Personal Training

Article Review + Oatmeal + Lifestyle Changes for Weight Loss!

Posted on by Naomi
Hey friends! Happy Friday. So excited its the weekend! After a long week, its so nice to have a couple days off to look forward to, isn’t it?
I had such a good bowl of oatmeal these past two mornings! I had some extra errands I needed to do, so I made my oatmeal the night before and just kept it in the refridgerator overnight in a tupperware. In the morning I heated it up in the microwave, added 1 scoop of BSN cinnamon roll protein and threw on some frozen berries (that I microwaved beforehand as well) This was SO good! I think that keeping the oats overnight in the fridge makes them even more doughy and give them that chewiness factor that I crave! I may or may not have licked the bowl clean.
–Off to the gym I went for an awesome chest/tricep workout. This workout always has my arms shaking at the end. I think its because I end the workout with triceps body weight dips with my feet on the stability ball. I have a love hate with dips the same way I have them with triceps push ups! They burn, but they are so effective!
–I took my car in to a local shop because I was having break issues, and it turned out I needed to leave it for the day for it to have some work done. I got a loaner, but having the loaner really made my miss my Jeep! (Sidenote-I tweeted abotu this earlier yesterday and nowhttp://twitter.com/jeep is following me on Twitter! I was so excited!)
–Does anyone else have a wierd ‘motherly’ attachment to their car? When I had to leave it in the shop I was so worried that something would go wrong. I even called to make sure everything was going smoothly later in the day. If this is any idea of what type of over protective mother I will be, my child has no idea whats coming to him or her!
This morning another delicious breakfast! Oatmeal (that I made the night before with cinnamon and nutmeg) Egg whites and strawberries remain hidden! 
For lunch, I grabbed a tuna packet that I had lying around. I was in the mood for tuna so why not! These bags are so convenient to bring to work. I love to always have at least one on hand just in case!
And got my first red cup Starbucks of the season! Nothing too exciting in the cup, though. It was a Grande (Which I called a medium when I orderered and quickly changed to “grande”) half caf to which I added some skim milk and a Truvia packet
I also brought this with me and decided its a good thing to keep in my bag. Who knows where I will be that I want some extra spice on my food?
On to my salad it went!
With some sweet potatoes
And enjoying a protein shake! I got a new flavor of Muscle Gauge Nutrition’s Whey Isolate (which I am obssessed with!) It is the vanilla caramel flavor and I am loving it! I added some vanilla stevia to this shake along with 4 ice cubes, 4 oz almond milk, water and 1/4 tsp each guar and xanthan gums

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I wanted to talk about this amazing transformation story that I found on CNN This story is appropriately entitled “The Bottom-line Diet” Tony Posnanksi had an amazing 200lb weight loss. He went from eating 10,000 calories a day to 2,400 calories a day. Weight loss, the article tells, is simple “eat less and move more” The article boasts that weight loss and getting healthy cannot be a quick fix for it to be a lasting change. It has to be a lifestyle change. People these days are so attracted to any type of diet that says they can still eat junk food, even though most of us are aware this will not suffice for long lasting weight loss. Rapid short term weight loss is not the way to go, it has to be a slow and steady approach. Make changes that will last with you forever.

 This article was written after an article published by CNN about how the “twinkie diet” helps a professor lose 27 lbs This professor ate 1 twinkie every 3 hours for all of his meals for 10 weeks, and lost 27 lbs. This article got thousands of comments regarding its content. The premise behind this is that it is not the quality of the food that matters, it is purely the amount of calories being taken in. Although this diet shows that it really IS the amount of calories that matter, it is not a good example of a healthy lifestyle.
Those who turn to diets such as the cabbage diet or cookie diet, where they have to drastically cut out entire food groups for a period of time, is just an unrealistic life change. The initial weight loss will not last.  The key to weight loss is creating a healthy relationship with food, it is not about cutting out carbohydrates or any other food.  Posnanski ends the article with a quote which I love: “I do not believe in quick weight loss diets, I believe in the rest of my life”
I truly believe that weight loss cannot be a temporary fix, it has to be a lifestyle change. There has to be some motivation from within that says “I want to be healthy for the rest of my life” By having this mindset, we will be more apt to practice moderation with foods and never again turn to the “cabbage diet” or “grapefruit diet”

6 Tips for Long Lasting Weight Loss
  • Make a commitement to yourself: If you truly want to change your life, make a promise to yourself that you will stick to this plan and don’t you let anyone get in the way of your success. You are the only person in charge of you. Be strong and go after it!
  • Find your support system: Surround yourself with people that will encourage you and not discourage you. As you begin to lose wieght you may truly see who is there for you and who will just be there to hinder your progress
  • Set realistic goals: Although you may want to jump right into it, keep in mind that healthy weight loss is a slow and steady game. It is the best to aim for 1-2lbs/week (although in the beginning it may be a bit more since your body is in shock) Set SMART goals. SMART stands for specific, measureable, achievable, realistic and timely. For example “Weight train 2 times per week” or “Jog for 30 minutes 3 times per week”
  • Enjoy Healthy foods! Eating ‘healthy’ doesn’t mean having to eat wheat grass and brown rice all of the time. Get creative in the kitchen with new spices such as basil, curry or rosemary. Spices add a TON of flavor with no sodium or calories to any dish. Try out new to you vegetables and fruits and find interesting ways to prepare them. For example I was introduced to GRILLED WATERMELON this summer! Yes, watermelon was thrown on the grill and served with a tiny bit of feta cheese and basil and it was fabulous! Always remember, when dining out, customize your order! Ask for no butter or sauce on the side. (I now keep a container of Mrs Dash in my bag just in case I want to add some extra flavor when I dine out) Also, check out the menu of the restaurant you are going to beforehand to check out the healthy options!
  • Find what you enjoy! I cannot stress enough how important it is to do what you love Heck, I wrote a whole blog post on it!! Find what makes you happy, smile, and keeps you coming back for more. Why would you run if you don’t enjoy it? There are a million ways to stay active and healthy that do not include going for a run! Head to your local gym and try out some new classes, or choose a new piece of cardio that you ahve always wanted to try out. If money allows, hire a trainer for a few sessions to give you some new fresh ideas!
  • Don’t give up! No matter what you do, do NOT give up. Like I have mentioned before, weight loss takes time, it takes commitement and even a few set backs that may help you bust through! If you have an indulgent dinner one night, there is NO need to beat yourself up. Life is about balance. That one meal did not screw up your entire progress. Enjoy it, and start fresh the next day with a killer workout! head over to my exercise/workout tips page for a whole slew of awesome music, great workouts and loads of exercise info!

Naomi
Naomi