Easy to Gain, Hard to Lose

      So, first of all, I’m writing this blog as I have a mouth full of chicken sausage, cheese tortellini in marinara sauce! My portion wasn’t huge yet not as small as it should be. I felt full right before my last bite, and I’m not overly stuffed but I should have stopped 3 bites ago!  I weighed myself this afternoon around 12:30 noon and I was 129.4 and my starting weight was 135. I am happy that I’ve maintained a loss and my clothes fit me better, yet I am disappointed that I’m at a standstill! When I first started this diet 4-22-19 I was determined to stay on the straight and narrow with my food choices and portions, but as time went by got lazy (not by a lot) and I simply got hungry a lot.

Quick Tip:

How Your Appetite Can Sabotage Weight Loss. By Brenda Goodman, MA. FROM THE WEBMD ARCHIVES. Oct. 14, 2016 — New research is shedding light on a question that has long confounded dieters and obesity researchers alike: Why do so many people regain weight after they’ve worked so hard to lose it? The answer, according to a new study, is appetite. People who successfully lose weight get really hungry — more than anyone had ever expected that they might. The body prompts us to eat about 100 calories more than usual for every 2 pounds or so of weight lost, researchers found. “That’s the very first time that number has been quantified. We never knew how big that number was before the study,” says researcher Kevin Hall, PhD, who studies how the body responds to weight loss at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. It’s this surge in appetite, even more than the drop in metabolism people have after weight loss, that drives weight regain, he says. The effect of appetite is three times stronger than the slowing metabolism. The two together almost virtually assure that lost pounds will creep back on, Hall says.

     This article makes sense as to what I’m experiencing!  I go through ups and downs with my determination/motivation and willpower!  It’s so hard when the hunger strikes or when my sweet tooth acts up, which is like every other DAY!!  I have been amazing with my sit-up routine though;) I usually accomplish my sets in the evening before I eat dinner, I’ve only missed them a couple of times in the last 3 weeks.  You know those days after work when your body melts into your bed mattress and your eyelids have 5lb weights on them! I have definitely toned a little in my abs and waistline which is encouraging so I will for sure keep moving forward even if the scale doesn’t want to be my friend!  

One more

Quick Tip:

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. Flat Stomach Finally! Top Tips To Tone Up And De-Bloat. Emily Skye. Getting a toned tummy is about exercising smart and eating the right foods. Most girls I speak to on a daily basis all want to know how to flatten their tummy and tone up their abs. I’ve spent years working on my abs, figuring out the best formula to achieve a great midsection. What I’ve discovered is that it all comes down to three things: eating the right foods, exercising smarter, and proper digestion to remove any bloating. So, if you finally want to get the flat stomach, here are my key tips on how to tone up and de-bloat. Tone up the tummy. When it comes to tone your waistline, you need to make sure you have a good exercise routine and that you fuel your body with the right foods. You can be a saint at the gym, but if you are not matching it with the right nutrients, then you may never get the flat midsection you desire. Exercise smarter.  Doing 100 crunches day after day is not going to result in a flat stomach. Toned abs come from doing a range of different exercises that target the core in different ways to help the body melt fat. I take on a more holistic approach to achieving a great midsection, implementing exercises other than just ab crunches to get my results. I combine strength sessions (that target the core and whole body) along with HIIT (to melt fat off) to reach these goals. Related: Best Abs Ever With This Workout. Strength training. Incorporating strength training into your exercise routine is definitely a key ingredient for achieving a toned tummy. Lifting weights helps the body build muscle; the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be and the more fat you burn. That’s why I add weights into all of my workout programs. Please don’t worry girls— you aren’t going to bulk doing this either. HIIT. Having a flat tummy also comes down to reducing your body fat percentage. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) has been shown to be one of the most effective methods for shredding fat. A HIIT circuit is very simple. You take a handful of exercises and then perform each at high intensity while keeping the rest between exercises to a minimum. The best thing about HIIT is that you can include exercises that target any body part you want. I like to create HIIT circuits that involve core, cardiovascular and resistance training in the one workout. By getting your heart rate up, you speed up your metabolism and help the body burn fat more effectively. Eat the right foods.  If you aren’t fueling your body with proper nutrients, you aren’t going to reap the rewards for all your hard work at the gym. A poor diet can often lead to feeling tired and lethargic. If you are undereating, this can also damage your metabolism. To get fit and feeling great, you need to eat a well-balanced whole food diet that will give your body proper nutrients. Starvation and deprivation diets will not work. To help tone up the belly, it’s good to stay away from foods like refined carbs. These foods spike your insulin levels, which then prevents fat burning in the body. Refined carbs are in foods like white bread, pasta, crackers, sugar, and white rice. Replace refined carbs with healthy complex carbs from things like vegetables, sweet potatoes, brown rice or quinoa.

      I will say, writing these blogs has broadened my knowledge on the subjects I write about simply by reading and posting literature written about them! I have even made some awesome exercise contacts through IG!  One local fit mom reached out because I love hiking with my three-year-old! She does exercise boot camps on her facebook page and invited me, which I’m totally going to do! Wink Wink! Haha. No, I seriously going to! 

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