Biggest Loser – Motivational and Inspirational Quotes Season 12 week #10

November 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Before I get to the Motivational and Inspirational Quotes from this week I want to go over an important Holiday weight gain issue. This was the Thanksgiving episode. They started the show with Thanksgiving temptation. But more importantly they dropped an interesting fact.

According the The Biggest Loser, the average American consumes about 4500 calories during Thanksgiving. This is an important fact. Because so many people worry about weight gain during the Holidays or try to make a Holiday meal healthier. I say that that is a waste of time. Here’s  why….

Yes the average American may consume 4500 calories. But if you’re an average American you’ll need about 2000 calories that day. So it is only 2500 extra calories. That means you’d only gain about .7 pounds on Thanksgiving. You shouldn’t be concerned with a .7 pound weight gain on Thanksgiving. You should enjoy yourself and your friends, family and food. What you should be concerned about, and what should keep you awake at night is the extra 100 calories that you consume the 350 non-holiday days each year that lead to 10 pounds of weight gain a year.

If you eat clean everyday and exercise more days than not year round, then you won’t have anything to worry about on the Holidays. How much more fun and enjoyable will they be if that is your reality?

Let’s look at this another way. Let’s say that you consume an extra 2500 on each of the Holidays; Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. That is 10,000 extra calories. That means you’d gain about 2.8 pounds. You seriously aren’t trying to make Thanksgiving a healthy meal because your worried about gaining only 2.8 pounds are you? If so here is the solution. You need a combination of reduced calorie intake (eating) or increased calorie expenditure (moving) of about 166 calories per day to lose 2.8 pounds during the two months between Halloween and New Years Day.

If you do that, then you can pig out during the four holidays and not gain a pound.

So how do you get to a total of 166 calories?

10 minutes of exercise (jogging at 12 minutes/mile, circuit training, aerobics), for a 180 pound person will burn about 100 calories. One chocolate chip cookie is about 72 calories. Grand total 172 calories. There you go. Exercise 10 minutes/day (or add 10 minutes to your workout) and skip one cookie per day. That way you can enjoy your holidays and not gain any weight.

Now if you just go nuts and have Halloween candy around for a month, eat Thanksgiving left overs for a week, eat every bit of candy and cookies that people bring in to work or give you as gifts, then you’re going to gain a ton of weight (10-20+ pounds). If you’re going to do that then just disregard everything I’ve written above.

Gain the weight and look me up in January. I’ll help you to lose the weight then!!!

Now for the Inspirational and Motivational quotes from this weeks episode of The Biggest Loser

“You have a lot to fight for.”

“If you can’t celebrate it then you don’t think you’ve achieved anything. It make it that much easier to go back.”

“Just keep moving, don’t stop.”

“Yeah, I’m hurting, but I’m not dead.”

“Finish what you start.”

“Hold your head up high.”

“I have so much to live for now.”

“I was lying to myself, there’s no more lying.”

“This is the life, right here!”

See you next week

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Splenda – Should You Consume It?

October 5, 2011 by 1 Comment

One of my clients asked me an important question today. “Is Splenda OK fo my diet?” And here was my response. “For now. Eventually you shouldn’t eat any artificial sweeteners. I’ll do a little research on Splenda and get back to you.”

My reason for saying “For now..” is that I know he is making a commitment to change his nutrition and lose some weight. He wants to use the Splenda in his coffee. By reducing calories when he consumes coffee it will help with his goal of losing weight. I’m hoping that the success he’s about to experience will build some momentum to make some other changes, including not using artificial sweeteners.

The reason I’m against the use of Splenda and other artificial sweeteners is because they are “artificial”. I’m a proponent of eating whole and natural food.

But the reason that I didn’t give him an absolute no is because I’ve spent very little time researching Splenda. So I decided to keep my word and do a little research. Here is what I learned.

Splenda is the brand name of a chemical called Sucralose. Sucralose was discovered in 1976 by scientists while researching ways to use sucrose as a chemical intermediate in non-traditional areas. They found the compound to be exceptionally sweet.

Sucralose is a molecule of sugar chemically manipulated to surrender three hydroxyl groups (hydrogen + oxygen) and replace them with three chlorine atoms. Natural sugar is a hydrocarbon built around 12 carbon atoms. When turned into Splenda it becomes a chlorocarbon, in the family of Chlorodane, Lindane and DDT (pesticide).

Here is its chemical name – 4,1′,6′-trideoxygalactosucrose,

Sucralose has been accepted by several national and international food safety regulatory bodies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Joint Food and Agriculture Organization / World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives, The European Union’s Scientific Committee on Food, Health Protection Branch of Health and Welfare Canada, and Food Standards Australia-New Zealand (FSANZ). Sucralose is one of two artificial sweeteners ranked as “safe” by the consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest. The other is “Neotame”. According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, the amount of sucralose that can be consumed on a daily basis over a person’s lifetime without any adverse effects is 9 mg/kg/day.

In determining the safety of sucralose, the FDA reviewed data from more than 110 studies in humans and animals. Many of the studies were designed to identify possible toxic effects, including carcinogenic, reproductive, and neurological effects. No such effects were found, and FDA’s approval is based on the finding that sucralose is safe for human consumption.

So, with the approval of all of those agencies Splenda must be safe? The truth is, we just don’t know yet. There are no long-term studies of the side effects of Splenda in humans. The manufacturer’s own short-term studies showed that very high doses of sucralose (far beyond what would be expected in an ordinary diet) caused shrunken thymus glands, enlarged livers, and kidney disorders in rodents. (A more recent study also shows that Splenda significantly decreases beneficial intestinal flora.)

Since Splenda has been on the market, no independent studies of sucralose lasting more than six months have been done in humans. Of those trials that were done, none were very large — the largest was 128 people. So, what happens when you’ve used sucralose for a year, or two, or ten?

Evidence that there are side effects of Splenda is accumulating little by little. Sucralose has been implicated as a possible migraine trigger, for example. Self-reported adverse reactions to Splenda or sucralose collected by the Sucralose Toxicity Information Center include skin rashes/flushing, panic-like agitation, dizziness and numbness, diarrhea, swelling, muscle aches, headaches, intestinal cramping, bladder issues, and stomach pain. These show up in the people who have an allergy or sensitivity to the sucralose molecule. But no one can say to what degree consuming Splenda affects the rest of us, and there are no long-term studies in humans with large numbers of subjects to say one way or the other if it’s safe for everyone.

Now for some information on how consuming Splenda can help with weight loss.

Eating sugar shoots our blood sugar levels up and triggers a spike in the hormone insulin, which is needed to prep our cells to absorb the sugar. If there are no other nutrients to sustain our blood sugar level, it crashes as quickly as it rises — and we crave another hit. This is how sugar addiction begins.

Moreover, sugar floods us with pleasure by stimulating the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, and probably other mood-elevating substances.

And so our brains have learned over time to equate the taste of “sweet” with a rapid infusion of energy and pleasure. Even now when we eat sweet foods, special taste buds trigger enzymes that prime our brain to anticipate this extra boost. With a balanced diet and a healthy metabolism, a calorie–control mechanism kicks in after a few minutes to regulate the desire for more food, including the satiety hormone leptin. But with too much sugar, we eat and eat and can’t get satisfied.

So even if the “Sweet” taste comes from a zero-calorie artificial sweetener, our body still responds with increases of insulin. This allows the body to store extra calories (fat) more easily. Plus you’ll be more likely to turn to more food, more quickly to fill the hunger that wasn’t satisfied by the sweet tasting food.

So do I recommend the use of Splenda? NO!

I know that there are many legitimate an well meaning organizations that have deemed Splenda safe.

But if you want to be healthy then I advocate a nutrition plan consisting of whole and natural foods. And Splenda is not natural.

If you want to lose weight then I recommend avoiding sweet foods, natural or otherwise. Even if the sweetness comes from a zero-calorie source, the body still reacts the same physiologically. Making weight loss more difficult.

The information in this post is from the following sources;
www.wikipedia.com
www.womentowomen.com
www.holisticmed.com/splenda

Filed Under: Blog, Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Simple Health And Fitness Tips

August 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Worth Your Time

Commit to small goals. They should be goals that you can easily meet, initially, such as walking 10 minutes per day, four day a week instead of an hour, seven days per week.

Find Support. It’s easier to stay on track with friends who are there with you.

List your reasons. Keep a list of why a goal is important. Post it where you can see it or pull it out from a purse or wallet often.

Waste Of Time

Starting a restrictive diet. Ask yourself, “Can I imagine doing this everyday for the rest of my like?” If not, don’t bother, because a soon as you return to old habits, the weight returns.

Not anticipating setbacks and cravings. Realize that a healthier-you plan will need adjusting and that cravings or dieting slip-ups are inevitable, It doesn’t mean that you should abandon your health goals.

Failing to consider your likes and dislikes, when setting health and fitness goals. For example, setting a workout late in the day even though you’re a morning person. Or taking up running to lose weight even though you hate to run but love to swim.

What to do Today

Take the Stairs. Every little bit helps, and over the course of a year , taking the stairs can burn thousands of calories.

Buy a pedometer. A step counter provides immediate feedback and motivation to add activity to your daily life.

Write down your goals and accomplishments. Use positive inspiring words when writing goals. When writing about accomplishment, write how you felt completing each task or goal. Review you goals often.

What to do this week.

Break your current goals into smaller goals. That you will achieve in one-month chunks.

Start paying attention to why you eat, not just what you eat. People gain weight because the eat more food than their body needs. Every time you feel like eating, ask yourself, “am I hungry:” this will tell you if you’re eating because of stress, boredom, simply because it ‘s meal time or you belong to the clean-your-plate club.

Write specific “exercise appointment” on your calendar. If something comes up, re-schedule your appointment for later in the week.

What to do this month

Set up a reward system for achieving small goals. For example, pay yourself a dollar every time you workout.

Prepare nutritious meals in advance, for the entire week or beyond.

Forgive yourself, If you didn’t meet a goal, go over why you missed the goal and what you can do differently.

What to do in the next six month.

Examine your basic health needs. People set health and fitness goals but often forget to build in time for things like mammograms and eye and dental exams.

Improve your self-image and self-confidence a notch, you will become happier and that can lead to living a healthy life

Re-evaluate your goals and time allotted to achieve them. Identify obstacle and solutions. View this as a chance to learn about yourself and practice new strategies.

Filed Under: Blog, WTF (Miscellaneous) Tagged With: , ,

Top Tips For Aging Gracefully

August 10, 2011 by 3 Comments

Let’s be honest with ourselves for a minute. We’ll all want to age gracefully. That’s because the alternative sucks!

One of the things that we have absolute control over is the food that we put into our bodies. And the food that we eat has a HUGE impact on our health and how we will age. A diet that consist of high quality protein (like that found in fish), colorful fresh fruits and vegetables, and an adequate amount of good fat (like that found in salmon, flax, nuts, seeds and olive oil), is essential to good health and a long life.

Inflammation is at the root of age-related diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, auto-immune disease and wrinkles, and sagging skin. The wrong foods, such a sugar, processed foods, pasta, breads, pastry and backed goods can increase levels of the pro-inflammatory peptides.

Your skin is a reflection of your internal health. When you eat foods that reduce inflammation, your skin will visibly improve plus you’ll automatically reduce your risk of age-related disease. In addition you’ll lose body fat and your body weight will normalize.

Sugar – Sugar is the number one enemy. It causes inflammation that destroys our bodies and attaches to collagen. Which results in stiff, inflexible, sagging skin. Controlling your blood sugar levels and insulin levels will improve your health and give you beautiful, youthful skin.

Coffee – Coffee (and its not the caffeine) can result in elevated levels of cortisol and insulin, leading to weight gain. Remember, elevated insulin puts a lock on body fat. If you substitute green tea for coffee, and do nothing else differently, you  could lose 10 or more pounds in just six weeks.

EFAs – Essential fatty acids are necessary for elevated mood beautiful skin, healthy immune system, and increases mental clarity. Plus you need to eat fat if you want your body to burn fat, so EFAs also help with weight loss

Water – You must drink 10 to 12 glasses of water every day to maintain health and beautiful skin. Your goal should be to drink at least 96oz of water. Water is essential to good health as all biochemical reactions in the body take place in the presence of water.

Here are some recommendations for food choices that will reduce inflammation improve your health and help you to age gracefully

Best Carbohydrate Choices

Artichokes, dark-green leafy vegetable, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, cherries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, apple, pears, barley, beans (kidney beans, pinto beans chick peas), cauliflower, brussel sprouts, bean sprouts, endive, eggplant, kale, red and green peppers, celery cucumbers, honeydew melons, lentils, mushrooms, tomatoes, turnips, pomegranates, snow peas, oatmeal

Best Protein Choices

Wild Alaskan salmon, halibut, trout anchovies, sardines, poultry yogurt high EFA eggs, kefir, cottage cheese

Best Fats

Extra virgin olive oil, flax oil flax seed nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, macadamia) pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds

Best Beverages

Spring water, green tea, white tea, black tea, martini’s (just a test to see if you’re paying attention)

Grains

Buckwheat, whole oats, barley

Spices

Turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, oregano, basil, thyme, cayenne (basically any and all spices and herbs you can think of are great anti-aging foods)

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10 Superfoods That Will Help You Look and Age Better

August 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The benefits from eating healthy are endless. Here are 10 superfoods that will help you to look better and age slower!

1. Acai Fruit – This little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world. It can often be found in juice form in health food and gourmet stores.

2. Anything in the “Allium Family” – Garlic, onions, leeks, scallions, chives and shallots can all help the liver eliminate toxins and carcinogens.

3. Barley – This can be used as a breakfast cereal, in soups and stews, and as a rice substitute. Barley’s also high in fiber, helping metabolize fats, cholesterol and carbohydrates.

4. Green Foods – Green foods like wheat and barley grasses can be bought in powder, tablet or juice form, and offer greater levels of nutrients than green leafy vegetables. They also help cholesterol, blood pressure and immune response.

5. Buckwheat: Seed & Grain – Buckwheat is loaded with protein, high in amino acid, stabilizes blood sugar and reduces hypertension.

6. Beans & Lentils – You can reduce cholesterol while beefing up on antioxidants, folic acid and potassium. Try kidney, black, navy, pinto, chickpeas, soybeans, peas and lentils.

7. Hot Peppers – Both bell and chili peppers contain antioxidants, have twice the Vitamin C as citrus fruit and work as great fat burners.

8. Nuts & Seeds – You can’t go wrong with a handful of nuts a day; walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, macadamia and pistachio nuts contain Omega3 fats, which are great for your heart. Raw and unsalted are the best.

9. Sprouts – Numerous varieties of sprouts are great with any meal. They’re a great source of protein and Vitamin C. Try adding them to any dish and your immune system will get a boost.

10. Yogurt and Kefir – These cultured foods contain healthful bacteria that aid immune function, and the calcium helps burn fat. Try using them as a base for a smoothie.

Filed Under: Blog, Top 10 Lists Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Harvard Study Reveals How Certain Foods Effect Weight

July 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Last month Harvard released a study on how certain foods affect weight. There is some really important information that you need to know if you’re going to be successful in losing weight. This study confirms some of the things that I’ve believed for years, but were scientifically yet to be supported. This study also challenges many current weight loss approaches.

First of all this is a large and significant study. This study was conducted by one of the leading and most respected educational institutions in the world. The researches followed more than 120,000 men and women in their 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s for over 20 years. They looked at various foods and drinks, as well as exercise, sleep patterns and other lifestyle choices and the impact that each has on affecting weight gain.

This study is based on a large number of people, followed over time, and it showed that there are particular types of food that are contributing more than others to the obesity problem (and there are some that protect against weight gain).

Here are the primary culprits.

Every additional daily serving of potatoes pushed up the scale by more than a pound every four years. But the type of potato is important. French Fries added 3.35 pounds and potato chips added 1.69 pounds.  And that’s only over a four year period. Over a forty year period, say from the age of 20 to 60, that’s 33.5 pounds from french fries and 16.9 pounds from potato chips. Eat both and you’ll gain 50.4 pounds in forty years. That’s Obesity!!!

Also every extra serving of refined grains, such as white bread added .39 pounds in four years. That may not sound like much. But statistically it’s the same as eating sweets and deserts.

Conventional wisdom has been that you should eat everything in moderation and just reduce your total calories; without paying attention to what those calories are made of. We need to re-think conventional wisdom. Refined carbohydrates cause blood sugar and insulin to surge. Which makes people feel less satisfied and eat more.

A surprise from the study is that yogurt helped to keep off nearly a pound of fat over a four year period.

Those you exercised more gained nearly 2 pounds less every four years than those who exercised the least.

People who slept less than six hours or more than eight hours were more likely to gain weight.

Now this study did have some limitations. The precise “serving size” varied among foods and relied on the participants memory and honesty.

But the study is based on a large number of people followed over time, and it shows there are particular types of good and are contributing more than others to the obesity problem.

The finding adds to the growing body of evidence that getting heavier is not just a matter of “calories in, calorie out” and that the mantra “Eat less and exercise more” is far too simplistic.

All foods are not equal, and just eating in moderation is not enough. The findings help to explain why many people put on weight little by little over the years without even realizing. Just by picking the wrong combinations and portions of foods and making unhealthy lifestyle choices, you can imperceptibly pile on the pounds as the years go by. Eventually becoming overweight or even obese.

So what can you do?

1. Eliminate or severely reduce potatoes (especially french fries and potato chips)

2. Eliminate or severely reduce refined grains (especially white bread)

3. Get between 6-8 hours of sleep every night

4. Exercise almost every day (if you don’t know what to do, I’ve got programs to help and you’re already on the site)

5. Eat Yogurt (This is a tough one for me because I’m not a big advocate of dairy products)

6. Pay attention to food combinations and proper portions.

This information is so powerful and will hopefully change the way to look at fat loss for the rest of your life. I originally simply wanted to share it with you and had no intentions of promoting anything, but this information is 100% in line with what I’ve been teaching people nutritionally for the last five years. If you are confused or think making these changes will be difficult, then you should get a STAX System. It is the only nutrition program that I recommend and it follows the findings of this study to the letter.

Or you could take all of this information and do nothing. If you do that, you’ll keep gaining weight.

I hope that you found this information interesting and helpful. If you did, please leave your comments below…I love’em and I’ll reply…

Filed Under: Blog, Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

First Annual Update

July 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Welcome to the First Annual State of the HQ address! This is going to be fun. About a year ago, you elected me to lead you as “Your Fitness Tutor”. Ok, not really. I decided all by myself that I wanted to drop some fitness and nutrition knowledge on you.

So, how have we gotten to this day?

About 14 months ago, I decided that I wanted to build a website/business that would allow me to reach out and help more people (way more) than I was able to as a Personal Trainer. I did a little research and decided to build a blog website using wordpress. Based on what I read, this would be easy and allow me to make updates to my site quickly. Plus, according to wordpress, I’d be blogging in about 15 minutes.

Two months later, I launched Fitness Know How Headquarters (fireworks in the background). Now, two months is a lot longer than 15 minutes (remember I’m a fitness person not a computer person). Fitness Know How Headquarters is one year old this month.

I want to thank you for being a part of my first year and trusting me as a credible source of fitness and nutrition information (on that note, DON’T BUY A SHAKE WEIGHT, THEY DON’T WORK!).

But seriously, one year ago when I launched Fitness Know How Headquarters the site had:

1. A free give-away “10 Tips to Boost Your Metabolism.”
2. One featured post.
3. My Bio/Story.
4. A bunch of promises on what the site would become.

Now in all honesty, the site will never be finished. I’ll always be adding new information.

Today, Fitness Know How Headquarters is a much different place to visit online than it was just one year ago.

Here are just some of the changes:

1. There are now 8 featured posts.
2. There are now 60 pages to the site (though many are hidden, terms conditions, etc).
3. There are now 89 blog posts (that’s a lot of fitness 411)
4. There are 12 exercises and descriptions in the photo gallery.
5. There are also 12 exercise videos in the video gallery.
6. You can “like” the Fitness Know How Headquarters fan page on Facebook
7. You can follow me on Twitter or connect on Linkedin.

In addition to those changes, I’ve also developed 7 effective and unique programs

1. My FREE give-away “31 Days To A Much Improved You”, and as you’ll see when you sign up for it, it’s “So Much Free Info, It’s Crazy!”

2. I released my first ebook, Secrets Of A Personal Trainer. This book is for everyone who has gone to the gym and is honest enough with themselves to admit that they weren’t sure of what to do. Or, people who were positive that they knew what they were doing, yet didn’t reach their goals. “Secrets” will take all of the guess work out of what you should be doing. You’ll learn how to design workouts that are specific to your goals. After you read it and apply the info, you’ll reach your goals.

3. The STAX Nutrition System. Ok, I didn’t develop or create this program. But, my friend Chris Powell did, and it works. If you want to lose weight safely and effectively, STAX is the best way to do it. STAX focuses on three basic principles; eat whole and natural foods, eat proper portions, and eat your meals frequently. If you want to lose weight, you should start STAX.

4. Fitness Know How Headquarters’ Workout Of The Month Program. Every month you’ll get a completely different workout. When you change your workouts often, your body is forced to adapt. This means that you can expect incredible results. The workouts are unique. I guarantee that you won’t come across workouts like this anywhere else. Plus, it’s only $3.99-$7.99/month.

5. John Preston’s Weight Loss Coaching Program. This is a local program for people in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. On this program, I’m your personal coach. I’ll teach you everything you’ll ever need to know to lose weight, reach your goals, and keep the weight off.

6. Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover (live). This program is also for people in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. This is a 56 day personal challenge. The goal of the program is to lose as much weight (body fat) as possible. This is a short term physical challenge where you’ll learn that you are stronger than you previously thought. You’ll amaze yourself at the things you’ll accomplish.

7. Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover (online). This program is exactly the same as the “live” version, except it’s for people who don’t live in AZ. The only difference is that you’ll work out on your own, without supervision. Because of that, the price is lower.

Wow! It’s been quite a first year. As you can see, I’m very serious and committed to helping people improve the quality and length of their lives by sharing accurate fitness and nutrition information.

And, I’m just getting started. Here a few things that you can look forward to this upcoming year.

1. I’m revamping “31 Days To A Much Improved You” into a down-loadable ebook called “31 Days To Ultimate Health”. That way, you’ll have the information available to you at all times instead of having it get lost in the clutter of your inbox. But, I’m not stopping there. I’m creating additional free bonuses as part of the “31 Days To Ultimate Health” program. So, even if you’ve already signed up for 31 Days, you’ll want to be a part of this. Stay Tuned.

2. At least 3 more featured posts are coming your way.

3. If you live outside of the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, an online version of my Weight Loss Coaching Program is being developed.

4. Later this year, I plan to launch my Fitness Seminar Program. These seminars are very low cost events. At these seminars, you’ll learn why you should do certain exercises and how to perform them properly. The seminars will cover topics like: low back pain, nutrition, hotel and travel workouts, stability ball workouts and many more.

5. Soon to follow the Fitness Seminar Program will be simulcast webinars, so no matter where you live in the world, you’ll be able to attend.

6. Plus, there are some secret programs I’m not yet ready to reveal.

It’s been a busy year, but I love it. Sharing what I know with you and helping you to live a better life is my passion. It drives me. I wake up every morning (though not super early) ready to go.

With all of the stuff out there vying for your attention, I’m honored that you trust me and that you are a part of my program. Thank you. Until next year (ok, I’ll send you some more stuff before then)…

In Good Health,

John Preston
“Your Fitness Tutor”

Filed Under: Announcements, Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition – Episode 7 (Staci)

July 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This week Chris Powell chose Staci

Staci is a 30 year old mother of two. She also has a husband who suffered a stroke and has no sensation on the left side of his body. Because of this Staci also works full time as a mobile radiology tech. to support the family.

She has some very classic weight gain issues. She always puts the needs of everyone else before herself. This appeared to be rooted in the fact that she gained weight early and always considered herself a failure to her mother. So she gave up trying and kept putting weight on. It’s a vicious cycle of, I don’t like myself, I’ll put everyone else first, I’ll gain weight and like myself less.

Luckily for Staci, Chris Powell chose her. Her starting weight was 456 pounds and her first 3 month phase goal was to lose 100 pounds. If she did Chris would get her a nanny to help ease some of her responsibilities at home, for the second 3 month phase.

After ninety days Staci weighed 350 pounds. She lost 106 pounds. And she got the nanny.

Her second phase goal was to lose 60 pounds. With the help of the nanny she continued to do great and she lost exactly 60 pounds.

One thing that was interesting in this show compared to the previous episode was that there was finally some proof of the nutrition program that Chris Powell uses to help people to lose weight. When he moved in during the first phase he was carrying a STAX System.

And during the second phase there was a scene where Staci was preparing food and had a STAX System on the counter and all of the STAX food containers neatly stacked (pun intended), in her cabinets. So if you are interested in losing the type of weight that you’ve seen on the show. Get a STAX today!

After six month Staci went through a grueling firefighter skills and drills training program as a milestone for all of her accomplishments. Because of the heat and the extreme requirements she came up a little short of completing the fire hose carry up 6 flights of stairs. But she did regroup and completed the task without all of the gear.

Staci is a very hard worker and she’s getting the most out of this opportunity so far.

Her third phase goal was to lose and additional 60 pounds. If she did she’d be a candidate for skin removal surgery. Without Chris and the nanny in the house, Staci struggled with all of the responsibilities of work, family, exercise and nutrition. During the third phase she actually gained 4 pounds. She wouldn’t be able to have the skin removal surgery.

But she did have a personal weight loss goal to lose 200 pounds during the year. She refocuses and at the final weigh-in weighed 255 pounds. She lost a total of 201 pounds in 1 year without having skin removal surgery.

At the end of the show Chris really challenged viewers of the show to come up with excuses why they can’t lose weight. He basically said that if Staci can do it, than anyone can. Everything was working against her having success. Yet she changed her priorities and made the conscious decision to change. And Change occurred.

Awesome work Staci, you deserve it!

Now for the quotes from the show

“I can do it and I will do it”

“I didn’t take care of myself, I put everyone else first”

“Are you ready to start living again? Are you ready to do it fo9r yourself and not anyone else?”

“I’m ready to hear it, because I’m ready to change it.”

“I didn’t quit, I didn’t stop, I kept going and i proved it to myself that once I start something I can finish it. No matter what.”

“She has to learn how to live this lifestyle without any special assistance.”

“I want it really bad.”

“You have to love yourself.”

Remember to leave your comments below, I love them!

Click Here To Learn More About The Nutrition Program That Chris Powell Created

or

Click Here To Sign Up For The Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover

See you next week…

Filed Under: Blog, WTF (Miscellaneous) Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

10 Tips To Help You Get Healthier

July 13, 2011 by 1 Comment

Here are 10 simple tips that can help you to improve your health starting today!

1. Go for the best – There’s a lot of food out there: make the commitment to always choose the best from what’s available. Look for the freshest, least-processed, and healthier options.

2. Up your vitamin quotient – Eat at least one great big salad every day. Use vitamin-packed greens like romaine, arugula, tomatoes and carrots.

3. Focus on fruit – Grab different colored fruits and keep them out so you’re more likely to eat it. Or try dried fruit like apples, peaches, pears, bananas or raisins. Chop them up throw in some nuts and you’ve got great trail mix.

4. Oxygenate yourself – Chronic stress is depleting; when you’re under pressure, you tend to take short shallow breaths which deprive your body of the oxygen it needs. Sit still and take 10 deep, slow breaths. Mentally you’ll feel calmer. Physiologically, you’ll bring down both your heart rate and your blood pressure.

5. Exercise regularly – Regular exercise reduces your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and some types of cancer. Think of it as a preventative pill.

6. Check in with your body – Avoid muscle strains by using this body scanning move. When you feel tense, close your eyes and do a mental scan of your body to find the areas where your body is reacting to stress. Move that area to increase blood flow.

7. Take it up a notch – People who exercise the most intensely have the lowest risk of coronary heart disease.

8. Don’t smoke – Come on, you knew this one already. If you do, pick and date to quit. You’ll improve your life expectancy and your breath too. Smoking is the single most unhealthy thing you can do.

9. Take it easy – If you tend to be stressed out most of the time, incorporate relaxation into your day. Five-minute breathing breaks can help you control stress.

10. Get regular checkups – Preventative care will help you to say healthy over the long haul.

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Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition – Episode 6 (Wally)

July 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment

OK This episode was much different than the rest!

After watching the previous 5 shows, a definite pattern was starting to develop. The shows were beginning to get very predicable. I’m glad that this weeks show was different, and there is a ton that we can learn from it.

This week Chris Powell chose to help Wally a 26 year old with a wife and a young daughter. Early in the show it became clear that Wally had something more serious going on. He obesity wasn’t the result of simply having poor habits. Wally is a food addict.

His Starting weight was 490lbs.

His 3 month goal was to lose 110 pounds. Remember that during the first three months Chris spends considerably more time with the people he is helping (read comments from the previous episodes post on whether or not he actually lives with them for 3 months). Anyway with Chris’s guidance Wally lost 110 pounds exactly and won a trip to Disney World with his family (although more subtle than The Biggest Loser, this still was an ad for Disney).

His goal for the second 3 month phase was to lose 70lbs.

Chris met Wally and his family at Disney World for the six month weigh-in. It was obvious that Wally hadn’t lost very much weight. Turns out that he only lost 21 additional pounds. He admitted to Chris that he had been cheating. This didn’t go over very well because all along Wally had been telling Chris that he’d been right on track.

Chris clearly was angry and he called Wally out, yelled at him a lot. He was doing the “tough love” trainer thing. Which probably seemed like the right thing to do at the time. But as you’ll see it probably wasn’t.

Then Chris made a decision that I disagree with. Even though Wally had not been fully engaged in the process, Chris still decided to go ahead with their plans to go on a 100 mile bike ride. I get what Chris was trying to accomplish. He wanted to show Wally that he was capable of doing more than he though he could. And that makes some sense, sometimes you have to push yourself and get uncomfortable to realize how strong you really are.

But this ride appeared to be in the Orlando Fl. area, and they kept talking about the heat. OK I get it, it get’s really hot in Orlando. But Chris kept saying that it was 112 degrees. Maybe he was talking about the heat index, because it doesn’t get that hot in Orlando ever! Anyway I think it was a mistake to have a 359 pound person, who hasn’t been training for long distance cycling and isn’t fully engaged in the weight loss journey for a 100 mile bike ride on a hot day in Florida!

And it didn’t turn out well. Wally didn’t finish. He had symptoms of heat exhaustion for sure. Luckily they didn’t force him to continue and the medical staff took care of him.

Chris made some great comments at this point in the show. He basically said that Wally was either going to react to this struggle on the bike by stepping up and re-committing to the program, or he would shut it down and struggle.

Turns out he struggled.

Wally was making videos and he kept talking about how difficult things were. He struggled with the temptations of fast food, doing the workouts. When he cheated he kept punishing himself my eating more food. During the 8th month of the program he stopped responding to emails and phone calls from Chris.

Just before the 9 month weigh-in he sent Chris a letter and explained that he was a failure, that he hated himself.

Chris got on a plane and flew to Chicago to intervene. When he got there he met Wally’s wife, pulled her aside and showed her the letter. He asked for her support. When Wally returned (supposedly from a workout, but really from a fast food restaurant), Chris confronted him.

Wally admitted that he wasn’t following the program and that he’d been eating fast food almost everyday. He said he was depressed and had been suicidal for the past month. I think I knew at this point what Chris was going to do but I wasn’t sure.

They weighed Wally and he had gained back 60 pounds!

Chris admitted that he couldn’t help Wally. That his program will only work if Wally want to help himself. He knew that Wally was a food addict and needed help beyond Chris’s expertise. There is a program in Chicago (and probably most mid to large cities), that helps people with food addictions. Chris asked if Wally wanted to go there for help.

Wally agreed and Chris took him.

There is so much to learn from this show.

1. Nutrition plans and exercise programs only help people who are willing and/or capable of  helping themselves.

2. No matter how much someone might know and how much expertise one has, there is always a chance that the help someone needs is beyond your scope.

3. Not everyone is going to be successful when attempting to lose weight.

4. Chris Powell made the right call, Wally needed help in ways that Chris couldn’t provide and he made an appropriate referral.

 

Admitting some of those things are very difficult for me. When I wake up every morning I believe that the combination of my education, experience and the programs that I’ve developed are enough to help everyone accomplish any goal that they may have.

But the truth is they aren’t enough. Not for everyone! I can’t help everyone. I can only help people who are ready to receive the information that I share and have a willingness to help themselves. I’m humbled by this realization.

So I’ll help those who are ready and hope those who aren’t will look me up when they are.

Chris Powell is an awesome guy. He made an incredible decision after only 9 months with Wally. And it was the right decision.

I hope that Wally has found the help he needs.

Here are to quotes from this (These aren’t quite as uplifting as previous episodes, but they are powerful)

“If you can get your mind right, at least there is hope (that you will reach your weight loss goals).”

“Fast food has become the opiate for the masses.”

“I can’t help you. I can give you all the tools in the world but Wally only you can help yourself.”

“Whatever emotions I have I find an excuse to eat. And I have to change that.”

“Life got too complicated and I just when back to old habits.”

“Ultimately fast food is a lifestyle that Wally has to choose to give up.”

“Obesity is a terminal illness, it’ll kill you.”

 

Remeber to leave your comments below, I love them!

See you next week…

Click Here To Learn More About The Nutrition Program That Chris Powell Created

or

Click Here To Sign Up For The Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover

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