In this article I am going to expose the top 4 most common weight loss nutrition myths so you can stop making mistakes and get on track to your best body ever!

Myth #1-You Can’t Eat Late at Night

This myth began a few years ago and was perpetuated by a certain day time talk show host.  It has been said that you should not eat past a certain time at night or else what you eat will store as body fat.  This is absolutely untrue.  Whether or not you gain weight is based on how much food you eat throughout the day and what type of foods you eat.

For instance, eating carbs right before bed could possibly lead to fat gain.  Carbs turn to sugar inside the body and provide us with energy.  When we sleep we don’t require much energy so the left over sugars can store as body fat.

So what should you eat at night or before bed?  Lean proteins (i.e. low fat cottage cheese, turkey slices, protein shake, etc) and healthy fats are best (i.e. nuts, seeds, avocados, etc).  But be sure to keep your portions in check, however.  Even if you are eating the right foods, having too much will lead to weight gain.Myth #2-Skipping Meals Will Lead to Weight Loss

This myth is extremely common.  Some feel that if they skip meals they will eat less and the weight will fall off.  This is 100% false.  In fact, skipping meals will lead to weight gain.  Skipping meals results in calorie deprivation.  It is very hard to get in all the necessary calories and vital nutrients when you skip meals.  When calorie and nutrient deprivation occur, the body goes into starvation mode and will hold on to and potentially store additional body fat.  Calorie and nutrient deprivation as well as skipping meals will also lead to binge eating.  This is the perfect recipe for obesity.

Myth #3-Fad Diets Are the Best Way to Burn Body Fat

Notice I didn’t say “Fad Diets Are the Best Way to Lose Weight”.  This is because you can lose weight on a fad diet.  The question is, what kind of weight are you losing?  Almost all fad diets are centered around cutting calories, and most times cutting calories way too low.  When calories are too low the body holds on to fat and burns lean muscle instead.  Burning lean muscle lowers you metabolism.  Fad diets are also unsustainable.  It is very hard for the body to go long periods of time without the calories and nutrients it needs.    When you come off of a fad diet you have less lean muscle, a slower metabolism, and the same amount, if not more, body fat.  Does that sound like a winning formula?

Instead, try to eat frequent small meals throughout the day consisting of lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and some healthy fats.

Myth #4-Avoid Carbs to Lose Weight

Many low-carb diet plans suggest that carbohydrates promote insulin production, which in turn results in weight gain. Therefore by reducing carbohydrate intake, you can lose weight. Unfortunately, this is just another nutrition myth.

Many low-carb diets actually do not provide sufficient carbohydrates to your body for daily maintenance. Therefore your body will begin to burn stored carbohydrates (glycogen) for energy. When your body starts burning glycogen, water is released. Therefore the drastic initial drop of weight at the beginning of a low-carb diet is mostly the water that you lose as a result of burning glycogen.  Stay on a low-carb diet too long and you can actually begin to burn away lean muscle tissue.

The key here is that you are eating the RIGHT carbs.  You should replace sugar, white flour, white rice, and processed carbs with fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.  Do this and eating carbs will never be an issue.

There you have it, my top 4 nutrition myths exposed.  Rid yourself of these nutrition lies and you will be on track to your best body yet!

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One more thing!  I’m sure you know by now that BodyBack! Boot Camps has added 2 new Beginner’s Classes!  Your choice at 5:30am and 9:00am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week.  I have to tell you that the ladies are loving the beginner’s class and spots are filling up fast!

And with school back in, many women are jumping on this chance to get into shape without the intensity of the Intermediate Class just yet.  In our Beginner’s class you will be able to progress at your own pace with the guidance and instruction from our Certified Instructors.  Each class will combine cardio, strength training, and core exercises that work the entire body and get you into the shape you desire!

Our next boot camp begins August 23rd so don’t let this opportunity pass you by!

Click on the link below to sign up for the beginners class 3 days a week!  Or better yet, if you haven’t already, sign up for a FREE WEEK and give us a try.
What do you have to lose? Well, besides fat and inches!

http://www.mariettabootcamps.com/marietta-boot-camps-registration.html

So, come join us…you won’t regret it!

See you soon!

Jason

Jason Goggans, B.A., ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer, graduate of the University of Florida and fitness professional located in Kennesaw and Marietta, GA. Goggans is the owner of BodyBack! Women’s Fitness Boot Camps and has posted more information on his website, www.BodyBackBootCamps.com.  Log on to receive a copy of Jason’ s latest report, “10 Quick Ways to Weight Loss…How to Look and Feel Better FAST!” or call Jason @ (404) 452-5208.

Don’t worry, this isn’t another rant to get you to eat well.  You’re all adults, and can take responsibility for what goes in your mouth.  This is more about the synergy of putting an exercise program together that works and challenges your current thought process.  You’ve heard me mention the term synergy before.  It refers to a holistic approach…combining good nutrition, strategically placed cardio workouts, and resistance-based workouts that build a little lean muscle to burn more fat.  All of this, however, doesn’t matter if your head isn’t in the right place.

As a fitness trainer, I see frustration set in all too often.  It usually comes about from as a result of a few different reasons…namely unrealistic expectations about what can be achieved with what effort, and in what amount of time.  It all really boils down to that, doesn’t it?  It’s the basis for all trainer/client arguments.  We all want to have our cake and eat it too, but like anything else in life that’s hard to do.

In this realm, my challenge to you this week is to take some time and ask yourself a few serious questions about your personal fitness quest…whether you are currently working with a trainer or not.  I’ve come up with 6 of them that are crucial.  Here they are…

1)      Am I committed? – Sounds trite, but really, this is the basis for which all successful exercise programs boil down to.  How do you really know?  A few examples…If you miss a training session, do you make it up?  Are you willing to come at a different time to make sure you make it up (even if that means getting up at the crack of dawn)?  Are you willing to say NO when the gals get together and are pressuring you to eat this or drink that?  Are you willing to make yourself a healthier version of what you are making the kids? If not, it might be time to re-evaluate some things

2)      Am I putting myself in an environment that is conducive to success? – What’s in the pantry?  You know as well as I do that if it’s around, temptation abounds!  Is your spouse supportive of your cause?  Not to meddle in your marriages or relationships, but I can speak from experience that when both parties are not on the same page, then it might be a bit difficult to keep a lean physique.  Look, you know how us guys are; sometimes we need to have things explained in black and white.  If your guy is the one that is always encouraging the, let’s say…
“high-calorie social stuff”, it might be time to have a talk with him.  Listen, I don’t know of any guy who would be against a wife’s cause to get fit.  He’ll understand….and maybe he’ll hop on board with you.  He’s getting a little spare tire too J

3)      Have I set realistic expectations based on my current fitness level? – You didn’t get here in a day, and you certainly won’t get out of here in a day.  Can you get aggressive and see major results in a short period of time?  Absolutely!  It’ll take what I like to call “massive action” though, and the journey doesn’t include excuses such as “I can’t” or “I won’t”.  Furthermore, ask your trainer to help your properly assess what is achievable in what time period for what age.

4)      Do I trust my trainer and what he or she says? – This might be bigger than you think.  Why did you hire your trainer or boot camp instructor?  That is what you did.  You didn’t just pay for an exercise class with he or she because they looked pretty did ya?  There’s a lot of crap trainers out there…I’ve seen them in action.  So the question is…do you trust them?  If not, you might want to consider getting on the same page as your trainer.  If you haven’t already, open a dialogue.  If you don’t know where your trainer stands on certain fitness issues, then have a sit down.  Communicate!  You don’t want to end up in a situation where you are going against your trainer because you heard from a friend that it’s not OK to eat carbs.

5)     Do I drink too much wine? – Just a general throw in question

6)    Am I pushing myself to the max when I work out? – Generally speaking, best results occur when we push our bodies to the MAX!  What does that mean?  Well, it means that when you are finished, you should feel spent.  If you are spending more than an hour on any workout, then chances are you are not working out hard enough, or efficient enough.  Digressing to my statement above about “not getting here overnight”, body fat is a stubborn thing.  You must “wage war” on it to get rid of it.  That means attacking each workout like you want to get rid of it.   This includes general resistance training AND cardio.

There you have it…6 crucial questions to ask yourself.  If there is any doubt or confusion to any of the above, take some time to re-evaluate and set some goals (or new goals) to keep you motivated and focused.  Put those goals on paper and review them a couple times per day.  They’ll become ingrained, and you can’t help but be successful.  Have a great weekend!

Jason

Quotes for the week –

“Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves–to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by our today, to do our work with more force than ever before” ~Stewart Johnson

“Did you ever wonder if the person in the puddle is real, and you’re just a reflection of him?
~Calvin and Hobbes

Did you know that BodyBack! Boot Camps in now offering a BEGINNER’S Boot Camp!  In our Women’s only Beginner’s class you will be able to progress at your own pace with the guidance and instruction from our Certified Instructors.  Each class will combine cardio, strength training, and core exercises that work the entire body.

We are limiting the spots in the Beginner’s class to ensure you receive the individualized attention needed…so that means the spots are going to fill up fast!!

This class is available during our 5:30am and 9:00am classes so don’t miss out!  Click on the link below and sign up now! 

http://www.mariettabootcamps.com/marietta-boot-camps-registration.html

If you would like more fitness and weight loss tips click the “Free Report” link to the right of this article and get my latest reports “Finally…The Truth About Weight Loss” and “10 Ways to Lose Weight…FAST!”  They will be emailed to you immediately!

When trying to lose weight, it is important that you burn more calories than you consume.  Many people do this by cutting their caloric intake very low.  These same people struggle with weight their entire lives because cutting calories too low will cause you to hold on to body fat and burn muscle and water instead.  As opposed to creating a caloric deficit by eating fewer calories, it is best to create the deficit by burning more calories through exercise.  That means either exercising more frequently or exercising with more intensity.

This all sounds good in theory, but finding the energy to exercise more intensely or more frequently is difficult for many.  This is where the “other side” of nutrition comes in.

If you have ever gone to the gym and tried to exercise on an empty stomach or after you have eaten poorly throughout the day then you know how difficult it can be.  You feel lethargic, you get light headed, and more often than not you slowly and reluctantly finish the workout, or you quit the workout all together.  The problem is when you don’t attack your workouts with a high intensity, you cut the workouts short, or you simply don’t workout often enough the result is your overall caloric expenditure (how many calories you burn during your workout) goes way down.  When your caloric expenditure is way down then it is very difficult to create a caloric deficit through exercise.

So, the question becomes, “how do I get the energy to increase workout intensity and/or frequency”.  As you have probably guessed by now, the answer is through our food intake and overall nutrition regimen.  Food is not only used to feed the body in a way that maximizes fat loss, it is also our body’s fuel.  The fuel we use to make it through our hectic days and the fuel we use to maximize our workouts to create the caloric deficit we so desperately need to burn body fat.  And sorry folks, coffee does not count as fuel : )

Trying to embark on an exercise routine and expecting to excel while eating poorly is akin to dumping sand into the gas tank of a Ferrari and expecting it to perform optimally.  You and the Ferrari will just end up broken down and out of commission.

So, if you are currently on an exercise routine and the results aren’t what you want them to be, take a second look at you nutrition.  Be sure that you are eating enough calories, be sure that you are eating your lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and sprinkling in some whole grains here and there.  Make sure you are eating frequent meals throughout the day and limiting your sugar intake to keep your blood sugar levels stabilized and your energy high.  This will enable you to maximize your workouts every single day you train and the result will be a huge spike in your caloric output.  And a spike in caloric output means lower numbers on the scale.

Jason Goggans, B.A., ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer, graduate of the University of Florida and fitness professional located in Kennesaw and Marietta, GA. Goggans is the owner of BodyBack! Women’s Fitness Boot Camps and has posted more information on his website, www.BodyBackBootCamps.com.  Log on to receive a copy of Jason’ s latest report, “10 Quick Ways to Weight Loss…How to Look and Feel Better FAST!” or call Jason @ (404) 452-5208.

Just to be clear, this article is for people who are looking to burn body fat and change their physiques for the better.  It is not for long distance runners or people who thoroughly enjoy running.  For these folks, slow and steady is the answer.  Just not if you are looking to drop clothing sizes and get Jennifer Anniston’s arms and legs.

So, I have come up with my top six reasons that “slow and steady” cardio needs to hit the road (no pun intended):

1. I have better things to do.  What I mean is that slow and steady cardio takes too darn long.  When I do cardio I don’t want to be doing it for an hour or more.  I want to get in, get out, and get on with my day.  To get any significant calorie burn from slow and steady cardio you have to do well over an hour a day.  I don’t have that kind of time…do you?  That brings me to reason number 2.
2. Minimal calories burned.  An hour of slow and steady cardio MAY burn 300-350 calories on a good day.  That is 1/10 of a pound of body fat.  That means you would have to do 10 hours a weeks of cardio to burn one pound of fat.  Sound fun?  Sound efficient?  And there is another problem here.  When you do hours of slow and steady cardio, you don’t just burn fat and that brings me to reason number 3.
3. Too much cardio burns muscle.  Lean muscle tissue is the fat burning furnace in the body.  That means that lean muscle is THE physical location where fat is burned.  Knowing this, we must do everything we can to hold on to that lean muscle.  Slow and steady cardio robs our bodies of lean muscle.  When you run for long distances, you burn muscle and SOME fat.  Burning muscle slows down your metabolism dramatically.  This is the opposite of what we want.
4. Very little fat loss.  Because the body burns muscle during slow and steady cardio it doesn’t need to burn much fat for energy.  Minimal fat loss is not what most people are looking for in an exercise routine.
5. No prolonged metabolic benefit.  When you partake in slow and steady cardio you get a bit of a metabolic boost while performing the exercise.  However, metabolism returns to baseline levels immediately after completing the exercise.  Contrast this to higher intensity exercise where you can get a metabolic boost and burn additional body fat for up to 48 hours after completing your workout.
6. BORING! Long distance cardio enthusiast should stop reading now because you will not like what I am about to say but… slow and steady cardio is boring!!!  “Hey, do you want to jump on a treadmill and stare at a wall for an hour???”  Thanks, but no thanks!

So, if slow and steady cardio isn’t the answer then what is?  As I alluded to in reason number 5, high intensity exercise is the best way to burn body fat, maintain lean muscle, and boost your metabolism for days instead of minutes.  Two examples of high intensity training are resistance training and interval based cardio.

If you know how to design a high intensity based program for yourself then it’s time to get rolling.  If you need help in this area contact a fitness professional in your area today!

Jason Goggans, B.A., ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer, graduate of the University of Florida and fitness professional located in Kennesaw and Marietta, GA. Goggans is the owner of BodyBack! Women’s Fitness Boot Camps and has posted more information on his website, www.BodyBackBootCamps.com.  Log on to receive a copy of Jason’ s latest report, “10 Quick Ways to Weight Loss…How to Look and Feel Better FAST!” or call Jason @ (404) 452-5208.

“It’s not food if it arrived through the window of your car.” ~ Michael Pollan

The good news is that M-M Fitness Syndrome is 100% avoidable and reversible.  If you have indeed been stricken, you can be cured and the process begins on June 1st.  So, what in the heck is M-M Fitness Syndrome?  How do you rid yourself if you have been afflicted?

M-M Fitness Syndrome (M-MFS) is the condition that causes people to focus on their fitness from March to May (M-M stand for March to May) and ignore it the rest of the year.  I’m sure you know what I am talking about.  People with M-MFS wake up one idle March morning and realize that summer is right around the corner and that they have completely neglected their body over the previous 9 months.  Now they must make the mad “fitness sprint” to summer in hopes of being able to fit into a bathing suit again.

People with M-MFS try so hard to reverse 9 months of neglect in just 3 months and struggle like heck to do it.  As a trainer I see it every year, my boot camps explode from March to May with people trying desperately to look good for the summer.  Now, I certainly don’t mind helping these people.  It’s what I love to do but I can’t help but wonder, why?  Why do people put so much stress on themselves for those 3 months when the more logical (and far healthier) way to do it is to take care of yourself all year round?

One of the reasons that fitness is neglected during the “off” months here in Georgia is because we have cold weather.  This allows people to gain weight and cover up during the cold months.  That’s one of the reasons that fitness is a year round thing in warm weather states like California and Florida.  They can never cover up so they have to look good all year.

But is cold weather and the ability to cover up a valid excuse to ignore your health and fitness?  I certainly don’t think so.  It is actually incredibly unhealthy.  Losing weight and gaining weight every year wreaks havoc on your body and will severely decrease your metabolism over time.  If this pattern is kept up, your metabolism will slow down so much that 3 months won’t be NEAR enough time to take off the weight.

While the whole idea of neglecting your health and fitness during the cold months is a bad one, I REALLY struggle to understand why people “take the summer off” from fitness.  They fight so hard to lose the weight then the minute school is out and summer begins fitness becomes nothing but an afterthought.  This is very confusing for me.

For those with kids, summer begins when school gets out in May.  This is when many parents begin their “fitness sabbatical”.  When you fail to exercise and eat right from June to August, you have the potential to pack on a significant amount of weight.  But what some people fail to consider is that in August…it’s still hot.  The pools are still open.  You still have to wear bathing suits and shorts.  So basically you work your butt off (no pun intended) from March to May trying to get fit for summer, you enjoy the weight loss for a month or so then you are right back where you started because you couldn’t maintain your fitness and nutrition program.  Next thing you know it’s October, the weather is turning cold, and it’s time to cover up and eat your way through the holidays.  Am I the only one confused by this horrific cycle?

What would happen if you didn’t take time off from health, fitness, and nutrition?  What if you worked out and ate right year round?  How would you look?  How would you feel?  What if you never had to worry that summer was just around the corner because you were already fit?  It’s a pretty cool way to live.  You would be thinner, more toned, healthier, more energetic, and you would make all of your friends and neighbors jealous year round, not just a couple of months out of each year.  Sounds good to me : )

Never taking time off from fitness does not mean that you can never take a short break.  We all go on vacations, get sick, or life throws us a curve ball that gets us off track.  The key is to not let a week off for vacation or illness turn into weeks or months.

So, I issue a challenge and the challenge begins June 1st.  Can you commit to committing?  Can you make this the summer that you make fitness a year round venture so you can always look and be your best?  If you can commit to making your health and fitness a priority this summer, you will then be motivated to see it through all winter.  And come next March you won’t have to make the mad fitness dash to summer.  You will already be looking hot and ready for that bikini…

What do you think?  Are you up for the challenge???

(By the way, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I totally made up M-MFS.  It’s not a real condition : )

Quotes of the Week

“No diet will remove all the fat from your body because the brain is entirely fat. Without a brain, you might look good, but all you could do is run for public office.” -George Bernard Shaw

“Probably nothing in the world arouses more false hopes than the first four hours of a diet.” - Dan Bennett

Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach,

Jason

P.S. To register for your FREE Week of BodyBack! Boot Camp, click the link below and register now:

www.BodyBackBootCamps.com

Come and join us for a fat burnin’, calorie churnin’ workout with other people who have the same goals as you! It’s fast, it’s fun, and it works!  There is no better time to begin getting fit than right before summer.  Be sure to register now as spots fill up VERY fast this time of year!

If you would like more fitness and weight loss tips click the “Free Report” link to the right of this article and get my latest reports “Finally…The Truth About Weight Loss” and “10 Ways to Lose Weight…FAST!” They will be emailed to you immediately!



While the list of 11 things you must do to achieve results was complete and exhaustive, there is one thing that I did not include.  It is #12 on that list.  But just because it was not included on the original list doesn’t mean it is any less important.

This one step is something that ALL successful fat burners do.  It is non-negotiable and never taken for granted.  Before I reveal the last step let me say this…one of the biggest secrets to fat loss is consistency.  That means once you find a workout and nutrition program that works, you must work that program.  That means you have to follow-through.  You can’t adhere to the program here and there or whenever it is convenient for you, you must adhere to it every day of your life.  That’s just reality.  If this seems overwhelming, well, that’s where step #12 comes in.

As one of my very dedicated and most successful clients puts it, to achieve fat loss success you must guard your time.  That’s right.  You must guard your time with the same vigilance that you would guard anything else important in your life.  Guarding your time refers to scheduling time, everyday, to focus on your health and fitness.  This means schedule your time to workout every day and do it at the same time every day.  You must also schedule time to focus on your nutrition.  That means preparing meals, packing meals if you are going to be on the go, food journaling, etc.  Once you have scheduled your times, guard them with all of your might.

The time you schedule cannot be changed, negotiated, or altered in any way.  If you allow yourself to, you can ALWAYS find things you “need” to do other than exercise and prepare healthy meals.  It is very easy to say, “Well, laundry is backing up and I really need to do that now, I’ll exercise later”.  Once laundry is done then it’s time for the kids to come home from school, next thing you know it’s dinner time and you have missed yet another day of exercise.   (This is one reason that I always recommend getting out of the house to exercise.  Trying to exercise in the house is very distracting.  If it’s not laundry, cooking, or bills that need to be paid, it’s that cushy couch that’s always calling your name.)

When you schedule your time to workout, and you don’t let anything get in the way an amazing thing happens:  You actually workout…and do so consistently.  When you workout consistently another amazing thing happens…you get real, body changing results!

Time blocking is something that every successful person in life does.  I have known several successful CEO’s in my life and they will all tell you that time blocking is something that they could never succeed without.

So, if you desire success, fat loss success, then you MUST break out the Blackberry, I-Phone, or even the antiquated paper calendar that’s hanging on the wall and schedule yourself some “me” time.  Write the time everyday that you will workout, prepare and pack meals, and food journal.  Then guard that time with your life.

Some of you may be thinking that being that anal about workout times seems a little selfish.  I say, so what?  It is okay to be a little selfish sometimes.  Especially when your health and happiness are on the line.  I have a feeling that the people closest to you will understand if not deeply appreciate it.

To give you a quick idea of how it should look, below is how I schedule my workouts and nutrition:

M-F-Workout from 1:30-2:30 (I chose this time because it’s when my 1 year old and four year old are down for naps and my 5 year old is still in school.  During this time I have the house to myself…sort of: )

Saturday-Workout from 9:00am-10:00am. Doing it at this time allows me to get it out of the way so I can spend the rest of Saturday with my family.

Mon-Sun-I take 5 minutes at the end of every night to write down everything I ate that day.  Who knew that you could do something so powerful in just 5 minutes a day.

Sunday and Wednesday-I take 1-2 hours to prepare meals for the next few days.  This is nice because my wife and I only have to cook 2 days a week and we always have healthy meals available

It’s just that easy.  That adds up to 9-10 hours a week that I focus on my health and fitness.  Sound like a lot?  Well, consider the fact that there are 168 hours in week.  If you take 10 hours for your health and fitness that leaves 158 hours to do everything else that you want/need to do.  So…no more excuses.  Get to scheduling!  I promise it will pay off big time!

Quotes of the Week
Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.  ~Doug Larson

When it comes to eating right and exercising, there is no “I’ll start tomorrow.”  Tomorrow is disease.  ~Terri Guillemets

Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach,

Jason

P.S. To register for your FREE BodyBack! Boot Camp session, click the link below and register now:

www.BodyBackBootCamps.com

Come and join us for a fat burnin’, calorie churnin’ workout with other people who have the same goals as you! It’s fast, it’s fun, and it works!  There is no better time to begin getting fit than right before summer.  Be sure to register now as spots fill up VERY fast this time of year!

If you would like more fitness and weight loss tips click the “Free Report” link to the right of this article and get my latest reports “Finally…The Truth About Weight Loss” and “10 Ways to Lose Weight…FAST!” They will be emailed to you immediately!



Here are some picts courtesy of Meredith!  Thanks!

Cottage Cheese and a Fruit/Veggie Mix
½ cup low fat or fat free cottage cheese
Fruit of choice (i.e. apples, berries, banana, etc)
Veggie of choice (i.e. carrots, broccoli, etc)

Leftovers
When you are eating 5-6 meals a day there really is no distinction between snacks and meals even though they are called something different.  For mid-meal snacks I often just eat leftovers from the day before.  Don’t be afraid to do the same.

Nuts, Turkey Slices, Triscuits (here you get healthy fats, protein, complex carbs)
Handfuls of Almonds, walnuts, etc
4-5 Turkey slices
5-6 Triscuit crackers

Hard Boiled Eggs and Fruit
2-3 hard boiled eggs
Fruit of choice

Homemade Whole Wheat Pita Chips and Hummus
Cut whole wheat pita bread into small triangles.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt.  Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 5 minutes.  Dip in hummus.  For added protein you can have a low fat cheese stick, turkey slices, lean ham slices

Some other ideas to consider
Low fat cheese sticks and fruit, Protein shakes and fruit, Peanut butter and low sugar jelly sandwich (go light on the jelly)

Hopefully that gives you some ideas.  These are only a few of your options.  Feel free to experiment and come up with your own healthy recipes.  When you do, pass them along!

If you are serious about getting lean…you must exorcise the demons!

You may be wondering, what in the world could I mean by exorcizing the demons?  What do demons have to do with my physique?  Where can I find these demons???  Well, all you have to do open your pantry, cupboard, or fridge and the demons will be staring you in the face.  That’s right, the demons I am referring to are those unhealthy foods that we inexplicitly keep in our house even though we KNOW that they are keeping us from accomplishing our goals.

Even if you have kids or your husband is John Goodman, there is no good reason to have a house full ice cream, cookies, and Doritos.  This is especially true if you have a weakness for these foods.  If you have a soft spot in your heart for ice cream, more often than not you are going to forego the cottage cheese and fruit for several spoon fulls of Chunky Munkey.  So why live with the temptation?  Life is hard and stressful enough as is.  There’s no need to try to resist those creamy delights when you get hungry.  That’s just miserable.

But, what if those foods weren’t around?  What if when you got a craving for chocolate chip cookies, there were none in the house?  I’ll tell you what…you wouldn’t eat them!  Those who are truly successful at fat loss are the ones who do not continue to surround themselves with crappy yet delicious foods.  We are not super heroes after all.   We will all give in after a while.

And did you know that eating a few chips, a cookie, and couple of pieces of candy in a day can add 500 calories to your day?  That’s 3500 calories a week and 182,000 in a year.  That is an incredible number.  It is also senseless.  A few chips, cookies, and a piece of candy may not seem like a lot…but as you can see it is.  But if these items weren’t in the house then that would be 182,000 fewer calories you would eat in a year.  How much fat could you burn if that were the case?

So, if you are serious about fat loss and you really want a body that won’t quit this summer, perform a kitchen exorcism today!  Get the junk out!  And don’t worry about what your children or spouse will eat because guess what?  They don’t need it either!!  There are plenty of healthy snacks out there that your family will eat.  They may resist at first but over time they will thank you!

Some of you reading this will ignore the advice and continue to keep the bad food in the house but please know that you do so at your own peril.  Unless you have unworldly will power your body will never transform and you will never look how you always dreamed!

***If you are considering performing a kitchen exorcism but feel guilty about throwing out food, then take the food to a food bank or your local church.  This way you can get fit and feed the hungry at the same time!!

Quotes of the Week
Processed foods not only extend the shelf life, but they extend the waistline as well
-Karen Sessions
Our health always seems much more valuable after we lose it
-Unknown

Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach,

Jason

P.S. To register for your FREE BodyBack! Boot Camp session, click the link below and register now:

www.BodyBackBootCamps.com

Come and join us for a fat burnin’, calorie churnin’ workout with other people who have the same goals as you! It’s fast, it’s fun, and it works!  There is no better time to begin getting fit than January.  Be sure to register now as spots fill up VERY fast this time of year!

If you would like more fitness and weight loss tips click the “Free Report” link to the right of this article and get my latest reports “Finally…The Truth About Weight Loss” and “10 Ways to Lose Weight…FAST!” They will be emailed to you immediately!



As most of you know, I teach that to optimize fat burning you must eat 5-6 smaller meals a day.  These meals obviously begin with breakfast.  Breakfast has been touted as the most important meal of the day and for good reason.   Breakfast not only jump starts the metabolism for the day but it also stabilizes blood sugar helping you make better food choices throughout the day.

Although most of us know that breakfast is important, I still get people telling me that they skip breakfast because they aren’t hungry, or they don’t like eggs, or they get sick of eating the same things.  So in an effort to help the cause, I put together seven of my favorite breakfast recipes for your devouring pleasure.  Hopefully you will find one or two that tickle your fancy (my grandmother used to say that : )

Here they are:

French Toast

2-3 slices of whole wheat bread
2 eggs or 1 egg and 1 egg white
½ cup skim milk
1 tspn Cinnamon
1 tspn Vanilla extract
Sugar free syrup or fruit
Directions:  Mix eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and milk in bowls.  Dip bread in mixture coating both sides.  Cook in pan until golden brown on both sides and all egg is cooked.  Top with sugar free syrup and/or fresh fruit.

Protein Pancakes

1 cup LF cottage cheese
1 cup plain uncooked oatmeal
6 egg whites
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:  Put above ingredients in a blender and blend into a batter.  Heat skillet to medium/medium high.  Pour batter onto hot skillet, cook on each side until done.

Omelet

2-3 eggs (or 2 eggs and one egg white)
Salt and pepper to taste
Veggies of choice
Low fat ham
Low fat cheese
Directions:  Spray a 10- or 12-inch non-stick or cast iron skillet with a thin coating of cooking spray, and heat over medium heat.  Beat eggs, salt and pepper until light and fluffy.  When skillet is hot, pour the egg mixture in.  As the omelet starts to set, lift an edge of the omelet with a spatula and tilt the pan so that the runny, unset portion of the omelet can run underneath and start to set. Repeat on the opposite side.  When the omelet is just about completely set, sprinkle the cheese, ham, and veggies over half of the omelet. Fold the other half over the “toppings” half. Slide onto a plate, and serve.
Serve with fruit

Breakfast Shake

½ cup uncooked oatmeal
1-2 scoops of protein powder (your flavor of choice)
1 serving of fruit (again, your choice)
1½ cups of skim milk
Ice
Directions:  Put above ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into glass and enjoy!

Parfait

1 cup of low sugar/low fat yogurt
1 serving of fruit (your choice)
Low fat/low sugar granola
Directions:  Top yogurt with fruits and sprinkle with granola.  This is very low calorie and carb heavy so have this with eggs or another lean protein.

Homemade egg mcmuffin

1 whole wheat English muffin
2 eggs (scrambled or fried)
1 piece of Canadian bacon
1/8 cup of low fat cheese
Directions:  Cook the eggs and brown the Canadian bacon.  Top the eggs with cheese and place everything into the English muffin.

Protein Oatmeal

1 serving of low sugar oatmeal
2 scoops of protein powder
Directions:  Mix oatmeal with water or milk and cook per the directions on the container.  Stir in protein powder and serve.  This should be served with 1-2 eggs and 1 piece of fruit.

Energy Drinks-Good? Bad? Or is it all in your mind???

Over the past few years energy drinks have become all the rage.  Red Bull started this phenomenon and the industry has literally exploded.  There are energy drinks out there called Monster, Rock Star, Full Throttle, Amp, Venom, and even Crunk.  Sounds delicious, huh?

So, are these energy drinks really doing what they say they are…giving us energy?  A few months ago I read a study that looked into the energy drink trend and this is what they found:

They broke the participants into 2 large focus groups.  Group one was given a typical energy drink and were told that the drink would increase their strength, endurance, and energy output.

Group two was given the same drink but they were not told it was an energy drink and were not told anything about the effect it would have on their energy, strength, and endurance.

The results were that group one showed an increase in overall strength and endurance while group two showed no measurable change.

So what does this tell us?  This study shows that energy drinks themselves have little to no effect on energy, strength, and endurance.  The chemicals in these drinks do not translate to energy in the body.  True energy comes from carbohydrates not taurine or caffeine or any of the other items in energy drinks.

The fact that group one had increases shows that it was their mind that caused the increases.  When they were told that the drink would cause these increases to happen their mind believed it so it happened.  This shows just how powerful the mind is.  If you believe you can do something you probably will.

So the next time you are looking for a bump in energy stay away from the Crunk Juice and opt instead for complex carbs and a good night’s sleep!

Myth Buster-Heating Olive Oil Makes it Less Healthy

This is a question I have gotten quite a bit lately.  Somehow a rumor got out that heating olive oil lessens its nutritional value.  This is actually far from the truth.  While heating olive oil to excessive temperatures COULD evaporate the alcohols and esters (these are what give olive oil its delicate taste and fragrance) causing the taste and smell to be effected, heat has no discernable effect on the nutritional content.

Some oils can transform into trans-fatty oils when heated but olive oil is not one of them.  Olive oil is highly monounsaturated so it is very resistant to oxygenation and hydrogenation.   Oxygenation and hydrogenation are what cause oils to transform into trans-fatty oils.

So, feel free to cook with olive oil at your leisure knowing that you are consuming a wonderful source of essential fatty acids.

Quotes of the Week

“What looks good to the eyes is forever on your thighs”
-Author Unknown

“I’ve been on a low calorie diet for 2 weeks and all I’ve lost is 14 days of my life”
-Totie Fields

Your Fitness Coach,

Jason

P.S. To register for your FREE BodyBack! Boot Camp session, click the link below and register now:

www.BodyBackBootCamps.com

Come and join us for a fat burnin’, calorie churnin’ workout with other people who have the same goals as you! It’s fast, it’s fun, and it works!  There is no better time to begin getting fit than January.  Be sure to register now as spots fill up VERY fast this time of year!

If you would like more fitness and weight loss tips click the “Free Report” link to the right of this article and get my latest reports “Finally…The Truth About Weight Loss” and “10 Ways to Lose Weight…FAST!” They will be emailed to you immediately!

I began in this industry 16 years ago and let’s just say I have heard every excuse in the book for why someone can’t exercise or commit to a nutrition and exercise routine.  I have heard everything from “I can’t start exercising right now because I am getting my kitchen remodeled”…huh?  (I guess she keeps her elliptical next to the fridge) to “I refuse to exercise because I think sweat is gross”.  These may sound outlandish but they were heard with my own ears.

Some of the excuses I get are comical but they are also frustrating.  Whether it’s lack of time (the worst excuse in the world), illness, lack of knowledge; excuses are just that…excuses.  Excuses are peoples way of avoiding the perceived “pain” of committing to an exercise routine when in reality the real pain is a life void of health, energy, self confidence, and most importantly happiness.

Well, enough is enough!

This is real life and most of us live in the real world (except for the the lady who couldn’t exercise because her kitchen was being remodeled-I’m not sure what crazy culinary world she is living in).   Since when can anything of worth be accomplished without hard work?

I can’t tell you how often I hear, “I can only workout 2-3 days a week.  That’s all I have time for.”  Well guess what?  That’s not enough!

When you began a new job or career I am sure you wanted to be successful.  When you were hired did you tell your boss that you are thrilled to have the job but you can only commit to 2 days a week because that’s all you have time for?  Why not?  Because there would have been consequences…like getting fired!

When you had kids (if you have them) did you only feed them and care for them 3 days a week because your schedule was just too chaotic?  No, you made the kids a priority so their needs  were always met.  Had you not there would have been consequences.

When you got married did you say “I promise to take thee in sickness and health…but only when the schedule allows because work is bananas these days”?  Of course not… Unless your name is Tiger Woods you make time for your spouse because the consequences of not doing so are huge (i.e. an unhappy marriage or divorce)

So I ask, what are the consequences of neglecting your health and fitness?  Are they not equal to or worse than what I described above?  While most of the consequences of this neglect are well known:    obesity, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, low energy, increased risk of heart disease, trouble sleeping, low self-esteem, DEATH, etc; there is one consequence that is often over looked…happiness or lack thereof.

This may seem silly or a bit generic but isn’t happiness the one thing we are ALL in search of?  What is life without happiness?  I will submit to you that ultimate happiness is not attainable unless you have health AND fitness.  This may seem a bit trite coming from a health and fitness professional but the facts here are indisputable.  How happy can you be when you feel like crap?  How happy can you be when you have little to no self confidence due to your weight?  What kind of life is it when you struggle to look in the mirror?  Can you really be the best wife, husband, mother, father, son, daughter, or friend under the circumstances?  There is absolutely no way.

I think sometimes people convince themselves that they are happy being overweight.  They brag that they are “large and in charge and proud of it”.  When I hear this I am reminded of an interview I saw a few years ago with Queen Latifah (you know the budding actress and hip-hop “Goddess”).  She is overweight and was asked how she feels about it.  She gave the typical, “I love my body”, “I am happy being overweight”, “I feel that I am a role model for curvy women everywhere”, etc.  Not one calendar year later she became a spokesperson  for Jenny Craig.

How happy could she have been to become a spokesperson for a weight loss company.  Sure she got paid but do you really believe she was happier being overweight?  No, she just convinced herself that she was.

I believe that when people come to me for help with their health and fitness it is not weight loss that they are truly looking for.  Sure they want to lose 10, 15, 20 lbs or more but what they really want is to be happy.  They hope that losing weight and getting fit will bring them the happiness they had earlier in life or never had at all.  The problem is that most people quit before happiness is attained.  Take minute to think about this.  Does this apply to you?  No…don’t keep reading.  Stop and think, I’ll wait… : )

If it does apply to you then everything I wrote above should make sense.  I am not trying to say that being healthy and fit alone will bring you ultimate happiness but is sure helps.  It’s like when people say that money won’t buy happiness, well it doesn’t hurt.  I am just saying that being happy without it is next to impossible.

I’m sure there are some who are reading this and vehemently disagree and that’s okay.  I don’t expect everyone to agree with everything I say.  But for those who get it and truly want happiness, your health and fitness is a great place to start.

So that’s why I say enough is enough.  If the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc are not enough of a motivator (and apparently they are not because obesity rates continue to sky rocket) then how about happiness.  The fact that we as a society can turn our backs on health and fitness when the benefits are so vast is beyond me, but that is exactly what we are doing.

The ultimate quest in life for human beings is happiness and health is a necessary tool in achieving it.  So rid yourself of excuses.  Do not allow yourself to sabotage your life’s dream.  And sabotage is exactly what it is.  Whether you are remodeling the kitchen or you find sweat to be yucky, let nothing stand in the way of you becoming a better wife, husband, mother, or father.  Let nothing stand in the way of achieving health, fitness, peace of mind, serenity, and above all else…happiness.

Okay, I just stepped off of my soap box.  Hopefully this rant has inspired somebody to get up, take control, and go find happiness. Because it is not going to come find you!

Cheers!
Jason

P.S. To register for your FREE BodyBack! Boot Camp session, click the link below and register now:

www.BodyBackBootCamps.com

Come and join us for a fat burnin’, calorie churnin’ workout with other people who have the same goals as you! It’s fast, it’s fun, and it works!  There is no better time to begin getting fit than January.  Be sure to register now as spots fill up VERY fast this time of year!

If you would like more fitness and weight loss tips click the “Free Report” link to the right of this article and get my latest reports “Finally…The Truth About Weight Loss” and “10 Ways to Lose Weight…FAST!” They will be emailed to you immediately!