Thursday's Thoughts - Yes It's Okay to Cheat!

YES, it’s okay to cheat…. and I'm going to show you how to cheat on your nutrition program and still reach your goals!

If you are not consistent and sticking to your nutrition program, the only person you are hurting is well, you. BUT you can “cheat” every once in a while and still hit your goals – in fact, I recommend it! Here’s why…

Most people need accountability to someone or something other than themselves – for example: a trainer like me, a weight-loss program like Weight Watchers or The Challenge, or a gym membership – in order to keep them on track. I do; I’m no different than anyone else. But in reality, if you cheat consistently on the designed program, you are really only hurting yourself and your goals.

However, with all that said – I do recommend having a “cheat meal” built into your nutrition plan. The reason why is this: if you fixate on what you can’t ever have, eventually you are likely to give in and then over-indulge in the junk-food/candy/frosty beverage, or whatever it is you and your trainer or nutritionist has cut out. You need to allow yourself a little indulgence every once in a while, and you are more likely to stay focused and on target. Think about the 80/20 rule: 80% of the time you can be on point and perfect, and 20% of the time do the wrong thing and still hit your goals.

So here are a few simple tips and rules for your “cheat meal”:

1) Schedule it into your meal plan for the week: If you allow yourself 1-2 cheat meals a week, you are less likely to overdo it. It allows you to stay on track and sane! You may see something you want and know that you can enjoy it in a few days, so plan it out.

2) Have fun with it, and enjoy the heck out of it: Enjoy it – every single bite. If you don’t allow yourself to be satisfied, you may be more tempted to have another cheat meal sooner rather than later and off schedule.

3) No counting, measuring, or writing it down: Don’t look at calories or macros, just eat.

4) Satiate yourself:  aka eat until you are full!

5) It’s not a cheat day, it’s a cheat meal – so be good earlier in the day and savor it in the evening: If you cheat all day, you’ll do more damage than you really want.

6) Get your workout in earlier in the day – before the cheat meal: Then allow yourself the cheat; this way you know you've already gotten in a good sweat.

7) Two cheat meals a week is PLENTY: Anything more than that will start to add fat to the body. Once a week is not much of a cheat now is it; so twice a week will work! Space them out a few days apart.

MOST IMPORTANTLY:

8) Do not feel guilty:  You must allow yourself the cheat meals as part of your plan, not a deviation from it. Enjoy it, savor it, devour it….guilt free. They work as a reward for fully committing to your goals, so enjoy them!

If you would like to discuss a meal plan with some cheat meals built in, feel free to email me at info@devontaylor.net or give me a call at 203-499-7168!

Friday's Facts - Barbells for Boobs!

Its October, which as we all know is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Breast cancer, I’m sure, has touched each and every one of us in some way – whether it's a family member or close friend that has battled the disease; maybe a co-worker, church member or friend of a friend. We all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer, and I’m no exception.

In 1987, my paternal grandmother passed away from breast cancer, three days before my 8th birthday; she died peacefully in our home. Since then I have known far too many close and distant family members, on both sides of my family, who have been diagnosed with this disease.

Recently, I found out that one of my best friends, someone I've known for almost twenty years, has been diagnosed. She is only 36 years old and has a son who is less than a year old. Because of her early detection, she will undergo treatment (still TBD) but is not expected to have any complications.

Today’s message is not about fitness tips or what to eat this week. It's about urging each and every one of you to make sure to get your mammograms and do your breast self-exams. I had my first mammogram this past year, and I have to say it wasn't really bad at all! It takes less than 10 minutes to do something that can not only save your boobs, but save your life.

BUT, as a fitness and nutrition coach, I also urge you to be sure to life a healthy lifestyle. Lifestyle choices – diet and exercise – can help with prevention of various diseases, but if someone is diagnosed with breast cancer, maintaining a healthier diet and exercise program can help with recovery. (Please remember I am not a doctor and these statements are gathered from various leading online breast cancer research web sites such as http://ww5.komen.org/)

Barbells for Boobs
In honor of my best friend, who I won’t name, but she knows it’s for her, I am participating in a fundraising event called “Barbells for Boobs”.

Next Saturday, November 1st, a friend and I will be at Crossfit Milford doing a specific workout called “Grace”. It's not going to be easy, especially with a bum shoulder, but I do this in honor of my friend and in memory of my grandmother.

For more information on the fundraiser, and if you would like to donate, please visit my pledge page at: https://fundraise.barbellsforboobs.org/fundraise?fcid=363599

For more information on screening and mammograms, please call your doctor. If you have not yet had one and are over the age of 35, please talk to your doctor and insurance company about having one done right away!

Enjoy your weekend!
Devon

Thursdays Thoughts - The Can't (aka Won't) Syndrome

We all do it - and I've written about it: make excuses. Why you can't make it to the gym, why you can't lose weight, why you can't eat breakfast in the morning…

Nick Sarnicola, co-founder and global ambassador of ViSalus and The Challenge, says "An excuse is the lie you tell yourself" and it's true.

But we've talked about the excuses before and that we all have them. Let's talk about the "I just can't do it....I NEVER could" and the "It’s just NOT ME" because that's been brought up a few times recently and it needs to be addressed.

As many of you know, I actively challenge people to lose 10 lbs. of fat or gain 10 lbs. of muscle with The Challenge. When adults do that, we are able to help donate healthy meals to kids in need and/or who are overweight or obese themselves. The Challenge is a healthy fast food option and meal plan, centralized around a meal-replacement protein shake and high-protein cereal. There are also snacks, supplements and an energy line to help with any weight loss or active goals. (For more information, click here)

After I mention The Challenge and the protein shakes to someone, and explain that I personally lost 20 lbs. and 10% body fat with The Challenge, I often hear "I just can't do shakes".

Hmmmmmmm...Can’t or Won't?  Big difference!
 
You've heard before that success is right outside your comfort zone. If you are looking for weight loss tips, or workout advice in order to achieve a certain desired result, you can't keep doing what you are currently doing; if you could, you'd already be at your goal!

So you can’t "do shakes" or you won't because you think you won't like them? Or is it something you're not used to?  If your way of eating isn't working, it’s time to step outside the comfort zone and try something new.

Get rid of the "I can't" mentality in order to make a change and turn your mindset into "I can"... or at least "I'll try'!  It takes 21 days to make something a habit, so can you "do the shakes" or cereal for 21 days and start on a journey to lose 10 lbs.?

I wasn't a "shake person" when I started with The Challenge either but what I was doing wasn't working - and believe me when I say I have tried EVERY damn fad-diet out there! So I gave it a try. Three years later, 20 lbs. down and STAYING OFF, a BMW in the driveway and now a full time income Challenging others to lose 10 lbs., I'm glad I got over my "I can't do shakes" thing.  It really was more that I didn't want to go outside of my comfort zone. My comfort zone consisted of "comfort food": pizza, nachos, beer and candy; boy am I glad I took that step outside!

Are you willing to do the same?

Friday Fitness Facts - The Holidays Are Upon Us!

Here are the facts:

1) It’s October; it’s getting colder and the first of the growing holiday season is almost upon us. 

(Monday is Columbus Day here in the US, and its Canada’s Thanksgiving)

2) Over the next 81 days or so, there are actually only eight nationally observed holidays (excluding Jewish or other religious holidays):

• Columbus Day
• Halloween
• Veteran’s Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas Eve
• Christmas
• New Years Eve
• New Years Day

3) Of my current clients and close friends, only eight of them are of the Jewish faith or observe other religious holidays, so the above mentioned seven holidays are observed by the rest of my clients and friends.

 

In the past week, I have already heard four times: “I’m going to wait until after the holidays to start my diet/workout program” and here’s what I want to (but don’t) scream at them: ARE YOU FRIGGIN’ KIDDING ME??

 

Here’s why:

You’re willing to give up the next 80+ days (less seven holidays so 73 days) of working towards a goal, whatever that may be, because “the holidays are upon us?!”

Let’s be real here: we tend to look for an excuse to wait and get started. We all do it, myself included. If I don’t pay for a 5K run or Spartan Race, I have no motivation to actually go out there and run or work out. So yeah, we all do it. But are you really going to allow seven actual holidays to stop what could be an epic three month transformation?

 

You’re allowed to have your cheat day/meal here and there so allow those seven holidays to be built into that plan, but don’t give up on the next three months because the rest of the world wants to “wait until 2015.” Start a plan NOW! Using the holidays as an excuse to gain weight and give up working out is nonsense. You CAN lose weight over these months. You CAN hit your goals. You CAN survive the holiday parties, drinking, and incredible food we all love to consume during this time of year.

  

So if you've wanted to start a new nutrition or workout program – start TODAY. Not tomorrow. Not after Thanksgiving. Not January 2. TODAY!

Wednesday's Wisdom - A Low Calorie Diet is NOT the Way to Go!

In order for me to keep up to date with what’s going on in the fitness and nutrition industries I subscribe to newsletters, just like you did, to hear from the experts and learn. I can then provide you with the most up to date information as well.

This week I received this great article from an industry expert, Allison Moyer, and I could not have said it any better myself! I thought I would simply pass along Alli’s newsletter to you all regarding a low calorie diet.

I talk with my clients about the importance of being aware of the calories you are taking in –some people are too high, while others are too low. Both can be detrimental to a successful weight loss and fitness program. While counting calories can be cumbersome and a PITA (pain in the A$$), Alli talks about why a low-calorie diet is NOT the way to go, and if you are not counting calories, how do you know if you don’t track it?

Happy reading and have a great week!

The following is taken from the Alli-Fitness email newsletter dated 9/29/14: enjoy!

“Drastic Dieting Might Not Be The Way To Go For Fat Loss”

“Contrary to popular belief, to lose body fat you DON'T always have to drastically cut back on your calories.

Sure- you can and you'll lose weight, I'm sure of it, but the damage it will do to your body will hardly be worth it. Operating long term in extreme caloric deficits winds up doing several things that are counterproductive to long term metabolic efficiency in your body such as:

1) Putting your body at risk for catabolism (muscle wasting)

2) Creating an environment in which your body thinks it's starving- and when your body think it's starving it tends to want to STORE rather than burn what scant calories you're giving it

3) Unfavorable metabolic adaptations. Your body is smart- so smart in fact that it will SLOW its metabolism down in order to MATCH caloric intake. This is why people who have been dieting "forever" wind up having to eat less and less and less to continue to see results. Their metabolism continues to slow. And inevitably, you CANNOT maintain a severe deficit for the rest of your life- it's unrealistic. And when you finally can no longer handle the low caloric intake and begin to consume more food, guess what- you no longer possess an efficient metabolism. The increase in calories is only going to cause you to pile back on the pounds you lost.

This is why people wind up yo-yoing with weight all the time. They diet too hard, too long, cannot sustain it and voila weight comes back on. And then they freak out and get right back on whatever extreme diet they were on before, and round and round we go. Constant weight loss and weight gain also creates an increased risk for heart disease, further metabolic inefficiency, instable blood glucose levels and cellulite... yay!

If you're going to be eating in a caloric deficit make sure you don't stay there longer then 3-4 weeks without adding in free meals, a re-feed or other forms of caloric increase to help keep metabolism humming. DO NOT just "starve" yourself for week after week on end.

And ultimately instead of looking to drastically cut calories- I suggest you think about making SMALL changes that you can SUSTAIN. Exercise some PATIENCE when it comes to weight loss and body fat reduction and make incremental tweaks to your diet and lifestyle to help COAX rather than FORCE your body to respond in your favor.

Cleaning up the food sources you consume, eating more whole foods, timing your carbs appropriately around exercise, drinking more water and getting more sleep are some EXCELLENT small changes just off the top of my head.

So instead of attempting to starve yourself to death and do 3 hours of cardio a day, start by making one or two small tweaks. Give it a week or two, and if you're not seeing results, tweak again. Small changes can yield big results- if the RIGHT small changes are made.”

Allison Moyer
Alli-fitness