Today I am posting a workout from my Eat Lift Lose program. The program includes three months of workouts and this is Workout 2 form month 1. This is a great leg/glute workout, with planks thrown in for fun. This workout shouldn't take you long at all, 45 mins. max, please make sure to warm up beforehand. My programs all come with warm up exercises, if you are not sure how to warm up, please feel free to email me. And don't be surprised if your sore! For the Single Leg Romanian Deadlift, I have 10lb dumbbells listed, this is for a beginner lifter, if your more experienced, use whatever load your comfortable with. And if 10lb dumbbells feel to heavy, use 5lbs. Happy Thanksgiving!
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This blog post was inspired by an article in the September issue of Women’s Health (WH) magazine. WH is one of two fitness/health magazines I still read. I used to read at least half a dozen. The reason I don’t read them anymore is because they are often filled with 1. Repeat articles, 2. Misleading information, 3. Contradicting information.
Misleading information and in some cases just wrong information is published all the time. The article in question was called, “The Big Protein Mistake You Are Probably Making” (link below). When I first read the title I thought for sure they were going to be talking about how we as women don’t eat enough protein. Boy was I wrong. After reading this article, the key take away was that I was eating way too much protein, but wait, I am not eating too much protein, well which one is it WH? Here is the first paragraph from the article: “Protein is one of the building blocks of a healthy diet, but most of us are taking in way more than recommended. Women in their twenties and thirties are now ingesting an average of more than 75 grams a day—nearly two-thirds higher than the U.S. Department of Agriculture's recommendation of 46 grams.” By the way if you trust the U.S. government when it comes to healthy eating, big mistake, experts have long been saying their recommendations are out dated, even the most recent guidelines have been criticized. 46 grams of protein is roughly 6 ounces of meat or a large chicken breast. Are we really supposed to eat only that much protein? Choosemyplate.org does say that if you’re getting more than 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day than that number should be increased. Here another part of the article: While protein-packed energy bars, desserts, and even the popularity of the paleo diet may be partially to blame, many of us are also timing our protein intake all wrong—leading us to consume way more of this macronutrient than we need. "We're not pythons," says Douglas Paddon-Jones, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition and metabolism at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. "We can't eat an entire chicken and use its protein for the rest of the week." In general, your body can process only 20 to 30 grams every two to three hours or so, max; anything more than that might be stored as fat. FYI Doc, how many women do you know are eating whole chickens in a sitting? Paddon-Jones and colleagues conducted a study to prove this, comparing the muscle-boosting benefits of two beef meals—one containing 30 grams of protein (roughly the amount in three ounces of chicken) and one with triple that amount. They found that people who ate the larger meal didn't get any additional benefits (just extra calories); blood samples and muscle biopsies showed no increase in muscle protein synthesis (i.e., growth). This study is cool, if you want to know that just because you eat a ton of protein doesn’t mean you are going to instantly gain muscle, yeah I know, there’s a lot of things that go into gaining muscle, like overall caloric intake and strength training. And by the way, this is Women’s Health Magazine, how many women sit down and eat 90 grams of protein in a sitting, very few, that’s like whole chicken, gross. Our problem is chocolate and pizza, know your audience! I particularly hate this part of the article: Even within these loose parameters, there's wiggle room in your personal protein numbers depending on your age, build, and activity level. Weight lifters obviously need more than couch potatoes, but a taller woman will also need more than a petite one. So rather than aiming for a set number of grams each day (because: do you really need one more thing to keep track of?), try following the recommendations below, which are based on your lifestyle and needs. Weight lifter needs more protein than couch potatoes, okay I hear ya, but why single out weight lifters? Why not say, women who are exercising moderately more than x number of times per week, why are weight lifters singled out? I think it put it’s a bad connotation in women’s heads about lifting weights. In the next part of the article where they give guidelines they do that, however, the thought has already been planted in your head that only women with big muscles should be eating a lot of protein. The only part of the article I like, kinda: Ideally, you want to spread protein evenly throughout your day, aiming for 20 to 30 grams at each meal and between five and 10 grams in every snack. So if you eat 20-30 grams of protein at each, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and lets say two snacks at 10 grams, that equals at a minimum, 80 grams of protein, and at a maximum, 110 grams of protein (I eat 110 grams a day BTW). This totally contradicts the beginning of their article, which says that women are taking in way to much protein at 75 grams per day. Did they not just recommend at minimum you should get 80 grams and at a maximum 110, this based on a 135 pound women by the way? So if by chance you read their article and felt confused don’t worry, so was I, the difference is I know better but women who are struggling with their weight and nutrition might not. And this is exactly why I am now down to reading only one fitness magazine now! Link to the article in question: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/food/protein-mistake If you have a sweet tooth but don’t love the calories that come with it, you’re not alone! That’s why I have been working on some sweet treats that come with minimal diet damage. First up is the ice cream sandwich. This week’s dessert is inspired by mint Oreo cookies. If you love cookies and if you love ice cream, then you have to make these. Not only are they delicious, but they are super easy to make and kid friendly. All you need is a box of Enjoy Life Double Chocolate Chip Cookies and Halo Top Mint Chip Ice-cream. Enjoy Life products are usually found the in the gluten free section, since they are free of all allergens, which by the way doesn’t make them any less delicious. These literally saved me when I was breast feeding my daughter who had multiple food allergies. As for the Halo Top, you need to head to Whole Foods. One box of cookies and one pint of Halo Top will yield you six ice-cream sandwiches. Spread the ice cream on one cookie and top with another cookie and freeze, can't get more simple than that! Here are the macros: Protein: 5 grams Carbs: 24 grams Fat: 8 grams Total Calories: 188 calories Stay tuned for my next blog, guilt free apple pie al a mode! You may have heard about people “counting macros” or “IIFYM.” What does this all mean exactly? Let’s first start out by learning what macros or macronutrients are. Basically they are proteins, carbohydrates, and fat. One gram of protein equals 4 calories, one gram of carbohydrate equals 4 calories and one gram of fat equals 9 calories. We all eat macros, just not all us of track them. The reason people like to track macros and in turn count their calories, is because it makes eating in a calorie deficit or surplus, that much easier and more sustainable. Protein We all need protein to function, however, most people tend to not eat enough protein. Protein is the macronutrient that makes us feel the fullest. So, 30 grams of protein, think a small chicken breast, is going to hold us over much longer than 30 grams of carbs, think a light wheat English muffin. Each have the same amount of calories, however one is going to satisfy us more than the other. When you’re eating in a calorie deficit, eating enough protein is going to keep you from losing muscle weight as well. When you don’t eat enough protein and you cut your calories you could end up losing muscle and fat, not just fat. And we want to keep the muscle we have (and hopefully add some more). The more lean muscle you have the more calories you need to eat in a day to maintain your physic. I don’t know about you, but I am all for needing to eat more calories than less. Carbohydrates Ahh, the dreaded carb, probably has the worst reputation in the entire food kingdom. Carbs make you fat, gluten makes you fat, ugh……… no overeating makes you fat. Carbohydrates for the body is what gasoline is to cars, it’s our main source of energy, and our bodies love it. The reason why carbs get a bad rap is because whenever someone goes on a low/no carb diet, they instantly lose 5lbs. It’s like magic and thus they feel like carbs are the enemy. When we eat a 1 gram of carbohydrate, our body holds on to 3-4 ounces of water and attaches to our muscle fibers. So when you go from eating 250 grams of carbs per day to eating almost none, you are going to lose water weight almost instantly. Most people can’t get beyond more than a couple of weeks without eating carbs, so the no carb diet is usually just setting yourself up for failure anyway, as soon you start eating carbs again, the scale goes right back up. Fats Fats are like Brittany Spears, first their great and everyone loves them. Eat high fat and no carbs and you are going to get skinny, bring on the steak and butter. But then after time, the hype starts to fizzle out, everyone gets fat again and now fat is crazy Britany Spears shaving her head, no one wants it. But wait, someone sensible stepped in and straightened Brittany out, she’s back and better than ever, and guess what so is fat. So now fat is good, just the right kind and in moderation, we actually need fat to burn fat, who would a thunk it. So I may have gone a little off on the Brittany/fat stuff, but there is a morale to that story.
The only way to lose weight is to consume less calories then you expend. There are many strategies to do this, including a lot of fad diets that get some attention for a while but then fade out. Then there are the tried and true strategies that body builders have being using for years. High protein, moderate carbs, and low fat. It’s actually pretty simple, yet most people would rather spend time learning complicated systems like putting their food in different color coded containers (I’ve tried this BTW, so confusing), rather than just call it what it is, protein, carbs, and fat. Now I have seen countless people write things like, counting macros and weighing food takes hours. That’s bullshit, unless 15 minutes actually feels like hours, but it doesn’t to me. People even say counting calories is obsessive and that you just have to eat clean. I’m sure this strategy works for some people, but when you’re trying to lose 15 pounds, you need to know and track what your consuming or you could very well be eating just as many calories as you expend or even more. What should my macro allocation be? Ahh, the good part. Here are some general guidelines, every person is different and I personally set my clients macros based on their eating habits and other factors, then make adjustments as needed. So if your under 30% body fat you should generally be eating .8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Your fat should be around .2 per pound of body weight. And carbohydrates are the filler. If your goal is to eat 1,500 calories per day and you weigh 145 pounds then it would look like this. Weight 145lbs Calories Protein 116 grams x 4 464 Carbs 194 grams x 4 776 Fat 29 grams x 9 261 1501 Now if you want to know how many calories you should be eating to lose weight, generally speaking you want to be 500 to 1,000 calories lower than your daily calorie expenditure. If you have 30 pounds or less to lose you’re likely going to be in the 500 range. Okay so now you’re probably asking what the heck your daily calorie expenditure is. The easiest way to calculate it is using this link, I could lay it all out for you on how I do it in excel, but this link does the exact same thing, less math for you! http://www.muscleforlife.com/tdee-calculator/ If It Fits Your Marcos (IIFYM) IIFYM is very popular among bodybuilders and they have been using this approach towards nutrition for years. It does get a bad rap sometimes because you might see someone eating a donut and bragging that its fits their macros and all of the clean eating people get upset because they think IIFYM supporters are perpetuating unhealthy eating habits. The truth is most people who follow this philosophy are making healthy choices 90% of time. The other 10% is them choosing pizza or ice cream. The difference is they are not going over their daily targeted macros. They don’t have to “cheat” and go over their daily calories by eating the pizza. They just chose to eat super lean during the day and save their carbs and fat for the pizza or ice cream at night. And there is nothing wrong with that. Eating healthy 100% is not manageable or realistic for 99.9% of people. This is me by the way wearing my favorite tank top, Wine fits my Macros, why, because I’ve eaten in calorie deficits for months at a time and never once did I have to give up my wine (or pizza). A lot of other diets are very restrictive when it comes to certain types of food and alcohol, making them somewhat tough and at times discouraging to follow. I also have an Ice Cream fits my Macros t–shirt as well :) Is IIFYM right for you? If your goal is fat loss and you don’t want to give up the foods you love, then yes it’s for you! There is no one telling you can’t have that Egg McMuffin from McDonalds because your super busy and don’t have time to make a clean breakfast at home every morning. IIFYM’s eat it! Obviously you should be eating lean protein, veggies, fruit, and whole grains, but you’re allowed to eat other things. And with my coaching programs you don’t have to count your veggies, non-starchy veggies, like lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, peppers, green beans, broccoli etc., all are free, you don’t have to track them and you can eat as much as want! Never. Honestly, there is never going to be a right, wrong, or perfect time to start a diet. We all lead very busy lives, between, work, kids, family, and social gatherings, there is always going to be an opportunity for us to say, now is not the right time to start a diet.
Here are some typical reasons why we might not start a new diet: I’m really busy at work. I’m going on vacation soon. My kids are super busy with activities. It’s summer time. The holidays are coming up. I will right after New Year’s. If you have ever used any of these excuses and are currently over weight and don’t want to be then I have news for you. You’re probably always going to be overweight. Now I am not talking about the new moms who are post-partum in between having babies, I hear ya. I’m talking about anyone who has been overweight for more than a year or two. The people who have real time and real resources to actually do something about their situation but never do because they always have an excuse. So if your reading this right now and seriously wish you could punch me in the face, then go for it, throw out a couple of air punches right now. Now that you got that off your chest. You really need to sit down and think about your situation and your relationship with food and figure out what the fuck is going on. If losing 10 pounds could make you feel better about yourself, isn’t it worth it to stop eating like crap so you can get there? How the hell is that piece of cake going to make you feel better in a bathing suit? Now what if you have significant weight to lose, like 50 pounds or more? I don’t really care about the bathing suit part, I care about how you feel walking up a flight of stairs, not good am I right? Your legs burn, you’re out of breath and you might even feel a little pressure on your chest. How the hell is that piece of cake going to help you walk up the stairs? The reason I say you need to figure out your relationship with food is because it is a relationship, this isn’t just I need energy so food gives it me type of thing. There are real emotions associated with food. You might eat to celebrate, to relieve stress, or even out of boredom. There is no perfect diet, there is no perfect workout, and there is no perfect timing. What there is, is your relationship with food and understanding that a piece of cake won’t make you happy, and if it does, it won’t be for long. If you feel like any of this relates to you and you want to do something about it. My suggestion is to start logging all of your food, and no, not the calories or macros. I want you to log your feelings associated with what you’re eating. How did you feel before you eat each meal, how did you feel immediately after, and then go back and write how you felt a few hours after that or even the next morning. Do this for a week, put the food log away for a week and then go back and read it. If after that you feel like you’re ready for a change, email me at nicholeguerrette.com and I will help you get started for free! Happy Sunday Fun Day, this week I have been working on a cocktail recipe. I had what was called a Pink Panty Dropper at my friend Jill’s house last week. It was delicious and one was really all I needed, on a Sunday night with two kids anyways. On a Friday night with no kids, a few these and I am sure it would live up to its name :) I was thinking about how I could make a lower calorie version of this cocktail and I decided it was going to be done with a little protein. While there is a not a ton of protein in these, at least there is some, the original version has none. Recipe Ingredients: 2 Corona Light Beer’s 2 Trimino Protein Waters – Strawberry Lemonade Flavor 1 Cup of Tito’s Vodka 6 Tablespoons of Pink Lemonade Concentrate Ice Directions: All you need to do is mix all of the above ingredients in a large pitcher! I added strawberries for a garnish but you could also do lemon wedges or both. Macros for the Pitcher: Protein: 14, Carbs: 88, Alcohol Calories: 88, Total Calories Per Pitcher: 496 You can probably get about 6 servings per pitcher! Summer, summer, summer time! There a couple of things that embody summer in New England, the beach (duh), fried seafood, concerts, Red Sox games, and wait for it, ……. STREET MEAT! Who doesn’t love a sausage, pepper and onion sub from a sketchy cart outside of Fenway or a kick ass country concert? I know I do and I totally missed out on having my street meat at Luke Bryan last weekend, I actually just forgot too, the concert was so good! Now to get my fix, I decided to make a healthier version. Full disclosure, it’s not as good as the real thing, however, if you’re eating in a calorie deficit this will totally take care of your craving! Ingredients: Shady Brook Farms Sweet Italian Lean Turkey Sausage Light Wheat Hotdog Rolls Various color Peppers and Red Onions Condiments are up to you! Directions: Pretty easy, you can cook the sausages and veggies on the stove in a frying pan or on the grill. Macros: Protein: 20, Carbs: 20, Fat 10, Total Calories = 250 I want to talk to about your mindset today and why it’s so important. If you’re trying to change your body and how you feel about your body, then mindset is going to play a key role in that.
To get up everything single day and count your macros, stay in a deficit, workout, and then take care of everything else like, work, kids, and home, is a huge undertaking. It’s a big commitment and you have to go into it and stay in it with the right attitude. More often than not when someone starts a new diet/workout program they go at it hard in the beginning, all in for a week or two and then poof, they are done. Why, you tell me? You got sick, your kid/s got sick. You have a huge deadline at work, you got in a fight with your spouse. Your car got a flat, your kid puked on you and now you have your period, bad freaking day! Am I right, have these things happened to you? What did you do after said bad day? Take a long bubble bath, meditate, and get a good night’s sleep, haha, I don’t think so! A bad day or bad week and you totally deserve to have that ice-cream sundae and go over your fats by 20 grams. You totally deserve that 600 calorie margarita and some nachos! Now, feel better? Probably, you’re full and a little buzzed! How do you feel the next morning? Super guilty because you eat all of that crappy food and booze? Back on your diet today, but wait your exhausted and your craving tons of sugary carbs, your body just needs it right? “I will start my diet again on Monday”. If this sounds like you then you are not alone, its happens to most people. You just have to decide that you have had enough. Those nachos and ice-cream are not going to help you lose fat, they’re not going to make feel and look better in a pair of jeans, and they’re not going to give you more energy. Now does that mean you can never have those things again and still be lean, of course not? But when you’re in a calorie deficit you need to make sacrifices and choose your food wisely. If you really feel like ice-cream and pizza then you need to make if fit your macros, you can’t go over because you had a bad day and feel like you deserve it. You know when you deserve it? When you have lost 1-2 pounds for 5 weeks straight, then you deserve a cheat meal and to go over your macros a little. But by then you may not even want to, the thing about progress is that it’s addicting. When you see that scale move down and your pants are getting loose, it’s the best feeling in the world. Why, because you worked your ass off to get there! Okay, so that’s out there. I whole heartedly admit to loving pizza. And it’s hard not to, protein, carbs, and fat, what’s not to love. However, if you are trying to lose weight and have a pizza addiction it can be really hard to resist the temptation. Especially if you have kids, ordering pizza usually happens at least once a week at our house. It’s easy, delicious, and affordable. Now for the bright side. There are ways to still enjoy pizza and lose fat.
One of my favorite ways to get my pizza fix while in a calorie deficit is having an alternative to traditional restaurant pizza. American Flatbread makes an excellent frozen pizza, my favorite is the Tomato Sauce & Three Cheese. I always add sliced mushrooms to mine. I usually eat half and pair it with a salad. Even if I was having a really bad day and felt like eating my feelings, the most damage I could do with this is 600 calories for the whole thing. If you eat half of a regular restaurant pizza we are talking anywhere from 800-1,200 calories, that’s a big difference. I actually buy one of these every week, and I am not eating a calorie deficit, I actually really like them. I also find that I have more control around the real stuff. I eat my salad first and I usually just grab the scraps my kids leave behind :). American Flatbread Macros, Protein: 30, Carbs: 74, Fat: 20, total calories 598. Fun fact: Pizza is a $32 billion industry, the average American consumes 46 slices a year. So, your counting macros, it was tough at first but now you’re getting the hang of it. The scale is moving down, you’re feeling good, confident, you can totally do this. Then, brake…… it’s a holiday weekend. And never mind one of the best holiday weekends of the year, 4th of July. Summer is here, alcohol is flowing, hamburgers and hot dogs are grilling, and everybody brought cupcakes! Yay, not :( This weekend is the perfect diet trap, you’re actually meant to fail this weekend. I guarantee if you’re on fat loss program you will mess up! Not because I think you’re a lazy, no will power loser. Because it’s the perfect storm, and no matter how on point you are with your nutrition, you can’t possible stay in a calorie deficit all three days and enjoy yourself. If you’re going stay on point with nutrition, you may as well stay home, it’s that simple. I am in no means writing this article to tell you that you can have three cheat days in a row and reverse all of the good you have done. I am telling you this so you don’t beat yourself up when you’re not perfect. Here are some tips to help you get through the weekend, enjoy yourself, and minimize the damage. Booze!
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