Tag Archives: health

It is glorious cheat day!

August 31, 2014UncategorizedBuilding, coach, coaching, diet, dieting, exercise, Fitness, food, health, healthy eating, Low Carb, Motivation, Muscle, NLP, NLP for weight loss, paleo, Pounds, shred, success, take action, Weight Loss, workoutadvancedweightlossresources

Hey all. Just a quick word to let you know that it is my cheat day and remind you of the importance of such a day. Remember, having regularly scheduled cheat days re-sparks your fat burning hormones. They also make your health program psychologically more manageable. To learn more about these two benefits, read my previous articles on cheat day.

That said, I must admit that I really do like my cheat days. We had a pot-luck supper at our Church. I indulged myself in all kinds of sweets as well as a whole lot of Mexican food!

So how do you like to cheat? Let everyone know in the comment section.

Success Questions for Weight Loss

August 28, 2014UncategorizedBuilding, coach, coaching, diet, dieting, Fitness, food, health, healthy eating, inspiration, Low Carb, N. L. P., NLP for weight loss, paleo, psychological, take action, Weight Loss, workoutadvancedweightlossresources

Many times the reason we fail at our weight-loss goals has to do with the questions we ask ourselves. For example, many people ask themselves a question like: Why can’t I lose weight? Our brain is like a computer. If we ask it a question it will search for the answer. So if we ask a question like the one above, we will come up with the answer. It will be something like: Because you fail at everything so you fail at your diet too. Your brain must find the answer to the questions you ask even if the answer is untrue.

On the other hand, if we ask the right set of questions our brains will also come up with the answers. Below are three questions that will help you reach your weight loss goals.

What Do You Want?

The key to this question is to answer in the positive. Too often people will answer what they want in negative terms. For example someone might say, “I don’t want to be fat.” But what does not being fat mean? To compel yourself toward your goals, answer this question in the positive.

Personally speaking, I would answer this question this way, “I want to weigh 220.” By saying what I do want instead of what I do not want I now know that I need to lose about six more pounds. Putting your answer in the positive gives you a better mental attitude.

What Is the First or Next Step?

If you are just starting out, you may want to ask yourself what is the first step. However, if you have been on the weight-loss wagon for sometime, you might ask yourself what is the next step.

Another key here is to be specific. What precisely do you need to do in order to take that next or first step?

I’m in the “next step” camp. So for me to lose six more pounds, I will either need to workout more or adjust my eating habits in some way. But more specifically, I could say something like, “I need to increase my workouts by twenty minutes,” or “I need to experiment with my cheat days.”

How Can You Take This Step and Enjoy the Process?

Remember, your brain will find an answer to what you ask. For example, I need to increase my exercise by twenty minutes a day. But now I’m asking the question: How can I enjoy that process? My brain is already coming up with answers. I could take a walk with my dogs. I could add an extra Martial Arts workout to my day. I love Martial Arts. The list could go on. Now my next step is fun and not something I have to do to lose six more pounds.

In closing, I would encouraging you to ask yourself these questions. It’s exciting to see exactly what you want, what you need to get it, and how to make getting it fun!

Getting Past Your Plateaus (Making Your Diet Work)

August 19, 2014UncategorizedBuilding, coach, coaching, diet, dieting, exercise, Fitness, food, health, lose weight, Low Carb, Motivation, Muscle, N. L. P., NLP, Pounds, psychological, shred, success, Weight Loss, workoutadvancedweightlossresources

In a past article, I mentioned that I have hit many Plateaus during my weight loss journey. I would like to take the time and share with you precisely what I did in order to beat everyone of those plateaus. I do this in the hopes that this will help you get past your weight-loss plateau as well.

First off I must admit that this is extremely autobiographical. In other words, these are the things I did. This is to say that these things may or may not work for you.

I started my weight-loss journey at around 286 pounds. I probably weighed more but I cannot be sure. The first wall I hit was 250 pounds. Honestly, I was still feeling pretty good at this time, but I noticed that the weight was not coming off like it was when I first started. However, because I was still feeling good, I did not quit my diet nor my workout scheduled. And that is the first thing I did to get past my weight-loss wall. I kept going!

After this, I lost 8 more pounds. Now I was down to 242ish and I hit another wall. This one was severe. My weight loss did not just slow down, it stopped altogether! I was very upset. I was still dieting and working out, but the scale was not moving at all! What I had done to lose weight so far was now no longer working for me. I do not remember how long this phase lasted, but I’m going to guess that it was a few mounts.

So what did I do to get past this wall? Well, basically I increased my workouts. I did not do this on purpose. What happened is I was hired on to a second job. Both my jobs at that time required that I was on me feet all day. But my new job was much more labor intensive. In addition to this, I was still doing my regular workouts and I stuck to my diet plan. Within just a few weeks, I lost another 10 pounds.

So I was at 232 and I hit another wall. It was just as bad as the last one. The scale was not moving even though I was exercising like crazy and maintaining a low-carbohydrate diet.

It was at this point I started learning more about dieting and exercise. I started learning about how and why the belly fat is so hard to lose. I learned that belly fat is more like an organ, and one thing it does is store toxins.

One of the people who I look up to recommended that people who are having a hard time getting rid of those last few pounds switch from regular Diet Coke to Diet Coke with splenda. The sweetener in regular Diet Coke is a toxin, and I was ingesting that toxin by the gallons. So I switched. And guess what? It worked! I got down to about 225-227. That is a total loss of 60 pounds off my original weight.

In closing, I have one more way way of getting past this very last wall that I have hit. However, I will share that with you when I reach my goal weight of 220!

Don’t Let One Failure Become a Habit (Why Diets Fail)

August 11, 2014UncategorizedBuilding, coach, diet, dieting, Fitness, food, health, healthy eating, lose weight, Motivation, N. L. P., NLP, paleo, Pounds, psychological, shred, take actionadvancedweightlossresources

One of the reason why diets fail has to do with mental attitude. Of course there are many mental attitudes that can either help or hinder your weight-loss experience. In this post, I would like to cover one of those attitudes. I call it the “Letting One Failure Turn into a Habit” attitude.

So what is this mindset? Perhaps you can relate. It goes something like this. You failed to keep you diet program. For one reason or another you simply fell off the wagon. Your cravings got the better of you, and you indulged in high-carbohydrate foods. But instead of stopping at that one feeding, you say to your self something like, “I already blew it for this meal. I might as well just make a day out of it.” Now the whole day is ruined instead of just one feeding.

Often this one day extends to several. Let’s say you had your slip up on Thursday. Then you say something like, “Well it’s Thursday and I have already messed up. Tomorrow is Friday and that is doughnut day at work, and Monday is a holiday, and I was already planning to make compromises.” This process can repeat itself so often that one is more off their diet than on it.

In the recent past, I had to correct this problem in my own behavior. It was one of those weeks where I was working very hard. My wife and I were out for brunch, and I was craving carbs like crazy. I had an inner dialogue with myself over whether or not my cravings were emotional or my body really needed the carbs. I eventually decided to order some high-carbohydrate food. Whether or not I cheated or my body simply needed the carbs I cannot tell. But the smells in that restaurant and the look of all those high-carb foods being taken to other tables was just too much.

Going off the wagon for that meal was not my biggest problem. That came later in the day. I noticed another inner dialogue starting up. While visions of pizza and ice cream flashed through my mind, I said to myself, “Hey, I already had a high-carb meal today. I might as well just make a day out of it.”

When I realized what was happening, I had to make a choice. I chose not to let one failure turn into a habit. First, I let myself off he hook for cheating earlier. Next, I told myself to not to ruin the day over one meal. I reminded myself of how far I had come. And that I only had a very few more pounds to lose before I reached my goal weight and falling into this trap would be a major set back in my progress. That pizza and ice-cream was not worth it and it never will be.

In closing please remember that you will have failures. You are not perfect. Don’t beat yourself up for falling off the wagon. Just get right back on it and keep heading toward your goals.

Goal Setting For Weight Loss.

August 5, 2014UncategorizedBuilding, coach, coaching, diet, dieting, exercise, Fitness, food, health, healthy eating, inspiration, lose weight, Low Carb, Motivation, N. L. P., NLP, paleo, Pounds, psychological, shred, success, Supplement, take action, Weight, Weight Loss, workoutadvancedweightlossresources

One of the things that I have found enormously helpful for myself and my clients is setting goals. In fact setting goals is a requirement for those who secure Advanced Weight-loss Resources as a training or coaching agency. What follows are a few simple steps that will help you set goals and in turn help you lose weight.

Step one is be specific. Too often I hear people say something like, “I need to lose a few pounds.” But what is a few pounds? Is it ten or one hundred? The reason you need to be specific is so you have an objective criterion in which to measure your success. Without an objective standard, it is easier let up on your weight-loss program sooner than you should. So, if you would like to lose fifty pounds write down fifty pounds.

Step two is give yourself a dead line. Deadlines create motivation. If you know you have to lose twenty pounds by the end of the month, then you know you have to get working on your goals right away.

Finally, put your goals in a place where you can see them every day preferably put them in a place where you can see them every morning. This will set a positive mental attitude at the beginning of each day.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can read your goals out loud at least once a day. This also gives you psychological inspiration for keeping you on track.

Keep Moving Forward

If you do not hit your desired goals, do not panic. I would almost guarantee that if you followed the steps above you will be much closer to your goals than if you hadn’t. Don’t be afraid to adjust and re-adjust as necessary. The important part is to keep moving toward you weight-loss goals!

A Personal Request

If you enjoy the information that is on this blog, please consider re-posting it or sharing it on your favorite social media. It would mean a lot to me. Thanks.

The Right Workout.

July 28, 2014UncategorizedBuilding, coach, exercise, Fitness, health, healthy eating, Low Carb, Motivation, Muscle, N. L. P., NLP, paleo, Pounds, shred, success, take action, workoutadvancedweightlossresources

Working out is a great way to accelerate your weight loss goals. For most who want to lose weight, working out is not an option–it is a requirement. But that leads to a very important question: What workout is right for you?

Answering the above question is a bit tricky. There are many theories by many experts talking about what kind of work out one should and should not do. And, like I have mentioned in previous posts, I am not an expert. I can only tell you what I have done to lose weight myself, and what I have recommended to my clients.

First off, I am of the opinion that (most) any exercise is better than nothing. This is particularly true for beginners. Generally speaking, for people who just starting, a low-carb diet along with most any workout will accelerate fat mobilization. In other words, I am not one of those coaches that say, “Don’t do cardio,” or, “Only do cardio.” If you are a beginner, just get moving!

There is also a psychological advantage in doing a workout that you enjoy. And that is simply this: if you enjoy it, you are more likely to do it! So pick something you like and go for it!

However, I do have to say that this kind of philosophy on working out is only good for a short period of time. The reason is your body adjusts and it becomes more resistant to fat mobilization. This is particularly true of cardio. The better you get at cardio, the longer you have to do it in order to get the same effects.

A good example of this is jogging. At the beginning, person may struggle to jog a block. But at the end of a month, he can jog a block with no problem. In order for the same person to receive the same benefits, he has to now run further which will takes more time. People can continue to lose wight doing cardio as long as the workouts continue to intensify and the duration increases.

This leads me to one of my favorite kinds of workouts and that is strength training. One of the best ways I have found to accelerate weight loss is lifting weights. This kind of workout does not suffer from the same problem as cardio. What do I mean by this? Well it is true that your body can adjust and as a result stop mobilizing fat as readily. However, in order to fix this problem you do not have to increase the duration of your workout. All you have to do is increase the weights.

This does not mean that lifting does not have its setbacks. For example, you can adjust to strength training and there does come a point when adding weight no longer helps. This situation does take much longer to reach with strength training rather than cardio, but you will still get there.

The other problem is that of too much bulk. Leaning out and buffing up is great. But, there are not too many people out there that desire to look like a professional weight lifter. In fact, for most, that kind of look is simply unattractive.

With that in mind, it is important to note that for a great majority of people bulking up like a professional will never be a problem. This is partly due to the fact that in order to look like a professional body builder you have to take supplements (some legal some not so legal) that increase growth hormone in addition to working out. But some people with some body types can bulk up with like a professional without the supplements.

I know that I have to watch out for this personally. I have a naturally thick build, and if I do too much strength training, it is easy for me to get too bulkie.

There should be something said about Yoga and HIIT. However, this article is getting too long already so we will have to save these subjects for another time.

So what kind of workout do I recommend? At first, I suggest that you pick a workout you like and do that two to three days a week. But do not do it every day because of the reasons listed above. Break these workouts up with other workouts. Here is an example of what I have done and have recommended:

Day 1: Strength training (pick only two or three muscle groups).

Day 2: Strength training (make these different from the muscle groups form day one).

Day 3: Cardio (your choice. Just make it intense).

Day 4: Strength training (Mix it up).

Day 5: Yoga.

Day 6: Cardio or Hiit.

Day 7: Rest.

I will keep this kind of workout up for about three weeks. Then I change to this:

Day 1: Cardio (usually Martial Arts).

Day 2: Strength training (two or three muscle groups).

Day 3: Cardio.

Day 4: Yoga.

Day 5: Weights.

Day 6: Cardio (maybe a HIIT workout).

Day 7: Rest.

I usually keep this second set of days going for a two weeks. Then I go back to the first set of days for another three weeks.

Conclusion

If you are a beginner, just get moving. Pick a workout you like, but don’t do it everyday. And remember, success is the ultimate test of whether or not something is working. If it is not getting you closer to the goals, DO SOMETHING ELSE.

Secret Carbs (Making Low-Carb Diets Work).

July 18, 2014UncategorizedBuilding, coach, coaching, diet, dieting, exercise, food, health, healthy eating, Low Carb, Motivation, N. L. P., NLP, paleo, Pounds, shred, take action, Weight, Weight Loss, workoutadvancedweightlossresources

Have you plateaued on your low-carb diet. If so why? The answer could be that you are getting more carbs in your diet than you are aware of.

How does this happen? It happens by neglect. People neglect to check labels or look up foods online to find out how many carbs they are eating. As a result, they plateau quickly, get discouraged, and resume unhealthy eating.

What’s in Your Salad?

Eating uncounted carbs happens all the time in salads. And I’m not just taking about the croutons. Most people who are on a low carbohydrate diet are savvy to avoiding them. However, even in a salad without croutons, there are still many uncounted carbs.

My eyes were opened to this when on one occasion, I had a salad with some craisins in it. At the time, I did not think anything of it. However, later on in the evening I decided to check the carbohydrate count just to see. I was surprised. I always expect the carb count to be higher on fruit, but I was not expecting this. There are about 22 carbs in 1/4 of a cup! After, this I started counting carbohydrates in many of my questionable favorites.

Another Common Oversight

Here is another common oversight that I have committed myself and have also seen regularly in other people’s choices. This oversight is sauces. For example, many cheese sauces have flour in them. Often lowcarbers will not think of this because cheese is often OK on many low carbohydrate diets. And when we make this sauce at home we usually use cheese and heavy cream. But the pre-packaged kind will mostly use flour. This should make any good low-carber reconsider ordering the broccoli, cheese soup.

A popular sauce that often has more carbs that expected is tomato sauce. Almost all the canned tomato sauces have sugar added. Check the label before you make that spaghetti squash with spaghetti sauce.

It’s Just the Broth

Another culprit is broth. I have seen many people order chicken noodle soup and ask the server for just the broth. However, much of the starch of the noodles can leach out into the broth. This creates a much higher carb count than expected.

The Fix

There is an easy way to fix this and it is to simply check the labels. If it’s a kind of food without a label, look it up on line. If you are out at a restaurant, ask questions. Doing these simple things will help keep you on the weight-loss path.

The Importance of Cheat Day (Why Diets Fail)

July 8, 2014weight losscoaching, diet, exercise, Fitness, food, health, Low Carb, Motivation, NLP, paleo, Pounds, shred, success, take action, Weight Loss, workoutadvancedweightlossresources

How did you spend your Fourth of July? I spent mine eating bagels, donuts, cookies, potatoes, potato chips, corn chips, and ice cream (among other things). But I did not fall off the wagon. Rather I indulged in a well deserved cheat day.

If you do not already know, a cheat day is a day when you can eat all those foods that you do not normally eat. Foods that are “bad for you.” Cheat days are important and you should not skip them. Why are they so important? Here are two reasons.

Psychological

In an earlier post, I talked about one of the reasons why diets fail. And that reason was an un-manageability factor. In other words, any diet that is going to work has to be a diet that you can live with.

How does this concept figure into a cheat day? Well, what if you were on a diet that forbid you to eat any unhealthy food–ever. Could you do this? I know I could not. While I love eating healthy, I also love some unhealthy foods as well. If I were told I could never eat them again, eventually I would break down and go off the diet. And without the regulation one gets form cheat day, I would probably continue to eat unhealthy food and regain weight.

But this is not a problem when you have a scheduled cheat day. I know that all my sacrifice is going to pay off. I know that there is a day coming when I can eat all those pleasure foods I have been avoiding. And the best part is I’m not breaking my diet! Cheat day gives me the psychological advantage to continue to eat healthy between indulgence days. I don’t have to live without those foods forever. All I have to do is weight a little while.

Health Benefits

The other reason to have a cheat day has to do with the health benefits that accompany them. That’s right. Cheat days have health benefits. It is not all just indulgences.

How is cheat day healthy? As many of you know (particularly those of you who follow a low-carb diet), fat loss is a hormonal process. As you lose weight, you also decrease the production of weight-loss hormones. When you have a cheat day, you re-set all your fat burning hormones. This becomes very important when you are trying to continue to lose weight. In fact, not having enough cheat days is one of the reasons why people plateau and stop losing weight.

So enjoy your cheat day. And don’t cheat your self out of it!

One last thing. You may be wondering how often you should have a cheat day. You may also be wondering what and how much you can have on a cheat day. Keep coming back to this blog to find out.

You are ALREADY Motivated

July 2, 2014UncategorizedBuilding, coach, coaching, diet, dieting, exercise, Fitness, food, health, healthy eating, lose weight, Low Carb, Motivation, Muscle, N. L. P., NLP, Pounds, shred, workoutadvancedweightlossresources

The truth is we are all already motivated. The question is: What are we motivated to do? Some people are motivated to do healthy things, while some people are motivated to do unhealthy things.

What do I mean by this? For example, If you are someone who is prone to sitting on the couch and chowing down on unhealthy food, you do not have a lack of motivation. This is to say you have a reason for participating in unhealthy activities. And that reason is your motivation.

Another way to look at this is by asking: What are you getting out of your unhealthy habit(s)? And do not fool yourself. You are gaining something by sitting on the couch eating donuts. Identifying what you are gaining is the first step in fixing the problem.

What to do next is shift the focus. Instead of concentrating on all the things you are getting out of your bad habit, think of what you are going to lose if you keep up with this unhealthy lifestyle. Think of what your body will look like in the next five years. Become disgusted. That’s right. Think of the unhealthy activity and become disgusted. Then do it again and again. Think of the unhealthy activity and become disgusted.

Before you know it, instead of being motivated to do unhealthy things, you will find the motivation to avoid them.

Find Something New to Love (Get Motivated to Lose Weight)

June 30, 2014UncategorizedBuilding, dieting, exercise, Fitness, food, health, healthy eating, Low Carb, Motivation, Muscle, N. L. P., paleo, Weight Lossadvancedweightlossresources

Dieting can be tough. However, if you only think about how tough it is, you are bound to fall off the wagon. This is one of the reasons why diets fail. The dieter focuses on the food they are not allowed to have. This kind of fixation will ultimately result in feelings of despair and want. That is a recipe for failure.

Of course, there are many, many ways to fix this problem. I will, more than likely, address a verity of techniques to overcome negative dwelling patterns. But in this blog, I want to discuss one thing that is bound to put yourself in the right frame of mind so you can stick to you weight-loss program. And that one thing is simply this: Find something to love. What I mean by this is find some new activity or aspect of your new life to throw yourself into. Here are some suggestions:

1. Low-carb Cooking: Some have thrown themselves into low-carb cooking. There is a lot of fun in learning how to cook delicious food without the high-carb ingredients. Challenge yourself in the kitchen. Grab a low-carb cookbook and try a new recipe every night, or at the very least once a week. I am particularly fond of low-carb desserts.

2. Martial Arts: This is a personal favorite of mine. I have been involved in the Martial Arts since I was seven-years-old. Not only will you learn new skills, but you will also dramatically improve your confidence. There is nothing like knowing that you can defend yourself if needed.

3 Weight Lifting: Get your pump on! Lifting weights is one of the quickest ways to see results in your body. This creates an upward spiral. The more positive changes you see, the more you will want to weight lift. The more you weight lift the more positive results you will see. Eventually, you just keep going in a positive direction.

Here are just a few ideas. I’m sure you can come up with some of your own. And in no time at all you will find something new you love even more than bad food.

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