Must do: Food Journals

If you want to improve your eating habits and lose weight, you absolutely must keep a food journal. Why?

Well for one it will keep you accountable to yourself. It is surprising how having to write it down will actually stop you having it in the first place.

Secondly, you can use the entries to target where you are going wrong. Sometimes we just don't realise that we are eating too much or too little, both of which can slow our fat loss down.

Thirdly, you can use your journals with a partner or coach (say me) and review each others' entries each week. Knowing that you have to show someone else, can help a lot too.

You wont need to keep the journal forever either unless you want to. I know some people love to record everything (not thinking of anyone in particular) But keeping the food journal for a few weeks every now and again can help break you out of those habits. Habits like having to have something sweet before bed or for afternoon tea. These really are just habits-you aren't really hungry. And remember, your body doesn't reward you for being 'good' all day and then having rubbish later as a reward. It is all calories to your body no matter when you eat them or how 'good' you have been the rest of the time.

This tactic is going to play a major part of the FitterFaster Greatest Loser Competition. I am going to ask you to record your intake at the Forum at least every second day to make you accountable. Believe me, this really really works. I do it if I start to get off track and it brings me right back into the good habits again.

Start on your journal right now. You don't need heaps of detail like how many grams of carbs or protein or whatever. Just record what it is and the serving size. The time you ate it is also important. Oh and you have to record everything-that one square of choccy, that spoonful of icecream, that couple of tastes of tea as you cooked it!!

Start now in a blank notebook, or go to fitterfaster.ning.com/ and start a new discussion called "Jo's Food Journal" (insert your name instead of mine) then each day, you can add to the discussion. How's that for keeping accountable-it will be there for all to see. This will work for you. Try it even for just one week!

Jo

I'm waiting to see who does this

Why Isnt the Scale Moving?

Why is it taking so long for the weight to come off? This is a very common question that I hear a lot. If you have been following your program on and off and only making half an effort, the answer is clear, but what about if you have been doing all your workouts and watching what you eat? How come the scales are not reflecting the effort you are making? Fitterfaster clients are losing cm's big time, but the scale is sometimes slow to show results.

There are several reasons for this. Let me explain. I am going to keep this basic by the way. I can refer you to many great physiology books if you want further info.

1. First of all, if you begin a program of resistance training like lifting weights or participating in FitterFaster Bootcamps, you will be gaining muscle straight away. Muscle gains come rapidly at first especially if you have come from doing very little or no exercise to suddenly training hard and often. So the muscle weight causes your weight to actually go up. Muscles also store glycogen (for use as energy) and with every gram of glycogen stored, there are several grams of water stored as well with it. So more muscle equals more glycogen and more water. There is more weight on the scales, but don't worry, it is fat-free weight that you are gaining.

2. Regular cardiovascular exercise also causes your blood volume to rise. And guess what, that also equals more weight. (Intense cardio exercise like we do at Bootcamp causes your blood volume to rise much more quickly than so-called 'fat-burning zone' cardio)

3. There is so much good stuff going on inside your body as you increase your fitness level. Your good enzymes increase, your mitochondria (energy makers) multiply, your cholesterol falls, your arteries clear and your blood vessels become more elastic. Your bone density also increases (more weight again) and all these things distort the progress you are making and show that the scale really is an ineffective way to measure your progress.

4. Lastly, if you have been sedentary for a long time, your fat has probably not seen any circulation for just as long. It will be blubbery and possibly hard, so it will take some effort to get the blood circulating properly again. Increased activity especially intense activity like FitterFaster Bootcamps forces changes in your bodies circulation including an increase in capilliaries to get oxygen and fuel to your muscles more efficiently. Have you wondered why you have that pink look for ages after a good training session? Once your circulation gets sorted out properly, the extra blood near the surface (for cooling) will also disapate more quickly.

5. So what is going on in regards to fat loss? Fat is stored in lots of places in your body-some more obvious than others! Fat is stored within your muscles and around your organs as well as under your skin where you can see and feel it. Exercise tends to draw from the intramuscular fat first which is why your muscles start to feel firmer and less squidgy even before the scales show anything. Next comes the fat from around your organs and this is a good thing as it is this fat that is the most dangerous to your health.

6. Last but not least, comes the subcutaneous fat. That's the fat we hate, the fat we can feel and see. After a while on a good training program the muscle gains will slow down. Ask anyone who has been training for some time how hard it is to gain some muscle. Without taking hormones or steroids, extra muscle becomes hard to come by, so when that weight increase slows down, the scales will begin to move downward more quickly reflecting your fat loss more accurately.

For most people, the initial weight loss shown on the scales will underestimate their fat loss. There is lots going on inside you body as you increase not only your health, but your metabolism as well.

For very overweight or obese people the initial drop of weight by the scales will probably overestimate their fat loss.

So don't be disheartened if the scales don't seem to reflect all the effort you are putting in. Just concentrate on what YOU CAN DO TODAY to produce great results and that is eat the correct foods in the correct quantities and continue with not only your Bootcamp training sessions, but supplement them with the FitterFaster Home Workouts as well.

Think also about the improvements you are making to your fitness levels. Think about how much more energy you have now than before. Remember Tania and Debbie when you couldn't do even one push up on your knees and now you can push up on your toes. Remember Sue and Narelle how you struggled with the 30 second cardio intervals and now you can go on and on. What about how sore you used to be after every training session Gaylene, Brooke and Greta? How you could hardly walk Mandy and Betina and how difficult it was to make it through the whole workout Cheryl even though you had been doing some training already? Concentrate on improving your bodies' performance and the rest will come on it's own. Try to go for longer, to go further, go faster, do more repetitions and lift more and all of the above changes happening inside your body will work towards improving your appearance in time.

I could have called this business 'Jo's Weight Loss Centre' or something, but I called it 'FitterFaster' for good reason. I want you to all get Fitter and Faster and Stronger and the rest will take care of itself. So be proud of yourselves for the great effort you are putting in. I am! I am finding this so rewarding as I see not only your fitness improving, but your confidence as well. But that's another story, so remember:

NO EXCUSES-JUST RESULTS

New Bootcamp Timeslot

Tonight (Tuesday 27th) was to be our last Tuesday night Bootcamp session which I know has disappointed lots of you. (Tuesdays were introduced for the christmas holidays only) But I am going to be able to hold another one next week at my place due to a basketball reschedule, so please reply to this post if you can come. I will not be holding it if I dont get any responses.

The other thing is I am going to trial a Tuesday night 30 minute session for the remainder of February. It will be held behind the YMCA on the oval and will commence at 5.35pm sharp. It will be important to be there on time (hence the strange start time) as being a shorter session, we will be training a bit harder and everyone will need to warm up thoroughly. If you arrive late, you will need to warm up on your own and therefore miss some of the session.

As I said, I am going to trial this session on 10th, 17th and 24th of February and if attendance is good, I will continue to do this session at least until the end of this school term.

Please let me know if you can come next Tuesday and if you think you will be able to attend the trial Tuesdays behind the YMCA. You will be able to bring your kids to watch if you need to as 30 mins will go really fast.

The Supermarket and shopping there

I have published this short article before, but thought it worth doing again for those who missed it. It is so true even though it was written in the USA. The Supermarket people really have us worked out. Apart from some non-food items, you really should be shopping mostly around the edges of the store. Exceptions for me are, canned corn and beetroot, nuts, seeds, tea, coffee. I also purchase olives and gherkins for variety on our salads.

Please read, and then take action. Information is only useful if you use it.

And remember NO EXCUSES JUST RESULTS

Jo


"Look On Aisle 5 was written by Virginia Bola, PsyD from DietWithAnAttitude.com

Have you ever stopped to calculate how much time you spend in each section of the supermarket?

Apart from the non-food areas of drug store supplies, rubber goods, and diapers, most stores have about 10 distinct food areas: produce, dairy, meat, ethnic foods and pasta, canned foods, prepared foods, drinks, frozen foods, snacks, and deli.

The areas where most of our intake should focus, if we are watching our weight and our health, are always on the edges, against the wall: produce, meat, dairy. We can easily navigate through 80 or 90 percent of the store without bumping into them.

Next week, I’ll get vegetables, we promise, as we wade into the packaged and frozen foods that fit so much more neatly into our time-starved, rat-race lives. It is so much less time and trouble to microwave a plate than slow simmer or steam something, plus there’s all that cutting and chopping time we just can’t spare.

The frozen stuff doesn’t taste as good but luckily the manufacturers figured that out and added butter sauce or cheese sauce to give it more flavor, a few nuts or other crispy additions to add some snap – nothing is plain any more.

We stock up on packages loaded with chemicals we can’t even pronounce. We pick up bags of quick snacks with nary a nutrient in the bunch. We throw fluffy breads and crackers into our cart, knowing they are merely edible plates.

Ten years ago, I lived in a Korean neighborhood. I couldn’t read half of the market’s signs and ingredients but shopped there anyway because of the atmosphere, dominated by an enormous variety of produce that took up at least half the store’s space. Trying totally new, strange-looking roots and fruits was exciting: sometimes marvelous, occasionally vile.

We have taken our markets into the age of the superstores where everything is available but nothing is natural. What are we doing to our poor bodies? We feed them junk and then spend a fortune on trying to acquire the "natural" look. Fat chance (pun intentional)!"

There is more info about this at www.fitterfasteronline.com

FITTERFASTER GREATEST LOSER COMPETITION

Announcing the FitterFaster Greatest Loser Competition.

Entries are open to existing clients and new ones. Your entry must be in by 9th February and you must be weighed and measured by 14th February. If you do not enter in time, or organise a weigh in with me before the 14th, your entry will not be counted.

The competition will end on 10th May with all weigh ins being completed between then and 16th May. There will also be weigh ins at approx the 4 and 8 week mark.

Further details will be sent to entrants before the competition starts.

New clients must sign up at www.fitterfasteronline.com The special package is unlimited number of Bootcamp session for the 12 weeks from 14th Feb to 10th May for $250AUD.

Existing clients just need to let me know by email if they would like to participate. Or they can purchase the FitterFaster Greatest Loser Bootcamp package if they wish.



All entrants will receive a diet plan and full online support as well as optional home workouts to speed up your results. And don't worry, there will be no eliminations in this competition. Of course you will also be attending FitterFaster Bootcamps and training really hard to lose fat, get fitter, increase your energy and basically just feel a whole lot better about yourself.

PRIZES:
1st prize is $100 cash and a 12 session Bootcamp package
2nd prize is a 12 session Bootcamp package

There will also be mini bonus prizes along the way for those who show true dedication to their lifestyle and body transformation. Records of all training sessions will need to be kept by the entrants in the special record folder that will be supplied as part of your entry pack.

REMEMBER YOUR ENTRY MUST BE IN BY 9TH FEBRUARY

Goodluck

Jo

Please share this post with anyone who you think may be interested.

Effects of unhealthy diet

Hi everyone, it's great to be back after a lovely quick break. We have had 3 Bootcamps since my return and everyone has been putting in a fantastic effort especially considering the hot weather we have been having.

Brooke had her measurements taken yesterday and she has lost another 17.5cm in the past 4 weeks, so a huge 'well done' to her. Keep up the great work.

I wanted to write today about non-insulin dependant diabetes, which is a very common condition these days. Even more so than you think and unless you are eating healthy foods almost all the time, you are very likely to develop this condition yourself. It used to be called adult onset diabetes but now it is so common in young people, including children, that the name does not fit the disease anymore.

Insulin resistance is basically when the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin. Insulin is one of the most powerful and important hormones in the body and it's job is to get energy (in the form of glucose) from your blood into your cells and regulate blood sugar levels. Without it, you would die as your body would not be able to use the energy (glucose) that your diet supplies no matter what or how much you consume. People who cannot produce their own insulin have Insulin Dependent Diabetes and must use insulin injections instead to prevent hyperglycaemia, coma and eventually death.

A diet too high in carbohydrates and a lack of exercise are two of the leading causes of insulin resistance. When you eat carbohydrates, glucose is released into the bloodstream. This signals your body to produce insulin to take some of this energy to the cells for immmediate energy. It also converts some to glycogen which is sent to the liver and muscle tissue for short term storage. This energy can be used when blood sugar levels drop again. This short term storage is limited and so excess glucose is converted to body fat for long term storage.

This system works really well most of the time, but an excess of carbohydrates and certain kinds of carbohydrates are more quickly converted to glucose and cause a flood of glucose into your bloodstream. This causes an equally large surge of insulin which causes your blood sugar to drop very quickly and triggers fatigue and cravings for more carbohydrates. When this happens regularly, your insulin levels remain high and your body struggles to convert all the glucose properly. It then continues to produce insulin in an attempt to overcome this and eventually the receptors in the cell membranes become less and less effective in recognising the hormone insulin. Another side effect of the glucose that remains circulating in your bloodstream is that it begins to effect your heart, kidneys, nerves, eyes and blood vessels. I am sure that you have heard of amputations and blindness being caused by diabetes.

Eventually your pancreas is unable to supply enough insulin to maintain stable blood sugar levels and your blood sugar rises above normal levels. At this stage you may be diagnosed as having Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes. If you do not get this under control (because you don't change your dietary and exercise habits or you haven't been diagnosed and don't know you have it) your pancreas will eventually falter and be unable to keep up with this condition. This may lead to having to take insulin injections as you progress to having Insulin Dependent Diabetes. (The cause is different to people who experience Insulin Dependent Diabetes from childhood)

If detected early, this condition can be managed and full blown diabetes can be prevented. Don't wait till you have been diagnosed, do something about it now. Clean up your diet and exercise regularly.
Some preliminary symptoms include but are not limited to:

Anxiety, fatigue, sleeplessness, head aches, palpitations

Eating in response to emotions

Cravings for high carb foods

Overweight

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Frequent hunger or thirst

Dizzy spells

Pins and needles

These are just some of the signs and you may have all or none of them. (these symptoms can also mean other things so check with your doctor if suffer from any of them)

Please note that I am not recommending that you do not eat carbohydrates. What I am recommending (after studying loads of research) is that you change your sources of carbohydrates to fruits, vegetables, some yoghurt and limit your intake of grain based carbohydrate foods like breads, pastas cakes, pastries, biscuits, sweets etc.

I am also researching at the moment on the latest info that says it is actually our overconsumption of carbohydrate foods of this type and not our saturated fat intake that is increasing the rate of heart attacks, stroke, high cholesterol etc. I will bring you more on that later.

The above is a simplified, but accurate, version of how your body works in regard to insulin production. If you are interested, I can recommend good books that provide more information on this.

Please also think about this stuff and how it relates not only to yourself, but to your loved ones as well. For instance, don't let your kids get to the stage where they worry about how they are going to lose the excess weight and get their health problems under control. Teach them now about healthy foods and encourage them to eat a variety of real foods rather than filling them up on junk. Just remove the junk from the house and take healthy foods with you when going out. It can be done and they will not starve when they refuse to eat it. Don't give in-this is their health and yours that we are dealing with.

Remember when party food was only eaten at parties?? Now it is a regular addition to peoples' diets several times every day.

Don't forget Bootcamp this evening at 5.30pm (Tuesday-bring plenty to drink!!

Jo

Keep up the great work

As you all know, I am headed away for a few days. I want you all to keep up the great work while I am gone, and not use it as another excuse (like you would have in the past) not to work out and eat properly. You have all been doing such a great job, even turning up in the almost 40degree heat to train. That would also have been the perfect excuse in the past not to do a workout.

Results are happening for everyone. You all look so different. Please do not be discouraged if the scale or tape measure is not moving for you. You will have times when the results vary, but overall over time, you are all getting fitter, improving your health and losing bodyfat. Remember that when you first begin training, your body builds muscle as well, and when I say just beginning, this period can go for months if you are training hard. (which you are) Muscle weighs a lot more than fat and muscles also grow in size, so this can distort the figures and make it look like nothing is happening. Keep on going and your bodyfat will continue to drop resulting in those cm's and kg's moving again. Just be patient. Notice how your clothes are fitting instead. Did you know that I am on the cusp of being overweight according to my BMI or Height/Weight tables which are essentially the same thing.

While I am gone, continue to train as often as you can up to 6 days per week. I may not be able to answer emails, but you can contact me by text if you need to. Go to my website and do some of the workouts on there. I want a full report at Bootcamp on Sunday at 9.30am at the Hockey oval.

See you then

Jo

Free Nutrition Review

Hi guys

Anyone going to get me to have a look at your current nutrition? All current FitterFaster clients have the opportunity to record their food and drink intake for 2-3 days, email it through to me and I will take a look and give suggestions for improvement. Don't miss out on this.

I usually charge for a full nutrition plan, and although I will not be sending through a full menu plan, you will definately be able to use the information to clean up your every day dietary habits and in the process improve you health, reduce risk of many common diseases and conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, allergies (to name a few) and lose bodyfat if that is your goal.

I will give you ideas where you could make improvements and show you healthier alternatives to your current intake if needed. Eating a healthy diet is an every day, for the rest of your life thing. It is not deprivation or being hungry all the time. It is not something you do for a while and then go back to your old habits. If you do that, you will end up right back where you started-after all that is what got you there in the first place. There is room for treats and special occasion foods in everyones nutritional plan. But I think that is one of the major problems with most peoples diets. The occasional treat turns into just a bit of this for morning tea wont hurt. I'll just have this little treat with lunch because I had such a healthy lunch. Just a small serve for afternoon tea wont hurt and goodness knows what is served up for tea as we are bombarded with so many contradicting ideas of what is healthy and what is not.

And it doesn't matter if you have certain likes, dislikes, allergies or food preferences, there is still healthy eating for everyone's needs. In fact everyone needs it. Symptoms may not be showing yet, but an unhealthy diet is killing you.

Make sure that you include everything that you consume. All food, drinks, snacks, tastes, nibbles, supplements, anything that goes in your mouth. Also include times that you eat the foods and quantities if you can. At least guestimate quantities if you haven't measured stuff. Measurements like about 1 cup or 100g are good, saying a small serve is not helpful as small to you and me may be very different. Brand names are helpful too.

Come on, I will not be sharing this info with anyone. I've been there. It has taken me a long time to clean up my diet. I know how hard it is. I am living this every day. I have good and bad days and good and bad weeks, but I know what works and it isn't hard. I will also be able to use you examples as examples for everyone else in future newsletters etc. But don't worry I will not name anyone or anything like that.

I know a few of you are busy recording everything, so I will give you till the end of next week to get it through to me seeing as I am going to be away later next week anyway.

What have you got to lose? (parden the pun)

Jo

You CANT out-train a Bad Diet!

Well it's a new year and time for a fresh start. Have you set up your calendar yet? (refer previous blogpost) This one idea will really help you to stay on track if you don't cheat and get started.

A big congrats goes to all the FitterFaster Bootcampers who have been putting in a fantastic effort over the past months. We have had several new Bootcampers start up in the last week or so as well which is great to see. Word is spreading. Results are coming. Everyone is getting fitter, stronger, leaner, they have better balance, more flexibility, more endurance and are feeling more energetic. They have begun to lose many cm's with the average loss so far being around 30cm in 8 weeks.

Another very important piece of the health and fat loss puzzle is your nutrition. You cannot out-train a bad diet. Too much sugar and alcohol cannot be overcome by exercising. Cruel I know, but best results will come to those who change the way they think about what they are consuming on a daily basis. Here are my basic tips for improving your nutrition. These are the first and vital steps you must take to get results. I will expand the list in future blogs, but get these things under control first.

1. Cut down on breads, pastas, pastries, cakes, biscuits, wraps, rice, cereals, museli or breakfast/health bars, etc. This includes multi grain and wholemeal varieties. These foods are processed!!! Since when did a loaf of bread grow on a tree? Try to limit these foods to one serve of wholemeal or multigrain per day. Once serve is a slice of bread or 1 cup of cooked pasta. Remember Grains are not my friends.

2. Eat protein everytime that you eat. This will stabilise the blood sugar/insulin response and also supply quality nutrients that you body needs for complete health. Protein is found in meats, fish, eggs, whey powder and also yoghurt. Nuts and seeds also contain small amounts of protein. Limit yoghurt to 1 serve a day of full cream (do not choose diet or low fat)

3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables at every meal or snack. Most of every meal and snack should be made up of fruits and vegetables. There is no limit to the amount of these that you can eat except limit yourself to 1 small potato each day. Remember rule 2 and combine with protein.

4. Drink only water or tea or coffee. This includes cutting down on alcohol. There are a million reasons to stop drinking every or nearly every day. Even one drink begins a cascade of bad reactions in your body. Many of which also slow or reverse your fat loss efforts as well as effecting your health. Limit yourself to 2 days per week where you consume alcohol. By the way, cut out soft drinks, cordials and fruit juices as well. And skip those lattes and flat whites from the cafe. They are both almost all milk-refer no. 5

5. Cut out milk and if you can cheese too. Limit milk to a tiny amount in coffee or tea. It is for baby cows, not humans. We are the only animal that drinks milk beyond infancy and look at our state of health compared to other species. They may be onto something.

6. Eat every 2-3 hours. Yes don't go more than 3 hours without eating.

7. Include small serves of nuts and seeds in your diet every day.

8. Stop having take away. Cooking a meal from scratch really doesn't take long.

9. If it came in a packet, or has a list of ingredients, stop eating it!!

10. Once per week, eat something you love and disregard all the rules.

11. Exercise every day. You can find plenty of info about this in past blog posts and at www.fitterfasteronline.com

Sticking to these rules will get you well on the way to a healthy and lean body. Every rule is important and although sticking to one or two of them will help, you will never reach your full potential without improving your whole diet.

Until you follow these rules every day, you do not need to worry about serving sizes or quantities of carbs or protein etc. Stick to eating real, non-processed foods and it will make a huge difference. Stop worrying about calories and carbs and get healthy food into you. Don't worry about the latest supplement of weight loss pill or drink. These basic rules will increase your fat loss much more than any of these ever will despite the advertising promises

FitterFaster clients have the opportunity to have their diets analysed and critiqued by me before January 10th. Simply record everything you eat, drink or inhale for 2-3 days and send it through to me either by commenting below or by emailing me at joanne@fitterfasteronline.com

I will have a close look at it and provide ideas, changes and advice for you completely free of charge and with no obligations attached. I really want you all to be able to achieve all of your goals so I want to give you all the help I can.

Make sure that you do not change anything that you normally do for the next 2 days while you record your intake. It is important to get real life examples so that we can work out ways around what you really do. If you try to make it look good, you will not learn ways to improve your daily habits properly so be honest and record everything including the times that you eat it. Best results will be recorded if you carry a pen and paper with you and write it down as you consume it rather that trying to remember it all later in the day.

Take advantage of this whether you are a new client or have been coming for a while. Clients who have purchased nutrition plans in the past should also do this to get you back on track and make sure you are still headed in the right direction. And don't just think that this is for weight loss only. Health improvements are not possible without a healthy diet.

And don't forget that the 30 session package will come off the website on Monday evening. This is your last chance to purchase this package. Results are guaranteed too, so if you don't lose cm's you get your money back

Jo