Dean
Dean
What is the most important weapon in the fat loss arsenal? What one thing do I truly believe will make the biggest difference in achieving your body composition (fat loss OR lean muscle gain) goals?
From a practical standpoint the #1 thing you can be doing right now is this:
Keep a food log!
Not too sexy I guess. I mean I’ll admit it’s not something you are going to see advertised in an infomercial or endorsed by a celebrity, it’s not a pill you can swallow twice a day and see the fat “melt away before your eyes”, blast your buns or burn your abs.
The bottom line is this – probably 9 out of 10 people believe their nutrition is better than it really is, and in a lot of cases it’s really not your fault. After all you don’t know what you don’t know.
The fastest way to find out how you are really doing nutrition wise? Start writing it down, every bite of food, every drop of beverage.
There is only one reason you won’t do it – because you don’t really want to know (be honest with yourself)!
Consider this – studies have shown that the average person underestimates how many calories they are eating in a day by over 500 calories per day.
Eating 500 calories a day more than your body requires would result in gaining a pound of fat a week – not what we are looking for.
So here’s the deal – We are providing two resources for you to start your food log today.
The first resource you can download and make copies for each day – Nutrition Log
The second is a free online resource that not only shows you what you eat, but gives you total calories and breaks down your protein, carbs, fat, etc. – Fitday.com
Which one do I recommend?
The biggest advantage of a paper log is that you can carry it with you to work, travel, etc. and you don’t have to rely on your computer, or try to remember it all and enter it later (which you know you won’t do). The disadvantage is the double entry into Fitday or manual calculation to get your breakdowns.
A combination of both is ideal. Log your food daily on paper and enter a day or two a week into Fitday to see how you are tracking.
If you want Nancy and I to take a look at your logs we are happy to do so. We will do a brief overview with you and make recommendations based on what we see. We want to see 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day of the same week. Why? Because it is easier to maintain discipline on the structured days of the week, then the weekend comes and we “let our hair down” – potentially undoing our 5 days of hard work. We also offer complete nutrition analysis, which you can read about by clicking here.
I want to hear your questions and comments below – don’t be shy. You are most likely not the only one with that question, so let’s hear it.
You want to start dropping that fat?
You want to start sculpting that lean body?
Make It Happen – Start that Log – Today!
Dean
“When you can make lemonade from life’s lemons, your glass will always be full.” – Nancy Carlson
(Editors Note: I am attributing that to Nancy ’cause I never heard it before!)
Life always throws us curveballs. We are not in control of so many things that each day we have to adjust and make new plans. In the long run, most of these are just small irritations. But these small irritations can have a big affect on our waistline!
You have heard us say it before – all of us are emotional eaters on some level. We eat when we are happy, we eat when we are sad, we eat to be social, we eat when we feel like being anti-social.
On the purely foundational level, we need to eat to survive – to keep the biochemical reactions in our bodies functioning at a high level.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t sit down before I eat and think – “How will this bowl of ice cream affect how I feel tomorrow”. More likely it’s something like “These kids are driving me nuts, and I need that bowl of ice cream to keep from throwing them out the window”.
When you eat are you eating to nourish your body or just to alleviate stress? Part of the challenge is we often really are hungry during those emotional times, and we reach for the “comfort food”.
The #1 tip I can give you? Don’t have your favorite “stress reliever” food in the house, or office or car, or wherever. You WILL eat it. You don’t need to eat junk, and neither do your spouse or kids. The “my kids like it” excuse doesn’t fly. If it’s not good for you, what makes it good for them?
Eating 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day will help alleviate those insistent hunger pangs that creep up at the worst times. If your body has been consuming quality nutrition through the day, you are less likely to binge.
But what happens when you are out, planning on being home at a certain time then road construction blocks your path? Or you have to wait in a very long line at the bank and that is only your first stop? What about when the meeting at work goes over and you are not able to take a lunch break? Bring healthy snacks with when you are out so you aren’t tempted to stop at a fast food drive-thru or visit the candy machine. You never know what life will throw at you but you can be prepared.
Easy snacks that travel well
Don’t forget to carry a water bottle with you too.
Remember you don’t have to always eat just to satisfy your stomach, eat to satisfy your health.
Make It Happen,
Dean & Nancy
I’ll admit that I do drink diet soda – once in awhile. I’ll also admit that it would be better if I didn’t drink it ever.
I used to drink it a lot more, at least one a day, because I figured it was a better alternative to “regular” soda.
But then research started coming out that diet soda might be as bad or worse than sugary sodas.
In reality, neither one are a very good idea – the carbonation in soda messes with the PH in your stomach and can cause serious digestion issues, enough reason on it’s own to stay away from the stuff.
Then there are the artificial sweeteners. There is no question in my mind from much research that I have done and seen that we would be much better off leaving most of them alone. They are also not the weight loss panacea they are made out to be.
I would encourage you to research the subject on your own and draw your own conclusions. Below are some articles that support my point of view. There are others that say otherwise.
If you are trying to lose weight, water is your best bet, there is just no denying it.
I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments below.
MSN – The Truth About Diet Soda
ABC – Study: Artificial Sweeteners Increase Weight Gain Odds
Online Journal – Duty To Warn: Diet Soda Is Poison
Natural News – Buy Your Poison
If your dog is fat, you’re not getting enough exercise.
Huh?
Well if Fido was getting enough exercise, chances are you probably would be a lot closer to fitting into those new jeans, right?
Sometimes it’s all about how we look at things.
Perspective is important, and keeping the right perspective is key to reaching your fitness goals. Our 21 Day “Steps to Success” guide can give you that proper perspective – when you use it.
You must actually do something now that the guide is in your hands. Print out your copy, read it once, then read it again. Congratulations, you’ve done the hard part – you started!
Now do step 1, write down your specific goals, then on to step 2. This is an easy one you can do before your next training session – just weigh and measure yourself, and write it down. You’ve already completed steps 1 & 2 – How hard was that?
Keep in mind your goals are like the finish line at the end of a running race. The weight and waist measurements are the starting line. You need to be able to see where you want to go from where you currently are now. Looking in the mirror from the neck up is not good enough. You’ll end up with the wrong perspective. Standing in front of a full length mirror with as few clothes on as possible will give you the correct perspective. Taking a picture is even better. What’s that you say – you don’t want to see those pictures? Precisely why you need to take them and look at them every single day. You can fool yourself when you look in a mirror, but pictures don’t lie – they give the real perspective.
No excuses! – Do those first two steps, and you get the momentum going in the right direction.
Remember if your dog is fat, you’re not getting enough exercise.
Now get out there and do it!
Nancy
Believe it or not, we are finally seeing some signs of the sun here in the Northeast! It’s time to get the grill fired up and enjoy some healthy and tasty barbecue. Here are four of my favorite recipes that are easy to make, taste great and great for you!
Let me know which one you like best!
Nancy
***
Summer BBQ for Four
Melon Strawberry Salad
4 cups Romaine Lettuce, chopped
1 small honey dew melon, cut into cubes
2 cups Strawberries, sliced
1/2 medium cucumber, sliced
Fresh mint sprigs
Dressing:
1 cup plain yogurt
½ cucumber, peeled
Lime rind
Truvia (stevia) to taste
Fresh mint sprigs (optional as garnish)
Arrange the lettuce in four two – cup bowls. Place the cubed melon on the bed of lettuce along with the strawberries and cucumber slices.
To make the dressing, add the yogurt, cucumber, mint leaves, lime rind, and Truvia to a blender or food processor. Blend for 15 seconds until smooth.
Serve the salad with dressing and mint sprigs.
Ginger Chicken Strips
1 cup chicken broth
3 Tablespoon Pineapple juice
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped
1 Tablespoon honey
1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast
Reduce chicken broth to a ¼ cup on medium high heat. Add the remaining ingredients except for the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Place the chicken in the ginger marinade for 2 hours up to overnight.
Preheat grill for 10 minutes on medium high. Grill the chicken for 4 minutes, turn and grill for another 4 minutes, brushing with ginger glaze. Cook until juices run clear.
Quick Grilled Veggies
Zucchini, Summer squash, red and green peppers, and portabella mushrooms cut into large chunks (you can use whatever veggies you have on hand)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 T chopped Basil
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
Mix oil, lemon juice, basic and garlic in small bowl. Cut up veggies. Pour marinade over veggies. Let sit 1 hour, mixing occasionally. Put on Skewers like Kabobs to grill. Grill on medium high heat on the grill until desired doneness.
Using skewers to grill the veggies, works out really well. The veggies did not get all mushy like they tend to do in the foil packets, plus I could more easily see their progress as they cooked.
Summer Berry Delight
Topping:
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup Truvia
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
Fresh Fruit:
1 ½ cup fresh raspberries
1 ½ cup fresh blackberries
2 peaches, peeled and cut into wedges
Combine all topping ingredients in saucepan, simmer covered over medium heat for 20 minutes. Cool
Mix the fresh fruit and divide it among four bowls, Top with blueberry topping. Enjoy!
It doesn’t seem that long ago when we ushered in the New Year, full of hope and promise.
This was it! This was the year I am going to (fill in the blank)_______________!!
Reality Check Time!
We are now halfway through the year – How are those resolutions looking now?
Have you lost 15 pounds out of the 30 you wanted to?
Have you even started your fitness plan yet?
Something Alwyn Cosgrove says repeatedly hits me upside the head every time I see it…
“The Time Will Pass Anyway…”
That simple statement has impacted me profoundly.
The time will pass whether I workout today or not…
The time will pass whether I work on my business today or not…
The time will pass whether I spend it with the people I care about today or not…
and Time is the great equalizer.
Everybody gets 24 hours a day – 168 hours a week.
You control what you do with it.
You must take control of your time.
Don’t let the people around you steal your most precious asset.
We give ourselves permission to fail; “I don’t have time” – because of our circumstances, our job, our boss, our children – whatever.
The truth is that the decisions you make today determine your tomorrows.
The choices we make now determine our future selves.
So here we are – half of 2009 is already past, never to be reclaimed.
There is nothing you or I can do about the time we have lost.
What we can do is to Start Today making better choices and better decisions that will move us closer to our goals and dreams.
So what’s the action plan?
Adjust your goals to reflect the remaining 6 months in the year.
Track your progress.
Get Started Today!
Make It Happen!
Dean
Sure you can – but should you?
It Depends…
Chocolate Frosted Cocoa Bombs – Not so good…
But what if I told you you could not only have chocolate, but throw some peanut butter in there as well?
And that you can make it in 5 minutes in the microwave?
And that is the most popular recipe we have ever introduced?
How can you resist that?
Seriously it is really, really, really good.
And it’s even easier (really) to make. Takes 5 minutes, tops.
Give it a try and fall in love with breakfast all over again.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup rolled oats
1 cup chocolate 2% “Calorie Countdown” dairy beverage
2 tsp NATURAL peanut butter (take it easy on the peanut butter – 2 teaspoons means 2 teaspoons)
Put all the ingredients into a bowl and microwave on high for one minute. Stir, then microwave for another minute. Stir it up, let it sit for a few minutes, and you’re done!
This is a wonderfully balanced breakfast with 19 grams of protein, 44 grams of carbs, and 14 grams of fat.
I guarantee if you eat a good breakfast, like this one, you won’t find yourself running for the candy machine by 10:00am.
This is a GREAT way to start your day. Eaten right after training, this bowl of goodness will replentish your energy stores and set to work repairing and rebuilding lean tissue.
Chocolate and Peanut Butter for breakfast – Make It Happen!
The Maintenance Manifesto
Learn How to MAINTAIN Your Overall Health, Performance, and Body Composition During Off Weeks
Congratulations! For the last 8-12 weeks you have done a phenomenal job of improving your overall health, body composition, and performance. You have been introduced to new ways to think about training and eating, and have been building healthy habits that will serve you for a lifetime.
However, your body can only be pushed so hard for so long before it needs time to recover and regenerate before unwanted chronic overuse injuries present themselves. In addition, you can only follow aggressive fat loss plans for so long before the mental and physical grind begins to wear you down and your results begin to plateau as your body enters survival mode to hold on to as much body fat as possible. This is why it is paramount that we accomplish the following things during the transition week between the various phases of Get Fit NH Boot Camps:
Moving to Maintenance Mode
1.) Physical Rest and Regeneration
– Our bodies must rest and recover to prevent overtraining issues so that we can come back 100% healthy and energized for the next phase of the program
– Focus on maintaining and/or increasing flexibility and tissue health by stretching and foam rolling daily. 15-30 minutes is fantastic!
– Daily restorative walks are beneficial during this week. 30-60 minutes briskly walking (not jogging/running) will keep your body refreshed and active, without negating the purpose of this week. Don’t overdo it!
2.) Physiological and Psychological Rest and Regeneration
– We must normalize key anabolic hormones, refill muscle glycogen, increase caloric intake, and prevent any diet induced catabolism (losses of lean body mass) so that we can enjoy greater fat loss for the next phase of the program
– We have taken the road less traveled by being flexible eaters with a long-term approach to success and thus we will take a break from our aggressive fat loss nutrition plans. This is not a free for all, so stay away from your “trigger foods” (junk foods and sweets) that open the door to excessive calorie intake.
– Instead plan (key word) and enjoy 1-2 controlled free meals to reward yourself for all of your hard work, but do not overdo it!
3.) Celebrate the Fruits of Your Labor
– Take some time to reflect on how far you have come since you joined this program in terms of improving your overall health, body composition, and performance.
– Enjoy your results!
4.) Track your Progress from this Last Phase and/or the Start of the Program
Step#1— Answer the Following Questions
– How much progress did you make this past phase?
– Did you meet your goal(s)?
Step#2— Use Outcome-Based Decision Making
If you met or exceeded your goals:
– You are on the right track so keep doing what you are doing
If you fell short of your goals:
– Assess your compliance to our training and the nutrition program you are following. Be honest in evaluating compliance. 90% is what it takes to make realistic progress toward your goals.
– If compliance was not an issue, plan to speak with Dean or Nancy so that we can monitor and adjusts your plans if need be.
Step#3— Re-Assess Your Goals
– Were your goals S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Trackable)? If not, talk to one of us to re-assess your goals for the next phase of the program.
– Use outcome-based decision making to determine if you need to adjust your goals for the next phase of the program:
If you met or exceeded your goals:
– Your goals for the next phase may change based on your progress over this past phase
– If you have reached your ideal bodyweight, clothing size, or “look”, your goal may now be to maintain it, or maybe these results have motivated you to try to take it to the next level?
– If your results were better than you were expecting, maybe we should set more aggressive goals for the next phase of the program?
If you fell short of your goals:
– If your results fell short of what you were expecting, maybe we should set more conservative goals for the next phase of the program?
5.) Take Advantage of Your Free Time
– This is a perfect time to get things done that you otherwise could not during the last phase of the program (e.g. household chores, doctor’s appointment, travel/vacations, quality time with friends and/or family, etc.)
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
We would just like to take the time to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your hard work and dedication to improving your health and fitness… keep Making It Happen!
You will never know how much this means to us and how much this is appreciated. It has been a total team effort from the start and though we provided you with all of the necessary programs to get the results that you were seeking, YOU DID ALL OF THE WORK! We cannot wait to get even better results during the next phase of the program!
Get Fit NH!
Dean and Nancy
Human beings are impatient.
We want what we want, and we want it NOW! (disclaimer – this post is heavily influenced by the fact we have a two year old 🙂
But are we adults any better?
Not really – we want fast service, fast food and fast cars.
And when we want to lose weight we want it to happen light-speed fast!
One of our classes got into a discussion about when I was on my weight loss journey, and I told them that I tracked my weight loss during that time, and that I would find that chart and post it.
I started the chart when I weighed 250 and it stops when I broke 200 for the first time. In my case this took a period of a little over three months.
There is a couple key things I want to point out:
1) My progress was not linear. By that I mean that some days my weight actually went up. Where would your mindset be if that happened to you?
2) My rate of weight loss was about 3.5 pounds a week over that period of time. I was drastically overweight, and my body could handle that rate of loss. Not everybody can and will lose at that rate, but it can be done.
I have often been asked what was the key to my weight loss, what’s the “secret”?
Here it is – there is no secret, and you need to stop looking for one.
Now there are a number of components to successful body composition change – “weight loss”.
Quantity and type of exercise
Quantity of food
Quality of food
Rest and Recovery
Social Support
and others.
But the common thread I see for clients who steadily and successfully reach their goals is this –
They completely change their mindset, and that’s what I did.
It wasn’t anyone else’s fault that I was obese – end of story.
Only when I took complete responsibility did I start to make real progress.
Stopped looking for the latest pill, potion, lotion, ab-blaster, and diet program.
Applied daily effort toward my goals.
Learned how to exercise to encourage my body to lose the fat.
Learned and applied rational, healthy principles to my nutrition plan.
Let myself make a mistake without beating myself up about it, getting depressed, and heading to the all-you-can-eat buffet.
Perfection – not gonna happen. Don’t let the quest for perfection get in the way of your progress. You will never be perfect – get over it. When you fall down, get back up.
I say it often – I am nobody special – if I can do it, so can you!
I look forward to working with you as you reach and exceed what you thought was possible.
Make It Happen!
Dean
So I asked one of our long time Get Fit NH Bootcamp members (“J.”) for some feedback on our new “21 Day Steps to Fitness Success” plan, due to roll out on July 6th.
She had such incredible things to say about goal setting, I am sharing our dialog here!
I asked J. for some input, and this is what I got back…
J: Very nice I get a lot out of all your informational pieces….The only other thing I would say is to use the SMART goal format for peoples monthly goals. As a past sales coach I always used SMARTS with my clients and I love the idea that its all their ideas so they are already sold on the actions it will take to reach there goal.
Me: Great ideas J. – thank-you for your input. Do you have a specific format you use for the SMART goals?”j
J: I would have them on a piece of paper write down the left side of it S for specifically what are you going to do M measure how are you going to measure it A actions what actions are you going to take to reach this goal R what is the result T the timeframe you are going to do this in.
Now THAT is what I call goal setting!