Don’t Try To Lose Weight Anymore

First Things First…

Huge kudos and congratulations go to Karyn and Brenda for the awesome results they achieved in our August classes. Both of these ladies set the bar high for their monthly weight loss goal – 15 pounds – Now that is an aggressive goal! If you don’t aim high you will never discover what you can accomplish, so don’t be shy.

Here’s what Brenda wrote to us:

“Week Four was a good week.  I lost another 3Ibs… so that’s 11 lbs total for the month of August.  My clothes are starting to feel better and I am starting to have more energy.  It’s  a great feeling.  So, although I did not meet my original goal of 15 lbs for the month, I am happy about the progress.  Thank you.”

Would you be happy if you set a goal of 15 and lost “only” 11? Hello!

Karyn was very low key about the whole thing. She wrote me a note about another subject, and at the bottom was:

“PS…Lost the 15 I set out to this month.” Shout it from the rooftops…you did it!

How did these ladies get such great results? They had a plan and they followed it. Brenda sent us her compliance chart with notes at the end of every week. Karyn is meticulous in her detail, and met her goal even though she had a crazy month with her kids!

You have the tools to achieve the same results, you just need to take action and do it! The plan they follow is right here – http://GetFitNHbootcamp.com/21

Don’t be shy, we want to hear the results you are achieving too! Comment Below!

***

How many times have you “tried” to lose weight?

How many times have you “done” a program like Weight Watchers®, or Nutrisystem®, or Jenny Craig®?

Do you know the ins and outs of any of these popular “diets”?

Atkins®

South Beach®

Pritikin®

The Zone®

The Mediterranean Diet®

Sugar Buster®

When you break it down, all of these diets are the same because of this one factor – They are structured plans.

I can pretty much guarantee you that you can and will lose weight on any of these, When you actually consistently DO THE PLAN!

Some of these plans are better than others. In my mind the most important thing to ask yourself is “Can I do this for the rest of my life?” This is the weakness of most “diets”. They are simply not sustainable. If you can’t see yourself being happy on one of these plans for life, it’s going to be a whole lot easier for you to “go off”. That’s disaster on many different levels.

So what do we do?

We want to teach you how to eat for life!

We don’t want you to try any plan, including ours.

In order to achieve permanent fat loss (like the former fat boy writing this) you MUST shift your mindset from “TRY” to “DO”.

Why is this so important? Because when we say we are going to “Try” something, it is a built-in excuse for not succeeding. “Well I tried, and it didn’t work for me” – BALONEY!

That’s why we are such sticklers about keeping records, particularly when you first start developing new eating habits and patterns. The records show what you are actually DOING. Cold, hard numbers. Either you did it or you didn’t. Takes “trying” right out of the equation. Did I eat breakfast every day? Did I eat my protein and veggies? What percentage of the time? It’s all there in black and white.

Time to be brutally honest with yourself. If you are not keeping records, why not?  What excuses are you formulating in your head right now?

We have found there is one underlying reason – You really just don’t want to know.

Look I am realist, and I have dealt with many of the same things you may be going through right now. What happens if I fail – again? What happens if I succeed? What will change in my life? What will my friends think? What will my spouse say? Man have I been there! Change is never easy, but rarely in life is anything worth achieving easy.

The best part is you are not alone. You are part of something special – A group of people with common goals, dreams and desires. Coaches and members that encourage, congratulate and yes, kick you in the pants when you need it. Take advantage of the resources you have, and make today the day you Make It Happen!

http://GetFitNHbootcamp.com/21

Nancy and Dean

You Can’t, Huh?

“Like I said, just because I can’t do it TODAY doesn’t mean I won’t be able to do it EVER….”

Found this video in the archives, and was compelled to share it again.

Don’t ever give up on your dreams…

Don’t ever let anyone tell you you are not good enough…

Don’t ever think the obstacles you face today are permanent and immovable…

You are powerful…

You are able…

You are good enough…

You Better Believe It!

UMP Brownies To The Rescue

I think we posted this one not too long ago, but some of you were asking, and it is absolutely worth posting again.

Sometimes you need a bit of CHOCOLATE to get you through the day, and we have got the recipe for you! This recipe has only a few ingredients, and you can experiment with cooking times depending on how soft you want the brownie to be.

Just take 2 scoops of Chocolate Ultimate Muscle Protein and add enough water to make a batter (again you will need to experiment)

Microwave for 30 seconds at a time until you get it just right (I like mine a bit gooey)

Add 2 teaspoons (take it easy here) of natural peanut butter and a tablespoon of whipped cream. Enjoy

Just the recipe to keep those cravings away so you can keep building that better body!

***

Wanted to give kudos to the 6pm class for their testing performance last night, and especially to Kristin and Meghan, who got their name up on the record board – Well Done!

***

Another reminder that we are on a scheduled recovery week in our bootcamps next week (find out why here: http://getfitnhbootcamp.com/rest-recover-regenerate-its-not-optional/) and we will pick it up again September 8th.

We want to tell you again how much we count it a privilege to work with you and how excited we are to see you getting better and better every day. To have so much fun is just a tremendous bonus, and we thank-you for that as well!

We had a blast this Summer, and we look forward to a great Autumn! Enjoy your week off, and we will see you on the 8th.

Keep On Making It Happen!

Nancy and Dean

Records Are Made To Be Broken

WHAT A MORNING! Despite the wailing and gnashing of teeth (you know who you are Steph) our testing today was incredible!

The morning classes are giving the 6:00pm class some HUGE numbers to shoot for tonight!

New Records:

Squats: Tim Patterson – 109

Squat Thrusts: Bethany Yeaton – 45 (The previous record was also broken by Tim Patterson with 41)

100 Rep Test: Dan Yeaton with 1:03 (Previous record also broken by Mela Stewart with 1:06)

Congratulations!

We also saw a TON of personal bests set today! This blog would be a mile long if we put them all up here, but just know that we are proud of you for the progress you have made over the last month. We saw a number of ladies who couldn’t do even one pushup a month ago breaking double digits today – Great Job!

A couple highlights I wanted to mention:

This is the first re-test we have done with our Concord classes, and our members averaged a 27 second decrease in the 100 Rep Test, with Debbie R. knocking a whopping 59 seconds of her time in one month, plus Lorie and Shannon both knocking over 40 seconds off their times! Other highlights include Deb R. adding 18 pushups, Stacey H. upping her squats by 27 and Elizabeth H. increasing her situps by 11. In fact every Concord person who did their initial retest set personal bests in every category – You guys ROCKED it!

Other Epsom highlights (besides our record breakers) include Don cranking out 45 squats (on those knees?)  🙂 and Denise upping her pushup count by 18 – Love It!

You are truly Making It Happen!

Keep up the great work, and when 6:00pm demolishes some of those records we will let you know!

Rest, Recover, Regenerate…it’s NOT optional!

Your body is a machine. You work it hard. You train hard every time you walk into the gym. You attack the weights, you complete every rep. Nothing is going to stop you.

And then, in the middle of making tremendous progress, we nasty trainers tell you it’s time to take a week off. WHAT?!

Actually I love the reaction I get from you when it is time to take a scheduled week off from training. You are dedicated, determined and get downright ornery!

So why do we do it? A fair question, and one we are going to answer in this article. Now there are a few of you out there (you know who I am talking about Danno) that will resist taking time off for restoration and recovery. But it is for your own good, like it or not.

You see, your body does not get stronger, faster, leaner…better…from just training. Your body adapts to the training stimulus ONLY when you properly recover. This recovery includes rest between workouts, flexibility work, proper nutrition, and periodically pretty much doing nothing.

That’s what our recovery weeks are all about. To give you body and mind a break from your hard training, in order to come back refreshed and better than ever.

So without further adieu…

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 a lifelong eating plan, 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 Progra

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

Stick with your Stonyfield…

If you have been in our bootcamp classes over the last couple days we have reviewing food labels – specifically a few different types of yogurt. When Nancy was doing some comparison shopping, she was looking at one of our favorite brands – Stonyfield, and noticed it was labeled much differently than the others, in that the cultures were not listed in the ingredients, but in a separate window. She called customer service, and we shared that conversation with you in class.

Well we have some avid Stonyfield eaters, and one of them decided to do some follow up, and I am glad she did. Either the lady we talked to was misinformed or we misunderstood, so I wanted to share the letter Supercamper Donna got back – in writing – from Stonyfield.  While I am still not sure I like unnecessary ingredients like pectin in the product, and believe it would be helpful if all manufacturers labeled their products the same way, we don’t want to throw a NH Product under the bus unnecessarily, or give inaccurate info, so I wanted to share the letter.

Personally I think Donna just likes to try to prove me wrong, but that’s a whole ‘nother story!  🙂

From Stonyfield:

Hello Donna,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We’re always happy to get
comments and questions from our yogurt lovers and are grateful when someone
takes the time to let us know what they think of our Company and products.

In order to highlight our unique culture blend, we chose to list the
cultures in a separate box on the nutrition label. Cultured pasteurized
milk is still listed in the ingredient legend. This satisfies the labeling
requirement and means that live and active cultures have been added to our
products through the milk. And now with the long list of cultures removed
from the ingredient statement, you’re able to focus on our short list of
natural and organic ingredients.

Pectin is a natural substance derived from apples and citrus fruit. We use
it to help keep our yogurt from separating. You’ll notice that we never add
artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners and preservatives like other brands.

Sincerely,

The folks at Stonyfield Farm

Ditch The Pasta and Dine on Denise’s Dynamic Lasagna Instead!

How’s that for a mouthful?

If you like Italian food, you probably are in love with lasagna! Well super bootcamper and super cook Denise has been kind enough to share her waistline friendly version that is easy to prepare, tastes great and leaves the pasta on the shelf.

This recipe is just one example of taking seasonal vegetables like zucchini or yellow squash and mixing it up a little. Using fresh local vegetables just makes sense!

Denise K’s Lasagana for Losers (of unwanted pounds and inches)

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
15 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
Dash pepper
4 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4″ strips (you can also use 2 zucchini & 2 yellow squash)
2 tbls. flour
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1 egg
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan

Cook beef and onion in a cast iron skillet until meat is no longer pink, then drain thoroughly. Stir in tomato sauce and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a lightly oiled 11x17x2 inch baking dish, layer half the zucchini; sprinkle with 1 tbsp. flour. In a bowl combine the cottage cheese and egg and mix well. Spread over the zucchini. Layer with half the meat mixture, remaining zucchini and remaining flour. Top with mozzarella and remaining meat mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving. Less than 450 calories per serving when portioned into 6 servings – Enjoy!

***

Congratulations to the winners of a free month of Bootcamp – Please welcome them to class!!!

Epsom Old Home Day:
Kim Locke
Sue Bosiak

Chichester Old Home Day:
Shannon Nickerson
Kyle Potter

Home Depot Health Fair
Deb Walker
Cheryl Sanborn

Look for us if you are a state employee at the State of New Hampshire Hazen Drive Health Fair on September 1st for more chances to win free bootcamp.

Don’t Waffle On This Recipe

Let’s face it, sometimes you can get sick of eating eggs every morning (except Danno of course).

A supershake is a great alternative, or a nice piece of salmon works nice too!

But sometimes you just want something different, and we are happy to oblige with this “eternal eating” friendly waffle recipe. Give it a try, it really is good!

Protein Packed Waffle

1/2 scoop Ultimate Muscle Protein
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 Tbsp flax meal
1 Tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
Add water to desired consistency
Agave Syrup for topping

Preheat the waffle maker and spray with non-stick olive oil spray, if required. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, adding water until desired consistency is achieved. Pour batter into waffle maker (makes 1 or 2 depending on size of your waffle maker). Cook according to directions, top with Agave Syrup or sugar free syrup and enjoy!

Amounts given is 1 serving for a female. Double recipe for males.

Make It Happen!

Dean & Nancy

What Are They Smoking At Time Magazine?

Debbie from the 8:30am Concord class (You Rock Ladies!)  asked if I had seen the  TIME magazine story (August 17th) “The Myth About Exercise”. I had not, but after looking into it I discovered I had one more great reason not to read it. 🙂

I was going to write about it, but then discovered that fellow fitness professional Tom Venuto has written a rebuttal and asked that it be passed on, and since he did a wonderful job (as usual) I am happy to do so. I am posting a brief excerpt below. To read what Tom had to write in its entirety, please click here.

Love to hear your comments below!

The truth about exercise, appetite and weight loss

John Cloud, a writer for Time magazine, says that he gets hungry after exercise, so he often eats more on the days he works out than on the days he doesn’t. Therefore, he proposes that exercise won’t make you thin and might actually prevent you from losing weight.

You don’t say? You mean that you don’t lose weight if you put the calories you just burned right back in by stuffing your face with muffins and doughnuts! Who’d have thunk? He’s a real rocket scientist, that John Cloud.

It’s tough not to pick on a “fitness journalist” who thinks that exercise turns fat into muscle. But sarcasm aside for a moment, exercise can increase hunger in some cases. Hunger is a normal regulatory response of the body to maintain energy balance and weight homeostasis anytime you’re in a calorie deficit and losing body mass, whether that is achieved through exercise or dietary restriction. That doesn’t mean exercise is ineffective for weight loss, it means you need DIETARY RESTRAINT to lose weight! Dietary restraint means that if you want to lose weight, sometimes you have to feel hungry and NOT EAT! (even while stressed, emotional, tempted, etc.) This takes work, and part of that work is to practice the self-discipline to not eat every time you feel the urge and to pursue the self-education to understand the realities of the energy balance equation.

You’ll have to provide the self-discipline, but let me see if I can help with the education part (pay attention, Time magazine!) click to continue reading…

***

I had a great question this morning from Mary, who asked about Meal Replacement Drinks and the difference between Ultimate Muscle Protein and Prograde “Lean” and if both were suitable as meal replacements. Very good question!

Ultimate Muscle Protein is not specifically designed to be a “meal replacement” while the Prograde Lean was created for that purpose.

What’s the difference? The UMP does not have the carbohydrate, fiber and vitamin profile that the Prograde does; in other words it is not “complete” nutrition. It is not intended to be. It is a “supplemental” protein source.

So which do I use more?

Personally I use the UMP more. Why?

The #1 reason is because it just plain tastes great. The vanilla is my favorite and it is just really, really good.

The #2 reason would be because I like it’s versatility. I can drink it plain when I am getting my carbs elsewhere. I can make protein pancakes with it. I can add fruit and yogurt to it and make my own Meal Replacement smoothie, etc.

Which would I recommend for you?

Depends. (how’s that for non-committal)  🙂

Prograde Lean is perfect for those times when you just can’t take the extra minute to mix a “custom” smoothie. It’s more complete nutrition profile is a great choice when you need quick, complete nutrition without the hassle.

When you want to mix your own custom smoothies and pre/post-workout nutrition, plus have a little more versatility, UMP is the product for you.

Have a great weekend, and don’t stop MAKING IT HAPPEN!

Dean

Fat On Purpose?

I understand that using the word “Fat” is not very politically correct in this hyper-sensitive day and age we live in. This may come as a shock to you – I don’t care. Well actually that’s not true – it’s because I DO care that I call it like I see it.

I shared a story in one of our classes recently about my doctor, well actually the guy who used to be my doctor. I weighed about 250 when I went to see him for my physical one year. I was trying to head him off at the pass and told him “I know I need to lose a few pounds”, actually a very significant understatement. He said something like “Well most of us do, you are not really that bad”. I have thought about that statement often over the years, and it still stuns me. I realize now that this man also was very overweight, learned later that he smoked, and in fact was dead of heart disease in his fifties. He had his own issues that he wasn’t dealing with, and maybe that was being reflected in the advice he was giving his patients. The other thing that occurs to me is that physicians are being sued for hurting people’s feelings, for calling them “Fat”. Now while I understand sensitivety may be called for, I also know that we have allowed that sensitivety to translate into a culture that is very rapidly killing itself through it’s own behaviour.

I WAS fat – no two ways about it. To call it anything else is denial, and it was killing me, just like it’s killing a very large part of our population, some quicker than others. If you are waiting for someone to solve the obesity problem let me clue you in – it’s starts with me, and it starts with you.

Ok, enough ranting!

Did you see the story on Good Morning America about the trainer who gained 90 pounds so he could empathize with his clients? While I understand his motives (publicity being pretty high on the list) I think he got more than he bargained for.

I have to post the link because GMA won’t let us embed it, but I want you to watch the video and tell me what you think in the comment section below.

Here’s a couple things to look for:

He says he got addicted to fast food – real quick

His posture from the extra weight – ouch

and from a training standpoint, I would encorauge him to get off the machines and get that body moving…

Check it out and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j2ALxYvbS8

Make It Happen!

Dean