The Best Weight Loss Tips

Quadruple bypass at the take out window

Creative marketing geniuses in the restaurant industry have outdone themselves once again. The good people at Friendly’s have now put KFC’s “Double Down” burger to shame with their new “Ultimate Grilled Cheese Burger Melt”. There’s nothing really special about the burger itself, it’s just your typical huge patty with lettuce, tomato and some sort of sauce. The magic ingredient here is all in the bun. The top is a full grilled cheese sandwich and the bottom….yep, same thing! Copious amounts of saturated fat sandwiched between simple carbs and even more saturated fat! 

Biggest Losers. Losing weight, gaining illness.

Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook which eventually leads to success.

- Bryan Adams

When the infamous weight loss reality show The Biggest Loser premiered in 2004, I will admit I was a huge fan. I loved the premise, the trainers and the motivational inspiration. As a trainer myself I found the weight loss expectations and the workouts to be realistic and contestant appropriate…in season 1. Fast forward 6 years and my opinion has changed dramatically, so much so that I know entirely discourage my clients or anyone else for that matter from watching it and feeding into the propaganda. Over the years the show has completely lost it’s focus and has gone from being a positive, health conscious public service announcement to an overly dramatized (Jillian), sponsorship sick, dangerously unhealthy hour of unrealistic expectations based solely on shock value.

Post Vegas weight loss

My apologies for the number of days since my last post. My schedule has been jam packed for the past 2 weeks in preparation for my wedding which took place in Las Vegas last Wednesday!! Yes I married the man of my dreams in sunny, hot Nevada at the Valley of Fire national park on Cinqo de Mayo. It was the perfect day and a week filled with love, romance, food,  mushiness, food, booze, shopping, booze,  gambling, food, shows, booze and…more food.

Who would you trust with your physique?

If the world today was as abundant in brotherly love, kind thoughts and world peace as it is in weight loss ‘advice’, it would most certainly be a perfect place! Every day we are bombarded by the latest, greatest, headline newsworthy ways to be lean, ripped and free from the ‘muffin top’. Everyone has their opinion whether it’s the gym rat with the huge pipes working out next to you or the Grandma behind you in queue at the Starbucks. These days everyone is an expert (and their dog too).

Healthy hormones for a healthy weight

Hormones. Though misunderstood and somewhat mysterious, they are responsible for nearly every human biological function you can think of…far more than just making teenagers randy and inducing 5 days of ‘the crazies’ on us ladies every month. Our hormones control our growth, sexual development, sleep patterns, appetites, reproductive cycles, the health of hair, skin and nails, our digestive system and production of red blood cells, to

You say you’re fat and out of shape. Why?

We all have our reasons. It’s simply a matter of acknowledging our excuses and justifications. I hear them every day, all day long some much more than others. Just when I think I’ve heard them all, a new one pops up and I have to think of a way to stomp on it.

Here’s a few of the most popular…

Excuse #1

“I don’t have time to work out”

My response

“Really? Because you just went into a detailed account of what happened last night with the Desperate Housewives. Seems to me you had an hour to spare there.” OR “you hit the snooze button on the alarm clock 4 times this morning. That’s 36 minutes that could have been spent far more efficiently.” OR “If you don’t have time to work out then how did you have time to read and forward me those 7 joke emails yesterday?” You see where I’m going with this…it’s all about priorities.

Excuse #2

“I have kids and I can’t work out with them around because I have to watch them”

My response (and I have a MILLION for this one)

“You know children are mobile right? If they are old enough they can walk with you, or put them in a stroller and find a hill to walk up and down numerous times. Some of them nap…work out then. Some of them are in school..what are you doing while they are there? Find a friend to exchange an hour of daycare with you…they can watch your kid while you work out and then you can return the favour. Worst case scenario…join a gym and take advantage of the daycare!”

Excuse #3

“I’m so busy it’s impossible to eat healthy because I’m always on the go”.

My response

“That’s a lame statement. We’re all busy. The best option in this case is to take 5 to 10 minutes in the morning (or the evening prior) and pack some healthy meals and snacks to take with you. It’s very simple…throw some veggies, nuts and/or fruit in a ziplock. Grab a yogurt or a cottage cheese cup, maybe a piece of fruit with cheese or peanut butter. Simple. If you do find yourself out on the road with nothing to eat, there are healthy choices. Even fast food restaurants and convenience stores have healthier options now. You’ve got a choice…Big Mac or garden salad with grilled chicken? There’s no room for excuses there.”

So how are your excuses working for you? Are the justifications you make helping you lose weight and tone up? The definition of insanity is doing the exact same things day after day but expecting different results. I suggest you have a good long talk with yourself and be brutally honest about what you can and can’t do because that old saying is true…”Whether you think you can or think you can’t…you’re right.”

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Performance as opposed to vanity

I’m sure it won’t come as any surprise when I say that the majority of the clients I see in my personal training business have one common goal…weight loss. Sometimes they want to shed a few pounds to improve their health, lower triglyceride levels or see some relief when their blood pressure is taken but usually the main objective is a little more shallow. Most often, my clients want to see themselves in a smaller pair of jeans with a little less junk in the trunk.

It’s been my experience however that those with the goal of solely earning a sexier physique find that the motivation to get the aforementioned ‘trunk’ into the gym dwindles rather quickly.  We all want a hot bod but let’s face it, what would make you put the twinkie down faster…the dream of  squeezing into a size 4, or having the bejeezers scared out of you by your physician warning you of an impending quadruple bypass if you don’t do something about that spare tire? I know what my answer is.

So my advice to maintain motivation and momentum in your healthy lifestyle is to choose a goal instead of, or at least in addition to, weight loss for improved appearance. If your blood pressure is on the high side, make lowering it your reason to work out. Maybe you want to be around to dance with your Granddaughter at her wedding or participate in a charitable 5km run for the first time. Perhaps you’re planning a once in a lifetime vacation and you want to be fit enough to walk all day and really see the sights, or maybe it’d just be nice to sprint up the stairs when the phone rings without gasping hello when you answer. Vanity is fleeting so set your sights higher and make your quest for optimum health really mean something!

Enjoy your next workout!

Losing weight is about 80 percent diet

How important is diet and nutrition when it comes to losing weight and sculpting that sexy-licious physique you’re dreaming of? If you work out extra hard, add a few more reps or spend more time on the treadmill is that enough to get your butt into a smaller pair of pants? Not a chance. Ask any fitness pro or nutrition expert and you will hear that diet is anywhere from 70 to 90% responsible when it comes to transforming and improving that bod of yours (not to mention the health of your heart). Bummer eh? Well fear not my fellow fitness freaks, it’s really not that bad. Getting in tip top shape and still eating delicious foods is certainly possible, it just takes a little knowledge and a dash of creativity. Through years of trail and error, I’ve come up with some tips that will keep both your taste buds and your waistline happy.

The only way to get rid of that spare tire

It’s among the top five questions I am repeatedly asked by clients. If I had a nickel for every time I heard it I’d be writing this blog while chillaxin’ in my private jet, piloted by John Travolta himself, on my way to a weekend shopping extravaganza in Milan.

“How can I lose my belly?” “What can I do to get rid of my spare tire?” “What lower ab exercises will shrink my gut?” I know my answer never makes me popular but it’s the only honest one I can offer. You simply cannot spot reduce! In order to get rid of the flab on your midsection, you must follow a balanced, consistent and intelligent program of proper nutrition, calorie control and EXERCISE! I see you rolling your eyes and before you ask….there are no magic ‘muffin top’ pills, no fancy ab roller gadgets and no ‘break through metabolism stimulating, hormone regulating, fat melting, super power foods’ that are going to do it effortlessly for you. Enjoying the luxury of a flat midsection is earned through regular cardiovascular and strength training workouts coupled with a diet rich in nutrients designed to meet and not exceed daily caloric requirements. Bottom line.

Losing weight at the neighborhood pub

Just wait for it… it’s inevitable. Sure enough, every time I design a nutrition program for a client whether it’s for fat loss, muscle gain or a combination of the two, I always hear the same million dollar question. Three or four days into their program I receive an email asking “So what can I have for alcohol? Am I allowed to drink?” I expect it and I can totally appreciate it since after all, I’ve been known to guzzle sip a bottle glass or two of pinto grigio in my time. So what’s the harm in a little wobbly pop indulgence every now and then while you’re trying to shed some fat and tone up? How much is too much? What’s the best choice and which ones should stay behind the bar?