Isn’t it frustrating? You diet, you lose weight, then you get bored or you’re sure that you’ve “got it” this time… Then sure enough you gain weight.
Repeat this over a few years and you’ve got a recipe for frustration. Not only that, but that pattern of yo-yo dieting is disastrous on your health. More on that in a bit.
Finally you think you’ve got the answer. You’ve seen your friends start getting in shape, and when you ask them what they’re doing they say, “Oh, me? Well I’m working out with this really great training facility. Maybe you’ve heard of them, Ameli Training?”
“Of course I’ve heard of them” you say, “what do they do in their workouts?”
Your friend goes on to say that the fine people at AT do different kinds of resistance training.
So what the hell, why not give resistance training a shot? After a few weeks, maybe months, you pop on the scale again and – dear Charlie’s Angels the scale hasn’t budged!
What the heck is going on?
Glad you asked. There’s a devious secret that’s hidden in every yo-yo diet scheme that will make you fatter over time. Let’s flesh that out a little more with and example of someone who wants to lose weight and their starting weight is 160lbs. After repeated yo-yo dieting cycles her ending weight is just around 150. Success right?
By this point you should know that I’m tricking you. Take a look at this graph and see if you can see why:
Can you see the issue here? Over the course of those weight loss diets her muscle mass has decreased and her fat mass has increased, or she weighs less and is fatter. Awesome, no?
How does that relate to your scale not moving? Well in order to lose fat after cycling through yo-yo diets your muscle has to catch up, so you’re losing fat but gaining muscle which results in a minimal or nil net weight loss.
At Ameli Training weight is only 1 of the many measurements we use to gauge how well we’re doing with your fitness goals. Pants size, body fat percentage, movement patterns, and photos just to name a few. I hope you can see that your weight does not and will not define how successful you are on your fitness journey.
-K
P.s. If you’re interested in learning more about resistance training, give us a call. 925.405.6599
Did you read the title of this post as “What, Are you Quitting?” Proof that punctuation makes a difference.
As we start rounding out January I have a question to ask you. What are you going to quit that’s keeping you from your goals, that’s keeping you from your dream body? For most people quitting has a negative connotation, and quitters aren’t looked upon as successful people.
I don’t agree
In order to be successful in weight and fat loss you MUST quit your bad habits.
Let me give you a simple example. Jane starts training with us, she’s killing it in the studio every single workout, but she doesn’t like vegetables. Nope, not one bit. She’s not wiling to give up her chocolate and breads. So when she comes in to get her
One great way to get trim
measurements done, what happens? Sure she’s lost some fat but not nearly what we expected.
What did Jane need to do? Quit eating JUNK.
What else can you quit that’s killing your progress? Here’s the short list:
Smoking
Eating Sugar
Making excuses
Whining
Watching TV
Eating out for lunch
Having anything refined in your house
And the list goes on! At the end of the day YOU KNOW what you need to quit! There’s no doubt in my mind that there are deep habits in your life you’ve been meaning to get rid of but just haven’t had time to. Well not watching 3 hours of TV a night will give you that extra time, won’t it?
What I need you to ask yourself is this:
Is what I want right now, chocolate, tobacco, white bread, whatever, more important than reaching my goal?
The beginning of the new year is my favorite time of the year. It’s crisp in the air. People are happy. We get to wear scarves (What? I like scarves). Most of all I love the hope that’s in the air.
One thing I can’t stand is what happens before the new year, everyone is all about sweet that they hate. Parties all over the place, tables loaded with candies and cookies, and after a lot of research I’ve discovered that no one really likes them.
At least not to the extent that they show up at events. Can you say with any integrity that you actually enjoy those candies that you jam with your thumb – you know to check the contents? Or how about those cookies Carrie from accounting brought it?
None of it is worth it, is it?
Now that we’re almost 2 weeks into the new year those temptations are starting to creep back in. Sure legumes and fish were fine for days 2 through 8, 1 day for recovery, but now what? Kale chips just aren’t as appealing anymore, and rice cakes have lost their luster. On a side note, if your diet looks like what I just described you should pick up a copy of Gourmet Nutrition and spice things up.
At this point in the year it’s time to decide what kind of person you’re going to be. Are you that chick who always makes fun of people who make resolutions and never change anything yourself? How about the person who makes 90 difference resolutions, but they all slowly die off, like a flower losing its pedals.
Look, the point I’m making isn’t so much about whether or not you stick with your resolutions or not, it’s whether or not, over the long haul, you’re going to be the person you want to be.
What is more important to you – reaching for the cup cake or loving the way you look in the mirror?
Every day you’re going to have choices to make, small ones, wake-up to workout or sleep in, scone or protein shake. Glass of wine or herbal tea. It’s those choices that dictate who you are, not what you say you’re going to do.
Because at the end of the day you will reach your goals by the small choices, the ones that don’t seem to matter much, and when you can turn the tide so that you make good choices more than you make bad you’ve decided to be the person you’ve always wanted to be.
Today marks the 102nd blog post on Ameil Training.
First off, thanks for being a reader, it really means a lot to me that you’d put your health and fitness learning in my hands (and mouth).
This isn’t going to be a typical article – instead of choosing a topic or training type I’m going to rattle off the best things I’ve learned over 100 posts. Be warned, I’m not going to pull any punches and if I happen to piss you off then I’m probably doing my job.
If you don’t get your core beliefs shaken every once in a while then I don’t think you’re living life to the fullest.
1. Aerobics is shit
Yup, running your ass off on the treadmill won’t get your waist all tiny and trim. Not only does aerobic exercise waste your time and NOT burn fat it’s around 1500 tiny pounding steps per mile. I have people tell me they don’t like jumping and then head off for a mile run to “get in shape,” and we all know that getting in shape is just code for losing fat. So if you don’t like jumping AND you want to drop some fat running is akin to a snail heading out to traipse around the salt farm – dumb and dumber.
2. Fish Oil
Best thing you can add to your diet. Period.
3. The magic pill DOES exist
But you wouldn’t take it even if I gave it to you. There’s a shocking majority of cancer patients who can take magic pills that would cure them that don’t, over 50%. That means that no matter what I tell you about health and fitness, you’ve got to take action for it to work – motivation and compliance and the two major things stopping you from reaching your goals.
4. A calorie is a calorie is so much bull
So much crap in this statement I couldn’t even believe. I give you 100 calories of spinach and 100 calories of cinnamon toast crunch and you’re going to expect the same results? That’s what I thought.
5. Carrying heavy things is the fastest way to lose fat
Somewhere between Jack and P90X we lost our way. Just like aerobics for 9 hours isn’t going to get you anywhere, lifting tiny weights isn’t going to either. To get fast and consistent results there’s one big rule – lift heavy.
That doesn’t mean 400 lbs, the weight you lift relative to your program and capacity.
6. I don’t get vegans
….
7. If you’re still getting workouts out of muscle mags you haven’t learned much
Muscle magazines are designed to sell more muscle magazines (yes even Women’s Health). Hiring a professional is the only way to ensure that your program is actually going to get you results.
8. Corn is a grain
Forgot about that didn’t you? I did to0 until I listened to an interview with Mike Boyle. That means we should treat corn like we treat wheat, only post workout and in the AM.
9. It doesn’t matter when you train.
AM, PM, all that I care about is consistency.
10. You’re got to practice what you preach.
I talk to too many people who “know” SO much about training, but they’re still chubbos. If you know so much do it. If you don’t have the will power to do it on your own or care enough to learn it right, hire someone and get it done.
11. Crossfit rubs me the wrong way
I don’t hate Crossfit; I think there are a lot of good Cross fit affiliates, but what a lot of people don’t understand is that Crossfit is an affiliate system NOT a franchise system. You know when you go into McDonalds and you get the same burger in every place? That’s exactly how Crossfit doesn’t work.
Each affiliate is essentially buying the brand name and a bit of training. That’s why we get really good affiliates, and.. well… these guys:
On top of that Crossfit has the highest national average for injury. For those of you about to flame me, that’s a national average from IHERSA or IDEA (can’t remember which), so your affiliate may be awesome but most aren’t
12. Abs are made at the table not the gym
What you put in your mouth matters more than what you do in the gym, plain and simple. Don’t take that for an excuse to slack off in the gym – you still have to bust ass.
13. Being a mom and eating healthy is one of the toughest things I’ve ever seen.
Kudos to you! I love the moms in my life, they work harder and are more focused than anyone else I’ve worked with. We’re working hard on putting together a seasonal recipe guide that’s easy to shop for, make, and that even your boys will love.
Ok so not ALL olive oil. Just any olive oil with “Pure” or “Light” on the label. Those terms are just euphemisms for processed, less flavorful, and junky oil. “Light” olive oil is tricky too, makes you think it has fewer calories, right? So, so wrong.
Also don’t cook with olive oil – the oil denatures and suddenly becomes bad for you, cook with coconut oil instead.
15. For faster fat loss cut out all your grains
Don’t do it for longer than 6-8 weeks though, and monitor how you feel
16. Eat whole foods more than you eat processed foods
Apple > French Fry
17. Fitness is always changing
So should your training. Remember, we used to think that steady state aerobics worked for fat loss, now we’re fatter than ever. If you’re interested in staying fit make sure the person you trust your health and fitness to keeps up on their education.
18. Buying workouts online is sometimes good
There are a lot of killer workout programs on-line, but the thing is that they’re “shot-gun” workouts, meaning that they were designed for a wide audience, not you. If you have specific goals to reach I wouldn’t touch them, but if you’re already well versed in training and you’re looking to introduce different lifts/training styles into your workouts they’re a good place to start.
Hiring a physical coach is always better.
19. Stick with your program
This is probably one of the most important things I’ve learned over the entire 101 posts. If you pay someone to write you a plan or if you take the time to write one yourself – STICK TO THE DAMNED PLAN. I had training ADD for a long, long time. I’d try one plan for 3-6 workouts, get bored, move on, rinse and repeat.
There are going to be times when a good plan gets a little tiresome, and that needs to be ok with you. Good plans build on themselves, they train your system in ways where you can progress and see results instead of wondering why you’re still in size 400 pants.
20. Foam roll
As much as you can. If you don’t foam roll than you’re asking for a greater injury potential
21. Focus on injury prevention
If you can train and not get hurt that means you can train for longer and harder. All that adds up to faster results and a pain-free life; swell right?
22. Training is a lifestyle
I’m not sure if I know how to put this into words, but your training needs to become a part of you; it needs to be ingrained in your DNA. When that happens you stop caring about pants sizes and pounds on the scale, and start caring about more important things. Training is a way of life. It informs the rest of our day and makes life a lot more enjoyable to live. Most people start training to become more physically fit, but somewhere along the journey the training starts making them (you, me, all of us) better people.
We laugh more. We love more, and we live life better than we did before we started. That’s the real goal.
There’s a lot more that I could have written, but I think that’s a good starting point.
Keep striving to be your best
-K
Ps. For the best fitness cook book I know, check out Gourmet Nutrition . My wife and I make at least 1 recipe from this book a week. It’s good stuff.
size, body fat percentage, movement patterns, and photos just to name a few. I hope you can see that your weight does not and will not define how successful you are on your fitness journey.
