Week 3 Results are in .....

Here they are:
Want to be a part of the action - ask these people what they are doing!

Week 3
1st Place:  Jo  A        - 1.73%
2nd Place: Andrea B - 1.69%
3rd Place: Hannah G - 1.51%

Overall
1st Place:  Ali C  -      7.3%
2nd Place:  Ingrid C - 4.64%
3rd Place:  Tracey B - 3.75%

One of the things that occurred to me this week is the distinction between being comfortable with what you eat, being relaxed with what you eat, and having rules about what you eat.

We need to find the first.

There is no point me telling you to eat what I'm eating - not many people are ready or willing to foods they have never heard of - and I don't expect you to.  You need to eat foods that are tasty and palatable to you, but not excessive in calories and as wholesome as possible so that you can keep eating them.  I also don't want you to have so many "rules" about what you can eat, that it becomes an obsessive endeavour.

On the other hand - if you are on a 10 week challenge to make a difference - you can't be totally relaxed about it.  You can't afford to have a "poor" eating week or weekend!  Bad choices whilst eating out, alcohol etc can totally negate a whole weeks worth of hard work. Do you really want to eat well for a week, then cancel out your hard efforts the next week, sending you straight back to where you started?  The key is diligence and consistency.

The relaxation about eating and enjoying a weekend of "eating out"  comes when you have achieved your "happy weight", and are not looking to achieve significant losses.  Also - once you've achieved this, you've changed your nutritional habits so much that you wont eat the same anyway.  Yes, there is good science to a "cheat meal" once a week - provided you have been sticking diligently to your nutrition plan, and its only 1 meal out of 35 (yes ideally you are eating 5 small meals/day, 7 days/week).  So dig deep and plan all those social activities carefully.  Remember the purpose is in the socialising, not the eating or drinking. You'll be surprised how much more you will enjoy them when you know you get the fun plus the satisfaction of knowing you have stuck to you goals and are that much closer!

What Should I Eat?

When I talk to people about when to eat protein and carbohydrate, do people actually know what foods I'm talking about?  And how much is a real serve?

Do you eat a really healthy diet but still gain weight?  Perhaps your serving sizes are not realistic - the information below from CoachCalorie gives you a good system for estimating serving sizes - you may be surprised.

Eating small servings but still gaining/not losing weight?  Perhaps the quality of your food is not ideal.  See the list below of what you should be eating.  

When I talk about what to eat when, I refer to macronutrients - its a way of classifying food into three main areas:  Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat.  Most people can identify protein and fat but are unsure about carbohydrates - these are basically fruit, vegetables and grains.  Within these groupings are good choices and not so good choices nutritionally. (eg chocolate is a carbohydrate with limited nutritional value).  The lists below give you an idea of good choices

Notice the lack of things like white flour, pastry, breadcrumbs, cream/creamy sauces, salt, processed meats (eg things like salami, sausages, processed deli meats), packaged foods like cornflakes, biscuits, instant meal packets etc.  Your plate, or your food for the day - should be packed full of just these things below - maybe the occasional additional item.  eg fresh salmon and vegies for tea not schnitzel and chips, no matter how you cook it.

Many of these foods may be unfamiliar to you.  Why do we limit our foods so much?  I have had a great journey in enjoying and experimenting with new foods and you can too.  I'm going to try and post one recipe per week that I've tried and enjoyed and you can give it a go too and see what you think

CoachCalorie also gives you an idea as to how many serves per day, and at the end how often.  

from: www.coachcalorie.com

Protein

Most people get too little protein in their diets. Increasing protein intake can stimulate your metabolism, improve exercise recovery and muscle mass, and reduce body fat 

One serving of protein = the size and thickness of one palm of your hand for a woman, and 2 palms for a man. This equals about 20-30g for women and 40-60g for men, 3-5x per day. Here are some examples of protein sources:

• chicken, beef, turkey, bison, or other lean meats
• tuna, salmon, shrimp, crab or other wild-caught fish/shellfish
• Eggs (have only 6-7g of protein each, so best to add to a smaller portion of meat or other protein source)
• greek yogurt
• legumes/beans
• supplements such as whey or soy protein powder 

Vegetables

Vegetables can be eaten pretty much without restriction. Load them on your plate and fill up on them before you move onto the other foods. Full of phytonutrients, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, they are essential to your overall health, fight illnesses like cancer, and keep your bones strong and your muscles from deteriorating over time 

One serving of veggies = enough to fill your two hands cupped together. Eat 1-2 servings of veggies with each meal, 3-6x a day. Basically every single time you eat, add a veggie. Here are some examples of vegetables:

• spinach, kale, swiss chard, collard greens, cabbage
• broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
• carrots
• bell peppers
• asparagus
• summer and winter squash
• celery, cucumber
• sweet potato, yams (starchy, so keep these to one serving per day if trying to drop fat)

Fruits

Like vegetables, fruits also contain micronutrients and fiber. Unlike vegetables, it is best to limit fruit if trying to drop weight, because it does have a high sugar content, even though it is natural sugar.

One serving of fruit = a medium sized piece. Eat fruit 2-3x per day. Here are some examples:

• apples
• bananas
• strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
• mango
• peaches, plums, apricots
• oranges, grapefruit, tangerines

Healthy Fats

Fat got such a bad rap in the last few decades. The truth is that a balance of saturated (yes! saturated!) and unsaturated fats is essential for good health. The right balance of fats keeps your body inflammation in check, gives you energy for your brain and the rest of your body, and transports the vitamins and minerals you eat throughout your system 

One serving of fat = 2 thumbs put together, or 2 tablespoons. Have 1 serving 2-3x per day. Eat a mix of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats for optimum nutrition. Here are examples of each:

Saturated

• animal fat such as eggs, dairy, meat, butter, cheese
• coconut and palm oil

Monounsaturated

• nuts such as almonds, cashews, pistachios, macadamias, pecans
• pumpkin seeds
• olives, olive oil
• avocado

Polyunsaturated

• fish oil, canola oil, flax oil
• sunflower seeds, flax seed
• peanuts, walnuts

Whole Grains

Whole grains are healthy because they are high in fiber and nutrients. Try to always ingest whole grains with a protein or fat to slow down the digestion and keep insulin levels steady. If your goal is fat loss, eat these in the morning or after your workout when insulin sensitivity is prime.

One serving = size of fist. Eat one or two servings per day. Here are samples of whole grains: (watch out for processed foods like cereals and cookies that claim to be “whole grain”!)

• oats
• rice, preferably brown or wild
• barley
• quinoa
• whole grain bread or pasta
• cracked wheat
• millet

Put It All Together to Create Healthy Meals

So now that you know proper portion sizes and how often you should be eating them, you can plan your meals accordingly.  Each meal will have a serving of protein and a veggie or two. Add in fruit and fat 2-3x a day, and the optional whole grain – choosing from the foods listed above or others you find. You now have the blueprint for a healthy meal plan! Enjoy.

For this week: sit down and plan out your meals according to the above recommendations with foods that you know you will enjoy, and won’t be too difficult to prepare.

Week 2 Results

Here they are:

Week 2
1st Place:  Ingrid C - 2.55%
2nd Place: Ali C -     1.78%
3rd Place: Jacqui H -1.72%

Overall Leaderboard
1st Place - Ali C -       6.85%
2nd Place - Ingrid C - 4.06%
3rd Place - Tracey B  2.8%

Well done to everyone on a great week!
(Now sometimes I make mistakes - so if I've missed you off this list - let me know!)

At the risk of sounding like a broken record...

Whilst I finish off the last few results for Week 2, I am struck by a persistent theme of disappointment regarding little change on the scales.

So at the risk of sounding like a broken record (albeit a very cute one above) may I remind you that:

The Tape Measure Talks the Truth, and the Scales LIE!

So many of you saw little change on the scales but LOST cm's off the waist and hips - showing great fat loss, and overall great results.  This is why its a "transformation" challenge and not a "weight loss" challenge.  Because we want to increase muscle and decrease body fat - and sometimes on the scales this just evens itself out.  A smaller number on the scales (which might be the result of decreased muscle, increased body fat, which often happens with reduced nutritional intake and lack of exercise) wont get you into that smaller pair of jeans, or make you arms, abs and legs look any more shapely.

Even my pizza eater (you know who you are!) who saw the increased number on the scales the next day, dropped cm's from the weeks effort.

I'm so glad that I can feed this back to you in your results, because how often to people respond to the stubborn scales by giving up, when in fact they are making great changes, and just not looking in the right place.

So keep up the great work - and remember - The Mighty Tape Measure Rules!

Dont Run to Get Fit...

A controversial statement perhaps..... Especially from someone who loves to run!

Here's why
Running can be one of the most glorious exhilirating experiences in your life.  It can be done anywhere you are - you dont need a gym, a special time, or any fancy equipment.  All you need is a pair of shoes, (and as I experiment with barefoot running,  I'm learning you possibly don't even need that).  The photo above is from my trail run on Sunday around Eagle on the Hill I think as we crested the hill, and then thundered down a single track with breath taking views of Adelaide.  The sense of freedom was exhilirating.
And I wish I had taken photos one day as I ran Glenelg beach at twilight, the sun glistening off the water, the sea breeze through my hair.  It was awesome.  Walking shows you wonderful views, but running helps you to experience them in a way that nothing else does.  I want everyone to experience this.

So why am I saying don't run to get fit?  Because a wise saying is

 "Don't run to get fit, get fit to run!" 

I thought about this for a while after a first heard it, and then it dawned on me as to how incredibly wise this is.  Running is of course a high impact activity.  It pounds heavy  impact through your legs with every step and you need to be ready for it.  So many people embark on a fitness campaign, determined to do whatever it takes, and rush out to try and run every day (or something similar) and within a week or two injure themselves, become despondent and dejected and give up.

Building fitness is like building a house - you need the foundation first, then the structured walls, then the roof etc,  Put the roof on first and everything collapses - its a house of cards.  You need to build a solid base of fitness first to enable you to take on higher impact activities like running. In your quest for fitness, you can of course use running, but it needs to be in moderation, at a slow pace,  and broken up with intervals and rest, and combined with many other options.  This applies to far more than just running of course.  When you decide to get fit, you need to develop a sensible exercise plan that gives you enough rest to recovery, varies the demand on your body, and it doesn't need to all be at high intensity,. Alternate high intensity days (eg a cardio session) with low intensity - like walking. It needs to be at a level that you can continue with for ever, and when its comfortable - up the ante.

So a new goal might be -" to be fit enough to run". To be fit enough to run and enjoy the amazing experiences I have described, and live to tell the tales.



(NB: of course if you want help with this, book in for a Fitness Consult and  I can help you set up an exercise schedule)

Weight Loss is NOT a Linear Equation

Your results are coming (tomorrow night) as I seem to be having a run of very busy weekends, (or is that weekends busy with running!) but I've had a quick scan of some of your emails and I thought I'd pass on this message to you.

How is it that you can do everything right - and lose nothing on the scales?  Because your weight is not an exact equation - well certainly not one we can calculate.  Eat pizza and have a few drinks the night before weigh in and the salt from the pizza may cause your weight to rise by as much as 1 kg (possibly even 2) by the next day, due to fluid retention.  But think that through.  A 1 kg increase in body fat, requires you to have consumed 7,700 calories MORE than what you need to eat to maintain your weight. If you've eaten well for the rest of the week,  did you pizza and drinks equate to at least 7,700?  I dont think so.  So what the scale shows is not  a real weight gain ( or even a lack of loss ("help my weight stayed the same"?)  but a daily fluid variation which will return to normal over the next few days.  In fact, stick to you guns and you'll get a double whammy loss the next week - when you see the real results of two weeks worth of good nutritional intake.  But thats the key isn't it?  Don't get despondent and throw in the towel.  Believe in yourself and you will eventually reap the rewards

And this is why we measure ourselves.  The scales will go up and down sometimes like a yo yo. The graph above is what a typical weight loss graph looks like.  But measurements tend to be much more stable.  Feeling bloated and cheated on the scales - check your waist measurement. (in the morning)   If its the same or going down  - that's exactly where you want to be.

Sunday is Planning and Prep Day (well it is for me)

One of the key themes I see when talking to people about their difficulties in achieving their goals comes back to one thing – failure to plan and prepare.

We lead busy lives.  We rush from one thing to another.  It exhausts us.  And then we make poor choices.  Ones that we know aren’t the best but we are too tired and time deprived to make better ones. Right?

Wrong. 

We have the time but we haven’t planned its use out carefully enough.

We would have the energy if we had eaten more nutritiously and exercised more regularly.

Can you see that it’s a vicious circle?

Here’s how you break it.

Invest in some time each week – about a half an hour for planning and 1 – 2 hours for prep. I usually do it on a Sunday, but when is up to you – as long as you know – that’s your planning time. 

Sit down for the first half hour and plan out your exercise schedule for the week.  Write it down in a time table.  What work/family/travel commitments do you have that week?  How will you slot your exercise around this to achieve it on a minimum of 5 days/week, preferably 6?  Which day works best as a rest day?

Now look at meal times.  When will you be rushed for time?  When will it be hard to grab nutritious snacks.  What are you going to eat  this week?

Then make sure you have the right food in the house and do some “forward” cooking.

Eg cook up chicken breasts and throw them in individual bags in the freezer  so they are easy to grab in the morning to add to a salad, or heat up at night with vegies for a quick meal. 

Pre – cut a whole heap of vegetables for snacks, salads and for cooking.  Arrange them decoratively in your fridge to enjoy the colour and make them appetising and attractive when you open the door.

Get rid of poor choices that have crept in that you don’t want to be eating.

Prepare meals for the freezer for those nights when you are going to be rushing in and out.

Make sure you have food on hand that makes good healthy snacks.  If appropriate – put them in snap lock bags ready to go  - so you can just grab on the run.

Here are some snack ideas:

Air popped popcorn (not the butter microwave varieties – start with real popcorn)

Rice cakes with:

• 1.       Peanut butter and banana or apple (keep the peanut butter to 1 tbsp per snack)
• 2.       Avocado and tomato
• 3.       Cottage cheese (or cream cheese but cottage is better) and strawberries and cinnamon
• 4.       1 sliced apple with 1 tbsp peanut butter spread thinly on the slices
• 5.       Thinly spread pate

Small tub yoghurt

Carrot and celery sticks with low fat dip (eg hommus)

100gm tin or tuna

1 half chicken fillet

10 almonds and an apple

Any other ideas – share them in the comments section below.

Now you are on your way to a great week. 

Here’s an interesting thought.  If really pushed for time – it would be better to sacrifice an hours exercise, and give it over to planning and preparation.  In an hour – you might burn 500 calories, fail to plan your week and make poor food choices – and it may cost you thousands of calories.

Get the best bang for your buck.  Invest in planning.

By the way - this photo is from the Clean Eating App called CE Recipes, and its based on the Clean Eating Magazine - check it out - heaps of ideas for healthy meals

Your First Set of Results - Oooooh!

Yep, the first set of results are here.
May I say though - how wonderfully exciting it was to review them all.  Most people have had FABULOUS weeks.  If you learnt something this week that worked really well for you - please share it in the comments section below - other people could really benefit from this!

Secondly - I tried to change the dates on the results table - but I am unable to cut and paste a new row on the table, which means that I would have to manually change every one of the 40 results tables I have received.  (Which would take forever!)  So when you send your next results in - can you change the dates? It should read  START, 11/5 (not 4/5) and then continue on until 13/7!  Many thanks

Lastly - look out for my next post about planning and preparation - the investment you HAVE to make!

So here they are

Week 1 Winners
Say congratulations to:

1st Place -   Ali C -      5.07%
2nd Place - Susie G -   3.52%
3rd Place - Tracey B - 2.32%

These figures blew me away - as I'm sure they do for you also.  Well done girls!

Is That Number Really Me?

When you look at your starting calculations, you may be a little shocked or dejected.
Is this number really me?  The answer is Yes, and No.

One of the key things in transforming your body is to be able  accept the statistics for what they are, a number. Don't deny them what ever the reasons are - catch the excuses, dump "em and move on. Leave them behind.  For good.

But tomorrow is another day - and you need never have the same results again.  Right?

But don't let them define you.  You are who you are.  Despite what we think, no-one actually defines who we are by our weight, that is almost not seen - its who we are and what we say and do.  Don't lose sight of the wonderful creation that you are.

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 which may be your butt/thighs.  If you measured this incorrectly, send me your new ones and I will recalculate this for you.  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.

What do the stats mean?

The body is composed of different types of tissue, and we can roughly divide them into muscle and fat.  Muscle is dense firm and lean in shape, fat is light and lumpy.  The fat sits between the muscle and the skin and gives that wobbly look.
So Lean Muscle Mass - is how many kgs of your total weight is likely to be muscle.  You want this number to be big and to keep going up each week.
Body Fat is how many kgs of your total body weight is likely to be fat.  You want this number to be small and go down each week.
Body Fat percentage, is Body Fat (kgs) divided by Total Weight (kgs) x 100.
The chart below shows what levels of body fat percentages are healthy.

Also placing you at risk is a waist measurement above 80 cm for women and 94cm for men. Unfortunately not many men and women make this grade.  One of my goals for you - is to get you there.

You can expect to lose 1/2  % body fat per week as an acceptable loss.  This may be a lot more if you have a lot of weight to lose , and it may be less if you have very little to lose.  Don't worry about minor variations in the first few weeks, over the course of the challenge you will be able to see if the trend is going in the right direction and make the appropriate changes.

If you are not happy with your results - always feel free to ask me for advice.  I can't make the changes for you, that's your job, but I'm happy to problem solve with you.
Also - please share on this site.  Use the comments box below.  Sometimes I feel like a priest - everyone confessing their deep dark secrets about their weight, and their challenges, I don't want to break confidences, but little do they know that everyone else has similar struggles!  So share and support each other!

Rate Your Daily Commitment

How determined are you to reach your goals?

Here's a way to keep yourself in check, and give yourself the needed "kick up the ****" when appropriate.

At the end of each day, give yourself a rating out of 5

1 point for planning your food according to your targets (eg calories, clean eating or protein)
1 point for eating according to the plan
1 point for planning your exercise
1 point for exercising to plan
1 point for drinking to plan (6 - 8 glasses water, no alcohol)

Basically - If you don't plan, you can't score anything apart from the last point

Remember

If you are really serious about your goals you will be scoring 5 out of 5 - right?  If you are consistently scoring say 3/5 you can't really expect great results can you?

To visually help and reinforce this, why not make up a good old fashioned star chart?  One square for every day of the week, for 10 weeks.  Put in on the wall and colour in the days that you score 5/5.  When you don't score a 5, write in what score you do achieve.  Be real, don't kid yourself. Maybe even write your results at the end of the week to reinforce what a difference dedication makes.  And this way - every day has a goal to achieve.

Here's a sample chart of what it might look like:

See the way I can visually see why I haven't had good results in the second week?  And every day that I don't get to colour in the square - it tells me what I have to work harder on the next day?

Then again - a very colourful row makes me feel very cheerful about how hard I am working.

And its not about meeting anyone else's standards, its about achieving my own plans.

What if I achieve my plans but I dont get the results I want?  Well its back to the drawing board - either your plan is flawed or your goal is unrealistic.  But at least you KNOW that something has to change.  I will help you with this - just ask the questions on your weekly email.  I will email you a copy of this chart in case you want to use it.

By the way - when I drew up this chart I realised that I still have the dates wrong on your measurement chart - I am one week out - with the starting measurements coming in on 4/5 and Week 1 results coming in on 11/5.  I will see how I go changing this on your return emails today.

ON with the challenge!

Its not D Day its GE Day (Get Excited)

Its time to GET EXCITED

You are on the way to the new version of you!

As Day One dawns of the new challenge, its time to get your attitude in check.

Make sure this challenge inspires and motivates you and is not seen as depressing and restrictive.

Check your language.  Replace words like "I can't"  with "I don't",
eg" I cant have that cake", instead is "I don't eat junk", (I choose to fuel my body with things that are good for it)

How about the "I have to" ones?
I remember an article on this one where the person was recounting their busy day -" first I have to get my kids ready for school, then I have to drop them off at school, then I HAVE to go do a hills run, then I HAVE to....."
I'm sure this is familiar thinking to you.  But how many people would love to have kids around to look after, and how many people would love to actually be able to run?   So this person changed their thinking and replaced all the "have to's" with I "get to".  Subtle change but significant.

Exercise, eating well, and transforming your life is full of opportunities and is an absolute privilege.  Dont treat it as a chore.  It will lead to such positivity if you let it, and THAT will keep you on track for life.
So GET EXCITED - BRING IT ON!