Also, don't forget that eating plans change, as do exercise programmes, depending on what you're aiming to achieve. I've just started training for the British Natural Bodybuilding Federation (BNBF) competition on 24th June 2012, so my plan is specific to me and specific to this goal.
After another month or so, I'll change my training programme and also my food intake, so I'll update you then!
As you'll see from my plan, I still enjoy life - and wine and pizza! I've been living like this for years so I hope that I'm living proof that you, too, can achieve sustainable fat loss. I hope this inspires you, ladies...
My key rules:
• I think of these as meals, but don't follow the typical breakfast, lunch and dinner schedule - I eat when I need to
• I avoid fat and sauces so I bake and steam meat and veg (I call it ‘eating clean’)
• I avoid wheat where possible (except for the muffins!)
• Drink water, drink water, drink water
Porridge and egg white omelette with 1 yolk & a cafe latte
Protein shake
Wrap with chicken, pesto, spinach and hummus
Melon juice 10 mins before training
TRAINING
Pro Recover shake
Turkey rice and salad
Muffin and cup of tea plus a few nuts
Roast lamb, roast potatoes, parsnips and steamed veg
Porridge and egg white omelette with 1 yolk & a cafe latte
Chicken breast and broccoli
TRAINING
Pro Recover shake
Coffee, chicken and spinach
Chicken hummus salad and sweet potatoes
Protein shake
Greek yogurt, muesli and chopped banana with toasted gluten free roll and coffee with milk
Chicken green veg carrots and cucumber
Melon juice 10 mins before training
TRAINING
Pro Recover protein shake
Chicken and vegetables
Large milky coffee taramasalata, pitta bread and broccoli
Pizza Express:1 large glass of merlot, bowl of olives & 1 regular Florentine pizza
Soya yogurt, muesli, gluten free toast and soya milk coffee
Chicken, spinach and curly kale
Croissant and cafe latte
TRAINING
Pro Recover shake
Chicken spinach and curly kale
Salmon and green veg
Porridge and egg white omelette (1 yolk) and milky coffee
Salmon, curly kale and 35-50g brown rice
TRAINING
Pro Recover shake
Chicken, broccoli and brown rice
Milky coffee
Salmon and spinach pasta
Bowl of chilli con carne with dollop of Greek yogurt
Porridge and egg white omelette (1 yolk) and milky coffee
Chicken and veg
TRAINING
Pro Recover shake
Chicken and veg
Tatziki, potatoes and chicken
Roast pork and crackling, apple sauce and veg roast parsnips and potatoes
Fruit and nut choccy bar
Banana
DOG WALK
White coffee, one piece of brown toast with butter 2 fried eggs, baked tomatoes & 2 slices of bacon
Double espresso followed by an apple
TRAINING
Pro Recover shake
Salmon and green beans with 1 table spoon of gnocchi bacon sauce
DOG WALK
Salmon with salad feta cheese and 2 olives
Pitta, taramasalata and spinach plus cup of tea
But I do suggest that if you’re going to put pressure on yourself, don’t do everything at the same time. Your goals need to be realistic and sustainable; there’s no point giving up everything that makes you happy at the same time! What’s the point of life, if you do?!
I suggest you keep on track with what you’ve been doing, but perhaps try and improve on one particular area. Once you see the benefits and improvements, you’ll probably pick something else to improve on and so the ball keeps rolling – you’ll be perfect by the end of the year!
So, to pick up some of the tips I gave you at Christmas, just put these 5 into 2012, fit them into your schedule and you’ll reap the rewards:
1. Keep moving and lose weight
Small changes in your daily routine can significantly increase the calories burnt throughout the day. Consider cycling to work, using stairs instead of the lift, taking the dog on long walks, being more active with the family over the weekends… It’s all doable. You just need to do it!
2. Don’t blame your metabolism!
Seriously look at the amount of food you are actually consuming throughout the day – if you’re eating more than your body needs, the excess is stored as fat. Most of us under estimate what we eat, so why not keep a diary? And if you finish the kid’s food off their plates, write it down! :o).
3. Exercise regularly
Find something you enjoy doing and doing it regularly. Combine it with a weight training programme and when you see the results, you’ll find you look forward to your sessions! Don’t forget, too, that regular exercise goes on burning fat even when you sleep... Now that’s tempting…!
4. Eat regularly and don’t skip meals
It can be easy to ignore the rumbling of the tummy and hunger pangs when rushing around with work and kids. But try not to. You’re not helping yourself. Your body needs energy and if you feed it a little and often, you’ll find your pangs are less and your energy levels are more stable.
5. Protein Helps!
Eggs, meat, fish, beans and lentils are all very high in protein. As long as you don’t cook them in breadcrumbs, batter or oil (!), they’ll help to stave off your hunger pangs, so add some chicken or fish to your salad; some beans or lentils to your soups or stews and you’ll really see the difference.
Let me know how you get on – or if you’ve got any tips you could share with us!
Even if you can't manage to keep up your full regime through the Christmas period, try to keep active over the holiday season with walks, games with the kids and dog and even ice skating! As you know, regular exercise means your body will continue to burn fat whilst you're sleeping.
2. Eat regularly
Don't fall into the trap of 3 huge meals per day! Keep your meals small and consistent, eating every 2-3 hours.
3. Don’t skip meals
With so much temptation around you this season, you won't be able to refuse if you're hungry! Keep your meals regular.
4. Cut down on alcohol consumption
These excess calories will get stored as fat - you know this! If you're drinking socially, have a glass of water after each drink and always eat something with your drink.
5 Use smaller plates
It so easy to pile on the food at this time of year! So control your desires with a smaller plate... :o)
6. Count your calories
Although this is a discipline many don't enjoy, it's an eye opener. You really learn what yopu're eating; what keeps you full and what result in 'empty' caloried, making you snack again soon after. It's a good gauge to see what you keep reaching for!
7. Soups will keep you fuller for longer
Soups are fabulous at this time of year! Especially if they're homemade... warming, healthy, and filling, you know you're getting your 5-a-day! Some suggestions:
Tomato Soup: Fry some chopped onion in some olive oil until the onion is soft, add a tin of tomatoes and some stock and heat through . Add a smidge of salt and pepper and blitz in a processor until smooth - that's it!
Spicy Spinach Soup: Fry some chopped onion in some olive oil until soft and add a bag of fresh (or frozen) spinach with salt and pepper. Add cayenne or chilli pepper and some cumin to taste and when spinach has wilted, blitz in a processor - that's it!
8. Eat your Protein!
With so much pastry, bread, potatoes and other carbs around at this time of year, it's often easy to grab something stodgy. But if you're eating processed carbs (white bread and pastry), these won't keep your hanger pangs at bay as well as protein does. So if you include eggs, any meat, fish, beans or lentils in your meals, you'll stave off your hunger for longer.
9. Low fat dairy will help you store less fat
Few of us can survive this time of year without cheese and cream (and custard)! So simply switch to low fat versions and you'll be helping yourself!
10. The wider the choice of food, the more you eat
We're always so worried we're missing out, aren't we?! We need to try everything! Hhhmmm... Actually, you don't 'need' to... Avoid buffet-style eating and canapes as much as possible this season, as they're very deceiving! You think it's only a couple of mouthfuls, but 20 canapes in and you've had a full blown steak and kidney pie all to yourself! Just think which options would be best for you, before you accept.
Happy Christmas, Ladies!
Livia x
]]>The key note speakers delivered informative speeches on how they grew their businesses from scratch and hopefully inspired other ladies to follow in their brave footsteps. I know that I felt positive after listening to their words of wisdom.
We were pleased to see some of our clients there as well as welcome new visitors to our stand, keen to learn more about fat loss and the feedback was very positive. It's all possible, ladies!
We hope you enjoyed our water bottles in your goody bags and for those of you that entered the prize draw, we're pleased to announce that the winner is Eleanor Beeton!
Eleanor will hear from Gay Richardson at Style me Confident very shortly, so she can organise her mini colour session and get her free colour chart and pashmina. Have fun, Eleanor!
Having the chance to meet other Mums out in there business world, I am greatly inspired to go against the flow of the media, suggesting doom and gloom every where, and join forces with like minded women to take the positives from the day and plunge that enthusiasm into their businesses!
As a result, FitFreedom is partnering with nutritionist Nicola Langdon to host a fun evening where you can learn more about the best methods of fat loss for women. Join us on 2nd December2011 at MyHotel, Brighton, bring your friends and let me know how many of you are coming!
It'll be fun!
Thanks to you all for the inspiration and I look forward to seeing you on the 2nd December
Livia
x
But even in winter we have to keep the long term approach to losing our baby bellies and regaining our oh-so-wanted figures.... Keep up the eating plans and regular exercise – don’t waste all your efforts!
My philosophy is simple – Understand the training methods to arrive at the results. So bear a few things in mind over Christmas:
1. Fight cellulite with sensible eating and regular systematic training – nothing overly dramatic!
2. Plan ahead and schedule your training sessions around kids’ holidays and Christmas events
3. Do not starve yourself or attempt any kind of low calorie or fad diet. Losing weight on a diet involves losing fat water and lean tissue - a major contributor to the slowing down of your metabolism. When you start eating normally again you will end up gaining MORE fat than before the diet!
4. Instead, eat a light snack or meal every two to three hours. Eating frequently speeds up your metabolism; your body will burn fat more efficiently and store less
5. Eat a little bit of everything that you enjoy. Keep it healthy, selecting the foods that you eat carefully. Cutting out the food and drinks that you love is likely to lead to bingeing within a few days or weeks. So enjoy the mince pies and desserts and by planning ahead, you can eat well and still keep in shape over Christmas
6. Do not cut out carbs, especially over winter. Just eat reasonable portions and vary the type and amount of carbohydrates that you eat. Avoid massive plates of pasta – instead try half a plate of vegetables /salad and then half pasta or rice... Go easy on the sauces!
7. Weight train regularly to decrease body fat and define your figure – you won’t become too muscular! Weight training increases your metabolism and ensures body fat is burnt - even when you’re not exercising
8. Keep your cardio at a reasonably low intensity; ideally longer workouts at a lower heart rate. Invest in a second hand exercise bike, place it in front of the TV and use it every couple of days over the festive period
9. High intensity fitness training is not a viable weight loss tool – most gym goers cannot sustain the frequency and intensity of these workouts needed to lose weight long term. I recommend one session every 10 days
10. For the best figure shaping results, do your cardio and weight training on separate days
11. Avoid crowded gym classes where instructors cannot monitor your progress or correct your body alignment when exercising. Injuries cause most gym goers to cease exercising, which is exactly what you do not want to do.
12. Don’t compare your body to other women’! Every one of us has a different shape and metabolism so work within your own limits and always be realistic!
13. Remember that your fat took a while to build up and it will take a while to lose it. There are no quick fixes. Aim at 1 – 3 years to regain your pre pregnancy figure as it entirely depends on your genetics, how large your babies were, how your skin survived the stretch and how it has reshaped around your abdomen, whether you had a c-section or natural birth and how resilient your skin is now you are slightly older. Persevere and you will reap the rewards. I promise!
Slow weight loss and gradual body shaping will not happen overnight. So don’t let it all go just because it’s dark outside! Remember – regular workouts are essential, eat healthily and frequently.
Be patient. Be vigilant. Be healthy. Be positive. Be gorgeous. Be yourself.
Livia holds regular seminars to guide and advise ladies on the best approach for body shaping and fat loss. For details on her next seminar, or for more information on fat loss and body shaping programmes, visit the FitFreedom Facebook page
First published in ABC Winter 2011
]]>Myth 1: General fitness programmes are long-term solutions for mums. Losing body fat requires specific training - cardio and weight training on different days. The cardio needs to be low intensity so that it burns more calories from our fat stores. With high intensity cardio, when the energy in the muscles is used up, the body starts to use the muscle protein itself (glycogen). So you actually lose the one thing you need; MUSCLE!
Myth 2: High intensity training produces more results long-term. Take aerobics classes, body pump, body combat, step aerobics... How many of you, who enjoy these classes actually change body shape over time? Honestly? The buzz of the class is great - I used to be an aerobics addict myself! But my body shape didn’t change until I started weight training.
Myth 3: No pain, No gain. High energy classes such as spinning, body combat, body pump are great to improve your fitness. But the pain is the production of lactate in the muscles which means that you are burning glycogen and sugar/carbohydrate - not fat!
Myth 4: High intensity cardio exercise reduces body fat more than weight training. To lose fat, you must increase your ratio of muscle to fat; the more muscle you have, the less fat you’ll store because your metabolic rate will increase. A pound of muscle burns 75 calories per day. A pound of fat burns 8 calories a day!
Myth 5: Weight training makes women look like men! Women cannot build unsightly muscle. Muscle growth only occurs when training programmes are structured for body building. To develop curvy, slender limbs and healthier appearance, we format the training differently - high repetitions and light weights are endurance exercises which just keep your body moving; they don’t promote muscle shape because the reps are too high for muscle growth.
Myth 6: You will reach your ‘ideal body shape; within 3-6 months. How long did it take for you to put on the pounds? Well, it’s going to take just as long or longer, to lose them! If you train intelligently when you reach your ideal figure, fat will stay off because exercise will be part of your lifestyle.
Myth 7: Eating less means you will lose weight. Eating less slows down your metabolism so each time you eat your body stores fat rather than burning it off!
Myth 8: Skipping meals will help you lose weight. Skipping meals slows down your metabolism. If you’re not hungry you should still eat the meal, but cut down the portion size.
Myth 9: Diets work. When you diet your body shuts down to preserve itself. Once you start eating normally again, the weight piles on - and more! Many women go back on diets because they think the diet has worked – if it had worked, you wouldn’t have to keep dieting!
Myth 10: Once you reach your goals you can revert back to the same lifestyle as before. The way you eat and the way you exercise go hand in hand. It takes a gradual change of behaviour to eradicate bad habits of the past. If you revert to bad habits, you’ll revert to the unhealthy you.
Myth 11: You have no time. You have time to shop, to eat, to chat, to meet friends for lunch, to take the car to the garage, to take kids to the cinema – find time for yourself!
Myth 12: You can’t afford personal training. What will motivate you to change? Staying stuck in a rut? Or finding an intelligent, tested training system that works?
Myth 13: New Year, New You? In the New Year most people have every intention of joining a gym to lose weight/ get fit. Even the cheapest gym is at least £15 a month. Yet still membership numbers increase every January - even in a recession. Buying your own exercise bike will save you money and time.
Weight training should be done in a gym environment, but if you have one personal weight training session each week and another by yourself at the local gym, you will gain the confidence and motivation to exercise by yourself and you’ll save money!
Fat loss expert Livia specialises in long term fat loss training programmes for women, helping them to regain their pre-baby figures. For details on the next seminar, find Fit Freedom on facebook.
First published in ABC magazine, Spring 2011
]]>Stress
Millions of years ago, our bodies were designed to react quickly to danger so we could run or fight if threatened. When your brain thinks your life is in danger it stimulates the release of adrenaline and cortisol hormones which provide instant energy for 5-10 minutes, allowing you to react swiftly to dangerous situations.
Unfortunately, many modern lifestyles mean that stress (our ‘perceived threat’) is almost continuous and comes without the natural release that fighting or fleeing might provide. Unless you do something physical all that extra energy in the form of fat and glucose has nowhere to go. It is simply re-deposited as fat, mostly on the abdomen.
Fat targets the middle because it is close to the liver where it can be quickly converted back into energy if needed - ready for the next stress attack. Your body keeps this convenient fat store ready for instant use and creates cravings and appetite increases to ensure good supplies of necessary fuel.
Oestrogen
Before the menopause, oestrogen levels are high so fat tends to be stored as easier-to-lose subcutaneous fat (just below the skin) and less fat is stored in and around the abdomen. During menopause, when oestrogen levels start to fall, the subcutaneous fat is broken down and there is a subsequent tendency for fat to accumulate in and around the abdomen - the hormonal balance in the body is thrown off.
What’s the solution?
The keys to hormonal balance and fat loss are exercise and appetite…
Exercise - Time is a huge factor in our busy lives but you need to plan exercise into your weekly routine. Without a plan there is no regularity and without regularity, you will fail!
Appetite - Your body is refuelling after all this fighting or fleeing, so people under constant stress often feel constantly hungry. Worse, their body urges them to eat foods most useful after all that ‘activity’ – carbohydrates (like sugar) and fats.
Additionally, if you cut too many calories your body thinks there is a famine and that causes stress! Your metabolism will slow to maintain your fat stores and if your blood sugar levels fluctuate (as they do for most women), your body will release adrenaline as if under stress – again, encouraging your body to store fat.
The solution is to find a way of eating and exercising that tells your body all is well –and reassures it that it is not under stress:
1) Eat regularly – every 2-3 hours. Regulate your intake of food so even under stress you are still eating within timed limits – so no dieting! This will stop you overeating in response to stress.
2) Weight training for fat loss at least twice per week. Include specific weight training to retain lean tissue which increases your metabolism, burns fat and shapes your body.
3) Cardio vascular exercise at least 3 times per week maintains a hormonal balance by burning your excess fat stores retained by your body to respond to stress.
4) Look at your stress levels and manage them - exercise frequently, take time out and rationally consider the challenges facing you.
Is that it?!
But menopause is not the end of the world! It’s just that the distribution of fat within your body is different and you have to be more diligent with your diet and exercise regime. Your workouts should include strength training, fat burning and interval cardio training to burn the maximum number of calories from fat. Food intake should be minimised, regularised and nutrient-rich – with predominantly whole foods and fibre.
Hormonal changes affect each woman differently so pay attention to how you feel. Be aware of your body and feed your body good whole foods that won’t pack on the pounds. The key is calories in versus calories out. By knowing more about what’s going on inside your body makes it easier to overcome with time and specific training. But it is hard work – the abdomen is the last place fat comes off and the first place that it goes on!
Fat Loss expert Livia O’Toole specialises in long term fat loss training programmes for women, helping them to lose fat by sculpting lean muscle, oxidising fat during cardio workouts and motivating ladies toward regaining their pre-baby and pre-menopausal figures.
FitFreedom guidelines are proven to work over time. Just how much fat you lose is dependent on how dedicated you are to the programme. So stay committed and keep a long-term vision. Keep up the great work and make sure you are using the right workouts!
For more information on FitFreedom programmes and how Livia can help you regain your pre-baby or pre-menopausal figure, visit www.fitfreedom.co.uk, follow her on Twitter @livfitfreedom and keep her up to date with your achievements on the FitFreedom Facebook page!
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