ASK THE TRAINER

Q: What kinds of food should I eat to lose weight?

A: What a loaded question. I can’t tell you specifically every little bite you should eat, but there are a couple of keys things you should know about nutrition as far as weight loss goes.

1. It’s really all about portion control. You can eat anything (within reason) as long as you are eating the proper portions. There’s the whole thing that brown rice is better for you than white rice, and yes it’s true. But if you must, a ½ cup of white rice every now and then cannot do any harm. It is when you pile 3-4 servings on a plate and eat it nearly every day where problems occurs.


2. Moderation, which is nearly the same as number one. But with moderation, portion control is not the only thing you are watching, it’s how often are you eating something. If pizza is your absolute must have, have 1-2 small slices of cheese pizza every other week, or even less often. You don’t have to give pizza up FOREVER, just learn some moderation.


3. Fill up on the fruits and veggies. Fruits are a great alternative to sugary desserts and candy. Have an apple or banana whenever you have the munchies. It’s so satisfying! Try and eat 1-2 servings of veggies with every meal. Per serving (most ½ cup) the calories are pretty low which means you can have more. The key is to fill half your plate with veggies, ¼ with a protein, and ¼ with a carb.


4. Watch out for low-fat, fat-free products, sugar-free, low-calorie, because they simply add more sugar, salt or other artificial flavoring to modify it. Stick to food in its natural state.


5. Shop from the outer ring at the grocery. The food is less processed, more in its natural state like veggies and fresh meat. If it comes in a box, bag, frozen, canned or otherwise packaged it’s been processed.


6. Read the labels! Most people don’t realize what exactly a portion of pasta, rice or meat is. Labels also include calories, fat, carb, fiber and sodium content, all things to watch when starting a healthy lifestyle. But really, if the food has a label, you’ve strayed out of the outer ring! But that’s okay, just remember portion and moderation.


7. Pack all your meals. This is key when you spend most of your day away from home. This way there will be no temptations to stop for fast food, or hitting the vending machine for a snack. Packs meals, snacks and extra water if needed.


8. Plan all your meals in advance. Shop for the week on one day and pre-cook everything over 1-2 days and put them into serving size containers. This way there is no fretting over what to eat; everything has been taken care of in advance. Always keep some handy standbys on hand like pre-cut veggies, protein bars, and fixins for sandwiches.

I'm sure there are more things I could say here. Nutrition being 80% of the weight loss equation, this is nothing to take lightly. I recommend the Eat Clean book by Tosca Reno because she explains very clearly how to eat the best foods to maximize weight loss.

Eating Rules and Regulations

One can never have too many list of tips! I found this list in my continuing education course Athletic Abs.

• Undereating and undersleeping can cause overtraining.
• Schedule meals in advance
• Become sensitive to your energy needs.
• Don’t skip meals.
• Eat two servings of carbs and one serving of protein at each meal*
• Eating and training speeds your metabolism.
• Consumer most of your calories early in the day.
• Eat slowly to avoid over eating.

*.77 grams of protein per pound of body weight separated into several meals throughout the day for anybody who does cardio and weight training.

20 TIPS TO HELP YOU LOSE THE WEIGHT

1. Track everything you eat & keep within your calorie range.

2. Drink 8-10 glasses of water each day.

3. Veggies should always be the most abundant food on your dinner plate!

4. Use smaller plates at dinner time. Simple, but it works!

5. Measure & weigh everything & adhere to serving sizes for portion control.

6. Use spray butter instead of margarine.

7. Forgo the coffee creamer & drink the coffee black.

8. No sodas of any kind, including diet.

9. Exercise at least 30-60 minutes daily-7 days a week

10. Use a pedometer & walk a minimum of 10,000 steps daily!

11. Eat some type of fish twice a week & limit beef to 1-2 times a month.

12. Veggies, veggies, & more veggies! Raw, steamed, grilled, & sautéed!

13. Pack your lunch w/portable foods when you're out & about even on weekends!

14. Plan ahead when eating out...& take home 1/2 of your entrée.

15. Find a fitness buddy!

16. Keep bowls of fruits & vegetables on the counter & in frig. for easy access

17. Switch to turkey products for your burgers & sausages!

18. Use dabs of olive oil to sauté with & drizzle on veggies for grilling.

19. Focus on getting as many super foods into your diet as possible!

20. Use an all veggie soup to ward off hunger (no meat, legumes, or grains).

Healthy Recipe: Vegetarian Sausages

Okay, maybe they don't taste like sausages, but they taste super yummy, trust me!

Vegetarian Sausages

1 cup water
2 T soy sauce
1 cup quick cook oats
1 t honey
1 t onion powder
1/2 t sage
1 T nutritional yeast
1/2 t garlic powder
1/8 t Italian seasoning

Combine water and seasoning in a two quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Add oats and cook for 5-10 minutes. Cool slightly and form into sausage patties. bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes on each side on an oiled cookie sheet.

Makes 10 patties.

Calories: 52
Fat: 2.0
Carbs: 7
Fiber: 1


I have tried it with egg white and toasted bread as a sandwich, or with protein waffles drizzled with syrup. This could be tweaked according to your taste buds. I have yet to vary it up.

Weight Loss Journey in Numbers

I get so many people asking how much did I lose a week or how long did it take. I found my weight charts from years ago. Each month I would print out a chart, weigh daily (yes, not advised but so what), and jot it down. I would also make notes as to why the weight fluctuated (i.e., high sodium day, fast food day, TOM, feeling sick, or anything that may have factored a big change). By doing this, I could basically predict my weight after awhile.

I started in January 2008, but either I didn’t chart it or threw it away, but the first chart I found starts 9/27/08. I started at 161 in January and by September I was at 130. Here’s a weekly look at my numbers

9/27/08 130.0
10/4/08 130.0
10/11/08 129.0
10/18/08 131.2
10/25/08 127.6
11/01/08 128.2
11/08/08 127.2
11/15/08 124.0
11/22/08 125.6
11/29/08 125.2
12/06/08 125.0
12/13/08 124.2
12/20/08 127.2
12/27/08 126.4
01/03/09 126.0
01/10/09 123.2
01/17/09 124.2
01/24/09 123.4
01/31/09 122.0
02/07/09 123.8
02/14/09 122.8
02/21/09 123.6
02/28/09 120.0
03/07/09 118.8
03/14/09 118.8
03/21/09 119.0
03/28/09 117.6

So as you can see, lots of fluctuation. Lots of up and down. But look at the start and look at the end. From 130 to 117, but look how long it took to lose 12.4 pounds!! Imagine what the whole 43 looked like. I bolded the first weigh-in of the month just so you can see total monthly weight loss. Very small amounts.

But that’s just me and how I lose. But I got it DONE!! 10 pound losses a month are great, aim for that…but be realistic about it too. Don’t ever give up, because there is no finish line!

ASK THE TRAINER

My weekly answers to questions.

Q: About how much weight should I aim to lose a week?
A: I'm going to stick with the standard 1-2 pounds a week. Anything extra is great! Expect to lose more the first few weeks, then it will slow down to the 1-2 pounds a week, if that. Don't get frustrated, losing weight as part of a permanent lifestyle change will take some time. It's a slow process. I call it a roller coaster ride because you will have ups and downs, twists and turns, and may even fall off (but stay buckled in).

Q: How do I get past my plateau?
A: Many different ways, try them all till you push past it. Have you been logging everything you eat correctly? If not, begin to monitor it more closely. If you are not eating enough, add 200-300 calories. If too much, deduct calories. How much are you working out? Can you add 15 minutes a day or up the intensity? Try a totally new workout routine. Eat less processed foods, more clean foods. Up your water intake. The basic idea is to shake things up. It's better to shake things up BEFORE a plateau, so keep changing up and tweaking your routine.

Q: How "insane" is the Insanity workout?
A: Very, very intense. If you are relatively new to working out or not in great shape, you may want to sit this one out. It's very explosive, high intense mostly plyometric moves. If you have bad knees, consult your doctor about this workout. In fact, consult your doctor if you have any physical conditions before starting a workout program.

Q: I need to lose ten pounds in a month, can I?
A: No. That's my short answer. I actually get this question a lot. Losing 10 pounds in a month is definitely possible but it all depends. How much a person currently weighs, are they just starting out, how serious are they to losing the weight or is this just a short-term loss for a special occasion. I get the latter as the answer, someone wants to lose quickly for some event. Give yourself time to lose the weight the correct way and it won't come back again. To lose ten pounds a month, the average person has to cut calories to the lowest possible (1200 for women, 1500 for men) and exercise roughly 2 hours every day for a month. And even then, there's no guarantee you can lose 10 pounds in a month. I know there are special products, special workouts, articles in magazines that say you can, and you can....it's just not that a guarantee.

I lost a total of 43 pounds and it took 14 months! See Weight Loss Journey in Numbers blog. The most I lost in one month was maybe 7 pounds. And there were months I lost only one pound. Doesn't mean I didn't work just as hard that month. I was in it for the long haul, not just pushing at it for one month. Look at the big picture and make small goals. You will get there when you get there.

Keep the questions coming!

Balls of Energy

Recipe from Oxygen Magazine September 2010


These are incredibly easy and super yummy!

Balls of Energy

28 (2 ¾ cups) pitted dates
½ cup water
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup whey protein powder
¼ cup unsweetened, non-dutched cocoa
¼ cup ground flaxseeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup ground walnuts or almonds

In a food processor, blend dates and water. Add nut butter and blend until smooth. Add protein powder in ½ cup increments and process. Add cocoa, flaxseeds and cinnamon and process until well blended.

With clean hands, gather some dough (about the size of a golf ball) and roll it between the palms of your hands. (Note: refrigerating the dough overnight makes it easier to work with the next day.) Roll each ball into ground walnuts. Set each ball on a baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 2 to 4 hours. Serve or freeze for later.

Makes 12 balls. Serving size 4 balls. Well, I eat two with a piece of fruit as a snack. I keep them stored in the freezer at work.

Calories: 230
Fat: 7 g
Sodium: 99 mg
Carbs: 31 g
Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 15 g