Did you know that obesity is becoming an epidemic of the 21st Century ?
Although there are many differing reasons why you want to lose weight – you may want a healthier body, look slimmer, feel better or maybe you just want to fit back into those “old clothes”. However for many it is a much more serious challenge and would that we should all head! Everyday, all over the western world, people are being advised, or even warned, by a medical practitioner to cast off the excess pounds and get fit.
For some people losing weight is easy, in fact for many folks the experience of weight gain is as alien as meeting E.T. These people never gain access pounds at all throughout their lives. However, if you are one of those unfortunate people, of which there are many, who has fought a constant losing battle with your weight then you already know just how hard it is to follow a regulated diet plan. In the vast majority of cases dieting just doesn’t work!
We can say with relative confidence that almost all of the current slimming aids and weight loss diets are very limited in their effectiveness. In fact those that do work leave no permanent mark, for once you abandon your diet plan it doesn’t take long to pile on the pounds again.
When you also take into consideration the many dangers of the surgical procedures that are available and the lack of any real long term studies into the most popular and latest diets (which usually don‘t work over the long haul), then you can see that a safe, reliable permanent alternative is needed.
Although there are many claims of effort free weight loss the simple undeniable truth is that weight loss, like anything worth achieving in life, requires a certain degree of effort and commitment from you. Having said that, there are very reliable techniques and excellent tools to make your transition to a slimmer body, healthier lifestyle and smaller clothes much easier, enjoyable and, best of all, permanent. Probably the most powerful system was created by Paul McKenna and tested on British television. The results were remarkable. Although, you may know that, McKenna made his fortune & fame through hypnosis this weight loss system doesn’t involve hypnosis at all!
Paul McKenna has researched the subject of weight loss for over thirteen years. He has analyzed the key behaviours of the naturally thin. Armed with this powerful information he created his weight-loss system and given hope to millions of people who battle with their weight. The techniques I am about to share with you are tremendously powerful and easy to follow.
The first point you should realise is that everybody has a natural weight control mechanism. It is a sort of set point you have which constantly attempts to regulate your body weight by maintaining a particular amount of fat on your body. McKenna formulated his easy weight loss system around this important premise which to date appears to have its basis in solid fact! As I have already mentioned in this article the system was tested on British television and it had a hugely beneficial affect on viewers. The weight loss system even allowed participants to eat whatever they wanted and yet, they still lost massive amounts of weight!
How was this so ?
Well, under normal weight loss dietary conditions what we are trying to do is force the body to adjust to a new and often times dramatic way of eating. A “starvation” diet for example, when you finish your meal and are still hungry, is actually resisting the powerful and completely natural urges that the body has. These urges are in place to prevent energy deficit. Therefore appetite suppressants may help to reduce these drives (while you‘re taking them), and a forced attempt to change your eating habits may retrain the body and mind into a new eating regime but the body will still have these urges because they are inherent to its very survival and 100% natural.
Therefore a way needed to be found where we could work with these natural urges and still maintain a health, fit, attractive body. The McKenna weight loss system achieves this by teaching you how to eat like a naturally thin person eats – they DO NOT starve themselves.
Another reason for overeating has its root in stress or comes from the desire to suppress negative emotions or feelings of discomfort. Are you a classic ‘comfort eater’? This is why the use of methods such as self hypnosis or subliminal messages are so effective for weight loss because it can retrain the mind to view food, fitness and eating in a healthier way. McKenna has added a unique way of dealing with these emotional eating patters through the use of EFT(emotional freedom technique) and other methods.
Research conducted prior to the creation of the weight loss system shows that if you follow your own body’s natural rhythm you will be much more successful at losing weight. This means not trying to force yourself into strict (and what feels unnatural) eating habits or denying yourself the food you want and enjoy the most. By actually denying yourself certain foods you are setting up resistance within yourself and you will make it much more difficult for yourself to stay with your weight loss plan. it’s the old adage “you always want what you can’t have!”.
The first key of the system is to immediately stop denying yourself the foods that you really enjoy. Your body is sending signals to your brain that it wants to eat certain foods so let it but always eat them in moderation. I know this sounds much easier to say than to do but McKenna has some simple yet powerful techniques to ensure your success. Basically you can eat what you want!
How ?
Simple ! …. Eat slowly and Stop eating once you feel full ! Many people tend to keep eating after their body has sent a clear message to their brain that it is satisfied. By learning to recognise these signs and take heed of them you will be surprised at how much weight you begin to lose.
The next simple step is to perform an extra 15 minutes of exercise a day. Spread it over the day, a few minutes at a time, so it is achieved in very small steps. Get off the elevator 1 floor early and walk up the stairs. Get off the bus 5 minutes from your house and walk the extra little bit. Walk to the corner shop instead of taking the car. These are very light exercises yet they will have a profound effect as you will be burning up more calories than usual.
Naturally thin people can eat whatever they want and they do! this might lead you to the belief that these fortunate human beings have a higher metabolic rate or have been gloriously blessed by a Divine Being with holy fat burning genes but the truth is much simpler. This truth can be applied to and by everyone else!
The truth ?
Naturally thin people have a completely different psychological view about food, their bodies and their amount of exercise. This is the very reason why they can eat whatever they want. By changing what food means to you at a subconscious level you can change your automatic responses to the food you eat and the exercise you need.
Naturally thin people don’t have uncontrollable food cravings. McKenna teaches that any cravings you have are merely learned behaviour and if they are learned then they can be unlearned. He shows how it is possible to break all cravings and also re-programme your mind in just minutes.
If you follow the above simple steps you are guaranteed success in your weight loss efforts and will have a new healthy slim body.
Prior to the Pilates Strong challenge, I had an evening photo shoot on the beach. This is something I do regularly for upcoming workouts, challenges, and blog posts.
And occasionally when I have a shoot coming up…the old thoughts start to creep in.
Thoughts about how my body will look on camera, how much I have/have not been working out, where I’m at on my postpartum journey, what I should/shouldn’t eat the day of the shoot, etc.
Years ago, when I lived in a place of constant dissatisfaction with my body (prior to starting The Balanced Life), these thoughts had power. They dictated my behavior, the way I felt about myself, and what I thought to be true. These days, they still try to creep back in on occasion – but the difference is, they no longer hold power over me.
These days…
I notice them,
I acknowledge them,
and I remind myself of my worth, my purpose, and what REALLY matters.
And then I choose a different way of thinking.
And then I choose a different way of thinking. I choose to appreciate and celebrate the body I have been given and show up, just as I am, to teach Pilates and encourage others to show up just as they are too.
I share this to remind you that the journey towards freedom in body image doesn’t mean you won’t be tempted to go back to your old ways.
When you believe negative thoughts or lies for years or decades, they are deeply ingrained and the process of rewiring our brain and changing our thoughts takes time.
But it CAN be done and it is SO worth it.
So as we head into a new season…let’s continue to notice those lies (the shape/size of our body does NOT define our health, worth, talent, etc.), stop them, and replace them with the truth: that our bodies are incredible gifts to care for, celebrate, and appreciate.
On Patreon this month, I released a bunch of HIIT workout classes that use the 30 seconds on – 30 seconds off structure. One is bodyweight only, and two others incorporate dumbbells. Up for all on YouTube is this version, a kettlebell hiit class that will take you 37 minutes, including warm up and cool down. Become a Patreon member to get access to the rest!
30 On / 30 Off Kettlebell HIIT Workout Class
Link to equipment is affiliate.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR CLASS:
Kettlebell (I’m using a 20-lb kb but wish I had a heavier one for swings)
In this class, we thoroughly prepare our body for HIIT training with mobility work and light cardio. We then move onto our 30 on / 30 off HIIT work. You’ll get five exercises and complete four sets of them, using an interval structure of 30 seconds of work / 30 seconds of rest.
If the 30 seconds is not enough recovery time, pause the video and take more time as needed. Always listen to your body, modifying or stopping as needed.
We finish class with a guided cool down and stretch.
Workout Breakdown
See times specified to jump to that section in the above video.
(01:14) Warm Up & Mobility
(10:23) Preview of Exercises
(12:17) HIIT Workout
High Pull – Squat Jump
Split Lunge Row – Lunge Hop
Standing Side Bend – Back Lunge
KB Swings
Bear Plank Up-and-Over Hops
(32:11) Cool Down & Stretch
If you like this kettlebell hiit class, check out these similar workouts:
We have ALSO have a fun Intermittent Fasting Plan you can use to plan out your next few weeks of eating!
Join the Rebellion – our online community – and I’ll send you our fasting guide free:
Download a free intermittent fasting guide and worksheet!
Complete outline of the Intermittent Fasting Protocol
Worksheets for tracking when you eat and how long you fasted
What is Intermittent Fasting?
“Conventional wisdom” isn’t that smart.
We’re going to take two widely accepted healthy eating “rules” and turn them on their head:
RULE #1: You HAVE to eat first thing in the morning: Make sure you start off with a healthy breakfast, so you can get that metabolism firing first thing in the morning!
“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.”
There are even studies that show those that eat earlier in the day lose more weight than those who ate later in the day or skipped a meal.[1]
RULE #2: Eat lots of small meals for weight loss. Make sure you eat six small meals throughout the day so your metabolism stays operating at maximum capacity all day long.”
In other words, “eat breakfast and lots of small meals to lose weight and obtain optimal health.”
But what if there’s science and research that shows SKIPPING BREAKFAST (the horror! blasphemy!) can help with optimum human performance, mental and physical health improvement, maximum muscle retention, and body fat loss?
That’s where an Intermittent Fasting Plan comes in.
Intermittent fasting is not a diet, but rather a dieting pattern.
In simpler terms: it’s making a conscious decision to skip certain meals on purpose.
By fasting and then feasting deliberately, intermittent fasting generally means that you consume your calories during a specific window of the day, and choose not to eat food for a larger window of time.
There are a few different ways to take advantage of intermittent fasting, which I learned about from Martin over at LeanGains, a resource specifically built around fasted strength training:
INTERMITTENT FASTING 16/8 PLAN
What it is: Fasting for 16 hours and then only eating within a specific 8-hour window. For example, only eating from noon-8 PM, essentially skipping breakfast.
Some people only eat in a 6-hour window, or even a 4-hour window. This is “feasting” and “fasting” parts of your days and the most common form of Intermittent Fasting. It’s also my preferred method (4 years running).
Two examples: The top means you are skipping breakfast, the bottom means you are skipping dinner each day:
You can adjust this window to make it work for your life:
If you start eating at: 7AM, stop eating and start fasting at 3pm.
If you start eating at: 11AM, stop eating and start fasting at 7pm.
If you start eating at: 2PM, stop eating and start fasting at 10pm.
If you start eating at: 6PM, stop eating and start fasting at 2AM.
INTERMITTENT FASTING 24 HOUR PLAN
Skip two meals one day, where you take 24 hours off from eating. For example, eat on a normal schedule (finishing dinner at 8PM) and then you don’t eat again until 8PM the following day.
With this plan, you eat your normal 3 meals per day, and then occasionally pick a day to skip breakfast and lunch the next day.
If you can only do an 18 hour fast, or a 20 hour fast, or a 22 hour fast – that’s okay! Adjust with different time frames and see how your body responds.
Two examples: skipping breakfast and lunch one day of the week, and then another where you skip lunch and dinner one day, two days in a week.
Note: You can do this once a week, twice a week, or whatever works best for your life and situation.
By the way, both those weekly charts above come from our free Intermittent Fasting Plan (with printable worksheets).
Most people struggle with knowing exactly when to eat and when to stop eating, and actually sticking with it. We address all of that in the Nerd Fitness Intermittent Fasting Guide you get free when you sign up for our email list in the box below:
Download a free intermittent fasting guide and worksheet!
Complete outline of the Intermittent Fasting Protocol
Worksheets for tracking when you eat and how long you fasted
Those are the two most popular intermittent fasting plans, and the two we’ll be focusing on, though there are many variations of both that you can modify for yourself:
Some people eat in a 4 hour window, others do 6 or 8.
You’ll need to experiment, adjust to work for your lifestyle and goals, and see how your body responds.
Let’s first get into the science here behind Intermittent Fasting and why you should consider it!
How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?
Now, you might be thinking: “okay, so by skipping a meal, I will eat less than I normally eat on average (2 meals instead of 3), and thus I will lose weight, right?”
Yes.
By cutting out an entire meal each day, you are consuming fewer calories per week – even if your two meals per day are slightly bigger than before. Overall, you’re still consuming fewer calories per day.
In this example, you’re eating LARGER lunches and dinners than you normally do, but by skipping breakfast you’ll consume 500 less calories per day.
And thus, weight loss!
This is highlighted in a recent JAMA study[2] in which both calorie restricted dieters and intermittent fasters lost similar amounts of weight over a year period.
That doesn’t tell the FULL story, as the timing of meals can also influence how your body reacts.
Intermittent Fasting can help because your body operates differently when “feasting” compared to when “fasting”:
When you eat a meal, your body spends a few hours processing that food, burning what it can from what you just consumed.
Because it has all of this readily-available, easy to burn energy (thanks to the food you ate), your body will choose to use that as energy rather than the fat you have stored.
During the “fasted state” (the hours in which your body is not consuming or digesting any food) your body doesn’t have a recently consumed meal to use as energy.
Thus, it is more likely to pull from the fat stored in your body as it’s the only energy source readily available.
Burning fat = win.
The same goes for working out in a “fasted” state.
Without a ready supply of glucose and glycogen to pull from (which has been depleted over the course of your fasted state, and hasn’t yet been replenished with a pre-workout meal), your body is forced to adapt and pull from a source of energy that it does have available: the fat stored in your cells.
Why does this work? Our bodies react to energy consumption (eating food) with insulin production.
The more sensitive your body is to insulin, the more likely you’ll be to use the food you consume efficiently, and your body is most sensitive to insulin following a period of fasting[3].
These changes to insulin production and sensitivity can help lead to weight loss [4] and muscle creation [5].
Next: Your glycogen (a starch stored in your muscles and liver that your body can burn as fuel when necessary) is depleted during sleep (aka during fasting), and will be depleted even further during training, which can lead to increased insulin sensitivity.
This means that a meal following your workout will be used more efficiently: converted to glycogen and stored up in your muscles or burned as energy immediately to help with the recovery process, with minimal amounts stored as fat.
Compare this to a regular day (no intermittent fasting): With insulin sensitivity at normal levels, the carbs and foods consumed will see full glycogen stores and enough glucose in the bloodstream, and thus be more likely to get stored as fat.
Back to fasting: growth hormone is increased during fasted states (both during sleep[6]and after a period of fasting). Combine this increased growth hormone secretion:[7], the decrease in insulin production (and thus increase in insulin sensitivity [8]), and you’re essentially priming your body for muscle growth and fat loss with intermittent fasting.
The less science-y version: Intermittent fasting can help teach your body to use the food it consumes more efficiently, and your body can learn to burn fat as fuel when you deprive it of new calories to constantly pull from (if you eat all day long).
TL/DR: For many different physiological reasons, fasting can help promote weight loss and muscle building when done properly.
I know Intermittent Fasting can be overwhelming for many, which is why we work with our 1-on-1 coaching clients to help them understand what’s going on, and how to make it work for THEIR life.
If that sounds like you, click the button below to learn more about how our program works:
Should I Eat 6 Small Meals a Day?
There are a few main reasons why diet books recommend six small meals:
1) When you eat a meal, your body does have to burn extra calories [9] just to process that meal. So, the theory is that if you eat all day long with small meals, your body is constantly burning extra calories and your metabolism is firing at optimal capacity, right? Well, that’s not true.
Whether you eat 2000 calories spread out throughout the day, or 2000 calories in a small window, your body will burn the same number of calories processing the food [10].
So, the whole “keep your metabolism firing at optimum capacity by always eating” sounds good in principle, but reality tells a different story.
2) When you eat smaller meals, you might be less likely to overeat during your regular meals. I can definitely see some truth here, especially for people who struggle with portion control or don’t know how much food they should be eating.
However, once you educate yourself and take control of your eating, some might find that eating six times a day is very prohibitive and requires a lot of effort. I know I do.
Also, because you’re eating six small meals, I’d argue that you probably never feel “full,” and you might be MORE likely to eat extra calories during each snack.
Although grounded in seemingly logical principles, the “six meals a day” doesn’t work for the reason you think it would (#1), and generally only works for people who struggle with portion control (#2).
If we think back to caveman days, we’d have been in serious trouble as a species if we had to eat every three hours. Do you think Joe Caveman pulled out his pocket sundial six times a day to consume his equally portioned meals?
Hell no! He ate when he could, endured and dealt with long periods of NOT eating (no refrigeration or food storage) and his body adapted to still function optimally enough to still go out and catch new food.
A recent study (written about in the NYT, highlighted by LeanGains) has done a great job of challenging the “six-meals-a-day” technique for weight loss [11]:
There were [no statistical] differences between the low- and high- [meal frequency] groups for adiposity indices, appetite measurements or gut peptides (peptide YY and ghrelin) either before or after the intervention. We conclude that increasing meal frequency does not promote greater body weight loss under the conditions described in the present study.
Factor in the potential physiological benefits listed in the previous section, and you got yourself some damn good science-backed evidence to consider trying Intermittent Fasting if you want to decrease body fat and build muscle.
Should I Try intermittent fasting? (6 Things to Consider)
Now that we’re through a lot of the science stuff, let’s get into the reality of the situation: why should you consider Intermittent Fasting?
When you fast, you are also making it easier to restrict your total caloric intake over the course of the week, which can lead to consistent weight loss and maintenance.
#2) Because it simplifies your day. Rather than having to prepare, pack, eat, and time your meals every 2-3 hours, you simply skip a meal or two and only worry about eating food in your eating window.
It’s one less decision you have to make every day.
It could allow you to enjoy bigger portioned meals (thus making your tastebuds and stomach satiated) and STILL eat fewer calories on average.
#3) It requires less time (and potentially less money). Rather than having to prepare or purchase three to six meals a day, you only need to prepare two meals.
Instead of stopping what you’re doing six times a day to eat, you simply only have to stop to eat twice. Rather than having to do the dishes six times, you only have to do them twice.
Rather than having to purchase six meals a day, you only need to purchase two.
#4) It promotes stronger insulin sensitivity and increased growth hormone secretion, two keys for weight loss and muscle gain. Intermittent fasting helps you create a double whammy for weight loss and building a solid physique.
#5) It can level up your brain, including positively counteracting conditions like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and dementia.
As explained here in this TEDx talk by Mark Mattson, Professor at Johns Hopkins University and Chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging, fasting is grounded in serious research and more studies are coming out showing the benefits:
#6) Plus, Wolverine does it:
#7) Boy George is a fasting fan (and apparently reads Nerd Fitness!):
— Boy George (the truth is in your breath) (@BoyGeorge) May 8, 2017
So if both musicians and adamantium-clawed superheroes do Intermittent Fasting, it can probably work for you too, if you can make it work for your particular lifestyle and situation!
If you’ve tried implementing something like this in the past and not had success, or you’re just looking for guidance from a coach to help you implement it into your lifestyle, I hear ya!
That was the specific problem we set out to solve with our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: helping busy people make lifestyle changes (like Intermittent Fasting) and also build the habit of exercise. You can schedule a call with our team to learn more by clicking on the image below!
What Are the Negative Effects of intermittent fasting?
In my own experimentation with Intermittent Fasting since 2014, I have found very few negative side effects with Intermittent Fasting.
The biggest concern most people have is that Intermittent Fasting will lead to lower energy, focus, and the “holy crap I am hungry” feeling during the fasting period and ruin them.
People are concerned that they will spend all morning being miserable because they haven’t consumed any food, and thus will be miserable at work and ineffective at whatever task it is they are working on.
The following are my thoughts and experiences, and your results may vary:
Yes, the initial transition from EATING ALL THE TIME, to intermittent fasting MIGHT be a bit of a jolt to your system; it was for me.
However, once I got through the transition after a few days, my body quickly adapted and learned to function just as well only eating a few times a day.
Although I fast for 16 hours per day with no issues, the following might help assuage your fears that skipping breakfast will cause your body to eat itself and your brain to implode:
After 48-hours of fasting in a recent study[12], “cognitive performance, activity, sleep, and mood are not adversely affected in healthy humans by two days of calorie-deprivation.” You’ll be fasting for far less time than that.
“So why do I feel grouchy and lethargic when I skip breakfast?”
In this nerd’s humble opinion, a good portion of the grumpiness is a result of past eating habits. If you eat every three hours normally, and normally eat as soon as you wake up, your body will start to get hungry every three hours as it is now used to consuming food every three hours.
If you eat breakfast every morning, your body expects to wake up and eat food.
Once you retrain your body to NOT expect food all day every day (or first thing in the morning), these side-effects become less of an issue. In addition, ghrelin (a hormone that makes you hungry [13]), is actually lowest in the mornings and decreases after a few hours of not eating too. The hunger pains will naturally pass!
Personally, I found this grumpiness subsided after a few days and now my mornings actually energize me.
It’s important to understand that Intermittent Fasting is NOT a cure-all panacea. Don’t delude yourself into thinking that if you skip breakfast and then eat 4,000 calories of candy bars for lunch and dinner that you will lose weight.
If you have an addictive relationship with food and you struggle with portion control, figure out your calorie goals and track your calorie intake in your meals to make sure you’re not overeating.
If you skip breakfast, you might be so hungry from this that you OVEREAT for lunch and this can lead to weight gain. Again, the important thing here is that with an intermittent fasting plan, you’re eating fewer calories than normal because you’re skipping a meal every day.
Think about it in caveman terms again. We certainly found ways to survive during periods of feast and famine, and that remains true today. Imagine if you needed to eat in order to be active and alert: what would hungry cavemen do?
They would go find food, and that probably required a ton of effort. It actually takes our bodies about 84 hours of fasting [14] before our glucose levels are adversely affected. As we’re talking about small fasts (16-24 hour periods), this doesn’t concern us.
AN IMPORTANT CAVEAT:Intermittent Fasting can be more complex for people who have issues with blood sugar regulation, suffer from hypoglycemia, have diabetes, etc. If you fit into this category, check with your doctor or dietitian before adjusting your eating schedule. It also affects women differently (there’s a whole section dedicated to that here).
Can I Build Muscle and Gain Weight While Intermittent Fasting?
I still eat roughly the same number of calories I was consuming before, but instead of eating all damn day long, I condense all of my calorie consumption into an eight hour window.
11 AM Work out with heavy strength training in a fasted state.
7 PM Consume the second portion of my calories for the day in a big dinner.
8 PM – 12 PM the next day: Fast for 16 hours.
In a different method, my friend Nate Green packed on a crazy amount of muscle while fasting for a full 24 hours on Sundays – so it is possible. [15]
I’m not kidding when I say this has revolutionized how I look at muscle building and fat loss.
Ultimately, this method flies in the face of the typical “bulk and cut” techniques of overeating to build muscle (along with adding a lot of fat) before cutting calories to lose fat (along with some muscle) and settling down at a higher weight.
I prefer this method to the bulk-and-cut technique for a few reasons:
There’s far less of a crazy swing to your weight. If you are putting on 30 pounds and then cutting 25 to gain 5 lbs of muscle, your body is going through drastic swings of body mass. Your clothes will fit differently, you’ll have different levels of definition, and your body will wonder what the hell is going on.
You’re consuming less food and thus spending less money. Rather than overeating to put on 1 pound of muscle and 4 pounds of fat in a week or two, you’re aiming to eat exactly enough to put on 1 pound of muscle without adding much fat on top of it. Yeah, it’s a delicate balance, but there’s far less swing involved. You are just slowly, steadily, and consistently building muscle and strength over many months.
There’s never a need to get “vacation-ready”: we all want to look good naked, right? When you are just adding muscle, you don’t need to worry about getting your body ready before by drastically altering your diet (avoiding a miserable crash diet like the Military Diet). [16]
You can make small adjustments and stay on target. Keep your body fat percentage low, build strength and muscle, and if you happen to notice your body fat creeping up, cut back on the carbs. Within two weeks you should be back at your preferred body fat percentage and can continue the muscle building process.
A note on BCAA consumption. Martin from LeanGains [17] recommends consuming Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA’s) as a supplement with regards to fasted training to aid your muscles through your workout.
Personally, I used BCAAs for about 6-8 months during my initial start with fasted training (consuming them before training), though haven’t used them in the past 2+ years. I didn’t notice any adverse effects to not taking them with regards to my performance. Your value may vary!
Now, it should go without saying that if you want to build muscle while fasting, you need to work out. Specifically, by lifting heavy.
If you want help building a workout routine designed to create muscle, I have 3 options:
#1) “Build Your Own Workout Routine” and get your hands dirty. Our guide will walk you through building a full body exercise program in 10 simple steps.
#3) Have a Nerd Fitness Coach do all the heavy lifting for you (not really, you still have to lift stuff), by having them build you a tailor-made workout routine:
Should You Do Intermittent Fasting and the Keto Diet?
By only eating fat and protein, your body must adapt to run on fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. In the absence of carbs/glucose, your body converts fats to ketones and uses them for fuel.
This process is called “ketosis,” and there are two ways for a body to enter ketosis:
Eating in a way that induces ketosis (very low carb, high fat).
Fasting…Hey, that’s what you’re reading about right now!
We actually have an amazing success story here on Nerd Fitness, Larry, who followed our strategies, went Keto and start intermittent fasting. He ended up losing weight, getting stronger, AND overcame the challenges of rheumatoid arthritis (click on the image for his story)!
Here’s how the fasting portion of it works:
As your body enters a fast period when there are no sources of glucose energy readily available, the liver begins the process of breaking down fat into ketones.
Fasting itself can trigger ketosis.
Fasting for a period of time before kicking off a Keto-friendly eating plan COULD speed your transition into the metabolic state of ketosis, and fasting intermittently while in ketosis could help you maintain that state.
I personally love fasting for the simplicity: I skip breakfast every day and train in a fasted state. It’s one less decision I have to make, it’s one less opportunity to make a bad food choice, and it helps me reach my goals.
WHY KETO + IF WORKS = eating Keto can be really challenging. And every time you eat, it’s an opportunity to do it wrong and accidentally eat foods that knock you out of ketosis.
You’re also tempted to overeat.
So, by skipping a meal, you’re eliminating one meal, one decision, one chance to screw up.
Note: if you’re thinking “Steve, am I losing weight because I’m skipping 1/3rd of my meals for the day, AND eliminating an entire macronutrient?”, then you’d be right.
Both Keto and IF have secondary effects that could also be factoring in – physiological benefits which I explain in both articles.
Your value may vary!
You need to decide what works for you.
You probably won’t become “keto-adapted” (your body running on ketones) just skipping breakfast every day – your body will still have enough glucose stored from your carb-focused meals for lunch and dinner the day before.
In order to use fasting to enter ketosis, the fast needs to be long enough to deplete your carb/glucose stores, or you need to severely restrict carbohydrates from your meals in addition to IF in order to enter ketosis.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Experiment and try different strategies that will work for you.
By skipping a meal or minimizing carbohydrate intake, you’re more likely than not to lose weight:
You can do intermittent fasting without eating a Keto Diet and lose weight.
You can do a Keto Diet without intermittent Fasting and lose weight.
Any of those options could work for you, but you need to make it work for your lifestyle! If you want to more about the Keto Diet, definitely read my big-ass post about Keto.
If you’re in a hurry and want to download it so you can read it at your leisure, you can grab our Quick Start Guide to the Keto Diet for free right here:
Download Our Beginner’s Guide to the Keto Diet
55-page Keto Diet guide: how to start today!
Learn the benefits and pitfalls of going Keto.
Keto recipes, snacks, resources, and more!
Does Intermittent Fasting Have Different Effects on Men and Women?
The quick answer is: “yes, Intermittent Fasting can affect men and women differently.”
Anecdotally, we have many women in our online coaching program that swear by Intermittent Fasting, while others have had adverse effects.
Let’s dig into the science and studies.
A recent PubMed summary concluded that “fasting can be prescribed as a safe medical intervention as well as a lifestyle regimen which can improve women’s health in many folds [18].
Now, in that extract, many of the studies cited are focused on specifically calorie restriction (and not just fasting), and they also say that “future studies should address this gap by designing medically supervised fasting techniques to extract better evidence.”
Digging into the PubMed Archives brought me to the following conclusions [19]:
One small study (with 8 men and 8 women, all non-obese) resulted in the following: “Glucose response to a meal was slightly impaired in women after 3 weeks of treatment, but insulin response was unchanged. Men had no change in glucose response and a significant reduction in insulin response.”[20]
Another small study (8 women) studied the effects on their menstrual cycles after a 72 hour fast – which is significantly longer than any fast recommended in this article: “in spite of profound metabolic changes, a 72-hour fast during the follicular phase does not affect the menstrual cycle of normal cycling women.” [21].
Yet another study tracked 11 women with 72 hour fasts (again, longer than we’d recommend) and it found that “Fasting in women elicited expected metabolic responses – included increased cortisol (a stress hormone) – and apparently advanced the central circadian clock (which can throw off sleeping patterns). [22]
Those studies above, in working with small sample sizes, and different types of fasting than recommended here, would lead me to believe that fasting affects men and women differently, and that many of the weight loss benefits associated with intermittent fasting (that affect insulin and glucose responses) work positively for men and negatively for women.
There are also a series of articles[23] out there that dig into the potential reproductive health issues, stress challenges, induction of early-menopause [24] associated with fasting (and calorie restriction) for women.
Precision Nutrition – a great resource – recommends not attempting Intermittent Fasting as a woman if:
The challenge associated with all of this is that there aren’t enough long-term studies, with large enough sample sizes, specifically targeting female humans, with relation to the different types of Intermittent Fasting.
ALL OF THIS TO SAY: It does appear that men and women will have different experiences with intermittent fasting; we’re all unique snowflakes (yep, especially you), and your body will be affected by intermittent fasting differently than the person next to you.
There is enough evidence as cited in the articles and studies above that would give me pause to recommend Intermittent Fasting for women, especially if you are considering getting pregnant in the near term.
If you are looking to attempt fasting for weight loss reasons, my research has shown me that Intermittent Fasting could be less effective for women than men with regards to weight loss, and thus you would be wise to keep your efforts elsewhere:
Now, if you’ve read the above warnings, you are still curious about Intermittent Fasting, and you want to give it a try as a female, that is your choice!
You know your body best.
So, get blood work done, speak with your doctor and get a check-up.
Give intermittent fasting a shot, track your results, and see how your body/blood work changes as a result of Intermittent Fasting and decide if it’s right for you.
Your milage may vary, so speak with a doctor or find a doctor versed in intermittent fasting plans and treat it like an experiment on yourself!
If you’re not sure if an Intermittent Fasting Plan is right for you and you want to work with a coach to help you navigate your first month of fasting, we’re here to help!
Top 6 Questions about Intermittent Fasting
1) “Won’t I get really hungry if I start skipping meals?”
As explained above, this can be a result of the habits you have built for your body. If you are constantly eating or always eat the same time of day, your body can actually learn to prepare itself for food by beginning the process of insulin production and preparation for food.
After a brief adjustment period, your body can adapt to the fact that it’s only eating a few times a day. The more overweight you are, and the more often you eat, the more of an initial struggle this might be.
Remember, your body’s physical and cognitive abilities most likley won’t be diminished as a result of short term fasting.[25]
2) “Where will I get my energy for my workouts? Won’t I be exhausted and not be able to complete my workouts if fasting?”
This was a major concern of mine as well, but the research says otherwise: “Training with limited carbohydrate availability can stimulate adaptations in muscle cells to facilitate energy production via fat oxidation.”[26]
In other words, when you train in a fasted state, your body can get better at burning fat for energy when there are no carbs to pull from!
I’ll share some of my experiences, now doing heavy strength training for 3 years in a fasted state:
For my first “fasted” workout or two after starting an IF protocol, it was very weird to not eat before training. However, after a few sessions, I learned that my body could certainly function (and even thrive) during my training sessions despite not eating a pre-workout meal.
Here I am pulling 420 lbs. at 172 BW after a 16 hour fast:
3) “I like the idea of fasted training, but I work a regular 9-5 or a night shift and can’t train at 11AM like you do. What am I supposed to do?”
Depending on your training schedule, lifestyle, and goals, go back to the portion above where I talk about the 16/8 protocol and simply adjust your hours of fasting and feasting.
Don’t overthink this. If you can’t train until 5pm, that’s okay. Consume a small meal for lunch, or shift your Intermittent Fasting window to eat all of your meals in the 8 hours post workout. Better to do that than abandon it as a lost cause and have 0% compliance.
If you are an elite athlete, speak with a coach or nutritionist about your specific concerns and expectations. Otherwise, make intermittent fasting work for you Consider trying the 24-hour protocol below instead of the 16/8 protocol.
If you train later in the day (say, 7pm) but break your fast before training (aka Lunch), make it a smaller meal focused around fats and protein – which should be a solid goal even if you aren’t Intermittent Fasting! Try to time your carb and big meal consumption to happen AFTER your workout.
If you exercise BEFORE work, but then don’t eat until lunchtime: consider a protein supplement immediately after your workout, or simply wait until lunch to start eating. See how your body responds and adjust accordingly.
Do what you can, and don’t psyche yourself out! Get started and adjust along the way.
4) “Won’t fasting cause muscle loss?”
We’ve been told by the supplement industry that we need to consume 30 g of protein every few hours, as that’s the most amount of protein our body can process at a time.
Along with that, we’ve been told that if we don’t eat protein every few hours, our body’s muscle will start to break down to be burned as energy.
Again, NOT TRUE! Our bodies are quite adept at preserving muscle even when fasting [27], and it turns out that protein absorption by our body can take place over many many many hours.
Protein consumed in a shorter period of time has no difference on the body compared to protein spread throughout the day.
5) “What about my body going into starvation mode from not eating?”
Now, the thought process here is that when we don’t feed ourselves, our bodies assume calories aren’t available and thus choose to store more calories as opposed to burning them, therefore eliminating the benefits of weight loss with fasting.
Fortunately, this is NOT true.
Starvation mode is significantly overblown and sensationalized these days. It takes a dramatic amount of starvation, for a long, long, long time, before your body kicks into “starvation mode”. We’re talking about 24 hour or 16 hour fasts here, and starvation mode takes significantly longer than that.[28]
In other words: starvation mode should not be factoring into your decision here.
5) How much should I eat while intermittent fasting?
If your goal is weight loss, you still need to consume fewer calories than you burn every day to lose weight. If your goal is bulking up, you’ll need to consume more calories than you burn every day. Intermittent Fasting isn’t a cure-all, it’s a PART of the puzzle.
To start, begin intermittent fasting and eat your normal sized meals and track your weight and performance. If you are losing weight and happy with the progress, keep doing what you’re doing! If you are NOT losing weight, you could be eating too much. It’s a message I really strike home in our guide “Why Can’t I Weight?”
#1) Don’t freak out! Stop wondering: “can I fast 15 hours instead of 16?” or “what if I eat an apple during my fasted period, will that ruin everything?” Relax. Your body is a complex piece of machinery and learns to adapt. Everything is not as cut and dry as you think.
If you want to eat breakfast one day but not another, that’s okay. If you are going for optimal aesthetic or athletic performance, I can see the need to be more rigid in your discipline, but otherwise…freaking chill out and don’t stress over minutiae!
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good when it comes to your intermittent fasting plan.
#2) Consider fasted walks in the morning. I found these to be very helpful in reducing body fat, and also gave my day a great start to clear my mind and prepare for the day.
Simply wake up and go for a mile walk. Maybe you could even start walking to Mordor?
#3) Listen to your body during your strength training workouts. If you get light headed, make sure you are consuming enough water.
If you notice a significant drop in performance, make sure you are eating enough calories (especially fats and protein) during your feasting window.
And if you feel severely “off,” pause your workout. Give yourself permission to EASE into intermittent fasting and fasted workouts. This is especially true if you are an endurance athlete.
#4) Expect funny looks if you spend a lot of mornings with breakfast eaters.
A few weeks back I had a number of friends staying with me, and they were all completely dumbfounded when I told them I didn’t eat breakfast anymore.
I tried to explain it to them but received a bunch of blank stares. Breakfast has become so enGRAINed (zing!) in our culture that NOT eating it sounds crazy.
You will get weird looks from those around you…embrace it. I still go to brunch or sit with friends, I just drink black coffee and enjoy a conversation.
#5) Stay busy. If you are just sitting around thinking about how hungry you are, you’ll be more likely to struggle with this. For that reason, I time my fasting periods for maximum efficiency and minimal discomfort:
My first few hours of fasting come after consuming a MONSTER dinner, where the last thing I want to think about is eating.
When I’m sleeping: 8 of my 16 hours are occupied by sleeping. Tough to feel hungry when I’m dreaming about becoming a Jedi.
When I’m busy: After waking up, 12 hours of my fasting is already done. I spend three hours doing my best work (while drinking a cup of black coffee), and then comes my final hour of fasting: training.
#6) Zero-calorie beverages are okay. I drink green tea in the morning for my caffeine kick while writing. If you want to drink water, black coffee, or tea during your fasted period, that’s okay. Remember, don’t overthink it – keep things simple! Dr. Rhonda Patrick over at FoundMyFitness believes that a fast should stop at the first consumption of anything other than water, so experiment yourself and see how your body responds.
If you want to put milk in your coffee, or drink diet soda occasionally while fasting, I’m not going to stop you. Remember, we’re going for consistency and habit-building here – if milk or cream in your coffee makes life worth living, don’t deprive yourself.
There are MUCH bigger fish to fry with regards to getting healthy than a few calories here and there during a fast.
80% adherence that you stick with for a year is better than 100% adherence that you abandon after a month because it was too restrictive.
If you’re trying to get to a minimum bodyfat percentage, you’ll need to be more strict – until then, however, do what allows you to stay compliant!
Track your calories, and see how your body changes when eating the same amount of food, but condensed into a certain window.
Sign up for the NF Email listand join the Rebellion and get your free Intermittent Fasting Starter Guide and Worksheets to track your progress.
Download a free intermittent fasting guide and worksheet!
Complete outline of the Intermittent Fasting Protocol
Worksheets for tracking when you eat and how long you fasted
Everybody will react to an Intermittent Fasting Plan differently; I can’t tell you how your body will react. It’s up to you to listen to your body and see how making these adjustments change your body.
#8) Don’t expect miracles. Yes, Intermittent Fasting can potentially help you lose weight, increase insulin sensitivity and growth hormone secretion (all good things), but it is only ONE factor in hundreds that will determine your body composition and overall health. Don’t expect to drop to 8% body fat and get ripped just by skipping breakfast.
This is just one tool that can contribute to your success.
Getting Started with Intermittent Fasting: Next Steps
Intermittent fasting can potentially have some very positive benefits for somebody trying to lose weight or gain lean body mass.
Men and women will tend to have different results, just like each individual person will have different results. The ONLY way to find out is through a conversation with your doctor and self-experimentation.
There are multiple ways to “do” an Intermittent Fasting Plan:
Fast and feast regularly: Fast for a certain number of hours, then consume all calories within a certain number of hours.
Eat normally, then fast 1-2x a week: Consume your normal meals every day, then pick one or two days a week where you fast for 24 hours. Eat your last meal Sunday night, and then don’t eat again until dinner the following day.
Fast occasionally: probably the easiest method for the person who wants to do the least amount of work. Simply skip a meal whenever it’s convenient. On the road? Skip breakfast. Busy day at work? Skip lunch. Eat poorly all day Saturday? Make your first meal of the day dinner on Sunday.
After that, get started! Take photos, step on the scale, and track your progress for the next month.
See how your body responds.
See how your physique changes. See how your workouts change.
And then decide if it’s something you want to keep doing!
4 years later, I have no plans on going back to eating breakfast. Sorry General Mills and Dr. Kellogg!
If you’re worried about all of this stuff, or aren’t sure when to eat and stop eating, it might be worth working with a professional that can help you make sense of all of these questions and help you incorporate Intermittent Fasting into your life.
We have a few options to help people out:
#1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. I’ve found a lot of people struggle with knowing exactly when to eat and not eat, keeping track of their fast and feast windows, which is where we can help.
Nerd Fitness Prime is our premium membership program that contains live-streamed workouts with NF Coaches, a supportive online community, group challenges, and much more!
If you want to ask Nerd Fitness Coaches (and even me!) your questions about intermittent fasting, NF Prime would be the perfect place to do it.
#3) Join the Rebellion! Our free bi-weekly newsletter full of tips and tricks to help you lose weight, get stronger, and level up your life.
Join hundreds of thousands of members, and I’ll send you our free Intermittent Fasting guide too:
Download a free intermittent fasting guide and worksheet!
Complete outline of the Intermittent Fasting Protocol
Worksheets for tracking when you eat and how long you fasted
But enough about me, let’s talk about you.
I’d love to hear what questions you have!
What are your questions with intermittent fasting?
What are your concerns?
Have you tried intermittent fasting?
Have you had success with it, either with muscle gain or weight loss?
Thanks for leaving your comment, I’m excited to get the conversation started.
-Steve
PS: I made an Intermittent Fasting Plan to help you condense this article into an actionable worksheet you can follow. You can get yours free when you sign up in the box below:
Download a free intermittent fasting guide and worksheet!
Complete outline of the Intermittent Fasting Protocol
Worksheets for tracking when you eat and how long you fasted
CAVEAT: I’m a dude and can only speak from anecdotal evidence in speaking with women who have done IF, parsing studies, and trying to draw some conclusions that will help you make a decision
Glucose tolerance when doing alternate day fasting: study
Short-term fasting in normal women: absence of effects on gonadotrophin secretion and the menstrual cycle: PubMed Extract
Endocrine and chronobiological effects of fasting in women: Abstract
Every bodyweight exercise involved utilizes multiple muscle groups, gets your heart rate pumping, and burns tons of calories.
Essentially, circuit weight training, or circuit bodyweight training, burns more calories than interval training, and that in turn burns WAY more calories than steady cardio.
Then, your body needs to spend hours and hours afterward rebuilding your muscles, which in turn burns even more calories (they call this the “afterburn” effect).
As we cover in our Coaching Program and the throughout Nerd Fitness Prime, nutrition will account for 80-90% of our success or failure when it comes to getting in shape, might as well spend our time exercising being efficient and strong, right?
If you’re trying to lose weight, spending hours doing cardio on a treadmill can be a really crappy, boring, inefficient use of your time.
If you’re a busy person (and I know you are), why spend hours doing something when you can be MORE efficient and build a better physique with less time?
Enter the Beginner Bodyweight Workout.
I’m going to take you through a basic home workout today that can be completed anywhere – in your house, apartment, out at a park, in your basement, on the moon, wherever.
Beginner Body Weight Workout Video & exercises
This is the Beginner Bodyweight Workout (3 Circuits):
20 Bodyweight squats.
10 Push-ups.
10 Walking lunges (each leg).
10 Dumbbell rows (use a milk jug or other weight).
In a circuit routine, you’ll do each exercise in succession without a break in between (if you’re able).
Once you’ve finished all exercises in the circuit, do it again.
If you’re still able after the 2nd run through, go for a third.
Because all of these exercises come one after another, you’re bound to get tired – and that’s okay!
It’s better to stop and take a break than to do an exercise incorrectly.
Before you start, don’t forget to do a Dynamic Warm-Up – Make sure to get your heart rate pumping and get your muscles warmed or you’re just asking for injury.
You can run in place, jump rope, do a few push-ups, pedal on a stationary bike, do some punches and kicks, jog up and down your stairs, and/or twist and swing your arms and legs to get them moving!
“HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DO THE BEGINNER BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT?”
Do this routine 2-3 times a week, but never on consecutive days.
You don’t build muscle when you’re exercising, you build muscle when you’re resting, so try not to do a strength training routine (of the same muscle groups) two days in a row.
In addition to checking out our Online Coaching Program, make sure you download the worksheet for this workout by joining the Rebellion (our free online community)!
I’ll send it to you right away when you sign up in the box below:
Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required!
Complete this workout at home, no equipment required
Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing bodyweight exercises
Note: We have helped hundreds of 1-on-1 Coaching clients get started with strength training and other awesomeness – but EVERYBODY starts with bodyweight training like these movements and this workout!
An Important Note About Nutrition!
Along with this bodyweight routine, you need to make sure you’re eating properly!
You can either learn to track your food through counting calories (calculate your daily caloric needs here), or you can look into our healthy plate strategy:
We’ve actually developed our own 10-level nutrition system and mindset blueprint in Nerd Fitness Prime, but let me break this down into some basics:
Eat natural, whole foods whenever possible.
Leave the soda, candy, and junk food out of your system.
Cut back on sugar and liquid calories wherever you can. The stuff is in everything!
Swap out the grains on your plate for vegetables when you can.
Make sure you get enough protein each day (meat, chicken, fish) – this helps with rebuilding muscles and things like that.
You can download a Free 10 Level Diet Guide too when you join the Rebellion and sign up in the box below:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
Follow our 10-level nutrition system at your own pace
What you need to know about weight loss and healthy eating
3 Simple rules we follow every day to stay on target
The raw honest truth:how you eat will be responsible for at least 80% of your success or failure.
I’m not kidding when I say that. If you don’t develop a healthier relationship with food, no amount of exercise will get you there.
So if you’re doing this workout program because you’re interested in losing weight, know that training is only 10-20% of the puzzle!
The WORST is dutifully doing this workout routine for months or going to the gym for years and not getting results because you didn’t eat the right way!
That was me – I spent 6 years without results because I didn’t know how to eat correctly to go along with my training!
If you don’t have months or years to make mistakes, and just want your own Yoda to tell you what to do, you’re in the right place!
We’ve been helping busy people like you train at home and make better food decisions without hating life! It’s our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program, and it might be a great fit for you.
Schedule a call with us to learn more by clicking on the image below:
After the Beginner Bodyweight Workout: Next Steps!
Do this Beginner Bodyweight Workout for the next 4-6 weeks and focus on getting better.
If doing just one circuit of the workout was really challenging, no big deal!
Write down how you did, and try to do just 1 more rep or exercise next time through.
The whole point is “do a bit more than last time.”
I also have MULTIPLE options for you to take for your next step too. Pick the option below that best aligns with your goals and timeline:
1) If you want step-by-step guidance on how to lose weight, eat better, and get stronger, check out our killer 1-on-1 coaching program:
2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Have questions you need answered? Join Nerd Fitness Prime!
Nerd Fitness Prime contains at-home exercise routines, live-streamed workouts with NF Coaches, a supportive online community, group challenges, and much more!
3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.
Sign up in the box below to enlist and get the Beginner Bodyweight Workout sheet so you can print out the sheet and train at home!
Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required!
Complete this workout at home, no equipment required
Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing bodyweight exercises
Learn how to finally get your first pull-up
I’d love to hear how this workout went for you, and how else we can help!
This is what we’ve dedicated our lives to, and you’re now part of a killer community.
Welcome to the Nerd Fitness Rebellion!
You can do this, we got your back!
-Steve
PS: If you’re looking for more workout routines to follow, I got you covered:
Are you tired of getting the same old advice when it comes to weight loss and dieting ? Are you looking for some quick tips to help motivate yourself during the process ?
Why not follow the tips listed below below to learn about some quick healthy weight loss tips ?
Tip # 1: Take off five pounds quickly before a big event!
If you’re generally in good shape, but you want to pare off a few
pounds to look your best before a big event like a class reunion, one of the best ways to do it is to cleanse your system. For the week before, skip the breads and pastas, eat lots of raw vegetables and salads, and drink at least eight ounce glasses of water a day. You’ll not only end up slimmer, you’ll feel 100% more energetic and healthy.
Tip # 2: Lose weight without dieting!
It’s a lot easier than you think. The key is exercise. Just one half hour of moderate exercise per day will burn calories – and better yet, kick your metabolism into high gear so that you continue burning calories at a higher rate. Bonuses: you’ll be doing your health a favor, too. The latest research shows that adding moderate exercise to your daily routine can help lower cholesterol, slow the progression of type-2 diabetes and improve your circulation. What’s moderate exercise? A brisk one mile walk, half an hour of dancing, or chasing the kids around in a game of tag will do it.
Tip # 3: Start your day off right!
Don’t skip breakfast when you’re dieting, and don’t go for the convenience of a ‘nutrition bar’. Give your body the pick-me-up of fresh fruit in either juice or raw form, and the staying power of a whole grain. One of the best breakfasts you can have is a bowl of whole-grain cereal with fresh berries, melon or peaches. You get
the sugar your body craves, the carbs it needs to run on, and the added
benefit of antioxidant vitamins to help it stay on track and balanced.
Tip # 4: Take a high quality multivitamin every day.
There’s no substitute for a diet that has a healthy balance of all foods, but it’s far too easy to skimp on the essentials when you’re dieting. Make sure that your body doesn’t miss out on the nutrients it needs just because you’re cutting calories. A good multivitamin should contain, at a minimum, the minimum recommended daily allowances of vitamins A, B6, B12, C, E and K. While you’re at it, get out in the sun for at least ten minutes a day to help your body manufacture the vitamin D that it needs.
Tip # 5: Eat your veggies – especially your lettuce.
But don’t confine yourself to iceberg lettuce or to salads. Darker greens have about the same number of calories and carbs, but pack a lot more punch in the vitamins and other nutrient categories. By substituting radicchio, watercress, escarole or spinach for the iceberg lettuce, you add vitamin C, riboflavin’s, manganese and other essential vitamins that aren’t present in lettuce. Try them braised, steamed or grilled for something a little different from the usual salad.
Is your waist not as small as you’d like ? Have you finally decided to get down to a healthy body weight and keep it there? Then it’s time to swear off fad diets for good.
For decades, most nutrition professionals have told us over and over that weight depends on calories in and calories out. To achieve and maintain a healthful weight, in addition to getting plenty of exercise for fitness and to burn off excess calories, it’s important to eat a wide range of foods to get a balanced assortment of nutrients.
A calorie-smart diet consists of nutrient-dense foods which supply a good number of essential nutrients compared to their calorie counts. Nutrient-dense foods include whole-grain foods; vegetables; fruits; lean meat, poultry, fish and seafood, eggs and cooked dry beans; and skim or low-fat milk foods. For balanced, diet-wise eating, simply choose a whole-grain food, a veggie or two, a fruit, a lean protein source and a low-fat milk food for each meal. Also keep in mind that research has shown that including animal protein foods in a weight-loss diet helps to preserve lean muscle tissue while fat is lost.
Eggs are one of the highest quality protein sources and also supply varying amounts of numerous other nutrients, all for only 75 calories per Large egg. In addition to being quick and easy to prepare, nutrient-dense eggs go very well with the whole-grain foods, veggies and fruits that you need. For example, an Open-Faced Spinach Omelet Sandwich is a flavorful, well-balanced combo that needs only a serving of fruit and low-fat milk to make a hearty, healthful meal any time of day.
Open-Faced Spinach Omelet Sandwich
(4 servings)
Cooking spray
4 cups fresh whole baby spinach leaves or chopped large spinach leaves (about 6 oz.)
1 tablespoon water
4 eggs
1/2 cup low-fat (1%) cottage cheese
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, crushed
1 (8- to 9-inch) plain, tomato or herb-seasoned focaccia bread, split crosswise (about 5 oz.)
4 tomato slices
Evenly coat 10-inch omelet pan or skillet with spray. Add spinach and water. Cover. Cook over medium heat until spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Pour out liquid, if necessary. In medium bowl, beat together eggs, cheese and seasoning until blended. Pour over spinach mixture. Gently stir to evenly distribute mixture in pan. Cover. Cook over medium heat until egg mixture is almost set, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, until egg mixture is completely set, about 2 to 3 minutes. With pancake turner or spatula, slide frittata from pan onto bottom half of bread. Top with tomato slices and top half of bread. To serve, cut into wedges.
Nutrition information per serving of 1/4 recipe using baby spinach and plain focaccia bread: 217 calories, 8 gm total fat, 216 mg cholesterol, 448 mg sodium, 121 mg potassium, 23 gm carbohydrate, 15 gm protein and 10% or more of the RDI for vitamins A, B12 and C, riboflavin, calcium, iron, phosphorus, dietary fiber
I’m so excited about the workout videos I released on Patreon this month! Heavily influenced by my Pilates training, I created a series of resistance band workouts that focus in on various joints and muscle groups. In addition to this glutes + outer hips resistance band class, I have another one on Patreon focusing in on the hip joint and activating the glutes. Also one focused on shoulders and mid back, and one on core.
Glutes + Outer Hips Resistance Band Mini Flows Class (43 Mins)
EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR CLASS:
Resistance band loop – I’m using the heavy weight from my set for Flow 1 and the lightest band for Flows 2 & 3
Chair/stool/counter/wall (something to use for balance assistance in a standing, hinged position)
In this class, we start with a quick warm up. It will focus mostly on mobility, especially through the hips. We then move onto our mini flows workout with the resistance band. The best way to describe this structure is to picture a Pilates mat class. We essentially take a small sequence out of that class, add in a resistance band, and turn it into a circuit.
Each of the three mini flows is a short sequence (1 min 45 sec – 2.5 minutes long). You’ll do it twice on the right then twice on the left. You rest for 15 seconds in between completed sequences and 30 seconds between sides. We’ll start on the mat and finish standing.
Between each of the different flows, you get about a minute to recover, but pause the video and take more time if needed. Always listen to your body, modifying or stopping as needed.
We finish class with a guided cool down and stretch.
Workout Breakdown
(02:02) Warm Up & Mobility
(07:11) Resistance Band Mini Flows Workout
Flow 1 – Side series on mat, band around thighs
(45 sec) Clamshell
(30) Internal to external rotation
(30) Straight leg pulses
(45) Side plank leg lifts
Flow 2 – Standing with chair/wall, band around one ankle and one foot arch
(30 sec) Kickback to external rotation
(15) Straight leg pulse, externally rotated
(45) Leg sweeps
(15) Hold leg out to side
Flow 3 – Standing balance series, band around arches of feet
Regardless if you like him or not, you have to apppreiate Dr Phil for one reason.
He continually asks his guests one simple question: “How’s that working for you?”
Success in anything comes from FINDING WHAT WORKS then DOING WHAT WORKS.
I am going to reveal to you the Secret Weight Loss Formula that Celebrity personal trainers don’t want you to know about.
Before I reveal the secret, first I need to explain to you that there is process that your body goes through to burn body fat.
So how does your body burn fat ?
It is a 2 step process and in order you need to:
1. Release the fat from the fat cells and only then
2. You can burn the fat
That process is the same for every human being. I will outline the steps and then show you how you can easily apply some fundamental rules to allow your body to burn the maximum amount of fat with less effort and minimum time. Once you understand that simple process, you can easily see why you are not getting the results that you want. Even bigger, you will finally see that getting that dream body is getting so much closer to reality that you will be extremely motivated to get started as soon as you can.
How does your body release the fat from the cells ?
Before you can turn your body into a fat burning machine, here what needs to happen: your body fat need to be released from the fat cells. You can accomplish this step successfully with your nutrition program. Here are some specific tips that you can apply right away to achieve that.
1. Eat 4-6 small, frequent meals and never skip meals.
2. Include small amounts of good fats.
3. Eat natural foods; avoid processed & refined foods
4. Eat lean proteins with each meal.
5. Eat more complex carbs, fruits & vegetables.
The most misunderstood weight loss strategy. How to burn the fat instead of burning muscles.
Releasing fat from the fat cells is not the end of it; actually, it is just the beginning. Because the fat needs to be transported from the fat cells to your muscles so it can be burned there. This is done through your blood and the cardiovascular system is responsible for that. The more effective is that system, the more effective your body will become at burning fat. You can improve your cardio vascular system by doing so cardio training. However, don’t go out yet and spend 1 hour on the treadmill because you probably not going to be doing too much good like that.
The reason is excessive cardio combined with a restrictive diet burns fat but mostly muscle tissue. That is not a good thing at all, because muscle tissue is where you burn the fat and if you are burning away muscle tissue, you are burning your ability to burn more fat in the future (weight loss plateau). You just don’t cut the hand that feed you. So cardio burns fat and it can also burn muscle tissue, this is a huge dilemma. Damn if you do, damn if you don’t. But wait there is a solution to that…
You need to do some MODERATE cardio training. The key word here is moderate.
Doing too much cardio can be detrimental and I am sure you have seen those people that are doing cardio on a daily basis and still not getting anywhere. The result is a low metabolism. Low metabolism means your body fat is not going anywhere, anytime soon.
Here is what you need to do:
1. Do some moderate cardio training; the key word here is moderate
2. Never diet but consume little fewer calories that you will burn (No starvation diets, Please…)
The world most efficient “fat burner” is FREE and You already have it.
Before I reveal to you how personal trainer get those celebrities in the best shape of their life in such short period there is one more thing that I want you to understand. Because it is very important.
Weight loss marketers always claim that they have the magic “fat burner” that will melt your fat away. The problem is that they have a new one coming out every year, so I wonder if the one from last year was so effective, why we need a new one. There is only one thing that actually burn body fat is you already have it. It does not come in a bottle or a special recipe. Body fat can only be burned inside of your muscle tissue. I repeat… Body fat can only be burned in your muscle tissue. This is the most important concept for you to grasp.
Your muscle tissue is your best friend when it comes to burn body fat. You need to preserve muscle tissues in order to keep losing weight. Most people go on a starvation diet combined a lot of cardio to lose weight. At first it may seems like this is working because they are losing scale weight. Now think about, scale weight does not tell you if weight loss is from fat, water or muscle tissue. Scale weight by itself is not a good indicator of success.
Losing water is only temporary.
Losing muscle will simply lower your metabolism and put you in the Yo-Yo dieting bandwagon. This should be avoided at all cost.
Losing fat while maintaining muscle mass is what your main goal should be.
To maintain muscle tissues you need to:
1. Do some resistance training. (This is not optional, it is mandatory)
The Secret
Now that you understand the whole fat burning process, I am going to reveal to you how celebrity personal trainers do to get those amazing transformations. The strategy is to combine all the steps that I outlined so the body works as a unit. First the trainer makes sure that his client is eating the proper food on a regular basis.
By that I mean eating so that fat WILL be released from the fat cells. Then and only then they exercise the body to burn the fat. The important idea to take from this is:
“The fat can ONLY be burned after it is released from the fat cells”.
If you know anybody that has been exercising like a maniac and they don’t seem to go anywhere, now you know why.
The reverse is also true, Do you know somebody that is eating properly but they are not including cardio AND resistance training. Now you know why their body still look the same.
All you need to do is to combine a nutrition program, along with some MODERATE cardio program and maintain muscle mass with resistance training. Everything is combined with one goal in mind: Turning your body into an Automatic fat burning machine. It is that easy.
Don’t like the results you have been getting? Then CHANGE YOUR STRATEGY.
How do you change your strategy ? How do you find one that works ?
DO NOT continue doing something just because “THEY” say it’s the way things should be done. Allow yourself to choose the solution that will work for you, regardless of what it may be. The only way for you to know who is right is to measure your progress and ACTUALLY track your results.
CHANGE IS HARD, but it’s also worth it. Not getting results makes change EXTREMELY HARD.
Get support from friends, family or a coach. Losing weight is not as hard at it seems after you find out what works and follow through.
Did you know that obesity is becoming an epidemic of the 21st Century ?
So you want to lose weight and get in shape, but you don’t want to leave your house?
Are you tired of getting the same old advice when it comes to weight loss and dieting ? Are you looking for some quick tips to help motivate yourself during the process ?
I am going to reveal to you the Secret Weight Loss Formula that Celebrity personal trainers don’t want you to know about.