Love Notes by Jari Love

Weight Loss: How I Lost Weight – 44lbs (20kg)

by Jari Love

Here’s a dose for Motivation Tuesday! Sarah has lost 44 pounds, and is making huge sacrifices. As a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, I always tell my clients they need to have a support system in their lifestyle change. Without a support system, your weight loss efforts will be incredibly hard. So read Sarah’s story, then be motivated that you can make all the changes you need to for your new health and fitness lifestyle, no matter what the consequences.

Sarah was heavily overweight most of her life. At the age of 55 and with a pre-diabetes diagnosis, Sarah came to me for advice and guidance on how to improve her health and perhaps shed a few pounds. Fast forward six months and Sarah has lost about 44 pounds BUT may be losing her husband in the process.

Working with successful businesswomen to help them gain control of their expanding waistlines as they approach menopause is as very exciting and humble experience.

To see transformations unfold is rewarding and exhilarating. Women share their successes and downfalls in a safe environment allowing them to achieve the body they are looking for.

Sarah’s husband married Sarah curves and all and does not want her to lose any more weight. This is despite Sarah sharing with her husband that she feels great, her pre-diabetes has been abated, and she would love to continue to lose another 40 pounds.

Lack of support from Sarah’s husband may be due to any of the following points.

He may have felt “safe” with her curves, believing that no one would try and steal her away.

With Sarah’s weight loss came increased self-esteem and confidence. He may have felt threatened that Sarah may leave him for another man.

Is Sarah’s husband to be vilified?

Or is it Sarah’s fault for changing the goal posts? He married a woman with curves, and she is no longer the woman that he married.

My advice to Sarah?

Encourage an open dialogue. He may be feeling insecure and if Sarah wants to stay with her husband, she needs to reassure him that though other men now find her attractive, he should not feel threatened but should be proud of any attention she may be garnering.

Include the husband in any extracurricular activities such as walking so the two of the can be gaining the benefits together.

While it is fine to have some curves (as opposed to being ultra skinny), once the curves leans towards being heavily overweight and interfering with your health action needs to be taken.

What would you do if you found yourself losing some excess weight only to find someone close to you is trying to sabotage your efforts? I would love to hear you thoughts and how you handled the situation. You can leave your comments below and I will answer everyone’s questions.

Julie Dargan is a Nurse, Naturopath BHSc and has worked in the wellness industry for over 30 years. Julie’s FREE 5 Day Kickstart Program is excellent to get you on the right track in your weight loss quest. Julie also has a private Facebook group for women over 50 and looking for solutions to halt weight gain in the menopause. Via huffingtonpost.com

Jari Love – original creator of  Get RIPPED! DVD series and group exercise classes. The hot-selling and critically acclaimed Get RIPPED! series enables individuals of any fitness level to burn up to three times more calories than the traditional weight-training program, and has received rave reviews from fitness critics throughout North America since the first title debuted in late 2005.

9 fat-burning tips

by Jari Love

Unwanted fat slows you down and makes you feel less confident. Fortunately, if you take the right steps, you can burn off pounds of fat faster than you ever imagined.

How can you get started on this mission? With these nine fat-burning tips…

Fat-Burning Tip #1: Hit the Weights: Losing weight is always a good idea. Unless you’re losing so much you’re also burning off muscle. By adding weight training into your routine, you’ll ensure your muscle is here to stay.

As an added perk, muscle burns more fat faster, and you burn more fat and burn it for longer after an intense weight-lifting session than you would with just cardio.

Fat-Burning Tip #2: Run like Crazy: You’ve got to want it, but if you’re willing to sprint 100 yards 10 times in a row, you’ll melt away about 500 calories from your waistline. That’s a Big Mac or two Snickers bars you just burned off! Do that a few days a week and you’ll have a new body in no time.

Fat-Burning Tip #3: Down the Green: It may seem odd that drinking unsweetened green tea can help you burn fat, but try a glass of it after working out. Not only does it taste good, but it will cause your love handles to fall off your sides faster.

Fat-Burning Tip #4: Work Out Early: Like everyone else in the world, you’ve got a lot to do in the day. Imagine if you could get to the gym or run a few miles before it all gets started? By hitting your routine when you first wake up, before you even eat breakfast, your body will burn fat like there’s no tomorrow!

Fat-Burning Tip #5: Go to Sleep: Just because you’re awake doesn’t mean you’re doing good things for your body. Live in a constant state of sleep deprivation and you won’t be able to work out as hard as you should, and you’ll likely wind up making poor food and drink choices—especially late at night.

Fat-Burning Tip #6: Stop Sitting: Working a desk job is no excuse to stay on your backside all day. Need to talk with a coworker? Leave the email and phone alone and get up and talk with your coworker face to face. Then take a quick walk during lunchtime to rejuvenate yourself and power up for the rest of the day. Making activity part of your lifestyle will go a long way toward shaving off pounds faster!

Fat-Burning Tip #7: Wait for Seconds: Your instinct may tell you to grab a second helping of meat and potatoes as soon as round one is over. But if you want to burn off fat, give yourself 20 minutes after eating your first plate to let your brain catch up to your stomach. Most likely, you’ll feel full after that amount of time and will avoid adding unnecessary calories you’ll just have to burn off later.

Fat-Burning Tip #8: Add Ice: Want to burn more fat faster, without even trying? Then stop drinking room-temperature water. Instead, drop some ice into your water and drink it when it’s nice and cold. It may seem like an old wives’ tale, but drinking cold water has been proven to force your body to burn calories in order to warm the water to body temperature.

Fat-Burning Tip #9: Go for Lean Protein: You want to burn fat, and protein makes it possible. How? By helping to boost your metabolism and build more fat-burning muscle. So grab a chicken breast and a spoon of peanut butter to give your body the upper hand against forcing fat far, far away!

My Get RIPPED programs are designed to help you quickly and efficiently burn fat and get into the best shape of your life.

 Jari Love – original creator of  Get RIPPED! DVD series and group exercise classes. The hot-selling and critically acclaimed Get RIPPED! series enables individuals of any fitness level to burn up to three times more calories than the traditional weight-training program, and has received rave reviews from fitness critics throughout North America since the first title debuted in late 2005.

Food Lie #5: Foods labeled low fat are good for you

by Jari Love

Marketing often tells us to eat low fat foods and whole grain foods in order to be healthy. In some ways this is true because foods high in saturated fats are bad for us as are highly processed foods like white bread. However, there can still be a lot of issues with these so-called “healthy foods” marketed as “low-fat” or “whole-grain”: they can often be heavily processed and include lots of sugar and salt to make up for lack of flavour.

If you look at the nutrition labels of some low fat foods, you will notice there’s a high amount of sugar and salt. For example, low fat yogurt has a higher sugar and salt content than the full fat version because sugar and salt are used to replace the flavor lost through the removal of the fat. As a result, this low fat food now has all the dangers which accompany high sugar foods: addictions and chemical imbalances. Consequently, companies will replace the sugar with aspartame in order to decrease the sugar content on their labels. Major red flags for aspartame which has been linked with some serious health issues. Overall, this “yogurt” is now a heavily processed food that bears no resemblance to the yogurt nature intended.

Similarly, foods marketed as “whole-grain” sound like they should be good for you. However, although the whole-grain may be used in your pasta or bread, or at least marketed as such, there is an over-abundance of preservatives, sugars, and salts also added to your food in order to make that pasta and bread still taste good thus negating the benefits of the whole grains.

Our taste buds have acquired a taste for flavor-filled foods. The food marketing industry is huge and has a lot of influence over the way we perceive food and healthy choices. Don’t believe the lies they tell you. Always ask yourself, is this food from the ground? Can I pronounce all the ingredients? Are there less than 3 ingredients in that food? Is that food made in a factory or a farm? Be smart, make the non-processed choice and your body with thank you.

Want A Bikini Body? Stay Away From These Foods

by Jari Love

I know, I know, anyone can wear a bikini. Technically we all have a bikini body, but do you look and feel good in your bikini? It’s all about confidence when it comes to wearing a bikini. But the fitness industry starts to focus on getting a bikini body usually in April to give you time to slim down to boost your confidence in wearing that cute bikini. So you’ve done the work to look good in that bikini, but then July 4th comes around and you feel and look bloated, what do you do? This article I found was quite helpful in getting that bikini body, and keeping it for the summer.

Whether you’re prepared to show your rockin’ body on a boat or create a ‘buddy system’ with a pal to tell each other to suck in (guilty!), some foods are better to beat bloating.

Who better to ask real questions for real advice from a fitness model and a registered dietitian? Celebrity fitness personality and CEO of Cause Fitness Rachel Elizabeth Murray, and registered dietitian Mary Purdy share their expertise on maintaining a flat tummy in a bikini.

Why am I bloated?!

Mary Purdy, MS, RD: There is never truly one specific cause. It’s going to vary from individual to individual. For many, it is related to some kind of food sensitivity/intolerance/allergy. If someone tends to rush through a meal and not chew, very often that compromises digestive function and can lead to bloating.

Rachel Elizabeth Murray, Fitness Guru: Bloating is usually a digestive issue, but can be caused by many different things such as dehydration, over-hydration, carb-intake and timing, diet, portion size, lifestyle, etc. Which are the evil foods that make me bloat?

Purdy: It is totally individual. For many, it is dairy or wheat; that is what I find most common. 

Murray: To avoid bloating, try to avoid things

HELP! I am bloated and am boating tomorrow! What foods/supplements may help? Purdy: Herbs and spices can help: ginger, mint, cinnamon, fennel seeds. Taking a digestive enzyme or some bitters in water can also help.

Murray: Avoid anything processed! Load up on lean proteins and diuretic veggies (Ex: White fish with lemon and asparagus with a spinach/celery/cucumber salad). Drink 3-4L of fresh, filtered water. You can get dandelion root supplements at natural health food stores to help get rid of excess water weight.

I’m thirsty! What should I sip on? And, yes, I mean alcohol.

Purdy: Not beer! Beer is likely a bigger bloat culprit because it is carbonated and contains wheat which is a trigger for bloating in some people.

Murray: If you’re just trying to have fun with friends and look your best while doing it, I’d say stick with the clear (NOT flavored) liquors like vodka or tequila. If you must have a mixer, go sugar-free. You’re pretty safe with soda water but note that it is carbonated.

What foods should I be stocked up on for a slim stomach?

Purdy: Keep it simple – focus on REAL food: vegetables, fruit, plant based high fiber proteins like beans and lentils, nuts and seeds for health fats, and herbs and spices, and small amounts of whole grains.

Murray: Stick to lean protein, greens over grains, and tiny portions of healthy fats (almonds, olive/coconut oils, avocado). Protein has a higher ‘thermic effect’ (takes more energy to digest) and anything with high nutrient density will give you more ‘bang’ for your calorie ‘buck’ in terms of health, flat tummy, energy, beauty and wellness!

Go after that Bikini Body!  Via komonews.com

Jari Love – original creator of  Get RIPPED! DVD series and group exercise classes. The hot-selling and critically acclaimed Get RIPPED! series enables individuals of any fitness level to burn up to three times more calories than the traditional weight-training program, and has received rave reviews from fitness critics throughout North America since the first title debuted in late 2005.

Sweet and Tangy Grilled Chicken

If you’re looking to lose weight, many times you run into the boredom of eating plain foods and end up getting really bored. This chicken recipe is healthy and anything but plain.

Serve this delicious grilled chicken at your next barbecue or for dinner tonight. The honey-mustard glaze has a wonderful tangy flavor. Remember to add healthy side dishes for a summer meal that will satisfy without weighing you down.

Servings: 6

Here’s what you need:

• 4 Tablespoons honey
• 4 Tablespoons spicy mustard
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat your grill. If using coals, heat until the coals turn gray and there are no longer strong flames, 35-45 minutes.
2. Combine honey, mustard, lemon peel, soy sauce and garlic. Mix well. Reserve a few tablespoons of the sauce. Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 40 minutes.
3. Cook the chicken 5 to 6 minutes per side. Brush with the reserved sauce, and continue cooking for an additional 3 to 4 minutes per side, until chicken registers 170 degrees F on a meat thermometer.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals 183 calories, 2g fat, 13g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, and 28g protein.

Food Lie #6: It’s not just genes: What it’s like to work out like a Victoria’s Secret model

by Jari Love

Food lie #6 says that being thin is all about your genetics. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s not the “skinny gene” that gets passed down from one generation to another, it’s the lifestyles that support being the “ideal” weight. If your parents tend to be overweight or obese, your chances of being overweight or obese are also high. But not from the genetics, but from the lifestyle that is modeled for you. Speaking of models, read this article from a fitness blogger and re-evaluate your perception of the models.

Fitness blogger Poppy Cross found out first-hand what it takes to look like a Victoria’s Secret model.

Victoria’s Secret models don’t break a sweat as they glide down the catwalk – and it’s hard to imagine they’d ever need to. Didn’t they just drop from the sky, all slender and sleek with a whisper of a waist and divinely sculpted thighs?

Not quite. The truth is that looking like an “Angel” (the brand’s upper echelon contract models) takes serious slog. Behind the lace is a “military mind and athlete’s performance”, says one blogger who has laid the truth bare.

After four months on the same “relentless and intense” exercise regime followed by the models, London-based fitness blogger and journalist Poppy Cross wrote about her experience in The Mail on Sunday.

The 29-year-old said nothing could have prepared her for the mental and physical challenge that lay in store.

“There’s a reason the VS models are known as athletes,” Cross told Stuff. “They have to have lean muscle as opposed to the regular rake-thin catwalk model. It’s about sexiness not skinniness.”

From lifting weights and running to boxing, ballet and pilates, all manner of methods are employed to get those rock-hard abs, she says.

Adriana Lima’s workout routine includes HIIT training, boxing the bag, yoga and capoeira – a type of martial art. Photo: Victoria's Secret/Instagram

“VS models all have different routines. Three months pre-show, they all increase their workout intensity. Adriana Lima admits she trains twice a day in the run-up – favouring boxing and jumping rope,” says Cross.

On her blog, Cross quotes Victoria’s Secret creative director, Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou, saying: “It’s really like being an Olympian – they have to be in peak condition.”

And as Cross learnt for herself, looking like a past or present Angel, such as Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Adriana Lima, Gisele Bundchen, Helena Christensen or Miranda Kerr, is no stroll through a meadow.

SO WHAT’S INVOLVED?

Genetics do play a role, says Cross. “Victoria’s Secret requires all its Angels to be 5-foot 9-inches tall and have 24-inch waists.”

But that’s just the beginning. To be a Victoria’s Secret model, you also need 18 per cent body fat or lower, says Cross.

At 5ft 9in with a 26-inch waist, Cross already had the fundamentals when starting the programme, but at 22.2 per cent body fat, she had a way to go before reaching Victoria’s Secret standards.

She was told by personal trainer Dan Roberts, who works with the models, that she needed glutes “as solid as concrete”, sharply-defined obliques, muscles in her skinny arms “to get the Gisele-esque lines” and more definition in her thighs.

Before starting the programme Poppy Cross was already very slim, but afterwards gained more lean muscle. 

That meant a lot of weight training, including dead-lifts, weighted lunges, tricep dips and press-ups. After one month she was physically and mentally exhausted, but by month three she was deadlifting 72kg.

One of the brand’s most famous angels, Alessandra Ambrosio, has said “you put all your mind, all your everything” into the role.

She tries to work out at least once a day, alternating between a lot of weights and then no weights at all. She throws in some ballet, and is a huge fan of pilates, spin classes and yoga. She also spends time running after her two kids and playing with them in the pool.

WHAT ABOUT DIET?

Foodwise, Cross was put on a calorie-restricted high-fat, high-protein, low-carb diet, which meant chicken, fish or beef with almost every meal. Sugar was out, including fruit. Vegetables were allowed initially, but on the pre-catwalk diet, it was all proteins and fats, she wrote in The Mail on Sunday. “Extreme low-carb diets push the body into a state called ketosis, which means that it primarily burns fat for energy.”

Her diet, devised by nutritionist Dr Charles Passler who also works with the models, ensured she had the nutrients required to be healthy.

By the end of the programme, Cross got down to 17 per cent body fat. Because she’d garnered so much lean muscle, she didn’t lose weight, but dropped at least a dress size and shrunk her waist.

In her blog, she says even her cholesterol levels came down marginally. Coupled with her lower glucose levels, that meant a healthier metabolic profile.

SO THE UPSHOT?

At the end of her challenge, Cross felt “healthier, fitter and firmer, which is a positive result”.

She’s also learnt how much time and effort is needed to build lean muscle. “Anyone who thinks that the VS models rely solely on starvation and genetics is wrong,” says Cross in her blog.

So then, given the hard graft, should any of us look on in envy when the Angels strut their stuff, or rather count ourselves lucky as we scoff our chips and dip?

“If you want to make it your career then you could train like them! It’s actually a privilege to look after your body on that scale and feel so physically fit,” she told Stuff.

In her blog, she says the hours and dedication required to be VS catwalk-ready would be impossible to maintain if you have a job, family or want an enriching social life (ie. where you can eat whatever arrives on your dinner plate).

Cross says even Adriana Lima claims to only do strict diets before a show – “after the show, I become normal again” – whatever “normal” may constitute for the likes of a super-being like Lima. Via stuff.co.nz

Jari Love – original creator of  Get RIPPED! DVD series and group exercise classes. The hot-selling and critically acclaimed Get RIPPED! series enables individuals of any fitness level to burn up to three times more calories than the traditional weight-training program, and has received rave reviews from fitness critics throughout North America since the first title debuted in late 2005.

Be Careful with These Fruits...

by Jari Love

Are the cookies, cake, or candy that is sitting somewhere in the kitchen or in your office break room tempting you? Are you trying desperately to fit back into your old pants, but craving something sweet? You’ve decided to skip the “treats”, but what do you reach for? A bit of fruit would be a good choice, but there are good choices and bad choices where fruits are concerned.

Realistically, there are no truly "bad" fruits. However, there are some fruits that have higher sugar content than others and should not be eaten in any substantial quantities. There are also ways that fruit can be prepared that can make them actually "fattening".

As an example, a fruit that is very high in sugar is the mango while a fruit very low in sugar is the raspberry. There are fruits in the "mid-range" where sugar content is concerned, such as the peach or the blueberry, and those "fairly" high such as the kiwi or the pineapple.

Eating these delicious sweets will not do your diet much harm if consumed in "moderation". That would mean one or two servings of any fruit during any given day. So, it would be safe to say that a banana at breakfast, and a cup of blueberries stirred into plain yogurt as a snack or dessert would be ideal. Any more than that and you are upping your carbohydrate intake and potentially sabotaging the diet.

Which fruits, then, are actually "bad"? As stated, it is the way that fruits are handled or processed that can make them bad for you. As an example, dried fruit is the same as saying "concentrated sugar" because of the processing of the fresh fruit. The simplest example is grape versus raisins or dried versus fresh dates. Either way, you are increasing the sugar and caloric intake by many times over. The same can be said of packaged fruit and fruit juices that are often sweetened and dramatically higher in calories and carbohydrates than fresh options.

Fruit itself is nutrient and fiber dense and good for you. Go with two to three servings of fresh fruit, at the most, every day and you won't have any trouble.

Belly Bloat Solutions

by Jari Love

Looking to trim down to get fit and have that flat belly? Sometimes it’s “easier said than done.” It may not be the extra weight around the midsection that is preventing you from enjoying a trim and toned tummy!

There are foods, eating habits, and other issues that can lead to a bit of bloat, and all of the crunches and abdominal exercises in the world won't overcome them. So, if you want to get that flat stomach for the upcoming beach weather or just so you can feel more comfortable in your everyday clothing, follow our belly bloat solutions:

• Too much fiber too fast - If you have just started a diet in order to shed some weight, you may have added too much fiber, too quickly. As an example, if you switched from white to whole grain bread and rice, added a few cups of fresh raw vegetables, and a serving of lentils or beans to each day's food - well, you are definitely going to be bloated until your digestive tract adjusts. Slow it down on the fiber, add it slowly, drink lots of water, and get plenty of exercise. In as little as two or three weeks you should be able to go "full fiber" without any troubles.

• Swallowing air – Have you been using a straw to drink water or beverages, talking while eating, chewing gum, or consuming soda and carbonated beverages? Any of these behaviors can allow you to swallow gas and trap air in your belly! This has to make its way through the entire system, and along the trip, it is going to cause belly bloat.

• Forbidden foods - Do you have lactose intolerance? Perhaps you get a bit of bloat when you eat foods containing gluten? Many people with unexplained bloating are witnessing the results of intolerance. Issues like celiac disease cause irritation and an inability for the intestines to absorb nutrients, and this leads to bloating.

There are other issues that might give you an undesirable "pooch" in the upper or lower abdominal area. Fortunately, you can often begin to address this by making changes such as those above, drinking plenty of water, and getting at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. These behaviors ensure that your digestive system is functioning properly and that your entire abdominal area remains as flat as possible.

Break the Bad Habits

by Jari Love

Bloating up like a balloon? Just like a balloon you could be swallowing and trapping air in your body. Doing simple things like drinking out of a straw, talking while you eat, chewing on gum, sucking on candy and consuming carbonated drinks. These are all things that can lead to air being trapped in your belly.

Also get more sleep! No matter what people say or think, you really do need eight hours of sleep at night. When you do not get enough sleep, it boosts the stress and strain on the body (since sleep is the body's chance to refresh and restore). This creates cortisol, which is a hormone that is associated with weight gain, and is often a by-product of inadequate sleep.

Unfortunately if you are woman and happen to be menstruating, that could be another cause of the overnight weight gain. The menstrual cycle has several points that can cause this. But don’t fret; your weight is just a number and this won’t last. Put out the worrying by engaging yourself in exercising!

Wash It Out With Water

by Jari Love

When you step onto that scale, you suddenly weigh more than you did the day before. Think about it some more. Your scale could be lying to you…

It only tells you how much you weigh at the time you are on it. It doesn’t tell you that you did not drink enough water the previous day or you had too much sodium. Think about what you ate yesterday. The extra weight could have come from the excess sodium consumed in the previous day. Those extra pounds could just be from water retention.

Fun Fact: One teaspoon of table salt is around 2,000 mg of sodium and if we consume more than 3,000 mg per day we start to retain water.

The old adage is that the "more you put in, the more you release" and someone who attentively consumes eight glasses of water each day is going to shed just as much fluid - if not more. The less water you drink, the more your body will hold on to.

Always aim to drink plenty of water and at least 30 minutes of exercise everyday. This will be the key for a happy digestive system and rolling out a flat abdomen. Now let’s talk about what you are eating.