Weight Loss Nutrition

Weight loss is not rocket science.  So why are we treating it like it is?

In today's society it is HARD to lose weight, solely because a majority of the food offered to us is not nutrient dense.  Take, for example, a Nature Valley Fruit and Nut bar.  Only 140 calories, sounds good, doesn't it?  But, five of the ingredients are man-made sugar.  Yep, only 35 calories are from fat but way more than those are going to be converted to fat.  You will probably crave carbs in an hour because your blood sugar was raised high quickly.  Your body is going to expend extra energy trying to process what your DNA is not designed to use for fuel.  Now, compare a Maple Nut Cliff Bar.  There are more calories (240), but there are only 4 ingredients with sugar and they are all natural.  (There are vitamins and minerals that are retained in natural sugar that are destroyed in the refining process of sugar)  Although there are more calories, this bar is more nutrient dense and therefore your body will have better building blocks to use.   Your body will immediately know how to process and use them and won't spend precious energy trying to figure out what to do with it. 

We are designed to be hunter's and gatherers.  We used to have to hunt for our meat and grow grains, fruits and vegetables.  This required a lot more energy expenditure than going to the supermarket, leaning on a cart and sauntering down the aisles.  While I appreciate not having to grow all of my food, our bodies are not designed to eat and process man made stuff like sugar substitutes and refined sugars.  We can do it, but over time it takes a toll and I believe there are side effects we haven't even come close to identifying yet.  Just think about it...when was the last time you saw someone gain weight by eating too many fruits and vegetables? 

If we quit buying the empty calories like cookies, sodas and pasta, the food industry would make healthier items to choose from.  Take 5 minutes to read some of the labels in your cupboard, I was shocked to see cereals "high in fiber" and "health bars" I thought we healthy had a lot of sugar hidden in them.  Just changing these little things can make a world of difference!



Weight maintenance:  Calories from food and beverages = calories expended
Deprivation = Binging

What is the best way to lose weight?  Slowly decrease the amount of food consumed and increase physical activity.


Ever wonder why weight loss diets don't work long term?

It is only safe to decrease body weight by 1% a week
That means 180 lb person = 1.8 lbs/ week

Faster rates can lead to dehydration, loss of lean tissue, and prescious vitamins and minerals.   The body wants to be in a state of balance and when it feels it is starving it holds onto all of the calories it can.     This response will  increase the speed of weight gain while the body regains the nutrients it had lost.  This is also a reason why people gain even more weight after a diet.

Ever notice you can kill yourself on a treadmill or any other cardio machine for 30- 60 minutes for weeks and hardly shed a pound?  No wonder we see burn out in the gym in a few months.  What if I could show you how to exercise in LESS TIME and increase your metabolism and burn MORE CALORIES during the other 23 hours in a day?  This is done by INTERVAL TRAINING which requires a few minutes of hard exercise at a time with appropriate rest times in between each interval.  All of this is monitored by a heart monitor to avoid under and over training.  With good nutrition and this type of training, you will get healthy and safe results that can last, FAST!



Tremblay a, Simoneau JA, Bouchard C.  Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism.   Metabolism, 1994 Jul:43(7):814-8

*Call today to receive a free consultation and learn how this type of workout can easily fit into a lifestyle with little time for exercise.

Sample Interval
This interval takes only 15 minutes of your time and is guaranteed to get your heart rate up!  It is based on body weight alone (although weights can be added to increase difficulty) and can easily be performed at any time of the day even while catching the news on the TV!  If you have more than 15 minutes go through the interval again.

Exercises	Time	Picture
Bulgarian Spit Squat- both legs Stand in lunge position and squat down, hold 5 seconds and return to starting position.	1 min each side= 2 mins
Dips Start with arms straight and slowly bend elbows, lowering buttocks to floor.  Return to starting position.	1 min
Rest	1 min
Russian Twist You can use a medicine ball or free weight to increase difficulty. Twist R and L, twisting further each time.  Hold to 2-3 seconds each side.	1 min
Single Leg Bridging- both legs Make sure to hold toes up towards shins to maximize strain on the gluteal (buttock) muscles.	1 min each side= 2 mins
Rest	1 min
Prone Plank Hold position shown.	1 min
Side Lying Plank- both sides Hold position shown.	1 min each side= 2 mins
Rest	1 min
Double Leg Squat Hold squat positon 5 seconds before returning to standing.	1 min
Single Leg Dead Lift- both sides Start in double leg standing and then tilt forward extending the spine and lengthening the toes of leg in the air until horizontal with the floor.  Return to starting position.	1 min each side= 2 min s