Heather Picken

The following article is from my fellow colleague, Joey Atlas

Don't Count Your Calories, Just Shift Them
- by Joey Atlas, author of Fatness to Fitness, released on Amazon today - visit
www.YourFitnessBook.com/amazon - for almost $300 in free fitness tools, including a DVD.

The challenge of eating a nutrient dense diet that promotes healthy weight and optimal fitness - while at the same time trying to keep daily caloric intake at appropriate levels for one's goals (usually fat/weight loss) can be one the most difficult juggling acts to master. In working with many clients with various daily habits and patterns - I've realized that a good number of people can benefit from "shifting their calories" to accomplish healthy nutrition and weight management.

Depending on the time you wake up in the morning - starting your day with breakfast may not be the ideal way to kick off the fulfillment of your daily nutritional needs. Now, I know this goes against traditional advice, but read on to fully understand this approach.

I've worked with clients in the past who have tried to eat breakfast (in many forms and variations) first thing in the morning, and they would find that doing this made them hungrier the rest of the day and it usually led to increased daily caloric intake - enough to cause long term weight gain.

There are some people who wake up relatively early and start the day with breakfast and continue to eat relatively well throughout the day. Often, these types of people, although eating healthy foods, are taking in too many calories in the span of a whole day and either have trouble losing weight or continue to gain weight.

Now, for the caloric shifting part. We will talk about meal shifting to keep matters simple - but understand, a meal is made up of calories.

A simple strategy for those who find that keeping a lid on daily caloric intake is a challenge - is to push back the time that the first meal is eaten. Lets call this meal breakfast, even though some people may find it strange to call a meal eaten at 10:30 or 11 am, breakfast.

So, instead of eating your normal breakfast at 6:30 or 8 am, you don't skip it, you just push it back a few hours - toward your normal lunch time. In effect, you are moving, most likely, 300 - 500 (maybe more) calories and taking them in at a later time, maybe 3 or 4 hours later than normal.

Here is what happens to most people who I coach with this method. They find they are not starving for a big lunch (which also gets pushed back a few hours - to about 2pm (give or take 30 minutes). Additionally, they are not ravenous by dinner time, when most people self destruct and do so until bedtime, by snacking after dinner.

So, a result of this meal shifting is a reduction in 'overactive appetite' - not a bad reduction, but a healthy reduction - one that is very helpful in preventing one from over-stuffing the stomach and going beyond their daily caloric needs.

Lets back up a little - if dinner time food raids are a challenge, then this meal shifting can help you reduce that eating urge after work and put you in a better position to control the volume of food you put on your plate and the number of calories you put in your body.

Ok - so, 'the shift' is also helpful for people who snack every few hours once they do start eating. By delaying when you start eating in the morning - you also delay the snack intervals you enjoy - and in effect you may reduce your total daily snacks to 2 or 3 instead of 5 or 6 (including your after dinner snack). When all is said and done, by days end you will have taken in less calories than you would have, had you started with an early breakfast.

Common side effects of this strategy are increased energy, less bloating and stomach discomfort, better sleep patterns and a few others. Hmm - I wonder why?

There are several factors inside of this strategy to be aware of. The types of foods you choose, the volume of foods you choose and the realization that you need less calories than you think you do to function optimally on a day to day basis.

I also realize that this may go against the "You'll shut down your metabolism, by starving yourself" crowd. But believe me, this is far from starving yourself, very far. I tell you this firsthand, because it's how I've helped many people take control of their weight and it's how I manage my own daily nutrition and my metabolism keeps burning right along.
Joey Atlas is the author of Fatness to Fitness which was released earlier today on Amazon. To celebrate the launch Joey is giving away almost $300 worth of bonuses with each book purchase, including a full body, home fitness DVD - visit www.YourFitnessBook.com/amazon for all the detail

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1605305154

Posted by Heather Picken at 3:07 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

How to lose belly fat is the most frequently asked question by women, and of course they want the fastest and quickest way to lose it. There are many articles and diets out there that claim they can help you lose unwanted belly fat but it can be very overwhelming.

I have been in the fitness industry for 10 years and have worked with real women that have struggled with these issues. Let me say it can get a bit complicated then just going on a diet. Women do struggle more than men to lose this.
You must be patient in the process as it is not a linear process.

Here are the 7 best tips to beat belly fat:

1. Preparation is key. First off, I do not like the word "diet" it sounds very negative, and is short-lived. Most women that go on fad diets gain the weight back and then some, which contributes more to losing belly fat. What you first must understand is that if you want to really lose the belly fat you must adapt a healthy life-style.

You also must mentally prepare yourself for this and feel you are ready to change. It is a decision to be committed rather than just interested. Committed means you do what it takes, and interested is that you will only do just a little and end up frustrated because you didn't get the results you wanted.

2. Look at your nutrition. The main thing to be concerned about is calories. Too little calories and the belly fat will not come off and the same thing for too many. You need to be in the right calorie deficit to lose belly fat.

You might be thinking of what type of plan you should be on, but the real secret is how many calories you are taking in for the day, but also make sure that protein is set up to your daily requirement. This can vary anywhere from 1-1.5 grams per body weight or some like to go by their lean muscle mass.

3. Fish oils (6 grams daily) this will help you lose fat. You actually need the right amount and types of fat to lose the belly fat.

Most programs can show you how to take weight off, but if your serious about losing the belly fat you need to focus on fat loss not weight loss for permanent results. As you progress your body will plateau and you actually have to keep adjusting your metabolism. This is done mainly through nutrition.

4. Eat to lose belly fat. Believe it or not sometimes you have to go up in calories in order to lose more belly fat. I know this may sound counterintuitive but it's true. Do this very carefully, otherwise you can end up worse off than before.

I recommend hiring a highly skilled fitness professional that knows how to do this. They must understand nutrition beyond the scope of what most people think.

5. Have the right training program. This will consist of both weight training and cardio. I find many women doing cardio the wrong way.

Forget about long sessions on steady state cardio, these can actually produce too much cortisol, which leads to belly fat. Many women are exercising this way to lose belly fat, when in fact they are being counterproductive in their exercise.

The right way to do cardio to lose belly fat is interval and HIIT (high intensity interval training). These are short bursts that can be done outside or on a cardio machine. For example of HIIT would be 20 seconds of a workload followed by 30 seconds recovery then repeat the cycle for 8-12 times then perform a moderate cool down.

Intervals will be longer in both work and rest segments. When it comes to losing belly fat, weight training is very important and you want to keep a variety of reps schemes.

Doing heavy sets one week (6-8 reps), and the following higher rep sets (10-15) is a good way to mix things up. There are many ways you could put together a weight training program, but I want to stress that you need to have variety and don't think doing light weight and lots of reps is going to get rid of the belly fat either.

Just to keep things simple, know that you need to vary your program. Another key to getting rid of belly fat is intensity, if you are working out and you are not sweating an breathing hard then you need to push yourself harder.

Do not waste time when you are working out, rather keep your sessions intense and keep rest brief in between sets (45 seconds- 2 minute rest). This will vary depending on your program.

6. Track your progress. Take your body fat every 2 weeks, along with measurements, pictures, and try on a pair of pants that are too small. Things can fluctuate so you might have the measurements read the same but your pants feel looser.

I find that by doing all of these things gives you a more accurate picture.

Even the mirror can be deceiving as you look at yourself everyday, water weight can give you the wrong impression of progression. If you are not changing after every 3 weeks, you need to change your program. Women tend to stay on the same program for a long time and wonder why things aren't working. Like I said in the beginning, losing belly fat is not a linear process.

You're body will plateau, so you need to take the necessary steps in tweaking your program if you want to lose that belly fat.

7. Lastly, but most importantly is conditioning your mind to stay motivated. For some reason this doesn't get addressed the way it should.

Everything you do is a mental process and that goes with losing the unwanted belly fat too.

If you want to learn how to finally achieve the body of your dreams and blast away your belly fat go to http://www.mybodyisfitnow.com

Posted by Heather Picken at 2:20 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The holidays are right around the corner and you may find yourself gaining anywhere between 5-15 pounds from Thanksgiving to the New Year.

If you want to avoid the holiday weight gain you want to make sure that you have a plan, just like you normally would.

This consists of:

Well-Being
Exercise
Nutrition

Many women will allow themselves to get stressed during the holiday season with family, feeling rushed, and so much more.

It is important to realize that you are the one that decides how to feel. You can choose to feel stressed during the busy holiday season or you can let go and tell yourself that it you will have a great holiday season.

Exercise is so important to include because it releases endorphins which are the feel good chemicals, allowing your body and mind to connect to the flow of feeling calm and relaxed as well as burning off the holiday turkey and trimmings.

Staying on top of your nutrition is really easy if you plan ahead. Allowing yourself to indulge a little is fine and telling yourself it is ok, makes is much more enjoyable.

Designate one day a week during the holidays to give yourself permission to have what you want in moderation.

Here is to a healthy, happy Thanksgiving.!

Posted by Heather Picken at 8:26 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

One of the things I talk about on the fat loss program is to eat as many fat burning foods as you can. Eating fat burning foods will give you more energy and get you the results you want.

At the top of my fat burning food list is chicken and broccoli. I love to eat this all the time and I found the perfect gadget to steam my food that was so easy and fast.

The other day I purchased one of these:

It's the PRESTO 0600 steamer (sells for under $30). This is the fastest & easiest way that I have found to prepare food. There is no excuse now that you don't have time to prepare healthy fat burning meals.

Here are some ideas of what you can do:
Steam broccoli and chicken
Steamed veggies like red peppers, mushrooms, and cabbage
Steam seafood like salmon or shrimp
And so many other combinations..you can even use it as a crockpot.

The great thing about this is it's easy to clean and you can toss in even frozen food that will take very little time at all.

I simply did chicken & broccoli, then added some reduced sodium soy sauce and stone ground mustard for a dipping sauce.

Add spices to eat or a little olive oil. If you are on the go this is a must have item for your kitchen. You can also cook more portions at once, that way you can have them for later.

Posted by Heather Picken at 4:54 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Diets do work if you want to get rid of weight fast and gain it all back

Diets do work if you want to feel miserable all day

Diets do work on slowing down your metabolism

Women want results quickly and will go to extreme measures to lose weight.

If you have ever been on a strict diet, you know what I mean. Let me tell you there is a better way to burn the fat off, while keeping your metabolism high. When I talk to most women who are dieting they tell me they are afraid to eat and that the pounds will just come on. Well, if you want a faster metabolism and want to keep it running that way, don't be fooled in thinking you have to eat practically nothing.

So in order to lose more fat and keep your metabolism high, you need to fuel your body and exercise. Many women complain that after they hit 30 all of the sudden they gained extra body fat around the stomach, hips, and thighs. Is it really age or is it something else?

Most women I find aren't doing what they need to do in order to have their metabolisms going.
They exercise less and some cases eat more or eat less. If you have been on a low calorie diet for a long time then your body eventually adapts to it and it becomes harder to lose weight.

Every time you diet you suppress your metabolic rate about 30%. Thus, it becomes difficult to lose weight/fat. Along with dieting you begin to lose muscle. Muscle is the key to your metabolism, so the more lean mass that you have the better.

So what should you do if you have been dieting for a long time on low calories? You want to bring up your calories to get things going. I explain this in my section of how to repair your metabolism here

I see this often in women, but once they adjust their calories with the right ratios of fats, carbs, and protein their bodies become more efficient in burning fat. Not to mention they can get away with eating some treats here and there. Make sure that you are eating mostly fat burning foods. (Lean proteins, essential fats, and carbs)

Some of my favorite fat burning foods are:

Peanut butter (all-natural)
Chicken
Broccoli

You will find here a more detailed list:
http://www.fatlossforwomen.com/public/283.cfm

This may sound counterintuitive, but science doesn't lie. 95% of women who go on diets gain the weight back then some. The best way is to lose it at a steady pace, and it will stay off..the other way I can pretty much guarantee it will come back on. Any quick fix diet and take the weight off you but how many of them will guarantee after you go back to your old ways of eating it comes right back on.

If you think about it, and do it the right way it's actually faster.

Do you want to break the yo-yo diet cycle once and for all and finally know what to do?
Then, become a member here where you will get the answers and resources you need.

Posted by Heather Picken at 5:22 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The Power Of Affirmations for Weight Loss.

What are affirmations?
They are short, specific statements said in the positive.

We have an average of 40,000-50,000 thoughts a day.

You become what you think about so if you're thinking " I can't lose this belly fat, I can't slim down my thighs,or I can't get motivated", realize that it's all in your mind. I came across this that you can actually install on your computer from Jeff Staniforth,

We've all heard about metabolism and how it effects our fat loss. Did you know that the average
person's metabolism decreases every 10 years by 10% once they reach 25 years old.
So is it possible to increase it?

Yes it is! Don't think you have to live with a slower metabolism which contributes
to that extra belly fat too!

Here are 3 ways in which you can TURBO-CHARGE your metabolism:

1. Gain more lean muscle
If you gain 5-10lbs of lean muscle (not fat) then your body will be able to burn an extra 100 calories everyday. This can easily be done by regular weight training.

2. Food
The food you eat can make your metabolism faster! By eating the right combinations of food at the right time. Many women aren't fueling their bodies correctly and this is what causes the metabolic shutdown keeping the belly fat on. Most women I find are simply not eating enough protein to see fat-burning results.

3. Fat-Burning Exercise
If you keep doing the same exercise routine your body will get stuck. The key is to mix up
your workouts by not doing the same thing and keep your intensity up there!

P.S. Here's A Special Valentine's Day Gift: Fat-Burning Recipe

Chocolate Zucchini Loaf

Mix & soak for about 5 minutes:
4 egg whites
1/2 c. quick oats
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

add:
1 small grated zucchini
1 T. Hershey's Dark Cocoa
4-8 pkts. Splenda
Sprinkle of cinnamon
1 T. Mini-Chocolate Chips

Mix w/fork

add:
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1/4 tsp. Xanthan (optional)

Mix w/fork and pour into two Pam sprayed mini-loaf pans.
Bake at 350 for 30 min. Cool on wire rack before slicing.

Click Here To Learn More About Re-Setting Your Metabolism

Posted by Heather Picken at 2:51 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)