Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Are You Eating Enough?

When sitting with a new client for a nutrition consultation, I always ask them to keep a 3-day food journal of what they eat and drink for three consecutive days.  One of the things most of my clients who are struggling with weight loss have in common is that they DO NOT EAT ENOUGH.

Yes, you read that right.  You have to eat to lose weight.

Your body requires fuel.  It is a magnificent machine.  But, you have to feed it right to get the results you want.

I did a phone consultation with a weight loss client today.  She told me she had hit a plateau and was no longer losing.  I asked her what an average day looked like.  She gave me this food journal entry:

Breakfast - granola bar, 140-150 calories, 32 oz of water
Lunch - Salad with greens and grilled or baked meat, 400 calories
Dinner - anything I can get my hands on.  I'm starving.

Anyone see the problem here?  My client isn't eating enough. By the time dinner rolls around, her blood sugar is so low and her body is starving, so she eats the most satisfying, quick food she can get - simple carbohydrates.

Most women are afraid to eat.  Afraid that 300-400 calories at a meal will make them fat.  WRONG.  What's making you fat is you're starving your body. Be good to it, feed it, and you will start to see the scale move.

Food journaling is a very effective tool for weight loss.  Simply writing down in a notebook what you eat each day will help you see trends in your habits.  There are also apps for smartphones and websites that help you keep track.  Whatever helps you keep yourself accountable, do it.  Don't go crazy obsessing over calories, but keeping track of what you eat will make you aware of how much you're actually consuming.

Mayo Clinic has a calorie estimator on their website.  Your daily caloric needs depend on your height, weight, sex, age and daily activity level.  As long as you eat close to your calories needed per day and moderately exercise, the scale should move.

Keep these tips in mind too:

1. Never go more than three hours without eating. When you eat a snack in between your meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner), it helps your stabilize your blood sugar and will help you avoid binges that happen when you wait until you are starving to eat.
 
2. Use fruit as fuel for exercise. Best time to eat fruit: first thing in the morning with protein or 30 minutes before a workout for fuel. Fruit is very good for you and full of nutrients, but it is a sugar and when not paired with a protein, it can spike your blood sugar and leave you unsatisfied and hungry an hour later.
 
3. Explore new vegetables. One of the main complaints people have when starting to eat better is boredom with food. There are so many vegetables and countless ways to cook them.
So be adventurous, visit your local farmer's market and try something new!
 
4. Stick to proteins and veggies at all of your meals. Vegetables are a great source of carbohydrates and are very nutritious. Simple carbohydrates (potatoes, white bread, white rice, pasta, sugar, corn), when not used as a fuel, turn to fat in the body when not used as fuel. Your best bet is to eat simple carbs sparingly.
 
Along with a healthy diet, all-natural, healthy supplements can accelerate your weight loss.  I have a lot of clients who take Nutri-Thin, Nutri-Cleanse and Sea Veg as a part of their weight loss plan.  Check them out for yourself.  
 
I'd love to help you reach your goals.  Follow me on Twitter, Like me on Facebook, or shoot me an email

Yours in health,
Stephanie

 

Monday, July 7, 2014

Momma said there'd be days like this...

Ok, so momma wasn't talking about weight loss, or working out, or nutrition, but I am.

I texted with a client today, checking in on her since we missed a workout last week due to the 4th of July and me taking a day off.  She was excited, as usual, (she has an awesome attitude and a great smile) to jump into a new week of training.  I reminded her to bring her new playlist so we could blare it in the gym.  Then, she replied to me with this:

"I went really off track this weekend with my eating, but I'm even more motivated now to do better.  I know I'll feel it tomorrow.  It almost feels like I gave up on myself and that it's totally not worth it."

Hold up.

I wear a lot of hats as trainer.  I create awesome and challenging workouts that push my clients farther than they believed they could go.  I motivate, always with a smile and tough love.  I help my clients stay on track with nutrition and diet and give them tips to keep eating healthy.  I'm tough as hell on them, but I want them to reach their goals as much as they do.

But somedays, I'm a friend and a listener.  I have to remind my clients how worthy they are of the life they're working toward.  Today, I had to fight the urge to have a knee-jerk reaction and spout motivation and just listen and ask questions.

So I replied to her, "What do you think caused you to go that far off?"  If I were sitting with her in person, I would have leaned in and given her my full attention.  

She told me this, "Just the struggle of always being good, July 4th and not feeling like what I'm doing is good enough.  I just completely gave up on myself this weekend.  It's so easy to give in when everyone else is ok with it."

Just a few thoughts here.  This young woman is remarkable.  She's building a successful career and getting married next year (I'm so excited to attend her wedding).  She had already lost 50 pounds before we started working together by making changes to her diet and moving more.  By the time we connected,  she was ready to work with a trainer who would hold her accountable but also push her and help her reach her goals.  She wanted to lose more weight, tone up, and feel and look amazing in her wedding dress (which she will, she's beautiful already).

If this gal was sitting in front of me, this is what I would tell her.  If her story and feelings are similar to yours, I would say these things to you, too.

1.  You are beautiful, worthy and enough. Do not give up on becoming the healthiest and fittest you for the fleeting feeling of doubt that will come and go as you continue on your journey.

2. Do not ever second-guess your decision to get healthy.  You are making an investment in your temple.  You are improving the vehicle to live your best life.  Never feel bad about that.

3. You will have set-backs.  We are human and fallible.  We need support sometimes to keep going.  If this is you, find someone who supports you and your goals that you can reach out to when you're feeling bad.

Ok, so after that text I wanted to wrap my arms around her. I hate that we (speaking for myself here too) only feel validated or worthy by the numbers in our jeans.  I tell clients all day long to never forget how much progress they've made.  I'm human, too.  I have days where I look in the mirror and pick myself apart.  But, then I pull out my before photo, and remind myself how I used to feel and how far I've come, and I instantly smile.  That is what I'd say to her; just remember, smile and keep going.

She continued to tell me some other things on her mind, and then we got to the heart of the matter: she tried on some clothes at a trendy store on a shopping trip and was disappointed by how she looked and that she wasn't quite comfortable with how she looked and fit in them yet.

Now I really wanted to hug her.  Ladies, this is especially geared toward you so listen up.

It is going to take time for your mind to see how you really look.  Our eyes are so used to seeing us a certain way in the mirror. Even as we become smaller and more toned, we will always be our biggest critics.  It doesn't matter how many people tell us how great we look and how much progress we've made, we still don't quite believe it.  

The thing I want to tell you is you have to start believing that you are beautiful! You were beautiful when you weighed a little more, and you're beautiful now.  

Homework assignment:  stand in front of the mirror and say aloud something you like about yourself.   Say it until you believe it.  I know it sounds cheesy, but every day I tell myself how awesome my big butt it is; I love it! Ok I'm being a little silly, but I do! And I'm proud of how fit my body is and how many things it can do.  I also have a great smile (thanks mom and dad for all the dental work lol).

What do you love about yourself, physically or otherwise? Only say good things about you. No negative talk.  Don't leave your mirror until you believe the words that are coming out of your mouth.   This is not narcissism.  This is self-love.

Ladies (and guys too), love yourself.  Love your amazing body.  My client can now do three sets of regular push-ups.  When we started working together in January, she could barely do one.  That is amazing!

Change takes time.  Be kind to yourself.  Don't get so caught up in the end result that you miss the journey.  Reflect on the changes.  Love yourself.

Yours in health,
Stephanie

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

What will you gain when you let go?

September will mark a major anniversary for me.  It will be two years since I got off of the "diet" roller coaster and decided to change my LIFESTYLE. I know it sounds cliche, but it's the truth. Two summers ago a light bulb finally went on in my head.  I realized that in order to reach the goals I had for myself, I had to make permanent, lasting changes.  Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.  It all fits together.




Let me give you a little background:

After receiving some upsetting news at my annual exam in June 2012, I was referred to a specialist.  While I was excited to finally have a diagnosis for all the symptoms I had been dealing with, I was nervous about what my treatment plan would look like.  I was diagnosed with PCOS, a common endocrine disorder that affects about 10% of women.  If left untreated, it could affect my fertility and lead to other scary things like cancer.

One of the first things the doctor recommended was to change my diet.  GREAT! I wanted to get pregnant so badly that I would've stood on my head and sang show tunes if he told me to! The next 4 months were full of drugs, hormones, injections, cycle tracking and some other TMI details I won't share with you.  When my 4th fertility treatment didn't work, I broke.  I cried.  I was angry.  I had lost 15 lbs, started exercising, overhauled my diet, and followed all my doctor's orders.  Why wasn't this happening yet? 

In the middle of all this, I was also dealing with a very stressful job and contemplating a major career change.  I had been praying for a year for God to bless me with a new job.  I interviewed at jobs I was more than qualified for and would get right to the end, only to lose out to another candidate.  But I stayed faithful, kept praying and believing God had a plan.  Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine He would lead me where I am today.  After an exhausting and maddening conference call, I ran into my good friend (and future business partner) in the parking lot of our office.  We literally scratched out a loose business plan on a scrap piece of paper.  It was the start of an amazing journey.  

I became a business partner in my fitness company in January 2013.  Originally, my role was to do more operations and HR, streamline processes, get our financials on track, etc.  A bonus was that I now had access to more exercise time, trainers and an environment to motivate me and keep me accountable with my new lifestyle. I had always been active as a child, teen and college student, but after getting married and settling into my career, my health and fitness had been put on the back burner. But now I was co-owner of a fitness company.  I had to walk the walk.

What started as a means for me to reach a short-term goal has turned into my life's work and mission.  Everyday I look for opportunities to be in service of others and let my little light shine. God has blessed me infinitely in ways I never imagined.  We're in this world to help others, and that's what my fitness and wellness journey has taught me the most. 

I now have several personal training clients, teach boot camp and am an Official Personal Trainer and Wellness Coach for the SPX Nutrition 90-Day Weight Loss Challenge.  All of this started with a desire to be healthier.  It took me a whole year to lose 50 lbs because of all the emotions and trials that go along with weight loss.  Plus, I strength trained 2-3 days a week for a whole year, along with cardio.  That made the weight come off slower, but I built a lot of lean muscle which permanently raised my metabolism.  I've maintained that loss for a year, with a healthy diet, exercise, self-love, and my favorite supplement on the market, SPX Nutri-Thin.

I truly believe I am doing God's work through my career.  What will happen when you start your journey?

When I started my lifestyle change, my doctor put me on two prescriptions.  I was content with that.  I thought, if you need it, take it.  As I started to educate myself more about pharmaceuticals, I realized they are a bandage on a bigger problem.  Long-term, I had to address the root of my problems and the need for a healthier diet, more exercise, spiritual balance and more rest.  When one part of your life is off, it can throw other things out of whack, too.

I made a personal decision to no longer eat processed foods (as much as possible, I'm not perfect), choose organic meat and vegetables (when I can) and move everyday.  Additionally, eating meat free of hormones is good for my PCOS, so for me that was a big deal.  I also realized that I would have to eat a copious amount of nutrient-dense food in order to get what my body needed.  I found a product called Sea Veg that replaced the synthetic, lab-created vitamins my physician had prescribed for me.  I cannot say enough about this product. I took it back to the reproductive endocrinologist, and the nurse asked me, "where did you get this?" I was so proud that I had found a natural alternative that was ok'd by my doctor. 

I also had begun to ovulate on my own (what the other drug was for), and no longer needed that prescription as well.  All my blood work came back glowing.  My husband and I decided not to pursue any more fertility treatments for the time being. My doctor said everything looked great, and in his opinion, it would only be a matter of time. I knew that already because I stopped worrying, focused on my health, and gave it to God. He's got this!

People always ask me, "where do I start? I have so much weight to lose." 

When beginning your lifestyle change, I recommend starting with one small thing that you want to improve. As you start to feel better, gain confidence and get a handle on why you overeat, don't exercise or eat too many nutrient-poor foods, then change something else.  You don't have to do it all at once.  Just make small changes.  

This is not a race, it's your life.  Don't put pressure on yourself to do it all too fast because you'll just set yourself up for failure. Remember, adopting a healthier lifestyle takes time.  Being to restrictive with your food and exercise is not sustainable long-term.  If it's not something you can live with forever, you won't stick with it. 





If weight loss is your goal, for whatever reason, I have an amazing program and line of supplements that can help you get there, along with dietary changes and exercise.  I'd love to help you.  Please visit my nutrition website for more information.  My contact info is there as well.  Please let me know how I can help or any questions you have.  

You can also like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter. Thanks for reading my post.  I hope learning more about my journey helps you on yours.  Have a blessed day!

Yours in health,
Stephanie Lippincott
Wellness Coach and Certified Personal Trainer