Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Why The Scale Stopped Going Down

Summer has hit and you bought your new gym membership. You're going twice a week and thinking you're looking fine. You've lost a few pounds and are sure this trend will continue. But after a month, the scale has come to a slow...and stop. What's up? What happened? I thought those trainer sessions were going great! WTH?!

Let me let you in on a little secret: you're eating the same things you were before you started working out. You thought it didn't matter what you eat, as long as you're cranking out those reps. WRONG!

Of course you lost weight when you started moving more. Your body had to expend extra calories, but it's used to it now. Adaptation, isn't it a bitch?

Your body adapts to whatever you give it. That's why P90x was made so famous. It changes up the workout every day, every week, and every month. Your body has to keep burning more and more calories to try and keep up the changing need of energy. More and different muscles get used when you introduce variety into your workout. Don't do the same thing everyday, and don't eat the same thing everyday. Mix it up! Variety is the spice of life.

Back to food. You're not an olympic athlete, so you must eat healthy. You can't out-exercise a bad diet, no matter what you think. You must eat your fruits and veggies and I'm here to make them tasty. Stay tuned for Recipes of the Month.

It's not hard to change your diet. And it's not a 14 day, lose 7lbs diet. It's the food you eat daily diet. The food you will continue to eat the rest of your life. No, not egg whites for breakfast, salad for lunch, and grilled salmon for dinner diet - although that sounds yummy to me! But a style of eating that will keep you naturally thin. 

3 Easy Rules to Live By
  1. Close to Nature: Eat as close to nature as possible. No, I don't mean go outside and have a picnic. I mean eat foods that are straight from the ground, tree, or animal. Forget the preservatives, chemicals, "natural" added flavors and colors.
  2. Forget Health Claims: If it makes a claim, it's not healthy for you. Low Fat. Low Sugar. No Sugar Added. Does lettuce have this written on it leaves? No. Because everyone knows lettuce is healthy. It doesn't need to make a claim. If it's healthy for you, it most likely already has low fat and low sugar. If not, then eat a small portion. Don't deprive yourself, just have a little serving. ;) And that means a few bites! Not a bowlful.
  3. Eat Produce-Organic If Possible: Got high cholesterol? Eat more plants. Got high triglycerides (fat in your blood)? Eat more plants. 
    1. Hint: Plants raise your HDL (H for Healthy) and lower your LDL (L for Lousy). HDL and LDL are types of cholesterol. The HDL goes around your body and cleans out the bad junk in your arteries. Ever heard of good fats? Those are especially good at doing this job, like olive oil and avocados.