The weight loss journey, common myths, tips and encouraging words

Before I take you shopping...

2008-11-25T01:39:00Z

Lets start off by PURGING all the bad food you probably have in your kitchen right now and yes, I do realize the holidays are upon us so why not start the season off on the right foot!

It sounds simple but, eating healthy really starts with having healthy choice on hand. If you come home and there are chips and salsa in the pantry or Ellio's pizza in the freezer that is what you are going to eat after a long, hard day at work or with your kids (I know that is the hardest kind of work!) I am sure you bought these items in a weak moment, for your kids or perhaps you really just did not know any better but now I am here to tell you that we need to take the following items out of your house:

White foods (white rice, white bread, processed sugar, white pasta, skinless white potatoes)
- Eating these foods leads to insulin burnout and is a top contributor to the obesity epidemic in America today. The great thing is there are a lot of natural alternatives to these white foods.
Trans Fats (man made fats that are typically found in fried foods, store prepared snacks and baked goods)
- These trans fats raise the bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower the good cholesterol (HDL)
- This combination leads to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
- Very simply, trans fats will kill you....
Saturated Fats (fatty cuts of meat and whole dairy products like ice cream, heavy cream, butter)
- You should stay away from saturated fats all together if possible; if you simply can not stay away from saturated fat all together you should strictly limit your intake
Corn oil
- this is not the worst oil to cook with but...Olive oil is always a better alternative
Energy drinks
- Drinks like Red Bull will help you jump start your metabolism but are often filled with unnecessary sugars
- Make sure you read the label on any energy drink you ingest as all drinks are not created equal!
Artificial Sweeteners
- There is a lot of medical debate on whether artificial sweeteners are good for you or not; the good news is there are lots of natural alternatives
- You can choose something like Stevia (in the whole foods section of the grocery store),agave nectar or a little bit of honey instead.

So...take a look inside your cabinets, food pantry and your refrigerator and get rid of all those bad choices! That means the bad choices we did not specifically mention as well; things like potato chips, candy, peanut butter and salad dressing. We will talk more about why some of these items are bad choices later this week.

In tomorrow's blog we will talk about labels,

Client stories

2008-10-17T14:31:00Z

Good morning,

I have to apologize for not creating an entry in a while. I am very fortunate that work has been extremely busy and with the challange well under way I just have not sat down to create an entry.

I would like to share a client story with you; this client has been with me for quite a while now and is willing to actually share her experiences for everyone to see on her own blog. We are in the process of creating that blog right now so I would like to post her first entry here for you to read. Very shortly you will see a link off our website under the blogs section - look for "Julies blog" to continue the journey with her.

All my life I have had an issue with my weight, yo-yo dieting and making time to exercise. I had low self esteem (which for those who know me now find hard to believe) and little confidence in myself and my abilities. When I was 45, I met Bill Eacrett and discovered Training Effects and weight training.

I worked out at Training Effects for many years with great results along with a lot of hard work. I made the mistake of leaving for a number of excuses and in retrospect is exactly what they were. Too busy, job stress, I will do it on my own, you name it. Two years and 30 pounds later……

I sent Bill and email in December after reading about Grace’s successful training and weight loss and could totally relate to the article and how Grace felt before starting to workout with Bill. Bill wrote right back and said come in now and we will work out a plan and a schedule.

I am back and loving it. I am addicted to working out at Training Effects with Bill and my training partners. I train 3 days a week at 5 am. Do I love getting up at 4 am to go train? I wouldn’t have it any other way. Bill is very energetic and “up” at 5 am and if you think we are working out half asleep, think again.

Every time I train, I think I will not survive the session but leave feeling great and energized to keep on going. Losing the weight after age 50 is in my opinion not as easy as it was when I was 40. It has not been an easy task but working out with Bill and keeping food logs that Bill reviews, helps me understand what I am not doing right has helped tremendously. Also key to success is doing my cardio training, which Bill also helps with and provides guidance so that I am maximizing my results.

For an added boost I attend the Saturday Boot Camps when I can. The group is always fun and a great work out. It is especially nice in the good weather when we take it outside.

I am still working to my weight loss goal but can honestly say I love watching the “bingo arm” melt away. There is no better feeling to work hard and have visible results not only in weight loss but looking and feeling toned. It is motivating when I get compliments from others that can see the progress and when they are in their 50s they hope they look like me – even when I still have work to do to.

Open House

2008-09-22T13:55:00Z

Good morning!

We had a great turn out at the open house on Saturday. We ended up selecting 7 participants in the Slim to Win challenge; the stories were tremendous and there were a few we just had to select. I will be training 2 people and so will another trainer, probably Michael. We will be scheduling time with all of the contestants and will begin our 3 month training to see who will be the Slimmest winner of our challenge! Its important to remember that much like the biggest loser, when we do contests at Training Effects we go by the largest percentage of fat loss because that puts everyone on an equal playing field. That means whether you are a man or a woman, have 30 or 130 pounds to lose, everyone has the same chance to win.

More to come later this week. I began telling you some great breakfast tips, I will continue that information flow a little later this week with more eating tips. Thats it for now, I have people to train!!

Slim to win challenge at Training Effects

2008-09-09T13:04:00Z

Good morning!!

I wanted to tell you about the "Slim to Win" challenge we are going to have at Training Effects. We are hosting that open house with Sarah Sullivan, a morning DJ at 106.3 fm. To enter the challenge you need to write Sarah a short essay, 100 words or less and include a picture, on why you should be selected as one of the 5 finalists to participate in the contest. Each finalist will work with one of our trainers (free) for a 3 month period and the person who loses the most body fat will win a years worth of personal training and nutrition counseling as well as a makeover at Coccolare Salon. This is a prize worth over $10,000!

Take the time for yourself today, write in and tell us why you should be selected! You can email your essay to sarah.sullivan@nassaubroadcasting.com; the 5 finalists will be selected on September 20th at the open house.

Breakfast...the most important meal of the day

2008-09-05T19:48:00Z

What can I say, skipping breakfast will ruin any good choices you make for the rest of the day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it is what kick starts your metabolism. I have read a lot of articles and done quite a bit of research and here are some of the great pieces of information I have come across.

One great tip is to do cardio before you have breakfast. The reason for this is because your body is more likely to burn more fat running on an empty stomach. What happens is your body has used up all of the glycogen stores from fasting while you sleep thereby attacking the fat stores instead. Now do you think its worth getting up a little earlier for that cardio workout?!

Another trick is to have a cup of coffee even before you do your early morning cardio workout. As you probably know, caffeine is found in just about any fat burning supplement you can purchase so...it makes sense that having caffeine before your cardio workout will also help you burn more fat. The one draw back is the coffee really needs to be black because if you add cream or sugar (even fat free cream or a sugar substitute) those calories will cut back on the fat burning effect. It is also always an option to simply take a 200-300 mg caffeine supplement if you cant stomach the black coffee; it has the same effect.

Interval cardio will also burn more fat than simply running at a steady pace. Try doing 20-25 minutes of slow/moderate intervals to start; for example run for a minute then walk for a minute.

Ok, now you have done your interval cardio workout and had a cup of coffee...its time to eat! The best choice you can make is to try to have some whole eggs for breakfast. You may be surprised to know it is ok to eat some egg yolk even though we are taught that is the "bad" part of the egg. The yolk provides healthy fats which will actually enhance muscle growth and promote fat loss. Try having a whole egg or two along with 2-3 egg whites. You should also have a piece of whole wheat toast with your eggs to provide your body with slow burning carbs. These carbs will help keep your insulin levels steady and again, help your body burn fat.

Last breakfast tip, have a half a piece of grapefruit with breakfast. Grapefruits (white or pink) help reduce insulin levels and obviously provide vitamin C which many studies believe also aids in fat loss.

That's it for today, have a great weekend and please check back for more tips next week!

Billy

welcome

2008-09-04T19:57:00Z

Welcome to my blog!

My intent with this blog is to provide you with exercise and nutritional information that will help you on your weight loss journey. I encourage you to also visit our website at www.trainingeffectsnh.com to see all of the services we offer and if you live in southern New Hampshire please come in and visit our facility, speak to one of our trainers and get ready to begin your journey. Good health through exercise and nutrition is a lifestyle change, take the steps to change your life today!