Are all Calories created equal?

I recently had a friend who was trying to lose weight, and was growing ever more frustrated by the fact that the scale was not cooperating.  When I asked her what she was doing to try to lose weight, she said she had reduced her calories to 1300-1500 a day.  That sounds reasonable, don't you think?  When, after a few days, she still was seeing no change on the scale, I asked to see her food journal. 

Sure enough, she was only eating those calorie amounts, but it was WHAT those calories were that was the problem!  A typical day consisted of a sugary cereal for breakfast, fast food chicken strips and small fries for lunch, and 2 slices of pizza for dinner, with a snack of 3 musketeers bar...for a total of 1495 calories. Yep, that was within her range she had set for herself.  What she was not taking into account was the 66 grams of fat, 166 grams of carbs, and 2700 mg of sodium, and less than 45 grams of protein.  All of these are factors in what makes up your body composition.


What if she had had a day of oatmeal with blueberries, and whole wheat toast for breakfast, still going with fast food, a Subway Philly steak without cheese on flatbread with light ranch for lunch, and a dinner of grilled salmon, roasted sweet potatoes, grilled asparagus, and a small dinner salad. During the day she has snacks of strawberries, string cheese, and THEN has dessert after dinner of Skinny Cow Caramel Truffle bar!!! Would you feel deprived with all that food? That's 1278 calories, 38 grams of fat, 127 grams of carbs, only 1478 mg of sodium and 88 grams of protein.

Instead of "dieting" and trying to cut calories, focus more on eating healthy! Fueling your body with nutritious foods will lead you towards your goals at a steady, healthy pace. You will look better, feel better and perform better throughout the day!

Benefits of Drinking Water

With the holiday weekend here, I thought it would be a good time to remind us all of some of the benefits of hydrating our bodies with good ole H2O!  Many of us will be out on the lake, at the beaches or parks, and now that the summer is heating up, we'll be drinking ALOT!  Alcohol, cola, and coffee all can leave you dehydrated quickly. The more alcohol you drink, the more likely you are of becoming dehydrated!  WHY?  Yep, the more you drink, the more you need to "go"!  If you are drinking alcohol this weekend, try alternating a bottle of water between beers!

10 Quick Reasons to drink water:

1. Water suppresses the appetite.

2. Water helps to reduce cholesterol.

3. Water helps to tone muscle.

4. Water is necessary for proper digestion.

5. Water helps the liver to function.

6. Water helps soothe digestive problems.

7. The right amount of water causes the body to stop retaining water.

8. Water stops you confusing hunger and thirst.

9. Water help moisturize the skin and makes it more radiant and supple.

10. Water helps wash the toxins out of the body.

I hope you all have a happy and healthy Memorial Day weekend!  Remember to honor our service men and women, and remember those who have given their lives to preserve all the freedoms we enjoy in this great country.

There's no time like NOW to create a new YOU!

An important first step to making significant changes in your life is to sit down and give some serious thought to what is going well for you in life and what is not.  You're probably used to avoiding this issue, but it's time to face it!

MAKE A LIST! The act of writing down your thoughts makes them very real.  You'll be much more likely to follow through with your plan if you write it down!  You'll find when you make a list that there are going to be some things that you just can't control.  Don't let that get you down.  Focus on the things that you CAN control!  Everything starts with YOU; so focus on YOU!

When you make changes in your health and appearance, and like what you see in the mirror, everything else will look differently to you too.  The old adage about "rose-colored glasses" is really true!  So don't worry about those items on your list that you can't tackle right ---just tackle YOU!

It doesn't matter what else is going on in your life; no one controls what you put in your mouth except you.  Forget the reasons why you can't make it work and as Nike would say, "Just Do It!"

If you need to lose a large amount of weight, don't despair! Never think in terms of "I'd have to diet for a year to look good!"  Instead, tell yourself that you are going to "eat healthier today". Each new day you'll want to focus only on that day!

Set small weight loss goals and celebrate each five pounds that you lose.  You'll find that the longer you stick to your plan, the stronger your MOTIVATION will become!

If you are just too overwhelmed by the task ahead of you, select several small changes to transform your diet---that you know you can commit to....

1. Decide that for one week you will eat 3 small meals and 2 snacks each day.
2. In addition, you will finish eating for the day before 7 pm.
3. Next week, add another couple of goals.  You will have 3 ounces of lean protein at each meal..in addition to the first two items from the previous week.
4. You will only have 1 diet soda (or none) each day.

And on and on, adding a new item to the list each week.  YOUR GOALS ARE ATTAINABLE!!! You just have to want them more than you want to stay the same.

Abs are Made in the Kitchen

Ever heard the saying “abs are made in the kitchen”? Well it’s true! While training your abs WILL build the muscle… you will NOT be able to see them if you have a layer of fat over the top! In order to “get abs”, you have to lower your overall body fat! Another saying we hear alot is “70% diet, 30% training”… I’d go a step further and say “80% diet, 20% training”.

Most people don’t realize just how important proper nutrition is. While calories in versus calories out will determine weight loss or gain … the TYPE of weight lost or gained is determined by what you’re eating! For example: If you are eating in a caloric deficit and hardly eating any protein, it’s likely that the majority of weight you’re losing is coming from muscle. Same goes for when you are eating in a caloric surplus … if you’re eating clean with plenty of protein, it’s likely muscle ... whereas if you were eating mainly junk food, it’s more likely to be fat. (But remember, if you aren’t incorporating resistance training, you are at a much higher risk of losing muscle and/or gaining fat!)   

Also, keep in mind that it is practically impossible to gain ONLY muscle without a little bit of fat along with it.. just as it is impossible to lose ONLY fat without losing a little bit of muscle.                   

Eat clean and within the calorie range you have determined you need for your goals, and you will likely reach them much faster than if you are “eating dirty”!

April Photo a Day Challenge Pics

                                                                                                      Day 1. Before photo 

Day 2. Breakfast today










Day 3. My Daily Workout

Day 4. Fit Test

Day 5. Athletic Shoes (these were my reward for completing ChaLean Extreme!)

Day 6. Accountability Partners (Some of my girls from my workout class & my challenge group)

Day 7. Rest Day!  YES!!!

Day 8. My Trainers!

Day 9. Sweat!

Day 10. Goals!










Day 11. Ingredient...a favorite










Day 12. Fit club.






I thought I'd update this post.  As you see I only got thru Day 12.  About day 11 I started getting sick and the dr. said it was walking pneumonia, and severe sinus infection.  Needless to say, I did not have the strength to continue working out for about a week, so I missed out on the rest of the month's pics!  Maybe I'll do it again another month!  I hope YOU had success!  If you did, and even if you didn't complete it, I'd love to hear about your journey!

April Photo a Day Challenge

The TeamBeachBody Photo-A-Day Challenge starts today, April 1st, so get your cameras ready! Upload your photo to the TBB Message Boards and you could win a prize! 30 days 30 prizes! Click here for more details... http://beachbodysocial.com/fq9.

If you are not a member of TeamBeachBody, click here to join for FREE!

If you don't want to enter the challenge, this would be a great way to keep yourself motivated and on track.  Feel free to pop over to my fitness page on Facebook and you can post your pictures there.  I, along with some of my other team mates, will keep you motivated and encouraged on your journey!

Visualize your success!

As you work towards your goals, do you picture yourself the way you want to look? Do you see yourself as already fit and healthy, tight and toned? Visualize yourself as you want to be! Then make it happen! Your self confidence will receive a boost and your motivation will increase!

Sometimes it's hard to visualize exactly what your goals are in terms of diet and exercise. Sure, we all want to be "fit" and "sexy" but there is a whole spectrum of bodies that fall into those categories. Yesterday, as I flipped through a magazine with my friend, I pointed out a girl and said, "Now that's what I want to look like this summer!" and shockingly, my friend frowned and said, "Eeeww! She's so muscle-y!". Mind you, this wasn't a female body builder, but rather just a woman who obviously worked out consistently, and looked great in her swimsuit. It made me realize that we all have different goals in our heads when we're exercising, running, lifting, steaming vegetables....

With that in mind, I thought that it would be a good idea to create a visionary board of my goals to keep myself focused on what it is that I am working towards. Who do I want to emulate, what is my body capable of, and what kind of cute swimming suit do I picture myself wearing poolside in a few short months, er, weeks!?  Who are a few of your role models, what are a few of your goals, and motivational images? Maybe you could do the same yourself. Many people in the fitness/health industry even post their workouts and daily eating examples on their website or Facebook pages for you to see (and to keep themselves accountable). Try it! Wouldn't it be nice if you were able to pin a picture of YOURSELF on your board as a goal!?

What would be on YOUR board? Go ahead and visualize yourself the way you WANT to be!  Then achieve it!