nutrition plan

Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Weight Loss Stalled?

 

In the beginning stages of weight loss most people will find:

  • a 1-2 pound loss on the scale each week
  • better energy
  • motivation to continue the journey 

Momentum Falls Off

You have been riding on the momentum of the weight loss wave until the last few weeks hit.  That damn scale hasn’t moved a fraction of an inch and you are stuck.  Panic is starting to set in and you are thinking of taking drastic measures to ensure you reach your goal.  Take a breath and let’s take a logical approach to dealing with the inevitable plateau.  

If you have gone more than 2 weeks without the scale budging it’s time to change things up. 

Bust Through That Plateau

1.  Decrease Calorie intake - The easiest place to start is to cut more calories out of your daily allowance.  The mistake most people make is they cut too many calories out at once.  Instead take a conservative approach, decrease your calories by 100 per day.  You must make sure that you are eating adequate protein and fat levels every day, so to cut calories, decrease the amount of carbs you are eating.

2.  Lace up your shoes - The 2nd place to help promote fat loss is by increasing your cardio.  How much cardio should you be doing and what types of cardio should you be doing - HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) or LIIS (Low Intensity Steady State)?

The answer is both, but I give HIIT the advantage.  2-3 days of HIIT is more than enough to accomplish the job.  An example of this would be 5-8 reps for 25-45 seconds at a 90% + effort is plenty to get the job done.  You will need to rest for 1:30-2+ minutes before attempting another rep. 

HIIT Workouts

  • spin bike
  • sprints
  • sled
  • tire flips
  • stairs
  • rowing
  • running hills

LIIS workouts

For those less experienced exercisers or for those cardio haters LIIS probably is a better way to go.  3-5 times a week, 45-60 minutes.

  • stroll
  • easy bike ride
  • recumbent bike

3.  Change your goals - Maybe it is time to switch things up.  Being in calorie deficit can take a toll on you psychologically and affect your social life.  Let’s assume you now have healthy levels of body fat, maybe it is time to focus on another goal that is motivating and has you excited. 

One of the better fitness goals that I can tell you to do is to focus on strength training, the benefits of being strong are endless.  Remember skinny does not mean fit.  Your strength has a direct affect on how you interact with your environment.  Strength training will do the following:

  • increase bone density
  • improve your posture
  • improve your work capacity
  • build some serious self-confidence

Let It Go

Strength training is the best thing you can do when taking on father time. 

Constant dieting can be a daunting task. It might be time to let go of the idea of perfection.  If you have been at it for a while change things up and focus on just eating well, exercising, moving everyday, and having some fun. 

Contact me if you need help getting over the weight loss hump. I can design a personalized fitness & nutrition plan for you. 310.251.7420

Image credit: Sebastian Molinares on Unsplash


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Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | How To Eat Out & Lose Weight

 

TGIF

It’s Friday and you have had a long week at work and you want to meet up with some friends for dinner and drinks.  Sounds fun! But oops, you forgot you are in the middle of making some changes for the better. You are working on getting fit, healthy, and trying to lose some inches.  Hmmmm, what to do?

 

The Choice Is Yours

The way I see it, you have 2 options.

1. Go have a good time and completely blow up the amount of calories you eat that day and finish up with an 800 calorie surplus.  And lets be honest, sometimes that’s okay, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up about it.

2. You think ahead and have a smaller breakfast, a lighter lunch, forgo any snacking, and double down on your h2o intake. So for breakfast you reach for eggs whites instead of whole eggs, for lunch you eat grilled chicken or tuna with a side of raw or grilled veggies.  Now you have seriously saved up some calories.  By the time dinner rolls around you might be hungry but you have stored enough calories to have a nice dinner with a drink.

 

The Double Win

You finish up the night not enjoying time with friends, savoring the food and drink and you leave without your pants unbuttoned being in a bloated calorie surplus. Who doesn't want that?

If you need help with your nutrition, give me a call 310.251.7420 and I can design a program just for YOU!  

Image credit: Edward Franklin on Unsplash


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Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Proof That Hard Work Pays Off

Put in the Work
 

For the months leading up to the end of 2015, I want to start highlighting a few of my clients who have made some noteworthy transformations. These clients deserve recognition for making the commitment to be better and then sticking with the plan until they achieved their goals.

Meet Jay De Leon, the perfect person to exemplify this simple message: if you do the work, you will get results. This past April, Jay weighed in at 240 lb., today he is down to 207 lb.. Besides fitting into a smaller pant size, Jay is both stronger and healthier. 

So what exactly did he do to get amazing results? 

  • He has a great attitude.
  • He practices portion control.
  • He is 100% compliant with the fitness and nutrition plan I designed for him. 
  • He is mentally tough. 

Whether he is lifting weights, running or pushing the sled, he is putting in the work each and every day. Jay’s goal was to be under 200 lbs by the end of the year. At this rate, he will reach that goal much sooner. Jay didn’t have a magic button to press, pill to pop, or a wand to twirl. He worked his tail off to get results. I am so proud of you Jay! You did it!


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