50 Strategies to Decrease Fat Intake and Lose Weight.

A healthy body needs dietary fat, the key is to ensure that an individual eats the right amount. Too much dietary fat leads to increased risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and several forms of cancer.  Individuals not consuming enough dietary fat may be unable to absorb and use fat-soluble vitamins. A diet deficient in fat deprives the body of an essential component of hormones and other bio-chemicals, such as vitamin D and bile.  A fat-deficient diet can unhelpfully affect a child's growth.  Dietary fat is a fundamental component that sheaves nerve cells.  To little fat can affect the ability of these cells to fire off electrical messages.  An insufficient amount of fat in the diet can depose the body of a major source of energy. Restricting the amount of fat consumed reduces the feeling of satiety after eating. 

1. Avoid ordering items in restaurants that are fried, crispy, buttery, scalloped or cooked in their own gravies. READ MORE

Answer to Permanent Weight Loss Questions

1.  If I skip breakfast will that help me lose weight faster?  
Fitness fabrication at it's best. 
You may think by decreasing your calories by skipping a meal you will lose weight but deprivation is a key to weight loss disaster. A healthy plan is to distribute your meals and snacks evenly throughout the day, allowing for a steady supply of energy. Designing your food intake this way will help to keep your glucose level in control and avoid overeating.  

How to Get a Flat Tummy 

Tammi Jacobs,
Results Health and Fitness Center

Answers to Permanent Weight Loss Questions

2. How do I know how many calories to eat each day if my goal is to lose weight?
Healthy weight loss is a process built on three primary cornerstones:

1.  Understanding the food you are eating.

2.  Eating a variety of healthy foods.

3.  Exercising on most days.

    Whether your long term weight loss goal is to lose 10 pounds or 80 pounds, you should not expect to lose more than 2 pounds per week. Focus on setting achievable micro-short term goals. The central challenge to pulling off any switch is getting yourself started and to keep the momentum going. With success at each micro goal interval the momentum will carry you through the tough times.

    Weight loss programs, whether designed by you or a professional, are best when tailored to meet your own needs, as opposed to a 1 diet fits all. The basics of developing a healthy weight loss program, providing no extenuating circumstances, follow these basic steps:

1.  Determine the amount of calories you burn in a day.

2.  Determine the amount of calories you consume each day.
3.  Consider your exercise amount in terms of calories and modify the caloric intake so you have a 500 calorie per day loss. (1 pounds is equal to approximately 3500 calories) 

 




     Tammi Jacobs, Health and Wellness Expert                    
     Results Health and Fitness Center, Chandler, Arizona

Answers to Permanent Weight Loss Questions

What effect does alcohol have on weight loss?

            Alcohol has 7 calories per gram and metabolizes much like fat. More importantly they are all empty calories as alcohol has no vitamins or mineral. Many alcoholic beverages have high sugar content. Alcohol can also inhibit your self control which may lead to overeating. All in all, alcohol slows your metabolism, reduces appetite self control and encourages over eating.

            If you are attempting to lose weight and one of your dieting tools is reduction in food intake, it is best to choose foods that are categorized as a good source of vitamins and minerals and not empty calories. Alcoholic beverages with the lowest calories are 12 oz. of light bear, 5 oz. wine or 1 oz. of liquor: each containing approximately 100 calories.  






Tammi Jacobs, Health and Wellness Expert
Results Health and Fitness Center, Chandler Arizona

Answers to Permanent Weight Loss Questions

4.  I am always hungry. What can I do?

            When the goal is weight loss, hunger is often a hurdle to overcome, however it may not necessarily be hunger. Reminisce for a moment the numerous occasions feasting until the point you thought you could not eat another bite and then dessert is presented. Somehow you are hungry again. Well, it is not hungry you feel, it is your appetite. To rein in your eating habits it is important to understand the two mechanisms controlling this particular situation.

            Hunger is a physiological response (internal stimuli) to lack of food, whereas appetite is the desire to eat due to environment (external stimuli) such as the sight or smell of food. Many things can trigger your desire to eat, and recognizing the difference between genuine hunger and stimulus driven appetite (the same signals that entice a smoker to want to have a smoke with a beer) are one of the many tools to place in your healthy lifestyle tool kit. Much of the stimuli in our environment prompt the desire to munch such as sizzling steak on the television commercials, smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls, bill boards picturing beautifully prepared foods all trigger food intake when it is unnecessary.           

             What is often mistaken for hunger maybe “pseudo hunger”, and someone with a large appetite could possibly be someone who was taught to clear everything on their plate. Hunger vs. Appetite is a perfect situation to engineer your environment for success. Here are a few tips:

 1.  Before you eat, stop and ask yourself if you are really hunger or if you are just eating out of habit, boredom or temptation.

2.  Remove yourself from the temptation. Go for a walk, play with the dog, drink a large glass of cold water or even brush your teeth.
3.  Eat before you get hungry by planning your meals ahead of time. 5 – 6 smaller meals throughout the day.
4.  Refrain from eating treats (chocolate, candy, chips) when you are hungry as it conditions a belief system that only quick sugary treats satisfy hunger.
 5.  Fill up on high fiber foods that are low in fat.    

Drop 10 Pounds in 30 Days!
Tammi Jacobs, Health and Wellness Expert
Results Health and Fitness Center, Chandler, Arizona

Fitness: Facts or Fiction by Tammi Jacobs

Fitness Facts and Fiction
Are you one of those people that believes the best way to flatten your abdominal section is to do crunches for hours on end? Then stay tuned into this blog and we will answer any of the exercise, diet and work out myths.


Exercise Question

1.  I used to workout and when I stopped my muscle turned to fat.

Negative 
Muscle and adipose (fat) tissue are two completely different tissues, and one will never turn into the other. However this situation is a perfect analogy for “use it or lose it”. If you are not using your muscles, they will atrophy, shrink. Additionally, if there has not been an adjustment for less activity concerning caloric intake, fat cells will fill.

Exercise Question
2.  Yo Yo dieting has ruined my metabolism and now it seems impossible to lose weight. Wrong

A person who repeatedly loses and gains weight should not have more trouble trying to reach and maintain a healthy weight than a person attempting to lose weight for the first time. Studies indicate weight cycling does not affect one's metabolic rate - the rate at which the body burns fuel (food) for energy, therefore weight cycling should not affect the success of future weight-loss efforts. A more plausible explanation to difficulty in weight loss is the decrease in lean muscle mass that may have occurred over time and a disproportional rate to fat increase with lack of physical activity. Making regular physical activity as well as healthy eating habits a part of your life will assist maintaining a healthy weight range and improve health overall. One study by the American College of Sports Medicine revealed that much of the problem with the inability to lose weight was not lack of the body’s ability to metabolize nutrients but actually the participants in the study underreported their true food intake by 47% and over reported their physical activity by 51%.

                                       
Exercise Question
3.   I should only do cardiovascular exercise while I am trying to lose weight as weight training will adversely affect my weight loss.

Negative  

Weight training is a very important component of a well balanced workout regime because it helps to increase lean muscle mass which in turn gives the metabolism a boost. Research studies indicate that after age 45, the average person loses about 10% of their lean muscle mass due primarily to lack of physical activity.

    A recent study which followed 164 women in Minnesota, one half of the women participated in weight training 30 minutes to 1 hour most days of the week while the other half did no weight training. The group that participated in weight training lost 3.7 % body fat while the control group did not change.

Exercise Question

4.   Overweight people should not exercise and only focus on diet.  
Not By Any Means  Recently the media and medical profession have begun to focus on obesity as not only a personal health issue, but as a driving force of the impending medical crisis. While evidence shows a genetic component, lifestyle factors are probably more important when the goal is to reverse obesity.

    My recommendation for people who are overweight (BMI 25) or obese (BMI 30) is a balance of healthy nutrition and exercise. But, what does that really mean. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends at least 200 minutes of exercise per week – translation - 40 minutes per day on 5 days each week. The same study also revealed another interesting fact concerning caloric intake and activity level. Exercise does work and weight loss will occur if more calories are burned than consumed. But, even if a person exercises for an hour, they may not lose weight if they consume an excessive number of calories that day.

Exercise Question

5. Sit ups are the best exercise to give me a flat tummy?    
Never  
If your desire is a flat tummy the best exercise for you is cardiovascular activities like, step aerobics, walking, jogging, coupled with a good diet. You must get rid of the layer of fat around the mid section to unveil the muscle hidden beneath. It is also important to note that you can not specify where you lose fat. Spot reduction and toning are another myth all within themselves.

  Keep in mind common exercises for the abdominal and the core like crunches, sit ups, leg lifts, trunk rotations are designed to strengthen and tone the muscles and to help provide support to the core allowing for better posture which is a good thing.  However these exercises will not decrease the waist line and give the flat tummy many people are looking for.


Tammi Jacobs, Health and Wellness Expert
Results Health and Fitness Center Chandler, AZ

What is Pilates at Results Health and Fitness? Free until Feb. 24, 2010

What is Pilates at Results Health and Fitness? Free until Feb. 24, 2010

What else is Pilates? A stimulating and visionary system of mind-body exercise evolved from the principles of Joseph Pilates. Pilates definitely transforms and renews the way your body looks feels and performs. It cultivates strength without bulk, creating a sleek, toned body with slender thighs and a flat abdomen.

It teaches body awareness, good posture and easy, graceful movement. Pilates improves flexibility, agility and economy of motion. It can even help alleviate back pain.

Professional dancers have known the benefits of Pilates for decades. Top athletes use it for strength, flexibility, and injury prevention. Hollywood celebrities and supermodels use it to maintain beautiful physiques. Results Health and Fitness Members use it to maintain strength, variety and enjoyment for FREE from now until Feb. 24, 2010. Wednesday Evenings at 6:30 pm Bring Your Friends!

How to Get a Flat Tummy!

Your Walk and Tone Workout

Your Walk and Tone Workout

Stay Slim and Get Strong with Fat-Blasting Firming Moves

Yes, I know that working out takes time and energy. The good news? Interval workouts, combining fast and slow paced walks will help you reach your fitness goals quicker. Follow this fun workout that targets multiple muscles congruently. You will get a full body shape up and see results in less than a month. Plus you can pair the following toning routine with our meal plan to keep your metabolism in high gear and shed those 10 pounds before short season is here. 

Your Program at a Glance...

Success Secrets from Results Health and Fitness Members

Success Secrets from Results Health and Fitness Members

• Every night I planned and prepared my meals for the next day. 

• Keep a food journal and analyze it every night. If you get off course you can fix it the next day. 

• My husband and I plan our healthy menu, prepare our food, schedule our work outs and now we plan fun vacations together. 

Stay Slim: Stick with It!

Stay Slim: Stick with It!

The new science on how to approach your 
fitness goals and make changes that last.

This is it. You are about to dive head first into a vigorous exercise regime, to eat less and exercise more and to make lifestyle changes that will help make you happier and healthier than ever before. On your mark, get set, STOP! You have been at this point so many times before in your life. This time we are going to make it different because we have a new plan. Changing for Good, coauthor James Prochaska, PhD has identified 5 key stages of change. First you must admit to exhibit behaviors that are in need of change: second, you intend to do so. Third, arrange the details of the master plan which engages step 4, putting details into action and 5, blending your new lifestyle changes into your life style.

Step 1

Pre-contemplation 

You realize there is a need to exercise and eat a balanced diet and to make some life style changes.

• Tune in to your excuses. Your friend invites you to try a great yoga class at Results Health and Fitness. Do you decline? Make an excuse of having back pain? Step one is facing your excuses.

• Tally the Benefits of Change When you lose weight you lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and decrease the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. Everything about feeling good is good.

• Ask for Help Create a support group with friends and family, hire a professional personal trainer or dietician. Make sure they all understand your clear and concise goal and are willing point of excuses and tactics you typically used to delay staying on track.

Step 2

Contemplation

You know modification of your behavior is a must and are not sure how. You still have a fear of failing.

How to Move To Step Three?

• Educate Yourself Read about health and fitness. Learn about different types of  exercise and how each benefit the body and mind in different ways.

• Work through Ambivalence When you fall back on your excuses, ask yourself if this true. Do I really not have enough time to workout? Do I really need to watch The Bachelor this week? Connect with your interests in changing with something of value – for instance, dropping 40 pounds will give me more energy to play with my children.
• Do Test Runs Want to participate in a walking program…..someday? Try a test run. Take a short walk and experience the feelings. Prochaska explains, “By taking those small steps, you’ll be motivated to launch your plan.”

STEP 3

• Preparation You are ready to make the commitment of time and hard work to get fit.
• Mark room for your goal. You may need to maneuver your schedule and delegate tasks. Pencil in your workouts and class times just like you would meetings and work schedule.
• Map out a plan. Should I hire a trainer or join a gym? Do I need to stock up on certain foods? Should I join a diet group? Dr. Prochaska says, “If you can’t write out a plan and explain it to a 10 year old, you are not ready.”  Anticipate certain obstacles. For example if a work project takes you out of town, stay in a hotel with a gym. If you know you will be working late, plan to exercise in the morning.

• Take you plan public. Set a start date and let your family and close friends know your intentions. “Once you say it out loud, it becomes a commitment that other people know about, which creates pressure on you to follow through,” Prochaska says.

• Now that you have made a well thought out plan, and designed the steps for your successful results….GO!

Quick Diet Tips

100 calorie snack packs. 
Take them or leave them. I say leave them. A recent study from the Journal of Consumer Research, the small portions lure us into thinking that a little bit of unhealthy food is an innocent pleasure, which encourages us to eat more. The marketing and packaging is designed to make us think we are eating low calorie food however just because it looks like diet food does not mean it is.

Much better 100 calorie snack packs choices

• bananas
• apple slices
• oranges
• grapes
• carrots
• yogurt

                                               




Fast Food Salads actually drive up the sales of the foods that contain more fat like French fries and quarter pounders. Duke University’s Dr. Fitzsimons, PhD explains, “Seeing a salad satisfies a person’s unconscious goal of being healthy. People feel better with them on the menu, and then go wild on the fries.” Another interesting issue is the fact the salads are not always a healthier choice either. McDonald’s Premium Southwest Salad with grilled chicken and Newman’s Dressing have more calories than a Quarter Pounder.

Exercise Tips

1. Eat a light snack 1-2 hours before your workout. This provides energy necessary to push yourself and allows your body to burn more calories. It also prevents fatigue, dizziness, and nausea. A banana or any fresh fruit is ideal.
2. Drink plenty of water before/during/after workouts and daily. Keeping hydrated increases endurance, prevents injuries, and promotes fat loss. Results has a wide selection of fitness and energy drinks.
3. Use Proper Tempo for Strength Training. Take about 4 counts to complete each rep and focus on contracting the muscles. You'll work harder, get stronger and leaner faster. Never rush your movements.
4. Plan workouts ahead of time and schedule them into your diary and lifestyle. Making time for yourself is just as important as making time for your job and your family. Scheduling also cuts back on excuses.

5. Keep it simple. As you become fit you’ll find that you’re able to do more. Striving for consistency not perfection is the key to staying on track. Regular visits are the key.
6. Strike a balance between strength training, cardio, and stretching. You'll improve your flexibility faster, prevent injuries, and burn more calories when you address all aspects of fitness especially the ones you find more challenging.
7. Manage your stress levels. Reducing stress will reduce fat and help you eat less junk. A stress free life will give you more energy for your work outs. Exercise is a great way to release stress but so is taking time out to enjoy what you love.
8. Challenge yourself a little bit more each time you workout. Whether it’s extra reps, a little more weight, or tougher cardio intervals. Working harder and pushing yourself each time is what causes your body to respond and to change. This will help you get to your goals quicker.
9. Set achievable and fun goals. Your goals may be to lose 1 pound per week or to ass 1 more push-up to set, while adding more veggies each day. You may even choose to participate in one fun healthy walk per month, or to a new group training class. Having short-term goals keeps you positive and moving forward towards your ultimate goal.
10. Don’t over do it. You can’t get in shape overnight so take it easy and progress yourself safely. Your body responds better to subtle changes so keep that in mind when increasing weight, running more miles, and trying new stretches.

Weight Loss Basics

Take a Load Off

    Male or female, young or old, weight loss is a challenge for everyone. Pick up any magazine, flip on the internet and there you have it... some crazy hocus pocus concoction or new invention that is going to shed the pounds off over night. What we all must realize is the basics are the foundation – they remain the same regardless of the newest fad diet. We must cut through the hype and relearn the basic of living healthy to feel healthy and look healthy.

• What is you healthy weight range?
• What are the nuts and Bolts of calories and metabolism?
• What are the healthiest foods to eat and the best exercises to lose weight?   

Do you need to lose weight?
If you think you need to lose weight, you are in good company. Studies indicate that 60% of American adults say they would like to lose 20 or more pounds. If you are overweight, it is to your advantage to shed the extra pounds, as maintaining a healthy weight range reduces the risks of diabetes, certain types of cancer, heart disease, gallstones, sleep apnea as well as various other conditions. To determine if you need to lose weight let’s consider two issues (we will discuss more later):

• Your healthy weight range.
• Your body shape.

Healthy weight range: Although there is no single number that defines an ideal weight for each of us, we can target a weight range considering our age, gender and height. This formula is called the BMI and it considers height weight in ratio. To determine the BMI follow this formula:

BMI = 704 x (weight in pounds)   or  BMI =   704 x 125  = 21.48

            Height2 (in inches)                            (64)2         

BMI score ranges

Below 18.5:      Underweight

18.5 – 24.9:     Healthy Weight

25 -29.9:         Overweight

30- Above:       Obese

Only those who fall into the overweight and obese categories will benefit from losing weight. Limitation of utilizing the BMI for healthy weight is the fact it neglects the lean muscle mass for individuals who are extremely athletic and conversely the underestimate of body fat in the elderly population who may have lost lean muscle mass.

How to identify your healthy weight range:

Gender  Formula                                    

Female  Begin with 100 pounds and 5 feet. For every inch over 5 feet,add 5 pounds. Your healthy weight range                                      is 10% under and 10% over.

Male      Begin with 106 pounds and 5 feet. For every inch you stand over 5,                                             

             feet, add 6 pounds. Your healthy weight range is 10% under and 10% 

             over.
Body Shape: Another way to determine health is body type or where fat is disturbed on your body. It is more advantageous to have a pear shape than an apple shape. Stored fat in the midsection indicates greater health risk.

Waist to Hip ratio:

1. Measure your waist by relaxing your abdominal muscles and measuring around the narrowest point of your waist.
2.   Measure your hips by wrapping the tape around the widest point.
3.   Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement to get the ratio.

A. Female – a ratio of greater than 0.8 indicates an apple; ratio of less than 0.8 indicates a pear shape.

B. Male – a ratio of greater than 0.95 indicates an apple share; a ratio of less than 0.95 indicates a pear shape.

Understanding Weight Loss

In order to loss weight it is important to have a basic understanding of how the body processes food.

What is a calorie?

A calorie is a unit of energy.  We tend to associate calories with food, but they apply to anything containing energy. For example a gallon of gas has about 31,000,000 calories.

Here is the simple part – 
you will gain weight if you consume more calories than you burn. Conversely, you will lose weight if you consume fewer calories than you burn.Most health and fitness professionals concur if the goal is weight lose; you must cut calories by approximately 500 per day.