I recently ran across an article that contained some good advice from Jillian Michaels. While I disagree with her that running melts the pounds off, based on how I've seen her train on The Biggest Loser, I'm not sure that her complete thoughts were printed.
Why don't I think running is the key to losing weight? If it's such a great fat burning exercise, why do you see so many overweight people participating in races, including marathons?
Anyway, I like the rest of Jillian's comments so here's the article.
For the original post, with all the live links:
5 things I learned from Jillian Michaels
by Margarita Bertsos
I met Jillian Michaels yesterday; she's one of the trainers on The Biggest Loser--and my new favorite person.
Here's what she had to say.
1.) DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR SELF-PRESERVATION.
I told Jillian that some of my habits--flushing rice down the toilet so I won't eat it, bringing my own high-fiber bread to brunch--stirred some controversy on the blog. "Why?" she asked. "Why should we apologize for the practices that help us manage the symptoms while we deal with the real reasons we eat? I pour candle wax on my food at restaurants," Jillian admitted. "Not wanting to 'waste food' is a poor excuse for ending up far worse off later on, dealing with all the health problems that come with obesity." (Here are a few restaurant do's and dont's to help you maintain your healthy eating goals while dining out.)
2.) RUN.
I asked Jillian if running really is the best form of cardio for weight loss. "Absolutely," she said. "There are lots of great ways to get your heart rate up, but if you want to see the pounds melt off, running is the fastest way. But I get that not everyone is built for it--knee problems, tight IT bands, heel spurs; I get it." Whatever you do, she said, "Don't forget the weights! The more muscle you build, the faster your metabolism will run."(What's better running outdoors or on a treadmill?)
3.) THE BIGGEST LOSER IS NOT REALITY.
"You don't watch the Olympics and think, Hmm, I should swim for 6 hours a day like Michael Phelps, do you? But you might think about joining a pool and swimming a few times a week," she said. That's what Jillian wants people watching TBL to think, too: "If these people can lose ten pounds in two weeks, maybe I can lose ten pounds in a couple of months." She adds: "I want people to realize their own potential; I meet people all the time who never thought of themselves as athletic, but now? They truly are athletes."
4.) FORGET WILLPOWER.
"Losing weight is not about willpower--it's about moments of bravado, like the moment when you ask your waiter to take the bread away from the table right away."
5.) JUST SAY THANK YOU.
When I told Jillian how much weight I've lost, she congratulated me. And then (as I always do), I added, "But I still have a long way to go." "Stop," she said. "What does that do," she said, "apart from negate everything you've already accomplished? You're being self-deprecating and disempowering, and that doesn't serve anyone-and especially not you. Be proud of what you've done for yourself."
Got it, Jillian. Thank you! :- )
What do you guys think--is weight loss about willpower? I happen to agree with Jillian and think it's NOT. It's not about gritting your teeth and finding the strength "deep within you"--I think that's B.S. and will leave many people feeling really bad that they can't find it. They key, I think, is to set up your environment and make decisions so that you can succeed even when willpower is nowhere to be found.
Margarita Bertsos
Showing posts with label fat loss tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fat loss tips. Show all posts
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Double Your Weight Loss
The majority of people balk at the idea but you can double your weight loss just by faithfully keeping a food journal.
Personal trainers and nutritionists have been recommending it for years but few people seem to do it. In fact, I think more people fudge their food diaries than keep accurate records. I remember one woman telling me about many of her fellow Healthy Inspirations members who would sit outside in their cars filling in their "daily" journal entries before their weekly meeting.
Yes it's a nuisance to log every thing you eat but, you know what, it works. And the latest research from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon proves it once again.
Researchers studied almost 1,700 overweight or obese men and women whose average weight was 212 pounds. Participants were encouraged to reduce their daily nutritional intake by about 500 calories, engage in moderate physical activity for 30 minutes or more each day and to follow the DASH eating plan.
Study participants also attended 20 weekly meetings and were asked to record their exercise minutes and daily food consumption.
At the end of 20 weeks, researchers found that the regular use of a food journal predicted weight loss success.
According to study co-author Dr. Victor J. Stevens, "The more food records they kept, the more they lost. Those who kept no food records lost about 9 pounds, and those who kept six or more per week lost about 18 pounds. That's a whopping difference."
What is it about keeping a food diary that makes such a difference? Personally, I think it makes people more conscious of how much they actually consume. Plus, if you know you have to record everything you eat, you're more likely to think twice before going for seconds or mindlessly grabbing a handful of m&m's from your co-workers desk every time you walk by.
People constantly say or post on forums that they don't eat much or that they know what to eat, etc. If the vast majority of those people spent one week writing down everything they actually put in their mouths, I think they'd be in for a huge awakening.
The best method is recording your intake after each meal or snack because you're less likely to forget something. Use whatever method works for you- an actual notebook or an online log. There are lots of free food journals available online. FitDay and My Calorie Counter are just two. You can also find printable food logs if you prefer writing things down.
Having a professional look at your diary is important, too. There is a lot of confusion out there. I'm always shocked when people "don't count" their liquid calories or eat salads every day but slather on the dressing.
If you're having a hard time dropping pounds, give food journaling a try; it does get easier. As study participant, Frank Bitzer, said "The more I got into it, the easier it became to keep track of what I ate every day." Frank is 64 and lost 26 pounds during the study.
.
Personal trainers and nutritionists have been recommending it for years but few people seem to do it. In fact, I think more people fudge their food diaries than keep accurate records. I remember one woman telling me about many of her fellow Healthy Inspirations members who would sit outside in their cars filling in their "daily" journal entries before their weekly meeting.
Yes it's a nuisance to log every thing you eat but, you know what, it works. And the latest research from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon proves it once again.
Researchers studied almost 1,700 overweight or obese men and women whose average weight was 212 pounds. Participants were encouraged to reduce their daily nutritional intake by about 500 calories, engage in moderate physical activity for 30 minutes or more each day and to follow the DASH eating plan.
Study participants also attended 20 weekly meetings and were asked to record their exercise minutes and daily food consumption.
At the end of 20 weeks, researchers found that the regular use of a food journal predicted weight loss success.
According to study co-author Dr. Victor J. Stevens, "The more food records they kept, the more they lost. Those who kept no food records lost about 9 pounds, and those who kept six or more per week lost about 18 pounds. That's a whopping difference."
What is it about keeping a food diary that makes such a difference? Personally, I think it makes people more conscious of how much they actually consume. Plus, if you know you have to record everything you eat, you're more likely to think twice before going for seconds or mindlessly grabbing a handful of m&m's from your co-workers desk every time you walk by.
People constantly say or post on forums that they don't eat much or that they know what to eat, etc. If the vast majority of those people spent one week writing down everything they actually put in their mouths, I think they'd be in for a huge awakening.
The best method is recording your intake after each meal or snack because you're less likely to forget something. Use whatever method works for you- an actual notebook or an online log. There are lots of free food journals available online. FitDay and My Calorie Counter are just two. You can also find printable food logs if you prefer writing things down.
Having a professional look at your diary is important, too. There is a lot of confusion out there. I'm always shocked when people "don't count" their liquid calories or eat salads every day but slather on the dressing.
If you're having a hard time dropping pounds, give food journaling a try; it does get easier. As study participant, Frank Bitzer, said "The more I got into it, the easier it became to keep track of what I ate every day." Frank is 64 and lost 26 pounds during the study.
.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Top 4 Tips For Keeping the Weight Off
Many people drop excess pounds only to regain them (and oftentimes more).
Researchers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data from a survey mailed to U.S. adults and found 4 behaviors that will dramatically increase your chances of maintaining your weight loss.
1. Eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
2. Engage in 150 minutes or more of physical activity per week - that's just 21.5 minutes a day or 50 minutes 3 times a week.
3. Restrict your visits to fast food restaurants - eating fast food, even as little as twice a week, was associated with significant less success in maintaining weight loss.
4. Believe that you can successfully follow a healthy lifestyle - it may sound insignificant but a negative outlook on your ability to maintain healthy behaviors will sabotage your efforts.
So, just eat your veggies and fruits, move regularly, stay out of fast food joints and believe in yourself. Nothing extreme; doable for anyone.
.
Researchers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data from a survey mailed to U.S. adults and found 4 behaviors that will dramatically increase your chances of maintaining your weight loss.
1. Eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
2. Engage in 150 minutes or more of physical activity per week - that's just 21.5 minutes a day or 50 minutes 3 times a week.
3. Restrict your visits to fast food restaurants - eating fast food, even as little as twice a week, was associated with significant less success in maintaining weight loss.
4. Believe that you can successfully follow a healthy lifestyle - it may sound insignificant but a negative outlook on your ability to maintain healthy behaviors will sabotage your efforts.
So, just eat your veggies and fruits, move regularly, stay out of fast food joints and believe in yourself. Nothing extreme; doable for anyone.
.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Turbulence Training Special Expires at 11:59 PM
Just a reminder that Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training special containing the 5 additional bonuses expires at 11:59 PM tonight.
I have not had time to go through all the bonuses myself but I did find Brad Pilon's Eat, Stop, Eat very interesting and I've been experimenting with it. I've read extremely positive comments about Dax Moy's Mastering The Fat Loss Mindset. Holly Rigsby's Fit Yummy Mummy workouts use very little equipment (not even a stability ball) so you can easily do those at home or when you travel, regardless of whether or not you're a stay at home mom. I am really looking forward to checking out Secrets of the Transformation Masters but I absolutely must finish my January Fit Bits print newsletter first.
Anyway, here's the link again:
Turbulence Training
Obviously, you'll be able to buy TT after midnight but those 5 bonuses will not be part of the package. If you, or someone you know, is serious about fat loss in 2008, check out the link above.
I have not had time to go through all the bonuses myself but I did find Brad Pilon's Eat, Stop, Eat very interesting and I've been experimenting with it. I've read extremely positive comments about Dax Moy's Mastering The Fat Loss Mindset. Holly Rigsby's Fit Yummy Mummy workouts use very little equipment (not even a stability ball) so you can easily do those at home or when you travel, regardless of whether or not you're a stay at home mom. I am really looking forward to checking out Secrets of the Transformation Masters but I absolutely must finish my January Fit Bits print newsletter first.
Anyway, here's the link again:
Turbulence Training
Obviously, you'll be able to buy TT after midnight but those 5 bonuses will not be part of the package. If you, or someone you know, is serious about fat loss in 2008, check out the link above.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain
You can find tons of information online about weight management over the holidays, most repeating the same old tips. Here's a no-nonsense article on that topic from Craig Ballantyne, creator of Turbulence Training. Just my second day and I'm already passing off my responsibility to someone else. :-) Actually, I'm a big fan of Craig's and my goal is to present the most up to date and useful information I can find, so that's what I'm doing.
Politically Incorrect Secrets to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
By Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, M.Sc.
I was at a big family gathering last week and was reminded how important it is to have strategies for this season of high-calorie parties and busy schedules. But I get ticked off by the tired old suggestions you find on the Internet or in magazines like Woman's World.
Often the suggestions are lack any substance, because the writers don't want to imply you actually have to make a sacrifice to succeed. They make fat loss sound easy, as if all you had to do was park at the far end of the parking lot and you'd burn all the calories from 5 shortbread cookies.
Well it doesn't work that way... So here are my politically incorrect, unique Turbulence Training strategies to help you keep off the holiday pounds.
By the way, I "borrowed" a few ideas from contestants in my Turbulence Training Transformation Contest. The Transformation is rocking with social support and success stories right now, even while the rest of the world struggles with weight gain, these TT users are losing fat over the holidays.
Click here to get started with Turbulence Training for Fat Loss.
Strategy #1 - Green Tea & Almonds
One of the most common tips you'll hear is to "fill up" before you go to a party where there will be lots of goodies.
Unfortunately, most people I talk to have no luck with this tip. Most people still go to a party and eat everything in sight. But recently TT users have told me that having a cup of Green Tea and one ounce of almonds has helped them avoid holiday cravings better than anything ever before. The fiber from the almonds reduces appetite while the small amount of caffeine from the Green Tea seems to increase mental alertness and keep you "energized" at the party.
Hopefully that might work for you...
Strategy #2 - Don't waste your time on any fancy cardio programs
Listen, the bottom line over the holiday season is that your success depends almost entirely on your nutrition. You can't expect to hit the cardio confessional and burn off last night's 2000 calorie smorgasboard. That's a 4-hour workout. Instead, don't get into that situation in the first place.
Here are more nutrition tips:
- Focus on portion control (and if you have no discipline, forget even trying to eat just one)
- Nix all drinks mixed with calorie-containing beverages, or better yet, just stop getting drunk. Period.
- Write down everything you eat to identify your problem spots. Then do whatever you need to do to eliminate your weaknesses. If you don't record your nutrition, chances are you'll miss big opportunities to change your diet and lose fat.
Strategy #3 - Take care of yourself first. My friend Holly Rigsby (of http://www.fityummymummy.com/) is always reminding busy moms to take care of themselves first, and I think that suggestion applies at this time of year to everyone.
So take a deep breath. Ask yourself as you're running around to please everyone else, "Have you set aside time for yourself" Be selfish. Make sure you have had some exercise time, some good nutrition, and some rest before overextending yourself and doing too much for other people when you haven't taken care of yourself and your goals first.
Strategy #4 - Get on a roll This one comes from a TT Transformation contestant who is too busy losing fat to get off track over the holidays. Don't procrastinate till January 1st. Get started now. Dozens of men and women are doing their Turbulence Training Transformations right now - through the heart of the holiday season. They aren't waiting for Jan. 1st to show up. They are taking control now, and getting on a roll, and not letting anything (from work parties to peer pressure) get in their way.
Strategy #5 - Exercise in short bursts whenever you can Don't be afraid to dance at your Christmas party. Don't worry, there is bound to be at least one worse dancer than you out on the floor. Have fun and get down!
On a more serious note, here's how to avoid falling off the fitness program during the busy holiday season. Get your butt out of bed 15 minutes early so you can have 3 minutes to wake up and 12 minutes to do the December 2007 Turbulence Training 12-Minute Workouts. Get this workout as part of your bonuses when you start using Turbulence Training.
Stay healthy and fit over the holidays, Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS Author, Turbulence Training
PS - We have some big bonuses coming up on Dec. 31st...These will go out to all clients, past and present, so keep your eye out for a TT bonus email.
About the Author
Learn about the "Dark Side of Cardio" in the free report from Craig Ballantyne at www.TurbulenceTraining.com. Craig is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com.
Politically Incorrect Secrets to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
By Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, M.Sc.
I was at a big family gathering last week and was reminded how important it is to have strategies for this season of high-calorie parties and busy schedules. But I get ticked off by the tired old suggestions you find on the Internet or in magazines like Woman's World.
Often the suggestions are lack any substance, because the writers don't want to imply you actually have to make a sacrifice to succeed. They make fat loss sound easy, as if all you had to do was park at the far end of the parking lot and you'd burn all the calories from 5 shortbread cookies.
Well it doesn't work that way... So here are my politically incorrect, unique Turbulence Training strategies to help you keep off the holiday pounds.
By the way, I "borrowed" a few ideas from contestants in my Turbulence Training Transformation Contest. The Transformation is rocking with social support and success stories right now, even while the rest of the world struggles with weight gain, these TT users are losing fat over the holidays.
Click here to get started with Turbulence Training for Fat Loss.
Strategy #1 - Green Tea & Almonds
One of the most common tips you'll hear is to "fill up" before you go to a party where there will be lots of goodies.
Unfortunately, most people I talk to have no luck with this tip. Most people still go to a party and eat everything in sight. But recently TT users have told me that having a cup of Green Tea and one ounce of almonds has helped them avoid holiday cravings better than anything ever before. The fiber from the almonds reduces appetite while the small amount of caffeine from the Green Tea seems to increase mental alertness and keep you "energized" at the party.
Hopefully that might work for you...
Strategy #2 - Don't waste your time on any fancy cardio programs
Listen, the bottom line over the holiday season is that your success depends almost entirely on your nutrition. You can't expect to hit the cardio confessional and burn off last night's 2000 calorie smorgasboard. That's a 4-hour workout. Instead, don't get into that situation in the first place.
Here are more nutrition tips:
- Focus on portion control (and if you have no discipline, forget even trying to eat just one)
- Nix all drinks mixed with calorie-containing beverages, or better yet, just stop getting drunk. Period.
- Write down everything you eat to identify your problem spots. Then do whatever you need to do to eliminate your weaknesses. If you don't record your nutrition, chances are you'll miss big opportunities to change your diet and lose fat.
Strategy #3 - Take care of yourself first. My friend Holly Rigsby (of http://www.fityummymummy.com/) is always reminding busy moms to take care of themselves first, and I think that suggestion applies at this time of year to everyone.
So take a deep breath. Ask yourself as you're running around to please everyone else, "Have you set aside time for yourself" Be selfish. Make sure you have had some exercise time, some good nutrition, and some rest before overextending yourself and doing too much for other people when you haven't taken care of yourself and your goals first.
Strategy #4 - Get on a roll This one comes from a TT Transformation contestant who is too busy losing fat to get off track over the holidays. Don't procrastinate till January 1st. Get started now. Dozens of men and women are doing their Turbulence Training Transformations right now - through the heart of the holiday season. They aren't waiting for Jan. 1st to show up. They are taking control now, and getting on a roll, and not letting anything (from work parties to peer pressure) get in their way.
Strategy #5 - Exercise in short bursts whenever you can Don't be afraid to dance at your Christmas party. Don't worry, there is bound to be at least one worse dancer than you out on the floor. Have fun and get down!
On a more serious note, here's how to avoid falling off the fitness program during the busy holiday season. Get your butt out of bed 15 minutes early so you can have 3 minutes to wake up and 12 minutes to do the December 2007 Turbulence Training 12-Minute Workouts. Get this workout as part of your bonuses when you start using Turbulence Training.
Stay healthy and fit over the holidays, Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS Author, Turbulence Training
PS - We have some big bonuses coming up on Dec. 31st...These will go out to all clients, past and present, so keep your eye out for a TT bonus email.
About the Author
Learn about the "Dark Side of Cardio" in the free report from Craig Ballantyne at www.TurbulenceTraining.com. Craig is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
