Sacrifice vs suffering aka "How hard are you willing to push?"

Been a while. I know

So, I have been talking about a very important topic lately with quite a few clients.

Balance. This is key for most people. I train people all over the map when it comes to gym adherence. This means:
A) going to the gym and doing workouts I instruct (easy for most)
B) doing the prescribed cardio that I want (harder, but still easy for most)
C) eating the prescribed meal plan (usually the most challenging)

There will be other factors, but these are the ones I want to touch on the most.

When first starting at the gym, as I have stated numerous times, it will be and should be relatively easy to do so (factors depending)

But then there will come a point where you want more results, or will inquire about obtaining better/faster/more results. I always pose the question:

"How hard are you willing to push?"

It will be in different forms. Sometimes it means implementing a new dietary tactic. Maybe a new cardio strategy. Maybe a new workout decision. Maybe all the above.

What I'm getting at is that you can't turn sacrifice into suffering. This will be different for everyone. Some people can stay on a very strict perfect meal plan all year round. Some can't.

Some have very flexible schedules and more free time than others. Some don't.

I will tell you your options, and what you need to do. People then either opt to go for it, or not.

I have seen it time and time again when people pick fitness and end up going backwards. This means that now that their food is better (an example), now they don't see friends anymore and miss events or resent the gym because it's taking up all their time. This then leads to back pedaling even though their gym goals are "more strict" or "better".
Remember, the brain almost always leads the body. If the brain is happy, body will follow.

Where I'm going with this is that not everyone is a slob, but also not everyone is a professional bodybuilder/fitness model.

You have to be able to choose your blanance with the help of your trainer/nutritionist.

Life should be lived, and that is going to be different for everyone. I'm not saying go get wasted drunk because that is your "balance",
But what I am saying is sometimes when events come along, maybe you shouldn't pass them up.

There have been events/times in my life where I've picked fitness and health over everything. And guess what? Me being an authority on these things (nutrition and fitness), I regret those decisions.

When I have a end date aka. a competition or some other event, yes I'm going to be much more strict. I eat very good almost all of the time. I going to give you a perfect example.

My cousin is getting married this summer, and yes, I am going to be having some alcohol. Why? There are numerous reasons but I'll give you examples.

1) I work hard and pass up many opportunities so that I can enjoy things like this without regret.
2) I don't want to be "that guy" at the wedding being one dimensional, talking about nothing but the gym and food looking like I'm condemning anyone/everyone enjoying themselves.
3) I'm Nova Scotian and incredibly witty and hilarious when alcohol is involved.

I hope all of you understand this and don't take it the wrong way. I am all about proper meal planning and fitness. But I'm also all about my family and having fun when it is deserved.

Mood

First Blog in a long time. I know.

It seems I've been talking about this a lot lately to my clients, and I want to go more in depth with it.

Mood takes over control of everything.

Mood is controlled by stress as well.

Your meal plan can and will change your mood.

People ask a lot; what is the perfect diet? My answer is always "The one you can adhere to."

Most people, when on an "ideal/perfect" diet, their mood isn't changed TOO much. However, when people start pushing the limit, or really let their body goals become their #1 goal, they can bite off more than they can chew.

Now they're cranky. They're making others around them cranky too. They're tired. They're hungry. They're starting to scowl. They realize their social life is impeded more than they like. They're...etc.

Watch for this. Not everyone is a superhero and can follow a "perfect/ideal" meal plan forever, let alone for long.

I've talked about social circle, that's huge. If others are doing it with you, you're more opt to succeed because you're on the same team.

However, the reverse works too. Aka emotional eating or things along those lines. People get stressed out, or something else starts effecting your mood (break up, job loss, tragic situation) and now your meal plan suffers too. You might either revert to old ways (ie. eating badly, not eating at all, timing varying) or lose sight completely.

THIS HAS TO BE WATCHED FOR.

You can watch for this yourself, or have some close friends watch it for you.

Mood is everything. When you're in a bad mood, you won't be performing optimally in all aspects. If you are, email me and a lot of others your secret.

Mood Controls Success.

The Quick Fix

I've been meaning to do this for a while now, I've talked about it briefly before seeing as my views are very clear for the main part. I'm going to go in more depth today.


This was sparked mainly by the new Body by Vi and their product Visalus.

I'm not picking on Body by Vi in particular, but it happens to be the most prominent and dominant of these types of products out there.

First and foremost, Body by Vi is a network marketing scheme. What this basically means it is a product/service sold by people (mainly your friends) in order to get money out of you. Sounds fantastic, doesn't it?
I had some of my clients and some of my clients friends/family ask me about the particular product Visalus. So I googled the info.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 2 rounded scoops (26g)

Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 10Calories 90

% Daily Values*
Total Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 15mg 5%
Sodium 75mg 3%
Potassium 125mg
Total Carbohydrate 7g 2%
Dietary Fiber 5g 20%
Sugars 1g
Protein 12g

Vitamin A 30% Vitamin C 30%
Calcium 30% Iron 5%

This is what I found.

Now, to most of you, this might seem "sound" enough.

Let's look at it a bit closer.

Most competing protein brands are around 22-27 grams of protein per 30 grams.
This is 12 grams of protein per 26 grams. What the HECK is that other 14 grams?
Well, 5 are fiber according to the nutritional info. 7 grams of carbs total. 1 gram of fat.
The protein comes from 3 sources. Soy Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Hydrolysate, and whey protein concentrate.
This is not an ideal source of protein (soy) for a lot of reasons. They Hydrolysate is a fantastic expensive source of protein, and concentrate is one of the cheapest you can find.
But, at only 12 grams per 2 scoops, I wouldn't expect miracles as it is.

So there is also "fibersol" in here, which looks to be a form of metamucil. I could be wrong, but that seems to be the brunt of the carbs.

So long story short, we're looking at a tiny bit of protein with a lot of fiber.

Why does this work then? Because everyone is under dosed on mainly those 2 things. Fiber and protein.

Put out a product with both, make up some hilarious "it's better than X" claims, market the hell out of it, get some people to lose weight on it, and POW! success!

I have a beef with products like this because:
1) it is overcharging customers big time
2) it is an inferior product in most cases
3) people attribute the success to the product instead of the nutritional clean up.

This means that if you were eating junk, and you even replace it with something less crappy, you'll get results! It really is that easy !

If these products would help set people on the right path, aka a non-crash diet plan with sustainable results, then there really would be nothing wrong.
People become dependant on these products and don't grasp the basic nutritional background as to why they're working.

My recommendation:

1) up your vegetable intake or buy some metamucil
2) buy a cheaper, higher quality protein supplement aka. Isoflex
3) replace these with one or two of your junk meals you usually have.

Watch what happens. Same or better results with more money in your wallet.



As always, if you have more questions, ask away. I'll be more than happy to answer them !

Meal plans failing/failing to plan meals

So yes.

You've hired a nutritionist.

You're working out for your goal.

Results are stuck per say. Whether it's you gaining weight, losing weight, gaining strength etc.

You now are starting to blame the meal plan.

Really? First off, ask yourself WHY you're questioning your meal plan.
Do you think your nutritionist isn't good?
Do you believe that you have followed it perfectly?
Have you taken a food journal to see if you're REALLY following it?

Or...

Could it POSSIBLY be that you're failing the meal plan?

That's right.

Now, this isn't a quick answer.

I've heard this quote before, so I'll stick it here. It's about meal plans and following them.

"It's simple, but hard."

Think about it. A meal plan consisting of PERFECT foods per say, its VERY simple. Let's give a VERY basic example.

You're to eat chicken and broccoli for 5 meals a day. 6 oz chicken. 2 cups of broccoli.
(I'M NOT SAYING EAT THIS, IM GIVING AN EXAMPLE!)

That is VERY simple.

Now, could your average person do this and sustain this??? Probably not. It's extremely bland, and boring. So there is where it is hard.

So this is unrealistic. So that is another angle to look at. Can you NOT follow it? Is it too hard? How? Interfering with a social life? With work?

These are all things to consider. Your nutritionist should be asking you all these questions too, and hopefully be able to help you sort out your answers. Doing a meal plan alone/your own meal planning is not a great option in my opinion. Having a professional do it will make everything much easier.

ALSO

Let's say you're eating perfectly. The meal plan is actually 100%

Have you done all your training? Have you done the weights? The cardio? 100%?

How long have you done it 100%? 2 days? a week? a month?

I get this complaint all the time.

"I'm following my meal plan and I'm not seeing results."

So therefore I ask you/my clients:

"Are you really?"

I might be onto something here...

The Edge of a Knife/All over the Map/Goals

There have been times that the best of us question why we're doing what we're doing. Doubt.
Yes, even the people that you constantly see motivating others everyday.
They, at times, struggle to be motivated.

I recently got back from the CBBF National Bodybuilding Championships.
It put many things into perspective.

Watching one of my good friends, Rob Friss, go through hell and back. Questioning things, being at an all time low for energy reserves, not only physically but mentally.

Back to the point.

Really ask why you're doing what you're doing.

If you're doing something to cross it off your bucket list, do a LOT of research first.

Do you know that the average first time bodybuilding/figure show requires around 16 weeks of perfect dieting?

Do you know how long a marathon is?

I'm not talking about pick up softball in a bush league here and there, I'm talking about serious feats of "fitness."

I would like it if people boarderline equated it to an Olympic sport. People don't just wake up and say "the heck with it, I'm going to do a skeleton race this year at the Olympics."

No.

Not only that, but let's also say the following.

You're dieting for your first figure/bikini show. You're doing great, you have a trainer who's pumping you up, motivating you, you're following your meal plan, following your workout, following your cardio regimen, everything.

Everyone is telling you how awesome you look. Friends, family, everyone. You're pumped.

Let's also say you do in fact look good. Great even.

You compete.

You place dead last.

Here is that edge of the knife.

Does this crush you?

Or does this motivate the living hell out of you?

Tons of questions will be swirling about your mind. Were my friends/family lying? Did I look like crap? Should I have even competed? Should I dig myself into a tunnel and never come out?

You have to be prepared for this stuff.

Not only that, but if you are "serious" about your endeavor, you should get back up, dust yourself off, and do better.

Imagine if the first time you fell off a bicycle, you said "screw this" and never did it again. Sounds kind of silly, doesn't it?

To motivate yourself is challenging. I have a trainer/nutritionist myself as I have stated many, many times. I love it. They help me out a ton.

But also, reflection should be there. Let's keep with the bicycle analogy. Obviously if you have competed in something like figure/fitness/bikini, you are competent at riding the bicycle, and are trying tricks per say.

If you do it, and ACTUALLY decide you don't like it, that's another gig as well. Let's say its taking away from other activities you love. Being social, doing other physical activities. Trips. Work.

Balance. Yes its been talked about a lot, but not necessarily at this angle.

In order to improve somehow, eventually you're going to have to give up certain things you REALLY enjoy.

Bodybuilding - you're not drinking a few beers on the weekends with buddies.
You're not having a piece of cake at your birthday party. Especially if you're in pre-contest and it's not on your meal plan.

What are you willing to give up?

I've motivated myself a lot. By the changes I see. How I feel. How I train my clients and the success I see them have. I motivate them, which in turn motivates me. Plus, If I get wildly out of shape, who would listen to me in the first place? A fat nutritionist? Nice Mega, Nice.

Don't hesitate to be honest. But if you're willing to put effort, and sacrifice but NOT suffer... Maybe some magic will happen...

The Human GPS

I was talking to one of my clients about this, and we came up with this together.

My position is very similar to a GPS.

When you hire a personal trainer/nutritionist, you're shopping for a GPS.

There are going to be great models out there, economy models, overpriced models, and then ones that are worth what you pay.

Picture yourself in the middle of a desert. And you have a GPS.

The end destination, aka. where you want to be for fitness, is as far away or as close as your goals are.

The GPS is the personal trainer/nutritionist.

The GPS should be telling you the exact course, the exact direction you need to go.

In the beginning the route will be very straight forward. You're in a desert, it will tell you which direction to go, and simply walk in that direction.

Eventually, if your goal is big, you'll have to pay close attention to the GPS and take the correct turns, off ramps, detours etc.

All seems simple, correct?

Here's the kicker:

There are people that won't follow their GPS. They think they know how to get to their destination quicker. They think they know where their destination is. The proper turns. The whole shabang.

Then I ask you:

Why did you buy the GPS?

If you feel the GPS is defective (bad training/nutritionist)

Return it. Get another one.

But, if you get lost, and you didn't use the GPS, don't blame the GPS.

Calories In vs Calories Out

A great debate.

Let's preface by saying this. Are you trying to tell me that if we were to duplicate your genetics, and we were to feed one of you 2000 calories of chicken, and the other 2000 calories of ice cream, they'd end up the same?

It just sounds hilarious to begin with.

Once again, this depends on your goals.

Most people would like to retain muscle mass and lose their bodyfat.

Let's go over some elementary concepts first however.

If you eat 2000 calories, and you're burning 2500 a day by your total daily expenditure, you will lose weight.

If you eat 2000 calories, and burn 1500 calories, you will gain weight.

Remember what we've talked about, how "weight" means water, fat, muscle, glycogen and a host of other lovely variables.

This is where what the calories are coming from matters.

This is why "eating smaller portions" will only work for so long, until you change WHAT those portions are.

Remember the macro nutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

Having the macros set up in the correct amounts will be the key to your success more so than how many calories you are eating, depending on exercise, goals, the whole shabang.

And something else quickly I wrote on my face book page:

If you eat an ice cream sandwich, and expect to get on the treadmill and "burn it off" you're out of luck. Your body isn't that smart at tossing out crap, it will toss out a mixture of things, possibly fat, possibly hard earned muscle.

It doesn't work that way, crap in does not mean crap out. It could be crap in = muscle out.

There are tons of formulas out there for how to set up your meal plan, but try to remember:

Clean it up first. If your big fallacy is crap, then cut it out or at the very least minimize it.

If what you're eating is clean and progress has stopped, figure out what macronutrients are in the foods you're eating, and change them around.

Hope that helps!