Skyler Meine

Some people want to tone up. Some people want to get rocked out. Whatever your IdealShape is, resistance training is vital to getting there.

For those of you who worry about bulking up when you lift weights, I promise muscle looks better than fat. Let’s get rid of the body fat first, and then if you feel like you’re bulky we can decrease your muscle mass.

Here’s why we do resistance training from the get-go. It’s going to force your body to maintain muscle while you are restricting calories to decrease body fat. You don’t want to be left with no muscle in the process of getting to your IdealShape (ex. HCG, MD Diet). Your weight will go right back up! (more…)

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The mind is definitely the most powerful influence on getting to your IdealShape. A close second is your metabolism. You have probably heard from other fitness professionals that weight loss is all about “calories in” versus “calories out.” Are they right? Yes… but it isn’t that simple.

If all you did was decrease your “calories in,” over time your “calories out” would decrease as well. But your goal isn’t to balance out, it’s to expend more calories, right? And if your only plan to boost metabolism is to eat fewer calories, well, you’re losing lean muscle. That’s not even balancing out—it’s driving your metabolism down. So, you’re skimping on food and yet slowing your metabolism. Not at all what you’re going for.

The real key to getting to your IdealShape is figuring out how to keep your metabolism up while taking in fewer calories.

Is It Possible to Keep Metabolism High While Lowering Caloric Intake?

Yes!

To a lot of people, “metabolism” is something unfathomable and untouchable. They believe their metabolism is set in stone, and they use it as an excuse to stay out of shape.

Metabolism is not a mystery. And we do have the power to shape our metabolism, and thus our bodies. Here are three ways to keep your metabolism high while cutting calories back:

1. Perform resistance exercises. They will build your lean muscle mass right up, in turn boosting your metabolism. Strength training is any activity that uses weights or your bodyweight. For example: bicep curls, push ups, planks, squats and lunges (these are just a few!).
2. Eat well before exercise. In addition to resistance exercises, fueling your workout will help you preserve muscle mass to keep metabolism high. Give your body plenty of carbs and protein pre-workout, so it doesn’t go after existing muscle for exercise energy. Also, consuming protein right after your workout will further muscle recovery and growth.
3. Don’t cut your caloric intake too low. To shed excess fat, you only need to go 300-500 calories less than your daily caloric need. Go any lower and your body will be forced to turn to muscle for daily energy.

Don’t use a “sluggish” metabolism as an excuse to be a shape you’re not happy with!

Your Goal for Today: put the above three tips into motion. Lower your caloric intake within the healthy range, complete a resistance workout, and have protein within 30 minutes of exercise (a weight loss protein shake is ideal). Make this your standard exercise routine, and watch your metabolism become twice as efficient!

More tips on pre- and post-workout nutrition coming this week!

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The One Time You Shouldn’t Fight Hunger

Breakfast is possibly the most important meal of the day, yet so many people pass it up. Don’t ignore that gnawing feeling in your stomach just because you’re in a rush, or because you think it will help you reach your IdealShape faster. It won’t! Skipping breakfast is one of the biggest causes of weight gain.

On day 4, I told you to eat more often, which will actually help you eat fewer calories. This is especially true of the morning meals. One of your 5-6 meals of the day should be breakfast, followed by a well-balanced snack a few hours later.

If you miss these earlier meals, your metabolism will slow down (Weight Gain Cause #1). Then you’ll gorge at later meals and crave unhealthy snacks (Weight Gain Cause #2). Without breakfast you’ll have less energy throughout the day, either skipping your exercise regimen or simply being less active in your daily activities (Weight Gain Cause #3).

A lot of people say they aren’t hungry in the morning, or that eating right away makes their stomach upset. As far as hunger goes—once you are exercising regularly and your metabolism starts to swing upward (thanks to those small 5-6 daily meals), you will be hungry. If breakfast bothers your stomach, just try to eat and have some water as early as you can. Your stomach will start getting used to morning food, especially if it’s the right kind.

What to Eat

By “breakfast” I don’t mean a piece of white bread or a bowl of Trix. You want to avoid processed foods and go for fresh as much as possible. And remember from previous posts, the goal for each meal is a 40/30/30 ratio of carbs/protein/fat.

A few ballpark 40/30/30 breakfast examples:

1. One egg and two egg whites,  and fresh fruit with a low carb yogurt
2. Whole grain cereal with nuts, fruit, and the Ideal Shape Shake made with skim milk

The IdealShape Meal Replacement Shake

The IdealShape shake is packed with protein, vitamins and minerals, making it a great on-the-go breakfast replacement. Mix the IdealShape shake with water or milk, add fruit and sprinkle some granola on top and you have a healthy, energizing breakfast in under 3 minutes.

Today’s Goal: eat breakfast. If you didn’t have breakfast today, plan for tomorrow. Choose what you’re going to eat, prepare items the night before if needed, and be sure to include a fresh fruit or vegetable. Aim to get a good portion of your calories in the first half of the day, not the latter half.

Trust me, this is one goal that delivers instant rewards. When you eat breakfast you will have more energy, and you will see your IdealShape much sooner—especially when you include the IdealShape protein shake in your meal plan.

Keep reading daily for more nutrition tips to create your IdealShape

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When you want to get to your IdealShape, do you immediately think about what you are going to have to stop eating?

What if this time you started by thinking about what you could add to your diet to start moving towards your IdealShape? Fruits and vegetables. More lean protein like chicken, fish and pork. More fiber rich food. More water. That doesn’t sound too terribly difficult, does it? If we just focus on what we should be eating to feel healthier and have more energy, and if we listen to when our bodies are telling us we’re hungry, we can make the right nutritional choices.

We naturally want to live abundantly. If we try to deprive ourselves of the things we love to get to our IdealShape, we are taking away two things our bodies have become accustomed to: unhealthy foods and extra fat. Remember, our bodies would prefer to maintain fat stores just in case we go through a starvation period. This is a product of human evolution. So, instead of cutting everything out at once, make changes that you can handle and focus on each day. Simple additions can sometimes create big subtractions.

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