The Biggest Loser Boot Camp Challenge is now finished and the stats are in! From all who took part in the Boot Camp combined weight loss is 78.5 pounds and 148.5 inches. That’s a lot of weight!! Congratulations to all the people who took part, you did a hell of a job!
However, as with any competition, there can be only one winner for each location. And the winner for best results in our Naperville location is Marnee Hutter, who lost an incredible 8 pounds or overall 5.3% body weight!
And the winner in our Chicago Location is Erika Velasquez, who lost a whopping 7 pounds and 5.3% body weight! That’s a lot of weight to lose in just 4 weeks. Congratulations to both of you! You obviously worked hard!
They both will be rewarded with a month FREE training with Fit Body Boot Camp.
Our runner ups for Naperville are Monique Hopkins (lost 9.6 pounds or 4.17% body weight) and Stephanie Soesbe (lost 7.4 pounds or 4% body weight).
The runners up for our location in Chicago are Gary Brodnax (lost 13 lbs. and 5.2% body weight) and Carla Flores (lost 4 lbs. and 2% body weight).
The Biggest Loser Boot Camp Challenge was run by trainers Zack Todevski and Kosta Shilev.
And if you didn’t enter the Biggest Loser Boot Camp Challenge, you can still lose weight in our Boot Camps in Chicago and Naperville. Call 773-599-2771 and you’ll get week free to try it out right here!
Once again, congratulations to everyone who lost weight in the Biggest Loser Challenge Boot Camp!
To your health and fitness,
Zack & Kosta
P.S. Stay tuned, we have a big announcement coming soon!
If you’re looking to shed body fat, there’s simply no getting around the fact that you absolutely must create some sort of caloric deficit.
Any way you look at it, you MUST burn more calories than you consume.
Now, it can get quite a bit more complicated than simple math would have us believe, but the fact is-caloric deficit must be in made for fat loss to occur.
But, there are many different ways to create a deficit, some more effective than others.
For example, if you’d like to create an additional 300 calorie deficit per day, you could simply skip your morning bagel (approx 300 calories).
OR, you could walk for an HOUR on the treadmill and create the same 300 calorie deficit.
OR, you could do a 10 minute high intensity interval training workout and create the same 300 calorie deficit.
And here’s where things get a little more complicated than the numbers suggest.
In all three instances, you are essentially creating an additional 300 calorie deficit each day. BUT, scenario 1 sucks,
scenario 2 really sucks
and scenario 3 trumps them all– big time.
Why?
Well, first, let’s say that you decide to create your caloric deficit soley by eliminating calories in your diet. This will only result in some nasty hormonal consequences, leading to slowed metabolism and your body more or less canceling out the very deficit you are trying to create.
As far as scenario #2 goes, there are several issues. First, 60 minutes to burn 300 calories is a LONG time to invest to burn less than a tenth of a single pound of fat (assuming that all calories burned are from fat, which they won’t be). At that rate, if you wanted to burn a pound of fat, you’d have to walk for close to 15 hours.
Wow.
The second problem with scenario #2 is that there is virtually no “afterburn” effect, so once the session is over, so is your calorie burn–metabolism goes right on back to it’s slow ways.
Now, with the third scenario, you’re investing much, much less time, but have the added benefit of the “afterburn” or elevated metabolism for the entire day (and sometimes even into the next day).
Which brings me to the question — how are you burning your calories?
Are you trying to “diet” the pounds away? Are you hoping to walk away 5, 10, or even 20 lbs — that will probably take you a few years (of walking). Or have you embraced the power of intense exercise?
I’m about to get a little woo-woo on you…and this conversation might be a little uncomfortable but it’s something we have to talk about.
There is this crazy thing that happens in one persons life when they actually start to get results called…The Bounce Back Effect.
Let’s say that Mary starts off on a training program. The first few weeks she is able to drop 5 pounds and fit back into her old pair of jeans. She is EXCITED.
Her ultimate goal is to lose 30 pounds in total and she only has 25 more pounds to go.
Then the Bounce Back Effect happens.
After that week she slacks off on a couple of the eating habits that helped her lose the weight…she gains 2 pounds and it’s okay…she’ll start again next week and come back stronger.
Then next week comes.
A social event makes her miss her workout. A dinner with friends makes her cheat on her diet. It’s not her fault she has so many commitments and she can always make it up next week. She’ll focus really hard next week and get back to where she was before.
Then next week comes…nothing happens. She hits the workouts hard but fails on the nutrition side of things. Or even worse…she doesn’t even workout at all and she thinks she’s eating normally but that’s all rationalizations.
She’s really eating like crap and deep down inside she knows it.
Then the worst thing happens: She actually gained back more than what she had lost. She feels depressed, angry at herself, possibly angry at other people and worst thing of all…she has almost given up.
Has this ever happened to you?
It’s happened to me. Plenty of times. I’ve seen it happen to plenty of girls in my boot camp too.
But why?
It’s called, “The Bounce Back Effect”
When you start to reach your goals and get results…something in the brain tries to pull you back to where you were before. It’s like an elastic band that pulls to the point where it has to snap back or break.
In most cases it usually snaps back….HARD.
This is due to a number of reasons…the most important one we’ll talk about here…
The persons self image has not changed to become the person they want to be….yet.
This is the most important factor to change. Not only do you have to change your habits and do different things to reach your goals…the very scary part is that you have to change yourself to become the person you want to be.
This can be extremely scary. People don’t like change and they’ll do whatever they can to stay in their own little bubble of comfort.
Once they start getting positive results from a fitness program they’ll automatically start sabotaging themselves subconsciously. It will be a missed workout here. An extra cheat meal there. An alcoholic drink or three there.
It’ll get to the point where that person ultimately bounces back to where they were before. It’ll happen so slowly and un-deliberately that one day they’ll wake up and wonder…what the heck happened? Then they start to wonder if they’ll ever be able to reach their goal.
Then quite possibly they give up in the end and just accept that they will be that way for life.
This is not how it has to be. As human beings we have the opportunity to be, do and have whatever we want in this world. We have the ability to change our circumstances and completely change who we are as people.
All of this has to do with our self images and the best part about this is…we can change our self image. And this is the first step to doing it…
Let’s work through this, I want you to do an exercise with me:
Think about a goal that you really want. Think really hard and get super detailed about your goal. Write it out. If you are serious you will write this out. It is THAT important. It should only take you 5-10 minutes.
Do I really need to convince you to do this? I didn’t think so. I’m glad you are serious about your results.
Once you got your detailed goals written down carry on to exercise #2:
Look at your goal and break it down to what kind of person you have to be. Also write down what kind of habits must you possess to make that goal a reality?
So if I were to do this here’s what it would look like:
My goal is to weigh 195 pounds at 9% body fat. I want to hit the beach this summer every single weekend to play beach volleyball and feel extremely confident in my own body.
Who do I have to be to reach this goal?
- Positive minded
- Surrounded by like minded people with similar goals
- I have to write in a food journal and eat 90% healthy meals
- I have to follow a sound nutrition plan and trust that it will help me reach my goals.
- I have to cheat on my meals once a week to take a mental break from dieting.
- I have to take a short break from partying and lay off alcohol for a month.
- I have to follow a set nutrition plan and make my meals beforehand so I don’t haphazardly grab whatever is available.
- I have to support my own friends in pursuit of their own goals
- I have to have thick skin because I know other people won’t like what I’m doing but I’m doing to do it anyways because I know I’ll be setting an example for others to follow.
- I have to tell many people of my goal because I know it will keep me focused on reaching it.
- I have to follow whichever plan I choose to go on as closely as possible and trust it will help me reach my goals.
That is part of my list.
If you really want to reach your goals and do great things for yourself…focus on the person you must ultimately become.
I know looking at this exercise it’s easy for someone to be cynical and say, “Oh that won’t work for me. These things never work for me.”
Well you know what? You are probably right. Like Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t…you are probably right.”
Now the question is…Do you think you can make this work for yourself? Or are you going to make excuses and rationaliesations (get it? Rational – lies?) as to why it won’t work for you? Really the choice is up to you and it always has been and it always will be.
If you are reading this blog…I pretty much know we are on the same path together towards evolving ourselves. We are not content with being just average. We are always trying to constantly improve ourselves. Take this time and get real with yourself.
Ask yourself the right questions and you’ll come up with answers that might surprise you.
I’m always here to help out and give you that occasional kick in the pants. With that I’ll leave you with a truly inspiring video I have posted before, with Will Smith…and leave a comment below to let me know what you think. Even if you don’t agree I’d like to hear from you.
To your health and fitness
Zack
P.S. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of this post.
My how the weeks go by when we are having so much fun
Here is your final nutrition lesson.
You have had 5 weeks and 5 nutrition lessons to make changes to your lifestyle. Integrating even these changes into your life will be the difference in your fight against fat!
Putting it all together
Well by now, you understand the importance of eating often, eating the right fats and carbs and exactly how to eat supportively. You also know which foods should be included in a supportive eating plan.
Now I know that 90% of you will take some time and effort to change old habits. You might even need to plan ahead and figure out how you are going to fit in 5-6 healthy meals a day. We all know that Rome was not built in one day and neither will the body of your dreams. Just make it a point to improve on a day to day basis and you will see amazing results.
The best part about it is that once you do it enough times it becomes second nature to yourself. You don’t even need to think about it anymore. It becomes a part of you.
Last week we talked about one of our biggest enemies in the fight against fat: Sugars!
Try to keep your sugar intake to only weekends if at all. If it is fat loss you want then sugar definitely has to be avoided.
With all of the lessons I give you in these blog posts the one thing to take away from them is that YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR METABOLISM. Just by integrating these lesson’s you will be able to control how fast/slow your metabolism burns fat. Isn’t that a cool thing?
Today we will be talking about……FAT!
There are good kinds and bad kinds. Choose wisely…
NOT ALL FATS WERE CREATED EQUAL
Out of all the nutrients we need (proteins, carbs, fat, vitamins, minerals and of course water) Fat is the least understood.
Not all fats were created equal. There are good ones and bad ones.
Fat DOES play a role in nutrition and optimal health. Fats help your body maintain internal heat, it’s important for brain activity, they act as a source of energy and they also allow proteins to be used to build and repair cells.
The key is to take in the right amount to meet your biological needs.
So what are good fats?
Good ones
Non Essential Fatty acids and Essential Fatty acids. Called Omega 3′s and Omega 6′s.
You need these fats in your diet. You can find these in:
-Unprocessed green vegetables
-Fish and Poultry
-Egg Yolks
-Lean meats and Eggs
You should also be supplementing these daily. I recommend my clients to take: EFA Icon due to their high quality and overall impact on my clients fat loss.
The Bad ones
Saturated fats (found in red meats, butter and most fatty foods). These have very little biological value and are often stored in your body (creating actual fat deposits…yuck).
You definitely want to limit your intake of saturated fats.
COMPLETELY AVOID hydrogenated fats and trans fats. They damage your body!
What to avoid:
Spreads (ie. margarine), packaged foods, instant noodles, FAST FOOD, Frozen food (waffles, pizzas), cookies, chips, cakes, donuts…you get the picture. Pretty much everything that we consider a bad food.
One of the tricks to help you release and burn fat is to avoid adding fats to foods (such as butter) and do not eat foods that most of their calories come from fat (foods listed above).
DO include foods that have Omega 3′s and 6′s and DO supplement your fat intake on a daily basis.
Your assignments this week:
Okay this one is simple:
1. Avoid eating the bad foods and eat the good ones.
2. Start to supplement daily. Along with a multi vitamin you should be taking an EFA as well. I highly recommend using the EFA Icon from Prograde.
How are you doing so far with the current nutritional habits you are integrating into your lives?
Changing habits can be a tough thing but always remember to keep your goals in mind when you see a bad habit popping up.
Focusing on our goals changes the negative into the positive and keeps you on track to achieve whatever you want to achieve.
Last week we talked about carbs and the glycemic index.
This week we will be talking about…SUGAR.
Consuming Sugar will put a STOP to your fat loss!
Many people looking to lose weight end up choosing fat free cookies, cakes, and ice cream. This is a HUGE mistake because often the #1 ingredient in these foods is sugar.
Sugar is often the #1 culprit in someone trying to lose the weight or attaining the body they desire.
Sugar actually inhibits fat release. Here is how:
When you put a simple sugar into your body, whether it is a fat free cookie or a soft drink, all of the sugar gets quickly absorbed into your bloodstream. That leads to a state of elevated blood sugar.
In healthy individuals, the pancreas releases the hormone insulin, which transports the sugar out of the bloodstream to be stored in the muscles and the liver.
The pancreas also manufactures the hormone glucagon. As the pancreas increases production of insulin (from eating sugars) it decreases the production of glucagon.
Why is this important? Glucagon releases fat! So when you eat a simple sugar (ice cream, cake, chocolate bar, candy), you cannot produce glucagon and your fat is locked in, unable to be released. That sucks!
In simple terms: The more sugar you consume the more fat gets stored in your body unable to be released.
So what should you do?
Eat according to our guideline of:
- Eat every 2.5 – 3 hours-
- Use the Food Guide I provided to choose the right foods to eat-
How are you doing with their new nutritional habits?
A lot of the things I talk about nutritionally are probably things you have heard numerous times over and over. But that does not mean that they are not important. If you are serious about getting results (which I know you are if you are reading this) you will instill these habits into your lifestyle.
Actually, when I observe success I notice that while the methods are different, most of the principles stay the same. Almost every popular diet that has been advertised all abide by the same principles. 5 meals a day, plenty of water, eating the right foods and right portion sizes are all elements of a successful nutrition program.
Here is my other secret to success when it comes to eating the right way:
-All Carbs are Not Created Equal-
The glycemic index is a great tool to measure how quickly a single food can raise your blood sugar level.
-Let’s compare broccoli to cotton candy:
Cotton Candy (or any other form of junk food/processed food)
(Looks like a good name for a health food restaurant..)
If you eat 100 calories of cotton candy it will quickly dissolve in your mouth and is absorbed immediately sending your blood sugar level sky high. You will literally be bouncing off the walls and feel a “sugar rush”.
The problem with this is that you will crash quickly and ending up feeling sluggish.
Your body will crave more sugar. So cotton candy is really high on the glycemic index.
Broccoli (or any other colorful vegetable)
If you eat 100 calories of broccoli, however, it takes your body longer to break it down and release blood sugar. You have to chew it – really chew it. It will end up taking longer for you to eat and for your body to absorb.
This means that food will be released into your bloodstream over a longer period, and the fiber that broccoli provides slowing digestion. You will end up feeling fuller, absorbing a great amount of nutrients and just generally feeling more energetic.
Broccoli, therefore, is low in the glycemic index.
We want you to eat low to moderately rated glycemic foods. Use the food chart that I provided in the last lesson and the foods that are “Good” to eat are low on the glycemic index.
Things to note:
- Processed foods (anything microwavable) are HIGH on the glycemic index.
- Look for natural foods that have more color and fiber. They will control appetite, have more nutrients and improve your overall health.
- Examples of low glycemic foods are: Sweet potatoes, yams, green peas, black beans, oatmeal (not instant), peaches, oranges, apples, grapefruit, cherries, and fat free milk.
- High glycemic food examples are: Baked potatoes, doughnuts, waffles, bagels, raisin bran, graham crackers, pretzels, chips, watermelon, juices and sweetened breakfast cereals.
Your assignment for this week:
Go on what I call a “Green Face” diet. That means that if it grows from the ground (green)and it has a face (chicken, beef etc..)
make it a part of your meal.
If it did not have a face (chocolate cake, pizza, microwavable dinners)and it does not grow from the ground do not eat it. Find something that is whole and natural to eat instead.
The only non Green Face item you can consume is Protein, vitamins and healthy fats.
So how did we do with the last two assignments? Are you eating breakfast? Are you eating your 3 meals (and 2 snacks) a day?
If you are reading this then I know you are serious about getting the most out of this program. Integrating those two aspects into your daily lifestyle will maximize your metabolism and turn your body into a fat burning furnace!
Onto this this weeks lesson…
-Drink at least half a gallon of water per day!
Everyone knows it’s good for burning fat but why? What other reasons do you need to know that water has to be a part of your daily nutritional lifestyle?
And NO…juice, soda, alcohol and coffee do not count as water!
I see a lot of people counting those things as their daily intake of water but what they really do is increase your sugar (and calorie) consumption and DEHYDRATE you. The last time I checked dehydration is the opposite of what water does, which is hydrate your body. Keep in mind that your body is made up of 60% water.
So why should you be drinking water other than the obvious? Here’s why:
1. Water is essential for proper digestion and nutrient absorption.
2. Water is the substance of life. Life can not exist without water.
We must constantly be adding fresh water to our body in order to keep it properly hydrated. Water can be a miracle cure for many common ailments such as headaches, fatigue, joint pain, and much more. We can go for weeks without food, but only 3 days without water!
3. Water is essential for proper circulation in the body.
The levels of oxygen in the bloodstream are greater when the body is well hydrated. The more oxygen the body has readily available the more fat it will burn for energy without the presence of oxygen the body cannot utilize stored fat for energy efficiently. Not only will the body burn more fat when well hydrated but because there are increased oxygen levels you will also have more energy.
4. Water helps remove toxins from the body, in particular from the digestive tract.
Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits.
5. Dehydration can occur at any time of the year, not only during the summer months when it is hot.
The dryness that occurs during winter can dehydrate the body even quicker than when it is hot. When you are dehydrated you tend to eat more. The rule of thumb is that for every 1000 calories you consume, you should be drinking at least a half gallon of water. I have experienced first hand with my own body that drinking water is directly related to fat and weight loss.
Onto the second assignment..
-Eat Portions, Not calories
I don’t want you to count calories! A lot of times we actually eat bigger portions than our body can digest at a time. Whatever the body can’t digest gets stored as fat! Personally I’m not a big fan of that :
Here is the general rule of thumb (for breakfast, lunch and dinner):
1. A piece of fish or meat should be the size of a deck of cards.
2. A serving of starches (rice or pasta for example) should be no bigger than the size of your fist.
They should also be timed in to be consumed in the early part of the day. Stay away from these at night! More on this in our next nutrition lesson.
3. You can have as many vegetables as you want!
When we eat at home (and especially when we eat out) we tend to eat the portions that everyone else is eating and that means we eat BIG portions. Portions that our bodies cannot handle all at once. Another reason why frequent eating (5 times a day) is so important. If we eat smaller portions but know that we get to have a meal in 2.5 to 3 hours we won’t feel like we are starving ourselves.
Also try this:
Think Before You Bite
“Mindful eating” is another way to help you master portion control. The concept is simple:
• Be aware. Think about what and how much you are consuming.
• Eat slowly, taste each bite.
• Recognize how frequently you eat.
• Enjoy the experience of eating.
By mindful eating, we monitor our choices and give our bodies the chance to respond to what we consume. This way we can enjoy food and share the cooking and dining experience with others, while recognizing when we have eaten enough so that we don’t overeat. Controlling your portions can be the difference in a fat loss program. Be mindful of what you eat and when you eat it. Take control of the way you eat your food and it you will see BIG TIME changes in your body!
I hope you like this blog post. If yes, leave a comment below and share this with your friends and family. I’ll see you next week for the part #3 of this nutritional seminar.
There are good kinds and bad kinds. Choose wisely…
This is a HUGE mistake because often the #1 ingredient in these foods is sugar.
(Looks like a good name for a health food restaurant..)
and it has a face (chicken, beef etc..)
and it does not grow from the ground do not eat it. Find something that is whole and natural to eat instead.
The dryness that occurs during winter can dehydrate the body even quicker than when it is hot. When you are dehydrated you tend to eat more. The rule of thumb is that for every 1000 calories you consume, you should be drinking at least a half gallon of water. I have experienced first hand with my own body that drinking water is directly related to fat and weight loss.
