Diet Disasters: Part 3

Drink water. I know you have heard this many times, but it’s repeated because it’s very important. I’m willing to bet that most people who read this are in a dehydrated state. Yes, you can be dehydrated and not know it. And just because you aren’t thirsty does not mean you are properly hydrated. In fact, by the time you are actually thirsty, it’s too late-you're already dehydrated.

Try to gradually increase the amount of water you consume each day. For instance, you can start your morning with a large glass of cold water. Try to drink water with all of your meals instead of tea, coke, milk, or coffee.

Being even slightly dehydrated can have a huge impact on your performance, mood, and thinking abilities. Drinking more water is a change everyone should make. And I bet when you do, you’ll feel much better, in more ways than one.

Seriously, do not underestimate the importance or proper hydration. As far as hydration goes, I don’t count items like milk, juice, and definitely not caffeinated beverages. Try to drink several glasses of pure water every day.

Simple, but effective. Don’t blow this tip off because it’s “too basic.” One of the biggest mistakes people make is disregarding the small stuff because all they care about is the earth shattering, head-line information. The truth is this: it’s the small, consistent changes we adopt that lead to the biggest results. Don’t search for the “latest and greatest” diet tips and tricks, because they don’t exist.

You must master the basics first.

Diet Disasters: Part 2

Have a stress free meal once a week. What do I mean by “stress free?” Well, this should be a meal you eat where you don’t worry about what you’re eating! If you’re craving pizza, eat it. If you want some chicken wings, eat them. You can’t restrict yourself from your favorite foods forever. If you even try, I promise you will end up binging on that food at some point. If you say to yourself, “I’m never going to eat ice cream again,” you are setting yourself up for failure.

Make sure 90% of your meals come from whole, natural, unprocessed foods. By eating natural foods you will feel better, have more energy, and give your body the tools it needs to burn fat and build lean muscle. Have a meal a week (or two if it doesn’t affect your progress) where you eat whatever you want. Life is too short to stress over food. For example, if you like going out with friends or your spouse on Friday nights, have that be the night where you order whatever you want. It takes all the fun out of going out to dinner if you have to stress over what to order! Keep things simple.

If you want a new way of eating that is completely stress free, you should check out Eat Stop Eat.

Gym Lesson

How often do you train your abs? How many sets, reps, and exercises are you doing?

Please don't get in the mindset that "more is better" when it comes to training your abs. You abdominals are just like any other muscle group. Think about it: one of the best ways to increase the size of a muscle is increasing the training volume. This can be accomplished by performing more sets and reps, or by doing high frequency training (training a muscle group multiple times a week).

So, if you are training your abs with several sets on most days of the week, it is very likely that you are actually going to increase the size of your waist. I doubt you want that.

I wouldn't train your abs more than 3 times a week; in fact, 2 is probably sufficient. Focus on movements that require stabilization such as planks, side planks, and ab rollouts (wheel or stability ball).

You should stop doing crunches and sit-ups. They put too much stress on your spine.

Also, you shouldn't constantly train your abs with high reps. Doing 30 reps of any ab exercise is not going to get you a flat stomach or ripped abs. A flat stomach is the result of proper eating habits.

Train smart.

Diet Disasters: Part I

Have you ever started a diet, lost some weight, and then all of a sudden have the progress come to a screeching halt? It happens all of the time, and I’m going to give you some tips to bring your fat loss back up to speed.

Over the next few days I am going to share a few tips you should consider if you want to restart your fat loss or just increase it with a little effort.

Diet Disasters: Part I

1) Sometimes it helps to count calories. For the majority of people, I don’t recommend they count calories. Counting everything you eat is an obsessive act and can lead to eating disorders. Plus, it’s boring, stressful, and takes time. However, there are times when calorie counting can be appropriate. For example: if someone is trying to lose fat but things are moving slowly, or not at all, then they should take a closer look at their eating habits.

Let’s say the majority of the food you eat is whole, natural, unprocessed food like lean meats, lots of fruits and vegetables, nuts, and beans. You have also greatly limited starches and grains (bread, pasta, crackers, white potatoes, etc). Even though you have done all of this, your progress has stalled. This is a good time to further analyze your diet, and temporary calorie counting might do the trick.

Count the calories of the foods you eat on a consistent basis and look for hidden calories. Are you stopping by Starbuck’s several times a week? If so, you could easily be consuming hundreds, if not thousands, of extra calories consisting of sugar and fat each week. Another item people overlook is plain ole coffee cream that they pour in their coffee. If you actually measured the amount of cream and/or sugar that you put into your coffee every day, you would probably be amazed at how much you actually use. You could easily be consuming hundreds of calories worth of sugar and fat and not even realize it.

Another area where calories could be sneaking in is with salad dressings. Make an effort to measure the amount you are actually using.

I’m not telling you to stop putting cream in your coffee or eat your salads without dressing. What I am telling you to do, however, is to measure how much of these items you use for about a week. Once you do that and have a visual of how many extra calories you are consuming, you should make an effort to reduce those calories. Try to use less cream and/or dressing. Try to find a low-calorie alternative. Do whatever you can to bring these numbers down, and I guarantee your fat loss will pick up.


If you truly want to try a new way to lose fat that is all about being stress-free, then do yourself a favor and check out Eat Stop Eat. The pride of this system is the fact that it is meant to be stress free. Check out Eat Stop Eat now.

Fasting for Fat Loss

I’m sure you have heard about people who fast to lose fat. Heck, maybe you’ve even considered it or tried it for yourself.

The method I am most common with is intermittent fasting: you fast for about 24 hours once or twice a week. During the fast you can drink calorie free beverages, but you don’t eat.

Now before you say, “That is just crazy/stupid,” keep reading. I will admit it now: fasting is not for everyone, but neither is eating 5-6 small meals every day! I’ve told you before and I will never change my opinion on this: there is no perfect eating pattern for everyone. You must find what fits you and your lifestyle.

The only method of fasting I would recommend is Eat Stop Eat. The author, Brad Pilon, has taken every precaution and has studied this at length. His fasting methods have helped thousands of people lose unwanted fat. And I’ll admit it now: this is the only diet I have ever heard of that saves you money. Brad explains in his book that there are other health benefits associated with fasting.

If you are looking for an effortless way to lose fat, then I highly recommend you check out Eat Stop Eat. I have used it myself, and it definitely is very easy to use and follow. The best part is that you don’t have to spend time making food and cleaning up your mess!

Fasting is also very convenient when you are traveling. Instead of being tempted to eat fast food or other less-healthy options, you just fast during that time. That’s just a little “food for thought.” (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!)

There are several eating habits you can follow:

1)5-6 small meals throughout the day
2)3 large meals
3)3 smaller meals and a snack or two
4)2 large meals
5)1 large meal
6)Intermittent Fasting

. . . and I’m sure there are more

If you’re not happy with your current eating patterns, you should check out Eat Stop Eat. It very well could be the easiest “diet” you ever try.

If you do try intermittent fasting, I would recommend you contact me. There are a couple of areas where I have a different opinion then Brad: send me an email if you’re interested.

As always, before you make diet or exercise changes, consult with your physician.

SPF KY State Championship

Yesterday I lifted at the Southern Powerlifting Federation Kentucky State Championship. I competed in the Juniors division (20-23) in the 123 pound weight class. Below is a video of my 300 pound deadlift.



Here's a video of my 145 pound bench press. I still don't know what went wrong here. I have lifted this weight numerous times. I think part of the problem was using a new bench, and my form is not nearly as good as with my deadlift. It took a while, but I got it up!



This is just an example of why women should lift heavy. As you can see in the videos I am not big and bulky as some people might expect. Ever since I started lifting heavy weights, my physique has improved. I'm leaner, stronger, and healthier.

Don't be afraid to lift heavy. It will help you build a better body, in more ways than one.

Are You Kidding Me?

Seriously, I am amazed at some of the "fitness experts" that get on TV. I was checking the weather for the day and I clicked on the Today Show. Their fitness expert was sharing her revolutionary techniques to get women (and men) fit.

First of all, she did some odd bodyweight movements that will get you a "Victoria Secret booty." Oh, and she said you should start out doing 40 reps but progress to 80 reps. After you do all these leg movements for 40 to 80 reps, then you get to use some water bottles.

Ugh . . . once again, you'll be doing "very high reps" with the water bottles so you'll lose fat. After all, high reps and low resistance is the best way for fat loss!

Yeah . . . right.

Those of you who have been reading the blog for a while probably already know my thoughts on this, but I'll share anyway.

I am sick and tired of these self-promoted "experts" who tell women to lift light weights for high reps to lose fat. That method is outdated, and it is uneffective. You are not going to get a great body by lifting a dang water bottle or soup can. I don't care if you lift it 200 times, it's not going to help you build a better body!

Ladies, you have heard me say this time and time again, but it deserves to be repeated: do not be afraid to lift heavy weight; you will not get big and bulky. Lifting heavy weights will help you lose fat and build a firm, athletic body. Please, never listen to someone who tells you to do 40+ reps.

If you perform big movements such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, pushups, inverted rows, dips, chin-ups and their variations, you will be able to lose and build a lean, sexy body. No water-bottle workout will ever compare. Ever.

JUST SAY NO:


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Guys, same thing. Stop wasting time and get results: Turbulence Training for Men.