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Fitness & Training Food & Nutrition Health Coaching Spiritual Health

The Worst Health Advice I’ve Ever Received…Part III

and Truth I know now…

In our final installment of the 3-part series I’m calling, ‘The Worst Health Advice I’ve Ever Received” I’m going to be sharing probably the most ubiquitous bad health advice we’ve BOTH ever received. 
 
While the world has advanced with greater and greater scientific and specific health knowledge, it has also made room for a looooooot of bad advice.   
 
Today’s bad advice doesn’t have a story around it like the others because to be honest I can’t remember who exactly first told me this one, or if it was actually just my MIND that inferred this advice from simply how society approached health and wellness.  
 
The bad advice that I now know better than to fall for is this: 
 
HEALTH IS ONLY ABOUT EXERCISE AND NUTRITION.  
 
Isn’t this what society teaches us?  All you need to focus on in order to get health and stay healthy is to concern your efforts on what you’re eating and how you’re moving.  
 
If you struggle with your health, it’s only because you’re not doing something “right” with regards to your movement and your eating.  
 
This is what I have believed for over 3 decades of struggle with my body and body image. This advice sent me into a frenzy of exhaustive effort, almost becoming addicted to thinking about my eating, obsessive with my exercise, and never feeling satisfied with where my body was.  
 
Oh, you aren’t seeing results?  Well, try harder.
You adapted to your workouts?  Hmm, you should probably just try harder. 
You put on 5 lbs from a weekend  of excessive eating?  Try harder! 
 
This has been so conditioned to our psyche, we have formed a mindset of lack and scarcity.  Never feeling “good enough” and always on guard for the evidence that proves we are underperforming.  
 
 
The thing about believing that advice that all it takes to be health is to focus on your eating and your exercise is because there IS TRUTH in this advice, but it’s only half of the truth. 
 
There’s no denying that your physical health depends on your eating and exercise.  But it’s missing the 2 other pillars of health— your THINKING (what I call WISE’her) and your SPIRIT (what I called SURREND’her).  
 
So, let’s get into the WORD of God for what might reveal what TRUE HEALTH looks like for every one of us. 
 

Bible Background...

The Apostle John was one of the 12 disciples that followed Jesus during His time on Earth.  John wrote the Gospel of John and was one of Jesus’ best friends and self proclaimed to be the “one whom Jesus loved.”   
 
John was also the disciple to lived the longest.  Where many of the others were martyred for their Faith in Christ the Messiah, John lived into his 80’s in the town of Ephesus.  It is from this city that he penned some of the greatest books of the Bible:  1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Revelation. 
 
Well, it is in the short letter called 3 John, we see where this wise, Jesus loving, disciple tells us what is KEY to health.
 

 His greeting in this letter states: (3 John 1:2: GNB)

 
John tells us two very critical things in this simple greeting. 
 

 1. Our HEALTH is very important to our calling.  You cannot be of your best use to God’s mission if you are NOT well in health.  While this might seem obvious in statement, it’s NOT obvious when you look at the state of health of the church.  I pray that this continues to change in the Body.

 

2. It tells us that really, our body’s health CAN ONLY BE AS HEALTHY as your spirit and soul.  

It’s important that you EQUALLY invest in your SOUL (your emotions, your thinking, and your will and motivation) and SPIRIT (your relationship God within you) as you do in your physical health.  
 
What I realized in order for my struggle-to-turn-to-success in my own body is that my PROBLEMS were not with my body, my eating, and my exercise regimens.  My problems were in how I was THINKING about my body, my eating and my exercise.  
 
The thoughts that created the feelings and misdirected my motivation all were problems in my SOUL that was buried in my FLESHY nature as opposed to how God has called me to walk, within my SPIRITUAL nature.  
 

With this new found freedom of truth I have built a platform of complete education and direction for women who are ready to live TRULY HEALTHY lives.  

 
It’s called the her Health Lounge and it’s a 26-week journey to a LIFESTYLE of health.  
 
The Lounge is an online portal where all members have 24-hour access to over 80 coaching videos discussing the necessary knowledge one must have to truly walk in Spiritual and Physical health.  
 
 
We spend 8 WEEKS devoted to BODY (nutrition and fitness education), 8 WEEKS devoted to MINDSET, and 8 WEEKS devoted to SPIRIT.  
 
All members receive my best tools for physical success with my Nutrient Based Eating program and book, as well as my signature STRONGher Fitness & Mobility program delivered on the Lounge portal as well as my STRONGher APP with the full-length video demos.  
 
 
The best part is not just the Lounge and it’s amazing content, but it’s the COMMUNITY of women and the COACHING from myself and my co-caoches.  This program offers your access the the most encouraging and motivating Facebook group out there!   
 
And you will also sign up for either (13) 1:1 coaching calls every 2-weeks  or (8) small group coaching calls every 3-weeks.   It’s in these calls that you will hold yourself accountable and establish a clear pathway to success! 
 
I’d love to welcome you to this opportunity to improve your physical health by focusing equal effort on your Spiritual health as well!  The doors open to sign up on April 3 and will close on April 9.  Our 26-weeks together will start April 10!  
 
Be sure you’re on the waitlist if you want to get first dibs.   I’d love to reach out to you to set up a call and chat more to ensure we are a “wright fit” for each other.  Click HERE to join that waitlist.
 
 

Are you "A. Wright Fit" for the her Health Lounge? Watch and find out!

her Health Lounge opens April 3!

The 26-week journey to a LIFETIME of health success starts on April 10!  The her Health Lounge will be open for limited members starting April 3!  To be the first to know, put your name on the list HERE.  You'll get a nice little discount too!   

Categories
Food & Nutrition Spiritual Health

The Worst Health Advice I’ve Ever Received….Part 2

and Truth I know now…

We are midway through this 3-part series I’m sharing on the “Worst Advice” I have received from fitness “professionals” that I have learned is simply BAD ADVICE.  
 
Last blog (link here), I shared with you the fact that some professional football players told me that "I shouldn’t do so many lunges since I already had “thick thighs.”'  So not only was this RUDE advice, but it was very BAD advice because as I went over, the LEANEST my thighs ever got was also the MOST and HEAVIEST amount of lifting I had ever done!    It is backwards to our female intuition, but it is the TRUTH about women’s bodies.  We need muscle to burn fat. 
 
Today’s story is also some bad advice from another male trainer who really offered me some terrible advice while I was beginning to thinking about training for the bikini competition. 
 
This was when I was 29-years old and I was working part-time at my favorite gym in the whole world, Bodies by Perseverance in Denver, CO.  
 
A trainer that worked there at the time (before he was let go) had offered to train me for free for a few sessions and was one who was pushing me to consider doing a bikini competition.  
 
At this time I was very suspicious of the whole process (which proved to be good intuition on my part that I should have trusted) because I was seeing a lot of girls lose a TON OF WEIGHT, but they were REALLY CRANKY and irritable the whole time.  Then, once the show was over, I saw the grand majority GAIN ALL THE WEIGHT BACK and then some.  
 
Well, when this trainer revealed to me his master strategy for how he was going to train me, I knew this was the reason why!   
 

He told me, and I quote,  “You need to burn as many calories in exercise as you eat in the day.”  End quote. 

 
So, his “diet plan” for me would include a menu of 900-1200 calories total (which for me an my 5’10” frame is WAYYYYYY too low) of virtually no carbs, and he also expected me to BURN about 900-1200 calories a day doing EXERCISE!  
 
This is not only BAD ADVICE but this is DANGEROUS advice that can seriously harm your metabolism.  
 
I obviously did not hire this trainer to do my competition and I did still suffer some of the effects of the more extreme diet and exercise programs all warrant for doing a show, but at least I didn’t cause grave, sometimes irreversible damage that his advice could have cause me. 
 
Let’s set the record straight on your METABOLISM and HOW MANY CALORIES TO EAT or BURN each day. 

METABOLISM TRUTHS: 

—If you starve your body either by eating too few calories or burning too many calories (or both) you will slow down your metabolism and will have an incredibly hard time speeding it up again.  This makes it nearly impossible to burn fat and lose weight again.  If you were to lose weight this way but then gain it back (because your body thinks it's starving so it kicks up your appetite and cravings) you will have a MUCH HARDER time losing weight again.  Your body does not forget the times when you’ve starved it.  It won’t be so quick to lose its fat reserves next time.
 
—Metabolic experts have research based evidence that says that to avoid slowing down of your metabolism, your goal should be to eat as much as possible while still showing signs of weight loss.  The process will go in a stepwise fashion of slowly decreasing calories or increasing calorie burn via exercise to "test and see" how much you can eat while still showing results.  This will take TIME and PATIENCE but will be well worth the effort in order to maintain the metabolism as much as possible.     
 
So, at my size (5’10”, 157 lbs) and age (34 years), I burn about 2,000-2,100 calories a day just from my everyday life (taken from my Apple Watch).    If I exercise for 30-45 mins and take a leisure walk, I may get up to about 2600 calories burned per day.  This means, to keep my metabolism revved up, I need to eat no less than 1600-1700 calories per day on non-workout days or 2100-2300 calories per day on workout days.  (This is if I want to lose weight).
 
The fat loss process needs to go much SLOWER than you think it does.  For example, if I have a rough deficit of 500 calories per day over the course of a full week, I will at most lose 1 lb of fat per week.  Now, hormones and inflammation, and all that will sway the “weight” part, but you can rest assured that this will allow for fat burning that you will notice more over time. 
 
—Metabolic damage is very serious that shouldn’t be taken lightly.  Because of the surge of women deciding to do bikini or bodybuilding competitions, we are seeing a rise in the damage done.  Things like autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto’s (Thyroid), adrenal fatigue, and whacked out estrogen/progesterone (from any extended stress) can all result  from this aggressive approach to weight loss.   Your hormones matter!!  Take caution. 
 
While all this physical effects are important to address, but to me these consequences of physical and metabolic damage is small in comparison to the SPIRITUAL damage and the condemnation you feel when you lose weight and gain it all back because your body is fighting against you “starving” it for quicker results.  It only took me 5 months to lose 7% of body fat, but it took me OVER A YEAR and a LOT OF GOD’S GRACE to help me forgive myself for doing it and gaining the weight back.  
 
 

This is why I ever started A. Wright Fit as a fit and FAITHFUL business and created my her Health Lounge to be:

8 WEEKS OF BODY (Nutrition & Fitness) EDUCATION
8 WEEKS OF MINDSET INTENTION & 
8 WEEKS OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT
 
When you change anything physical about your body you will do so by either BUILD-UP your Spiritual muscles or BREAKING-DOWN your Spirit.  It's one way or another.  And the way that society teaches us usually ends up on the destructive side toward our Spiritual growth.  
 
The reason why women take such drastic measure to change their body is because of an unhealthy relationship with their body.  There are so many mindset barriers and lies that women will believe about themselves that this program can help set you straight.  It also teaches you how to strengthen your Spirit which builds the patience, endurance, and self-control that are all pivotal in winning the fat loss game long term!  
 
 
I’m REALLY excited to invite you to join!  Again, doors open on April 3 and the close on April 9th!  So don’t miss your chance to transform your life!  Please join the waitlist HERE to learn more!  

her Health Lounge opens April 3!

The 26-week journey to a LIFETIME of health success starts on April 10!  The her Health Lounge will be open for limited members starting April 3!  To be the first to know, put your name on the list HERE.  You'll get a nice little discount too!   

Categories
Fitness & Training Food & Nutrition

3 Simple Steps to Maintain and Not Gain This Holiday Season

Real quick, just a friendly reminder that today is the LAST DAY to save big on the A. Wright Fit Daniel Challenge!  For Cyber Monday, I'm extending my offer for this 6-Week Nutrition Course that starts in the New Year.  After tomorrow it will go back up to $97, but today, you can grab a spot for yourself or any friends in need of thoughtful and helpful gifts, for just 50% off!   Click this link to purchase and enter the coupon code: danielchallenge50.

Can't wait to see the breakthroughs that will come this New Year together!!  For more info, here's the info page. 

But, from now until then, we have a WHOLE LOTTA HOLIDAYS to get through and ideally, we want to do it without completely losing all self-control on the Christmas cookies or spiked Eggnog, #amiright? 

As I mentioned the other day, I recently lost about 7 lbs of weight and inflammation while doing just a 7-day Daniel Fast.  In spite of a glorious Thanksgiving back home in Colorado, I have maintained this weight loss and still feel SO MUCH better!  

The thing is that it is RARE to actually keep off the weight you lose, so I'm definitely brushing up my maintenance skills myself and want you to do the same! 

Over the course of being a Certified Nutrition Coach and personal trainer, I have seen time and time again that I could help HUNDREDS of clients lose 20, 40, 60 lbs of weight over several months of hard work and discipline, but I saw time and time again that MOST of my clients would GAIN BACK a significant portion of the weight they lost. 

Part of the problem was that I had put them on a "meal plan" where they would measure and count their macronutrients.  The tactic worked, as we both saw, but it didn't last because it wasn't a sustainable lifestyle!  

So, this, along with my own spiritual awakening, is what spurred me to create the Nutrient Based Eating program (which is also offered in the Daniel Challenge) AND also allowed me to transition to a more HOLISTIC approach to health changes. 

This is where the STRONG'her (body), WISE'her (mindset), SURREND'her (spirit) tag line came from.  I realized that your health HAS to this balanced approach in order to not just attain health results, but more importantly, MAINTAIN THEM once you achieve them. 

So, for this Holiday season, allow me to give you...

3 PART PLAN TO MAINTAIN THIS HOLIDAY SEASON:

1. STRONG'her TIP:   The 80% RULE

I call this the "Dating vs Married Principle" in my coaching.  Essentially, what you did to get her you're going to have to do to keep her!  But by "her" I mean, your body changes.  

You need sustain about 80% of the activity and clean eating strategies to simply MAINTAIN what you lost. 

So, if you workout 4 days a week to attain the results, you will need to still workout 3 days per week at about 80% of the intensity to maintain your results. 

If you typically eat really clean for 3 meals and have 1 treat per day to attain your results, you'll still need to eat 80% clean and maybe add in a 2nd treat to be able to maintain those results.

Now, if one week you're on real vacation and you won't have access to your regular routine, seriously don't sweat it.  Just try to keep things normal the week before and the week after and during your trip and walk a lot more and do some bodyweight workouts or yoga while away!  One week won't make a huge difference, but 40 days (between TG and New Year) will! So, set up your plan!

One really helpful tool I can give you is a simple weekly chart I call my "her Intentional Consistency."  I have all my clients write down the THINK, EAT, MOVE goals each week and check off the box when they complete it.  You can download your own copy here to help you track your own consistency.  

intentional

2. WISE'her TIP:   MANAGE YOUR "ALL OR NOTHING" THOUGHTS

The MINDSET is everything this time of year!  The truth is that you should enjoy anything that you want to eat, but STOP convincing yourself that this is the VERY LAST TIME you can have it since "it's the holidays."

It's simply not TRUE.  When you shift your thoughts away from the "FOMO" (fear of missing out) and start repeating the TRUTH that you can have whatever you want to eat and ANY TIME during the year, you realize that fear dissipates and it strengthens your self-control to enjoy SOME bites, but not the whole batch type of thing.  

So, pay attention to your thoughts in your head.  If you find yourself making excuses like,  "Well, I'll get started again in the New Year, it's just too hard to resist this time of year," then I highly suggest your correct those thoughts before you start to wear them.  

The truth is you CAN enjoy your favorite holiday treats in moderation and still eat in a balanced way the other 80% of the time.

And better yet, when you feel empowered and in control of your eating and don't see the weight gain, bloating and discomfort that comes from binge eating or drinking, then you will actually ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS more!  

Why don't you test it out and see?!

 

3. SURREND'her TIP:   WELL, SURREND'her IT!

Honestly, if we could all remember that God is with us to help us with e-ver-y-thing on our heart, we wouldn't try to do these difficult things on our own!

Have you ever thought that your eating and exercise is something that "I should be responsible for" and "not bother God with?"  I know I have.   I thought, "Why would I pray for help with my eating when there are people out there with real problems, like not having any food to eat!"

But this is an error in thinking.  When I realized JUST HOW ABUNDANT GOD IS and that when He offers me more self-control (one of the Fruits of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23), it's not like He has LESS power or love to give to others!  He's LIMITLESS!

If you struggle with the guilt or asking God to help you with your health, then here is a scripture for you to memorize and dwell on for several days.  

James 4:2b-3 NLT
"Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure." 

Overall, this holiday season is always meant to me a celebration!  There is a reason for the season, and it's not to overdo it on spending or calories.  It's to fully receive the incredible gift of our Savior's birth.  

Certainly enjoy your special occasions and those holiday favorites that are worth-it to you.  But remember, life is much more than food.  Get up, get active, focus on your blessings and enjoy every minute.  

 

danielchallenge-coupon-code

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Food & Nutrition Health Coaching Uncategorized

FAT LOSS DIARIES: These 5 Factors Can Mess With Our Metabolism the Most

Fat Loss Diaries

As I mentioned the other day, my road to the the ultimate LEAN life lead to a majorly disrupted Metabolism! I’m currently 2.5 years “post bikini-show” and I am still trying to help get my metabolism recovered! A lot of women struggle with their metabolism, especially as they get older so I know I’m not the only one with this issue. Some women struggle with metabolism so much that fat loss can seem almost impossible. Many prefer to take a surgical route in their weight loss journey, including things like liposuction offered by people like Dr. Paul Fortes. However, there are other ways to lose weight. There are lots of factors that affect our metabolism and weight gain so it’s usually very dependant on the individual. For example, my friend has to get Indolemax from Amazon to help control her weight because her estrogen levels aren’t correct. This also helps with her menopause so it helps her in two different ways! The importance of our metabolism is because we want to be able to EAT NORMAL amounts of food and stay pretty lean!

Our METABOLISM MATTERS big-time if we are trying to live a balanced life. We need to take care of our bodies and take things slow, showcasing the necessary patience and endurance to do this the (w)right way. (Click here for my favorite scriptures to help you with ENDURANCE!)

First, let me preface this next specific topic about your Metabolism by saying there is SO MUCH MORE to learn that I simply cannot fit into one blog. In fact, I wrote an entire MODULE PROGRAM in my Health Coaching programs that goes over all the important factors you need to know about your Metabolism (Module #2: WISE’her Metabolism).

To check out more information on my HEALTH COACHING programs, click HERE.

Nevertheless, in my QUEST TO FIX MY DAMAGED METABOLISM, I have learned the 5 BIGGEST VILLAINS TO SUSTAINABLE FAT LOSS EFFORTS.

Prepare to hate this list with me! But….knowledge is power and power provides excellence!

  1. ALCOHOL: Ok, this one can hurt most of our feelings. You might have read my journey to cut back on this in my WINE-NOT series a few months ago. But there is nothing more relaxing, in my opinion, then a nice glass of wine after a long day. Most of us do consider alcohol our ultimate stress reliever and while that part *does* have some benefits for your Metabolism (by reducing your cortisol levels for a short period of time) it is FAR counteracted by the negative affects alcohol has on metabolic processes.
    Alcohol by itself is an high calories (at 7 calories per gram), empty-calories, no-nutrient entity that is a sugar, but a sugar that is especially reactive in our bodies. So much so that our bodies STOP PROCESSING all other metabolic processes (like other food or even our fat metabolism) in order to process the alcohol and get it OUT of the body by detoxing it through our liver and kidneys.
    So, drinking just 2 alcoholic beverages will slow down your metabolism by 80% (!!) for the following 4-hours. That’s why you tend to gain a lot of fat when you drink too much—hello beer belly!

Recommendation: Overall, if you want to lose fat, you are more than likely going to severely cut back on all alcohol. It was recommended to me to limit it to just 2-3 glasses PER MONTH.

2. CAFFEINE: So, this one is not ALL bad news. But the deal with caffeine is that the chemical causes a huge rush of the “Fight or Flight” hormones to cascade into high gear for up to 14-hours! That is, Cortisol, Adrenalin and NorAdrenalin. These hormones by themselves ultimately SLOW DOWN your Fat Loss because these stress hormones go into “Sugar Burning” mode instead of “Fat Burning” mode. (Jade Teta, Metabolic Effect)
SO, if you OVER CONSUME caffeine, you might be sending your body into “Fight or Flight” mode quite unnecessarily, all day long! UNLESS of course, you consume caffeine and then actually go and USE YOUR BODY, for something like, WORKING OUT! Stress hormones in the presence of Human Growth Hormone and Testosterone (those hormones that are produced when you weight train) actually HELP in Fat Loss. So it does have a nice condition.

Recommendation: Overall, cut back on caffeine unless it’s just before your workout. Green Tea is a much more metabolically stimulating drink of choice!

Your Daily Dose of Caffeine should be 2.5mg/Kg of your Body Weight.
For women of child bearing age, it is recommended to limit yourself to about 300mg/day.

Here’s a little research I did to put this in perspective for you:

Screenshot 2015-09-25 08.28.42

3. SLEEP: We have all heard this one a hundred times, but sleep is SO VERY VITAL for so many things, including your Fat Loss efforts. One interesting thing however is that you have to be careful not to get TOO LITTLE sleep (anything less than 7 hours) or TOO MUCH sleep (over 10 hours) both have adverse metabolic affects on your hormones.

Also, ever wonder why those all-nighters made you so hungry? Studies have shown that getting too little of sleep affects your HUNGER Hormones by increasing your hunger-producing hormones (ghrelin) and decreasing your satiety producing hormones (leptin).

The benefits of sleep is not only in our energy production for the next day, but during our sleep we also experience our HIGHEST Growth Hormone levels and Testosterone (mainly for men) that significantly boost the FAT BURNING machinery in our systems.

Recommendation: Get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. To help yourself fall asleep and stay asleep, avoid caffeine in the afternoon and avoid your TVs and devices 1 hour before bed time (the blue light in them activate our “awake” responses in our Circadian Rhythm clocks). Try to go to bed and wake-up at the same time every day, as this has been shown to help you get in the proper Circadian Rhythm cycle flow.

4. REFINED SUGAR: Refined Sugar, or any sugar that causes a huge Glycemic surge, is an Fat Loss nemesis. The more the food spikes our blood sugar, the more it will send in a rush of insulin, and essentially slow fat-loss. Then, as your blood sugar gets too low (which inevitably happens after the bad rush of Glucagon to break down the insulin), this triggers a the HUNGER hormones (ghrelin) to come in full force again! This is why, when you eat refined sugary foods, you are not full for very long. It is burned quickly and makes you hungry sooner, all while NOT Fat Burning.

Recommendation: Eat foods lower in Fructose and low on the Glycemic Index charts, meaning, more complex and fiber rich starchy carbs. A great resource for low-glycemic foods is HERE. I copied a graphic from Low GI Health website too that I found really helpful.

Low GI Health

5. FOOD INTOLERANCES: This one was a surprise to me, but I learned very quickly after my bikini competition that I became very food sensitive and intolerant! I began experiencing very painful digestion issues that caused me so much issues that it’s taken over 2 years to truly figure out all of the “issues” I have (which are far and above just digestive issues by the way!).

But the reason why food intolerances can affect your fat loss efforts in a variety of ways. If our gut lining in unable to break down certain foods or the gut lining ins compromised in some way (leaky gut syndrome, for example) then it will limit the ABSORPTION of the vital vitamins and minerals (which is done predominantly in the intestines). Our vitamins and minerals are HUGE factors in making Fat Loss happen because they are the agents that “turn on” all of the “machinery” needed for Fat burning.

Not only that, but our guts also are huge factors in our stress responses (I carry my stress in my gut which has a huge factor on my digestion too!) and even our cognitive thinking!

RECOMMENDATION: At some point in your life, I recommend doing an Elimination Diet. I prescribe a specific one in my Health Coaching program (Module #3- Nutrient Based Eating) but there are many others. Whole 30, the Daniel Plan, Metabolic Effect, and Precision Nutrition all have varying programs. My friend Lisa Suazo, owner of also hosts a “CLEAN CLUB” that goes through this elimination process too she learned about from the book by Dr.Alejandro Junger, CLEAN.

Overall, these 5 factors can have SIGNIFICANT delays and negative delays on your Metabolism and Fat Loss efforts if not carefully considered.

With ALL things for your body, start with just ONE AREA and determine some new, healthy habits to focus on for a few weeks consistently. Then, as you get those down, add on another habit or two. Soon enough, you’ll be stocked full of all kinds of new habits that will start to really add up to some SUSTAINABLE, HIGH METABOLIC Fat Loss success!

As always, feel free to comment below or email me at amanda@amandawrightfit.com with any questions!

Categories
Food & Nutrition Uncategorized

FAT LOSS DIARIES: 3 Tips to Prevent Fat Loss From Biting You In the Booty

Fat Loss Diaries

To say that my history with Fat Loss has been emotionally “shaky” is a gross understatement. I’ve been frustrated more times than I can count by the slowness, stubbornness, and mental strain that I have placed on my ability (or inability, rather) to lose fat when I tried to the hardest. Have you ever felt that way?! Sometimes I just research the liposuction cost and consider having all the access weight sucked out of me. It’s something I’ve really considered because losing weight can be a very stressful and frustrating process, especially when doing it with just exercise and diet regulations.

The problem is that Fat Loss is NOT the same thing as “weight loss” and even so, for both categories, the old adage that you simply lose weight or fat by the mathematical sequence of “Calories In < Calories Out" is flat out WRONG.

The achieve a change in our physique through muscle growth and/or fat loss, we have to focus on our METABOLISM.

Our metabolism is COMPLEX to say the least! Yes, the Big Man upstairs has done Himself some kind of wonder in creating this amazing system that is responsible for both the break-down (called CATABOLISM) of our food into calories (that are used for energy in the body) as well as the build-up (called ANABOLISM) of all cells, such as muscle cells. It is a TRUE WONDER!

Even with my degree in Biochemistry and Biology, I did not understand the wonder of our body’s biochemical pathways and metabolic processes until I really devoted myself to studying it….and of course, experimenting with it (read: FAILING A LOT).

Yes, I have achieved the FULL SPECTRUM of what a high speed and perfectly ineffecient Metabolism does (our metabolism actually needs to be inefficient to promote fat burn and keep our system “moving” and higher speeds) as well as what a low speed and completely manipulated metabolism does.

Ironically, the time that I was at my LEANEST weight, when I trained for a a Bikini Competition, I was suffering from the WORST METABOLIC OPERATION that by Body had ever seen! So we cannot always associate a “smaller body frame” with a HIGH Metabolism! The opposite could be true!

Because I had WILL POWERED my way to see significant fat loss (losing over 10% in just 5 months) by EATING FAR TOO FEW CALORIES (especially carbohydrates that are out #1 quick energy source) and doing FAR TOO MUCH EXERCISE I stunted my metabolism to incredibly slow and yes, even damaged, levels.

Metabolic Effect calls this the EMEL method (Exercise More, Eat Less) which is a highway to metabolic damage and gaining ALL the weight back. Which is exactly what I did!

Metabolic Effect
from metaboliceffect.com

My metabolic damage was made worse yet by the fact that I promptly proceeded to GAIN BACK almost ALL of the body fat I lost (gained back about 7%), which took my metabolic damage to a whole. notha.’ level!

Yes, studies show that is is WORSE for your body to lose weight and gain it all back than it is to never lose it at all. Yes, that’s right.

Why? Because when we lose and gain, lose and gain (a la’ Yo-Yo dieting) your metabolism is slowed down. You simply won’t be as fuel (in)efficient anymore and your body won’t burn as many calories as you used to.

In fact, if you take two identical twins that are the same height and the same weight but ONE of the women had gained weight last year and had to ‘diet down’ to lose the weight again, HER METABOLISM will be slower than the other sister’s. Any time we gain and lose weight, we slow down our system. Frustrating RIGHT?! (By the way this is one of those questions on my list to ask God in Heaven, “What’s up with THAT?!”)

This is what I call, “Biting you in the Booty!” It’s both figurative reference and for me, quite literal because let’s just say, my BIG BOOTY has come right back to where it started from, and appears to be here to stay (to my husband’s delight, of course ;-)).

So, needless to say, now that I am 2.5 years POST-SHOW, I have learned a TON about metabolism in an effort to keep my body revved up and roaring as much as possible! This has helped me a TON understand MY BODY more of course, but it really helps me be a better Health Coach!

It’s a hard discussion to have with clients, because I know so many of us women want to see “results right away” but the truth is, you CAN’T speed up the process of Fat Loss to the point of it causing detriment to your Metabolism. You need to WORK WITH YOUR METABOLISM, not against it.

This means TAKING THE TIME to test your body and seeing what works. It is a PROCESS and if you’re doing it right, it’s a slow process! It’s hard, but if you consider the alternative, you would much rather have SUSTAINABLE FAT LOSS over quickly lost but quickly gained back fat loss? Yeah, me too.

My Top 3 Tips In Your Road to Fat Loss!

  1. Try the TOGGLE programs that Metabolic Effect Prescribes for a roaring metabolism– either Eat Less and Exercise Less OR Eat More and Exercise More. Toggle back and forth between the two phases depending on your scheduling and life!
  2. My 10% Method! Choose the “Minimum Effective Dose Method:” The goal is the eat as much as you possibly can while still seeing Fat Loss! You never want to take drastic cuts to your diet or make drastic leaps with your exercise. Just kick things up or down a notch, by about 10% of so. This is just enough to see if you see any results! When you cut too much, you probably can’t maintain that too well.
  3. Don’t STRESS! Adding more stress to yourself to do everything “perfectly” just increases the stress hormones which ultimately WORKS AGAINST you in Fat Loss. So take this Fat Loss effort slow and just keep SURREND’hering your will to God’s will. Your God power will get you through these challenges far greater than your will power! Have Faith and Endure!

Hey, are you signed up for the Finding A. Wright Fit Newsletter? Join now and get a FREE Checklist of my Top 7 Rituals to Add to Your Health Today! In addition, you’ll get all of my insider goods, specialty posts on all things Body, Mind and Soul, exclusive offers AND the first dibs and discounts on all of my programs! Don’t hesitate and sign up HERE!

Categories
Spiritual Health

10 Scriptures to Help You Endure Your Race in Health

 

IMPATIENCE

The name of the game in most of our desired BODY health transformations is found in FAT LOSS.  As you have encountered already throughout the information included this program, the process of Fat Loss is SLOW.  In fact, there is a quote I’ve used several times to reiterate the “slower is better” mentality required for sustainable fat loss–

“What comes easy won’t last long, and what lasts long, won’t come easy.” –TWEET THAT!

What Lasts Long

In other words, it’s easy to go on a crash diet and muster up every last inch of your limited willpower to restrain yourself enough to see some FAST results, but inevitably those fast results won’t last long.   That’s we have a yo-yo diet epidemic in our country and why the damaged metabolisms from such actions are triggering the overall trend in being overweight and obese. 

Obviously, since we are talking about a True Health transformation, the name of the game for finding “A Wright fit” for yourself is to take the slower, smarter, God powered route to True Health and fat loss. 

If that’s the case, we are inevitably going to need a LOT of one major character value—-PATIENCE. 

Patience does not come easy for us humans in the fallen world we live.  But patience, forbearance, endurance and perseverance are ALL character qualities that can be instilled in us through the Holy Spirit and a change in mindset. 

While we saw several examples of the severely delayed consequences that came from impatient whining and grumbling of God’s chosen people in the Bible (see Exodus 16 for the raining QUAIL miracle)  God also showed us the sheer resiliency and endurance of His most beloved followers.

Abraham, Moses, Noah, Job, Joseph, Peter, Paul and the King of endurance out of love, Jesus Himself.

We see that God tests all of His chosen and loved ones so that He may reveal their true heart and expose all sin that needs correction (with the exception of Jesus, of course)  in order to establish true character and Faith.  It all serves His purpose.

Don’t think that your HEALTH goals are not a part of your test in endurance!  Every single part of your life is a test in your ability to improve your Faith and endure gladly for God’s great glory.

So, as I hope you are on the “slow route” to Fat Loss as you *should* be, here are some of my favorite passages and scriptures on Endurance, Patience and Perseverance so you can renew your resiliency and hope in the Lord greater yet.

10 Scriptures to Help You Build Your Endurance Today:

  1. On endurance Producing Character:  “We also boast in our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance brings God’s approval, and his approval creates hope.” (Romans 5: 3-4 GNB) (Tweet that!)
  2. On renewing strength: “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.  They will soar high on wings like eagles.  They will run and now grow weary.  They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 NLT) (Tweet that!)
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  3. On Paul’s Endurance: “But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach and how I live and what my purpose in life is.  You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance.  You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured.  You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra–but the Lord rescued me from all of it.” (2 Timothy 3:10-11 NLT) (Tweet that!)
  4. On learning patience from God’s word: “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” (Romans 15:4 NLT) (Tweet that!)
  5. On why God tests us:  “do not listen to them.  The LORD your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul.” (Deuteronomy 13:3 NLT) (Tweet that!)
  6. On eagerly awaiting with hope: “But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.” (Romans 8:25 NLT) (Tweet that!)
  7. On running with endurance the race of Faith: “let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our Faith.” (Hebrews 12:1b-2a) (Tweet that!)
    Therefore let us strip off every weight that slows us down
  8. On God’s blessing for persevering: “As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered.  You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.  The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” (James 5:11 NIV)
  9. On Waiting Patiently for God’s Promises: “When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.” (Hebrews 6:13-15)
  10. On enduring to the end: Jesus said, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13 NLT) (Tweet that!)

 BE BLESSED!  Endure gladly today!

Categories
Fitness & Training Spiritual Health

Isn’t It Just Like God…. A Testimony of Fitness and Faith

Because It's Just Like God...

It would be 2013, lucky #13, that would be my most transformed year-to-date.  I was single after being in an on-again, off-again relationship going on about 4 years.  I was living in Denver, CO and had just found myself lucky enough to be raptured in a new passion that was soon going to be a career change.  I had always loved going to the gym but then I was given the opportunity to start teaching group fitness classes, training clients and soon became a certified Nutrition Coach.

I had just found my “word”, you know, those words that seem to smack you in the face with how perfect they are for you right in the moment?  My word was SURRENDER as I had realized that even though I grew up going to church, I hadn’t yet fully SURRENDERED and committed myself to a real relationship with God.  Those several heart breaks helped me fill my heart with God’s healing Grace, and now that my life was falling into place just right, SURRENDER was the word I clung to to keep me walking with God and letting Him lead the way.

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However, somewhere at the juncture of deciding to take my passion for the Fitness industry to a career-level, I got scared.  I started to second-guess myself and my self-worth based on my long held body image issues.  As a way to “look the part” I decided I would train for a Bikini Competition.  I vividly remember standing in the gym with a tug on my heart and Jesus whispering, “You don’t have to do this, Mandi.”   The problem was that I had already made my “grand announcement” and was receiving so much praise and encouragement, I feared I couldn’t back out of it.  So I ignored God and thrust myself into 5-months of grueling training for an event my body was not designed to do.   All so I could convince myself I was “good enough” for people to hire me as a professional.

It didn’t work.Show Before and After

The day of the show, I was back stage, at 10% body fat, 20 lbs lighter and still felt absurdly “larger” than the other girls.  I was shaking my head in disbelief.  How could I still feel this way after so much work?  Not recognizing the woman I became, I prayed to God, pleading for Him to just be with me.  I was deep in shame and regret but He, of course, was there all along, and His peace renewed my strength.  I knew I would recommit my heart to Christ and try to put back the pieces of my heart with Him at the center.

But, here is where I would get the greatest shock and gift of grace of my entire life. 

The day of the show, my then “off-again” boyfriend,  Howard, whom I had not seen for 18-months, decided to fly in from California and surprise me at my show!  He was a bit aghast at my ribs and skinniness (he politely asked that I gain back 20lbs immediately) and I thought of it as a sweet gesture of support that I tried not to think much about given the fact that I was attempting to be “OVER HIM” from the past years of pain.  In my heart, he had always been “that guy” that I could not quite get over. 

Howard and I at Bikini

A week later, I got a call from Howard with some news!  He had apparently spoken to my Mom and Dad, asking their permission and forgiveness first, and wanted to let me know that he had finally figured out (with the help of  a couple years of therapy), that I was in fact “The One” all along.  That he had finally overcome his fears of inadequacy and commitment and he was ready to get married, have a family, travel the world and anything I wanted, if I’d have him. 

This news was of course a tremendous shock!  The words I had always hoped to hear were finally being said! I felt elated. 

“But…..,” he said.  Never a good sign.

“I have to tell you, I have a 8-month old baby girl, named Eden.” 

My elation was met with devastation and I could hear no more.  I hung up and cried out to God, “God have I not endured enough?  How can I bear this pain too? Please God….please.”  I cried all night.

But by morning, something in me all of a sudden shifted.  Something in my heart was triggered.  A hair thin strip of peace that “transcended all understanding” formed deep within me and began to grow.  For some reason, I knew everything was going to be alright.  I didn’t know how, but I went back to my word—SURRENDER.

Over the next month and several more conversations with Howard, I would come to understand that this baby girl, sweet Eden, while not planned by her parents, was still planned by God.  She would be an agent of change in Howard and would be used by God to transform his life.  She would renew Howard’s faith too, as he fought his own regrets.

I realized, it’s just like God to do such an act of Grace.   To take a time where I would blatantly ignore his voice and pull away from Him,  AND Howard would certainly make a bad choice trying to do things “his way” too and yet, God decided to bless us anyway. 

It’s just like God to take these unplanned and imperfect circumstances and make them PERFECT agents of change to propel us to the life He called us for, both individually and in marriage. 

“And we know that in all things, God works for the GOOD of those who love Him.  Who are called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:38

Version 2

In October 2014, I became Mrs. Howard Wright and from that decision of forgiveness onward, my life has been a whirlwind of change!  I gained back ALL the weight, moved to a new city and then another new city just 1 year later, adjusted to life as a “corporate wife” and of course, step-motherhood of a toddler!   And I wouldn’t CHANGE ONE THING!

God uses every single bit of it and has molded every fear,  feat and failure along the way into my Greater Purpose and this venture of A. Wright Fit.   I am passionately using my small platform to help others find their True Health from the inside-out!  Aligning our Fitness through our Faith and allowing God to take the reigns of our LIFE and our health!  To SURREND’her our way to becoming STRONG’her and WISE’her. 

a wright fit tag line halo

Because it’s just like God to make us STRONG’her than we know…..

WrightFamily2 11x14

Categories
Fitness & Training Food & Nutrition Goal Development

5 Proven Tips to Not Let the Weekend Wreck Your Health Goals

So here we are, Wednesday. Hummmmmmmp Day!

Hump Day

By now, if you’re like most of us trying to be “healthier” you’re on day #3 this week of being “back on track” because inevitably over the weekend, you botched your healthy eating intention by over-eating or over-drinking and vowed to start to be “good” again on Monday. #AmIRight?

This is a dieters mentality and it took me years to stop this “Working for the Weekend” mindset. This is part of what I set out to teach clients and any reader is the power of your MINDSET in helping you accomplish any goal since what you THINK determines what you DO.

If you goal is FAT LOSS for example, taking the whole weekend “off” of healthy eating and fitness is not an effective strategy.

If your goal is MAINTENANCE, this strategy is perfect because you do need several days per week devoted to maintaining.

Since I’m in the business of helping people with their health goals, which 100% of them include FAT LOSS, I wanted to shed some light on this subject of changing up our MINDSET about weekends so we can have more success in our Fat Loss efforts!

I coach many a frustrated client who will work so hard all week, eating well, working out hard for 5 SOLID DAYS and then completely reverse all their progress in just 1 or 2 days of going overboard. That was me for years and years too.

Weekends are HARD. We want to feel rewarded and relaxed which naturally invoke a desire for delicious food and libations, our go to “reward” systems! We also don’t have our go-to routines and some of our weekends get so jam-packed with kids and sports and our social obligations that we don’t have the plans in place that help us to keep on track. These are all valid and understandable!

So what do we do about this natural tendency we have with the weekends when we want to lose fat?

Do you have to be PERFECT on the weekend?! NO WAY.

Being overly restrictive will NOT work and is really NO FUN. Life is about balance and JOY. It’s about working SMARTER not HARDER.

But, there are ways you can simply STRATEGIZE your weekends better that will make a difference! If you’re finding it hard to strategize then you can always use a resource like play sport which helps you organize going to a sports event near you. It’s a great way to meet like-minded people that can help get you through your weekend slump! Plus, you don’t need to limit yourself to weekend use of it as you could use it to improve your weekday fitness too.

Similarly, a lot of people find that team sports encourage them to keep up their fitness. However, if you aren’t into sports like football or rugby, don’t worry. There are other sports, like airsoft, that don’t feel like exercise but still count. With a team sport, it’s vital to perform to the best of your ability because you’re all working together to win. To get into something like airsoft, it might be worth looking at these Airsoft Guns the largest range in the UK. That way, you can improve your fitness whilst making new friends.

At A.Wight Fit, one thing I specialize in is Goal Development and real life strategies to help clients get to their desired health goals and fat loss. I have found these steps as the top strategies I use and my clients have used to see more success!

Top 5 Proven Tips to NOT Let the Weekend Wreck Your Health Goals:

#1 Proven Tip: Don’t overly deprive yourself all week:

hungry

If you are eating far too few calories and doing far too much exercise, you are naturally be inclined to binge eat on the weekend because you’ve been starving yourself! It’s the law of “Metabolic Compensation“. Our bodies are hormonally going to fight to keep you at the weight you’ve been adjusted to. After just 5 days of eating too few of calories and/or exercising too much, you’re hunger hormones are going to go crazy. Ideally, your food and exercise should stay consistent straight through the week.

How do adjust: If you think you might be pushing too hard or restricting yourself too much, change JUST ONE of those aspects at first-not both. Don’t try to overhaul your regime all at once, that will likely result in weight gain that will make you freak out and overcompensate to eating even less and exercising even more. The goal here is to take just 1 aspect of your health and make a 10% adjustment in a healthier direction. So if you are doing 5 hours of cardio a week, you are going to need to cut back on aerobic cardio to actually help your metabolism and fat loss. This means you just cut back in 10% of your time this week. The next week you’ll decide if you’ll cut back again (10%) or hold there for 1 more week, etc.

#2 Proven Tip: Treat Your Weekend As It’s Own Goal & Write it down:Written Goals

Your life likely looks quite different during the weekend as it does during the week so make different habit goals to accommodate the different routines. Focus on just your weekend for a while. Work with the systems you currently have to make those goal changes. With all goals, you have a higher chance of success when you write down exactly what your goals are and the habits you want to enforce to get you there.

How to adjust: Choose 1-2 new habits you want to enforce just for the weekend to improve in your health and stick to those for a month before adding on new goals. Focus on progress, not perfection.

For example, if you normally go to Sunday brunch and order pancakes and bacon, your first habit to adjust is just what you plan on ordering at the Sunday brunch. Make small adjustments every week–what I call “Mini Goals.”

Weekend #1 Mini Goal: Go to Sunday Brunch and Eat 1 Pancake and 3 egg whites + 1 slice of bacon.

Weekend #2 Mini Goal: Go to Sunday Brunch Eat 1/2 Pancake, 3 egg whites + 1slice of bacon.

Weekend #3 Mini Goal: Go to Sunday Brunch and eat 1-2 bites of pancake, vegetable omelette and 2 slices of bacon.

Progress is Progress!

#3 Proven Tip: Wake Up at the Same Time Every Day- Weekend and Holidays Included:

Alarm Clock

This combines two of the most effective fat loss strategies- being consistent + getting enough sleep. Waking up at the same time every day, no matter what day of the week it is, will eventually allow your body to adjust to the Circadian Rhythms necessary to allow for effective sleeping habits and getting enough sleep will also extend the amount of time you are in the prime fat loss zone (fasting + increased growth hormone etc). If you have been finding it difficult to sleep, you may need to look into a new mattress. Researching key phrases such as ‘mattress reviews australia‘ can help you pick the best one for your sleeping patterns. Alternatively, recent research on the medical use of marijuana has highlighted the positive effect it can have on sleep deprivation and insomnia. These tiny bongs offer a discrete way of finding natural sleep relief. If this isn’t your kind of thing, we have some advice on adjusting below.

How to adjust: Set Your Alarm Clock in the morning and plan the reason WHY you’re getting up early on the weekend. So if you get up at 6am M-F, you’ll want to get up by 630am on the weekends too. But to do that, you’ll need a reason to get out of bed. It’s a perfect excuse to go hit up the gym and get your workout over with. Or it’s a great way to get up go to a Cafe, do some reading, your devotional, or work on other Mind and Soul goals you have. Creating a whole new Ritual out of your early mornings on weekends will be a special treat unto itself!

If you are tired at first, it will take an adjustment. If you need to take an afternoon nap at first, that’s fine, just keep it to the 20-min cat nap that’s been proven as most effective.

#4 Proven Tip: Mentally Prepare for the Weekend Reward:

Prepare

As humans we all know we use food and drinks as a reward system. This is not a bad thing unless your food reward and drink awards get out of control. High fat, high sugar and excessive alcohol tend to be the greatest “reward” in our brains and can often turn into unstoppable eating binges. SO, preparing for the exact thing you crave and planning where and when you have it will help you to control the natural tendency to let it get out of control.

How to adjust: Think of 1-2 healthier food options that are similar enough to your old bad habits. So instead of red wine all weekend, you’ll drink sparkling water with a splash of cranberry and then 1 really good glass of wine that’s worth it for you with dinner on Saturday night.

Think of 1-2 non-food ways to reward yourself during the weekend too. So instead of your whole weekend planning from brunch, to BBQ to dinner (i.e. all food items) make sure you have a pedicure, group workout class, a walk in the park, a coffee date with a friend or something NON-food related that will add some fun to your life.

#5 Proven Tip: Add some SOUL to your Sundays:

Sunday

Making sure you take one day in the weekend to get Spiritually aligned will help remind you of your “WHY” you are getting healthy to begin with. While this practice should not merely be practiced 1-day a week, it is great to have a day dedicated to thanking God for our creation and the wonder of our health blessings we have. It is not about RELIGION, but about building your personal relationship with God and doing this in COMMUNITY has been proven the most successful practice. You learn by listening to others who have more mature Faith than us. But the right fit might take a while to find. It might not be a church, but other spiritual practices you do in community with others. Building this through the weekend is the best way to carry it out into the week as well. It sets your heart on the right path again.

How to Adjust: Commit to going to church, watching a sermon/program online with others, or even going on a Spiritual or Prayer walk or hike to get your Spiritual alignment. Pray for your health, for greater wisdom on your health and how you are to use your body and your health to fulfill God’s Greater Purpose in your life.

Try out 1-2 of these new tips this weekend and see if you feel a greater sense of REWARD by Monday morning!

Categories
Food & Nutrition Health Coaching Uncategorized

[Infographic] 5 Steps to the Best Meal For Your Body!

NutritionNew

When it comes to your body, what should be your #1 focus to building the best meal for your body??

My guess is 50% of you are mumbling something about Calories, saying that the QUANTITY of food that you eat is the most important part of weight loss and maintenance. 

(Nodding head) Yes, yes very true and valid point.

Then I’d venture to guess that the other 50% of you is saying something about the Macronutrient Breakdown or the QUALITY of your foods and how many grams of Carbohydrates, Fat, and Protein you are getting.

(Raising hands in the air) also, not wrong there!   Getting enough protein while not too many carbs and the right amount of healthy fat IS very important too.

In this industry of Health and Fitness, you’ll visit a hundred sites focused on weight loss that will break down weight loss this way.

Focusing on Quantity = Weight Loss 

Focusing on Quality = Fat Loss (aka. leaning out)

I have lived the majority of my life focusing on one……then the other…… then both…… then neither!  But, I’ve changed my focus and my priority now.

I’ve realized, I have been living just to see results, but I have not been LIVING my best.

I might be at a healthy weight, I might have pretty great muscle mass and a pretty lean figure.  But my main issue for the last few years, especially as I age (and don’t worry, I fully admit I’m not even old yet!) is that no matter how healthy my weight and my body fat levels might be, it doesn’t mean my body is FEELING great.  If I’m not feeling great, then I’m not living my best life and I’m certainly not living the life at my fullest potential the way God intended.

I am happy to announce, that I have completely re-wired my mindset and approach to my health and to those of my clients.  Instead of starting with calculations and macro nutrient distribution of meals plans, we start with the ENERGY components first and foremost!

I’m talking about  NUTRIENTS.

More appropriately, getting Nutrient Sufficiency from your food.

Focusing on Nutrients Sufficiency= Happy Body (aka Thriving)

Nutrient deficiency is the one factor that no matter how healthy of a weight you might be, no matter how much muscle mass you’re sporting, or how ripped and toned you are, if you are not getting enough nutrients in your body, then you are simply not living your life the way God intended!

Life should be about thriving!  About having energy without depending on things like caffeine or other stimulants to make it through the day.  About having sustenance for your brain to function at it’s highest capacity; to have a healthy digestive system that moves quickly and excretes efficiently;  to be sure that our immune systems are working at optimal levels to prevent illness and death; to know our systems are all working at peak conditions. 

The difference between living and thriving can be found in a Nutrient Focused meal plan! 

What’s great about living this way, is that it really is very simple to start!  There are only 5 Steps to the Best Meal for your Body!  Every meal can get you closer to Nutrient Sufficiency and feeling better every day!

But first, let’s define what we’re talking about when I’m talking about NUTRIENTS. 

As I mentioned before, the stars of the weight-loss world are the essential MacroNutrients :

-Protein
-Fats
-Carbohydrates
-(Water)

They are called Macro because you need larger quantities of them (measured in grams)

However, my good but less glamorous friends the Essential MicroNutrients:

-Vitamins
-Minerals

They are called Micro because you need less of them (measure in milligrams or less)

Vitamins and Minerals are incredibly important because they the delivery agents that actually carry out all functions in the body, including converting our food into energy!!  

One example) Muscles cannot contract unless the mineral Calcium binds in the muscles cell.  That same muscle cannot relax unless Magnesium binds in the muscle cell.

Kinda important, wouldn’t you say?!

So, while it is easy to glance over Vitamins and Minerals and only focus on “weight loss” or “leaning out” but you’d be missing a HUGE, albeit, micro-sized problem!   A problem that is all too common when we are just focusing on our BODY goals without fully embracing what it means to be Truly Healthy: Body, Mind and Spirit.  

So, I know what you’re thinking!  You’re saying, “Yes obviously Amanda, we need our Vitamins and Minerals, that is why I take my multivitamin every day!”

Before you go reaching for your Gummy/Flintstone/WomanDailyChewable or any other version you get, be aware, that simply taking a multivitamin does not mean you are doing a service for your body.   In fact, it could be quite deadly. 

Many studies have come out warning against the dangers of over supplementing with vitamins ad minerals. 

One article from the NY Times said that “scientists have known for years that large quantities of supplemental vitamins can be quite harmful.”  See full article HERE

One study from the New England Journal Of Medicine back in 1996 studied “18,000 people who were at an increased risk of lung cancer because of asbestos exposure or smoking received a combination of vitamin A and beta carotene, or a placebo. Investigators stopped the study when they found that the risk of death from lung cancer for those who took the vitamins was 46 percent higher.”

Uhhhh…… what?

The article goes on to site 5 additional studies that showed that taking supplements of several different vitamins and minerals, notably Vitamin E, all were associated with higher rates of mortality. 

The article goes on to highlight one important fact about the FDA.  Apparently we have not heard about these mortality rates from Vitamins and Minerals because of a botched court hearing and other political reasons.  The Vitamin and Mineral companies certainly make a lot of money, and you can bet they enlisted the help of a congressman to help keep their empires in tact.

I’d like to highlight here that we can all thank a politician named, William Proxmire, a Democratic senator from Wisconsin, for getting that bill to protect the Vitamin and Supplement industry banned in in congress back in 1976.  Jerk.

Moreover, it has recently been revealed that the industry of Supplements ARE NOT regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  So there is no telling if the labels are accurate, the quality is worth it, or the supplements we take are even what they say they are.

Without knowing about all of those important factors, how can you justify the amount of money you are spending on taking them without really knowing if they are working for you or against you?  

The obvious first step in Nutrient Sufficiency that I emphatically practice and encourage is to make your priority getting enough nutrients and a wide variety of nutrients.  So every meal includes green vegetables, colored vegetables and water.

I know, I know, I know.  We are all so sick of people telling us to eat our vegetables!!

But, honestly,  in this day and age and in America, the land of plenty,  there is such a wide variety of  produce available to us, there is hardly any excuse that you can give me for not finding several vegetables in a wide array of colors that you can’t cook in a way to make them edible.

You don’t have to love it…..but I can guarantee you can learn to like it.

I know that we are America, and that we all think we have the right and need to LOVE everything that we do in life otherwise we just don’t do it.   But, the reality is that we do a lot of things we don’t LOVE to do.   But we do them because we must and because living is a responsibility.  You know, like work.  Jury duty. Wipe babies butts.  Need I go on?

Our bodies are sheer miracles.  They are such blessings and we should all be in awe that God has designed us as he has!    If anyone has any doubt in God, I dare you to take one human physiology class and tell me the complexity of our systems don’t make you believe in a Creator.  

Our bodies not only give us life and function and house our great minds and intelligence.  But they are the vessel for which our souls carry out our Greater Purpose!

As with all blessings from God, our bodies are our responsibility.  It is vital to take care of them.  They are our indeed our temples.    

Taking care of your body is our way of showing gratitude to God for the abundant life we live in our bodies.  It shows how much you value and recognize the great gift He has given us.  In spite of the pain, the hurt, the disease if might have.  I still believe that you can find gratitude for what it CAN do and certainly how important it is!

Eating well means you are showing your gratitude to God.  Taking care of your body means you do not take it for granted.  Loving our Body shows that you Love God. 

I encourage you to educate yourself on what you are eating and be more mindful of what goes in your mouth.  It also means you might just have to eat some foods that you don’t LOVE.  But doing so with a grateful heart will certainly make it taste better than you thought!

Part of my calling and my goal is that I might help educate you, my beloved reader, on some of the very necessary and some less necessary Vitamins and Minerals out there and the ways that you can make your way to a more vivacious, energetic and grateful life!

OH, and you might just lose weight while you’re at it too!!  #bonus!

First things first though, let’s make it easy on ourselves and just start with the basics.  The Meal Plan design.  

Here’s my Inforgraphic to the 5 Steps to a Nutrient-Based Diet!

Nutrient Based Diet PDF AWF

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