Poor Bob Harper, I remember when Biggest Loser first started he was everyones favorite trainer. Bob always wants to be friends with the contestents, he cares how they feel and most of all Bob really wants to see everyone do well and feels hurt himself when people struggle with weight loss.

Well this year it looks like the tables have turned. Although the Biggest Loser couples would not have seen this last season when Bobs team did not do well for the first time since the Biggest Loser started but the producers of the Biggest Loser moved even farther into showing Bob Harper teaching the crew about Yoga and meditation. . Bob says that once you are in control of your mind then you will be able to lose the weight. I totally agree with Bob but it seems this seasons team has had a bit of a shift in focus. Everyone wanted to train with mean old Jillian. Read the rest of this entry »

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My wife is an on again off again Weight Watchers addict. I say that in just a joking way because we both know that she loves Weight Watchers but if she sees some shiny new other idea or gets discouraged for a couple of weeks then she will drop Weight Watchers and move on, but only for a while.

I have written about Weight Watchers a lot of times before and even have a Weight Watchers blog that I do not pay as much attention to as much as I used to but the fact is that for many reasons Weight Watchers seems to work really well for lots of people. There are lots of reasons why Weight Watchers works for my wife and the same reasons pull her away from it.

What is good about diet programs

Portion Control – Portion control is the most important thing with any diet. People generally eat too much and having a way to see how much you really should eat makes a big difference.

Food portioning – Weight Watchers has a point system that will say that a hamburger is 10 points and apple is 1 point. How are you going to portion out your 25-35 points a day? Probably by eating more of the right foods that are lower points.

Don’t miss the important thing – the food calendar thingy that every Weight Watchers person has on their kitchen counter makes you mark off your milk and fruits and water for the day. This leads to one of the most important reasons that organized diet centers work.

Accountability – You need to be accountable to yourself and if you are writing it down and having to answer to yourself every day and every week as to why you had something bad and congradulate yourself on all the things that you did right then you are going to be far more successful then beating yourself up for wanting to eat cake. With Weight Watchers there are also weekly meetings where you can talk about what works and what doesn’t and this seems to hel pa lot of people as well.

Do you need Weight Watchers?

You do not need Weight Watchers to be successful. Knowing the above rules and having the right diet principles will give you everything that you need. Millions of people may be overweight but millions of people also lose weight and this in itself proves that it can be done by everyone.

What Weight Watchers and other diet programs are is a bit of a crutch. They help you to stay focussed and to do all of the above. This is a great thing as most people after a few days on a diet lack the consistency and after just a couple more weeks fall off of their diet entirely.

Whether you join Weght Watchers, or Jenny Craig, or LA Fitness or any others great. I believe though that if you come to this blog daily I can help you to stay on track by giving tips and motivation to keep your head in the right place to stay on your diet.

OK so yesterday I dealt with goal setting as a good method to make new years resolutions instead of just stating out loud that you want to lose weight or want to quit smoking now. Now I wanted to go though a sample plan for how you can best get the process started with a weight loss. This is exactly the way I would plan and write it all out.

Goal: Lose 20 Pounds by April 1st (notice that there is an amount of weight and a date, nice and specific)

Why: I want to fit into old clothes, want to make sure that I am on the road to a healthier lifestyle, want to be more attractive (good reasons although the last one is a little vague)

How will I do this: I will change my diet by taking out refined foods now, eat more fruits and vegetables. I will start doing cardio Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings before work and will do weights on Saturdays and Tuesday evenings to start with. I will read a health book ever two weeks and I will change my evenings to be around more active and health conscious people. (pretty clear although this can always be expanded on, clarity will lead to a higher chance of success)

Measuring my success: I will weigh myself every Saturday morning when I get up and will measure my chest, waist and hips right after. To succeed I will need to lose 7 pounds a month which is just shy of 2 pounds a week. I know that this is a significant amount of weight. (Clarity of the goal and sub goals helps. Must keep top of mind that 2 pounds a week every week is pushing it but possible) Read the rest of this entry »

Biggest Loser Couples starts next week on NBC just a couple of weeks after the fourth season of hte Biggest Loser ended. I was up early this morning and finally got a chance to look at some ofthe articles and pages from the Biggest Loser site to see what this will be all about.

Biggest Loser Couple format

First of all it looks like the show will be a bit shorter then a regular season of the Biggest Loser, there are only 10 teams instead of what we would expect 18 or so. I have not looked at any kind of scheduling except for the first episode being right on New Years day for two hours. There will be no show competition I would expect that day and everyone with a weight loss New Years resolution would be a prime candidate to watch the two hour premiere. Read the rest of this entry »

In the aftermath of last weeks Biggest Loser finale I have been thinking all week about the magic of motivation and TV shows. Just in the last few months I have written about the fitness TV shows X Weighted, Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp, and of course lots of Biggest Loser posts. But sometimes I wonder, after the show is watched is there any lasting impact? As I watch these TV shows I always pick up new tips and I get relly motivated by the strength gains and the weight loss of the people on the TV shows and I will often think about these things afterwards so this week I have been wondering how I can really extend the excitement and feeling of the shows and here is a quick list of how to do exactly that.

1. When you are watching the fitness television show make some notes. What kind of notes? Well I think that this would be a lot like journaling. Write down the emotions that you see and feel, how you feel about yourself, what you would give up to reach what these people are reaching, and of course all the tips that you can incorporate now. Read the rest of this entry »

I set off a bit of an email flurry a couple of days ago when I suggested that Gastric Bypass surgery is bad and is the wrong way to lose weight so I thought that I would explain why I do not like the idea of losing weight using gastric bypass surgery.

Gastric Bypass for those that are not aware of the idea is a surgery that either puts a band around a part of your stomach or staples your stomach so that it is smaller. This smaller stomach of course can hold less food so most people are going to lose a lot of weight very quickly and because of this Gastric Bypass surgery has become very popular.

OK so it is relatively easy to shed pounds with Gastric Bypass surgery how could I then be against it as a way to lose weight?

The truth is that Gastric Bypass surgery does not make you fit or healthy. The day after your gastric bypass you will have the same issues with food that you had the day before but now you will now be able to eat as much food. Also any emotional issues will not be solved with your weight loss. Most of these issues cause you to overeat although most people that are overweight think that that is the cause of their emotional problems.

Another more important problem is the nutrition that we all need from our food. If you starve yourself like is going to happen then you will have no way of getting the nutrients that you need and have to rely on supplementation to get everything that you need to live a healthy life. Now that I have broached this subject, how about the health aspect of this kind of weight loss? Being thin does not make you healthy as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, in fact being thin can lull you into the false expectation that you are healthy. If you are getting lots of exercise then you need more calories to feed your muscles and after a gastric bypass you are not going to be able to get what you need actually get healthy.

Lastly there is no guarantee with Gastric Bypass. Once you are at the point of needing gastric bypass you can either die on the operating table or die after during recovery as your body is not strong enough for the surgery. Also there is a way that if you do overeat after your gastric bypass surgery that you may be able to stretch your stomach and now you will be in the same place that your were before.

So what can you do instead of Gastric Bypass?

Gastric Bypass used to be the only way that people that are morbidly obese could think of to lose weight but now that we are in the fourth season of the Biggest Loser anyone can see that there is another option. Sure it may be very difficult and take a long time to lose weight through diet and exercise but people that are really overweight can lose 100 pounds in a year and over this time you can become healthier, happier, build incredible self worth and overcome all of those food demons as well.

If you have been thinking about gastric bypass surgery I certainly hope that this has given you pause to reconsider. There is an alternative.

X-Weighted is a TV show that is shown on the life network here in Canada. The idea of X-Weighted is that the story of regular people losing weight would be interesting to watch and in fact it is. The host of X-weighted is a trainer from Edmonton by the name of Paul Plakas. Paul is a great host for a weight loss show because he goes into peoples houses and is not afraid of offending them with his tips and is really great for giving workout ideas. Also, as a Canadian Paul is never an ass but he doesn’t give anyone much of a chance to make any excuses either.

I watched X-Weighted a couple of times last season but earlier this week was a standard episode that I thought was great to watch especially for the lack of hype that this show uses to bring across the idea of weight loss over a longer period of time. The structure of X-Weighted is that you will have an intro where you see the life situation of someone that wants to lose weight, then Paul Plakas measures and weighs the person, looks in their kitchen and does a fitness assessment. Later in the show you have workouts and a a weight in and finally at the end there is an official X-Weighted final weigh in. Great drama and great info all in an hour

Anatomy of an X Weighted Episode

The X-Weighted episode that I saw started with Michelle, a lady that was over weight and would like to lose 50 pounds. She had problems with one of her three children being Autistic and becoming a problem and her whole family leaned on her for support in various parts of their lives. Because of Michelle’s work schedule and early mornings she would eat out at fast food places once or twice EVERY day. Now we know this ladies background.

First things first for the meeting with her trainer . Michelle laid out her situation and then told her trainer that she wanted to lose 50 pounds in the next six months. Her trainer talked to her about her exercise requirements, eating requirements, tested her current level of fitness and then followed her around for a day. A couple of day later Michelle met with her trainer for a training session and then we get to see how Michelle reacts over the next few months to life, changes and weight loss.

In the end Michelle lost I believe 44 pounds and was really happy with how things went for her weight loss. Her life was a series of traumatic events over the time of her weight loss and it really makes you feel for her and her family.

X-Weighted is a great show in that it really walks you through how real people lose weight while living their regular lives, this is a classic idea of a reality show where the people are in their own surrounding much like our own and every great result is hard fought. X-Weighted is on in Canada on many nights of the week on the Slice Network (formerly the Life Network).

Setting short term weight loss goals is very important. A couple of nights ago I was watching a fitness show filmed out of Vancouver called the Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp, and it really got me thinking about goals that most people have for their fitness.

Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp is a 30 minute show with a trainer and a nutritionist. The idea of the Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp is that the person will change their life, for a reason, by losing 10 pounds in one month. The girl on the show this week was going with some friends to Los Angeles and wanted to fit into a new dress for the trip. In the end the girl did lose the weight and looked great after losing 10 pounds.

The show really illustrates the power of short term weight loss goals. The reason that the show got me thinking is because most of the time we hear about people with really long term goals. Lose 50 pounds, lose 100 pounds, run a marathon, completely clean up your diet. What if instead we got shorter term goals that we could achieve quickly, easily, and repeatably?

Of course all of us that have tried to complete a goal have been able to make these long term plans but I am suggesting that you make no plan for change that takes more than a month. Can you instead set a short term weight loss goal? Can you lose 10 pounds in a month? Why not make a few goals not for the next month and then after you have achieved, or almost achieved your short term goal you can go and make another similar goal.

If you have a very large dramatic life changing goal it is going to be hard to keep up the work it takes to attain your goal if it is going to take three years or something so instead I suggest you break down that life changing goal in to a smaller goal, maybe a short term weight loss goal, that you can still get excited about and you can then work towards this bite sized chunk and then slingshot yourself to the next goal on this success.

My wife has always said that she wants to lose 100 pounds. If you saw a pic of my wife I am sure that you would agree with me that there is no way that she can lose 100 pounds but she could probably lose 30 if she wanted to. I have seen up close how my wife, although well meaning has struggled with temptations, occasional lack of motivation and sadness because she has set her self up to a goal that is to big to easily see the end of. If I could have her just see the end of the month or maybe by now the end of December and no later then she would have a lot more success.

If you are having some struggles try this idea of looking at where you are today and where you want to be in a month and see if you can do this instead. These short term weight loss goals are the real secret to continuing on your diet.

Most people that have tried to lose weight have heard of both the Jenny Craig Diet as well as Weight Watchers. Studies have shown pretty conclusively I believe that these diets seem to help people lose weight over the long term although the weight loss never seems to be very substantial according to the studies. So why do these diets seem to work pretty well? I have thought about this and as usual I have a list of things that I think make Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig work where most fad diets just don’t seem to.

1. Commitment by spending money – It is hard to give up on a diet that you have to pay money to every week. When you know that on Tuesday they are going to charge your credit card or some other form of payment you are going to think twice before eating that piece of chocolate cake.

2. Success all around – In a Weight Watchers meeting or at a Jenny Craig office you get to see people like you and people that used to be like you that have lost weight. It does not seem like so much of a fantasy when you see a few people that you can actually see and talk to that have lost 50 pounds and feel great about it.

3. Something to believe in – There is a long track record in both weight Watchers as well as at Jenny Craig. Both of these diets have seen a lot of other diets come and go so most people look at them both as pillars in the weight loss community.

4. Writing things down makes you accountable – This is the big one to me. Both Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig both make you right down in some form what you have eaten today and what kind of exercise or other activity that you participated in.

I don’t think for a moment that either Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers are the best thing out there for everyone but they do seem to work for most people. The real diet that will work for you is a process that you believe in without a doubt so that you will not question it and a way to hold yourself accountable.

The measurement for a successful low carb diet plan is to lose weight. Right? Well actually no, it isn’t. The real measurement is that you are able to keep the weight off year after year. A diet is not just for today and tomorrow but is actually a lifestyle change. So, what is the real important parts of a low carb diet plans?A simple foundation that can be relied upon is to ingest fewer foods that have a high calorie count such as foods that contain processed flour and sugar. You then replace the high calorie foods with foods that have fewer calories. This can be accomplished by eating healthy sources of protein, whole grains and of course fresh vegetables and fruits.

The next thought that comes into your head is “Easier said than done”. Actually it is not quite as hard to accomplish as you might think. These tips will help you get off to a good start and keep the weight off successfully for years to come.

1. Reduce the size of the portions. By measuring your healthy portions of proteins, vegetables and fruits you will reduce the carbohydrates and maintain the proper level of calories needed daily.

2. Eat four to five times a day. You accomplish a couple things by eating this often. As you digest your food your metabolism rate will be increased by the activity, thus burning more calories. In addition to that you will find that you won’t be as hungry each time that you eat.

3. Avoid eating after six o’clock p.m. If you must eat or snack after 6 p.m. do so with low carb foods, such as yogurt, organic fruits and veggies.

4. Eat foods with high unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, nuts and fish. These foods are a natural barrier to diseases that can attack your body.

5. Enhance your low-carb diet plan by eating organic foods when possible. Foods such as raw honey, wild smoked salmon, tomatoes, rye bread and there are even organic red meats, pork and chicken.

6. Prepare the menu for the week ahead. This enables you to do your shopping for the healthiest foods without being rushed.

7. Broil and grill your meats when possible. Prior to broiling or grilling the meat, make certain to trim off excess fat and remove the skin where possible. Enhance the flavor of meats using your favorite natural spices.

8. Drink bottled water or filtered water. This will keep your body hydrated and cleansed. For the best effect with the low-carb diet it is suggested drinking 64 oz. per day.

9. The Dreaded Tip: Exercise. A mild exercise such as walking at least 30 minutes a day will increase the metabolic rate of your body.

10. Positive attitude. This tip perhaps may be the most important tip of all. Believe in your ability to follow a plan and to lose weight.By implementing these tips you will have more success with your long term weight loss when using your low carb diet plan.