Helping each other

In the past week, I've managed to talk to 2 very nice and special ladies. They are both very interesting in their own ways. They each have unique problems that I am very certain I can help them with. To make it even more interesting, in talking to them, they have given me reason to ramp up my own exercises. Also speaking with a good friend, she has some clients that she wants me to take over training for a weekend. In helping her by training her clients for the weekend, I will hopefully be able to get some of my own.

     This just goes to show, if you give yourself to help others, then you will receive help yourself. I really did not expect to be inspired by the ladies I am helping on line, and I sure didn't expect to actually get a chance to train a couple of clients in real life. Not right now anyways.

     Back to the 2 ladies I have started working with on line. I am greatly impressed that the first lady, in only 1 week of following my advice, has already lost 3 pounds. The second lady, just starting this week, is very enthusiastic about her program already. Neither of these ladies right now are really doing any exercise. Our main focus has been a better and healthier eating habit. I can't wait to do a follow up with them and see how things turn out. I look forward to sharing their success with all of you.

It has been a while

It has been a while since I posted anything. Life gets busy at times. Between my kids, my wife and helping friends, its been crazy. I finally found the time to post something. What I have decided on posting about is diets.

     Lately I have seen a lot of people posting about some new diet they are trying, and how great its working. I'm not saying I'm not happy about your progress. I think it's great that you managed to accomplish something. Now my question is, have you really thought about your long term plan? Are you going to keep up with the diet? Or go back to eating what you normally do? Did you even think to ask yourself these questions? Most people don't. That's ok. We can fix that.

     Diets are good if you want to lose weight fast. What most people don't realize is in the process, they are starving their bodies. Our bodies are marvelous things, and very creative. Sure you can starve your body and lose weight quick, but what happens when you go off your diet? Your body makes up for what it was missing. And it makes up for it with a vengeance. Everything your body wanted, but you stripped away, your body will now gladly consume, and now store it. Just in case you decide to hold back and go on another diet. Which you most likely will.

     In the long run, diets are not good for you or your body. My definition of a diet, is eating 6 healthy meals a day. Yes they are small in portion, but I'm also not hungry between meals. My goal is to keep the fire in my body burning consistently all day. To do that, it needs fuel. My instructor explained this to me in a very easy way, which I will now share with you.

     Lets pretend your body is a wood stove, and your food is the wood. First lets start off with a 3 meal plan.

Breakfast: You wake up from a good night sleep, and your body is low on fuel. So you eat a hearty breakfast. What just happened? Well you just threw a huge log on the fire. Should last you a couple hours. So as your body starts to digest the food, your blood sugar level will spike. Your body will also store the excess food in fat.

Lunch: Your breakfast burned off over an hour ago, your feeling hungry, and now its lunch time. So lets throw another large log on the fire. Again blood sugar levels spikes. Although your body has used some of the stored fat from breakfast for energy, it hasn't used it all. Now you've had a good lunch, you feel full again, and again, your body stores more fat.

Supper: Lunch has burned off a while ago, and your body is letting you know it is hungry again. So you eat a large supper to get you through the night. Once again your blood sugar levels spike, your body stores more fat than it burned off.

     Over night, your body has a chance to burn off the fat that it stored during the day. It never burns off as much as it has stored by the time you wake up though. The cycle starts all over again.

     Now lets look at 6 smaller meals a day. This will be quick since its so simple.

Breakfast: You wake up after a good night sleep, and eat a smaller breakfast. Your blood sugar level rises to a comfortable level, but doesn't really spike.

Mid-Morning Snack: Grab a nice healthy snack, like carrot sticks, celery, or an apple and banana. By this time your body is just using up the last of its energy from breakfast, and has nothing left to store. Blood sugar level remains constant.

Lunch: Again you have a small meal for lunch. Again your blood sugar level stays the same, your body just used up the last of the mid-morning snack.

Mid-Afternoon Snack: Light snack, same as mid-morning. Everything remains the same.

Supper: Same as lunch. Everything stays the same.

Mid-Evening: Same as the rest of the day.

     So by eating 6 smaller meals a day, this is what happens.
1) Your body has time to use up all the fuel you supply it with.
2) Nothing left over to be stored as fat.
3) Your body grows accustomed to being fueled often, so it see's no sense in storing energy.
4) Your body will become healthier, and your blood sugar levels will remain a constant, rather than spiking up and down all day.

     It does take up to 6 weeks for your body to get use to the idea of eating so often. In the long run its well worth it. No after diet weight gains, no starving your body of what it wants. Think about it!