Category: Fast Weight Loss

If I Skip Meals Will I Lose Weight?

Woman is Hungry Dieting

Does your new year’s resolution have you tempted to skip meals to lose weight? If so, you’re not alone. It’s very common for people to experiment by skipping meals to accelerate their weight loss — especially in January after the holiday festivities!

It’s no secret that you must cut and/0r burn calories to lose weight. And, while skipping meals may produce quick weight loss in the beginning, the reality is, the long term results of a “starvation” type diet can be devastating.

Four Reasons not to skip meals!

1)  Slows down your metabolism. When you skip meals, your body goes into “starvation” mode. This causes the body to slow the metabolism for survival and use less calories throughout the day. That’s the last thing you want when you are trying to lose weight!

2)  Unsustainable! Skipping meals to lose weight does not create habits that will help maintain your weight loss for good. It actually does the opposite. Once you’ve lost the weight and begin eating normally again, you will most likely gain all of the weight back. In many cases more than you started with!

3)  Harmful to your health! Skipping meals deprives your body of the fuel it needs to operate properly. It affects your blood sugar, which will cloud your thinking and cause fatigue. People who skip meals are usually robbing their body of essential nutrients and can experience a weakened immune system as well as other negative side effects.

4)  Causes Overeating! When you allow yourself to get overly hungry, you are more likely to overeat and/or binge. This will cause you to consume more calories than you normally would in one sitting, sabotaging all of your efforts to cut back.

Lose weight the smart way!

1)  Knowledge is key! Start by figuring out how many calories you need to cut out in order to reach your goal. Use an app like loseit to calculate what you consume versus how much you burn. Once you determine the deficit, you can decide each day what changes you want to make.

2)  Make a plan! The best way to lose weight permanently is to create a healthy eating plan and an exercise routine you can stick to.

A healthy (balanced) eating plan is usually a combination of three larger meals (aka breakfast, lunch, and dinner) with two snacks in between. Depending on what time you eat dinner, an evening snack may be needed as well. Don’t go to bed hungry!

Here’s an example of a balanced approach to a healthy eating plan:

  • Breakfast 400 calories
  • Snack 200 calories
  • Lunch 400 calories
  • Snack 200 calories
  • Dinner 400 calories
  • Total calories 1600.
This is for sample purposes. You’ll want to calculate your own total. You may discover you need more than 1600 calories depending on how active you are or how much exercise you plan on doing.

Skipping meals may seen enticing in the beginning, but long term success comes from a more balanced approach.  Besides, a balanced approach should sound a whole lot more fun and realistic to you than being hungry all the time.

Please let me know if you have any questions by commenting below! I am here to help you succeed!

Blessings!

Jennifer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast Can Help You Lose Weight!

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If mornings at your house are anything like mine, time is precious during those early hours! For many Americans, coffee is the breakfast of choice. You may be saying, “I know where you’re going Jennifer, but I just don’t have time!” Or, “I’m not hungry in the morning.”

You are not alone! These are common reasons for skipping breakfast. However, after you read this article you may want to consider eating a little something before you head out the door.

How breakfast helps you lose weight:

1) Jump starts your metabolism!  Once you are awake the body has already been fasting for an average of 10-12 hours depending on eating and sleeping patterns.

Skipping breakfast increases the fast to approximately 15-20 hours. This keeps the body from producing the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight. By eating breakfast you actually increase your metabolism!

2)  Battles binging! Skipping breakfast will make you ravenous later in the day and may cause you to overeat. You may find yourself nibbling mindlessly throughout the day. Combine a slow metabolism with that and you have a great formula to sabotage your weight loss plan!

3)  Inspires healthy choices!  Regular breakfast eaters have been proven to eat less throughout the day, pick healthier foods, and exercise.

It’s no secret that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  So how do you battle the obstacles holding you back?

1)  No time!  Make it to go and eat it at work. Try pre-cooked eggs and oatmeal from the night before. Or, toast a whole wheat english muffin and make a healthy breakfast sandwich.

2)  Not hungry! Start by having a piece of fruit in the morning. This will still break the fast and stabilize blood sugar. Work you way up to adding protein. Try a hard boiled egg, peanut butter, or yoghurt. Make it a goal to finish your entire breakfast by 10:00 a.m.

Make smart choices!

Since breakfast sets the pace for the rest of your day, you want to make wise choices.

When focusing on weight loss and management, a 300-450 calorie breakfast is a good target. If you are eating cereals, read the labels and pay close attention to serving sizes and calorie count. Granola is best used as a condiment rather than a meal.

Here are some examples of low-cal filling breakfasts:

Breakfast #1

  • Two fried eggs with a tablespoon of salsa
  • 1 serving of oatmeal with a tablespoon of coconut oil & blueberries

Calories: 435

Note: On this breakfast I eat a 1/2 serving of oatmeal. A full serving is too filling for me. You will want to experiment. I eat a snack around 10:00 a.m., usually a piece of fruit.

Breakfast #2 (replaces the fast food breakfast sandwich)

  • Whole wheat english muffin sliced & toasted
  • 1 fried or scrambled egg
  • 1 slice light cheese
  • 1 piece of nitrate free ham
  • Optional piece of fruit

Calories in sandwich: 329

Breakfast #3

  • 1 cup lowfat yoghurt
  • I tablespoon agave nectar
  • 1/4 Granola
  • Handful of blueberries

Calories: 370

If you already eat breakfast at least five days per week you are on the road to success. If you are just getting started, I hope this article has motivated you to incorporate exercise into your routine.

Have a quick, healthy breakfast you’d like to share? Please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer

 

Why Diets Fail!

Today’s article comes from deep within my heart!

Summer is practically here already.  This could be causing you or someone you know to be tempted to go on a crash diet.  Or, maybe even a “cleanse” of some kind (which is really a diet in disguise!).

Before you go down that path please consider the consequences.  Temporary, restrictive, diets have a 95% failure rate and can do more harm than good!

Have you ever tortured yourself on the latest fad diet simply to find yourself unsuccessful and frustrated?

Maybe you lost a bunch of weight only to gain it back again.  Even worse, you gained back more than you lost!

You are not alone.  As a personal trainer I have seen so much physical and psychological damage from dieting it makes me want to scream!

Some of the reasons diets fail you are:

  • Slows down your metabolism
  • Causes you to store fat not burn it
  • It’s unsustainable for most people’s lifestyle
  • When you stop starving yourself and go back to a normal calorie consumption you WILL gain weight
  • Lack of energy due to being hungry
  • Eliminates entire food groups and key nutrients
  • Can cause binge eating

Look, I get it.  You want to get thinner and you want it now.  Most of us do not want to wait the amount of time it takes to lose weight that statistically stays off for life.  The diet industry is counting on that and the marketing is very convincing!

It starts with a change in mindset.  The mindset that you are going to switch to healthy eating.  Portion control, cutting back extras, and meal planning are all considered healthy eating.  Not starvation diets or skipping meals entirely!

Last week I posted some tips on how to lose weight in the next 30 days for summer.  I decided to repost them in this article for your easy access.

1) Exercise almost every day!  If your schedule permits do one workout six days per week.  Try an interval workout 2-3 times per week and alternate with more moderate activity on the rest of the days.

Choose a fun activity on your off day like a moderate hike, swim, taking your kids or dog to the park, or a stretch and release workout.

If exercising six days per week seems overwhelming start 20 minutes per day 2-3 days per week .  You’ll still get better results than nothing at all!

2) Eat in!  Cook at home for the next 30 days and bring your lunch.  Use light recipes from sources like EatingWell, Cooking Light, and Health magazine.

3) Avoid liquid calories for the next 30 days!  Try substituting alcohol, sodas, and other higher calorie drinks with water.  Try adding lemon or cucumber for some variation.

Sounds extreme?  Cut down to half or even a quarter of what you usually drink.  You can always go back to your normal consumption if you want to.

4) Cut back on dessert!  Desserts are usually loaded with calories.  If you have a sweet tooth try substituting with fruit or one piece of dark chocolate.

Try this for the next 30 days and I know you will be pleasantly surprised.

Seems a bit overwhelming?  Pick as many things from above that you can realistically add to your schedule and implement them right away.    By being consistent you will begin to see results.

Give yourself credit for getting started and know that this is a long term plan for success!

Have any questions or dieting stories you’d like to share?  Please comment below.  I’d love to hear from you!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer