The Myth: As long as I exercise, I can eat whatever I want.
You figure if you’re not losing weight, it totally has to do with exercise, and that you should simply get your sweat on more often.
Darlings, they don’t call it a diet and exercise plan for nothing! One without the other makes as much sense as filling your car’s gas tank with mud. Here’s the skinny on eating fat: even if you exercised 7 days a week, ice cream and potato chips will glue those extra pounds to your body no matter how much you sweat. And what good is building muscle tone if you have a layer of fat covering it?
But… (come on, you know there’s always a but) reducing your Cheeto's intake down to one bag is not going to solve the problem, so STOP. Put down the artificial cheese flavored corn puff, wash the food coloring off your fingers, and listen: it’s all about what you eat and how much.
A nutritious, healthy diet is packed with vegetables, fruit, carbs, fiber, lean protein, good fats, and water. Fill your dietary empire with these foods, and your exercise won’t go to waste. Soon your body will become accustomed to getting what it really needs and you won’t even miss all the deep fried, mineral-deficient, high fructose corn syrup disaster snacks of your past.
And trimming the fat is an important part of any well-run kingdom, right? So stop lying to yourself. Get to eating healthy, keep moving, and you’ll feel so invincible, that world-domination won’t seem so far off.
Make a list of everything you ate and drank for the last 3 days. Be honest. It will make you accountable for what you put into your body.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Mythbuster Monday: Fourth Edition
Myth: When trying to lose weight, diet drinks and diet foods are a convenient, healthy way to cut calories.
Our answer to that involves a simple math problem:
Faux sugar + faux fat = faux weight loss!
Here’s the skinny on those “diet” foods: they contain fake sugars and fake fats to make them taste good. Simulated fat and sugar can only be created using chemicals, and chemicals have no place in a healthy eating and weight loss plan.
Sure, they are packaged beautifully; they're advertised with happy, ethereal people floating on a cloud of sugar free decadence. They come in cute, convenient little packets containing 100 calories each. The boxes are labeled with ZERO, or FAT FREE, or SUGAR FREE to lure you into buying them. DROP THE BOX and keep moving!
Your new BFF while dieting should be the word "clean". That means no ingredients you can't pronounce or that you need a PhD to understand. Natural, healthy foods do not need packaging or market research to prove they are good for you. Grains, fruits, veggies, lean protein, and of course H20 are still what's best for you while you create the new you!
Convenience, while tempting, should not stop you from choosing wisely. Power bars and diet sodas are not the answer simply because they are fast. Foods like bananas, apples, and raw unsalted nuts are just as fast, healthier, and easier on the wallet. Convenience = laziness, and laziness doesn't serve you here. In fact, it takes you backwards. Go to the market, plan ahead, and cook your own healthy meals. Knowing and controlling what goes into your body will pay off. You'll be sleeping better, you'll have glowing skin, more energy, better sex, and the golden egg: a bangin' body.
Lastly, if you’ve fallen victim to “diet food” scams, don’t beat yourself up. They are carefully designed to get you to buy them, so don’t let advertisers fuck with your brain and your body. Now that you know better, stop wishing, start reading, and do it right!
And may all your weight loss, be REAL.
Which 3 faux foods can you let go of right now?
Our answer to that involves a simple math problem:
Faux sugar + faux fat = faux weight loss!
Here’s the skinny on those “diet” foods: they contain fake sugars and fake fats to make them taste good. Simulated fat and sugar can only be created using chemicals, and chemicals have no place in a healthy eating and weight loss plan.
Sure, they are packaged beautifully; they're advertised with happy, ethereal people floating on a cloud of sugar free decadence. They come in cute, convenient little packets containing 100 calories each. The boxes are labeled with ZERO, or FAT FREE, or SUGAR FREE to lure you into buying them. DROP THE BOX and keep moving!
Your new BFF while dieting should be the word "clean". That means no ingredients you can't pronounce or that you need a PhD to understand. Natural, healthy foods do not need packaging or market research to prove they are good for you. Grains, fruits, veggies, lean protein, and of course H20 are still what's best for you while you create the new you!
Convenience, while tempting, should not stop you from choosing wisely. Power bars and diet sodas are not the answer simply because they are fast. Foods like bananas, apples, and raw unsalted nuts are just as fast, healthier, and easier on the wallet. Convenience = laziness, and laziness doesn't serve you here. In fact, it takes you backwards. Go to the market, plan ahead, and cook your own healthy meals. Knowing and controlling what goes into your body will pay off. You'll be sleeping better, you'll have glowing skin, more energy, better sex, and the golden egg: a bangin' body.
Lastly, if you’ve fallen victim to “diet food” scams, don’t beat yourself up. They are carefully designed to get you to buy them, so don’t let advertisers fuck with your brain and your body. Now that you know better, stop wishing, start reading, and do it right!
And may all your weight loss, be REAL.
Which 3 faux foods can you let go of right now?
Friday, November 19, 2010
Ditch Dairy!
We all heard the words “DRINK YOUR MILK!” growing up. We were told it helped us grow, strengthened our bones and was "good" for us. Fast forward to life as an adult. You’re eating right and exercising, but the scale is moving slower than sap in winter. What could be the problem? Believe it or not, your beloved dairy products may be to blame, at least in part.
Yes, dairy can supply you with many nutrients such as calcium, potassium, protein, and vitamins D, A and B12. But studies show that dairy products can actually be far worse for you than the vitamins they provide. Scoop this: skim milk is over 50% sugar, and dairy products in general are crammed full of bad saturated fats and cholesterol. Butter is 100% fat, cheddar cheese is 74% fat, and even the “2%” milk you think is as close to fat-free as can be, is actually 35% fat! It’s little wonder how this can translate to fat on your frame. With those kinds of numbers, it may be time for you to ditch the dairy.
We know, imagining your world without it is pretty painful. The good news is it doesn’t have to be, so dry your milk-loving eyes. Almond milk or coconut milk are fabulous substitutes that are not only better for you, but are FAR more flavorful than regular milk. Add almond milk to your oatmeal and you’ll wonder what you ever did without it! Sweet, delicious, and SO much healthier! From smoothies to baking, your culinary cup will runneth over.
Ditching dairy is a move worth making. Soon you’ll hardly miss it, and seeing those numbers finally move on the scale will be the proof in the pudding. (Dairy free pudding, of course.)
Yes, dairy can supply you with many nutrients such as calcium, potassium, protein, and vitamins D, A and B12. But studies show that dairy products can actually be far worse for you than the vitamins they provide. Scoop this: skim milk is over 50% sugar, and dairy products in general are crammed full of bad saturated fats and cholesterol. Butter is 100% fat, cheddar cheese is 74% fat, and even the “2%” milk you think is as close to fat-free as can be, is actually 35% fat! It’s little wonder how this can translate to fat on your frame. With those kinds of numbers, it may be time for you to ditch the dairy.
We know, imagining your world without it is pretty painful. The good news is it doesn’t have to be, so dry your milk-loving eyes. Almond milk or coconut milk are fabulous substitutes that are not only better for you, but are FAR more flavorful than regular milk. Add almond milk to your oatmeal and you’ll wonder what you ever did without it! Sweet, delicious, and SO much healthier! From smoothies to baking, your culinary cup will runneth over.
Ditching dairy is a move worth making. Soon you’ll hardly miss it, and seeing those numbers finally move on the scale will be the proof in the pudding. (Dairy free pudding, of course.)
Monday, November 1, 2010
Mythbuster Monday: Third Edition
The Myth: the number on the scale is a good measure of my progress.
We all want to look good and fit into our old favorite jeans. We want lean arms, flat stomachs, tight asses, and smaller waistlines. If you think the number on the scale makes a difference to your size 2's, knock it off! The anxiety alone of worrying and stressing about a pound or two or more will make you gain weight.
The number on the scale is just that: a number. Plus, the number itself can fluctuate anywhere from three to five pounds a day. Weighing more or less at the end of the day is no indication that you're fatter than you were when you woke up. It just means you're retaining fluids, had a heavy lunch, missed a workout, or skipped a date with the John. We know you've heard it before, too, but muscle is more dense than fat - 18% more, to be exact - so the same pound of muscle takes up less space in your body than a pound of fat does. When you step on the scale, there's no way to differentiate fat from muscle, fat from water, muscle from tissue, or organs from blood.
And really, why do you want to tell your body to weigh 120 when it wants to weigh 125? If you're happy with the way you look, happy with the way you feel, keep up whatever you're doing! Or just chop off a limb, because that would be the quickest way to lose 10 pounds. If you're not happy with the way you look, maybe you should take a hike and consider self-acceptance. Step on a treadmill instead of a scale for a change! If you know you can step on a scale and not have a panic attack, go ahead. But if you can't, trash the scale.
Think back to when you were at your "ideal weight". What were you doing then?
We all want to look good and fit into our old favorite jeans. We want lean arms, flat stomachs, tight asses, and smaller waistlines. If you think the number on the scale makes a difference to your size 2's, knock it off! The anxiety alone of worrying and stressing about a pound or two or more will make you gain weight.
The number on the scale is just that: a number. Plus, the number itself can fluctuate anywhere from three to five pounds a day. Weighing more or less at the end of the day is no indication that you're fatter than you were when you woke up. It just means you're retaining fluids, had a heavy lunch, missed a workout, or skipped a date with the John. We know you've heard it before, too, but muscle is more dense than fat - 18% more, to be exact - so the same pound of muscle takes up less space in your body than a pound of fat does. When you step on the scale, there's no way to differentiate fat from muscle, fat from water, muscle from tissue, or organs from blood.
And really, why do you want to tell your body to weigh 120 when it wants to weigh 125? If you're happy with the way you look, happy with the way you feel, keep up whatever you're doing! Or just chop off a limb, because that would be the quickest way to lose 10 pounds. If you're not happy with the way you look, maybe you should take a hike and consider self-acceptance. Step on a treadmill instead of a scale for a change! If you know you can step on a scale and not have a panic attack, go ahead. But if you can't, trash the scale.
Think back to when you were at your "ideal weight". What were you doing then?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)