10 Tips for Breaking Through a Plateau

You're exercising, eating well, and steadily losing pounds. Then all of a sudden... BAM! The scale seems stuck, week after week. Yes, the dreaded plateau. Don't think you're the only person this happens to (although most people DO believe this only happens to them) - nearly everyone trying to lose weight experiences a phase when the scale won't budge and there's still 5, 10, 15 pounds to go. So, when this happens, you've got a choice to make. You can either call your diet a success, or keep plugging away. If you've lost quite a bit of weight - even though you still have that last 10 pounds to go - and you're sleeping better, feeling good about yourself, have lots more energy, feeling good about how you look, then maybe you've already achieved your goal. But, if you REALLY have some more pounds to go, here are ten strategies you can use - try one or any combination - to melt the last 10 pounds.

1. Journal, Journal, Journal

This is one of the most powerful tools to help you stay on track or get back on track. Your journal can help you see where you are perhaps going over or under on your calories for the day, or aren't getting in the Guidelines for Healthy Living requirements. Use your journal as a detective tool: Had a good week? Look over it at the end of the week and try and see what you think contributed to that success. Had a not so good week? Look at last week's journal for clues too; sometimes it takes a full week before the effects of a blown week show up. Using the journal on a consistent basis is the best way to make sure that you're really eating the amount of food that you think you're eating, which can be two different things sometimes.

2. Eating by the Numbers (AKA are you getting in too many carbs? Protein? Not enough fat?)

Look at your food choices; are you really getting a wide variety of foods in? Remember, your body needs nutrients from lots of different sources and if you're eating the same things all the time or too much of one type of food, you're probably not getting the proper nutrition your body needs. How is your protein to carb ratio? Come talk to me and we will figure this one out!

3. Weigh and measure portions

Too many times our portions have gotten bigger without us realizing it, using measuring cups and weighing out our portions can give us a better idea if our portions have suddenly grown bigger than we're counting. Remember, portion size does matter.

Beware of those hidden extras where we multiply portions, and beware of BLT's: Bites, Licks, and Tastes that never seem to get counted on any journal. These add up. 

4. Too many refined carbs?

Are you eating too many sources of simple and refined carbohydrates, the stuff that's heavily processed and no longer looks like its natural food source. Think of it as the difference between whole grain bread and processed white bread, brown rice vs. white rice, popcorn cakes vs. corn on the cob. Try to include more of the natural sources of carbohydrates in your diet stuff like beans, yams, potatoes, brown rice, and whole wheat anything rather than so many crackers, pretzels, and chips (even low fat chips). This is not to say you can't have any refined carbs, just try to limit the amount of them if you're having trouble losing weight.

5. Not enough fat?

This sounds counterintuitive, but our bodies need certain types of fat to protect our organs and bones from wear and tear. This is stuff like vegetable oils, margarine, butter, regular or reduced fat (not fat free) salad dressing, avocados, regular or reduced fat (not fat free) mayonnaise, olives, and peanut or soy butter. You think there's enough fat in my food already, right? We are often making much lower fat choices than we normally would have, and as a consequence our consumption of fat falls far below the recommended guidelines according to lots of nutrition experts of 30% of your total calories in fat per day. If you are limiting your fat intake to only the fat that's naturally in food and even then you're probably taking the skin off the chicken and drinking skim or 1% milk, then you might only be getting around 10% of your calories in fat per day, not enough for your body. So, the reason our bodies need enough fat in our diets each day as opposed to just feeding off of our body's fat stores is because fat contains an essential fatty acid: linoleic acid, that our body can't produce on its own. That fat is needed for proper metabolic and digestive function. Fat provides essential nutrients our bodies need, it transports fat soluble vitamins that our bodies need, it is needed for proper digestion and metabolic function, it helps us keep fuller longer, keeps our hair and skin nice, and is crucial for proper gallbladder function. If you're on a super low fat diet you can develop gallstones that are no fun and super painful.

6. Drink half your body weight in water each day

According to Barbara Levine, R.D., Ph.D., the Director of the Nutrition Information Center at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, "overweight people tend to need more water, because fat cells hold more water than other fat cells in the body. To determine the number of ounces of water you need per day, divide your weight by two. For example, a person who weighs 140 pounds should consume 70 ounces, or about 9 cups. Of course, this is an estimate. The best way to gauge whether you are getting enough water is to monitor the color of your urine. If you're drinking enough, it should be the color of pale straw. If it is a deeper yellow, you're not getting enough fluids". Lots of times we misinterpret thirst for hunger, try water first, wait 20 minutes, real hunger will not go away.

7. Increase the frequency or intensity of your physical activity

Are you exercising? If not, know that you'll be much more successful at losing the weight and keeping it off if you are also physically active. Find something that you enjoy doing and just do it! Start with a five minute walk out of your door; look at your watch after five minutes start heading back, just like that you've done 10 minutes! Next week, start adding in a couple of extra minutes, try walking for 7 minutes out of your door, and 7 minutes back, you've now done 14 minutes. Keep adding until you're up to at least 10 minutes out and 10 minutes back.

If you're already active, are you exercising at enough intensity? If you can easily carry on a conversation while exercising (you should be able to speak, but it should take a bit of effort) you're not challenging your body enough. Your body becomes really efficient at adjusting to the amount of physical activity you're doing, so you regularly have to adjust either the intensity of your workouts or the frequency in order to continue to reap the maximum benefit from physical activity.

Try strength training in order to build lean muscle tissue. As we get older we lose lean muscle tissue, which depresses your metabolism; in addition severely restrictive diets where we eat too few calories can cause us to lose weight but lots of it is lean muscle, which also depresses our metabolism. If we build muscle tissue this can help us to reverse that process and to make us trimmer and stronger.

8. Take your measurements and look for other non-scale signs of progress

Often, even when the scale isn't moving, we're still improving our health and our bodies, which will show up in other ways other than the scale. Have your measurements gone down? How are your clothes fitting? Can you climb a flight of stairs without being winded? Has your cholesterol gone down? Can you walk now for 20 minutes when before you were huffing and puffing at 5 minutes? How do you feel? Have you reached your 10% goal? Hold that keychain in your hands as a measure of your success.

9. Are you on an attitude plateau?

Are you just tired of feeling like you're going to be doing this forever? Does that translate into that right now your desire to lose weight is equal to your desire for freedom from counting and having to think about points and healthy food choices? Remind yourself of why you started this process, look at how far you've come. Is your goal still the same? Is it that you're scared of success, are okay with how you look right now, have you become complacent? Ask yourself these questions honestly. If you're tired of the weight loss routine or have become complacent, try spicing up your food plan by trying more interesting meals and snacks, adding new foods, trying new recipes or new restaurants. Set new goals, setting a new goal can continue to challenge yourself. Pretend like it's your first week on program all over again, try to recapture that enthusiasm that you had in the beginning! You can do it as long as you don't give up!

10. Consider maintenance

A plateau that lasts a long time can be the practice to show you that you can maintain your weight. Sustaining weight loss is a challenge in itself. Consider doing the maintenance process so as to take a break from weight loss. Taking a break from weight loss and focusing on keeping the weight off can be the best thing to do, especially if a vacation or stressful situation is what is keeping you from continuing on your weight loss journey. It's better to gain some ground, then hold it, then go back and gain more ground than to give up because then you lose all of the ground you've gained (lost!).

The Benefits of Fruits in Your Diet

For much of human history, fruitshave been a favorite food, and with good reasons: they’re tasty, easy to digest, a good source of quick energy and packed with vitamins and minerals. It is very important to include all the seasonal fruits in the diet to gain maximum nutritional benefits, as no one particular fruit can provide all the necessary nutrients. A healthy diet should contain at least 3-4 servings of fruits per day including variety which is key.

The Benefits of Fruits in Your Diet

• Excellent sources of vitamin C, beta carotene and potassium
• High in fiber and low in calories
• A source of natural sugars that provide quick energy
• Contain various polyphenols which may protect against cancer and other diseases.

The Nutritional Value of Fruits

Fruits are antioxidants. Numerous studies demonstrate that people who eat ample of amounts of fruits, 5-10 servings a day, enjoy a reduced incidence of cancer, heart attacks and strokes.

Citrus fruits are among the richest sources of vitamin C. Nutritionists recommend at least one daily serving of an orange, grapefruit, tangerines or other citrus fruits.

Brightly colored fruits, such as apricots, cantaloupes and mangoes, are high in beta-carotene. Other carotene pigments such as lycopene are found in red fruits.

Many fruits are high in potassium, an electrolyte that is essential to maintaining a proper balance of body fluids. People taking diuretic drugs, which increase the excretion of potassium in urine, are advised to eat extra servings of bananas, melons, apricots and dried fruits.

Most fruits are low in calories and high in fiber, a fact that enhances their appeal to people who are weigh conscious. Apple, pears and many other fruits contain pectin, a soluble fiber that helps regulate blood cholesterol levels. Berries, citrus and dried fruits are especially high in both soluble and insoluble fiber.

Five Ways to Eat More Fruits

1. Top your cereal with sliced bananas, kiwifruits, fresh berries. Try something new like dried cranberries or sliced mango.
2. Fill a cantaloupe or other melon with low-fat cottage cheese.
3. Add 1 cup fresh or frozen berries to pancake batter. Top pancake with apple sauce or rhubarb compote instead of syrup.
4. Don’t throw out overripe bananas. Peel and freeze them and use them later for banana bread or muffins.
5. Add fruit such as apples, pears, and mandarin orange sections to green salads.

Feel free to contact Jessy at 309-689-1400 for more information on how to incorporate fruits in your diet.

Pay Attention to Pain and Soreness After Exersice

When any workout or specific exercise causes you pain, pay attention. Knowing how to react can help you avoid a serious injury. Over Training can cause several types of pain including:

 

Muscle Soreness

When you use muscles you have not used for a while or try a new exercise or training technique, it is normal to feel a dull ache of soreness in the muscles that were trained. This pain is caused by very small tears in the fibers of the connective tissues in your body--the ligaments that connect bones to other bones, and the tendons that connect muscles to bones. Each time you work out with weights, you cause this "damage"--these tiny tears in your muscles; they need ample resting time to rebuild and become even stronger and more firm.

Pain During or Just After a Workout

During a workout, repeated contractions cause lactic and other acids, as well as proteins and hormones, to build up in muscle tissue. This can cause pain even without injury. But if you experience a sharp, continuous pain, or pain accompanied by a burning sensation, stop lifting and get it checked.

Cramps

These happen when muscles, often in the calves or feet, knot up in intense contractions. Cramps occur most commonly in endurance sports like cycling and running, where the athlete loses a lot of fluids through sweating. This is why it's very important to stay well-hydrated during exercise. If you do get cramps, the best way to stop them is to gently stretch the cramped muscle.

Injury

When working out with weights you need to be in full control of both the weights and your own body as it lifts and uses the weights. Careless weightlifting can result in injury. Not warming up, attempting to lift too heavy a weight, using momentum or jerky movements, letting the weights drop, not using correct form, or forgetting to stretch or cool-down after your workout can indeed result in injury.

The following injuries can occur as a result of carelessness:

1.Tendonitis: This is inflammation of the tendon and can occur if you begin your first set with too heavy a weight and/or are not properly warmed-up. Rest is the best treatment for this painful injury.

2.Fascia injuries: Can occur if you suddenly jerk or pull the weight. Fascia is basically the packaging tissue of muscle. When fascia is torn, it becomes inflamed and the pain is severe. The injury should be treated with cold packs and wrapped with an ace bandage.

3.Ligament injuries: Can occur when people use momentum and jerk the weight to accomplish a lift. This injury is treated by using cold packs and rest.

4.Sprains or muscle tears: Are uncommon if you warm-up, stretch, and cool-down properly and implement the safety precautions and principles we teach.

Any time you do have inflammation or swelling, use the R.I.C.E method of reducing damage and speeding healing. For injuries, R.I.C.E. is nice.

1. Rest: When you are hurt, stop your workout immediately and take weight off the affected area.

2. Ice: Wrap ice in a towel and hold it against the injury for 10 to 20 minutes, three or four times a day until the acute injury diminishes.

3. Compress: Wrap the injured area in a snug, but not tight, elastic bandage.

4. Elevate: Raise the injured limb and rest it on a pillow to reduce swelling.

Strength training provides many important benefits that cannot be achieved by any other exercise or activity. However, when enjoying this great form of exercise, be sure to pay attention to pain and soreness so that your program is not only effective, but safe as well.

50 Healthy Ways to Cut 100 Calories Part 1

You know when to swap mayo for mustard, or to use milk instead of cream to make your meals healthier, but there are dozens of other ways to cut at least 100 calories from your daily diet routine.

Here are 50 of our favorite calorie-cutting tricks.

1. Only eat half a bagel (and try to reach for multigrain options, you’ll feel fuller faster).

2. 100% Orange juice is good, but eating a fresh orange is better.

3. Reach for turkey bacon or sausage instead of the regular kind.

4. Hold the butter when you order pancakes or waffles.

5. Dab the grease off fried foods (you’ll cut up to 30 percent of the food’s calories!).

6. Eat the smallest muffin in the bakery (or, better yet, reach for an English muffin).

7. Thicken cream sauce with low-fat or evaporated milk instead of cream or butter.

8. Eat poached eggs instead of ones that are fried.

9. Use fat-free or low-fat cheese wherever possible (and reach for stronger cheeses, you’ll feel more satisfied because of the flavor).

10. Sip smoothies (with yogurt) instead of milkshakes (with ice cream).

11. Use dilled relish and yogurt (instead of mayo) to make tasty tuna or salmon sandwiches.

12. Use smaller plates and utensils (you’ll eat less but your brain will think you’ve had more).

13. Reach for no-calorie sweetener instead of sugar.

14. Eat slower (you’ll feel fuller, faster and will eat less as a result).

15. Trade two Oreo cookies for a sheet of graham crackers.

16. Chew gum as you cook (it will deter you from snacking).

17. Eat Halloween-sized candy bars instead of full-sized ones.

18. Do as the French do: eat open-face sandwiches (you’ll cut your bread intake in half).

19. Sprinkle fresh lemon and some salt and pepper over your salad instead of oil or cream-based dressings.

20. Use cinnamon or nutmeg to sweeten your coffee or tea instead of honey, sugar or syrup.

21. Nix putting croutons on your salad.

22. Eat grilled chicken pizza instead of a slice covered in pepperoni.

23. Top grilled veggies with fresh herbs and a little olive or sesame oil instead of butter.

24. At your friend’s birthday, reach for a middle-sliced piece of cake (there’s less icing).

25. Add fresh berries to your cake or pie instead of ice cream or sorbet.

January: National Soup Month

It’s cold outside, and I know I should eat my super-foods, but the last thing I want is a blueberry smoothie or a fresh crisp salad to remind me that it’s not summer. This means it’s time to get creative, or I’ll end up hibernating with my friend mac-&-cheese all winter.

Luckily, January is National Soup Month, and a great time to work some of those super foods into your winter-warming menu.

  

Whole Grains

Whole grains like brown rice, barley, and quinoa are perfect for soups and stews, and can be a hearty low-calorie replacement in recipes that call for pasta. Both barley and quinoahave about 3 grams of dietary fiber per half cup, and brown rice has nearly 2 grams. The additional fiber can help you feel full longer, possibly avoiding the dreadful winter weight gain. Here are some ways to try these grains in soup:

• Mushroom barley soup. This is a no brainer — it goes together like peanut butter and jelly. Trying loading it up with carrots and chickpeas for an even bigger nutritional punch.

• Black bean soup with quinoa. Quinoa only takes about 15 minutes to cook, so you can enjoy this in no time.

• Chicken soup with brown rice – instead of noodles. (Also yummy in vegetable soup.)

Beans

There are millions of soups to be made with beans, peas, and lentils. Packed with protein, fiber, and antioxidants, beans can keep you satiated while helping to prevent chronic disease.

• Try white bean chicken chili, or white bean kale soup.

• Add pureed or mashed white beans instead of flour to thicken potato soup.

• Try adding a can of fat-free refried beans to thicken beef stews or chili.

• Get your luck and money all in one pot, with a black-eyed pea and kale soup.

Veggies and Nuts

• Broccoli is super for its cancer fighting properties. Try a simple and low-fat cream of broccoli soup made with low-fat milk.

• Avocados are rich in healthyfats and can be chopped into tortilla or black bean soup. They are also a nice thickener for stews if pureed.

• For an added crunch, sprinkle heart-healthy chopped walnuts or pistachios on top of individual bowls.

At Peoria Club Fitness, we have a great selection of soups for the month such as Chicken Jambalaya, Hearty Chicken Sausage with Kale and White Cannellini Beans, Brunswick Stew, Hearty Beef and Barley Stew, Butternut Squash and Apple, and Hearty Tomato Stew with Black-eyed Peas and Turnip Greens to name a few.

Contact Jessy for additional recipes!

Get The Skinny on Snacking

With our endlessly hectic lifestyles, healthy snacking seems to fly out of the window and when you do stop to eat, the temptation to go the quick and easy route is strong and go for a bag of crisps or chocolate becomes incredibly tempting.

To ensure that you have the right snacks at hand it’s best to prepare them in advance – that way you can avoid being tempted by the high fat snacks.  Having the right snacks to hand will ensure your energy levels remain consistent and that you have the fuel you need to keep you going throughout the course of the day – vital if you have a tough meeting!

Myth: 'Snacking caused weight gain.' 

Fact:  If choosing the wrong snack foods and eating more calories than needed, weigh gain can be the result.

What are the right type of snacks ?

Here are some great and healthy snack option to keep in mind:

Fruits : high in fiber, water and low in calories and sugar.

Nuts : consumed in reasonable portions, they provide protein and fiber that can help suppressing your appetite.

Low Sodium Soup

Vegetables: unlimited amount of course.

Cheese and yogurt: low in carbohydrate and rich in protein.

Edamame: rich in fiber and protein.

Choose one or two of the below list for snack per day:

1 cup fresh berries or melon cubes

1/2 grapefruit

1 whole apple, nectarine, or plum

6 to 12 almonds or cashews, 10 to 20 small peanuts, or 4 to 8 walnuts halves

4 ounces 1% cottage cheese

8 ounces low-fat artificially sweetened yogurt, preferably Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup fat free, sugar free pudding

2/3 cup edamame or raw vegetables

2 wedges Laughing Cow Light Cheese on two celery sticks

1 cup of carrot or celery sticks with 2 tablespoons hummus

1 slices of apple with 2 teaspoons peanut butter

1 pear and 5 whole cashews

1 ounce part-skim mozzarella cheese and 4 Triscuits

1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese with cinnamon and 4 walnut halves

1 ounce reduced-fat cheddar cheese with 1 cup fresh berries

1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese topped with 1 sliced kiwi and cinnamon

8 ounces artificially sweerened yogurt and 1 1/2 tablespoons trail mix

12 ounces non fat cafe latte sprinkled with cinnamon and 6 almonds on the side

1 Wasa cracker with 1 cup canned ready-to-serve soup

1 cup salad greens with 1/4 cup each chickpeas and kidney beans with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette.

Remember you can indulge sometimes –we, at Peoria Club Fitness, say make the indulgence the exception rather than the rule and then you’ll be able to have your ‘sweets’ and eat it too. 

Tips for Lowering the Salt Intake

Salt, which is made up of 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride, is critical, in moderation, to your life. Sodium helps to maintain your blood's water content, serves to balance the acids and bases in your blood, and is necessary for the movement of electrical charges in the nerves that move our muscles.

The recommendation for sodium in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the American Heart Association is 2,400 milligrams (mg) daily for adults. This is about the amount in 1 teaspoon of salt (2,300 mg to be exact). The average American consumes 5,000 mg of sodium daily — twice the necessary amount. Normal sodium balance can be maintained with 500 mg daily (or a little more than one-fourth teaspoon of salt), so Americans are eating ten times as much as they really need. Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Portugal all have about the same recommendation of 2,400 mg of sodium. Some countries, such as Germany (4,000 mg), the Netherlands (3,600 mg) and Belgium (3,500 mg), are more liberal and at least one country, Sweden (800 mg), is more restrictive than the United States.

Tips for Lowering Sodium Intake:

1.      Limit processed foods like canned soups or boxed, ready to eat products

2.      Rinse canned veggies or beans before using

3.      Try various spices before adding salt to your recipe

4.      Taste your food before grabbing the salt shaker

5.      Buy unsalted chicken, beef or veggie “stock in a box”

Salt-Free Seasoning Mix

Yield: 24 servings, about ¼ cup

Prep Time: 5Minutes

Ingredients

·         1 teaspoon each dried basil, marjoram, parsley flakes, thyme and savory

·         1 tablespoon garlic powder

·         1 teaspoon onion powder

·         1 teaspoon rubbed sage

·         1 teaspoon ground mace

·         1 teaspoon pepper

·         1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Direction

·         In a small bowl, crush the basil, marjoram, parsley flakes, thyme and savory.

·         Stir in the remaining ingredients.

·         Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: ½ teaspoon, calories: 3, total fat: 0 g, sodium: 1 mg.

Make Your Own Taco Seasoning

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

·         1 tablespoon chili powder

·         1 teaspoon cumin

·         1 teaspoon garlic powder

·         1 teaspoon paprika

·         1 teaspoon oregano

Directions

·         Stir or shake ingredients together

·         Store in a small closed container.