What to eat, when to eat and how much to eat?

These are some of the questions that we ask as we try to lose weight, try to maintain weight and just try to stay healthy.  There are so many "rules" thrown at us that it really gets quite confusing!  I have been working on this for years!!!  Trying to determine what "rules" make the most sense, work the best for me and seem to help the most people!  I do have a degree in science, so I have some brains to go along with this experience, just in case you were questioning my background ;)
What to eat?  The best advice for this is to eat clean!  Fruits, Vegetables, Whole grains, unprocessed and natural!  If it comes in a bag, look for ingredients that you can pronounce!!!  If there are a bunch of preservatives it probably isn't what you need!  Avoid white---white sugar, white flour, white rice...these are very processed, quick to digest and have calories but insignificant nutrition that your body needs to excel! 
When to eat?  Every 2-3 hours to achieve 5 smaller meals a day!  Determine your caloric needs based on your height, weight and activity level, and either divide these needs by 5 if you plan for 5 meals a day, or take off two 100 calorie snacks and divide the difference by 3 larger meals.  I tend to eat a little bit more at dinner as that is our "family" meal, so I save a bit more for dinner time.  There are so many place you can go to online to look for calorie counters, recommendations, etc.  The Beachbody site is great for determining what you need, they have meal plans if you sign up as a Team member.  Livestrong.com has a great resource called the Daily Plate that has some basic information.  All of the Beachbody programs come with nutrition plans and recommendations about what to eat when and of course how much.  Always look at the nutrition information on the food you buy!  Especially at portion size, as often a packet you may think is one portion is in fact 2.5! 
Are you getting enough vegetables in your diet?  I found a perfect solution to make sure I get all of my protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants, super-green foods, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, and just about everything else your body could ever need!  It is called Shakeology!
Nutrition is up to 75% of the equation when you are trying to lose weight!  If you exercise for 2 hours and then dive into a big mac at McDonalds you might as well have skipped the workout and eaten crackers and cheese! It is time to focus on what you want to do for your body, how you want your body to look next year, even next month, and how healthy you want your body to be!
Good exercise and nutrition can be a natural immune enhancer and can lead to a longer and healthier life...isn't that what you want for yourself.  Make the decision to help yourself!  Contact me if you would like some support!

Weights are our friends!!!!

Including weight lifting in your work out regimen is a must!!!  Whether you are trying to lose a lot of weight, a little bit of weight or just to tone up!
First off, muscle burns calories even while you sit and watch TV.  The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you are burning every second of every day.  Regardless of what you are trying to do to your body you typically need to lose a little bit of fat and you want to give your muscles a little bit of definition.  Women rarely get "big" when they lift weights.  Some will put on muscle faster, but there is no reason to lift light weights...go as heavy as you can 10 reps, take a 45 second break then do 10 more!
The only way muscle will make you look bigger is if you don't lose some fat at the same time, and how do we do that you ask? We lift weights...we elevate our heart rate with cardio (TurboKick is great for this :))...and we watch what we eat!!!!  If you are trying to lose weight, NEVER reward yourself with food!  Don't get the mentality that you EARNED IT because you worked so hard at the gym...you need to change that mentality and find a new reward.  Some new clothes for the gym to show off those muscles, some new songs for your iPod to inspire you to work harder, a new book or magazine to read before bed.  Studies have shown that exercise doesn't help a large number of people lose weight...this is because they think exercising means they should be eating more.  Usually you didn't get to the point where you need to lose weight unless you were eating more than you already should be...so sometimes you still need to cut calories.  Look to whole grains, vegetables and lean meats, add some fruit and you are set!  There are some great books and magazines out there that can help you with eating and exercise ideas!  "Clean Eating" is touted as a great way to get that last layer of fat off your belly.  Tosca Reno has 2 or 3 great cookbooks out to give you ideas on this, as well there is a Clean Eating magazine.  My favorite exercise magazine is Oxygen....a LOT about the weights.  Also Women's Health is great too!  These magazines also have web sites so you can check out their info online!  If you are looking for a TV show to inspire you turn on the Biggest Loser next week-Tuesday night at 8pm on NBC----the most important part is at 9:55 when they show how much the contestant voted off lost once they returned home...before and after photos...very impressive!
Have you made some goals yet?  Where you would like to be by the end of 2009, where you would like to be by 6 months from now.  Remember to keep those goals in mind as we head into Thanksgiving and then the holiday season!  How about a new sleeveless dress for that office holiday party....wouldn't it be nice to show off a little muscles definition on those biceps and triceps ;)
I started lifting weights more again in the past two weeks and the scale revealed this morning that I have dropped 2 pounds.  More muscle combined with some hard cardio and reduced calories and you will see some changes!