Category: Fat Loss

We all know the kitchen plays a tremendous role in where your physique, performance and health is made. A lot of stuff could go extremely wrong or strikingly awesome. In other words, it’s where the majority of the magic happens, especially when you’re dealing with fat loss. I not only wanted to share with you some very common problems I see at JRPT, but also how I have found to solve them.

Problem #1: You’re preparing meals and or cooking while your hungry.

Now, that may not seem like such a heroic statement alone especially if you don’t cook for yourself (or at all). But when do most people get hungry and eat “crap”? The majority of people tell me when they get home from work or in between meals times while COOKING, they are “starving”. I mean food is literally at the tip of your fingers. This is a very common time people dive into whatever they can which leads to less than optimal fat loss results.

Solution: I call this “The Shake Trick”.

To perform this trick you must have a protein shake, or a high protein meal in the fridge at all times. I wish I had more to tell you but as Porky Pig would say, that’s all folks. Saying that, here are some guidelines.

1. All magic tricks require preparation, so when you make this shake triple the serving size you would normally eat. Yes triple it.
2. While you are cooking, take out 1/3 of the shake and drink it at a slow to moderate pace while cooking.
3. Leave the rest in the refrigerator for next time.

Some other cool things about this are…

• You can adjust the shake to fit your macronutrient (carbohydrate, protein, fat) needs.
• They take a long time to drink, especially if you add a lot of ice.
• They are ridiculously satisfying, quick, delicious and easy to consume.
• Unless it’s called for to eat a lot at one meal later in the day, the shake trick prevents you from overeating or housing food at dinner or junk while waiting to eat.

An example shake (shown in pic above): Gather up a fruit of your choice (optional), 1 scoop of a protein powder, some healthy fats (natural nut butter, extra virgin coconut oil etc.), add some water and ice to the mixture, then blend. If you want to consume some extra carbohydrates, feel free to add something like quick oats right into the blender as they mix incredibly well. You can also add something like unsweetened cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, or any other natural seasonings according to your taste preference. Just get creative. This takes about 2-3 minutes.

Problem #2: When food is available to you, someone (probably you) will eventually eat it.

I agree with this by Dr. John Berardi over at Percision Nutrition because I have noticed the same patterns with just about every single person I have coached, minus a few exceptions. I also may be wrong here but I personally believe it still counts even if nobody see’s you eat that ice cream. “I ate it, but didn’t want to. I had no intention of eating this but I did.” So let me get this straight, you ate it but you didn’t plan to, nor did you even want it in the first place. It all makes perfect sense…

The Solution: Remove, Replace, Re-evaluate and Re-adjust

Again, I also agree with some of Dr. John Berardi’s solutions here as they work fantastic. I have just added a little twist with adding the re-evaluate and re-adjust pieces to the situation, even though I am sure he does this as well.

                                (Before)                                                                (After)

(Here’s and example of being halfway through a client re-vamp. You tell me when a person will be more successful. Note there are actually many more “non cabinet” foods in the house now, and it took a little while to get to this point.)

Remove the garbage: Fat loss is a lot easier when you create and environment that’s easier to achieve it in. Get all the stuff you shouldn’t be eating out of your house and it’s impossible to eat it. I know it’s easier said than done but it’s possible. Try to get extra support from the people who live with or are around you, and explain to them why your doing this. More on this in a moment. 

Replace it with better options: Give your kitchen a new “feel” and look, and you will in turn feel, look, perform, be a lot healthier as well. By simply replacing things like fruit juice with real fruits, hydrogenated peanut butter with natural nut butters, and white bread with sprouted grain breads etc. it makes a huge difference. While doing this try to find things the people you live with and that surround you will eat as well. Work with each other and this will be a more enjoyable situation.

Re-evaluate the situation and re-adjust if needed: This is self explanatory but re-evaluating is just as important in nutrition as it is in fitness, rehabilitation and in life. Without going into too much detail, if you don’t have a coach, it’s your job to figure out if the overhaul is working. Test and re-test on a continuous basis.
*Bonus boo boo’s for parents and guardians: Don’t buy food and say you did so because your kid “needs” it.

You bring your kids to the doctor, dentist, and even make sure they wear there helmets and seat belts, but the safety portion missing is often nutrition. This subject is one huge part that could limit doctor’s visits in the first place. Fix the cause of problem’s not the result of them.

If you want the best for your child, the truth is they should be eating healthy too. If you cook and eat healthy meals your children will eat them with you. If you don’t feed your children junk then they won’t eat it. (At least while they are around you). I am not saying deprive them, I am just saying that the majority of the time people don’t realize kids like healthy foods. When I hear things like, my kids LOVES that natural peanut butter on celery now, or mommy can I have a piece of fruit, what is that telling you? Get and give the kid more healthy foods and let them eat a good amount of them.

If it’s not their fault and they really don’t like the new food choices you have provided, all you must do is find another healthy food substitution or recipe they do like. I  recognize it’s easier said than done and it could take some work and time, but is your child’s health worth it? Then put your thing down flip it an reverse it! (OH NO, DID I REALLY JUST SAY THAT?!) There is a fine ground between making everyone satisfied. Understand that I don’t have children, but also notice that I witness patterns where it’s a lot less difficult for families to eat better when children are INCLUDED in the nutritional/life change. Just remember, small adjustments at a time.

(Don’t be demanding like Harry Wormwood from Matilda, instead form a cooperative style relationship around edible materials.)

If I did my job today, I have just made you aware of three very common problems while on a healthy fat loss journey and how to solve them. I understand “magic” is supposed to be kept secret, but use the shake trick I showed you and make more people aware of this easy solution if it works for you. More importantly, go after the kitchen overhaul and start replacing anything you can. Don’t let your children “get in the way” but rather INCLUDE them and find things they like as well. While doing these things monitor yourself and others, and see if they better your progress. The next Uh-Oh installment will be in your vision soon:)

Please, no cringing. I can’t explain how much more awake, energized, and awesome my clients and I feel after taking cold or contrast showers. Read on to see more benefits, then use your own judgement whether you actually want to start experimenting with them. You won’t regret it. Well actually, maybe you will, at first.

We are all high maintenance.We have the luxury of using hot water to bathe in and or shower consistently. People in ancient times, did not have the ability to do so. Therefore, it is very natural to be using cold or room temperature water to clean ourselves in, especially in winter!

Here are some of the benefits cold water showers:

I’ll keep the explanations short and sweet, but if you want more information on an idea I mention, comment below or message me, 

Fat Loss:

One of the reasons this works, is because of the law of thermodynamics. If you expose your body to lower temperatures, it will use energy to try to heat your body back up, and therefore can increase your metabolic rate.

Since we implement diet induced thermogenesis for fat loss, why not try cold. I’m talking about when people start consuming things like caffeine, and ephedrine to cause their body produce more heat, but rather here we’re talking about cold thermogenesis. I explain more below.

Shivering and building muscle:

Shivering is a method used to increase our body temperature. During this time the body releases hormones that have the ability to produce muscle growth, and also increase energy expenditure and burn calories for the fat loss mentioned above.

Improves circulation throughout the entire body:

This is another benefit of cold water. It causes your blood to move to your internal organs, where warm water reverses the effect by causing the blood to move towards the surface of the skin.  Therefore it can also keep the most important muscle in your body (your heart), healthy and strong.

Increases energy:

After a cold shower I feel like a new person. You will “wake up” your nerves, release endorphins, and feel awesome after.

Helps you with your ability to handle lower temperatures:

If you hate cold weather, or have no ability to jump in the ocean, lakes or pools, this can help. It’s weird cold water doesn’t phase children. Now it won’t phase you as much either, when they ask you to join them for a good time.

As most of you probably already know, it keeps skin and hair healthy:

In this case old water does not act like hot, so it will not dry out your skin. It will actually help prevent that from happening. It also closes up your pores therefore your hair and skin are better able to protect itself from any harmful substances and obtaining things like acne. It also makes your hair shiny, soft and sleek and your skin from becoming oily through perspiration. In addition, since the cold water also makes blood vessels constrict, it can reduce dark circles under the eyes causing the skin to look much clearer.

Here are some more benefits that cold water is believed to have:

• Whoever you live with will love you for your shorter showers and less money being spent on your bills
• Less chlorine is inhaled through steam because less is made with cold showers
• Increases fertility in men
• Considered to be an anti-aging procedure
• Has an anti-depressant effect on your mood
• Balances the autonomic nervous system
• Promotes growth and repair of the circulatory system
• Contributes to your longevity
• Strengthens the immune system

How to take them, tips from experience, and things to take into consideration and look out for when starting:

Note: You need to know what I mean by hot and cold. Hot temperatures range from 95 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold temperature ranges from 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. When first starting cold showers, start with the water warm or hot for at least 2-3 minutes. 

2. As you can better handle the water, work up to a longer “cold portion”. 

3. Ask your Doctor if cold showers are okay for you to take.

4. Use your own judgement on whether you think cold or alternating between hot and cold showers make you feel phenomenal like it does myself.

5. Also take into consideration starting with cold water directly after a training session can cause some people to have muscle cramps. I myself have yet to experience this.

6. You need to do this for at least 4 weeks consistently. Otherwise it will just be another 1-2 week thing you say is either too hard, or doesn’t work. Give it chance if you’re healthy enough to do so. You won’t regret it.

7. Mark off on a calender days 1-28 or however long the month is: This will keep you reliable and so you won’t lose track of where you’re at.

8. Don’t wait to start cold showers in the winter. You will make the experience twice as hard if so.

9. Small steps lead to big changes: If you hop right into 10 minutes of a cold shower for the first time you attempt them. I can almost guarantee you will quit taking them in the long run if you do so.

Note: You will also most likely have “good” cold shower days and “bad” cold shower days in the beginning as well. Don’t let this be a reason you “give up”.

Being brutally honest, cold showers are terrible at first.

I was losing my breath when I first started taking them consistently. Even though I do not believe enough research has been conducted to say whether cold, or alternating hot/cold showers prove most of the above benefits above to be true, what I do know about cold showers is now that when I take them consistently I feel great. So have others I know that have implemented this.

All in all, there is some interesting stuff coming out concerning cold thermogenesis. NOT for acute injuries (actually quite the opposite), but for what I have mentioned above. 

Getting your body exposed to colder temperatures, for a longer duration of time, and more often can be beneficial in numerous ways. Other modalities like ice baths, air conditioning, or keeping your windows rolled down in winter can also work well. The only way you will know though, is if you give this a true shot, and try this yourself.

I rarely venture outside of good quality protein powders, omega 3’s, and vitamin D supplementation. Saying this there does come come a time and place where they can be very beneficial, especially on a fat loss plan.

In order to take supplements there should be prerequisites a majority of the time. If you are just starting an exercise or nutrition program it does not give you a reason to start wolfing down poor supplement choices like Hyroxycut or Weight Gainer 2000. This post will not be about these mainstream fat loss or muscle building supplements that get all the attention these days. It will be about natural herbs and supplements that aid in fat loss and help complete a healthy lifestyle while fighting some common health problems and diseases.

When starting a fat loss plan, there are major problems that could affect your results. For example, things most people have no idea about that could be holding them back from reaching there full potential body fat levels include control of…

• Inflammation
• Thyroid
• Stress
• Gut and Liver health
• Appetite
• Etc. etc. etc.

You will notice below I listed the natural herbs and supplements that research and real life experience suggests help control these types of problems. Saying this I am not guaranteeing anything. Also take note that everyone is different and responds differently to almost anything and everything in all aspects of life.

Note: Before you start a new nutrition or supplementation program you should always consult with your current health care provider beforehand.

TO HELP CONTROL APPETITE

Another Note: Many of these supplements have a carryover to other categories. Meaning they have multiple benefits. For example green tea can control appetite, reduce stress and inflammation, and has been shown to reduce liver and heart disease. Its probably my favorite appetite suppressor though.

Alpha-lipoic-acid: If you are on a fat loss program and have problems with appetite control this supplement is a great choice. Alpha-Lipoic-Acid is a powerful antioxidant and metabolic booster that improves glucose metabolism and suppresses appetite.

PGX (PolyGLycopleX) or knojac root fiber: Being another appetite suppressor, this superfiber is five times more powerful than Psyllium in lowering cholesterol, and has special fibers that absorb sugar, fat, and water in the gut.

Green Tea: Like I mentioned above this green tea contains polyphenols,  a type of flavenoid including epigallactocatechins (EGCG) that boosts liver detoxification, reduces cholesterol and oxidative stress, helps prevent cancer and heart disease and reduces inflammation. But from personal experience, this is an incredible drink that seems to keep hunger at bay for mostly every single one of my clients. Plain that is.

TO HELP COPE WITH STRESS

5 Hydroxytryptophan (5HTP): This is the precursor to serotonin. People deficient in serotonin usually show symptoms of depression, anxiety, and increases in appetite. It is seen that most people who’s serotonin levels fall get more carbohydrate cravings. Taking this supplement may help bring serotonin levels back up reducing these symptoms.

Ginseng: Chinese or Korean (panax ginseng) or American (Panax quinquelfolius) will do. Evidence shows ginseng may help with regulating insulin, blood sugar, and your ability to cope with stress.

TO HELP REDUCE INFLAMMATION

Turmeric: This is a spice that can be very effective for fighting oxidative stress and inflammation. I love to include this yellow spice as a dry rub for chicken or even in omelets. Seriously give it a shot.

Capsaicin: This is a chemical compound that produces a sensation of heat. It’s an extract of cayenne pepper. Its been shown to control blood sugar, manage cholesterol and blood pressure, but is often used as a tropical pain killer for arthritis and fibromyalgia.

There a tons of other herbs and supplements that could help with these issues, but I am definitely NOT  SAYING supplements are the cure. A proper training program, nutritional habits, sleep patterns, and living a happy life by far outweigh any supplement you could ever take. These are just a couple remedies that can really help some people while on a fat loss plan. If you are interested in any of the ones I listed above please consult with your current health care provider first, as always. After writing that last sentence, I am 100% going to be writing an article on “natural remedies for fat loss, inflammation, stress, appetite suppression and more in the future. Hope you learned something!

This is why I love my job.

This was one of my email “check ins” on Saturday of this week. I asked one of my new clients Wendy if I could post this. As you can tell she super pumped about her results. Here’s a little background info on why…

Cutting straight to the point, Wendy is a healthy individual who has seen dieticians, trainers and is also a very disciplined person who competes in all sorts of events like Triatholons and Tough Mudder year around. Sure they all helped at first, and no doubt the training shes doing has been helping her performance, but nothing could get her to hit her physique goal, or to break that fat loss plateau she desired.

Enjoy reading the email below, and remind yourself how exciting it is to be seeing and feeling fitness results. I get emails like this each week and may have to start sharing more of them if my client’s don’t mind. I hope this serves as a tool of motivation for all of you out there looking for some whether it be before or after the Super Bowl. Read on to see what I’m talking about.

To: “rivelli.justin@yahoo.com”
Sent: Saturday, February 4, 2012 7:00 PM
Subject: checking in