How to Motivate My Fiance?

Question:  Fiance trying to diet, but gets frustrated at me when I try and motivate her?

My fiance and I have been together for about 2 years. In that time, she has gained a little bit of weight, but nothing serious. I still think she looks great, and never comment to her that she needs to lose weight. However, she isn't happy that she's gained this 10-15 pounds. Her pants are apparently getting tighter, and she even joined a gym and committed herself to eating better. (The problem is made worse by the fact that my ex was a runner and trains to be a fitness model. But I have never said anything to compare her to my ex...good or bad. The past is the past and I never bring her up)

Fast forward to now. We have a cruise coming up in 4 months, and the wedding in 10 months. She asks me to keep her on the right track with her diet and gym habits. I am happy to do that, because I am very strict with what I eat and go to the gym religiously. Every time she cheats on her diet with a pizza, burger, chocolate, giant pretzel, etc. she gets upset and down on herself. I hate seeing this so I try to remind her of what she is working for whenever she is about to eat something like that. But then she gets upset with me and says I'm nagging her, and making her feel bad about herself. What should I do? Just shut up and let her crash on her diet and beat herself up for it every time?

Answer:

Even though she's asked you to help her, she really doesn't want you to call her out on her "cheats".   It's like when she asks you, "Do these jeans make me look fat?" - it's really not a question so much as a need for you to give her positive feedback. 

My suggestion is that the next time she mentions her weight, ask her if she'd like to get a personal trainer or join a class (like Boot Camp, Spinning, or CrossFit) and then offer to buy her one month as an early wedding gift. 

Or suggest signing up for an event together (5K, cycling tour, etc) as having a goal other than weight loss is the best way to actually lose weight.  Training for something will give her workouts a greater purpose & keep her motivated - especially as she starts to see fitness results, not just weight loss results.  

If she still gives you grief over these options, you're in for a long road of self esteem issues that only she can resolve - possibly with the help of a life coach/therapist/mentor. Coaching your loved one rarely works, but an "outsider" is a non-threatening source of advice and guidance.  Encourage her to reach out for help.

Resolution Solution!

Resolution Solution

New Year’s resolutions are like butterflies… both represent a life changing transformation.  But did you know that the expected lifespan of a butterfly is 3 days?  Hmmm. 

The problem is we set ourselves up to fail before we even leave the cocoon.  Resolutions are often dramatic declarations of denial,  “I’m giving up sugar”,  or over zealousness, “I’m going to workout two hours/day”.  Kudos for the desire to improve your health, but this year don’t just do it for now, do it forever.  How?  By choosing a balanced approach.

The absolute best way to lose weight and keep it off is to use a balance log.  I call it a  balance log, not a food log, because long term weight loss is best maintained when you balance healthy eating and consistent exercise.   Manipulating one without the other may work temporarily but it’s like cramming for a college exam – you may pass the test but you won’t  learn anything.

Here are the steps to implementing a successful balance log for your New Year’s Resolution:

1.     Find a track.  No, not a running track (although that would be a good tool, too).  Find a good tracking method that is easy to use and provides clear representation of your calories in (food)  vs. calories out (exercise).  There are plenty of free Internet sites and smart phone apps.  For iPhone users, I recommend the “Lose It!” app.  That way you have your balance log at your finger tips throughout the day.  For a good  Internet site try:  www.livestrong.com.

2.     Use it!  Yes, this is a Yogi Berra-ism, but you have use the balance log for it to work.  Commit to logging in absolutely everything, every day, without  exception.    This isn’t much fun on days you  stray to the honey jar but honestly logging will help you figure out how to balance your week.  That’s one of the key life-long learning tools – there are days when you eat more than you need to  but it doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel.   Instead, use the towel to wipe your tears  (or crumbs off your face) and make smart adjustments over the next few days. 

3.     Know before you go.  Be proactive with your log.  Before your next dinner party,  pre-load your log to see how the day will unfold if you eat “x, y, & z””.  This way you empower yourself rather than leaving it up to chance.  You can even plan for dessert!  It’s much easier to skip the bread basket when you know you get a sweet treat at the end of the meal.  Just be sure to go back and double check your entries for accuracy at the end of the day.

4.     Measuring up.   Speaking of accuracy, it’s a must. You need to measure out your food portions initially, until you reset your brain-to-plate ratio.  Ginormous serving sizes  have skewed our sense of normalcy.   The food guide pyramid defines a serving of cooked meat as  2-3 ounces.   Along with other protein sources (eggs, beans, nuts, etc) you should get 2 -3 servings a day. On the other hand, the average steakhouse calls an 8oz steak a “petite” portion.  That petite portion is more than most people need for an entire day.  So measure your food using a measure cup/spoon,  food scale, or find out what a serving size visually looks like.  For instance, a  2 oz serving of cheese looks like a pair of dice.  And a serving of cooked pasta is a half cup – which looks like nothing compared to the mound of carbs piled on your plate at the Macaroni Grill.

5.     No brainer.  The good news about logging your exercise is the balance logs does it for you!  When you initially set up the balance log, you’ll input weight and estimate your resting metabolic rate.  Thereafter, it can provide realistic calculations for exercise calories expended -- unlike stationary equipment, that tends to overestimate your “burn”. 

So make your 2011 resolution to make the balanced solution!  Commit to logging in for at least one solid month and you can achieve changes for good, not just for now.    

New iphone app to track your calories!

Pictures are worth a 1000 calories?

New Favorite Healthy Treat!

My sister, a collegiate swimmer at Mizzou, sent me a care package the other day crammed full of energy bars & drinks.  One of the products, "PB & Whey Protein Bites" is my new favorite snack! YUM! All natural, gluten free, organic peanut butter & agave. 140 cals, 10 g of protein. Awesome!

Here are the stats:

Each PB & Whey Protein bar is all-natural, preservative-free, gluten-free, and made with organic peanut butter and sweetened with organic agave syrup.Each bar is fortified with 10 grams of protein and B Vitamins.

• Made with organic peanut butter
• Made with organic agave syrup
• 10g of protein in each piece
• All natural and gluten-free
• No preservatives
• B-Vitamins
• Compliant for collegiate athletics
• Zero trans fat
• Great with your morning coffee
• High protein / high energy
• Used by top collegiate athletic programs

Supplement Facts:

Serving Size: 1 Bar (35g) 
Servings Per Container: 15 

Amount Per Serving: 
Calories 140 
Calories From Fat 50 
Total Fat 5g 8% 
Saturated Fat 1g 5% 
Trans Fat 0g 
Cholesterol 5mg 2% 
Sodium 80mg 3% 
Potassium 130mg 4% 
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5% 
Dietary Fiber 2g 8% 
Sugars 10g 
Protein 10g 20% 

Vitamin A 0% 
Vitamin B6 20% 
Vitamin C 0% 
Folate 20% 
Calcium 4% 
Vitamin B12 20% 
Iron 4% 
Biotin 20% 
Thiamin 20% 
Pantothenic Acid 20% 
Riboflavin 20% 
Magnesium 10% 
Niacin 20% 

Ingredients: 
Organic Peanut Butter, Organic Agave Syrup, Fruitrim (Fruit Juices, Natural Grain Dextrins), Whey Protein, (Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Hydrolysate), Peanuts, Whey Protein Crisps (Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Tapioca Starch, Calcium Carbonate), Inulin (Dietary Fiber), Vitamina & Minerals (Potassium Citrate, Magnesium Citrate, Niacin [Vitamin B3], Pantothenic Acid, Pyridoxine HCl [Vitamin B6], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Folic Acid, Biotin, Cyanocobalamin [Vitamin B12], Rice Bran, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Soy Lecithin, Guar Gum, Mixed Tocopherols (To Maintain Freshness). 

Note: Manufacturers continually change product specifications. While we try our best to keep product descriptions up to date, they do not necessarily reflect the latest information available from the manufacturer. We are not responsible for incorrect or outdated product descriptions and/or images.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Here's a link to the website:

http://www.ebperformance.com/

Exercise Induced Nausea/Vomiting

A client of mine has a daughter that just finished her first year on the high school cross-country team.   One of girls on the team has had two races in which she vomited immediately afterwards.  My client thought it might be hydration related.  Water logging, another word for over-hydration, characterized by drinking too much water before, during, and/or after exercise (or at any time) can cause nausea, diarrhea, confusion, and muscle tremors.  If the overhydration is significant enough, it can be fatal.  Excessive water consumption reduces or dilutes electrolyte levels in the body. It is encouraged to control your level of water intake when working out, and also to eat salty snacks when you have consumed too much water (sodium and potassium are electolytes).  This is more likely to occur in long endurance events when athletes overhydrate throughout the race.  


This would be less likely for a 5K racer unless of course the runner is consuming copious amounts of fluid prior to the start of the race.  One possible explanation is ischemia - a restriction of blood flow - to the gastric mucosa, the membrane layer of the stomach.  Different types of stress (such as high intensity exercise) can breach this barrier, causing increased permeability of the gut lining and allowing entry of harmful bacterial toxins into the blood stream which could lead to nausea, vomiting, bloating, bloody diarrhea, and cramping.  

Intense anaerobic exercise (such as sprinting or lifting heavy weights) can also result in insufficient blood supply to the GI tract.  When this occurs, the GI tract simply can't function as designed and thus rejects its stomach contents, and in some cases the contents of the intestinal tract (diarrhea).  The ischemia achieved by athletes in long endurance events also compromises the intestinal barrier, contributing to and compounding the GI symptoms.


It has been suggested that exercise induced nausea could be caused by increased endorphin levels, which are released while exercising. Endorphins have been associated with nausea and vomiting, so this theory is plausible, but unsupported by evidence.


Other factors to consider include overheating due to hot and/or humid conditions, negative reactions to allergens, and food intake up to 24 hours prior to racing.  


Performance related mental stress has also been fingered as a vomit-inducing trigger.  Practicing coping mechanisms prior to and during a race can be just the trick to keeping those stomach butterflies from escaping through the top door.  


Often the urge to purge will subside after the body is conditioned to withstand extremely taxing exercise.  The conditioning effect combined with the ability to mentally distinguish where the proverbial red line lies.  


This is by no means meant to serve as medical advice, but certainly gives you some things to consider.  If vomiting continues more than a few times, certainly seek professional help.   

Costco Chicken Soup

QUESTION: 

Hi Shannon, 

I called Costco and got the nutritional info on the Costco "home made" version of chicken soup.  As per our conversation this morning during our PT session, I ate the soup last night for dinner, as did my children, and we all woke up feeling very full.  I usually wake up starving!  You had mentioned maybe it's the salt content.  It is very high, check it out... 

 

One-cup serving:

 

220 calories

6 g fat

980 mg sodium (no, not a typo)

24 g carbs

-1 g fiber

18 g protien

 

 

So the fat wasn't too bad, but I'm guessing the sodium wiped out all of our appetites as you suggested.  

 

Thanks-

Amy

ANSWER:

Wow!  Not surprised I have to say.  The salt is definitely a major factor.  I would also bet that you all had more than 1 cup, that's not much soup.  Your average can of soup is 2 cups.  So double everything on that label.  If you're taking in 1500 cal/day and your aiming for 20% of your calories from fat, that's 33 fat grams for the day.  So 12g of fat is a little over 1/3 of your fat grams for the day.  And similarly, you protein goals would be about 75g/day and 2 cups of this soup is 36, almost half the protein you need for one day.  So lots of reasons - salt, protein, fat... it all attributed.  

Costco is good for buying healthy stuff in bulk, but stay away from their home-made goods like those monster sized muffins - yikes! 

 Shannon