Minneapolis Personal Trainer hosting Weight Loss Challenge in January and February 2017

Ever heard someone say, “Everything in moderation…”?  I hate that saying.

As a fitness and nutrition coach, it is probably my least favorite saying.  EVERYTHING in moderation? How much cocaine should one ingest daily to achieve a moderate amount of intake? The correct answer is zero, of course. How much sleep is moderate? Five hours, eight hours, or maybe eleven hours? What about sugar? There is no recommended daily allowance of sugar suggestion in the United States. How are we supposed to know how much sugar one should consume? When it comes to health, we struggle to define what healthy moderation and balance should look like.

I believe the body gives us clues that help us to determine how to moderately consume our treats. For example, it takes the kidneys and liver about five days to make a doughnut binge or a night on the town “like it never happened.” Five days. If we want to balance our treats with healthy foods, we’d better execute five consecutive days of clean eating for every one gluttonous meal. 

The real reason I can’t handle “everything in moderation” is because it is worse than the truth. It sounds good, and maybe even sounds true. The most damaging part is that it really does is cast a long shadow on the truth, which makes the truth more difficult to see.   "Everything in moderation" makes it seem like we should celebrate with birthday cake a few times a week. We must look beyond the cake to find the truth!

Even little Emma must learn how to achieve a  healthy balance with her treats!

The Truth About Weight Loss

Here’s the truth: In health and in life, if we execute moderately well, we will achieve only moderate success. Think about that. Want to lose a tenth of a pound per week? Eat everything in moderation. For every bottle of water, consume a soft drink. Salad for lunch? You deserve a burger and fries for dinner. After all, you earned it, right? Eye roll.

Here’s more truth. In getting healthy (specifically with weight loss), there are two main phases: pursuit phase and maintenance phase. These two phases have dramatically different rules. 

The pursuit phase is strict for my clients. For the nutrition plan, we eat very clean for six-and-a-half days a week. Then, for half a day, my clients go to town with a bonus meal. I always say, “Go to town with your bonus meal, just don’t go to Vegas!”  

If the pursuit phase is strict, the maintenance phase is a bit more laid back. By maintenance phase, my clients have hit their goal weight, and are consistently and successfully maintaining their goal weight for a month or more. In addition to nutritional alignment, because of a successful execution of our fitness plan, my clients have their hormones on track. This results in a fired-up metabolism. Because of the weight stability, hormone stability, and metabolic strength, my clients in maintenance phase have more liberty on their bonus meals. Less rules, more fun.

Consider four of my clients from 2016 (three of my newest clients, and one who I worked with for all of 2016):

Client #1 started working with me in August of 2016. She has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which means she has a chronic hormonal imbalance. Two main symptoms of PCOS are weight gain and extreme difficulty in losing weight. The primary care doctor for Client #1 told her: “I just don’t know what to do with you. I can’t wait until you are diabetic, because then I’ll know what to do.” 

How frustrating is that? Your doctor doesn’t have any hope. Why should you? And to that end, Client #1 was very frustrated with her body when I first met with her. Every time she tried to lose weight, she would gain weight.

Guess what? In five months of working with me, Client #1 is down 45 pounds!  Her hormones have regulated, and her health is improving rapidly!

 Client #2 started in mid-October of 2016. She doesn’t have a lot of weight to lose, but wanted to get toned up for a trip. Her goal was to lose thirty pounds in six months. As of this writing (January of 2017), she has lost twenty pounds in three months. Client #2 is much stronger and leaner, and is very happy with her progress.

Client #3 started working with me in mid-November of 2016. She is in her late forties, and has been stuck for awhile with her body. She is down thirteen pounds in two months, feels fantastic, and loves the way her clothes fit!

Client #4 worked with me for the vast majority of 2016. From our work in January (when she was 16 weeks postpartum) through December, she lost over 40 pounds! Client #4 now weighs less than she did before she got pregnant and is in great shape.

These four client snapshots are the tip of the iceberg for 2016. As I look back on the clients I worked with last year, we really had some unbelievable health wins! The reason why my clients succeeded so much in 2016 and in the early stages of 2017: we don’t abide by an “everything in moderation” philosophy. We crush our pursuit phase by executing our fitness and nutrition plan extraordinarily well, and therefore achieve extraordinary success.

How to Achieve Healthy Weight Loss in 2017

As you consider your health goals for 2017, I encourage you to scrap an “everything in moderation” mentality. You are in pursuit phase.  Crush pursuit phase. Execute at a high level to succeed at a high level.

If you would like help succeeding with your health goals, I would like to introduce three ways I may be able to partner with you…

For those who live near Plymouth, MN and can access this Minneapolis-area personal trainer :

1)      Healthy Obsession Team Challenge - This six-week weight loss challenge starts next week (the week of January 23rd) and is an intensive fitness and nutrition experience. We win as a team, and we win big!  It is cost effective and results oriented. Want more details, click here!

2)      Partner with me for 1-on-1 for your fitness and nutrition-I love helping people who are ready and willing to get to work on their health goals.  Give me two weeks.  We will win enough in two weeks for you to see the path to longer term success.  Contact me to start a conversation about starting NOW so you can look and feel your best faster than you imagined possible.

For those of you living outside of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area:

3)      Virtual fitness and nutrition coaching-By leveraging the power of smart phones and social media live outlets, we are able to accomplish more with today’s technology in our virtual sessions. We can nail down a concrete meal plan and map out a successful fitness plan. If you are hungry to win now, contact me to start a conversation!

Whether I work with you or not in 2017, I hope you achieve health success this year. I hope you scrap the “everything in moderation” mentality and pursue your goal with a high-level of execution! 

To your health,

Adam

Five Critical Mistakes Most Will Make in their Weight Loss Competition at the Office

It is weight loss season in workplaces across America.  Cash will be pooled together.  Walking partners will pair up.  Carbs will be cut.  The mad dash is on to prove who can cut weight like a high school wrestler before a big tournament.

When it comes to the weight loss challenge at the office, the good news and the bad news are one and the same: EVERYONE is a health genius!  Everyone knows to deprive the body of carbs.  Everyone knows cardio, and getting the heart rate in the "fat burning zone", is the ticket to exercise.  Everyone knows water pills and caffeine pills can help cut those last few pounds.

Hey geniuses, you are going to lose your competition.  And in the event that flawed logic and unwise health decisions leadyou to the winner's circle, you will also win the unoffficial "Biggest Gainer" competition in the weeks following your weight loss challenge.

In the month of September two of my clients won their weight loss/fat loss challenges.  The winnings combined to be worth over $3,000.    One guy lost 14 lbs in 21 days to win his competition...and did it the right way.  Another client (a lady) lost 9% body fat in 8 weeks to take the crown in her challenge.   While I am glad their efforts resulted in a competitive win, I am more pleased in the route that was taken and the focus that was paired with their effort.

How can you have success in your office weight loss challenge like my clients experienced?  Don't do what the geniuses do!

Genius Weight Loss Mistake #1: Not Sticking With Your Guns

Any time we are trying to slim down, adding muscle needs to be part of the equation.   Geniuses think muscle weighs more fat.  While it is effectively true, it is technically and tactically false.  The truth is that muscle cells burn 70% more calories than fat cells.   In addition, lifting weights can have a positive impact on metabolism for up to 39 hours after a workout.  The bottom line is that building muscle is the winning way to trim down the waist line...and the scale.  So grab some dumbbells and work those biceps and turn them into guns.   Challenge your big muscles with weights (back and leg groups specifically).  Weight training wins more weight loss competitions than cardio.

Genius Weight Loss Mistake #2:  Engaging the "Fat Burning Zone"

First, let me say that cardio is an important piece of any fitness plan.  But I will also say that there are a lot of overweight marathon runners out there.  Can I get an amen?

Walking and running same pace for the sake of getting the heart rate to obey the "fat burning zone" is bad math and bad science.  What?!  I can hear your inner John McEnroe saying, "You CANNOT be serious!  My trainer told me..."

While geniuses will be walking and jogging, my clients are changing their walking pace (or running pace) every 15-30 seconds.  Intervals are the way to go.  You will burn more calories in shorter time with intervals.  You will sweat more (calories burned!) and work your lungs harder...even with intervals at a walking pace.  Burning fat needs to be triggered by nutrition, not exercise.  To learn how to bust your fat with nutrition, you will need to contact me (adam@rapidresultsfitnessmn.com).   Short of talking with me, trust me when I say that walking and jogging same pace for over 30 seconds is a losing proposition for your weight loss goals.

Genius Weight Loss Mistake #3: Cutting the Wrong Carbs

Is America addicted to carbs?  Without a doubt.  Does that mean that all carbs need to go.  Not a chance.

Breads need to go.  So do pastas.  And even your brown rice.  Where should the focus be?  Legumes and veggies.

The people most likely to win a weight loss challenge are those who up their fiber significantly and treat their organs to slow-digesting carbs.  Legumes and veggies help you accomplish both objectives.

But what about fruit?  Cheat day, homey.  And yes you need a cheat day...which I'll cover in the next installment.

For now, if you want to win your weight loss or fat loss challenge at the office, contact me.  I'm good for 15 minutes of free advice.  If you are already a genius, get ready to finish a distant second.

Adam Erwin is a fitness and nutrition coach.  He helps people solve their biggest health problem.  To learn how to reduce/eliminate medications for cholesterol, blood pressure, type II diabetes, asthma,  and triglycerides, email Adam here: adam@rapidresultsfitnessmn.com.