Is a Calorie Just a Calorie

The Answer:

Yes, and no

If you have a lot of weight to lose, then yes, a calorie is a calorie, it doesn't matter what type of food that calorie comes from.  From a health perspective you just need to get that weight off.  So a sensible eating plan (ie no fad diets like just eating grapeful ,or one meal a day or anything that is not nutritionally sound) monitored using a program like My Fitness Pal, or the Calorie King, regular exercise and a resultant calorie deficit or between 500 = 1000 calories  (ie more calories burned per day than consumed) is pretty much all you need to worry about.  Eat what you need to and when you need to, to be able to stick to the calorie plan, because the health risks of obesity far outweigh any fine tuning that I'm going to talk about below.

However, if you're not so far from a goal weight eg in the overweight or the lower end of the obese scale perhaps, then let me tell you that not all calories are the same.

You will benefit from understanding about Macronutrients and Micronutrients, and about the timing of when you eat.

Macronutrients

All food can be broken down into a type of Macronutrient: Fat, Protein or Carbohydrate,
Every gram of these macronutrients has a different calorie value

Fat -     1 gm = 9 calories
Foods like butter, cream, oil are pure fat, its also found in most foods but high in  nuts, avocado,  and then lower but significant amounts in meat and animal products, dairy

Protein 1 gm = 4 calories
Most pure forms in Whey and Egg whites, and high in meats fish  and dairy

Carb     1 bm = 4 calories
Vegetables, fruit, grains (like oats, wheat etc=bread, dry biscuits) sugar

So you can see that if you choose to consume 10 grams of fat (eg oil) you are eating 90 calories, versus 10 grams of protein (say egg white) you are eating 40 calories.  So same quantity of food, but one is much more calorie dense (the fat) than the other.  On a basic calories in/calories out scale, eating foods that are less calorie dense (eg protein and carbs) allows you to eat a greater quantity for the same amount of calories. 

That's pretty easy to visualise - just compare one of those snack size potato chip packs (supposedly good for school lunches) 100 cals, versus a plate heaped with vegetables worth a 100 calories.

But the point about macronutrients is not about calories, its about what they do for your body.

Protein is used to maintain and rebuild muscles. Of interest after eating it you only have about 3-4 hours to use it.  You can't store it for long periods of time.  So having all your protein in the evening meal is a waste and what is not used will be converted to fat.

Carboydrates provide you with the fuel for exercise in terms of blood sugar levels. Once again, what's not used is converted to fat for storage.  You will have heard about Low GI foods - these are the ones that provide a slow release of sugar into the blood stream, which is preferable to high GI foods (like chocolate bars, but also items like potatos) that give it to you fast.  They all have a differing impact on insulin levels and the way your body stores and handles fat.

Fats - provide essential nutrients to the body that can't be produced internally.  And I know you would have heard about good fats and bad fats. and the truth is some fat is essential.

ANY excess food consumption that can't be used will be stored as fat, but you can help your body out by giving it the right type of nutrients at the right time

Eg

•  Carbohydrates before exercise,
•  Protein and/or a mix of Carbs/Protein after exercise
• A steady stream of protein throughout the day rather than one big hit
• Keeping complex carbohydrates (bread, pasta etc) to a minimum in the latter parts of the day when they are less likely to be used to fuel activity (the exception to this is if you exercise in the evening)
• Avoiding high GI foods (especially refined sugar) which spike insulin levels and reduce fat metabolism

Learning what you are putting in your body and when, (on top of "how much") is the key to changing the composition of your body.  Remember the photos of people at the same weight but looking a different size? A higher body fat at the same weight as some one else results in a bigger looking, flabbier body.  A body builder weighs a lot but has very little fat.  The body chooses to retain and build muscle, and drop fat - when we feed it with the right macronutrients at the right time to achieve this.

Micronutrients are what nutritional value a food has for normal bodily functions.  So if I said to eat carbohydrates before exercise and you could choose a chocolate bar, versus and yoghurt and some fruit, you can guess that the chocolate bar would be a poor choice as it offers very little nutritionally.  If there are a limited number of calories that we should eat each day - we should be choosing a variety of foods from all of the food groups to ensure we get all of the vitamins and minerals that we need.  Eg are you getting enough fibre, Vitamin C, magnesium etc.  If you are on a very low calorie diet (eg 1200 cals/day) it can be difficult to get a full range, so it is worthwhile taking a multivitamin to be sure.

Thats a very brief summary - but I will refer you to this great book by Coach Calorie - that explains it in more detail The Definitive Guide to Lose Weight. Its an excellent guide to macronutrients and more.

Beat Me

The Ton Up Circuit Challenge
I Dare You....!

The Ton Up Circuit Challenge

I've pulled this challenge from the latest issue of Ultra Fit, because it gives you a routine that can be done anywhere, any time.  Its important to have these in your repetoire so that you can maintain a regime of regular exercise - exercising regularly is probably far more important than what you actually do - at least as far as weight loss is concerned.  If you can't read the fine print, basically you have to do 100 of each exercise, in any order or any grouping that you choose, but keep marking them off until you have 100 (a ton) of each

I'm going to do versions of this in my personal training sessions this week, but my challenge to you is to actually do this once this week.

Can you, will you?
Post below
(PS - click on the photo to make it bigger)

Week 2 Results

Now if I said the results were at the bottom of this post, does this mean that you wouldn't read anything else - just skip straight to the bottom?  Maybe.  Hence why the results are here, and there is a separate post about this weeks challenge - just don't forget to read it.

Well Kel D had another huge week and I can see already she's gonna be hard to beat - unless of course you work harder than she does.....

Week 2
1st Position - Kel D  - 3.95%
2nd Place - Jane H - 3.05%
3rd Place - Kellie B- 2.57%

Overall
1st Place - Kel D - 7.36%
2nd Place - Julie R - 5.39%
3rd Place - Sarah U - 4.01%


Congratulations to all of you.  I (and others) would love to hear from you though,if you think your results came from anything in particular.  Eg if you looked back and thought - well that week I thinkI really nailed my nutrition, or I made sure I ate more not less, or I introduced a new exercise, or I stopped doing x.  If you have any thoughts like these, please share them as they may helpand motivate others.

Never Fear - the results are coming...

... Ive been away and computer software access has been a bit limited.  if you havent got your individual results, it will be sometime tomorrow...

Why Putting Something Off Until You Are Skinny is Not a Good Option

Why, because that day may never come.

That's not saying that you can't and wont lose weight and be in wonderful shape, I'm just  saying that from personal experience and sharing with other people who have struggled with weight that everyone has "fat days". You know, the ones where you look in the mirror and feel fat and frumpy; (and the news flash here is) it happens regardless of your actual size.  Think that through - thin people have fat days too.  Even people who I know are in top condition for body building have parts of their bodies that they are not happy with, because we all just keep shifting the goal posts.

The trick here is to be happy with, and reflect on what you have achieved, and know that you are doing everything you can to achieve your goals.  If you're not doing everything  - then you have something to discuss with yourself!  Use external measures rather than perception to challenge the way you think - I use clothing sizes - self talk like - "well if you are really big how come you are wearing a size###".  Or if your sizes are still bigger than you would like, think about what size you were, and what size you are now.  And nothing replaces photographs, as much as we hate to take them, you will be so grateful at the end.  We see our bodies every day, so its impossible to see the small changes as they happen.  Take weekly photos and watch the changes, you wont believe what stares back at you.

So if you are putting off wearing sleeveless shirts untill your arms are "thinner" or wearing shorts until your legs are thinner, or a tight fitting top until your tummy shrinks - chances are you may never do this, because they will never be "thin enough" for your liking- the only way to get over it is to embrace who you are now, and how the new you will look tomorrow, and the day after and so on.  Same goes for putting off doing things like taking a gym class, going running, cycling etc.  And its so counter productive - these body image issues are actually stopping you from improving your body!

Be Bold, Be Brave - you'd be surprised how many people around you will support you.  And better still, every brave step you take, will make it easier for everyone else who is challenged with the same issues.

Week One Done and Dusted!

Well, we've survived the first week!  Individual results are all on their way back to you, and everyone lost!  Woohoo.
And who were our champions this week?  Week One always see a few ups and downs and minor measurement discrepancies affect the results and then fade into insignificance as the weeks go on and we see the consistent results. But these three people below showed outstanding results.
Congratulations to:

1st Place:  Kels D - 3.4%
2nd Place: Julie R - 3.19%
3rd Place: Sarah U - 2.65%


An awesome effort I'm sure you will agree.  But your challenge this week is to replace their name with your own.
A couple of things to note: there are always swings and roundabouts in results, thats why from next week you will also see Overall Leader Lists.  Don't fret over a small loss - it could be a measurement error, too much salt the day before, hormonal changes, or just one of those days. Its the results over time that count  = hence my photo today.  You must set your sight on your goals and not give up.  If you get results you don't like, then dig deeper and change them.  And I'm always happy to cast an eye over your food diary on My Fitness Pal and see if I can identify some improvements.  This week I will post about macronutrients and give you some direction about what foods are good to eat when - look out for this.

From a process perspective - can you try and keep the subject heading of your emails the same as the one I used on the first week?  I have set them up to automatically filter to a separate folder and if you change the heading it doesn't work!.  Secondly its good if you can reply to the last email I sent you, so that you have all of your measurements in place.  I will need this from next week when I need to count BF loss from the beginning.  Ta

So how's your week been?  Mine's been "interesting" with some good results and a fair bit of pain!  I taught Pump on Tuesday night for the first time in over 3 months, and even though I thought I was taking it easy - I was sore for days!  My butt has only just recovered!  And I had to run the next day and it was not fun! Reorganised my rest day to Thursday to help recover, but it still wasn't quite enough.  Spent three days in Adelaide in a hotel and still managed to stick to my plans and nutrition but it was an interesting challenge.  Long run this morning turned into a short one (just 6kms) due to the extreme heat - but at least I got out there. Off to do my next pushups practice - $6 in the jar for me - how about you?

Keep the introductions coming - if you are having trouble posting - you can always email me and I will put them up for you.

See you all soon
Lisa

PushUp Challenge - Second Call

 

Here's what we are working for (apart from the best looking shoulders, arms and perky chests).

I suggest you set up a jar and label it Hundred Pushups.  Choose what merchandise you want to reward yourself with from the hundredpushups website, and every time you do your work out put  $1 (or $2 for a more expensive item like the water bottle) in the jar.  Then at the end of challenge - you will have the money there ready to purchase your prize, and the jar serves as a visual reminder of what you are aiming to do. 

And who will be the first bloke to join?  Or is it true that women are the stronger sex?????



Week One Challenge - Pushups

I thought I might set you a few optional challenges along the way.  This one centres around one of my all time favourite exercises - the pushup.

Surf on over to here:  hundredpushups.com  and take the initial test (its on the left hand sidebar)

How many can you do?

Would you like to join me in the 100 pushups challenge?  Also available as a phone App, it will guide you through 6 weeks of practice.  I've tried it before and never managed to get to the end.  Perhaps you can motivate me through it this time - after all it wouldn't do to be outdone by my Challenge Participants - or would it?  or could you?

Do the test - that's your challenge for this week, and report below in the comments section when  you have done it (numbers are optional)

And after the test, look through the website and decide if you want to add this into your exercise routine for the next 6 weeks 

PS - haven't seen too many introductions yet - don't be shy!  Post ém anywhere you like!

Starting Measurements are a Bitch...

But that was yesterday - right?

Its been an eventful day within the BFit gym, with lots of people coming in for Fitness Consults. One of the key themes was how much people did not like being confronted with their Body Fat %.  Dont get me wrong, no-one was whinging, but its just hard when you see it in black and white.

But may I remind you that was yesterday. If you are determined enough and stay on board with your goals - you never need to see that figure (pun intended) again.  Onwards and downwards!

There are also many people using My Fitness Pal - to calculate their calories.  This is both an app for the iPhone/iPad, and also available on the web - www.myfitnesspal.com.  I learnt two new things about this app today - one, thanks to Kel Donaghay who has given me, the gadget queen, unparalleled excitement - is that you can scan the barcode of foods in to see all the nutritional details.  To do this - when you go to add a food, look for the little wiggly blue icon on the upper right corner. Press this, and it provides a camera like screen.  Place the phone in front of the barcode so that the barcode fits within the square.  The app will automatically scan it and display all the nutrional info.  You could use it to compare foods in the supermarket, or instantly and confidently enter the foods you have eaten.

Secondly - My Fitness Pal has a friends section.  I'm not exactly sure what it lets you do - but I'm guessing you can probably share recipes and foods that you have entered on to the database.  If there are a whole group of us using it - why don't we all friend up and share? Just a thought

There have been a few questions about measurements - and to clarify - measure your waist around the smallest part you can find, and your hips around the largest part.  If you haven't sent me your measurements yet, don't give up before you have started, still send them in.  The cut-off time is only critical from next week when I need to identify the top three place getters and cant keep waiting for late stats.

Lastly - getting enough protein at breakfast time can be challenging.  The Clean Eating Recipes App - has great protein smoothie recipes, and it also has my favourite - Chocolate Berry Protein Pancakes - which look like this:

Truly delicious, and I think I have added this recipe to My Fitness Pal - so if we friend up - you can use it and you don't have to add it in for yourself.

Some Inspiring Podcasts

Just back from my long run (ok maybe an hour ago- but its taken me that long to get back up off the couch).
Note to self and anyone else who cares - not the best idea in the world to weight train your legs the day before the long run (13.5 kms today).  I woke up with mild DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), and wondered how long into the run it would take to shake it off.  Answer: DID NOT HAPPEN - it never left me and I found the last 1/4 of the run exceptionally challenging.  Not to mention going out too late and sweltering in the sun. Not my best run, although certainly my longest of late.

Anyway - whilst running sometimes I listen to Podcasts to help both distract and motivate me.  I love the ones done by Chris Russell of Run Run Live.
I listened to two this morning that you might enjoy. Particularly the second one about a 72 year old guy who has been pushing his son around in a wheelchair for 31 marathons, countless iron mans, triathlons etc.  It told me that none of us have any excuses not exercise -none, not money, time, motivation anything.

Here are the links:

http://www.runrunlive.com/episode-3-252-zoe-ramano-unsupported-run-across-the-usa

http://www.runrunlive.com/episode-253-rick-and-dick-hoyt-change-the-world

Send 'em in D day is here!

Send in your starting measurements - this is it, your start to greater accountability, tracking your progress and making change.

For the early birds, I've already sent back some results with starting body fat calculations.

But what do they mean?

The table below shows what's a good/not so good level of body fat

The results may surprise some of you.  Whatever the response is, please don't despair.  You are on the road to changing this, you just passed that road sign on the way to a better you.

  

You've heard that muscle weighs more than fat -if your muscle mass is low, and body fat is high your weight can fool you into thinking that you healthier (according to BMI (body mass index)) than you really are.

Ie - you could have a BMI of 25 which is meant to be healthy, and Body Fat% of 35, which is not.  It means your overall weight for height is good, but if most of it is body fat, its not healthy.  This is where the concept of "skinny fat" comes from.  Skinny on the outside, fat on the inside.  To change this, you MUST incorporate strength training into your routine.  Building muscle will slow your weight loss, but improve your body fat %.  The calculations I send you will give you a rough idea as to whether you are achieving this.

The other really important marker is waist measurement. This is the single biggest predictor of health.  You need to aim to get your waist measurement under 80cm to be out of a high risk category. This is because the most dangerous place to carry fat is around your abdominal organs. So think about goals that count/make a difference, and I suggest you include this as one of them.

Lastly - we've hit 40 people on the challenge and I am going to have to close it off as I'm worried I wont cope with all the work.  There are a few more people I"ve said I'll take on, and am yet to finalise, but sadly its a no to any one else.  I hate saying no (I'm terrible at it) but I need to be able to deliver on my promises to all of you.

Well I'm off for a run (long run day for me) - What have you got planned for the fit and healthy you today?

Lisa

How To Get Lean, Not Skinny

Here's a really good example of why you want to get fit and lean, and not skinny through dieting.  There's nothing attractive about skinny, flabby skin.  You wont see the numbers drop on the scale as quickly, but you"ll end up with a much better body.

Below is an interesting article about what lean athletes have in common with regards to nutrition and exercise.  Im going to explain these further in upcoming posts.

FIVE HABITS OF SUPER LEAN ATHLETES (from Primal Muscle, Sports Supplements)

Posted on March 27, 2012

If you went to the nearest NPC national level bodybuilding show and grabbed the first 100 people you saw with lean cheekbones, there’s a good chance they’d have a lot in common. Let’s examine what they’d possibly reveal - the top five habits of super lean athletes.

They don’t mind cardio

Not only do they not mind cardio, but many of them actually enjoy it! Yes, it may seem impossible to a mortal like oneself, but those who are lean as a result of cardio will often fall in love with it. After all, it is the action that helped them to completely transform their body - so they embrace it and treat it with extreme fondness - no matter how boring and repetitive it may be!

They pass on seconds

Self-control at the dinner table is underrated. Most people don’t keep track of the number of calories they eat when seconds (or thirds!) are involved. Show some self-control and take a walk after your first plate of food. Watch those cravings go away as you recall the fact being lean feels better than junk food tastes!

They slow the carbs at night

Many lean people actually possess an innate internal clock which alerts them whenever the “carb cutoff” for the day is taking place. Once 2 or 3 pm rolls around, they will enjoy their last carb of the day, and then move on to whey shakes along with chicken salad to get them through the evening. Being lean feels so good, they can pass up the carbs. Can you?

They plan breakfast

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Start things out right each day by eating a pre-planned breakfast of egg whites & oatmeal - nothing tops that! Those individuals that start the morning right with a perfect bodybuilding breakfast will have positive dieting momentum already in place for the remainder of the day. They won’t feel regret - they’ll feel reassurance that they made the right move!

They know their macronutrients

You can sit down at a table with two individuals - one at a burly 25% body fat, and one at a svelte 10% body fat. Ask both of them to estimate the number of fat and protein grams in a six ounce chicken breast. There’s a good chance the leaner man would know more about that piece of chicken. His leaner body reflects his ability to choose the right foods. Making the right choices is only possible when you have all the right information, which comes as a result of studying away!

Its time to start....

Welcome to my 3rd Body Transformation Challenge, and yes, in case you've forgotten, we start TOMORROW!

For those of you who don't know me, I run these challenges as a part of my passion for health and fitness, and my desire to help others lead a fit and healthy life.  I have worked in health for the last 26 years,  and in 2006 when I took on  a new leadership role in Community Health I decided that to be taken seriously, I needed to "walk the talk" and spent most of that year losing approx 40kgs.  Since then my passion has become some what of an obsession to help others change their life, and I am now a qualified Fitness Instructor and (nearly) a qualified PT.  My daily life outside of work and teaching classes revolves around running, cycling, weight training, healthy eating and my real addiction - Lorna Jane (fitness wear).  If you want to know more about my views healthy eating and exercise I have written an e-book which you can purchase from the BFit Online Shop (left sidebar) for $20 (please note it is electronic not in hard copy).

The challenge is designed to take your focus away from dropping weight, (which is a meaningless number on the scale and reflects loss of muscle as well as fat) and re-focus it on losing body fat, and building muscle.  This will ultimately give you a much stronger, fitter and more attractive body that is firm and toned, not thin and flabby.  Its also designed to give you motivation, support and most importantly, accountability.  You've said you want to change something, now you have to deliver.  No excuses.

Its a big group - 30 + people, and I would like each of you to reflect on the photo above as to what we can achieve as a team, and where you are sitting in the team structure.  Are you running out ahead leading the way, encouraging others to follow, or are you pushing uphill, or caught somewhere in the middle needing some help to dig your way out of a big hole?  It would be great if you could reply to this post and introduce and share a little of yourself, to help develop a sense of team.  One thing about sharing - keep everything positive and uplifting.  There is nothing wrong with sharing your struggles of course, but make sure what you share with others will be helpful, never hurtful.

I will be posting a heap of info to help you fine tune your nutrition and exercise, but in the meantime, start getting to know each other and get planning!  I'm hoping to get a questions and answers forum up on a side panel but in the meantime, feel free to ask questions, others may also benefit from the answers.
Lisa

Setting up your plan for the next 10 weeks..

If you are joining the Body Transformation Challenge, its time to start preparing.

On the right hand side of this post is a link to My Fitness Pal, which is a website and app that will calculate how many calories you should be eating, you can log what you eat and track your exercise and weight in this.
Its my current favourite for accuracy, information and ease of use.  Its  just a suggested tool - there are heaps out there.

Generally speaking, when it comes to losing weight its all about calories in vs out, so its important if you are not really familiar with your calorie intake to track this.

However when it comes to losing body fat - sometimes a calorie is not just a calorie - its about what nutrients you eat, and when.  To start with though, get the calorie balance right -For those who are still finding their way, I'm going to be posting some information soon on nutritition to help you to understand what a  macronutrient is and how they are effective in fat loss, and muscle building.

If you are opting for a fitness consultation, I am going to try and do as many of these as possible on Sunday Feb 10.  By then you will have done your first measurements and weigh in the day before, and we can talk through your nutrition and exercise together and set up a plan.  On the left hand side is an appointment book - you can schedule your own appointment if you like (first in obviously gets a better pick of time slots), and you can also pay on line if you like using a credit card (Choose Fitness Assessment in the BFit Shop) or cash on the day.

To make an appointment:
"Select a Service" and choose Fitness Assessment
"Choose Staff " and choose Body Challenge Fitness Assessments (i know this is not "staff" but humour me)
"Choose Date"  you will see that the only date available is Feb 10 so select this
"Choose Time"  choose your preferred starting time slot and it will book you in for an hour appointment.

The session will be held at my BFit Gym in Crystal Brook and I'll send you the details.  I can do some appointments outside of this day - but I'd like to start here, and then negotiate individually with anyone who can't make it.

Start setting some goals everyone, I have 14 of you signed up so far - and they're still rolling in.  Its gonna be a great 10 weeks!

The Sugar Affair - January Review

Well the first month of the year is over, and time to review my goals- how are you going with yours?  After all, we are 1/12th of the way through!  LOL

My fun goals:

Run 365 km in 2013 - Progress - 19% complete
Run/Walk/Cycle/Kayak/Swim 2013 kms in 2013 -Progress - 5% complete

Obviously the 2013 kms is going to present some challenges, (thats about 5 km/day!)  but I didn't do too badly considering I had 2 weeks off running and 1 week off exercise in total due to illness/injury.  Just need to put in a few big rides each month.

Body Fat Goal
Drop 10% Body Fat - Progress - 2% done dusted!  (thats 1/5th of my target) - Happy with that

Nutrition Goals
Cut out refined sugar
Well I've successfully stayed sugar clean for the whole month, with the exception of some probiotic yoghurt which I couldn't find sugar free, but decided the health benefits of this (post antibiotics) outweighed the effects of the miniscule sugar in this.

I have managed to shift some stubborn fat (most women have stubborn stores either around the waist or the thighs) which I am attributing to improved blood sugar control and how this affects fat metabolism.  I'm no expert in this area but I will put up a post from Coach Calorie that explains this soon.

For the moment - I am just a happy  experiment!