I'm a quote nerd.  I love quotes. I don't pretend to originate them but I will always try to make my point with a quote.  This one in particular could not be more true for my local client who vowed to take back her fitness and put herself first so she can take care of others around her.

Four weeks ago she started a 12 week plan to get it right.  But what does 'RIGHT' look like?  We did not set a weight loss goal.  We did not set a goal to lose a certain amount of body fat or inches.  We set a goal to make changes- changes that will last a lifetime, not just for 12 weeks.

Drum Roll Please....

At the end of 4 weeks, she has lost 5.5 lbs and 2.5 inches in her waist.  Her body fat has dropped by almost 3% !  Clothes that used to be snug are now fitting loose and comfortable.

As someone who has their own "before and after" story, my philosophy is simple....you put in the effort, you provide the consistency and you will see results.  It's better than any gambling odds in Vegas.

Effort + Consistency = Success

This is not the 'Biggest Loser'.  We are not trying to lose a ridiculous amount of weight in the least amount of time.  We are setting up long term ideals for long term success.  Long term success is dependent upon realistic goals.  If you lose the weight too quickly, you are setting yourself up for a big gain in return.  Slow and steady wins the race.

Average weight loss is .5 -2 lbs/week.  If you are losing weight at a more rapid loss, make sure your meal plan/exercise plan is realistic and can be achieved on a weekly basis.  

For my client, we focused on a balanced diet of 1450 calories.  Her starting weight was 156 and she's down to 150.5 lbs. (See previous blog for macro nutrients and exercise plan)

CHOICES (CHANGES) TO HER DAILY LIFE:

1) PLAN AHEAD:  My client realized that there was no such thing as a 'Food Prep Fairy' so she was going to have to plan ahead...she made sure she left 30 minutes every night to organize her food, supplements and get things ready for the next day.  She realized that this has been the biggest reason for failure in the past- thinking there will be enough time in the morning to get organized but it just never happened for her.

I'm here to tell you- failure to plan is a plan to fail.  This has to be Number One on your goal list. 

2) ORGANIZE YOUR KITCHEN:  Do you know where your food is?  Do you have your food accessible?  My client organized her kitchen to make sure she could get to her food as needed- she even organized her refrigerator to include proteins, carbs and fats as well as food for her family.

3) PACK FOOD FOR "ON THE GO" :  How many times have you caught yourself at a meal time, on the go yet nothing there to eat? Again, the key to success is to plan ahead so look at your calendar and plan ahead for meals/snacks.  Don't let a whole day of hard work go out the window due to lack of planning or accessible food!  HINT- everywhere you go there is a grocery store close by...don't waste calories at a fast food drive-thru...use the produce and deli section to put together fresh meals on the go.


4) INCLUDE FAMILY IN MENUS:  One thing she wanted to do when she started was to make sure her family was eating healthy along with her meal plan.   This is smart.  Instead of eating a meal plan that only worked for her, she planned out her family dinners to include healthy food for everyone as she watched her own portions to fit her calorie requirements.  I've seen too many people fall off the wagon because they put themselves on ridiculous food requirements and leave the rest of the family out of the picture.


These things may sound like a pain in the rear  but this is how it gets done. You cannot expect to see results without putting some mental power into the process.  Some of you may have already realized the obvious- putting the mental power into your meal plan with planning, shopping and execution  is much more difficult than the physical power you put into your workouts.  






YOU MAKE THE CHOICE. 

Thanks for reading!  Next week I will share the 10 things I learned through my own fitness journey - Hint Hint....It's never ever too late!

AMEN!   As highlighted in my previous blog, one of my local clients decided enough was enough.  She made a very simple conclusion for her fitness journey:  She was tired of stopping and starting over....the process was exhausting and began to drain her of everyday life.  

As she mentioned in her testimonial ,the goal was to once and for all, make this a lifestyle and not a short term project.

She made up her mind to KEEP GOING and STOP STARTING OVER.  How many of us have been there?  Very few of us get it right the first time.  As someone who has stopped and started over more times than they have fingers and toes to count with, I get it.  Once I became fit for a lifetime and became a personal trainer, I made it my mission to help others make this a LIFESTYLE.  

So- now I'm going to contradict myself.  Yes, it's a lifestyle but at the same time, you need to set a date with the calendar- a realistic date that will keep you accountable to your goals yet give you the "push" to not fall off the wagon.

Personally, I prefer a 12 week time frame when working with my clients.  Why?



You can't give a program one week and expect results.  You need to give your program 12 weeks to make changes as necessary.

My client has been on the program for 3 weeks.
Her starting weight was 157 lbs and her waist measured at 33.5 inches.

 At the end of 4 weeks, she will hit the scale and have measurements taken - we will also reevaluate the meal plan and make necessary changes. 

MEAL PLAN:

*  Eliminated all processed food from diet as well as alcohol.  

* Her meal plan has her eating 1450 calories/day based on her activity level.  Her breakdown is:
- 40% of total calories is protein
- 30% of total calories is carbohydrates 
- 30% of total calories is fat.

* I cannot express enough how easy it is to OVER THINK your meal plan.  As long as you keep the processed foods out and use clean/fresh foods, you are doing it right. But there are a few things you can do to ensure success:

1) Listen to your body.  Do you need 5-6 small meals day or are you OK with 3 large meals and some small snacks?  I think this is all dependent on your activity level.  At the end of the day, your calories in vs. calories out will determine success but you also need to be smart with the way you plan your food intake.

2) Eat your protein:  Protein is essential for muscle building and muscle recovery.  It also helps you feel full all day long- not to mention your metabolism has to work harder to digest protein vs carbs or fat.  So, you get a lot of bang when it comes to speeding up your metabolism.  Calculate the amount of protein you need each day ( I use 1 gram per pound of body weight and adjust as the body weight drops/gains depending on your goals). Use this number to calculate 40% of your total calorie needs- and this is all dependent on your activity level and lean muscle mass.  

* Carbohydrates are not the enemy but you can be strategic with them.  After calculating your carbohydrate needs ( 30% of total calories ) , put the majority of your carbohydrate intake around your pre/post workout meals and spread the rest throughout the day.  If you are not working out for the day, spread your carbohydrates evenly throughout the day.

* Fats are good but they also have their purpose in your daily meals. DO NOT CONSUME FAT POST WORKOUT.  Fats slow down the absorption of carbohydrates, so your PB2 or avocado may not be a good choice at this time. The goal post workout is to get those carbs into the body ASAP and rebuild glucose levels.  Fats eaten with carbs are great to help keep blood sugar levels normal so spread out your fat intake evenly throughout other meals each day.

EXERCISE PLAN:

* 3 days/week in the weight room using body part splits:   One day/week is legs and the other 2 are upper body-switching up the exercises/splits/reps each week.

* Cardio is 2-3 days of HIIT ( high intensityinterval training) and 2 -3 days week of moderate cardio ( 30-45 minutes).  HIIT is performed on non weight training days.

When it comes to cardio, more is not always better.  The very first thing your body adapts to is the cardio program.  So- you have to keep doing more cardio in order to stay ahead of the game.  But, if you use intervals 2-3x/ week, you will keep your body working hard and burning MORE calories during the session .  Less time and more calories burned?  YEP!   But, you can't do it everyday- your body needs a break so I recommend maximum 3/week.  



The reason for featuring a client during their program is to show the good, bad and ugly that comes up during the process.  Every person is different but each one of us has something to overcome - and that is the similarity.

Thanks for reading-if you have any questions please feel free to email me kathy.laucius@yahoo.com

Have a great week!

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