When To Take In What Protein

Many people know to consume a quick protein immediately following your resistance or weight training workout but I want to address the often ignored other optimal time for this – morning.


When you first wake up you’ve been in a fasted state for many hours. That means you’ve had no protein during this time and you are at risk for becoming catabolic (when your body breaks down muscle for fuel).


By drinking a protein shake / Shakeology® with some simple carbs like, mix in juice or half a banana as soon as you wake up you can stop this muscle breakdown and achieve positive nitrogen balance.


As for POST-WORKOUT there’s a 30-60 minute post-workout window where your muscles are like sponges and take up nutrients, including protein, very quickly as part of the repair and recovery process.


Your body also uses carbs more efficiently during this period, due to increased insulin sensitivity, so drinking your protein shake with some simple carbs (or P90X® Results and Recovery drink) will help the body more effectively absorb amino acids and utilize them for the ongoing tissue repair and growth.

Fat Substitutes For Baking

Fruit purees - are most commonly used as fat substitutes in baking. Applesauce, for example, works well in most cake recipes, muffins, gingerbread, and can replace at least half the fat in cookies. Mashed bananas or pureed peaches can be used in chocolate cakes, spice cakes or muffins. Pureed pears are a great fat substitute in coffee cakes and quick breads, while prune puree works best in spice cakes, muffins, scones, chocolate cakes, coffee cakes, crumb crusts, brownies and cookies. When modifying a recipe using fruit purees use about half as much of the fruit puree as the total amount of fat called for in the recipe. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, use 1/2 cup of fruit puree. When mixing together, you can always add more puree if it looks a little dry.


Vegetable purees - can also be used to replace butter or oil in baking. Cooked mashed squashes (like pumpkin) or sweet potatoes will replace half if not all the fat in most baked desserts, and are particularly suited for muffins, quick breads, gingerbread, fruit cakes and other dense cakes. Squash or sweet potatoes are an excellent choice if the recipe calls for cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or cloves, and are pleasing for fall or winter baking! You can use 3/4 as much of the vegetable puree as the total amount of fat called for in the recipe, and as with using fruit purees as a fat substitute, add a little extra puree if you think the batter looks too dry. As an added bonus, think about all of the vitamins and minerals you will get from the vegetable purees!


Fat free dairy products - such as yogurt or buttermilk work quite well to replace fat in desserts and to decrease overall calories. You can use 1/2 as much of the substitute as the total amount of fat called for in the recipe. If the recipe calls for oil, you may use 3/4 of the substitute, adding slightly more if it is dry. Muffins, quick breads, cakes, chocolate baked goods, biscuits and scones are good recipes to use fat free yogurt or buttermilk as fat substitutes.


**Replacing fat in baked goods often requires a shorter baking time. Low fat batters can become dry and overdone very quickly. Therefore, ten minutes before the timer goes off test for doneness with a toothpick and continue to do so every few minutes until it is completely baked.

Things That Can Sabotage Your Weight Loss Pt.3 (final)

8. Medications you take.
It's worth a check with your doctor if you don't know whether weight gain is a side effect of a medicine you're on. Psychiatric medications to treat bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression, along with heart medications like beta blockers, commonly cause weight gain. While treating the primary condition is most important, says Kahan, you may be able to find a substitute without the side effect.


9. Your family and friends.
This can manifest in many ways. Maybe it's too heartbreaking to turn down grandma when she insists you have a second helping of her double-fried chicken. Or the rest of the family isn't on a diet, meaning some junk foods linger to tempt you. Perhaps your nights out with friends always revolve around food-and-drink binges. No wonder a 2007 report in the New England Journal of Medicine found that one's chance of becoming obese increase by 57 percent if a close friend becomes obese. Yep!


10. Yourself. Don't be overly restrictive.
"If you set too many limits on yourself, you get bored and resentful. And that mentality will hinder your weight loss," says Tanner-Blasiar. Aim for slow and steady and don't obsess over the scale. You didn't gain the weight over the course of a couple weeks; likewise, it'll take more than that to lose it. This is another reason I REQUIRE you to keep a tape measure instead of using a weight scale. The tape is way more accurate to exactly what and where your results are.


Above all, remember: "You can't be perfect, not in your relationships, in your job, in your life—certainly not in your weight-loss attempts," says Kahan. "There's nothing wrong with having a piece of cake on your birthday. There's nothing wrong with aiming for moderation."


No one should be expected to just drop whole food groups or every single craving completely out of their life. It’s about making a lifestyle change that you can live the rest of your life with. Like I always say, practice moderation and if that fails, you MUST then practice COMPENSATION. If you have that 2^nd piece of cake or 3^rd piece of pizza just be committed to compensating by exercising harder/longer.

Things That Can Sabotage Your Weight Loss Pt.2

4. Overestimating calories burned.

"We tend to reward ourselves with too many calories of food for the amount of calories we burned exercising," says Kahan. Suppose you go for a 30-minute jog. The University of Maryland Medical Center's "calories burned calculator" estimates a 150-pound person would burn about 370 calories. Eat a few cookies later that day and you've just canceled it out.

5. Feeding your thirst.

If you're not sure whether you're hungry or thirsty, assume it's the latter. Drink a glass of water and see how you feel. Some research even suggests drinking two 8-ounce glasses of water before breakfast, lunch, and dinner may help you manage hunger and eat less.

6. The food environment.

Commercials on TV hawk junk food. Billboards for fast-food restaurants bombard you on the road. "We're in a society that really lends itself to eating a lot," says Kahan. Without addressing these saboteurs, he says, it's "almost overwhelmingly difficult" to lost weight. His solution: "Engineer your environment." At home, do a junk-food purge. At work, avoid the treats in the kitchen and ask your co-workers to hide the Hershey's Kisses or to go on a healthy-eating kick with you.

7. Saving up calories to eat junk.

A couple hundred calories a day for an indulgence is OK, but don't get carried away. "You could eat a bag of chips 'til the cows come home, but that's not going to make you satisfied," says Marilyn Tanner-Blasiar, a dietitian at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Without enough protein and fiber, you'll be starving an hour later and blow your calorie limit.

I personally don’t eat chips. I started substituting Triscuits long ago, they’re high in fiber and keep you feeling satisfied longer. If you don’t like Triscuits just find a higher fiber chip/cracker. Another go-to snack of mine if LOW SODIUM turkey jerky. It’s high in protein so same thing. Just be really careful you’re getting the lowest sodium ones available! Another go-to is pumpkin seeds. Choose in-the-shell, makes you work harder for them so takes longer and tricks your mind into thinking you’ve been eating more than you actually are. Just be mindful that each gram of fat – which all nuts and seeds are high in (though it is the “good” fat) is NINE calories.

Things That Can Sabotage Your Weight Loss Pt.1

Despite your valiant efforts to lose weight, these factors may be keeping you from shedding the pounds. So you've got your plot to drop the extra pounds. It certainly seems sensible: You're going to eat right, eat less, and exercise. After weeks of declining dessert and diligently hitting the weights, you step on the scale and... only 2 pounds gone? You conclude that something or someone must be sabotaging you.
You might be right. While experts say weight loss can always be reduced to the simple "calories in, calories out" mantra. Meaning if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you'll lose weight but there may be other factors meddling with the balance. Here's a few of them:



1. Treating healthy foods as low-calorie foods.
"A lot of times they're not consistent," says Scott Kahan, co-director of the George Washington University Weight Management Program in Washington, D.C. So while whole grains, avocados, and nuts might be kind to your heart or cholesterol levels, dieters who binge on such foods can, before they know it, add hundreds of calories (each gram of fat equals NINE calories) to the day's total. Enjoy calorie-rich healthy foods, dietitians urge, but ration them out: a quarter of an avocado on a salad or a small handful of almonds for a snack.


2. Shunning shuteye.
Research has linked shorter sleep duration to a higher body mass index (a measure of body fat) and increased hunger and appetite. Additionally, if you're tired, you might be prone to grab a sugar-laden treat for a midday boost, skip exercise, and choose takeout for dinner to avoid cooking. It's a vicious cycle. Aim for seven or eight hours a night.



3. Underestimating calories eaten.
Quick, how many calories have you had today? No idea? Calorie ignorance is common and fueled by quite a few factors, dietitians say. First is a warped understanding of portion sizes. "People will tell me, 'Oh, I eat a half teaspoon of butter and I spread that on a piece of toast,' " says Ellen Liskov, a registered dietitian and nutrition specialist at Yale-New Haven Hospital. "I don't think you can do that mechanically." (People typically use a tablespoon or more.) You're going to have to recalibrate: Measure everything for a few days and work from recipes that calculate calories per serving or do it yourself. And be diligent about checking serving sizes. ONE sleeve of PopTarts, for example, is TWO servings. Also, be wary of seemingly innocent things like fruit, juice, trail mix, and dips. It's particularly easy to go overboard here.
This is just one more reason I REQUIRE you to keep a food diary (calorie counting phone app). Forgetfulness magnifies calorie ignorance. With all the to-do's jammed into your brain, you probably don't want to add a food diary. But, too bad! Your selective food memory is going to continue to sabotage you "until you start to pay attention every time you put something in your mouth," says Madelyn Fernstrom, founding director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Weight Management Center and author of The Real You Diet. Also, while a couple of healthy snacks strategically spread throughout the day is a good hunger-control tactic, Liskov warns of "random" snacking. You'll almost certainly lose track of all those calories.

Bloating

There are those foods that help slim your middle and those that make you feel like a bloated balloon. A bloated tummy isn't only reserved for women during that time of the month. Sometimes it's the foods we eat that can cause that overly full, gassy feeling. Here's a list of foods that may be contributing to that swollen tum tum (so you may want to think about limiting or avoiding them). 

Dairy products

Lactose intolerance can range from mild to severe, but either way, gas is usually a symptom. Try limiting the amount of milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream you eat and see if that helps. If it does, you don't have to ditch dairy altogether. Drink lactose-free milk or take Lactaid pills to help your body digest milk products.

Apples and pears

These fruits contain about 4 grams of fiber per serving so they're an excellent source of soluble fiber but they can also wreak havoc on sensitive tummies. Don't avoid them entirely though! Apples are a favorite on-the-go snack of mine. However, if you’re concerned about feeling bloated, try eating just half or a quarter of these fruits.

Beans

This magical fruit contains oligosaccharide, a type of sugar which is not normally digestible by our bodies. When this sugar reaches your large intestine, the bacteria go to town eating it up and the gas you produce is an unfortunate byproduct.

Broccoli, cabbage, and asparagus

These highly nutritious veggies are often avoided because many people don't appreciate the odoriferous outcome. The reason these veggies cause gas is due to raffinose. This sugar goes undigested until it reaches the large intestine, where it's fermented by methane-producing bacteria. Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do to cut down on the gas they produce but eating them in moderation and with other foods should help prevent a bloated tummy afterward.

Fatty foods

Fat slows down digestion, which can be used positively in your daily diet but unfortunately this also gives food more time to ferment and cause you to be gassy.

Salty foods

Sodium may not cause gas but it definitely makes you retain water. Cut back on the salt you add to foods and be a label reader to **make sure you're not exceeding 2,300 mg a day.

Gum and hard candy

I really enjoy chewing gum BUT when you chew gum or suck on hard candy you end up swallowing more often, which means you're probably swallowing more air.

Carbonated beverages

Bubbly drinks such as soda and beer release carbon dioxide which does cause you to bloat.

Tips To Maximize Your Exercise Time

I’m all about not wasting time so I like to pack in as many compound movements I can to get the most out of the time I spend working out. Here’s a few moves and tricks to enhance any fitness routine. Add a few of them each week and I guarantee you’ll see faster results!

10-minute cardio/sculpt session: Put on a weighted vest or ankle straps when you go for run (or jog, or walk). You can also take dumbbells along and do a 1 min set each of shoulder presses, biceps curls, triceps extensions, side laterals, front laterals and standing triceps kickbacks one after another as you walk. It's an amazing upper-body challenge that also gets your heart pumping. Do this series 2 or 3 times each week. As you improve, work up to doing 4 min sets.

Adding wall sits to the end of every run will strengthen your quads, hamstrings and glutes, improving your speed and endurance: Lean against a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart, then squat until your knees are bent at 45 degrees. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds; work up to doing 10 sets. If you want, add a challenge by including heel raises: Lift your left heel, then the right, then lift both together twice and you can always add weight for more of a challenge.

Chart your progress by using a fitness report card. Jot down these subjects: Cardio, Muscle Conditioning, Flexibility and Attitude. Set goals (i.e. doing 10 pull-ups) and grade yourself A - F. Do this at least 4 times a year. When you see how much you improve, you'll want to keep improving.

All-in-one toner: A side-step squat with wood chop works your arms, torso, abs, back, legs, inner thighs and butt. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart (add a medicine ball, kettlebell or dumbbell, weighted reasonably for your strength level in your hands for more of a challenge). Bend your arms up so that the ball is at eye level over your right shoulder. As you bring the ball toward your left knee, step out with your left leg and bend it no further than 90 degrees, keeping your right leg straight. Return to the starting position. Do 10 to 15 reps and repeat on the other leg.

Have a desk job? Here’s a trick to get more exercise in. Sit on a stability ball instead of chair, to strengthen your core and keep dumbbells or resistance bands at your desk. Squeeze in 12 to 15 reps of exercises like dumbbell curls, overhead presses and ab crunches; aim for 2 to 3 sets of each throughout your day.

One of the best cardio workouts is the jump-rope double-turn maneuver. It's intense but you'll burn about 26 calories per minute! Do basic jumps for 5 min then jump twice as high and turn the rope twice as fast so it passes under your feet twice before you land. This takes timing, patience and power. But you'll get in great shape just by working at it.

Don’t be carb-scared. Your body needs carbs to fuel a workout, so reach for fruit or high-fiber crackers (I prefer Triscuits) an hour beforehand. If you're doing intensive cardio, include some protein so that the carbs break down more slowly, giving you longer-lasting energy (i.e. low-fat cheese and crackers, trail mix or half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich).

Don't relax your abs as you lower your chest away from your knees during a crunch – you get only HALF the ab-toning benefit! To get the firmest abs possible, you need to sustain the contraction on the way down, too.

Squat-thrust push-ups get you in great shape because they work your upper body, core and lower body and improve agility, strength and endurance all at once. From a standing position, bend down, put your hands on the floor shoulder-width apart, and jump your feet back into plank position. If you're strong enough, cross your ankles; otherwise, jump your feet wide apart. Do a push-up, then jump your feet together or uncross your ankles. Jump your feet back to your hands and stand up. Do 8 reps total, rest for 30 secs then repeat.

One of my personal favorite fun activities that really firms the tummy is kayaking. It's ideal because much of your rowing power comes from your core. Don’t have a kayak? You can mimic the motion and resistance of the water at home by looping a resistance band around the bottom of a table leg or other fixed object. Sit on the floor with legs extended, knees slightly bent; grasp one end of the band in each hand. Rotate your torso to one side as you bring the elbow back slightly then switch sides. Do 3 sets of 1 to 3 mins each.

Another one of my favorite activities is running. Here’s a tip to get the most of this as well: Unless you're training for a marathon, skip the long, slow, distance running – sprinting builds more muscle. Add a few 10 to 60 sec sprints to your run, slowing down just long enough to catch your breath between them.

Firm up those glutes by targeting the muscles and connective tissues buried deep in your body. To hit them, do high-intensity squats, such as jump squats and golf squats. Bleacher running and stair climbing works really well, too!


I add weights to almost every exercise I do and it’s a great way to increase the challenge if you find anything “too easy” for your strength level.

Break The Fast To Shed The Pounds

Some people skip breakfast in an effort to lose weight, but the practice is more likely to cause weight gain than weight loss. Skipping breakfast is strongly linked to the development of obesity. Studies show that overweight and obese children, adolescents, and adults are less likely to break the fast each morning than their thinner counterparts.



According to research, skipping meals, especially breakfast, can actually make weight control more difficult. Breakfast skippers tend to eat more food than usual at the next meal or nibble on high-calorie snacks to stave off hunger. Several studies suggest that people tend to accumulate more body fat when they eat fewer, larger meals than when they eat the same number of calories in smaller, more frequent meals. To teens, especially teenage girls, skipping breakfast may seem like a perfectly logical way to cut down on calories and lose weight so it's important for Moms to educate their kids about the importance of the morning meal and the role it plays in maintaining good health and preventing obesity.



Fact or Fiction: Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day 

Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day, and for good reason. There are a few reasons people don't eat breakfast in the morning such as not feeling hungry or to try and limit calories. However, skipping breakfast can lead to a number of problems when it comes to trying to lose weight and keep it off. If you are trying to achieve or maintain a healthy weight, consider the following reasons to eat breakfast each and every morning.



It Revs up Your Metabolism

Eating breakfast is a great way to get your metabolism working well for the day. When your body receives food in the morning, it tells your brain that you're going to need to start working to digest it. This wakes up the system and warms up the metabolism so it's ready to work throughout the day. When you don't eat breakfast in the morning, your body thinks that it needs to conserve the energy it has because it isn't getting any more through nutrition. This actually slows your metabolism down, which results in a decrease in the amount of calories you burn all day long.



It Keeps You from Binging

Not eating breakfast in the morning may save you calories for the time being, but it sets you up for failure throughout the rest of the day. This is because after not feeding your body for several hours overnight, a lack of food in the morning will leave you grumpy and hungry very early in the day. When lunch time rolls around, you're more likely to choose something high in fat and calories to satisfy your food craving, because you feel so ravenous and chances are you will feel an overwhelming urge to snack all night long, which can really pack on the calories.



It Keeps You in a Good Mood

Feeding yourself in the morning will keep your spirits up throughout the day for a number of reasons. First and foremost, since your body won't think that it's starving after a nutritious meal in the morning, it's easier to get in a good mood and stay that way. It also provides plenty of needed energy to help you get through the regular tasks of your day, which can help keep your mood bright and optimistic. A healthy meal in the morning can also help to regulate your blood sugar levels through lunch time, which plays a vital role in your mood.



Overall, eating something for breakfast is better than eating nothing at all. The more balanced your meal is, the better off you will be. Instead of a breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast that will leave you feeling heavy and sluggish within just a few minutes, consider having Shakeology® or a bowl of oatmeal topped with fresh berries and a side of cottage cheese which will give you the protein your body needs after fasting all night, and give you the energy needed to get through the morning.