to call "Resolution Remorse". Even some of the hardest gym rats don’t work out 6 days a week. Make your goal to do some type of physical activity 3-5 days a week. Notice I said physical activity and not workout or exercise. There are plenty of ways to be physically active without stepping foot inside a gym.

I’m going on a “diet”. No more junk food for me! Sound familiar? Eliminating all junk food, bread, or sugar is an unrealistic goal, especially long term, and especially if you currently eat a lot of the aforementioned foods. Cutting them out completely will lead to the crash and burn of your “diet”.By the way, I despise the word diet. In the coming weeks I will explain why "diet" is a horrible word.

Losing weight and getting healthier are long term and ongoing tasks. There is no quick fix or fast solution. Getting healthy takes considerably more effort than staying healthy. Remember that as you set your goals and begin your quest to healthier and more fit life. Stick with it. It may be hard now but the results will be awesome!

If you’d like to join my email list just send me an email to stepbystepfit@gmail.com

Next week’s topic: THE SCALE

Thanks for reading!

Your Friend,

RJ