Phit-N-Phat...Making Fitness and Weightloss a Lifestyle

Are You Smarter Than Your Kid?

I received a blog today that was so great for discussing the idea of treats versus snacks with your kids. If you have a chance, take time to read it!

The author defines a snack as...

Healthy snacks are a good part of a healthy, balanced diet and include whole fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads, low fat cheese, low fat yogurt, nuts and many other delicious, real foods in reasonable portions that are good for us.  Healthy snacks don’t fill us up, but satisfy us enough to make it to the next meal.  Portions are small and controlled.

Then the author defines a treat as...

Treats on the other hand are usually high-sugar, high-fat, processed and/or fried foods that should be eaten very sparingly.  Treats are often served for dessert after lunch or dinner, but also come in the form of muffins (aka CAKE!), sugary breakfasts, donuts and soft drinks.  Treats should be eaten no more then once a day- and preferably much less!

After reading this I thought about all the people that apply to PNP and their applications. I ask them for a sample of their REAL diet...what are you eating routinely that brought you to me AND give the HONEST truth about your weekends.

I am not picking on one person because anyone who needs to lose weight has done this (raising hand WILDLY here), but our life is a big-ass treat! We toss in some healthy stuff and think we should lose weight instantly. Notice I said SOME healthy stuff and not a rare treat.

That's the problem today. We forget in this country just how much of life is made up of treats. We have been conditioned that life is a system of constant reward. We watch whatever we want on TV, surf the net, and have privileges others don't, You want to know why other countries are thinner? They don't have access to as much crap, TV, computers, games, and cars as we do.

People, the things you aren't willing to give up to lose weight aren't owed to you; you have forgotten something as simple as the difference between a snack and a treat. Or, walking versus exercise??? We got legs to move our bodies. Walking isn't exercise...it's what you are SUPPOSED to do or you lose your life.   

I'm not saying tomorrow you go whole hog black and white thinking. What I am saying is that each time you look at a cookie think about everything and anything else you are eating that day. Is your cookie really a treat or is it the treat for that one meal?

It still comes down to this: you don't have to count calories, wear a heart rate monitor, or have elaborate equipment. You make sure what you put in your mouth is healthy, move your legs daily, and you are winning the battle.

Don't You Want to Lose FAT?

I am as guilty as all of you. That scale going down always just seems so rewarding but it can be MISLEADING if you aren't careful. Let's talk about what we all REALLY want to see happen; lose FAT not WEIGHT. These terms are NOT the same.

Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss: What's the Difference?

• Weight Loss. You want to lower your body-weight, the sum weight of your bones, muscles, organs, body fat, water, hair, fake-nails, everything.
• Fat Loss. You want to lower your body fat, the amount of fat your body carries. Healthy goals are 20-30% for women. This article is a good explanation of the different age groups and charts.

Problems with Weight Loss. If you want to lose weight, it’s most likely because you carry too much fat. There are people who must lose weight, like athletes before a competition, but most want fat loss. So, learn to track your success in other ways than the scale. It's only one flawed measure and not always a reflection of what you are doing RIGHT.

• Unreliable. Your body-weight can fluctuate daily since it’s influenced by your stomach/bowel/bladder content, water loss/retention, muscle loss/gain, fat loss/gain, … You’ll have no idea what’s going on.
• Irrelevant. Two people with similar height can weigh the same, but look completely different because one has lower body fat than the the other.

The pictures below are me a few years ago at 145 pounds and me today at 145 pounds. The difference? I've spent the last few years lifting weights and focused on a balanced diet to have FATLOSS. The first picture I ate decent but too FEW calories and only did tons of cardio to lose WEIGHT.

 

Here’s How The Weight Scale Can Mislead You. Clothes, pictures, and measurements don’t lie. But the weight scale can become your worst enemy by misleading you. You have a day with a false reading from too much sodium and you eat like crazy that day feeling like a failure.

Think of this: have you ever woke up feeling slimmer to only weigh more? I have done it so many times and let me tell you, right now I am not weighing and my eating is better than ever. Why? I feel good about myself each day and it makes the day easier to fuel up properly for my workouts. Otherwise, I want to drown my sorrows in a bucket of KFC.

• Carbs & Water. Carbs bind to water. Eating less carbs will make you lose weight: water loss. This is why you lose so much weight on a diet like Atkins the first 2 weeks: it’s mostly water. Of course, increasing your carb intake will make you gain weight again: water retention. This is why I'm doing a lot of work with the PNP girls on an Abs Menu.
• Muscle Gains & Fat Loss. You’ll gain muscle while losing fat when you start a strength program. But on the weight scale it will look like you’re not making progress: your body-weight doesn’t change. Track your body fat using a fat caliper and you’ll see your body fat is going down.

How to Make Sure You Lose Fat, Not Muscle? Check the picture above: 5lbs muscle takes less space than 5lbs fat. That means you’ll look slimmer at the same body-weight by building muscle. Keys to losing fat, not muscle:

• Get Stronger. Strength training builds muscle & prevents muscle loss.
• Eat Healthy. Follow my Basic Eating Strategies 101.

You can do cardio to speed up fat loss, but without strength training, cardio will cause muscle loss and you’ll end up skinny-fat. Here's some free routines from my site and my 30 Day Treadmill Bootcamp for those who MUST combine cardio and strength due to time constraints.

How to Track Progress Efficiently. You don’t need to track progress weekly, changes wouldn’t be drastic enough. Track progress every 2 or 4 weeks. You'll see more results and get more excited about your efforts!

• Stop Weighing Yourself Daily. The daily fluctuations will kill your drive unless you have a VERY HEALTHY mental state about why the scale goes up and down so much. Weigh yourself once every 2 weeks or once a month.
• Look in The Mirror. Self-image issues can skew perception. Start practicing choosing something you love about your body daily. Focus on it and TRULY appreciate it.
• Track Body Fat. Even though body fat scales can be "off" you can certainly track the trend to make sure it is going down.
• Take Measurements. Once a month measure yourself and make sure your problem areas are shrinking.
• Shoot Pictures. Full body pictures in the same outfit every two to four weeks show a good diary of progress.
• Training Stats. Keep a training log. Make sure you are lifting more weight, walking further, and doing harder levels in your cardio. You should be doing a little better each week or it's time to switch things up.

Last but not least, when someone says you look like you've lost weight just simply say, "Thank you. I've been working very hard." Most of you will dismiss the compliment and it's time to start appreciating what other people say to you!

Fitness For Any Age

Maggie from our PNP forums shared this wonderful link with us today about a 71 year old woman who looks great! Heck, I'd like to have her abs. Take a moment today to be inspired.

 

I also have some more inspirational news on the Mammy front. We are currently training for the Columbus Half Marathon. We'll be walking with several of the PNP girls from the AL, TN, OH and MI area and it is surely to be a FUN filled experience.

This weekend we walked THREE HOURS for our training. That's the longest Mammy has ever walked in her life! This next month we'll be walking three plus hours every weekend to prepare. Here's a little something Mammy sent me to update everyone on her status.

"My total weight loss as of yesterday is 63.2 pounds, 47.50 inches and the best part is I am 25.9 pounds away from Onederland!  I know it's just a number but I can't wait.  I'm proud I made my three hour walk today.  I finally feel like there is really hope to finish the race in OH.  I want that medal so badly!  I'm still feeling good (maybe not right this minute) but normally, I'm feeling better than ever. 

Right now as far as goals, I want to just concentrate on getting my time down so I can finish the upcoming race.  After that, I want to keep training and walk the upcoming races we talked about.  I guess the OH race will tell the story.  Long term, I am going to pursue that mini triathlon next summer.

Anyway, thanks for all the encouragement and please make it known in the forums that I'm really grateful to all the girls support.  Each victory just gets sweeter and sweeter!"

Well, I made Mammy an official member of PNP this weekend. She's earned her way in. I haven't allowed her in only because I talk pretty openly about LOTS of things. At this point I think we're ready to just have her inspiration in the forums. It's outweighing the Queen needing a place to vent. :)

This is Mammy after our walk and this is her first 5K back in March 09. She was WHIPPED after that 5K and now she's going three hours!

 

For all you fans and those who have parents needing to get healthy, I'm working on a Mammy Program to sell. I hope there is interest for it. A lot of people email me and I think a program for those who need to get health back in their life would do good from it. Comment or email me if you think it would be a good idea.

Weight Watcher's and the Exercise Enthusiast

Many of my clients choose to follow Weight Watchers. I used it through part of my own weightloss and it is definitely a solid program that can teach you so many valuable food lessons. I also have a few clients who are leaders and lifetime members so between all of us we have found good ways to work the program for girls who want to be active, active, active!

This link takes you to my main website and gives you a personal take and information regarding Weight Watchers. It includes...

• How to Begin?
• What Did Corinne Eat While Losing Weight?
• Tips for Staying on Track
• Links to other Weight Watcher Information
• How to Use Points for the More Active Woman

I encourage anyone who isn't sure how to lose weight and exercise to look at resources that are proven. Weight Watchers is a solid program and could help you.

Interested in Fatloss? Ask a Navy Seal

The Navy Seals are some of the TOUGHEST people you can find. You are probably wondering what the heck do they have to do with Fatloss and a bunch of women trying to lose some weight. Surely we don't have to train like a Seal to drop a few pounds???

No, we don't have to go to that extent but their lessons on how you make it through training is not so different from us gals trying to be better, fitter mothers, wives, girls, and chics going through life. Recently I got an article from Active.com regarding triathlon stuff and it SCREAMED this is stuff we need to bust through the Fat Girl Thinking (FGT) ceiling.

Eliminate self-limiting thoughts. More often than not, people have preconceived notions about what is possible for them to achieve. They sell themselves short. Abolish thoughts that hold you back from achieving your true potential.

Optimize your skills. Everyone begins at a different place and each of us are dealt a different set of genetic cards. Use that to your advantage and optimize your assets.

Corinne says...if you have big legs they aren't fat...they allow you to squat like a mother which will TORTURE SOME FAT ALL OVER YOUR BODY.

Be willing to spend the effort and energy to be successful. Anyone can succeed if they are willing to work at it. Too many people want to reap rewards without the sacrifice that is necessary to achieve any goal.

Corinne says...losing weight AIN'T EASY. If it was wouldn't we all be skinny? Get over the easy fix, the take a walk and I'll lose mentality, and I can have a treat because I did or didn't do XYZ. You need to buckle down and get busy if you want results!

Enjoy the journey. If you can enjoy the pursuit of excellence, you've got it made. Aiming to enjoy only the end result makes it impossible to endure the necessary sacrifices to achieve any goal really worth having.

Corinne says...find some things you like to do and eat and then repeat. Don't be close minded and don't focus on the prize. Focus on the stuff that gets the prize!

Be a student. The more you understand about what it is you're trying to do and how to do it, the easier it is to be successful. Be a student of your passion. Join PNP and we will teach you all you need to know.

Persevere. There are many things that can get in the way of successfully achieving any goal. You have to be willing to figure out how to get over, under, around or through those obstacles. Keep trying.

Corinne says...the day you stop thinking life has to be perfect to fit in a workout and make a good eating choice is the day YOUR LIGHTBULB WILL GO OFF! That's the lightbulb moment...when you quit making excuses and keep doing.

Develop mental toughness. It is not the physical challenges that keep men from successfully surviving the SEAL training, it is mentally giving up. You need to start believing that you can do it, you can be successful. Others have been successful before you, you can do it too.

Be prepared to suffer. When you are training for a big event like a triathlon or marathon, it is a long haul. There is going to be bad weather, aching body parts and times when you are just plain tired. Know that some stress, followed by rest, will make you stronger physically and mentally.

Corinne says...again, you had your party and your free for all dinners already. Now you need to work ALL OF THEM OFF. There's going to be dinners you eat chicken, pass up the bread basket, not have wine, and yes, you will not have dessert either. It will hurt in the moment but when the scale shows love you'll be smiling.

Take strength from others. This tip is particularly valuable. Right when you are thinking things are really bad for you, look around. You'll see that others are suffering too. Knowing you're not the only one and that other people will suffer generates energy, if you're willing to accept it.

Corinne says...this is when you need your sisters at PNP. This is when you need friends who have sick kids, who have parents in the hospital, a husband who lost their job, or "real" friends who don't believe in them and try to get them to eat. You can have a day where you don't know if you can do it and suddenly you read a few posts of people going through as much or more than you and you stick to your guns one more time. That's how you succeed...one decision at a time.

You must want success. Doing something that is difficult requires that you want to be successful with every fiber of your  core. The intense desire to succeed helps you overcome obstacles that crush other people.

Avoid over-training. It is easy for highly motivated people to over-train. Achievers are often rewarded for doing more and working harder. While you must work hard and do the prescribed work, you must also rest in order to reap the benefits.

Corinne says...this is important to know because most of us fail when we try to do too in weightloss and then crash and burn. Let's live, learn, and enjoy a LIFESTYLE.

Excellent Article On the Scales

One of moderators, Kathleen, sent me this article from Figure Athlete and it is too good to not share with everyone.

I have been in the midst of highs and lows lately. Most of the time I love how I look and then jump on the scale and think, ugh. Honestly, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG with ME outside of being fixated on numbers. It's a shame when we work so hard and yet only feel like the payoff comes from a square piece of digital crap looking up at us.

Let me tell you a funny story from this weekend. I was cleaning out some old papers and found my measurements and weight from TWO YEARS AGO. Guess what. I weigh the same to the pound but my shoulders are almost two inches broader, my waist is tinier, (I had to toss the boob measurements due to the new girls), and my hips are smaller. My thighs are the same and my calves are bigger. Basically, in two years I've been able to redefine my shape. Broader shoulders, smaller middle...sounds good to me!

My moral for this story is that if I only defined success by what the scale said I would be a failure because this isn't a "number" I like. I like 135 but 145 is what I average. The scale will never tell me...

• I can run 10 half marathons and a marathon.
• I can compete in a figure competition.
• I can out lift 90% of the women in the gym.
• How great my arms and shoulders look.
• That my legs ARE NOT fat underneath loose skin.
• My body fat is between 19 and 20% and I can eat carbs to do it!
• A lot of people will never eat in a week the amount of fruits and veggies I do in a day.
• I drink more water than some people drink sodas.

 

The scale can't define me. When I was losing a lot of weight it certainly was a tool to use to make me accountable to what I put in my mouth and how often I moved my feet, but it can never be what dictates my success. My food and workout journals can do that...they are a reflection of the person I am trying to be.

The Truth About Weightloss...Lessons Learned Part 1 (repost)

Sparkpeople sent me a good article today that I thought I would share with everyone and give a little of my "extra" on top of it. First, read the article.

You have to exercise more than you think.
I have found through my experience that when you are overweight you have to workout harder and more than your skinny friend. Why? Life is unfair and who told you it would ever be fair? Kidding, but you have to pay for all those cheeseburgers your body didn't like. It's simple...most people can't eat excess calories, not move enough, and keep lean. You have either been stuffing it in and not moving or stuffing it in and not moving enough for your cheeseburgers.

Get ready to commit to moving and to working up a good sweat when you do it if you really want to lose the weight. You don't have to start out that way, but within a couple of months of starting you'll find you have to amp it up as the weightloss stops.

Also, when you have gained weight you have created fat cells. Short of sucking them out, once they are there they don't go away. They are like balloons, when you gain weight they fill up and when you lose weight they deflate...but they are still there. The balloons sit there waiting for YOUR party to begin and when you start eating like everyday is your birthday they come out for the celebration. Your skinny friend has to go to the store, buy balloons, blow them up, and hang them. My point is that because most of their life they did make good choices with food and exercise it is harder for them to put on weight than you.

A half-hour walk doesn't equal a brownie.
If you want to really know how tough your workouts and walks are then strap on a Heart Rate Monitor. My clients are typically shocked at how little they burn during a workout compared to what the food calorie costs are in their journal.

I think walking is great and everyone who has a hard time getting started or suffers from all or nothing thinking should do it. What I do warn you is that a simple walk will not erase cookies, cakes, donuts, pizza, or chips. It's a good way to get started with fitness especially when you have to spend a lot of time and energy on just eating right. Just remember, if walking a half-hour a day would give you dramatic fatloss results we would all be walking a half-hour a day. Those walks are super healthy but not a fatloss magic bullet.

You do have time to exercise.
OMG this is a pet-peeve of mine. EVERYONE has time to exercise on a regular basis. Trust me. YOU ALL DO. Over the course of a year not a single person I have ever trained didn't have time to make exercise a regular addition to their life. Some of my clients TRULY have busy lives. I mean they have responsibilities and life crisis you would never want to live day in and day out but they get it done!!!

The funniest thing I hear is people say to me I don't have time workout. This usually follows them telling me about their favorite TV show, the last movie they saw, the hour they spent on the phone with their mom chatting, or how they just can't get up early.

Before you tell me you don't have time, do me a favor. Make a promise that you will not turn on one TV, read a book, or log in to your home computer everyday for 30 days UNLESS you have worked out. If you do that for 30 days and still don't have to workout then email me and I will personally help you with your schedule. WARNING: Your A@@ better be getting up at 4am and going to bed after 10pm everyday of the week.

The Truth About Weightloss...Lessons Learned Part III

Continuing with our discussion the past three days (and I will repost day one...it got lost by accident).

Our cultural environment is working against us.
Yep. It is. Big portions, food pushers, limited healthy choices when we go out to eat, and stores loaded with toxic and sugar filled foods. You know what? You have to be different. You can't live like everyone else unless you want to LOOK like everyone else.

Next time you are at the grocery store do me a favor. Find someone shopping who you think has a body you want. I mean really look for a man or woman who looks like they are in good shape and then check out what's in their cart. If your cart doesn't look like that...there you go.

I also recently read another blog where the guy says you have to quit waiting for your world to change around you. YOU be the change. So what if your kids and husband eat different? So it goes for some of us. Just because they can eat things you can't does it mean you should just stay fat and unhealthy? Nope.

He makes this interesting comment...my wife can eat "a" pancake, "a" hamburger, or "a small scoop of real ice cream...I don't eat "a" anything except "a" lot." So, his point is that some people can handle treats and such but you have to realize what your strengths and weaknesses are. For those of us with a lot of weight to lose, food just ain't our strength so we have to do it different and LIVE WITH IT.

Maybe you don't need to lose weight.
Wow...I had to read this and learn my own lesson. You know, I'm never going to look like a runner or have a rocking body because I spent years being overweight. I look GOOD to most but we all have goals and I have learned that there comes a point where we all have to accept perfection isn't going to happen. No matter what I do I can't change the loose skin or the fact my hips are wide short of skin and bone removal. 

Does that mean we settle? No. I continue to push my body, my athletic endeavors, and such in hopes of being fitter and fitter every year. What I have settled on is that this body is fine and if small changes happen that make me look better come along....GREAT! But, there are other indicators than the mirror and the scale. Heck, I ran 16 miles Saturday. While I may not have a six pack I can run longer than most people. That's something to be proud of and you have to look at yourself. Find ways to mark success when you AREN'T going to get the scale to dole out some crack.

This is not a diet; this is your life.
Amen. It's a lifestyle baby. When you turn all this into your lifestyle you are winning. A lifestyle is choosing to exercise when you don't feel it because you know it's healthy. It's going out to eat and skipping appetizers because you want a glass of wine. You know you can't have both without paying a price. Birthday cakes are for kids at the kiddo's parties. You don't have to eat a piece of cake unless it's YOUR birthday and Momma made it. All these little sacrifices are part of day-to-day living and when you put them all together they make one hell of a success story.

The Truth About Weightloss...Lessons Learned Part II

Continuing on with our article from Sparkpeople from yesterday...The Nine Hard Cold Truths About Weightloss...let's discuss the next three.

Eating more of something won't help you lose weight.
The article said it best. Eating loads of one thing isn't what makes you lose weight. Exercise and proper amount of calories going in your body is king.

Make sure before you ever worry about macros, high protein, low fat, low carb, or any other popular idea get the food as close to healthy as possible and eat enough. Don't expect to starve today and not want to binge tomorrow. I say it all the time...read The Eat Clean Diet, move your butt, and while it's moving make sure you do it enough to breath hard and feel like you really worked out. 

Calories in = Calories out
I never believe that this is an absolute. Yes, you need to eat a LITTLE less than what you burn a day especially the harder you workout. You can't starve it off. Your body will win and you will eventually gain it back in a few months or years...it will happen. Again, read the book The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno.

Most of us like quantity of food. You eat clean and you can eat a lot of food and feel good too!

Your body is working against you.
My thought is that our body will work for us if we are doing the work properly. Again, you can't starve it, you can't under work it, and you can't expect for fatloss to be easy. It's just hard! But, hard work won't kill you and it does get easier if you do it right. My most valuable lesson I teach my clients is that this is lifestyle you are embarking on...not a quick fix to the sins of the past few years. When they are successful it is only because they have changed how they live...not because they ate my menus or did my workouts.

Some of My Favorite Articles

I do a lot of research on the internet to help my www.phit-n-phat.com clients best build the body they seek. From losing weight, maintaining, and sculpting physiques, I work hard to make sure they are always on the cutting edge of new techniques for combining exercise with proper fueling.

Today I want to link you to a few articles that I think you will find helpful in buidling a better body. For my clients, we will have a discussion on these starting next Monday! Study up girls and let's get some questions posted about how to best incorporate some of this knowledge into your lifestyle.

Protein Primer - great article on how much protein you need and when you need it.

Carb Cycling - this article is a little heady but at the end it gives you great information on how to figure your daily needs in terms of your macros and how to breakdown a menu. This is great for the person who wants detail, detail, detail.

Buns and Thighs - training article for beginner, intermediate, and advanced exercises. It's a basic and solid program for lower body development.

Cardio - while I don't agree 100% with this article, it is a great starting place to understand the importance cardio training is to your health and body goals. What I would caution you - you don't need fat burners. Save your money and drink some coffee or green tea first thing in the morning. BCAA's I think are important and the other two drinks they recommend are fine but any Whey shake is fine too when chased with a small bagel or piece of fruit.

These are just a few articles I reference and I hope you learn a thing or two while doing your own research to enhance your healthy lifestyle.