Tag: diet tips

  • 6 ways you’re making weight loss even harder

    6 ways you’re making weight loss even harder

    All the junk food is out of the house. You’re in the gym 3, 4 or 5 days per week. But the damn scale won’t budge and you’re seeing the same reflection in the mirror.

    Here’s what could be going on:

    1. You cheat before even knowing the rules yet

    Grabbing a beer here, eating a small piece of cake there, nibbling on a little this and a little of that actually adds up. It takes a while to learn what works and doesn’t work for your body. And until you’ve gotten that formula figured out, it’s best to stay away from the “cheat meals” for the time-being. Check out this comprehensive piece on intuitive eating for lean muscle and how to get your body there.

    2. You’re starving your body

    Huge mistake, and actually very common. Think if you eat less you’ll lose weight? You actually will, but you’ll also lose a huge percentage of muscle that you have. The result? Skinny-fat. You’re still fat, but just a smaller version of it. To successfully lose weight, you need to eat, and do it properly. Check out the intuitive eating piece mentioned above for a comprehensive analysis of diet.

    3. You workout, but you don’t WORKOUT

    Similarly to the above, you can’t really cheat until you’ve got it all figured out. But this also holds true for the gym and your workouts. You can’t be doggin’ it in there. Chances are you can do 1-2 more reps than you think you can. Going through the motions without passion and determination will hold you back. If you’re routines seem a bit flat, check out these 7 training techniques that produce insane muscular pumps.

    4. Your consistency sucks

    We’re not talking about missing a session here and there. Well, we are. But this actually pertains to longer-term consistency as well. If you train like an animal for 3 weeks, but flake out for the next 3 and want to get back into it, you’re really making it hard on yourself. Building the human body takes time and a lot of effort, if you’re not ready to make a realistic investment of focus and energy into it, then you need to be prepared to accept results that might not be what you want. Check out this piece on how to always have your best possible workout.

    5. You run too damn much

    Running is great exercise. And so is rowing and biking and swimming. But, but, but, believe it or not, too much cardio could be working against you. When your goal is to lose weight, you want to lose fat, not just weight. Too much cardio and it can eat away at muscle. If you’re doing tons of cardio and not seeing any progress, start prioritizing the resistance training 3-4 days per weeks, 1 shorter run and 1 longer run in a week. Check out the Redemption plan for a good combo of weight and easy cardio.

    6. You stress out like a nut

    Your head plays more of a role in the weight loss game than people like to give credit. If you’re freaking out over work, a bad relationship, or whatever—it’s going to impact your physical body. Without getting overly complicated, stress makes you want to eat, and eat more. Enough said.

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  • Avocado toast is a fitness facade

    Avocado toast is a fitness facade

    A friend of a friend said they made a “healthy choice” by going with the avocado toast. Sure, it’s healthy, but it’s also a load of carbs and fats. Here’s the deal: This friend of a friend wasn’t actually concerned about what was healthy, they wanted to change their weight and body composition. So, the fact that it is “healthy” no longer applied. Health and weight have overlap but they’re not the same thing, and they easily get mixed up.

    You can feel as though you look better when you don’t weigh as much, but can be healthy, unhealthy, or somewhere in between. And on the other side, you could completely not care about your weight and also fall somewhere in that range of health.

    Avocado toast is more than just a meal, it’s a difficult conversation about how we view and consume food. The avocado toast is about two things that are constantly contested and battled over: being aware of what you’re eating and living a life of moderation.

    Being aware of what you’re eating is a big one. Count calories, don’t count calories. It’s more about this, no, that. It can be an exhaustive back and forth. Truth is: If you’re failing to manage your weight or body composition, then either your macros (proteins, carbs, and fats) are off or you’re eating too much or too little–depending on what you’re trying to achieve. More on that discussion in our post about intuitive eating for lean muscle.

    Moderation is another headache. What does moderation even mean? It can be completely different from one person to the next. If we all were experts in moderation then why is obesity still a big problem? Are we beating the “it’s healthy” and “moderation” drums so much that it’s causing even more confusion about eating habits and food?

    A recent story on Axios, titled “Fitness industry booms, but we’re not getting fitter,” points at nutrition and eating being to blame for obesity problems. The story goes on to report that between 2007 and 2017, adult obesity is up 17%, gym memberships are up 21%, and interestingly, stress levels—one of those most largely-blamed culprits behind weight issues—was down 23%. It’s possible those gym memberships aren’t being used, but it more squarely points to nutrition and eating being the true root of the problem. That’s the avocado toast, and the things similar to it. Have you ever heard someone say, “it has x in it, it’s healthy”? Let’s use eggs as an example for x. “It has eggs in it, it’s healthy!” No. Just because it has a healthy ingredient like eggs, or if the healthy ingredient is the main ingredient, or if the ingredient is organic, there are still other things that can make it either unhealthy, or counter-productive to goals like weight management.

    Let’s make things even more difficult to follow (bare with us)…

    The idea of the Keto diet has been big the last couple years, it was Paleo a couple years prior to that, and well before that it was Atkins, South Beach, and maybe a few other smaller ones. Remember that? Avocado toast isn’t Keto because of the carbs, but could be considered Paleo because “the caveman diet” could definitely have included avocados as a harvestable fruit, and bread is a grain. But Paleo isn’t as trendy now, and it’s all about Keto, right? Does that mean avocado toast is out, too?  It doesn’t work with Atkins either because of the carbs, and Atkins was similar to Keto, just an older concept. Avocado toast must fall in no specific diet then. It’s just a healthy recipe that could go either way for people depending on how it’s prepared. Is that where the “moderation” approach comes in? Even more confused now? You should be.

    Deconstructing the avocado toast

    The bread. There are so many different types of bread, all of which can vary dramatically in calories and carbs. Are you having 50 calories and 7 grams of carbs or 200 calories and 30 grams of carbs? One slice or two?

    The avocado. One medium avocado is 250 calories and has 23 grams of fat. How much of that globbed on the bread?

    The lack of protein. One egg with avocado toast doesn’t cut it. Hell, two doesn’t even cut it. Seems like it could be a bit low on the protein for all the carbs and fat. And if you’re using whole eggs then you’re just increasing the (albeit healthy) fat even more.

    The case for the custom-order or homemade avocado toast and second guessing eating decisions

    How about a small egg scramble as the base, two super-thin, low-carb slices of bread with only a gentle smearing of avocado on each?

    The macronutrient breakdown of everything that goes into your avocado toast could significantly vary from one to the other. It is a healthy decision, yes. There’s no question about that. But how you include it in you life could either work or work against your goals.

    How much are you eating? How often? What’s actually in it? And where does this fall on the highly-subjective scale of “moderation?”

    There’s nothing wrong with managing your weight and looking the way you want to look. There’s a clear trend starting to say that there is, but don’t let that trend fool you into thinking that all things healthy are going to help you hit your goals.

    You can enjoy your avocado toast, but don’t let this healthy option fool you into thinking it will help you lose those last five pounds.

    Need a workout plan? We’ve got 30 free complete training plans you can follow.

  • Shredded dietician Tim McComsey’s grocery store essentials for lean body gains

    Shredded dietician Tim McComsey’s grocery store essentials for lean body gains

    There’s plenty of healthy foods out there, but healthy food and food that’s for fat loss are two separate things.

    We asked long-time HFP contributing expert Tim McComsey for a handful of his essentials for staying lean and lifting mean.

    McComsey is the face of several HFP-produced programs such as the Winter Bulk Up, the Spring Trim Up, and the Timeless Bodybuilding plans

    Salmon

    Salmon has high quality protein and high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Protein is ideal for protein repair and regeneration on a daily basis and the omega-3’s can decrease muscle-protein breakdown after workouts, improving recover. Salmon has less saturated fat than other high protein foods making it more ideal to consume. The Omega-3 fatty acids in Salmon protects us from heart disease and have been shown to do everything from decrease triglyceride levels to lower blood pressure.

    Olive Oil

    Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids These fats actually help lower a person’s total cholesterol level and LDL cholesterol level, or bad cholesterol. When used in moderation, olive oil provides more health benefits than negative health issues. The advantages of olive oil range from improving heart health to better skin and hair.

    Eggs

    Calorie for calorie, you need less protein from eggs than you do from other sources to achieve the same muscle-building benefits. The reasoning is that eggs have the highest biological value—a measure of how well it supports your body’s protein needs of any other food. The yolk contains vitamin B12 which is important for fat breakdown and muscle contraction so the yolk is a must to eat. They are jammed pack with vitamins and minerals (riboflavin, folate, vitamins B6, B12, D, and E, and iron, phosphorus, and zinc) making them a healthy food choice. Don’t fear the egg as we know now that the amount of cholesterol we eat has very little impact on blood cholesterol levels.

    Almonds

    Vitamin E is loaded in each crunch of an almond. One of the best sources of alpha-tocopherol vitamin E which is the form best absorbed by the body even better than supplements. It is an antioxidant that can help to prevent free radical damage after workouts. The fewer the free radicals the faster our muscles can recover. Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fats as are found in olive oil, which have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease.

    Chicken Breasts

    Chicken is normally the staple for a healthy diet. It’s a lean source of all necessary amino acids and can be prepared in a variety of way. A six-ounce chicken breast yields 54 grams of protein and four grams of leucine, the amount needed to max out protein synthesis in a given meal. Choosing chicken breasts or thighs with the skin removed and little visible fat will yield the best results.

    Quinoa

    Quinoa is an ancient grain famous for its protein content. Quinoa contains all nine essential amino acids, the amino acids that your body can’t make. They’re also key for improving fitness and muscle definition. Quinoa contains three more grams of protein per cup than brown rice, and brown rice doesn’t contain all the essential amino acids.

    Don’t forget… water

    Muscle is nearly 80% water. A little variation in body water can affect our energy levels and how we feel. If we are dehydrated our workouts and recovery will be impaired. Our metabolism will actually will slow down if we are slightly dehydrated as our organs can’t and won’t function as efficiently. Water is important for us to have to aid in our body’s ability to burn calories for fuel. Often times we think we are hungry really when we are thirsty. By drinking some water when you have the feeling of hunger you can save extra calories by not eating the snack you would have eaten originally. 

  • How to get (or keep) shredded abs when you’re out of commission

    How to get (or keep) shredded abs when you’re out of commission

    High-intensity exercise and clean eating are the answer to abs, right? Right. But what happens if you’re injured or sick and completely out of commission? Here’s the deal:

    When I came off a SLAP tear repair surgery it meant no use of the shoulder for months, not even any running or lower-body work. Luckily for me I went into it in shape and just needed to keep it all together. So if you’re out of commission, these tips have been tested to get you through. If you’d like to hear more about the shoulder surgery click here.

    Evaluate your food consumption situation

    Fancy word and terminology for “eat based on what you do.” As an active person, consuming small portions of carbs throughout the day and fats later in the evening can be very effective for building muscle and keeping off fat. But if you’re slowed down (or sitting in an office chair for eight-plus hours per day), it’s recommended to slash back on both of those particular macronutrients in small increments, but do it slowly so you don’t get cravings the first week of trying it out. Eventually you’ll find the balance.(Secret trick: Swap out the morning oatmeal for wheat puffs to drop your carbs by 30-40%

    …but don’t go skimping on protein

    This is one macronutrient you can’t afford to lose. Keep getting in a protein shake each day. It acts as a nice meal replacement, and protein will help preserve muscle. Buy some BCAAs, there’s a good amount of research that supports BCAA usage for preserving, building, and rebuilding muscle mass.

    Drink water like it’s your job

    Water fills you up, and it makes you far less hungry throughout the day. As much as you might forget, get that water in your system. You’ll notice the difference.

    Find sh*t to do, pronto

    Lounging around is terrible because you get bored, and when you get bored, you eat. You’ve got to think of something to kill the time instead of crushing food and binge watching whatever trendy show that it is everyone won’t shut up about.

    Steal a strategy from the bodybuilder’s playbook

    Perform isometrics and poses. Sit there and crunch your abs, all day, five sets of 60-second holds as many times as you can think of throughout the day. Do it at your desk, in a meeting, driving home, in a cab, on a train, you name it. (Who cares if you look like a weirdo in public). Stay tuned for our “secret workout” story…