Category Archives: Weight Loss
7 DAY DIET: How to Make Your Own Meal Plan
So you’re committed to working out. Whether you just joined our Boot Camp program or you are training on your own – you’re dedicated to getting results. What about your diet? (sound of car skidding to a stop here)
Yes, I said “Diet”. When I speak of diet, I’m not talking about a fad, a quick fix, or a miserable period of time you starve yourself in order to lose weight. I’m referring to managing your calories and nutrition.
Excuses, Excuses
Do you know how many excuses I hear when I ask someone if they know how many calories they eat? First they tell me HOW GREAT they eat. Then they tell me WHAT they eat. Then they tell me how HARD they work in the gym. They’re doing everything they can BUT counting calories – and most people don’t know where to start.
Weight loss isn’t about how healthy you eat, what you eat, or how hard you work in the gym. Although all those things are awesome, weight loss is determined by how many calories you are eating PERIOD. If you aren’t losing weight the way you are eating now, then you are eating too many calories – plain and simple.
How Bad Do You Want It?
Working out is hard, but it’s the easy part when it comes to weight loss. You can’t rely on exercise alone for weight loss. Although exercise is awesome, exercise makes you hungrier so many people just replace the calories burned exercising by eating more – and they don’t even know they’re doing it. It’s similar to getting a raise and ending up just as broke as before. You can’t say where the money went, but it’s gone. Unless you BUDGET those calories, you can’t count on everything just magically balancing out like you want it to.
1 Day Commitment
Give me just one day to journal you regular eating habits. You can’t really know what to fix, if you don’t know what’s wrong. Write down everything you eat normally all day long, without modifying portions or foods. Write down exact measurements, including sauces, dressing, drinks, toppings, vitamins, coffee creamer, etc. Using a calorie counter or google, tally your calories for the day, taking a mental note whether this is truly a normal day or not.
Analyze Your Results:
1. Was was your total calories? (most diets are 1200-1500 calories for women, 1500-1800 for men)
2. Where you are getting most of your calories from (carbs, fats, protein).
3. How many grams of protein are you getting? Most people are very low in protein.
4. How often did you eat? Eating 5-6 times a day boosts your metabolism.
5. Look for high-calorie mistakes.Was it food choice or portions?
Getting Started: Your 7 Day Commitment
So you want a meal plan? Of course you do! I’ll give you a meal plan if you will give me 7 days to prove you really want this. Anyone can count calories for 7 days. Right? Listen, if you TRULY want to get results, you must quit avoiding the inevitable. You may have gotten by with reducing portions, cutting fat, or limiting carbs in the past, but it’s time to take it up a notch. The only way to get guaranteed results is to have accurate information. NOTE: Weigh yourself on an empty stomach on Day 1 and Day 8. Dedicate the next 7 days to managing calories.
10 Quick Start Tips To Calorie Management:
1. Sign up for a free online calorie counter or phone app like LoseIt, MyFitnessPal or FitDay.
2. Before you eat ANYTHING, look it up first.
3. Aim to keep meals between 300-400 calories each and snacks 100-150 calories.
4. Eat 5-6 snacks and meals per day.
5. Try to get .5 – 1.0 grams of protein per pound of ideal bodyweight a day.*
6. Eat whole foods (meat, vegetables, etc instead of casseroles, etc.) Keep it simple by eating simple.
7. No guessing. Everything must be measured or weighed. We always underestimate portions.
8. Don’t eat at any restaurant that doesn’t offer nutritional information.
9. Eat prepackaged meals & snacks, if necessary, to simplify things at first.
10. Be honest. If you ate something you shouldn’t have, input it anyway. You need to see it in black & white.
Your New Meal Plans
At the end of your 7-day commitment, look at the days you felt, and ate, your best. Use these days as templates for the next 7 days. YOU just started your own meal plan! (I promised you a meal plan didn’t I? Yes, I’m sneaky like that!) Most of us are creatures of habit and eat the same thing often. Are you ready to do this for another 7 days? The longer you manage your calories, the more meal plans you will have to choose from the easier it will get!
*PROTEIN: If you are working out, a woman who wants to be 130lbs would shoot for 65-130gms a day. I personally prefer to eat 75% to 100% my body weight in protein, which would be 97.5gms to 130gms). Using that formula, a 180lb man would shoot for 135-180gms of protein a day.
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FITNESS: Avoid the Wrong Track to Nowhere
People are constantly asking me what weight routine to do. They ask me to critique their routine, as if changing a couple of exercises is going to change everything. Honestly, most people are spending too much time on stuff that really doesn’t matter and not enough time on the stuff that matters most.
Listen, I’d guess that 80% of the population wants to lose weight and tone up – not sculpt their rear deltoids and show more muscle separation in their quads. Just because some girl in the gym (who looks very hot by the way) does a certain workout, doesn’t mean that workout is for you (YET). Plus, I guarantee she is doing a lot more than lifting dumbbells.
Before you waste a lot of time and energy copying programs, trying new weight exercises and analyzing every exercise you see in the gym – ask yourself a few questions.
Fitness Checklist for Success:
1. Are you doing enough cardio? Listen, you can sculpt your muscle all day but if you aren’t actively and purposely removing fat, you’ll never see all your hard work.
2. Do you know how many calories you are eating every day? When people ask me for diet advice, 90% of them have NO clue how much they are eating. They can list off all these healthy foods to me, but that means nothing. That’s like me telling my husband that I bought 5 shirts and 2 pair of jeans. What the heck can he do with that? He sure can’t balance the checkbook with that. I can even tell him I bought them from TJMaxx, and that STILL won’t give him a clue how much to deduct from the checking account. Read the rest of this entry
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6 Ways to Break a Weight Loss Plateau
New Year’s Resolutions isn’t just about making new goals. It can be making the old goals actually work. Another words, after weeks or months (and yes, for some people it’s been YEARS) of doing what you think has been right, without getting the results you wanted, maybe it’s time for a change.
Like Albert Einstein once said, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”
You don’t have to receive the Noble Prize to relate to this statement. I think we’ve all caught ourselves, at one time or other, in the vicious circle of insanity Einstein was talking about.
I witness this firsthand every day. People talk themselves into believing what they are doing is right, even when their results are wrong. With that belief system firmly set, they continue their same routine with the hope it will all magically start paying off one day – or they settle as if that’s just as good as it gets. If you are one of those people who feel like you are just spinning your wheels, maybe it’s time to make a change. Here are a 6 ways to help you break the cycle.
1. Re-examine your diet. Diet is 80% of weight loss. Even if you fully believe you are eating healthy low-calorie meals, start tracking your calories (yes, ALL of them) everyday for 30 days straight. Many times those little “cheat meals or snacks” adds up more than you think. You may even want to do pre-packaged meals for a couple of weeks to leave no room for mathematical error. If you lose weight, then you know you are miscalculating or measuring incorrectly. Read the rest of this entry
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CUT & PASTE: 20 Tips to a New Body
If only we could hit the Control X and Control V to reshape your physique! Here are some cut and pastes that actually work!
CUT: Sever, Separate, Detach, Remove, Delete.
If you want to rearrange your body, you will need to rearrange your life – and some things will need to be removed altogether. You can’t keep the same things in your life and expect a different result. You also can’t lose weight unless you are taking in fewer calories than you are burning. That’s just science. If you’ve maintained your weight the way you have been eating over the last year, you can cut calories easily by cutting stuff back (or out) of your diet.
1.) Cut portions in half (use salad plates instead of dinner plates to manage portions)
2.) Cut bite sizes (use small forks and spoons instead of shovels)
3.) Cut out high calorie drinks
4.) Cut down on sauces and condiments Read the rest of this entry
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Fat & Trapped? Maybe YOU Are Holding the Key.
As we approach the New Year, it’s not only important to look at what you WANT, but it’s crucial you look at what you DON’T want. Maybe failure is not about what you are doing, but what you are not doing.
Moving on, in many ways, means saying goodbye. The problem is, goodbyes are often hard, even when the place we are headed may be a good place to be. I don’t know why it is so hard to let go of the past, but it is. We prefer the known over the unknown I guess. Ironically, we often prefer the known even if the known is in prisoning us.
It may sound crazy, but I believe many of us don’t get to experience a lot of great things in life because we have such a strong grip on the past. This issue can also affect us when attempting to make New Year’s resolutions – especially when it comes to weight loss. Read the rest of this entry
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Feel Thin in Just 3 Days – Seriously!
If you’re like me, you’ve stuffed your face since Thanksgiving! Ok, I didn’t really do that bad, but I sure as heck ate like a PIG the last few days! Besides my ‘Restaurant Tour’ on my recent trip to the Big Apple, my food choices had not been that bad – it was my PORTIONS that were out of control.
I found myself rubbing my belly like it was my new pet Pot Bellied Pig. My once flat tummy (and when I mean once, I mean just 7 days ago), turned into a budda belly quick. It’s not like I gained 10lbs of stored fat over the week, but I was constantly carrying around a full stomach and packed bowels. I know, it’s a gross topic, but someone’s gotta talk about it.
Seriously, you can’t expect to eat these huge portions and not feel huge yourself. Where do you think that copious amount of food goes? Yes, it goes right to your gut – literally. It spends roughly 30 minutes to 2 hours in your actual stomach, but that’s not what makes us feel fat. Look at where the stomach is. When is the last time you grabbed just below your boob and thought, “boy I feel full!”? No, we grab our low stomach, where all our intestines are (which are probably already full from our last huge meal. And we unbutton our pants to make more room for the intestines to do their job. Isn’t that an attractive thought!?
So the million dollar question, “How can I feel thinner in just 3 days”? Easy! It takes up to 80 hours to rid yourself of the last huge meal you ate – that’s just a little over 3 days until you are truly through with that meal. This would also explain why I woke up feeling thinner today. Today is the three days after I ate my last big meal (on Christmas Eve).
The key to feeling thin in just 3 days, is to immediately begin eating smaller portions so that you literally have less food in your gut. The first few meals may be the most difficult to adjust to, as your body has become used to the larger portions. Although your stomach is the size of your fist, it can be stretched out when you eat larger portions. However, it’s not the size of your stomach that really is an issue, it’s the type of meals you eat.
Each meal sets you up for the next. Another words, if you just ate a large unhealthy meal, your body will get your digestive system prepared for another large unhealthy meal. Once you stop that particular eating pattern, your body will begin to expect (and be content with) smaller, healthier portions.
However, if you are a yo-yo dieter who eats small meals one minute and huge meals the next, expect your body to be just as confused as your scale. You will likely find small portions unsatisfying unless you maintain consistent eating patterns. As soon as you begin to maintain smaller portions, you will begin to feel thinner in just 3 days!
PFIT TIP: Today I am addressing portion control – but what about all those extra calories you ate over the Holidays? Don’t forget to start burning some calories so you can burn off the stored fat from excess calories. Your new eating habits coupled with a consistent exercise program can get you faster (and much happier) results.
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I Got Fat For Christmas
It’s the day after Christmas and today I share my own blunders – and what I feel is the key to success after you blow your diet. Whether “fat” for you is 5lbs or 50lbs – weighing more than you should is an awful feeling. We all know where we should be, how our pants should fit, and how we can (and should) look. At this point a clothing size means nothing. Honestly, even weight means nothing. At this point the only thing that matters is how we feel – and right now I feel like the crap I ate – HEAVY!
You also can’t argue with someone when they feel fat and try to convince them they should feel skinny because you think they look skinny. Believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve tried to convince Steve that he still looks amazing when he is feeling his worse. Even though I can’t see the extra pounds he knows is there, HE can FEEL it – and how we feel is the only thing that really matters. He also tries to encourage my fat butt, but there’s no encouraging me after I’ve stuffed my face. So, what’s next? Enjoy my vlog!
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Twas the Day After Christmas, & Not a Creature Was Thin
‘Twas the day after Christmas and all through the house,
Every creature was stirring, yes, even the mouse.
The stockings, once hung by the chimney with care,
Were being packed up and are no longer there.
If only the children were nestled all snug in their beds,
All the adults in the house wouldn’t be losing their heads.
I finished some cleaning and took off my thinking cap;
And thought for a second I might take a nap,
When out of nowhere, there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter.
Across the house I flew like a flash,
Tripping over empty boxes, wrapping paper and trash.
My neighbors’ Christmas lights lit up the neighborhood
So I could see my neighbor clearly exactly where she stood.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
She was standing on her scale crying in fear.
More rapid than eagles, all her weight came,
She cried and shouted and called her scale a bad name.
“Now Dangit! Now Darnit! Dagnabbit and Flippin!
My True Religion jeans are no longer fittin!
To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall;
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”
As dry leaves before Hurricane Frances did fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount in the sky.
Out of her garage her husband flew,
With the car full of toys and all the kids too.
And in a twinkling, I heard my doorbell sound,
Followed by crying and sobbing from everyone around.
As I drew in my head wondering how I could help,
All my friends and neighbors were at my door with a yelp.
They were dressed in fitness gear from their head to their feet
Their clothes were all tarnished with cookie crumbs and sweets.
They seemed to have an extra bundle around their fronts and their backs,
And they all looked like peddlers, each one with a gym sack.
Their eyes, how they twinkled – but wait, they weren’t merry,
They’d all been crying, their noses red as a cherry.
Their droll little mouths were drawn up like bows;
And their faces looked shocked, like they had all seen a ghost.
They had gotten on a scale and didn’t like what they saw.
And now they were ready and determined to erase it all.
They had broad faces and a little round belly,
That shook when they cried like a bowlful of jelly.
They were chubby and plump, each like an unhappy old elf,
And I laughed when I saw them because I was there myself.
A wink of my eye and a twist of my head,
Soon they all knew they had nothing to dread.
I spoke not a word, but went straight to work;
Getting the gym ready, and then turned with a jerk.
And laying my fingers on the computer keys,
I started writing out my fitness tips with ease.
I sprang to my car and gave my team a call,
And told them “get ready! Get ready for them all!”
And away they all flew to the health clubs that night
saying, Happy New Year to all, let’s give fat a good fight!
story by Bonnie Pfiester
Dear Readers: If you need help losing weight and getting fit this year, subscribe to my blog and join our online boot camp program (FREE!) at FitStudio, powered by Sears. We have lots of people here to support you (including me!). Follow me on twitter, facebook, at FitStudio, YouTube on Pinterest and here!
100 Calorie Snacks REAL People Eat!
Fitness magazines are always featuring healthy foods for under “whatever” calories – but how often are you disappointed in what they are saying? Although there are definitely times the suggestions are OK, there are many times I’m thinking “Oh yeah, I’ll just whip that 25-ingredient snack right up. NOT!” Or maybe the snack is more like a tasteless piece of cardboard with some light Ranch dressing on it – or it’s a vegetable I’ve never even heard of!
What better way to get REAL ideas than from REAL people who are living to get fit each and every day? So I called on my friends at FitFluential, fit peeps varying from fitness professionals to people on their own personal fitness journey. I asked them to share their favorite 100 calorie food/drink. PS: I didn’t say it had to be healthy – it just had to be worth it!
My Findings? Well, let’s just say the answers are a LOT more simple than you’d think. A snack doesn’t have to be complicated. A snack serves one primary purpose – to keep fuel in your tank so you keep burning calories and have energy. Most people freeze up when they are trying to figure out how to snack at work or how to eat 5-6 times a day. “I’m too busy to eat”, they say. Many of the snacks listed in this blog are great on the go. Read on and learn from the best! Read the rest of this entry
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Runners Beware: 4 Things You Need to Know
When I think of runners I think of fit people. I picture thin peeps jogging it out every day, lookin’ and feeling good – but that is not always the case. Many runners may be doing their body (and physique) more harm than good. Although I am a runner and love the benefits of it, there can be some negative side effects if that’s all you do.
#1 You Can Get Skinny Fat. We’ve all seen it. A person is slim, but not fit. They jiggle in the middle, their butt sags, their thighs flab, but they wear a size 4. If you aren’t preserving muscle with resistance training and getting enough protein (I take 100-125gms a day) you could lose valuable muscle that gives you the fit and firm shape you want. 
#2 Your Metabolism Can Slow Down. Our metabolism is primarily based on our muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest (Basal Metabolic Rate). For instance, most of our female clients burn between 1200-1300 calories at rest (Mine is BMR is 1500). I’m not muscle-bound by all means, but I do have more lean mass so I do burn more calories than I did without muscle. I am a runner, but I also do hit the weights HARD – and as you can see (that’s me on the right), my legs don’t look like a bodybuilder. Note: Resistance training is any exercise that uses resistance (weight) like weights, bands, kettlebells and power yoga or bootcamp (using your own body weight). Read the rest of this entry
