What it takes to lose 10 pounds

Everyone knows what it takes to lose weight. You must exercise and eat healthier. You lose weight when you burn more calories than you take in. It sounds simple. And in fact it is. I want to talk today about what it takes to lose 10 pounds.

One pound of weight is equal to 3,500 calories. If you want to lose 10 pounds, you must create a deficit of 35,000 calories (3500 X 10). The healthy way to do this is to lose 1-2 pounds per week. So in my example of trying to lose 10 pounds, your goal would be to do this in 5-10 weeks.

So let's say you make a goal of losing 1 pound per week for the next 10 weeks to get to your 10 pound weight loss goal. To lose 1 pound a week, you need to have a deficit of 3,500 calories. 3,500 divided by 7 days a week equals 500 calories a day. If you have a deficit of 500 calories a day for 7 days, you will lose 1 pound in that week.

So what do I mean by a deficit? Let's say you normally eat 2500 calories per day to keep your body weight steady. In order to lose that 1 pound for that week, you would need to either eat 2000 calories per day or burn an extra 500 calories per day through exercise. That would create a 500 calorie deficit.

The best way to go about this is to do a combination of exercise and eating less. For instance, only eat 2200 calories and then do some form of exercise that burns 200 calories. That would get you to the 500 calorie deficit also.

I mentioned in my last blog a online tool that helps track the food you eat and the calories you consume. That website is Myfitnesspal.com. The website is free to use and it will help you in your goal to lose weight.  I highly recommend it as a food journal and to help you create and track the calorie deficit that you need to succeed to meet your weight loss goal.

Good luck!!

Fitness Website

Hi,

I just wanted to talk today about a very good fitness website that will help you stay on track with your fitness goals. The website is Myfitnesspal.com. The website is free to join and use.

On the website, you can enter your weight loss goals and it will calculate your nuitritional needs based on those goals. It tells you how many calories you should eat, how many carbs, how much protein, etc to be able to lose 1-2 pounds per week which is the healthy way to lose weight.

It also has a huge food database where you can keep track of the food you eat every day and it compares it to your goals to show how you are doing for the day.

There is also a section to add your workouts. This is helpful because it will take your workouts into consideration when calculating calories. For example, if the website tells me that I should be eating 2400 calories a day to lose 1-2 per week, but I burn 600 calories in my workout for that day, I can still eat 3000 calories for that day since I am at the 2400 overall.

Take a peek at Myfitnesspal.com. I really do think it would be beneficial to your weight loss goals.

Something To Think About

If a doctor told you that you had do chemotherapy for 2 1/2 hours a week in order to eliminate cancer, you would do it, right? Then why do we not exercise?

The American Heart Association says that 2 1/2 hours of exercise a week is enough to lower the chances of these life threatening diseases:

 

1. Coronary heart disease

2. Stroke

3. High Blood Pressure

4. Type 2 Diabetes

5. Colon Cancer

6. Breast Cancer

7. High Cholesterol

8. Obesity

 

And along with a lower risk of these diseases, exercise also improves cardio respiratory and muscular fitness, improves our body composition, reduces symptoms of depression and increases our flexibility.

I know a lot of people say the reason they do not exercise is they don't have the time. You need to make the time. Exercise needs to be a top priority in your life. The lack of physical activity in our lives is slowly killing us and it is easily preventable. Instead of sitting down and watching 3 hours of American Idol (and eating a bag of chips in the process) go for a walk, ride a bike, go for a swim, lift some weights, do some yoga, etc. You can watch your show AFTER you exercise.

If we exercise for a 1/2 hour a day, 5 days a week, we will start to see health benefits in as little as 3 weeks. We will start to feel better and look better.

Start today! Make a goal of doing some sort of physical activity for 1/2 hour a day, 5 days a week for the next 3 weeks. Track your progress. I guarantee you will see improvements in your health and you will feel better about yourself.

 

Healthy Breakfast

Today I have a recipe for you that is a healthy and energy filled way to start your day. I found it in the Body Beast workout program which is one of the many programs created by Beachbody.

2/3 cups Instant Oatmeal

1 Tablespoon Walnuts

1/4 Cup Blueberries

1/4 Unsweetened Almond Milk (Can be found in most grocery stores)
1 Scoop Chocolate Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein (I use Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard)

 

Make the Oatmeal according to the package and then mix it with all other ingrediants. Simple.

 

Nutritional Information

 

Calories: 439

Carbs: 39 grams

Fat: 14 grams

Protein: 34 grams

 

I usually eat this on the mornings that I know I will be doing some cardio work later in the day. I've noticed that my energy level has also increased on the days that I've had this in the morning.

 

 

 

 



Fact or Fiction.....

I haven't written anything in a very long time but now I'm back. My topic today is Fact or Fiction....Does working out at lower intensities really burn more fat (the fat-burning zone) than higher intensity workouts? I have heard of a lot of people that don't quite understand what this means. The theory behind it is that if you exercise in a zone of 50-60% of your maximum effort, you will burn more fat than exercising in a higher intensity level.This is incorrect and I'm going to explain why.

It's true that a higher percentage of body fat is used as fuel at lower intensities. However, at higher intensities, more total calories are burned. Therefore, even though a higher percentage of fuel comes from fat during low-intensity exercise, more total calories are burned during high intensity exercise thereby increasing the amount of fat burned. Working out at higher intensities improves body composition more effectively and also contributes to larger increases in cardiorepiratory fitness.

Just remember, it's all about the calories. The more calories you burn, the more fat you are going to burn. That's it for today.

To drink or not to drink.....

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! Many of us will be grilling out and having a couple of beers this weekend. I found a great article that was written by one of the Beachbody staff members on drinking and working out. Beachbody is the company that makes p90x and insanity. I thought it was a good article to share.

Booze Bust: Can Exercise and Alcohol Go Hand in Hand?

By Collette DeBenedetto

Summer (aka drinking) season is upon us—sun, fun, barbecues, and brewskis with your broskis. Ah, the good life. But with shirts off, where are you going to hide the burgers and beer? You wouldn't think of telling your buddies that you're passing up the booze to watch your weight because, let's be honest, you were Spring Break King of '93 and you have a reputation to uphold. How do you keep the six-pack, while still having fun? It's all about balance. You don't have to say no to all of the goodies, but you do need to make conscious choices to keep your days healthy. I would not recommend going cold turkey. This is not a "diet" or practice in social suicide; rather, this is a lifestyle change.

Evil spirits abound . . .

Just because you're logging hours on the treadmill and embarrassing Arnold in the weight room doesn't mean you can put the cast of Jersey Shore to shame in the bar and not have consequences. One does not cancel the other. There are some major side effects, including packed-on fat, slower recovery, and disrupted sleep, to name a few. It's common knowledge that alcohol is a powerful diuretic and can cause major electrolyte imbalances, which puts you at a much higher risk for musculoskeletal injuries and brain impairment. Other effects include altered reaction time, decreased testosterone levels, and sleep disturbance. Furthermore, alcohol is stored as fat in your body and destroys amino acids. When you've had one too many drinks, your body's glycolysis process becomes impaired. This means your body begins to produce lactic acid, causing a decline in energy, as well as decreased muscle recovery, and increased soreness.
In 2010, the University of Houston created a 3-week experiment on alcohol and exercise using rats. The scientists took a group of alcohol-loving rats and made half of them use running wheels while the other half stayed sedentary. Once the scientists took away the wheels, the active rats drank more alcohol than the sedentary rats. J. Leigh Leasure, PhD, told Fitbie that "it's possible that exercise could cause cross-tolerance to alcohol meaning, it may make alcohol less rewarding, so people would therefore drink more of it in order to get its feel-good effects." So the more curls you tackle in Back & Biceps may just have you wanting more 12-ounce curls on the weekend.
And whatever you do, don't pop a cold one post-exercise. When you work out, your blood sugar naturally drops. After you're finished, your body focuses on replacing your glycogen stores. If you consume alcohol post-workout, your glycogen stores will not be replaced since your body will be busy metabolizing alcohol, causing your blood sugar levels to stay at an unhealthy level. It's important to first replenish with a proper recovery drink post-workout, like P90X^® Results and Recovery Formula^® or alternative post-workout snack.

. . . And yet, we raise our glasses.

Regardless of these issues, most people reading this will still hoist a tankard this coming weekend. You can drink alcohol, have a social life, and still be healthy. Yes, I dared to say it. I promise. You do have to make choices and moderate those choices because after all, alcohol is made up of calories. And the calories usually don't stop at the alcohol. Think of the sugary mixers and the post-bar grub. How many times has eating cheese fries with gravy from a diner in North Jersey at 3 AM seemed like a "great idea"? The keys are in choices and in moderation.
Once you're at the barbecue or bar of choice, which drink do you choose? Let's take a look at your best bets from a caloric standpoint:

1. Hard alcohol. Most distilled spirits have under 100 calories and limited carbohydrates in their 1.5 ounce serving size. If you can stick to hard alcohol with a 0-calorie mixer, your waistline will thank you. We recommend water or club soda. You can also use diet sodas or juices, but then you're getting into artificial sweetener territory. Proceed at your own peril.
2. Wine (red/white/sparkling). A 5-ounce serving of wine will pack in about 100 calories. But be wary here. Many restaurants will pour larger servings.
3. Light Beer. Light beers have limited calories and carbohydrates, which makes them a great choice for the calorie conscious. Look for brands that have under 100 calories in a 12-ounce serving.

When looking at what to stay away from, try to nix mixed drinks and full-calorie beers—although if you're not counting calories, full-calorie, craft-brewed beers are your best bet from a holistic perspective, in that they're made from naturally healthy ingredients and free of additives, fillers, and other chemicals. Mixed drinks are packed with syrups, sugars, and sodas that can easily add in hundreds of calories to your cocktail. And no, it's not healthy even if the mixer is made from fruit. That fruit is high in sugar! They may look and taste sweet, but mixed drinks can wreak havoc on your body. Fruit by itself is great for you, but I don't think the bartender at Joe Shmo's pub down the street is grating coconut and chopping up pineapple . . . he's probably mixing canned fruit juice. The reason why fruit by itself is good for you is because it packs FIBER with it, which helps slow the digestion and absorption of the fructose, or sugar. Fruit juices have all the sugar, but none of the fiber, leaving your insulin response to skyrocket and fall. Furthermore, sugar masks the taste of alcohol and you may not realize how much alcohol you're consuming.
When imbibing, try to alternate between alcoholic beverage and water. This will aid the absorption process; keep you hydrated; and help you slow down, keeping your alcohol intake to a moderate level. Plus, when your buddies are on drink number four, you'll only be on drink number two. At that point, they may be too drunk to notice or care that you're not drinking alcohol! If you want to look like you're still drinking, one of my favorite tricks is to just get a club soda or diet soda and garnish with lemon or lime. It gives the appearance that you're drinking so you won't have to explain yourself to anyone.
If you overdo it, that's okay. Overdoing it is not an excuse to jump into a downward spiral. It's an opportunity to recognize that you didn't like the outcome of something and you can change it moving forward. Perhaps, waking up in Tijuana after a night of too much tequila doesn't feel or look so good. Your body will remind you of that in the days following. Moving forward, recognize you may need to balance and make different choices in the future.
So how much is too much? The National Health Service of the UK recommends that men should limit their intake to 3 to 4 units a day (that's about 2 to 3 standard drinks here in the States) while women should limit their drinks to no more than 2 to 3 units a day (1 or 2 drinks). You can still lift weights and drink beer too, just don't think you'll be able to drink scotch like Ron Burgundy at night and train like Rocky the next day at the gym.



Have a great holiday weekend!!!

6 Pack Abs

Lots of people think that they can get rock hard 6 pack abs by doing 100's of crunches and sit ups. You can do all the sit ups you want, but unless you lose the fat that's covering them, they won't show through. Think about it like this. A peach has a hard core in the middle of it. You have to 'peel' off the layers on top of it before you get to the hard part. Your abs are the same way. Everyone has a 6 pack, you have to get rid of the layer on top of it first. With a combination of cardio, eating right and core training, you can get that 6 pack you've always wanted.

I've found that the best exercise to strengthen my abs is the bicycle crunch. You should perform this move 3 days a week on alternating days. Check it out here to see how it's done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixQGJ3Ja-2I