Tips on Becoming a Morning Person

Long time, no write!! It has been way too long since I have found some interesting articles to post. Wow, I suck at blogging LOL

So I have never been a huge morning person but I have noticed over the last few months, that I actually don't mind it as much as I used to. And that got me thinking about why. I am absolutely certain that it helps that I am back to working out like normal, the food intake (I hate calling it a diet, because it isn't, it's the lifestyle!) and getting quality sleep. Which is why this article I found from fitday.com made sense :)

Enjoy!


If there's no spring in your step first thing in the morning, the rest of the day can be an uphill battle. Those who roll instead of jump out of bed will immediately assume a lumpy mattress and flat pillow are to blame. While a decent mattress and comfortable pillow are integral for feeling rested and refreshed, the foods you eat, the amount of exercise you do and the workings of your internal clock can all contribute to a lack of healthy Zs and a permanent bad mood first thing in the morning.

If you are constantly waking up on the wrong side of the bed, the following tips can help you become a happy and healthy morning person.

Sleep on It

Is sleep a priority to you? If you answered no, then don't fret-you're not alone. A large percentage of the population put sleep at the bottom of their nightly to-do list, placing just about every other chore ahead of getting forty winks. Contrary to public opinion, sleep is a necessity and not a luxury. If you aren't getting at least six to eight hours of sleep every night, you run the risk of suffering from depleted energy levels, lack of motivation and concentration, mood swings, anxiety, drowsiness and the list goes on.

Making sleeping a priority is the easiest way to kick-start a healthier lifestyle that will reward you by infusing that little bit of extra energy needed to rise and shine first thing in the morning.

Pack on the Protein

Coffee and a stick of sugar-free gum is not an adequate breakfast to sustain you throughout the day. Turns out the old adage that breakfast is the most important meal of the day is 100 pretty accurate. Remember that after waking from an eight-hour slumber, your metabolism and blood sugar levels are going to be at their lowest, so without a hefty helping of beneficial nutrients, such as protein, immediately after waking, your body will run out of fuel very quickly.

Exercise those Endorphin's

Adopting a morning exercise routine will reap more benefits than simply getting your daily exercise out of the way. Getting up and active first thing in the morning will kick your metabolism into gear, and keep it working for at least 12 hours following a morning walk run or cycle, which means that your body is working overtime to eliminate those unwanted fat stores.

You might be wondering what this has to do with being a morning person. If you are not used to exercising early in the morning you are likely to find this routine somewhat tedious, but trust us, a few days into this new routine and you'll be benefiting from happy exercise endorphins, and you will have adopted a new-found love of springing out of bed to get going with your morning exercises.

Battle of the Body Clock

If even the incessantly loud bleeping of your alarm doesn't get you up and out of bed in the morning, you may be suffering from sleep inertia. Sleep inertia occurs when the body's deepest sleep cycle is interrupted, usually by the sound of an alarm, resulting in extreme grogginess, often compared to having a hangover.

Most people don't realize that their body's circadian rhythms-the natural sleep/wake cycle-are ultra sensitive, and can be thrown off by the slightest disruption, such as not getting enough sleep every night or having one restless night. Keep your circadian rhythms in check to avoid bleary eyes in the morning by encouraging healthy sleeping patterns. Ways to do this include: cutting out caffeine several hours before bedtime, avoiding an afternoon nap, exercising in the morning instead of the afternoon, and maintaining a diligent sleeping routine.

Being grumpy first thing in the morning is no fun for anyone, and definitely not the makings of a healthy and rewarding lifestyle. There's no time like the present to get your body and mind back on track so you can benefit from restful nights and energy-packed days.

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/how-to-become-a-morning-person.html

#WTF Is Intermittent Fasting?

So I found this AMAZING Paleo website. www.paleomg.com The author of the blog lives in Colorado and besides every recipe I have tried so far being probably the best thing I have ever put in my mouth, she is hilarious! 

She mentioned in one of her blogs the other day that one of her buddies  has a pretty cool free WOD app so I downloaded. It's called Bodeefit. When you sign up, he emails you the WOD and also the app on your phone gives you the same info. Its pretty neat!

This morning there was an interesting article attached to the WOD. I have heard of this before but never really read too much about it. I'm thinking it might be worth trying out.


An empty stomach is perfectly natural. Fasting is something we all do while we’re asleep and whenever we don’t have food in our mouths — you’re probably fasting right now. Due in part to a recent spate of bestsellers and documentaries, “intermittent fasting” (or “IF,” typically defined as consuming nothing but water for 16 to 36 hours) has gained tremendous popularity in health and fitness circles as a way to lose fat, live longer, and even build muscle.
But taking a break from food can be incredibly controversial, particularly among those who are still sold on the old doctrine of eating six small meals per day. So how could IF be one of the simplest and safest tools for managing your health?

What’s the Deal?

We’ve gone over this before, but to refresh: The human metabolism does not grind to a halt if you skip a meal (or three). For it to slow down by even ten percent, one would need to fast for 72 hours straight (don’t worry, no one’s recommending giving up food for three days)[1][2][3][4]. In fact, even 48 hour fasts have been shown to have no negative effect on metabolism, cognitive performance, or fatigue[5][6]. That’s not to say fasting can’t be a little uncomfortable — we’ll get to that later.
But why would anybody want to fast? For starters, IF shares many of the benefits of following a low calorie diet, such as a lower risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases [7][8][9]. Fasting’s effect on the heart is especially interesting: One study concluded just one day without food per month can potentially halve the risk of developing coronary artery disease[10].
But there’s another effect of periodic fasting that both reduces the risk of chronic disease and improves the body’s digestion of carbohydrates (as in, they become less likely to make you fat). It’s all about insulin, a hormone responsible for the uptake of nutrients into the liver, muscles, and fat cells. Because the body releases insulin when carbohydrates are consumed, eating too much and too often can make us less sensitive to it. (Makes sense, right?) Unfortunately, an abundance of food (as well as other factors, like insufficient sleep and exercise) has made poor insulin sensitivity fairly commonplace[11]. That’s bad. Not just because it makes it more difficult to lose fat and absorb nutrients, but also because it increases the risk of diabetes and several kinds of cancer[12][13][14]. Fortunately, the problem can be improved by essentially doing nothing — not eating increases insulin sensitivity, meaning regular fasts allow you to eat more carbs, get less sick, and burn more fat[11][10].
Twenty-four hour fasts have also been shown to increase the brain’s production of growth hormone by up to 2,000 percent in men and 1,300 percent in women (the effect ends when the fast does). This is good news for anybody looking to slow the aging process: Growth hormone isn’t just awesome at lowering body fat while preserving muscle (weightlifters, rejoice!) but it improves physical function, bone quality, and longevity[17][18][19].

So Fasting Affects Men and Women Differently?

It just might, but exactly why or how much is still a point of debate. While there are some assertions that women are more sensitive to the stress of going without food, many have great success with it. More research is needed, but it’s important to remember that as with all diets, IF works for some people and doesn’t for others. Feel it out and see what works for you.

Won’t I Get Hungry?

We hear ya. While on a fast, it’s a good idea to drink plenty of water, plain tea, black coffee, and other very low-calorie drinks to keep the stomach from feeling too empty — even diet soda isn’t considered a fast breaker. But it might relax you to know the initial hunger probably isn’t because the body requires food, but because of a hormone called ghrelin.
Ghrelin is an appetite stimulant the body learns to secrete based off your meal patterns, so it makes you hungry when you would normally be eating. (This has earned it the nickname, “hunger’s timekeeper.”) That’s why eating throughout the day keeps you hungry, and it can also make IF uncomfortable at first[20]. After a few fasts, however, the body learns to produce less ghrelin, and you get more control over when you eat.
But those first few fasts can be jarring, and for some, struggling with ghrelin is not worth the adaptation period — and that’s fine! Eating is personal, and if the discomfort is severe, there’s no obligation to continue. The takeaway here is that you have more control over when you eat than you might think. Like most things, it just takes a little practice.

So Should I Try It Out?

The science behind IF is pretty solid, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only path to better health. If fighting through ghrelin surges or skipping meals with loved ones become insurmountable problems, or if you’re hypoglycaemic, diabetic, or have a history of eating disorders, IF might be worth avoiding. As always, it’s wise to speak with a physician before changing the way you eat.
It’s also important to remember that no matter when we eat, what and how much we eat is always important — the improved hormones and smaller eating windows of IF are not a carte blanche to consume thousands of extra calories!
Of course, ideas about exactly when to eat and when to fast can vary from one person to the next. There are many different IF protocols: Some swear by a daily fast of 16 hours, and others prefer 24-hour fasts once or twice a week. Keep track of how you feel, and again, if the fast is too hard, just break it. Try again another time, perhaps after a particularly big meal. If it’s unbearable, stop bearing it. While a heightened awareness of food intake is a great side effect, the best part of intermittent fasting — at least according to its proponents — is the flexibility and simplicity it brings to the eating process: Eat when hungry, don’t when not. Six meals per day or one big dinner, the research shows that you can eat when you feel like eating. The metabolism won’t shut down, muscles won’t atrophy, and the sun will rise in the morning. It takes a load off, don’t it?
There’s no harm in giving it a try. Intermittent fasting is rapidly becoming a popular and powerful method for fighting disease, improving body composition, and taking some of the stress out of dieting and meal planning, but remember: if it doesn’t work for you, it’s not the only way to get results.

http://greatist.com/health/wtf-intermittent-fasting

Top 5 Benefits of Reverse Running, Whaaaaa?

Wow! Has it really been this long since I have written anything??

It has been one crazy filled year I can say that! Well, no more procrastinating and NO MORE EXCUSES!

So last year as I had mentioned before, I had that terrible back injury. I can say with much relief that I pushed through and came out victorious. I am about 99.9% healed!
With that said, I have been working really hard and have for sure had some ups and downs, highs and lows with life, work, my workouts, diet etc.

I always love the beginning of new months because it forces me to get back on track, re evaluate my goals and make changes and better choices. So that's exactly what I plan on doing! It is time to start new and keep accountable again. Just in time for the holidays right?? LOL!
I am giving myself a great goal and this article that I found might just play into it. I have wanted to do a Tough Mudder for the longest time but that dream was put to the side when I had my injury. Now that I am almost 100%, I have decided to do my first one in March of next year! Plenty of time to train and get into beast mode!

Since I have been able to start running again, a lot of articles about reverse running have caught my eye. I have yet to try it but I think I might have to. What do you guys think?



Backward running also called retro running or retro locomotion is considered more effective than forward running. The benefits of reverse running are numerous: it burns more calories than forward running. Reverse running can help with hamstring related injuries or aching knees. Reverse running strengthens quadriceps, oblique, calves, shins and back muscles.
It is said that taking 100 steps backward is equivalent to taking 1000 steps forward. Reverse running also promotes a healthier posture alignment, when you run backwards your back remains straight, putting your muscles and spine less at risk.

Reverse Running Benefits

Let’s dig into the core reverse running benefits according to University of Oregon in Biomechanics/Sports Medicine Laboratory:

• It gives you a more erect posture.
• Range of motion at the hip joint is reduced with increased flexion and lesser extension.
• Functional active range of motion at knee joints.
• Improvement of muscular balance.

Benefits of reverse running include help with injury rehabilitation:

• Due to differences in trunk posture, it is highly recommended for back rehabilitation.
• Recovery from hip joint and hamstring injuries.
• Surgical knee joint rehabilitation.
• Recovery from sprain ankle injuries.
• Recovery from Achilles’ tendon.

Benefits of Reverse Running: Cardiovascular Health

According to Stellenbosch University in South Africa, reverse running technique helps to improve cardiovascular fitness. Backward running required reduced intake of oxygen, which results in increased aerobic fitness and reduction in up to 2.5 percent of body fat.

Translates Into Smarter Caloric Burn

Trying to lose pounds? Set your objective to reverse running and achieve a milestone. Running backwards burn 20 percent more calories than forward sprinting. Reverse running benefits you in two ways:
(a) You can easily set your daily exercise schedule and burn more number of calories or
(b) You can burn desired number of calories in a less time consuming fitness schedule.

Alleviates Boredom and Weariness

During your regular fitness activity, taking the same run on the track gets tedious. And trust me, when exercise or any other thing starts to bore you, you lose focus, interest and passion for that sport. What can invigorate your daily runs can be a mix of backward running along with forward running. The next time you get up for your run, you will be excited to incorporate this new technique into your old routine, completely boosting your fitness goals.

Less Strain on the Knee

In medical conditions such as arthritis, backward running may be the ultimate fitness solution. What differentiates backward running from forward running are the backward steps which result in reduced impact to your knees. In forward running your heel comes in contact with the ground first, generating waves of energy that directly impacts your knees causing the muscles around your knees to swell whereas in reverse running the impact is very low, due to forefront stepping.

Balanced Muscle Development

As opposed to forward running, reverse running works on opposite muscular groups of your body. For example take front curls in a bodybuilding workout. What if you did reverse curls too? You can get the same results with reverse running. It helps develop muscle groups which are not regularly exercised.
Before trying any of the above, consult a fitness expert or your doctor. Stay safe, happy reverse running!


Read more: http://www.fitnessrepublic.com/running/top-5-benefits-of-reverse-running.html#ixzz2gamapk3a

Is That Really Healthy?

I have been guilty of this too. Of course I knew I shouldn't be eating pizza, french fries and ice cream every day but sometimes things you think are healthy and good for you pack just as many useless calories as the above mentioned foods. Only until I really started to do some research and some trial and error have I learned what my body likes and doesn't like, how much better it performs when I eat certain things and when I don't, how much better I feel when I get more nutrients out of my food.

Are Those "Healthy" Snacks Actually Good For You?

Every so-called healthy snack has had its time in the spotlight-remember rice cakes? Even though they tasted like cardboard, they were the "it" healthy snack for a while. But are rice cakes and other similar munchies actually good for you-or are they more like treats? 
Strictly speaking, a snack should be a mini-meal that offers a nutritious pick-me-up, while a treat is often high in fat, sugar and/or calories and has little nutritional benefits to speak of. In some cases, "a snack may be no better for you than a cookie or candy bar," says Paula Meyer, R.D., a dietitian in Westport, C.T.

Read on as we rate eight popular snacks and whether you should stick with them or ditch them. 

Snack #1: Rice cakes This once uber-popular "diet" snack has a mere 35 calories, but consists of high-glycemic, puffed-up white rice with a low nutritional profile. "They're mostly made of air," says Sharon Palmer, R.D., a dietitian and author of "The Plant-Powered Diet: The Lifelong Eating Plan For Achieving Optimal Health, Beginning Today." "You're better off choosing a low-glycemic snack that keeps you feeling full longer."
Verdict: Ditch it. "You want to get as many nutrients as you can with your calories," Palmer says. "You can enjoy a cup of fresh strawberries for those same 35 calories and you'll get more flavor and nutrients." 

Snack #2: Kale chips The latest "it" snack is a mixed bag, nutritionally speaking. While kale itself is rich in vitamin A, C and K, your bag of kale chips may contain more additives than you'd think. "With oils, flavorings and salts, some kale chips contain as many calories as potato chips-160 calories per ounce-and loads of salt," Palmer says. "Also, some veggie chips contain nothing but dehydrated potatoes and tiny amounts of dehydrated vegetables."
Verdict: Ditch it and make your own. Roast kale with a small amount of olive oil and seasonings to get the maximum benefit. Or if you're going to buy kale chips, look at the label and make sure kale is listed as the number one ingredient. 

Snack #3: Sweet potato chips If you think that swapping regular spuds for sweet potatoes would be a healthy upgrade-you'd be right. Sweet potatoes contain more fiber and vitamins A and C than regular potatoes. Just be sure to read the label of those sweet potato chips you're snacking on to make sure you're not getting some unwanted ingredients. "These chips should contain only sweet potatoes, vegetable oil, salt and maybe some seasoning," says Rachel Begun, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Verdict: Stick with it. 

Snack #4: Protein bars Just because protein bars are stocked in the health food aisle, doesn't mean they're any better for you than a Snickers bar. "Most protein bars on the market are glorified candy bars, with chocolate coatings and lots of added sugars and processed ingredients," says Begun. "Consider a protein bar something that should be eaten on occasion as a convenience food when other options aren't available."
Verdict: Ditch it-unless you're in a pinch. 

Snack #5: Granola For years, granola has been portrayed as a health food, but it's actually loaded with calories and fat. "Most people don't realize that a quarter-cup of granola contains up to 149 calories," says Gina Keatley, a chef and nutritionist in New York City.
Verdict: Ditch it. Although granola has heart-healthy whole grains that can help lower cholesterol, it's not a low-calorie option. 

Snack #6: Baked chips and crackers Just because a chip is labeled "baked" doesn't make it better for you. For example, baked potato chips often contain cornstarch and added sugar. "These products are very processed and tend to be high in calories, fat and sodium," says Keatley.
Verdict: Ditch it. 

Snack #7: Popchips When you 'pop' a snack, you skip the frying or baking process. Although Popchips are low in fiber, they have zero trans fats, 0 to 0.5 grams of saturated fat (depending on the flavor) and are lower in calories per ounce than traditional chips, notes Lauren Schmitt, a registered dietitian in Studio City, C.A.
Verdict: Stick with it-but watch your portion sizes. "Popchips are a better crunchy snack than a bag of Doritos," Schmitt says. "Still, I'd prefer to see people snacking on non-fat Greek yogurt or low-fat string cheese." 

Snack #8: Rice crackers For people with gluten allergies, rice crackers are a great option, according to Schmitt. "Rice crackers have little-to-no saturated fat, so they're healthier than other snack foods," she says. The downside: They're essentially all carbohydrate with very little fiber.
Verdict: Ditch it. If you don't have wheat allergies, opt for a multi-grain cracker and pair it with a hummus, bean or yogurt dip. 
http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/those-healthy-snacks-actually-bad-132900494.html

Who Doesn't Have Time?

I have always been an active person my whole life. Whether it was sports, dance, hiking, running, gym and so on. As much as love doing all these things, sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes you have to work late, you woke up late, you're not feeling well, the kids are sick, etc. I have found that as long as I do something every day even if I can't get my usual sweat session in, I feel better, I feel accomplished, I feel strong and motivated to keep going. That's also why I love my workout DVDs because even if its 10pm and you don't want to leave the house for the gym, your DVD player never let's you down.
Here are some of my favorite mini workouts that you can do anywhere without equipment.
I promise you, no one ever said "Man, I wish I hadn't done that workout. I feel terrible!"
No more excuses! Get up and get moving every day even if its for only 10 minutes. You won't regret it.

Short Exercises to Burn 200 Calories

I just came across this short article and had to share. In previous blogs I have mentioned that it's been months since I have been able to train and workout normally, so for me, every little bit helps right now to stay active and focused on recovery!

If you find it hard to lose weight with your busy schedule, the news keeps getting better. First, just 20 minutes of exercise was proven to help increase your metabolism. Now, a recent study has found that working out intensely for just 2.5 minutes can spur calorie burn throughout the day — an extra 200 calories' worth.

In the latest study, five healthy men performed sprint interval training on a stationary bicycle (five 30-second intense intervals with four minutes of easy cycling in between). Although the men were sedentary the rest of the day, they ended up burning 200 more calories during the days they did the short bout of exercise than the days they didn't exercise at all.

Even though this was a small study, the encouraging results are reason enough to add intense intervals into your workout routine. It's also good news for those of you who can never seem to fit a full workout into your day. Read on for ideas on intense exercises you can do anywhere for 2.5 minutes so you too can reap the afterburn benefits.

Perform these at maximum intensity; you can break them into 30-second or one-minute intervals to make it more manageable.

1. Jumping jacks. These do-anywhere moves pump up your heart rate in no time.
2. Mountain climbers. This cardio move helps strengthen leg and core muscles as well.
3. Burpees. Swiftly moving from standing to squatting to push-up position challenges all your muscles.
4. Running up stairs. Run up and down the stairs at home or at your office — you'll get the added bonus of a toned backside.
5. Walking lunges. These lunges help you develop balance while strengthening your core and lower body. Do these briskly, but make sure your form stays correct to prevent knee or ankle strain.

Don't stop at just 2.5 minutes, though. Besides upping your total calorie burn, longer exercise helps you stay healthy and prevent disease. Aim for at least 150 minutes a week! NO MORE EXCUSES.

http://www.fitsugar.com/Short-Exercises-Burn-200-Calories-25455818

5 Reasons You Could be Gaining Weight

The cool part about signing up with Beachbody, even if you never buy any of the programs or supplements, is that you get a free membership to their site that has cool recipes, message boards and articles like this one. I get this question a lot by friends and clients. I even ask it myself sometimes!
There are always factors that we may not even think of when starting or continuing a program.
Don't get discouraged! Push through, stay motivated and you will achieve the goals that you set for yourself.
 

5 Reasons You Could Be Gaining Weight

By Steve Edwards

Nothing taps your panic button quite like gaining weight, especially when you're on a weight loss program. Unfortunately, it's an inevitable fact of life. Luckily, you've got me here to tell you that, as long as you're following a solid program, results will come. It's a physiological certainty (unless you have an underlying issue, like hypothyroidism).

I realize this might take further convincing, considering our instant-gratification society. But this ain't my first weight loss rodeo. I've seen almost every scenario you can dream up, most of which were solved by patience. That said, there are some strategies you can use to ensure you're getting the most out of both your diet and exercise program. Let's tackle five of the most common weight loss conundrums.

I'm following the program perfectly. Why isn't it working?! Cortisol is a word you should become familiar with, as it's a key factor here. You've probably heard that it makes you fat, but you have no idea why "they" say that. What is cortisol? It's actually a performance-enhancing stress hormone that serves an important function in survival situations. Unfortunately, when we force too much daily stress on our bodies, we shift into a state of chronic cortisol release. This can cause us to store excess fat as a survival instinct. While it sounds pretty dire, it's generally only a serious problem in those with poor lifestyle habits.

The beginning of a diet and/or exercise program, however, is a survival situation. In a very simplistic sense, your body releases cortisol, which, in turn, causes excess water retention to help you rebuild broken down muscle tissue. While this is cortisol functioning properly, it does lead to a period of water weight gain as you adjust to a new program. It's nothing to worry about. By following a solid plan, your body will adapt by repairing this muscle tissue. This results in an increase in your metabolism and leads to weight loss if that's your goal.

The trick is that there is no hard line on how long this adaptation takes. It's based on your individual parameters. Just rest easy in the fact that it will happen, unless you force it not to, leading us to . . .

 

 

I'm barely eating.Severe under eating causes cortisol release, as it's the definition of a bodily emergency. Beachbody® offers many kick-start (or express) eating plans where you under eat for a few days, but you're always encouraged to get back to a solid maintenance calorie level quickly. A short period of strategic under eating with proper hydration will help your body dispense of unneeded food (most of us chronically overeat) and regulate bodily functions. Go too long, however, and chronic cortisol release is the result.

This is a tough situation because our natural reaction to weight gain is to eat less. When you're exercising, it's important to keep your eye on workout performance, as opposed to how much weight you're losing. You should be eating enough so that your daily workouts improve over time. As long as that's happening, your body is adapting, your metabolism is increasing, and you will lose weight provided you also don't overeat.

 

 

I've been doing hard workouts for weeks. On the performance theme, you need to continually improve, which is why workouts get harder as you move through any of Beachbody's programs. It's also why we add resistance (via added weight or gravity, as is the case with jumping) to workouts. If you're doing the same workouts at the same intensity constantly, you are not forcing adaptations that lead to changes in your metabolism. This is called a plateau.

A plateau, technically, isn't gaining weight—it's remaining the same—but a proper diet and exercise program should continually force improvements (in the form of adaptations). Otherwise, your metabolism won't continue to increase, which is the goal of most weight loss programs.

 

 

My friend and I are doing the exact same thing and she's losing. Back to adaptation. We all react differently. The only absolute is that our bodies will change over time with a healthy program. A fitness rule called the Specificity of Adaptation states that it takes the body between 3 and 12 weeks to adapt to new stimuli, which is a very broad range. This is why it's vital that you stick to your program and not change it repeatedly based on your daily results!

In our test groups, two-week results have almost no bearing on who does best in the end. In fact, many people that under eat early and get off to a fast start will stagnate, while those who stick to the plan and eat as advised will start slower but train harder over time, leading to rapid weight loss as the program wears on.

 

 

I lost weight for a while but now it's stopped. For ages on the Team Beachbody® Message Boards, this was our most frequently asked question. You eat less to lose weight. Things are going great, but suddenly you plateau—or start gaining. Odds are, your metabolism has slowed down in order to deal with the decreased calories. You're starving your now fit body, so it's doing what it needs to do to survive. The answer to this problem is pretty simple: eat more.

Again, this is a tough sell, so here's an example. One of our early Success Stories lost 40 pounds during a round of Power 90®, eating only 1,200 calories a day. He then stagnated for a long time and was very resistant to eating more, fearing it would kick-start a regression. We talked him into adding calories until, finally at around 2,000 calories, weight loss resumed. It then became so rapid he dropped through his goal, and about 20 pounds below, until finally, at around 3,000 calories, he leveled out. Then a daily diet of around 3,500 calories a day got him to a ripped 175.

 

So the moral of today's lesson is to trust your exercise program—at least if it's a Beachbody program. We've been doing this a long time and we know what works. There are no magic bullets. Body transformation is based on making consistent, healthy lifestyle changes. Do that and you'll never need to ask yourself why you're gaining weight again.

 

http://www.teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/280#253636558