Serious Warnings about Dieting

Posted on by

As an expert and someone that has been in the community of fitness and bodybuilding for many years, I’ve seen people start diets and fail after 3 weeks even when they did lose 5 pounds the first week on their diet.

Here are some facts about weight loss that you should know if you dare attempt to start a diet on your own.

* If done incorrectly can cause serious rebound effects.
* First week of initial Weight Loss is all water and glycogen — Not Fat.
*There is a big difference between Fat Loss and Weight Loss
* Second week of Weight Loss is water glycogen and muscle — Not Fat.
* Diets alone are a temporary solution to weight loss.
* Your body adapts to your diet within 3-4 weeks.
* There are different types of metabolisms and the diet that you are currently on might work against your metabolism.
* Healthy Weight Loss on diet alone does NOT work.
* Beware of Diet pills, if it’s not a drug it will NOT work. If it is a drug, it will NOT work without proper nutrition and exercise, however caution must be used as the fat loss will only be temporary once you come off the drug.
* Losing 15 pounds does not mean you lost 15 pounds of fat (adipose tissue).

Fat burning should be part of the weight loss process if done correctly. A nutrition plan and exercise plan work best for ultimate fat loss. Losing fat greatly improves life expectancy, physical and mental well-being. The true goal behind weight loss is FAT LOSS.

You want to lose weight from FAT which is mainly adipose tissue.

Weight Loss is a generic term for losing unwanted scale weight. If your not losing fat, your losing water, glycogen and muscle. These are three of the most important things your body needs to stay healthy and function. No wonder people that go on so called diets feel like crap, see no beneficial results and don’t meet their long term goals.

This can easily be solved by hiring an expert. With an expert, your obstacles and goals will be concretely defined on paper and you are guaranteed a success plan to losing fat for good.

Top 10 Protein Foods and Options

Posted on by

We’ve all been there… we start a diet or what I like to call a planned nutritional program and days after you get sick of eating the same foods. The chicken or tuna makes you want to gag.

“It doesn’t matter what you cover it with,  it will still taste like chicken and tuna.”

Now, as an expert certified personal trainer, IFBB Nutritionist and champion bodybuilder, I tell all my clients that if you can make it past the first 2 weeks of the same foods, your body will go through a type of detox and your senses will adapt nicely to the same foods that your eating. Chicken will actually taste a lot better.

Most people can’t last 2 weeks on the same type of foods and will make every complaint not to eat them. I’d love to take these people to a poor part of Africa for 2 weeks and let them hunt for food on their own. I bet they would appreciate food a lot more, even if was the same types of all.

Wouldn’t that make a good reality show? Since I don’t have the money to do that right now, I’ll list 10 Protein foods you can add or substitute in a weight loss diet prepared by someone that thinks you might have been able to get past the 2 week hump.

Substitutes for Chicken

1. Turkey
2. Wild Meats (Deer, Bisson etc..)

Substitutes for Tuna

3. Talapia
4. Cod
5. Haddock
6. Orange Roughy

Substitutes for Oatmeal

7. ArrowHead Mills Rice and Shine
8. Cream of Wheat

Substitutes for Egg Whites

9. Whole Eggs
10. Whey Protein Powder

Enjoy these great tasting substitutes and steady as she goes up the road to meet your weight loss goals. Stay tuned for my vegetarian top 10 protein foods and options next !

Low Carb, High Fiber Coconut Blueberry Protein Muffins

Posted on by

Ingredients:

3 eggs (room temperature – important)
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup whey protein
¼ cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup sugar substitute equivalent (liquid preferred)
½ teaspoon baking powder
6-8 Tablespoons water (see below)
½ cup raspberries or blueberries

Preparation:
Heat oven to 375° F. Prepare pan with a generous amount of butter. This recipe makes six “regular”-sized muffins.

1) Whisk or beat the eggs until whites and yolks are well-mixed. Stream in the butter while continuing to whisk. Add salt and vanilla and mix until combined. If using liquid sweetener (preferred, as it is zero carb), add at this point.

2) Mix the remaining dry ingredients — coconut flour, baking soda, and sweetener if using powder.

3) Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. Now you will whisk in water, one tablespoon at a time. The coconut flour will absorb the liquid from the wet ingredients like crazy. You want to get it to a consistency that will hold up the berries, but not be too thick. I usually end up using about 4 Tablespoons of water.

4) Gently mix in the berries and divide among 6 muffin cups. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until just turning golden on top.

Nutritional Information (using raspberries, zero carb sweetener, and an average of three available coconut flours): Each muffin has 2 grams effective carbohydrate plus 3.5 grams fiber, 8 grams protein, and 155 calories.

Rob’s 5 Tips To Help You Lose Weight and Stay On Track On Your Own

Posted on by

1) Have a mental picture in your mind, and PLAN your weight loss project.
Any successful project starts with a plan, and you should look at losing weight the same way!! Thinking about details such as..where you stand presently, where you want to be, and the steps you will take to get there! And this includes planning your meals and preparing them in advance! This has helped me tremendously!
2) Look at your weight loss project as a whole life changing experience, and not as a diet!
Focus more on the idea that you have now chosen and made a commitment in taking a NEW path of a healthier lifestyle, and you can be certain that just as I you will start to witness as your body changes and becomes new again! Start by promising yourself to only allow nothing but healthy foods in, and watching your portion control,along with also starting to take small steps in making exercise part of your new daily lifestyle! Join a gym if you can, and if money is an issue for you, there is always the local YMCA’s which have a program in place to help with funds as EVERYONE deserves to live a healthier active life!
3) Use all the resources you can to help make this project succeed.
Visit your local library, do some online searches, talk to your family doctor. Get EXCITED about Re-educating yourself basically on how you can change your unhealthy body into a brand new healthier one!! You would be surprised at how much info is actually out there, and how amazing this sort of project becomes! Just remember nothing will be handed to you, its up to you to take charge of your own life, and to act on it!
4) Get mentally prepared by acknowledging the fact that it is not going to be easy.
This might be the BIGGEST challenge that you will ever make for yourself, but remember the self rewards that come with being challenged are 100x better! Being challenged makes you a stronger person both inside and out! Also remember to keep in mind especially if you are having a bad day, that in the end it WILL be all worth it, and that it certainly DOES get easier as times goes on! Just stay strong and don’t let weakness defeat you, and remember you are so much stronger! Have patience and work through it day by day, week by week…don’t focus on the end goal.
5)Set little goals before reaching your end goal.
This will make the time go by faster, and you will be excited when passing these little goals as you reach them and not even realize that you are getting closer to the bigger goal with each passing day! These can be anything from special monthly occasions, weekly weigh ins, monthly pics. Perhaps your doctor can arrange some weekly weigh ins, FREE OF CHARGE!! Whatever it is that will help keep you motivated while working towards you end goal.

Just remember we all deserve to be healthier and happier, so challenge yourself today!

Q&A What type of exercise training program do you recommend?

Posted on by

I recommend a training program, that includes both a custom diet and
customer exercise workout. The diet is specific to your body type
which can be classified by your skeletal frame, lean muscle and age
and sometimes even specific to your geno-type, which can be
classified by your blood group. No exercise training program is ever
complete without healthy nutrition that is well rounded and custom
for you. The exercise program would target your weak areas first,
which help you build a stronger foundation and would include cardio,
flexibility, balance, core and resistance training with weights.
The exercise program, would take you through phases of training.
These phases of training are specifically designed to follow
biomechancial, physiological and functional principles of the kinetic
chain. They provide systematic progression that minimizes injury and
maximizes results. There are many different variables used when
creating a training program and they are specific to the client’s
weakness, strengths and goals. Once the body starts adapting in a
productive way, after a planned time period, these variables change.

Q&A How do you maintain discipline with diet?

Posted on by

Diet is simply a selection of healthy or unhealthy foods. once you’ve
made the decision to eat healthy, then momentum and discipline will
keep you strong for the road ahead.

My discipline comes from an intensity of thought. To build this
intensity of thought. You have to first create something called a
Hook. This hook creates a conditional reflex. When you activate your
hook, you intensify a behavior. You can read up on the Nobel prize
winner named Ivan Pavlov that really gets into detail about this. I
first learned about this in a Russian manual for bodybuilding, that I
ordered from a bodybuilding magazine, about 17 years ago. So, I
started created my own hooks. Every time I opened the fridge, I
would picture myself in the shape that I wanted to be in and if I ate
unhealthy food, I would immediately do 200 situps. Eventually, every
time I would open the fridge and see unhealthy food, my abs would
start to ache.

Get into a routine and focus and the next thing you must do to
accomplish your task. I always have a vision. Stay very focused. You
need to believe in yourself and have no self-doubt that you will
accomplish your goals.

Q&A If you could do one thing to improve your health, what would it be?

Posted on by

Focus on what you put into your body. I call this food shaping. Food shaping is what I call knowing how much of certain foods to eat, (portion control) what time to eat them, and what type…There are 2 types of foods. Food that fuels your body and food that breaks your body.
Imagine your body as highly priced automobile, like a Bugati Veyron (my favourite). You put low grade fuel; you get low grade performance which can result in breakdown.
Food for fuel directly affects your body’s metabolism. Most people that have been on low grade foods, don’t notice the continued negative effects such as lethargy, brain fog, stress, high blood pressure, high sugar, high fat cravings and less than optimum hormone production. They don’t know what’s it like to have that high end metabolism. Little by little it becomes worse, until you have a habituated lifestyle.
Start eating whole natural foods, which are unprocessed, and contain macro and micro nutrients that your body needs to run on and repair itself.
Healthy food doesn’t have to taste like cardboard. Be creative.
Evaluate what’s in your fridge and cupboards. Most people know which foods are good and which are bad. Take the bad foods and remove them from your home. If you need extra help, consult with a dietitian.
None of us want to wake up one morning with cancer, or diabetes, or heart
disease. Now – not all disease can be averted – but ultimately us
all would like to avoid as many health setbacks as we can.

Roasted Spicy Salmon

Posted on by

3 – 4 lbs whole salmon, dressed 1.5 – 2 kg
1 bunch cilantro, chopped 1
1/4 cup chopped parsley 50 mL
2 Tbsp chopped mint leaves 25 mL
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed 2
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger 15 mL
2 garlic cloves, chopped 2
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 25 mL
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil 25 mL
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted 10 mL
1/2 cup diced tomato 125 mL

Cut diagonal slashes about 4″ (10 cm) long, 11/2″ (4 cm) apart and 1/2″ (1 cm) deep on each side of salmon. In bowl of food processor place cilantro, parsley, mint, peppers, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, vegetable oil, cumin and salt; pulse to make paste. Transfer to a small bowl and fold in tomato. Stuff spice mixture into slits and belly cavity of the fish. Cover and refrigerate 1– 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Transfer salmon to a lightly oiled roasting pan. For cooking time, measure the thickest part of the salmon and allow 10 minutes per inch (2.5 cm) of thickness. Or cook until fish flakes easily along both sides of backbone at thickest point when tested with a fork.

Preparation time: 15 minutes (plus 1– 4 hours refrigeration).
Cooking time: approx. 40 minutes.
Serves 6.

Boost Your Metabolism

Posted on by

Metabolism is all about breaking down tissues / cells and rebuilding them.. The cycle of this creates your metabolic rate and the rate that you need is unique to your conditions. The advice below will make sure you have a guide to keeping the metabolic cycle going, which will lead you to lean muscle mass.

1. Build Muscle Mass Strength training builds lean muscle
tissue, which burns more calories at work or at rest, 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. The more lean muscle you have, the
faster your metabolism will be. How do you start strength
training? Try some push-ups, or a few squats or lunges. Use 5
lb. free weights to perform simple biceps curls or triceps
pulls. Do these exercises three to four times per week, and
you’ll soon see a boost in your metabolism as well as an
improvement in your physique.

2. Do Not Skip Meals or Drastically Reduce Your Caloric
Intake If your body senses that food is in short supply, it will
slow your metabolism to conserve energy. Over time, the result
is that when you do eat (even if you consume the same foods as
always) your body will be slower to use the calories as fuel,
thus creating a backlog of unwanted pounds. A good strategy is
to cut your caloric intake by no more than 500 calories per day
and never less than 1200 calories total each day. Once you
determine your goal for calorie consumption, divide those
calories into 6 different small meals/snacks through out the
day.

3. Increase the Amount of Protein in your Diet Most
researchers agree that protein helps to stabilize the secretion
of insulin into your blood stream, a process that can affect
metabolism. The average person would benefit from protein intake
at a minimum of 70 grams or higher each day.

4. Aerobic Workout 3 Days a Week Even though exercise doesn’t
affect your RMR, the extra calories you burn could add up to an
additional 1-2 pounds of weight loss per month.

5. Increase Movement in Daily Lifestyle The more you move,
the more you burn! You can actually make a significant addition
to the number of calories you burn each day by relatively minor
changes in lifestyle. This can be as simple as taking the stairs
instead of the elevator; park a distance from the mall or
office; window-shop with your best friend rather than sit over
coffee; walk the dog instead of just let him out; do a little
gardening or clean house while you talk on the phone. Making
these types of changes for just 20 minutes of your day will
cause you to burn an additional 100 calories per day or an
additional pound per month. Making more of these changes can
help you burn as much as an additional 1,000 calories per day!

6. Go For an Evening Walk Although exercising any time is
good for you, evening activity may be particularly beneficial.
Many people’s metabolism slows down toward the end of the day.
Thirty minutes of aerobic activity before dinner increases your
metabolic rate and may keep it elevated for another two or three
hours. What that means for you: those dinner calories have less
of a chance to take up permanent residence on your hips!

7. Get Adequate Sleep As funny as it sounds, sleep
deprivation may make you fat and not just because you’re
susceptible to cases of the late-night munchies. According to
researchers at the University of Chicago, women who got less
than four hours of sleep per night had a slower metabolism than
those who slept for a full eight hours.

What about supplements? Diet supplements that claim to increase
your metabolism have flooded the marketplace. Our advice is to
beware. Stimulants (such as caffeine, ephedrine, nicotine, and
others) have not been clinically proven to increase metabolic
rates. It may be that they stimulate a person to simply be more
active, which then burns more calories.

A supplement is just that…
Use it to supplement your diet with missing nutrients and to
hydrate the body with special nutrients in order to acheive
either a anti-catabolic state or anabolic state. There is no
magic pill, so beware of miraculous marketing hype.

My Best Advice for Getting Results

Posted on by

Let’s take a moment and inhale deep, and let
your breathe go and let your thoughts clear.

Just imagine.

How would you want to change yourself
and be all that you see?

Do you imagine yourself just idle?
No, you don’t.

You see yourself bouncing with
vivid momentum. You feel good.

If you think your dreams are worthy to you and will
help you, then you should learn how to use them.

That’s right, there’s so many good feelings that come
with realizing your dreams.

Your thought is in the right direction.

What next?

Simple. Hold those thoughts for at least 10 seconds and smile,
because you are creating your future.

Being lean and fit can be more than just a dream.

You naturally evolve good thoughts into satisfying action.

How would you want to change yourself
and be all that you see?

Here’s a quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger that he said in 1977.

“I was always dreaming about very powerful people, dictators and
things like that. I was just always impressed by people who could be
remembered for hundreds of years, or even, like Jesus, be for
thousands of years remembered.”

Who did he marry and what’s he doing now? He’s realized that dream.

Get started and take action. You’ll find yourself living your dreams.