WEIGHT LOSS TIPS

It is no secret that one of the keys to losing weight is lowering your fat intake and making sure you get plenty of exercise.

However, I think sometimes people forget they have to pay attention to every little thing that goes into their body. Just because a salad sounds healthy, it can quickly turn into a “fat trap” after the dressing is added. Grilled chicken salad, sounds pretty healthy right? Well if you check out the label on the dressing package you might fall off your chair when you see it can contain as much as 21 grams of fat! All of a sudden, that small salad isn’t so healthy. When you’re trying to lose weight, take notice of the “little things”. You may be surprised at what you find.

Things you may not think about as calorie intake:

Sugar Contained in Drinks – A lot of people don’t pay much attention to what they drink when they are trying to lose weight. However, did you know you can easily consume 800-1,000 calories and loads of sugar per day just from what you drink?

Be careful. Even though certain fruit drinks try to persuade you with their “High in Vitamin C plugs”, make sure you read the labels. Some of them are high in fructose and may contain as much as 30-40 grams of sugar in one serving. That is a heck of a lot of sugar for one drink – especially when experts recommend you only have 48 grams in a day.

Soda is another drink packed with sugar. Don’t be fooled by the 0 grams of fat on the can. Keep reading a little further and you’ll see that a regular 12 oz. Pepsi, for example, contains 41 grams of sugar. Not good!! Those thirst quenching, super-sized 20-ounce sodas you get through the drive-thru of some fast food chains can contain as much as 67 grams of sugar, while the 36-ounce versions average about 117 grams. That’s 27 teaspoons and more than four times the recommended daily allowance.

Sugar is a carbohydrate so when it is not burned off, it turns into fat. Period. That 0-gram soft drink can still cause you to gain weight if you’re not burning off what you consume. So don’t just read the caloric and fat content. Check the sugar in your drinks as well.

Sugar Contained in Fruit – Fruit is good for you. It provides a ton of vitamins and some fruits such as blueberries even have antioxidants which help protect the body from immflamations that can cause diseases such as cancer. Some people believe when they are dieting they can eat all the fruit they want because it’s healthy and natural. After all, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? One thing you may fail to realize is that fruit contains a lot sugar. Even though it’s natural sugar it can still cause weight gain if you eat too much and do not burn it off. The more active you are, the less you need to be concerned about the amount of sugar in fruit. However, you should be aware that it can prevent you from losing weight if you eat too much of it.

Fruit is a carbohydrate and anytime you consume excess amounts of this food group, your body will turn it into fat. Don’t get me wrong, it’s much better to snack on a piece of fruit than a chocolate bar, just remember to limit your servings in a day.

Sodium – Sodium doesn’t just come in salty foods like pretzels and popcorn. It’s also commonly used to preserve foods. So you can find sodium in anything from canned foods, frozen dinners, packaged pudding, luncheon meats, to your favorite Chinese restaurant dishes, processed cheese and even dairy products. It can be deceiving because a lot of people don’t think about sodium if their food doesn’t taste salty. They also don’t realize that sodium may also cause you to store more weight around the mid section. Always read labels and find out the sodium content. You should also not consume more than 2300 milligrams grams in a day. And if you are on a low sodium diet, then your limit should be around 2,000 milligrams. Of course, if you have a medical condition or are on a low sodium diet then your recommendations will vary, in which case, listen to your Dr’s orders.

Starvation and Hunger – So many people think the key to an effective weight loss plan is to skip meals. While eating smaller portions and cutting your caloric intake is usually a good idea, it’s NOT a good idea, however, if you’re starving yourself and only eating one or two meals per day. People don’t realize that hunger actually slows your metabolism. So for all of you who think you’re doing your body a service by skipping breakfast, you’re actually hurting it in the long run. Eating within one hour of getting up kick starts your metabolism and helps you burn more calories through the day. When you wait until noon or 1pm to have your first meal, your metabolism is already sluggish, you have a tendancy to eat more and your body may not burn it off as well. Eating smaller, frequent meals is the way to go. Digestion actually burns calories so if your body is doing this 5-6 times per day this is a good thing. Eating frequently also keeps you from getting hungry.
Here’s an example of what you can eat:

Breakfast
Bowl of oatmeal, a piece of fruit and 2 slices of turkey bacon

Mid morning snack
Handful of almonds and a cup of low fat yogurt

Lunch
Grilled chicken breast with a side of vegetables

Mid Afternoon Snack
Celery with peanut butter and a handful of raisins

Dinner
Grilled Salmon and a side of brown rice

Dessert
Fruit Smoothie

Try this and see how you like it. If you find yourself getting hungry, add a handful of nuts or a spoonful of peanut butter to one of the meals.

Experiment until it’s right for you. Just make sure you’re limiting your fat intake and eating fiber and protein. I bet you’ll find you have more energy and you’ll just feel better about yourself.

Drink Water – Never underestimate the power of water. In addition to a good diet and plenty of exercise, water is a great weight loss assistant. First of all, if you are not accustomed to drinking a lot of water, you will find yourself running back and forth to the bathroom quite a bit. One may think your body would hang onto this water because it isn’t used to getting enough. What is really happening is that your body is flushing out the water it has been hanging onto during what some call “survival mode”. As you continue to drink at least 6-8 glasses per day, your body figures it doesn’t need to store the water anymore. It assumes the water will keep coming, and if it does, the constant flushing will decrease, resulting in fewer trips to the bathroom.

As far as weight loss is concerned, water encourages proper kidney function and increases the efficiency of the liver’s fat burning capabilities. Drinking water also reduces retention. As I said before, when you don’t drink enough your body tends to hold on to more fluids. Drinking enough will release what it doesn’t need and you’ll have less bloating. So get to drinking!
So, in conclusion, as you embark on your weight loss journey, just remember to think about the little things. It’s not just about the fat and calories in your foods; Examine the sugar, sodium and also pay attention to the added items like salad dressings, ketchup and other condiments. You’d be surprised at how it all adds up.
Drink water instead of soda and high-sugar fruit drinks – or at least buy the fruit juices that contain less sugar.

New Year New You Boot Camp gearing up!

It’s that time of year to set your New Years resolutions. We don’t do that in boot camp. But what we do is set goals, attainable goals. You can go all out or take baby steps, it is up to you. The main thing is to get started. The hardest part is to just take that first step. Don’t wait one minute longer, register now and get started on becoming a healtheir you for 2010!

Great Dec. Boot Camp Results!

Wow! We had a great December Boot camp despite how busy and stressed we can all get during this time. It is proven that exercise releases hormones that help us fight stress……

Congratulations……EVERYONE that attended the Dec. Holiday Camp and participated in the 21 day challenge either lost weight, inches or body fat!!!! WOOOO! HOOOOO!

Special Kudos go to our winner of both categories:

Allison Wilkerson Rooks Percentage of weight loss: 6%
Total inches lost: 5.75

Amazing results, it just shows what you can accomplish with hard work, sacrifice, and believing that you can do it. (Whether you think you can or can’t you are right)

Awesome job Allison, see you in January to continue as well as get your winner’s gift!!

A close 2nd goes to Laura Cone and Kay Johnson for percentage of weight loss and to Joy Vincent for inches lost!

Again, I want to congratulate all of you that attended boot camp in Dec. You are all winners and “losers”!!!!!

Tips to stay trim this holiday

Hello! Hello!

You know that feeling…when there is so much to do…and so little time? And so many times throughout the day you think, “Man, I still need to (fill in the blank)” and then you lie awake in bed at 11:30, unable to sleep because all of those things you needed to do still need to be done?

Yeah, that’s been me lately.

Today’s post is about useful tips to stay trim this holiday…as well as the “reality check” of their attainability.

Weight Loss Tip 1: Stay active. The best thing you can do is try to stick to your normal schedule and routine.

Holiday Reality Check: It’s pretty hard to have any kind of decent routine in the busy months of November and December. Busy people tend to sacrifice boot camp, yoga classes, long walks, and visits to the gym because they need time for extra things like decorating the house, cooking, cleaning up before the visitors get there, and of course: Shopping.

The Good News: Walking around the shopping mall and stores is great exercise, and so is cleaning the house. In addition to those activities, decorating can be quite intensive too: You’re climbing up and down to hang things; lifting, lugging, and dragging boxes out of storage; bending, twisting and turning to get it all looking just right. So don’t beat yourself up about not making it to the gym… you’re getting plenty of activity and every little bit helps!

Weight Loss Tip 2: Don’t let yourself get too hungry. If you go to a party and you’re starving, everything will look even more scrumptious than normal. And of course, you’ll eat much more because of it. Try starting each day with a good, solid breakfast – particularly something with protein. And when you’re at the party, try munching on the veggies to help keep you feeling full. These two things will help your hunger stay under control, and will in turn help you refrain from “gorging” on anything you see just because you’re famished.

Holiday Reality Check: We’re all very busy during the holidays, and it’s not always possible to remember to eat – let alone eat well – particularly in the morning when we may have already overslept and are now running late for everything. And eating healthy at a party isn’t always possible either: Not everyone in this country serves vegetable plates, salads, or fruit bowls. Sometimes the only things in site are junk: Chips, candy, and cookies.

Here’s a suggestion: Try taking your own veggie plate to a party where you know there won’t be one available. A quick and easy way to do this is simply buy a bag or two of pre-cut veggies and some ranch salad dressing. Alternatively, eat a decent meal before you go to the party. Don’t overdo things, but don’t make it a light snack either. Eating first will help you to just “nibble” a bit on the worst of the holiday treats offered.

Weight Loss Tip 3: Stay away from the food. Literally. Just don’t go anywhere near the buffet table, appetizers, or treats… and you’ll be fine.

Holiday Reality Check: In most cases, the food is everywhere. And even if it’s not right in front of your face, you sure can smell it! Trying to just “stay away from it” is pretty unrealistic – and it can feel like torture for some of us. And for most people: When you can’t have something, you want it even more. So trying to stay away from the food will most likely just make you overindulge worse than you would have otherwise.

Try this instead: Allow yourself whatever you’d like. But with a catch. First: Take only half the amount you normally would. And take just one food item. Eat that and enjoy it without guilt. Then, wait a full 20-30 minutes before you get something else. Then repeat the process: One item, half the portion size as you normally would, enjoy it without guilt, then wait before getting something else.
Allowing yourself to eat gets rid of the mentality of “I can’t have it (and thus I’m more determined to have it)” It lets you enjoy the good food and the holidays, without beating yourself up. This is healthy and can help tremendously with the way you view food and eating in general. Only taking half of it though, will help you not take in as much calories, fat, sugar or other bad stuff you usually avoid. And then waiting 20-30 minutes before you get something else will help your body realize when it’s had enough… or too much. So you’re much less likely to overdo things, and feel horrible physically later.

Weight Loss Tip 4: Wear cloths that are slightly tight on you. This should help you feel full faster, and keep you from eating too much food.

Holiday Reality Check: We want to wear looser cloths because we’re looking forward to eating all that great food! Yes, wearing something tight might help us not go back for a second helping of potatoes… or it might ruin a favorite outfit.

In the end, how you approach this tip is up to you, and you alone. Make your decision and be happy with it.

Weight Loss Tip 5: Keep your portions small. Try to load up on salad and vegetables, and take just tiny amounts of anything else.

Holiday Reality Check: Taking just a “bite sized” amount of anything is going to put you into the have-not mental state mentioned earlier. You’ll feel as if you can’t have something, and you’ll want it all the more.

Try the tip noted above instead: Take half the size you normally would. Trying to have just a little bite of pie will whet your appetite for more, but having a whole piece is going a bit overboard – particularly if there’s 5 different pies for you to sample. So try actual sampling instead: Cut a piece half the normal size. This allows you to have a “whole slice”, and more than several little bites. Then wait about 20 minutes before you go and try the next pie. Even if you end up eating a bit of all 5 pies, by having a half-sized slice of each, you’ve drastically cut the amount of calories, carbs and sugars compared to what you would have had with whole slices. And you’ll still feel stuffed and satiated, instead of deprived and resentful.

So there you have it: 5 different, common holiday weight loss and eating tips, followed by the reality check of each, and a suggested compromise that should help you enjoy the holidays to their fullest, without depriving yourself of the great food we all look forward to.

Whatever you decide to do, remember to actually have Happy Holidays!

Nutrition Seminar and Boot Camp Workout – Coming this Spring

Nutrition Seminar and Boot Camp Workout
Coming Soon
Reset! Your Nutrition Behaviors and Jump Start Your Fitness Program Today!

Join Just us Girls Boot Camp and one of our nutrition partners to rev up your exercise routine and learn optimal nutrition practices to get your body in tip top shape in 2010!

Reset! program includes:

-1 Hour Just us Girls Boot Camp workout geared for all fitness levels
-Healthy Snack
-Nutrition Seminar lead by a registered dietitian
-Product Samples
-Boot Camp Discounts
-WIN!! – one of two raffle prizes a FREE 4-week Just us Girls Boot Camp program or a FREE 60 minute consultation with a registered dietitian

Seminar topics include:

-Enhancing your training regime: Eating for exercise on a time crunched schedule (how to choose better foods & fluids)
-Weight management: Best methods
-Grocery shopping strategies: What to look for and what to stay away from
-Eating Out, eating at work & socializing: How to choose the best options & control eating when away from home
-Mindful Eating: Practice mindful eating to avoid over-indulging

EVENT DETAILS
When: Spring 2010
REGISTRATION COMING SOON

Bring a Friend Day

Bring a Friend Day at Just us Girls Boot Camp, gives you a chance to show off to your girlfriends, family coworkers and anyone else you want to impress.

One bring a friend day is offered once during every boot camp session.

And remember, if your friend signs up, you are both eligible to receive a discount off the next month of boot camp. If multiple friends sign up, you receive discounts for all of them.

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