THE DONT BE SILLY SEASON By Anthony Noud

THE DON’T BE SILLY SEASON By Anthony Noud

So its that time of year, spirits are high, work is winding up, that holiday feeling is fast approaching and you feel like a socialite because you have to pick and choose which parties you will attend and  at which you will just “make an appearance ”…Whether its catching up with family, friends or boozy client lunches, it’s known as the festive or the silly season- call it what you like but traditionally it means lots of restaurant/catered meals, free flowing alcohol, and a common theme of over indulgence.

In recent weeks I have been seeing a slightly alarming trend. With many of my clients and other people I speak to having seemed to have succumbed to the idea that they “cant lose weight at this time of year” or “I have all these Christmas parties” so therefore “the rest of the year is a write off and I will just pick it up in the new year”.

Yeah sure, what a fantastic idea, lets work hard all year long, achieve some great results and be feeling good knowing that we are finally making real progress only to “write off” the last 2 months of the year! With the inevitable outcome of landing back at square one come January 1st, feeling bitter and guilty then making the same new years resolutions that “this year I will get serious about my health and body” for the 10^th time this decade.

Now I am only voicing my opinion here, but to me that seems like pretty strange logic, kind of like a mild mental illness even. After all, didn’t Einstein define insanity as doing the same thing over and over yet expecting a different result?

I have compiled this list of tips for you to use over this coming party season. Read them, remember them and USE them do this silly season differently. Make it your leanest, healthiest and most enjoyable yet!

• ·      Eat a good breakfast every single day- when on holidays and out of routine it is common to forget, skip or eat poorly at breakfast. Make it a rule that you will eat a healthy, lean breakfast EVERY day. This will leave you in good stead to eat well for the remainder of the day. Lots of evidence suggests you will also be less likely to overeat
• ·      When at cocktail/catered parties with no healthy options adopt a “no food” policy- that is you don’t eat anything for the few hours you are at the party (take your own snack/small meal if need be- think protein shake or tin of tuna, both can fit neatly in a handbag)
• ·      Eat a substantial meal before you go! Always, no exceptions. If you are hungry it will be near impossible to decline whatever is on offer
• ·      Don’t eat the nibblys and snacks! Period! –only option is fresh vege sticks w low fat/no dip
• ·      Position yourself away from the snack table/buffet table. You know the old saying- out of sight, out of mind
• ·      Its perfectly acceptable to decline whatever platter/appetizer/rubbish your host/caterer is constantly offering as you mingle
• ·      Consuming sugar free mints or chewing gum can help you avoid party nibblys
• ·      Drink water!! Staying hydrated is important year round but particularly during an Australian summer.  I am sure you have heard thirst and dehydration is often mistaken for hunger, so drink up! Aim for 2-3 litres minimum daily
• ·       Drink water not soft drink or juices- try iced sparkling water with fresh lemon or lime. (my personal fav)
• ·      Remove the skin from your meats and trim fats
• ·      Ask for a “sliver” of any food or dessert you really want to try and eat it slowly, taking time to enjoy it.  Don’t deprive yourself, just remember you don’t need more than a taste of a particularly rich food to be satisfied
• ·      Don’t overeat! Stop eating when you are full- eat slowly to get a better sense of when you begin getting full (approx. 20mins to register)
• ·      When a menu is available, choose the healthy, low calorie option. For more info regarding this read my previous blog here http://exquisitephysiques.blogspot.com/2011/06/dieting-while-out-of-routine-by-anthony.html
• ·      When cooking at home, cut potatoes and other vegetables into larger chunks for roasting, as they will absorb less fat and ultimately contain fewer calories when cooked.
• ·      Say no to the pork crackling or turkey skin
•     Go for the chicken/turkey breast over the ham or pork
• ·      Say yes to the prawns and fresh seafood but avoid the tartae and thousand island sauces
• ·      Go for fresh fruit salad over high sugar and fat dessert
• ·      Say no to seconds! Give yourself time to feel full and satiated
• ·      Fill up on fiber, keeping you full and aiding digestion extra fiber is a no brainer- think green veges particularly with skin intact
• ·      Consider this- are you really hungry?  Or are you eating because it is being placed in front of you/offered to you? Don’t be a lemming!
• ·      Set a limit to the number of “cheat meals” you will have each week- try one day on/one day off over holidays
• ·      Tightening your belt before starting a celebratory meal can keep you aware of how full you may be getting
• ·      Choose or ask for a small plate both in size and in serving
• ·      Avoid sauces and dressings stick with balsamic vinegar, lemon and lime juices
• ·      Say No politely…simple!
• ·      Focus on socializing
• ·      Offer to bring your own healthy, clean meal to parties (you’ll know at least ONE thing will be safe to eat that way)
• ·      If entertaining- prepare a variety of foods including your own clean meal option
• ·      Put away the treats you may have around your house saved for guests when not entertaining
• ·      Send your guests home with the leftovers from your gathering
• ·      Have some pre prepared meal options in the freezer/on hand for those hectic days that your plan goes out the window
• ·      Exercise!! If out of routine, go for a walk, play with the kids, swim, have more sex J DANCE DANCE DANCE!! This all burns off extra calories

·      Take the opportunity to have a good look at your eating/lifestyle habits. Are you an emotional eater (you may be surprised as MANY of us are)? Do you binge eat?  What excuses are you making? Do you notice any patterns?

And what about the alcohol? The Christmas party just wouldn’t be the same!!  It is unrealistic for most to avoid all alcohol over the party season, but just keep in mind exactly what you are drinking, and the effect it will have on your waistline.

Firstly, your body considers alcohol a poison! So much so that once you begin drinking your body immediately works to burn off the booze and in turn will instantly stop burning body fat. After just a couple of drinks, your fat loss may be stalled for a few hours, after MANY drinks it could be days before your body begins burning fat again. 

So this means that ANYTHING you consume after your first sip of alcohol is more likely to be stored as fat than it normally would. That means mixers, calories in cocktails juices/fruits etc, nibblys, even decent meals and especially the dreaded 4am maccas… absolutely ANYTHING you put in your mouth. With that said, use the following as a guide to limit the waistline damage when drinking:

• ·      Go for clear spirits on the rocks or with fresh lime and soda eg; vodka lime and soda = about 64 cals whereas 1 glass of red wine= 125+ cals or 1 corona = 139 cals….DOUBLE THE CALORIES!!
• ·      In order of caloric preference, drink: vodka and soda, gin and tonic, other spirits such as scotch and soda, red, white wine or champagne, beer
• ·      Avoid high sugar mixers- opt for sugar free versions of your favourites eg; red bull or coke zero
• ·      Keep your vitamin b levels up, although a “one-percenter” and by no means any sort of saving grace, vitamin b can help to metabolise alcohol
• ·      Pick the particular parties at which you will drink at- it doesn’t have to be ALL of them!
• ·      Set a limit to your drinking nights/days
• ·      Drink mineral/sparkling water with lime between drinks- and nobody will know the difference

Lastly, ENJOY YOURSELF! The holiday season is a time to relax and wind down. You don’t have to feel deprived or miss out on any of your favourite things. Remember your goals, and don’t wake up on new years day feeling bitter about another silly season of over indulgence. Use this list, create a plan that works for you and stick to it. With some careful planning and commitment, it IS totally possible to lose weight during the silly season!

Just because you have a few (or even several) extra social occasions at this time of year DOES NOT qualify you as somehow exempt from being responsible for your diet from November through to January. Take ownership and stay on track!

I have previously written on “dieting while out of routine” and encourage you to read this also if you will be travelling, or eating from restaurants over the silly season. Read it here http://www.exquisitephysiques.blogspot.com/2011/06/dieting-while-out-of-routine-by-anthony.html  now!

Unsure of how you will cope this silly season? Don’t do it alone! I have availability for a small number of clients that want dietary plans and support for the Christmas/New year period. Contact me on anthony@purehealthclubs.com.au for more information

HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO! By Anthony Noud

HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO!! By Anthony Noud

Over the past 12 months I have steadily been seeing more and more clients for nutrition advice, meal plans and similar, many with great success. I often note that when starting a plan everybody is very gung ho, and motivated to stick to the plan. Sadly, in some cases this initial burst of motivation comes to a grinding halt- people fall off the wagon and return to their old, unhealthy eating habits.

Today I will discuss the use of “cheat meals” in regards to dieting for weight loss, muscle gain and staying lean and strong. As well as staying sane while doing so!

So what is a cheat meal? A cheat meal is a planned meal (for me, its once a week) where you can loosen the reigns in terms of dietary restrictions, indulge a bit and perhaps eat the foods that if consumed daily, would probably leave you gaining fat and feeling/being unhealthy. Think a creamy carbonara, a 3-course restaurant meal, sweets, cakes and chocolates or similar.

These people that come to me full of enthusiasm often baulk at the idea of having a planned cheat meal. “Oh no! I don’t need one of them”, “I just wanna get this weight off as quickly as possible so I don’t think I will need it”. 9 times out of 10, these are the same people that will see great initial results (first 2-4 weeks) but then end up at there same starting point (or heavier) within a couple of months.

In my opinion cheat meals provide a much-needed psychological release from strict dieting and exercise. After some time following a fairly clean and strict diet I find my body craving certain foods, from ice cream to hot chips, and everything in between. I am a firm believer in having a “work/life balance” and similarly I also encourage my clients to have a “diet/life balance”.

Dieting and losing weight takes its toll on most people mentally and emotionally long before it does physically. When people can see no end in sight while dieting they often lose hope and give up. This is why cheat meals are so important- it acts as a mental pressure release valve, particularly when in the early stages of a weight loss/lifestyle change program.

Dieting without a planned or available cheat meal is also unrealistic for most people. We all lead busy lives, we all socialize and we all want to live a little- The inclusion of a pre planned cheat meal allows for situations like parties, birthdays, work functions etc without the guilty feelings normally associated with “breaking my diet”. I often have successful clients comment on how looking forward to their Saturday night cheat meal helps them stay strict during the week and during times of temptation.

So lets get this straight, a cheat meal DOES NOT mean that once a week you can order a 24 piece bucket from KFC, wash it down with a couple of Thickshakes and then turn all David Copperfield and make a cadbury family block disappear all the while kidding yourself into thinking “that was my cheat meal”. NO NO NO!! In order to get the psychological reprieve associated with a cheat meal while living a life free from concentration camp style dietary restrictions and still continue to lose weight or stay lean there are a few basic rules to this cheating business….

• ·      GOLDEN RULE – You DO NOT qualify for a cheat meal unless you have been eating according to your diet all week and performing all of your planned exercise. Simple as that- don’t kid yourselves here guys!
• ·      A cheat meal is exactly that- ONE meal, this does not start with Friday afternoon nibblys and drinks, into dinner, dessert, more drinks then kebabs or McRubbish on the way home in the early hours. When your bum leaves the seat you are done!
• ·      In my opinion a cheat meal constitutes a main meal with dessert, plus a maximum of 3 alcoholic drinks- many others will disagree or have fancy caloric requirements, deprivation of snacks, measuring the size of your plate etc etc…but in my opinion the whole idea is to loosen the reigns and “cheat” so just go ahead and enjoy yourself!
• ·      You return to your planned diet/meal plan/ healthy eating from the very next meal!- many people choose to have their cheat meals as their last meal of the day, avoiding the feelings of “well today is a write off so I might as well indulge a little more”
• ·      If you have been dieting strictly and have a sugar laden cheat meal you may find yourself craving sugar in coming days- be mindful of this. I find chewing gum helps aswell as herbal teas.
• ·      The leaner you are the more carbs and more often you can cheat- (this is related to leptin and reefed theory for info read my previous post here http://exquisitephysiques.blogspot.com/2011/09/busting-through-low-carb-fat-loss.html) think of this as a payoff for all of your hard work. If you are obese you may want to opt for a cheat meal every fortnight instead of every week.
• ·      If you don’t “need” a cheat meal- don’t take it, but always allow yourself the option, so as not to feel trapped or restricted by your diet

As you progress from “dieting” into long term healthy eating habits and maintenance you will get to know your body and may naturally relax your cheat meals- instead of having to plan your cheat meal each week, you will be able to eat what your body wants, when it wants it (within reason) while maintaining your goal physique. Notice I said what your “body wants” and not your mind! In my opinion, this is pretty much the ultimate goal.

As a side note to this I have noticed a very strong correlation between those that are eating at or above their bodies requirements for macronutrients (carbs, fats, proteins) all seem to crave cheat meals less often, in turn cheating and making poor food choices less frequently and when they do, make much cleaner cheat meal options. If you are unsure as to whether or not you are eating the right amount of macronutrients for your desired bodyweight or physique goal, email me here anthony@purehealthclubs.com.au and together we can put together a meal plan that will get you to your absolute best while leaving room for you to still live and enjoy life!

Busting through Low-carb fat loss plateau's By Anthony Noud

I am a physique coach, group fitness instructor and personal trainer. As such, I earn my living by helping people get maximal results from doing exercise. It is in my best interest to proclaim the benefits of regular exercise (of which there are MANY). Having said that, I am first to tell you that when it comes to weight loss and muscle gain, ie getting the body you desire, at LEAST 70% of your results will come from your diet.

When I first got serious about my nutrition I still had a lot to learn, super low carbs was the latest craze and I followed it. To say I was extremely strict with my food would be an understatement. I ate absolutely ZERO sugar, very little dairy- only no fat options, my only carbs came from limited oats at breakfast time and only lean protein sources. I cooked with no oils or fats (not even spray).  My highly scientific plan was this: Eat no sugar, as little fat as possible and NO CARBS after my carefully weighed (and limited) breakfast oats each morning.  Although somewhat unbalanced, this delivered dramatic results- I was super lean, (with friends comparing my physique with that of a long distance runner…ewwww) neverless, defined abs was the goal and I was measuring consistently under 7% bodyfat. 

Cheat meals were vary rare, perhaps once every 3 months… I could eat a steak from a restaurant and the first thing I would taste would be the oil, and feel the grease on my lips. Having something that contained sugar would have me buzzing like an ADHD kid with his own supply of red cordial concentrate, and anything with added preservatives or high fat would leave me feeling sick within minutes of eating it. I would always go nuts on the carbs, particularly refined carbs like ice cream, bread etc. So basically, I would eat my cheat meal, feel sick, regret it and decide that I would probably need to go for a run to burn off the extra calories….Funny thing was though, after these rare instances I would notice I would wake up the next few days feeling and looking noticeably leaner and more muscular (in a marathon runner/scrawny triathlete kinda way J ).

I decided it was time to do some research, was I going crazy? Did eating “BAD, NASTY, DEVIL LIKE CARBS” occasionally really help me lose fat and stay lean? What about the endless barrage of “low carb, reduced carb, no carb,  get homicidal with all carbs at all costs” talk within the industry? This is when I first heard of Leptin, and the idea of a high carb meal no longer seemed like “cheating” myself.

Introducing Leptin, a protein hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and expenditure and get this, plays a big part in regulating appetite and metabolism! It is considered an anti starvation/metabolic balance hormone. Basically, it lets the brain know when there is enough fat stored in the body.

Low calorie, low carbohydrate diets will decrease leptin levels, as your leptin levels decrease, your body will go into starvation mode- this is basically your body’s way of saying “I am not sure how long I am going to have to survive on such limited food, we better hold onto as much fat as possible”. So quite literally, your fat loss will slow down immensely or even come to a screeching halt. This is particularly relevant for those with low bodyfat levels, or who have been on low carbs/ low cals for an extended period of time.

So, in this instance raising your leptin levels will give your body the kickstart it needs and get you out of starvation mode, and back to burning fat! So how do we raise leptin?

Introduce a regular refeed meal…which simply means….EAT LOTS OF CARBS!! Now before I go on, this is NOT for everybody, actually, this is definitely for the minority of dieters, if you have been following a super low carb diet for an extended period of time and your fat loss has stalled, then perhaps introducing a reefed meal is for you. If you have “been watching” what you eat or “been good” then I highly doubt you are in need of a refeed.  Basically, if you have to ask if you qualify for a refeed, then you probably don’t!

A reefed meal is not to be confused with a cheat meal, it is NOT a free for all buffet extravaganza worthy of an American eating competition.

A reefed is designed to fill your liver and muscles with glycogen (energy stored as carbohydrates) and then spill over those carbs into your fat cells, in turn signaling your body that you have enough energy to burn and raising leptin, kickstarting your metabolism into fat burning mode again. Common sense would suggest this is preposterous, but think of it as taking one step backwards, in order to take many more steps forwards.

As everybody is different, there are no concrete rules to the refeed meal, in fact some people incorporate an entire day or more to refeed, carefully consuming an extra 20%-  50% above maintenance calories for that day. Others choose to go for shorter periods 2-10 hours, where they do not count or measure the extra calories, but simply eat as much as they can within the designated time frame to ensure their cells have plenty of new fuel and can start burning that fat again! As a general rule, the shorter the refeed, the more drastic the increase in calories needs to be.

As for what to eat, in essence you are carb loading, so lots of carbs! Not necessarily low GI ones, they will leave you feeling too full and you will have to consume A LOT of them. Think things like white bread and honey, low fat ice cream, cereals, pancakes, pasta etc… sound awesome? Hang on a second, before you hit the bakery or Italian restaurant- on these designated refeed days you should definitely lower your protein intake (to as low as 1.5g per kg bodyweight) and eat as little fat as possible.

How often you refeed will depend on how lean you are and how long you have been following a strict low carb/cal diet. Again, it really is a process of personal trial and error as no two people are alike. The general rule of thumb is for those very lean and doing lots of strenuous exercise (males <8% bf women <14%bf) you could refeed anywhere up to every 2-3 days, typically though you would refeed every 4-5 days. If you find yourself constantly starving/obsessed with food and if you are losing muscle and/or strength you may need to refeed more often.

Now, whatever you do DON’T weigh yourself the day following a refeed, you WILL be heavier. The carbs will make you hold water (4g water per 1g carb approx.) so this is to be expected.  Within a couple of days of returning to your regular diet your weight will drop back down, usually to lower than it was before the refeed.

Many people (in fact most) find that low carb diets work well for rapid fat loss.  Over time though, your body seeks to find homeostasis, or balance and will begin to try and put a stop to you losing fat. Among other things, it will reduce leptin in an attempt to slow your fat loss efforts.  If you have been following low carbs and low calories diets for an extended period of time, and feel stumped because you are no longer losing weight, perhaps doing the unthinkable and introducing a high carb, refeed day is exactly what your body needs to continue burning fat. Think of it as “tricking” your body out of starvation mode, and back into fat burning mode.

On a personal note, I am not advocating a particularly low carb diet, nor am I suggesting you follow a diet that includes a refeed day. I have tried this method and have found my energy levels fluctuate drastically and find myself craving carbs after refeed days. Instead I now choose to eat lots of carbs (with every meal) on a daily basis and therefore have no need for a carb up.

This Is a photo Of one of my Physique Coaching clients- Mel, After a carb up that lasted 2 days!! 

When administered with expertise, the results really do speak for themselves!!

For more information, or a tailored Dietary Plan please contact me on anthony@purehealthclubs.com.au