Throw Away your Scales!!

Throw Away your Scales!!

That’s right you read that correct.

 

You don’t need scales to know whether you are dropping fat.

 

The scale is merely a tool to the battle of fat eradication.

Are they useful?

 

Heck yes!

But are they necessary?

 

Not at all.

 

You see, like anything they are just ONE way of noticing progress.

The scales can literally (and probably will0 infuriate people such as you and me with their sneaky wizardry and really put people just like you off the scent of progress. They don’t speak normal language like you I do, they have their own language.

 

It’s called scale language. I spoke abut this in another article called 3 Mind hack ways to keep your motivation to lose weight.But Here it is again briefly.

 

The scale will not do down every day, nor should you expect it to. In fact, it will probably go up just as much as it comes down.

 

You need to have patience and not compare it everyday or even every week. It is a tool to see a general trend over a period of months. If its generally up the something needs to change!

 

If you have a good day of dieting will it go down? Probably not.

 

That’s Normal

The trick is to monitor progress over a period of 4- 8 weeks and you should see an overall trend of a decent on the scale. That’s how they should be used.

 

I have my Online Coaching Clients send me over their weight every morning. This s more for me rather than them. I like to try and encourage them to disassociate themselves from what the scales read.

 

 

My Client Matt made his progress happen over a period of MONTHS, and the scales didn’t really budge much.

 

 

If we don’t use scales to see our progress what do you do?

 

If we take out the scales what do we have left? What else can we do to see our progress?

 

With all my online coaching clients I do 3 things to help them see their progress.

 

#1 How do you feel??

How you feel for me, is probably the most import. If you don’t feel any better the what’s the point, right?

 

Do you feel like you have more energy? Do you feel more upbeat and just generally happier?

How about feeling just ‘better’?

 

Well if the answer to any of these are yes, even just a little bit then guess what, You’re making progress.

 

Progress doesn’t always manifest itself in a physical appearance, but it is very much mental too. Which is why for some people I would banish the scales completely. If you are very much focussed on the numbers of the scales and you literally lose you mind when, and the will, go up and down on a regular basis then here’s what you need to do.

 

Step OFF the Scales!

 

 

If this is you then the scales are not your friend. You do not need them. You are more likely to give up and quit if you constantly see the scales going up and down every day.

 

Stay off the scales and focus on how you feel and the other points in the rest of the article.

 

 

#2 How do your Clothes Fit?

Are your jeans a little looser? Is your shirt that little bit more baggy than last month? Have you gone back up a notch on your belt?

 

It might seem simple, but these are signs that your making insane progress. You might not really notice it in month one but by month 3 you’re probably thinking “Damn, I need to get me some new shorts!” or you know, something to that extent.

Just be aware of when this happens as it means you are killing your diet.

 

#3 Measurements and Progress photos

I am sure that you have thought about doing this and may of may not have. If not, why not?

 

It truly is an awesome way to monitor your progress visually. If you can compare your start to month 3 I am certain it will spike your motivation and keep driving you onward.

 

Not only can you see how your body changes over a period of time. Using measurements you can see how the numbers change, which is awesome especially if you’re the kind of person who likes to focus on numbers.

This is the table which I use for all of my online coaching clients for their initial consultation and their 4 weekly assessment

There are rules to doing this however.

The first rule is that you should only take photos and measurements every 4 weeks.

 

The second rule is DO NOT compare week 1 to week 4 but rather week 1 with week 8 and week 4 with week 12 etc. Basically, you compare every other one. This way you can see real progress and focus on how far you’ve come.

 

So do you still think you need scales to see progress?

Remember that you are more than just a number on the scale

I am not saying that scales are bad, but rather use them as a tool to monitor progress and not the ONLY thing you look at.

Utilise all the tools in the tool box and just keep crushing it

 

Love you All

-Rhys

How to diet over Christmas!

How to diet over Christmas?

 

You Don’t!

 

Christmas is a holiday. So it’s time to relax, spend some time with the people you care about and enjoy all the delicious food that comes around this time of year.

 

If your worrying about losing all your progress over one day.

 

Let me assure you that will NOT happen.

 

Below are 7 strategies you can use on Christmas Day to help you have the best time without having to worry about counting Calories.

I use some of these strategies with my Elite Online Clients to help them with their eating. Depending on their individual needs, some are more appropriate than others.

 

If you want to see some of the strategies I use throughout the year you can Read ‘10 Commandments of Fatloss: Part 1

 

 

#1 Eat more turkey

Turkey is a form of protein. Which means not only is it tasty, but it helps build and maintain lean muscle tissue. So it’s awesome for when you want lose a few pounds or gain some muscle and strength.

 

Protein is the most saturating macronutrient, which means it will fill you up more and keep you fuller for longer.

 

#2 Eat slow

I love eating, as a trained chef food is a passion for me. If it’s good food, It can be gone in seconds (I’m not kidding).

 

Eating slowly will help all of your gut enzymes to kick in and tell your brain that your full. It means you can reduce the chance of over eating by loads.

 

Take 20-30 minutes to eat your Christmas dinner, not only will you enjoy it more but it will help you keep yourself in check.

 

#3 Drink slower

For many people Christmas is a time for a drink or 2, or 3 or 4…..

 

Anyway alcohol is something which hides calories. It’s almost 2 times calorie dense as protein a carbs and yet it won’t fill you up.

 

One glass of wine can be up to 214 Calories!!!!

That’s a lot. Think about it if you have 5 then it’s an extra 1000 calories you’ve just had without realising.

 

Try sipping at your drink and make it last longer.

 

You can also try alternating between a glass of wine and a glass of water or whatever your preference is. This will help keep you hydrated as alcohol will dehydrate you and ease that headache in the morning.

 

Both of these will help you reduce your alcohol intake and also reduce those hidden calories.

 

 

#4 Only one plate of food

I love my Christmas dinner.

Turkey, pigs in blankets, goose fat roast potatoes and a pile of veggies and buckets of gravy and cranberry sauce.

 

Eat what you like, but only have one plate.

 

So any extra roasties or stuffing left in the tin should be left in the tin.

 

This means that you can enjoy all the good stuff of a Christmas dinner but without feeling guilty.

 

 

#5 A palm full of the sweet stuff

That tin of chocolates sits on the Side calling your name.

 

You try to ignore it but you just can’t.

 

That’s OK

 

Eating ‘fun’ food is part of the holidays, and banning yourself from it altogether will most likely result in a binge.

 

So I recommend to limit your self to a a hand size portion of choccy and sweeties to help curb your cravings without destroying you diet.

 

#6 Stop when your full

This is as always. Would you keep putting fuel in your car when it is full?

Of course not.

The same applies to eating normally and especially at Christmas. When your full, STOP!

 

If you leave food on your plate then so be it. A lot of people tell me “but that’s a waste of food, and I hate wasting food!”.

 

If that’s the case, don’t put as much in your plate. Be realistic on what you will be able to eat until your full.

 

You should have a good idea of what that would be.

 

The point is, you don’t have to eat that last roastie just because it’s left on your plate!

 

 

#7 Drink a pint of water before eating

If your really worried about Calories a sure fire way to make feel fuller Is to drink a pint of water or seltzer before you eat.

 

It will fill you up a little so you won’t be able to eat as much. It’s not as much fun but it is definitely a strategy that works.

 

 

So they are your 7 ways to help with keeping to your diet over the holidays.

Want to learn the Big secret of Fatloss?

 

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See you in the New Year!

 

-Rhys

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The 10 Commandments of Fat Loss: Part 1

The 10 Commandments of Fat Loss: Part 1

Having some guidelines to follow makes things much simpler.

Kind of like having instructions when building a flat pack wardrobe. It can make the task a lot more straight forward.

 

If you use the google machine and type in ‘How to lose weight’ you will get hundreds of thousands of results in 0.2 seconds. Each one will give you various answers, some similar, some contradicting.

 

But what do you do with all this info? What do you do? How do you do it?

 

It’s a minefield isn’t it, having to decipher the info you find to piece together some direction of what to do.

 

You may be motivated to make a change but you haven’t a clue where to start.

 

Your Normal

 Yes, your totally normal. Most people have doubt sand uncertainties on where to start with dieting and how to keep it going.

 

 

What I wanted to do was write out a list of 10 things, or commandments for you to follow to make dieting easy.

I have split this into 2 parts as I want to keep things quick and short so you can digest the info more easily.

So here is part 1 of the ‘Ten Commandants of Fat Loss

 

#1 Maintain A Calorie Deficit

This is THE number one commandment to abide by. The ONLY way to lose weight is to have a Calorie deficit. You could eat literally anything you wanted and still lose weight. THIS man lost 27lbs by eating just twinkies! Is that healthy? Hell no. But it demonstrates how important it is to take note of the calories you eat.

You want to lose weight? You need to be in a calorie deficit. Here’s a simple way of finding your own calorie deficit.

First, you need to find your bodyweight in pounds. There’s 14lbs in a stone, and 2.2lbs in 1 kg. So if you’re working in Kilograms just multiply your weight in KGs by 2.2 and you will get your weight in pounds.

 

Now all you need to do multiply your body weight by 10-12 and whatever number you get is how many Calories you should eat daily.

If you are relatively lean, you should use 12, if you are quite overweight then it would be wise to use 10.

 

So let’s say I weigh 180lbs the equation would be something like this: 180 X 12 =2160Kcal. This means I would need 2160 Calories daily to maintain a healthy and sustainable Calorie deficit.

Remember this isn’t set in stone, so monitor your body weight over a two-week period. If you have gained weight or stayed the same then you will need to lower the Calories by approximately 300-500Kcal. If you have lost anything from 0.5-2lbs then don’t do a damned thing because you’re smashing it!

 

#2 Eat Your Protein

Most people don’t eat enough protein. Our body needs protein in order for it to function, repair and grow.

This means that regardless of the type of exercise you are participating in consuming protein will be highly beneficial as it will mean you will repair your muscles from the micro damage done to them when you trained.

This is its primary function.

 

Take my Online Coaching Client Matt for example.

He would always hit his protein goals! Not only did it help build the body he has now but helped him maintain his muscle mass whilst dropping the stubborn bodyfat he had around his midsection to bring out his abs.

Making sure He has eaten enough protein has done 2 things:

1. Enabled him to grow and gain strength

2. Helped prevent Muscle loss during fat loss which is a key element of improving body composition.

 

 

Protein itself has 2 main functions. We have established that it is responsible for repairing your muscles after you have done a ‘sick workout brah’.

 

Its other function is energy. That’s right, you can use protein as an energy source much in the same way that fat is an energy source. It is processed in a similar way and requires an aerobic pathway to create energy. This is just fancy for saying it need oxygen to be processed into energy.

 

You see all those stories you heard about excess protein being ‘disposed of’ (wee or pooped out) are all lies. Protein has a Calorific value, and just like any other calorie, if you eat too many of them and go over your maintenance Calories you will gain weight.

 

#3 Strength Train 2-3 x Weekly

Strength training can be a lethal weapon at your disposal when you are after fatloss. Not only does it burn a metric ton of calories, it will also increase your metabolic rate. Which simply means you will burn MORE calories at rest. This coupled with an increase in strength I think that’s a win-win kind of situation right!?

 

Strength training doesn’t mean you need to become jacked and bench press cars and deadlift buildings (although that is a provocative thought!) It can be a simple training program such as 3 or 4 sets of Squats for 10-12 repetitions, then 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions of a pullup/pulldown and into s the same for the bench press and 3 sets of 1 minute Planks.

Creating a strength training program can be very simple. Usually 3-5 exercises each day using repetitions between 6-12 and 3-4 sets of each one is a great place to start. Just use larger multi joint movements such as deadlifts over small muscle single joint exercises such as bicep curls.

You can split your body in many different ways: Here are a few common ones I program for my clients.

  • 1 day weekly – Whole body
  • 2 days weekly – 1x Upper body, 1x lower body
  • 3 days weekly – 1x Upper body, 1x lower body, 1x whole body
  • 4 days weekly – 1x Upper body, 1x lower body, 1x Upper body, 1x lower body
  • 5 days weekly – 1x Upper body, 1x lower body, 1x Upper body, 1x lower body, 1x whole body

These are just guidelines. I’m not saying you MUST do this split but it does work. Really you need to look at what suits you, Maybe you want to do a different body part every day you train it really doesn’t matter too much as long as your getting it is.

 

#4 Fuck The Scales

No, seriously fuck ‘em!

 

All they do is tell lies. I know this sounds like something someone would say to excuse the fact they have gained 4 lbs in 4 days. In reality this can happen.

 

Think to yourself, have you ever been on vacation and come back 5lbs heavier in just 7 days? I know I have In fact I believe my personal record is 10lbs in a week!

I know that sounds like a lot, and you’ll probably starting looking at the scales and think to yourself ‘how have a got so fat in such a short period of time????’. Let me tell you a secret.

 

You haven’t!

 

It is near on impossible to gain that much body fat in such a short period of time. Your body just can’t do that.

So why Have you gained so much weight? It really a combination of 3 things.

  1. Your carrying excess glycogen. This basically is the energy your body uses to fuel exercise. It is usually more prominent on people who don’t eat a lot of carbohydrates in their diet in general, and have probably had a few slices of pizza and sushi on their trip.
  2. Your body will react differently in different climates and one reaction is that is carries more water. This can happen because of the extra glycogen you now have due to pizza! Also it tends to hold water if you aren’t drink enough too. So make sure your drinking plenty.
  3. You may just have a bit more undigested food in your stomach than usual. Remember all the scales show is weight, not fat.

The good news is that as soon as you get your nutrition back on track those extra pounds you came back with will some take a vacation of their own.

 

My point is, that the scales are a tool used to monitor your weight of a period of time. Not 1 day, or 1 week and not even a month but rather a series of months. Check your body weight and track it as often as you can and if after 2 weeks or so it has stayed the same or gone up, its time to re-evaluate your nutrition. Sometimes doing all this on your own can be challenging, if only I knew a coach who could help with this process, hmmm?!

 

#5 Have Patience

This is a biggie!

 

Everyone is looking for that quick fix. That magic pill or celebrity detox juice paleo diet.

It just doesn’t exist. If they was something that could ‘melt 5lbs of belly in 5 days’ trust me when I say I would be on that like a shot!

 

Be honest now. How often do you find yourself looking for a quick way of losing a few pounds in a week? Weekly? Once a month? Every day?

Now think about this. If you spent 6 months looking for this easy quick fix latest trend doodad to only lose 2 lbs and spend a crap load of your hard-earned cash. In that 6-month period you could have lost anything between 12lbs and 24lbs!

Now think how long you’ve been looking for that quick fix for and how many lbs of body fat could you have lost in that time?

 

Things take time. Just be patient and persevere. It is a key part to an effective fat loss strategy.

 

 

 

So That’s Part 1 done!

5 super important things you should be doing if you are looking to drop off that stubborn belly fat.

 

Look Out for Part 2 in the coming weeks. But first make sure you get to grips with these, remember things take time. These all the steps I follow when I put together fat loss programs for my Online Coaching clients.

 

If You are unsure of the best way to approach fat loss then check out my online coaching options or just drop me an email Rhys@Specifixtraining.com

 

Thanks

-Rhys

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3 Mind Hack to Keep Your Motivation to Lose Weight

3 Mind Hack to Keep Your Motivation to Lose Weight

 

Keeping yourself motivated is hard. Some days your motivated as hell and you can’t wait to hit the gym and destroy your workout. And others its damn hard to even get up off the sofa, let alone track your nutrition.

Motivation is all about perspective, Your perspective to be exact.

 

What has Perspective got to do with it I hear you say.

Well, let’s say your 4 weeks into your diet and you’ve lost 4 pounds. If you look at that and think to yourself that 4lbs is terrible and you should have lost more especially with the work you have put in. That is a perspective which almost demonises the results you have achieved.

In reality, you are smashing your fat loss. Having changed your eating habits and sustainably dropping fat.

Your Normal!

Let’s say your exercising 5 days each week, and eating healthy foods but you’re staying the same weight.

Or the scales keep on telling you that you haven’t lost any weight.

 

If you feel that’s all is lost or “what’s the point”, then that’s ok. It’s totally normal to feel this way.

 

You see it IS possible to create weight loss motivation. Whether you have never had any motivation or struggle with it is possible to use strategies to help generate it.

I’m going to give you 3 mind-hack methods which can help you ignite your motivation and get everything rolling for you again.

 

#1 F**k the Scales

Now this may sound like blasphemy in the weight loss world, and the title is perhaps a little misleading. But it is important you do not put all your eggs in one basket so to speak.

Have you ever popped on the scales excited to see a huge drop in weight because you’ve had a really good couple of weeks, only to see that the scales have barely budged and though ‘Screw this, I quit!’?

Each time you look at the scales and the numbers say the same thing day in day out, it can really demotivate you.

 

What you need to do is learn ‘Scale language’.

‘WTF is That?’

Scale Language is what may stop you understanding real progress and even shadow the great progress you are making.

In other words, the numbers on the scale are not everything.

 

Some people say not to weigh yourself at all, but in reality weighing yourself can help you keep track progress and even help maintain a healthy bodyweight.

The scale is a useful tool for fat loss and is simply that, a tool. If used in the most optimal way it can play a big part on your motivation.

 

My online coaching client Matt had struggled to get the body he wanted. He had been overweight for years. After getting into a much better shape, he came to me to help him push himself further than He had ever done before. Learning to speak scale language was part of the battle. Following the coaching I laid out was key to getting himself where He wanted to be.

Scale Language #1

The scale will NOT go down every day or week

It just won’t.

The scale will fluctuate up and down no matter how on point you are with your nutrition.

Expecting it to drop every day is a sure-fire way to drive yourself nuts, lose motivation and quit. Weight loss is not linear, and shouldn’t be compared day-in day-out as really this means zilch.

 

Instead comparing every 2 weeks will give you much more measurable numbers. Making sure you compare Monday of week 1 with Monday of week 3, and Monday of week 2 with Monday of week 4 etc. I’ve put together a little chart (below) to help you understand.

 

Week 1

Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Monday

(A)

Monday

(B)

Monday

(A)

Monday

(B)

 

Generally speaking, you should see a downward spiral on the scale every 14 days.

The best way is to calculate an average over a month (4 weeks), that way we can see our progress for real. We would hope to see a downward trend of around 0.5-2lbs weekly depending on the individual.

 

Anything within this range is optimal and means that your smashing it.

 

 

Scale Language #2

One good day of dieting does not mean you will lose weight the next day

This is just how the body works. I always have been say to me “Ive been really good the last 2 days, I’ve hit my Calories but I wasn’t any lighter today!”. I simply say to them that Rome wasn’t built in a day. What I mean is that it takes more than just two good days.

Expecting it to work this way for you is a sure fire way to eat away at your motivation until you quit.

 

Weight loss takes time, it takes more than just 1 or 2 good days to make a difference on your weight loss. As long as you are aware of this you will keep your motivation sky high. Just be patient.

 

#2 It is Impossible to Screw up your diet

Its true I promise.

Right now I bet your thinking ‘I can give you 1 million and 1 ways I could screw up my diet’.

It is very common for people to feel like they have completely trashed their diet if they eat a single ‘bad’ piece of food. But let me tell you that this perception is not necessarily true. I have said many times to my clients and people who message me, you will never ever get fat by eating one doughnut, or a slice of birthday cake or whatever.

 

Lets look at a scenario. You go out with some friends on a Saturday night and you down a few beers, eat a few too many slices of pizza and maybe you go through a tub of Ben & Jerrys (phishfood of course).

 

You have two ways to think about that.

Mindset 1:Ive blown my diet, all the hard work I have put in is now pointless. I’ve gone way over my Calories, I might as well eat the rest of this bar of chocolate and indulge over the weekend!”

Or

Mindset 2: “Wow, that was a great night. I’ve probably gone way over my Calories but I know as long as I jump straight back into my diet I know I’ll keep on dropping body fat!”

 

You see, if you have a day where you’ve gone a little bit off track, you have most definitely not screwed up your diet. You simply need to get back on track as quickly as possible.

 

2# You Are Always Just One Meal Away From Getting Back On Track

I have said this many times, to many people. It’s completely true and something I always point out when people tell me they have ‘failed’ on their diet.

 

You really Can’t screw up your diet, I don’t care if you’re eating ice cream, pizza, cupcakes or fast food, saying that your have is just an excuse. An excuse so you can carry on eating like crap, you see its far easier to quit and say you’re a failure than it is to believe in yourself and succeed.

 

The choice is yours, either carry on eating crap food and never get back on track, or get back on track with that one meal which will get you headed in the right direction. You see it doesn’t matter if your eaten some ‘bad’ food, as long you get back on track you will continue making progress.

 

#3 Think of weight loss like saving money

Looking at your savings at the start can be a little depressive, to see how little there is in there.

You gradually ad in a little more each time you get your paycheque, but you continue to do this month in month out over a period of a few years.

Then one day you look a t your savings, and you see how much money you’ve saved over the period of time you’ve done it for. You feel a great sense of achievement and even proud of yourself for doing it.

 

You see weight loss is much the same.

 

At first you look at your weight loss in the first couple of weeks and it is little, you feel like there is nothing. You haven’t lost anything or at least very little maybe 0.5lbs, but that’s the first week. At week 30, that’s 15lbs!

 

Losing body fat and improving your body composition is a game of patience, it isn’t something that happens overnight, or a week or even a month. Significant fat loss happens after being consistently in a Calorie deficit over a series of months. Just like saving money where you will be able to save a little more than in other months, some months you will lose more fat than others.

 

This is 100% normal, I promise.

 

Being consistent with your nutrition is the ONLY way to be healthy and drop body fat.

 

Be patient and I promise that those scales will go down, you will look and feel better.

 

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