Tag Archive for healthy living

Swanson Health Products: Review (& discount!!)

While I was given a gift card by Swanson Vitamins to use in their online store, all opinions expressed are my own.

I was recently contacted by Swanson Vitamins and asked if I wanted to try out some of their products. If you’re not familiar, Swanson Vitamins is an online store that carries ALLLLLLL kinds of health products! From healthy snacks to supplements to beauty products! It was funny, because I had been looking around on their website just a few days before they contacted me. It’s like they knew!! 😀

swanson-health-products

Anyways, I gladly accepted seeing that they had such a HUGE variety of items in their store and hello, I had already been eyeing their site just days before. Fate, people!

It took me a while to peruse the site because there were so many things I wanted. I probably could have EASILY spent hundreds of dollars without thinking about it. Since I didn’t want to break the bank, I decided on the following items:

Kay’s Natural Protein Cookie Bites – Cinnamon Almond

kays

These were awesome!!! They came in a snack size pack and were delicious! I tried them both on their own and as a cereal with some almond milk. They tasted great and I loved that they were packed with 12g Protein in each serving.

Kameda Baked Frosted Rice Snacks – Maple

ricesnacks

These were a little too good! Haha. This was the perfect snack for when I wanted something a little sweet after a meal. It definitely didn’t feel me up, but it was just 50 calories for 2 little cakes and they were really, really tasty!

Quest Nutrition Protein Chips (Cheddar & Sour Cream and Sour Cream & Onion flavors)

questproteinchips

I’ve had these before and while I won’t tell you they taste just like regular chips, for a chip that doesn’t really have any carbs, they’re great! Unfortunately, these were crushed during shipping, but the customer service at Swanson’s was bar none, and they took care of it the same day for me. Love when companies are on top of their stuff like that.

Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard – Chocolate Malt

onchocmalt

I saved this for last because it was my favorite purchase of all! This protein powder might be the best tasting protein powder I’ve ever had (and trust me, I’ve tried a LOT of protein powders over the years…that could be a post in itself lol)! It really tastes like a chocolate malt! I’ve been blending ice, almond milk, and protein powder together (that’s it!) and it is so, so good!

The best part of all of this was the ease at which I ordered my items. The website is super easy to navigate, the check-out process is super simple, and my items came within just a few days. Even when I had a problem, customer service was quick to respond and take care of my problem instantly. They also offer free shipping on orders over $50, which is great (and trust me, it’s easy to find $50 worth of stuff you probably already use on the daily).

It gets even better! Right now you can also save 15% on any order over $75! (15% off + free shipping = SCORE). Use this link to start finding your favorites!

Hope you guys enjoy! I’ll be back to more regular blogging soon. I am also starting a VLog, and the first episode should be up in the next few days. 🙂

-Lizzy

Fit Lizzio Life Update

As I sit here sipping my coffee, I figured I owe you all an update!

Life has been going pretty well over the past few weeks!

I’ve recently added a job as the personal trainer at a production company to my schedule. As a perk to the employees, they not only have access to a gym, but access to a personal trainer (me) now! It’s an early morning position, so I’m up with the birds, but I’m done before the rest of my work day starts.

I’m still running around with Oscar in tow..

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I’m still working out 4-5 days per week..

My training has been excellent over the last few weeks. While I haven’t been upping the weights as much lately, I’ve been maintaining my strength, which is a win considering I’m dropping body fat. I’ve been putting a lot more focus into the tempo of my lifts and focusing on my form, so I haven’t been trying to hit any PR’s over the last few weeks. It’s hard at times to not just load up the weights as heavy as possible and muscle through, but this is also extremely helpful and essential in my training, so I’m embracing it with open arms.

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I’m still working towards my goal of leaning out/dropping body fat

I didn’t know I had it in me (yes, even I doubt myself sometimes), but I’ve been executing my diet really well and shoving any and all excuses away. I’m down about 7 pounds and several inches (will have a check-in post later this week when I check in with my coach). This was about a week and a half ago. I’m super happy with the results I’m seeing and I feel great!

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I’m still working hard at my many jobs each day!

Since adding another job to the mix, I’m definitely keeping busy! I have to be super efficient in everything I do in order to make time for it all. I know it’s not sustainable in the long run, but for now it’s working for me. I have some plans up my sleeve, but need to do a few things before I execute them fully.

The Blog

I’ll be posting more articles (all related to fitness, motivation, eating/diet, etc.) and how-to videos on the blog moving forward. I’ll still be giving a glimpse into my daily life (about once per week), but it will be peppered in with more informative posts/videos. I really want to make this a resource for people out there and as always, I will be 100% real and honest. I’d like for Fit Lizzio Fitness to be a catalyst for change. To show the world that no matter where you are, what your resources are, or how much time you have in your day, you can still achieve a healthy lifestyle that includes fitness and good food.

Question of the Day

1. What are you kicking ass at lately? (eating more vegetables? being super productive at work?) Leave your answer in the comments!

5 Ways to Love the Skin You’re In {My Story}

*If you are sensitive to or think a post about disordered eating/a poor relationship with food may be a trigger for you, please skip this post.

I’ve spoken about it on the blog before, but in case you’re new around here, let me give you a little background about me.

At the end of 2008, I got the wild idea to compete in an NPC Competition in the Bikini division. I actually really wanted to compete in the Figure division, but I had only been working out for 2 years and didn’t have much muscle mass. I spent from January – July training, doing a bunch of cardio, and dieting for the competition. The results were really good.

progress pictures

December 2008 – 147 pounds

progress pictures

July 2009 – 123 pounds (i’m 5’8)

I placed 2nd in my first show, got instantly hooked on the stage high and decided to compete again 5 weeks later. I placed 5th at that show, although there were definite politics med-blog (as there always will be in the fitness industry).

From there, everything basically went to shit.

I had been dieting for 7 months at this point, and my will-power was wavering. I had made so many foods “off limits” that eating even just a bite of something that I had labeled “bad” set me off in a spiral. I had failed and therefore, I might as well throw this day in the trash and eat my face off.

This happened every now and then. But it started to become more frequent. I was literally spinning out of control and felt that I couldn’t stop myself.

I’d feel guilty and terrible after spending my day eating junk food, and try to make up for it by doing endless cardio (I once ran 10 miles on a treadmill to try to counteract what I had eaten the day before), and restricting my food even more. I would literally try to not eat all day or to eat as few carbs as possible. It was awful.

The cycle continued on for over a year and I was becoming depressed, gaining weight (I was bigger than I’d ever been in my life) and feeling completely lost. I thought for sure that this was how my life would be forever.

This was my heaviest. I wasn't that big, but for my body, it was way bigger than I'd ever been. I don't even recognize myself in this photo.

This was my heaviest. I weighed 163. I wasn’t that big, but for my body, it was way bigger than I’d ever been. I don’t even recognize myself in this photo.

It wasn’t until about 2010 that I started to “figure it out”. I can’t remember or pinpoint what exactly changed, but I do remember that I decided that there was nothing I could do about the weight I had gained and that I might as well be happy with the way I looked and work on myself from there, rather than missing what I had before. It was kind of like a bad breakup. I had to make the concerted effort to move on, in order to actually do so. While my mind wasn’t healthy, my body was, I could still workout like a beast, and I tried to really force myself to believe I was still beautiful, even though I was 25 pounds heavier than I was when I stepped on stage.

I decided to let myself eat what I wanted to eat. I still kept track of what I ate (and still do to this day), but if I wanted to eat a previously labeled “bad” food, I would eat it. At first, you better believe that I didn’t have any control. It wasn’t like I woke up one day and all my troubles went away.

It took me almost 2 years to rid myself of the horrible relationship with food I had. You see, over time, it became easier to eat just 1 cookie, or have just 1 small bowl of ice cream. It became easier to put the bag of chips away before they were all gone.

In 2012, I did something even more drastic. I gave up cardio.

I had known that doing a bunch of cardio wasn’t necessary, but I couldn’t really let myself believe it. I somehow, even though I knew better, still led myself to believe that I NEEDED to do cardio almost every day.

The funny thing that happened through all of this, with allowing myself to eat whatever I wanted and giving up cardio, is that I started to lose weight.

I wasn’t even trying, and yet, my clothes were fitting better and I could see more lines in my body.

Oddly enough, when I allowed “bad” foods back into my life, I realized that I didn’t actually like to eat junk food all that much. I’m much happier eating healthy proteins, fruit, vegetables, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and many other healthy foods. Did I still like having frozen yogurt every now and then? Absolutely. But I didn’t feel the need to have it all the time. And more importantly, I could eat it without feeling like I needed more, more, more.

Giving up cardio was tough at first, but I started getting stronger. My weight training was improving, I was lifting heavier weights, and my body was leaning out.

What makes this most interesting to me is that I would advise my clients to do EXACTLY what I had finally started doing myself. I KNEW it was the best formula for years, yet, I couldn’t heed my own advice.

Because I was messed up. I had a full-blown eating disorder, hidden from the world (only not really), and felt that there was no way out.

Here I am in 2015, and I have a great relationship with food. I now train to get stronger. I do HIIT a few times a week for conditioning, because I want a strong heart. I now eat to feed my inner badass. To feed the superhero, workout warrior that I feel like I am. And sometimes? I eat because I have a craving. I no longer set myself up for failure, which I was inadvertently doing from January 2009 – August 2009.

On the blog at FitLizzio.com. Progress pics + workouts for the week.

March 2015 151 pounds

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May 2015 – 148 lbs

Shoulders are growing. WOOHOO!! Happy Friday!Large Blog ImageNew blog post is up on FitLizzio.com. I'm on my soap box today talking about how you can stop saying I CAN'T....and start doing more than you thought possible....link in profile.

I eat what I want, when I want for the most part. Of course, I still have goals and I still am working towards a leaner body. But I’m patient. And I know that restrict, restrict, restrict is NOT the answer for me. So I’m allowing myself to slowly get to where I want to be. And I’m enjoying foods that satisfy me along the way. There is nothing wrong with having weight loss goals, but how you go about them is extremely important. I learned the hard way.

This is part of the reason I feel that I can connect with so many others that are trying to lose weight. I’ve been where you are. I’ve been through A LOT. And on top of that, I’ve been educating myself for almost 10 years about nutrition, weight loss, strength training, sports specific training and cardiovascular health.

With that said, here are 5 Ways to Love the Skin You’re In..and let go of your poor relationship with food.

1. Stop labeling foods. This was by far the worst thing I’ve ever done. Processed food isn’t BAD. If you ONLY eat processed foods? It’s probably not a good thing, but having some Cheetos or a Twix bar every now and then is totally fine. In fact, I encourage people to eat at least SOME kind of treat each day. It helps keep wild cravings from coming on. (And yes, you can still do this even while you’re trying to lose fat.)

2. Be happy where you are. This was the biggest part of my recovery. I reminded myself EVERY time I looked in the mirror to be happy with where I was today and to know I could only improve from there on out. You only have one body, and treating it poorly both mentally and physically will not help you. By treating your body like a temple and keeping your thoughts about your body positive, you will have a better chance at starting to believe those thoughts. By repeating this to myself DAILY, sometimes HOURLY, I actually started to believe it. I started feeling comfortable with myself once again.

3. Make your goals fitness-based. The weight loss will follow. When I stopped working out to lose weight and started working out to be more fit, be the warrior I felt like inside, get stronger, run faster….I actually started losing weight. My fitness goals now are to get stronger. I want to squat 200lbs, I want to deadlift 300 lbs, and I want to Hip Thrust 400 lbs. Whether you want to accomplish a big goal like running a faster 5k, or just complete a small goal like getting in more reps today than you did yesterday, you will feel gratitude each time you hit those goals and start feeling more positive in the gym. It doesn’t mean you can’t strive to lose weight, but don’t let it be your main focus. Let it be the side effect of your goals.

4. Be mindful of what you eat. This doesn’t just mean to try to eat healthy foods when you can. This also means that sometimes, having a cookie IS the right answer. Sometimes an extra serving of ice cream is OK. Just not every day. Over time, as you start to develop a better relationship with food, you will find that you trust yourself with food and won’t feel the need to eat #allthecookies. You will start to know when you REALLY want a cookie and you’ll pass on them when it just doesn’t feel necessary. (If you would have told me this a few years ago, I would have told you that it isn’t possible. Your mind tricks you into thinking that you will never be able to think like a “normal” person when it comes to food. I assure you, it is possible.)

5. Let go of the guilt. Whether you are currently struggling or have struggled in the past, let go of the guilt. You are NOT a failure. You are NOT a loser. You just got caught up in an unfortunate situation. No matter how you got there, remind yourself that you don’t have to stay there. Even when it feels like there is no way out, THERE IS. If you don’t feel that you can do it on your own, reach out to someone. There are many people out there JUST LIKE YOU that can help you deal with and overcome your issues.

 I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments, but if you’d rather speak privately, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]

FitLizzio Training Experiment: Day 1

reebok tank

Hey guys!

I hope you’re all as excited as I am about my new experiment!! If you’re not, I need you to be so I can get through it with some motivation haha!

Yesterday I did Day 1 and I do have some initial thoughts!

The Workout

The workout was INTENSE. It was a “lifting” day. It started with a warm-up on the treadmill that included a sprint progression: 30 seconds walking, 30 seconds jogging, 30 seconds sprint x4.

Once I was warmed up, it was time for the workout. This workout was circuit-style and recommended completing 3-6 rounds with 12-15 reps per exercise.

Here are the exercises:

  • Clean & Press
  • Med Ball Slams
  • DB Reverse Lunges
  • Push-Ups
  • Bench Dips
  • Sprint in Place
  • Bodyweight Squats
  • Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns
  • Med Ball Jumping Jacks
  • Incline Push-Ups
  • DB Bicep Curls
  • Side Lateral Raises
  • One Arm DB Rows

I made it through 4 rounds. The idea is that by the end of the program you can complete 6 rounds, so hopefully I’ll get there! I’m sure I could have pushed my way through 2 more rounds, but my form was starting to slip and I had made it a goal in my head to get to 4. It was plenty for the first day. I was sweating bullets by the end.

reebok tank

Not sure if you can tell, but my shirt is drenched!

The Food

This is where I may have to make some adjustments and add a little bit to my meals. When I totaled everything for my day’s meals into MyFitnessPal, it came out to just 1380 calories!! I am almost 5’8 and 151 pounds. That is just not enough on a day I’m working out (or even a rest day for that matter). I’ll likely just adjust the amounts at each meal (i.e. instead of 3.5 oz of chicken, I’ll do 5 oz. and instead of 1/2 cup of carbs, I’ll try 3/4). I want to participate in this FULLY, but I’m also not willing to risk my health over it. The plan does call for a good amount of fats, so I’ll probably leave those as is.

I will say, the chia seed protein pancake I had for breakfast (right from the 21 Day Clutch) was SO delicious!

protein pancake

It doesn’t look pretty, but it tasted good!

20 days to go on the FitLizzio Training Experiment….

Question of the Day

1. Have you ever done any of the training programs on Bodybuilding.com? What were your favorites?

BLEND Retreat 2015: Part 2

If you missed Part 1

SATURDAY

Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early for a Boot Camp sponsored by Gnarly Nutrition and led by Kindal Boyle of Lifting Revolution. The elevation makes things much harder (I’m used to sea level!), but regardless of that, this workout was TOUGH. We did a partner workout (I partnered with Lindsay the badass) that involved sprints, push-ups, traveling burpees UPHILL, walking lunges UPHILL, one-legged runs, plank jacks, shoulder taps, squats and squat jumps. It was a KILLER workout and I was definitely feeling my workout from Friday throughout the whole thing.

gnarlybootcampPhoto Credit: Lindsay’s List

Upon finishing the boot camp, I chugged a protein shake with Gnarly Nutrition’s Chocolate Protein Powder. I only had water to mix it with and, as always, was nervous it was going to taste like crap. Surprisingly it was delicious! It tasted like a chocolate shake and the ingredient list was an A+ as well! I’ll definitely be trying more of their products in the future!

gnarly nutritionLoved it so much, I had to take a picture 🙂

Next up was BREAKFAST. Breakfast was so, so good. The spread included FlapJacked pancakes, scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, Love Grown cereal and granola, along with bread and a spread of Justin’s nut butter flavors. I put together a little bit of everything, and ate it ALL. That boot camp made me HANGRY. FlapJacked had their new flavor of pancakes: Carrot Spice on hand. They were SO delicious. Definitely buying this flavor when it comes out.

flapjackedWhile we were eating, we had a surprise visitor pop in…it was THE Justin of Justin’s Nut Butter!! He was such a down to earth guy and told us about how he started the company. It was so interesting! Definitely wasn’t expecting that, so it was super cool!

JustinsHe rode his bike to breakfast, which I thought was super cool.

As if I hadn’t had enough exercise, Detour Bar had planned a hike for us in the gorgeous flat irons! I had only known Detour Bars from their old formula, but get this: they’ve started coming out with a new line called Detour Simple bars that are filled with GOOD ingredients, and they’ve cut out most of the junk! I love companies that aren’t afraid to change. I think it shows that they are listening to their customers. Kudos to you Detour!!!

Back to the hike: This was one of the most gorgeous hikes I’ve ever been on! The views were breathtaking, the weather was PERFECT, and I had some good conversations with the folks from Quest (our main sponsor for the weekend), Arctic Zero, and one of my cabin roomies.

chautauqua park

chautauqua hike

After the hike, I was BEAT and promptly took a 2 hour nap. I felt like I had been hit by a bus after all of the workouts I’d done in the past 24 hours! We didn’t have anything planned for the group Saturday evening, so Tedi and one of our other roommates headed to Pearl Street in Boulder and grabbed some dinner. We went home early and again, I crashed out.

SUNDAY

Sunday morning was our last morning. We were up bright and early for some yoga on the grass, sponsored by Bhakti Chai. I was so sore and didn’t really push myself. Instead, I used it as a means to stretching my body out and it felt glorious. That’s what yoga is all about anyways right? We couldn’t have had better weather and it was nice to just sit under the sun and stretch out with my BLENDS.

yoga in boulder

We headed to the dining hall once more for some breakfast. This spread included GoodBelly probiotic drinks, Barbara’s Puffins cereal, egg frittatas, bacon, muffins made with baobest, and chia seed greek yogurt made by The Epic Seed. I didn’t eat quite as much as Saturday and ended up with an egg frittata, chia seed greek yogurt, bacon, and some fruit.

By the time we finished, it was time for us to pack up to go home. Tedi and I had an earlier flight, so we had to miss the closing ceremonies (boo!). Denver airport is no joke, so we didn’t want to risk missing our flight.

Overall, this was one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time. I met SO many cool people, new blogger friends, amazing companies, and enjoyed a weekend in the mountains with great weather, views, and a breath of fresh air.

I’ll definitely be back next year, I just wish it was sooner!

Thanks again to the wonderful sponsors and a SPECIAL thank you to Janetha, Lauren, and Lindsay for putting together such an amazing retreat. You guys are amazing! I’m so glad I met all of you and I’ll see you next year!

Cinnamon Bun Protein Pancake!

Hey peeps! Happy Friday to all! I’m currently on the road to AZ for the weekend. Can’t wait to see my family and get dressed up for a super snazzy event! (pictures to come).

I was recently contacted by DailyBurn to share one of my favorite ways to fuel up using protein powder. As most of you know, I like to eat real foods most of the time, but I do enjoy a protein shake or protein pancake once a day after my workout, for breakfast, or on-the-go.

One of my go-to’s lately has been this super simple protein pancake. I throw it together in just a few seconds, and BAM it’s ready to eat. I eat this after a workout, as part of my breakfast, or if I’m running out the door and don’t have time to make something. It curbs my hunger, helps my muscles recover after a hard workout, and tastes delicious too! What’s not to like?

Cinnamon Bun Protein Pancake

-1 scoop vanilla or cinnamon flavored protein powder ( I use Slap Nutrition, but if you’d like a vegan protein option, try Fuel-6 Vanilla)

-1/2 cup egg whites

-Water (just enough to moisten the protein powder to a paste-like texture)

-Cinnamon to taste

-1/2 packet Stevia

-Blender Bottle

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1. The blender bottle is key! It can be hard to mix the ingredients, so I throw it all in a blender bottle and shake it up really well.

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2. Set your pan to low-medium heat, pour the mixture into the pan, and wait until you see the little bubbles in your pancake (just like regular pancakes!). When you start to see them, it’s time to flip it. Once you flip it, only leave it for about 30-45 seconds so that you don’t overcook it.

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3. Enjoy!

IMG_7376(Okay, so it’s not pretty…but who cares as long as it tastes good, right?!)

2 Week Update: Day of Eats

Hey guys!

It’s a Mondenesday over here. If you’re not familiar, that’s a Wednesday that feels like a Monday = stressful. Either way, I’m working away and doing the best I can today. That’s all I can do, right? I’m thinking extra coffee would help, too. 🙂

It’s been almost two weeks since I started my 12 week program with Sohee, so I wanted to give an update and also show you a fairly typical day of eats for me while I’m on this program.

First, things first, here’s an update!

This is the first time in almost 5 years that I’ve been serious about leaning out again. It’s also the first time I’ve tried “dieting” again that has actually felt GOOD as opposed to feeling like a chore. It doesn’t feel like I’m restricted or even really like I’m dieting, for that matter. (If you’re just now hearing about this, I’m following an IIFYM diet).

Hunger

I’m a little bit hungry at times, but that’s normal when dieting (note: starving is NOT normal, but a little hunger is expected). I’m eating enough and it definitely isn’t intense hunger, it’s more of that lingering feeling of wanting something else. I’m actually not even sure if it’s TRUE hunger, to be honest. It can be annoying at times, but it’s definitely not a big deal.

Compliance

I’ve been really good about being compliant with this plan. Like I said, I’m not cutting out anything that I love, so i don’t feel like there’s anything I “can’t” have. If I want something, I just work it into my day. I’m eating enough food and like I said before, I don’t even really feel like I’m on a “diet”.

Results

Friday is my first biweekly in which I’ll submit photos, measurements, and my weight. It will be interesting to compare this to my initial submission and see what has changed. I can already tell a difference, but it will be much easier to tell when I compare photos.

 

So that’s how things are going so far! I’ll start updating with my progress photos once I start submitting my biweeklies…so stay tuned.

Day of Eats

There’s a misconception that by doing an IIFYM based diet that you can just eat junk food and crap all day and still lose weight. That really isn’t the case. You need to eat healthy, nutritious foods about 80-90% of the time (with room for some treats here and there) in order to make the most out of this type of diet. With that said, here are some of my eats for today.

Breakfast:

  • 1 large apple
  • Almond Milk Continental
  • 1 over-easy egg
  • 1 piece of Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage

Lunch:

  • Kombucha (trilogy is my favorite!)IMG_6664
  • Brown Rice, Ground turkey burger, jalapeno cilantro hummus concoctionIMG_6663
  • This little Honey Pattie. This thing was SOOO rich, but made for the perfect little chocolatey dessert. I’d never had one before, but will definitely be buying this again. IMG_6666

Snack:

  • Slap Chocolate Flavored Protein Powder
  • ice
  • almond milk.IMG_6667Blended and enjoyed. (tastes like a milkshake to me…Charlie says it tastes like chalk….guess when you haven’t had a real chocolate milkshake in a while, your taste buds forget. )

 

Snack

Yogurt mess of

  • Fage 0% Greek Yogurt
  • Small handful of Walnuts & Almonds
  • 1 TBSP Peanut Butter

IMG_6668I still have Dinner left for today, but I haven’t decided what that will be just yet!

Hope you’re all having a great day!

Q’s

1. What was the best thing you ate today?

2. What is the one food that you would never want to give up?

 

 

 

 

10 Secrets to Fat Loss

Good morning! Or afternoon if you’re on the east coast!

I woke up today thinking it was Friday, so boo to that. I know some people are weird about the number 13, but I love it! I think I love it because most people hate it and are scared of it. I’m excited for tomorrow to see all of the people on Facebook that blame their spilled coffee, torn jeans, or broken phones on it being Friday the 13th. 😀DSC03929

10 Secrets to Fat Loss

One of the biggest questions I am asked (almost daily) is regarding fat loss. I thought I’d put together my best tips for fat loss.

1. Food. I know, I know. This isn’t what you wanted to hear, but I’m sure it’s not the first time you’ve heard it. We have all heard the phrase “you can’t out-train a bad diet”, and truer words were never spoken. If you want to lose fat, you have to have a good handle on what you’re eating. Tracking your food is the easiest way to do this (albeit not the only way). We often times don’t realize how many calories and macro-nutrients (proteins, carbs, fats) we are taking in until we actually take the time to track. If you like pen and paper, you can keep a food journal, but if you’re lazy like me, grab the MyFitnessPal app. It’s great for tracking and allows you to see how much of each macro-nutrient you’re taking in each day.

2. Strength Training. While nutrition is king, and the biggest part of the fat loss equation, strength training is a close 2nd. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you’ll burn at rest. Lifting weights will NOT make you huge. Eating huge portions of cookies, cakes, crackers, and just overindulging in general will make you huge. Hypothetically, let’s say you were to put on 5 pounds of muscle and with a healthy nutrition plan, you were able to lose 5 pounds of fat. (These do NOT go hand in hand by the way, they are completely separate systems and just because you gain muscle, it doesn’t mean you’ll lose fat). The scale would tell you that you weigh the same amount, but you would actually look smaller. Muscle is more dense than fat, so 5 pounds of fat will always look bigger than 5 pounds of muscle.

3. Moderation. I’m not going to tell you that you need to eat clean. I’m not going to tell you that you can’t eat cookies and cake and dessert. You CAN. I eat candy almost every day. I just don’t eat an entire BAG of candy every day. If you keep the things you like in your diet, and eat them in moderation, it is completely possible to lose fat while still enjoying your treats.

4. Consistency. This goes hand in hand with #3. Staying consistent with your food intake is by far the best advice I can give to anyone. If you overindulge one day, don’t sweat it. Don’t try to counteract it by not eating all day or doing hours of cardio the next day. It’s not going to be the game changer. You didn’t gain the weight in one day and you won’t lose it in one day either. With that said, practice consistency. If your goal is to eat 2000 calories per day, aim for that consistently and if you overindulge, go right back to it the next day. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.

5. Identify your trigger foods. This might sound odd, but we all have trigger foods. If there are certain foods that you have a hard time just having 1 or 2 of, you have to address this. For me, I have a hard time with cookies. I can eat candy, cake, cupcakes, and ice cream in moderation with no problem. There is something about cookies that just makes me want more and more. (Probably because they are so damn delicious!) For this reason, if I’m going to have a cookie, I just buy a single pre-packaged cookie. I know if I bake 12 cookies, I’m going to either eat more than I want to or spend a lot of brain energy trying to stay away. It’s not worth it to me, so I figured out a way that works for me. I don’t buy packages of Oreos or Chips Ahoy. Instead, I will buy a single cookie (like at Starbucks or something), and enjoy that. Find what works for you.

6. Stop beating yourself up. This was probably the key to my recovery from my eating disorder. I used to try to be SO perfect with my eating that when I screwed up, I would just feel so guilty. I felt like a failure and that I should just get it out of my system so that i could be “perfect” tomorrow. Newsflash: That doesn’t work. When I started being comfortable with where I was and not beating myself up so badly for “screwing up”, I actually started eating better overall. Feeling guilt over eating something that isn’t considered “healthy” will not help you on your fat loss journey, and will more than likely hinder your fat loss.

7.  Eat fat. Yeah, you heard me. Fat is good. I think it’s becoming more known that fats are good for you, but the “low fat” craze is still stuck in some people’s minds. Not only does fat help your skin and hair look bombtastic, but it aids in fat loss. You can’t lose fat without fat. It also helps to keep you satisfied. It’s more calorie dense than protein or carbs (9 calories per gram), so you don’t want to go crazy with it, but adding in things like nuts, nut butters, avocados, and oils into your diet will likely keep you more satiated throughout the day. (And give you locks of a pony!!! ;-))

8. Stop doing so much cardio. Unless you love it, that is. I am not going to say that cardio is bad. It’s not bad. What’s bad is the idea that cardio is NECESSARY for fat loss and that if you don’t do x minutes/hours of cardio per day, you won’t lose fat. Cardio basically trains your body to be more efficient. This means that over time, you’ll use LESS calories to get through that 3 mile run. So what does that mean? It means in order to burn the same amount of calories that you burned when you first started running, is now going to require more effort: more time running, running on an incline, running faster, etc. If you like to run, by all means RUN. Personally,  I like to run every now and then. I like to hike. I do all of those things when I feel like it. But gone are the days of me doing 30-45 minutes of cardio EVERY DAY. I used to do that, and you know what happened when I stopped? I lost weight. Cliff notes of what I’m getting at here: Don’t think that doing hours of cardio is the key to your fat loss. The key is nutrition. Cardio’s affect on that is minimal and will likely cause you to be hungrier and eat more anyways.

9. Accountability. This is definitely huge. I know how to lose fat. Most people actually know at least something about how to lose fat. But it’s hard to do it on your own. I didn’t sign up to work with Sohee because I don’t know what I’m doing. I know what I’m doing and I have my OWN clients that I coach. But I wanted someone to hold me accountable and to take the guess work out for me. I didn’t want to be the person that I was negotiating with when it came to how I was feeling and the progress I’m making. Now, this doesn’t mean you need to sign up with a coach. Friends work pretty well too. Find a friend that will either a) jump on the bandwagon with you and go on a fat loss journey together or b) be supportive and help you when you need it. It makes all the difference in the world when you don’t feel like you’re going at it alone.

10. Plan. This is something that I still struggle with, but I luckily live and work very close to Whole Foods and the Co-Op where I can get fresh, healthy meals on the go. If you plan and prepare some food for the week (cook up some chicken or beef or whatever recipe you like) and keep it on hand, it helps you to not come home and devour whatever is in the cabinets just because you’re hungry. It minimizes the impulse eating and the eating because it was “all that was there”. Plan your day or even your week out so that you’re ready. With that said, don’t be afraid to stray from it either. I pack my food most days, but if I want a cookie or something, I work it into my plan and don’t feel bad about it.

Questions:

1. What has helped you the most when it comes to fat loss?2. What is your biggest struggle with fat loss?

Leave your responses in the comments.

 

HIIT Workout to Try + Wednesday Things!

Happy Hump Day peeps!!

My day is off to a great start. I got up early and did 20 minutes of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). I love starting my days with this. I only do it 1-2 days per week, but I might start doing it more often, as it gets my energy level up for the day. I’ve also had 2 cups of coffee already, so that might also be contributing to my fantastic mood!!! Maybe I found the formula:

20 min. HIIT + 2 Cups of Coffee = HAPPINESS

In case you want to give it a try (coffee not included):

Always check with a doctor before starting any new exercise program. Listen to your body and go at your own pace.

Always check with a doctor before starting any new exercise program. Listen to your body and go at your own pace.

In other news, I’ve had a very productive writing morning. espana-med, I work from the office at the gym, but it can be distracting at times. There are 3 other people that work in that office, plus about 5 others that are in and out throughout the day. I think I’ll be working from home more often!

On today’s agenda:

  • Write, write, write! I’ve gotten a few blog posts and e-mails done, and now I’ll be doing more e-mails and more blog posts!
  • Brainstorm some fun Fit Lizzio posts to do next week (survey below!!)
  • Meeting with my awesome work peeps
  • Full Body Workout this evening
  • Stop by CVS to pick up a prescription
  • Take Oscar to the dog park

Update on my New Year’s UN-Resolutions:

If you remember, I decided that in 2015, I was going to care less, stress less, travel more, and live more! So far, I think I’m doing a pretty good job.

  • I feel much more calm
  • I’m breaking up my day into a workflow that fits me better
  • I’m not letting life stress me out (it’s all small things, right??)
  • I’m planning some more travel!

First up, is a trip to go see my new nephew this weekend! Little Jacob is 2 weeks old tomorrow and I can’t WAIT to snuggle him!! I’ll also be cheering on one of my besties at the Phoenix Rock n’ Roll Marathon this Sunday!!! She invited me to do it with her, but I decided that I’d rather just watch and cheer and eat donuts with her when she’s done. 🙂

That’s all I’ve got for now. Hope your day is awesome!!

Oscar wanted to take a post-workout selfie. I couldn't say no to this face.

SURVEY (Also posted on my Facebook Page)

I’ll be writing a post next week, but wanted to put the topic in your hands:

A) Best exercises for the booty
B) Why cardio isn’t the answer to fat loss
C) How to Write Your own Workouts

Leave your response in the comments please!

5 Things I’m Doing Today to Be Better

Wow, just like that, the holidays are over! I’m a mixture of both happy and sad. It was nice to take a little break, but at the same time, it’s good to be back in my routine!

Anyone else take a little break from healthy habits during the break? Haha, please tell me it wasn’t just me! I kept up with workouts, but definitely indulged a bit on the food front! I don’t regret it at all and it was fun, but I’m ready to be back to my regularly scheduled eating!

5 Things I’m Doing Today to be Better

1. Keeping up with my workouts. While this wasn’t something that went by the wayside during the break, I am definitely planning on stepping it up a bit this week!

2. Eating well. I ate way too much candy and processed foods over the break. It was delicious, but I much prefer my usual fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and healthy fats! Back on the healthy train this week!

3. Sleeping. I know I do much better when I’ve had adequate rest. I’m going to do my best to get at least 8 hours every night this week.

4. Keep my stress levels down. I am the queen of getting stressed out easily. It’s a really bad habit that needs to be broken. This week I’m going to really focus on what gets me stressed out and work on getting rid of it before it consumes me. It’s not going to be easy, but being aware of it will help immensely.

5. Do something new. I noticed last year that I would talk about a lot of things I wanted to do, but never seemed to find the time to do them. I want to try to do something new every week. I live in LA and there’s a lot to do here. I want to start soaking up all it has to offer.

Question of the Day

What are you doing this week to help you get back on the healthy train?

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