In this episode we talk about the true drivers of fat loss success and when exercise should be added to the equation (and when it shouldn’t be). We talk about why cardio isn’t the most effective workout strategy and discuss the benefits of high intensity interval training as well as how it can be incorporated regardless of your fitness level.
You can get amazing fat loss results without working out. The single most important factors for fat loss and health are what you put in your mouth and what you put in your mind. If you haven’t mastered those areas yet, please don’t add pressure to yourself by adding fitness before you’re ready. 90% or more of your results are going to come from what you put in your body. Master your nutrition and mindset habits FIRST.
Just because some types of activity are more efficient for fat loss that doesn’t mean you have to give up other activities if you love them. If you love running: run. If you love Zumba: Zumba your butt off. The best exercise is the one you’ll do and enjoy doing. We aren’t striving for perfection here, folks.
HIIT can be employed by everyone regardless of your fitness level. High intensity is a relative term. Avoid the urge to compare your intensity to someone else’s. Any intensity level other than your own is completely irrelevant. Don’t fall into the comparison trap. It doesn’t serve you.
Why Chronic Cardio is Ineffective:
It has a relatively low calorie burn
It triggers a stress response in your body which can lead to inflammation and a decreased immune response
It often up-regulates hunger and cravings
It can slow your metabolic rate and decrease your ability to burn fat.
It takes more time than is necessary!
What is HIIT?
High intensity interval training
Short duration
High intensity
Benefits of HIIT
The after burn generated by EPOC (excess post exercise oxygen consumption)
Production of human growth hormone to support metabolism
Improved insulin sensitivity
Improved mitochondrial efficiency
Short duration
Improved blood sugar utilization
Doesn’t trigger the chronic stress response
Can easily be done with low or medium impact (biking, rowing, swimming, etc)
Can easily be done with or without equipment or gym facilities
HIIT for Beginners
Tabata style for a 4 minute workout
20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest and repeat for a total of 4 minutes
Consider: body weight squats, modified pushups, stairs, jump rope
HIIT for Intermediates
Longer total workout time (10 minutes – 20 minutes)
Longer work intervals (20 seconds – 1 minute)
Shorter rest times (10 seconds – 30 seconds)
More complex movements (jump squats, regular pushups, burpees)
Multiple movements (alternative walking lunges and jump squats)
HIIT for Advanced
Add weights
Undefined work/rest times (max output and then rest until you’re ready to work again)
Running sprints (20 seconds on, 40 seconds off for 8-10 rounds)
I know exactly what my comfort zone feels like. We all have one. Most of us spend too much time hanging out there. I find the edge of my comfort zone when I’m working out. That first moment of “Woah, this is getting hard. It’s starting to feel uncomfortable. I wanna quit. I don’t want to work that hard.” Or that moment when someone offers me a homemade cookie or I drive past my favorite donut place. That feeling of “It’s just this once. I’ll be better tomorrow”. Riiiiiiiight there on the edge of my comfort zone. It is uncomfortable to push through the workout. It is uncomfortable to say “no” to my favorite things.
It’s not comfortable to push beyond the limits. It’s not comfortable to say “yes” when your body is saying “no”. It’s not comfortable to say “no” when your cravings are saying “yes”. But you know what? I had to get really honest with myself and embrace the fact that if I did what I’ve always done, I’d get what I’ve always got.
If I kept saying “I’ll start tomorrow” to excuse today’s indulgence.
If I kept quitting or throwing in the towel at the start of a workout.
If I kept making excuses to have another treat “just this once”.
I knew what those things got me. Living right there, smack in the center of my comfort zone, I was fat. I had no energy. I had no confidence. I had no passion. I had no hope.
Don’t get me wrong. Your comfort zone has an important role. It keeps you safe. It helps you avoid risk and danger. It provides mental, emotional & physical security.
But at some point it limits you. Severely. It keeps you right where you are and prevents your growth & achievement.
Consider this: are you living your fullest life right now? Is this life, this body, this career, this relationship all that you want it to be? For me, the answer was no. To get the life I wanted I had to leave my comfort zone. The security of my comfort zone was limiting my life and holding me back from reaching my potential.
I didn’t want to limit myself to the handful of things I could have within the confines of my comfort zone. So I stepped beyond it. But here’s the thing: by definition, leaving your comfort zone is uncomfortable. It doesn’t always feel good. But if you want the reward, if you want the joy, if want the improvements then you have to get uncomfortable. The more frequently you break those boundaries the easier it becomes. The more progress you make, the easier it becomes. It will be hard at first.
When you wake up in the morning and want to grab that bagel or fast food remind yourself: that is my comfort zone. I am breaking free. I am claiming bigger things.
When your day gets crazy and you’re craving candy in the middle of the afternoon remind yourself: that is my comfort zone. I don’t want that life. I am creating new boundaries.
When you get home and feel tempted to order pizza instead of taking a few minutes to put together a healthy meal remind yourself: that is my comfort zone. I’ve spent enough time there. I want something more.
When you ready to quit when your workout gets hard remind yourself: that is my comfort zone. I can’t grow in there. I can’t become the person I want to be if I don’t move beyond those walls.
When you go out to dinner and consider going all out and “starting tomorrow” remind yourself: that is my comfort zone. I’ve that before. I know how that ends. I know that’s not effective. I want more.
When you want to sit on the couch and watch TV instead of getting your meals together for work tomorrow remind yourself: that is my comfort zone. I’m not happy there. I deserve happiness.
It’s not always easy but it gets easier with time and practice.
Remember this quote from Atlas Shrugged. “The world you desire can be won. It exists. It is possible. It is yours.”
But also remember this from me: It exists outside your comfort zone.
I have been getting SO many requests for my chipotle chicken recipe with cilantro lime cauliflower rice that I decided to put it up on the site. I don’t usually share recipes on the blog – I reserve them for folks on my free VIP email list (they get my super favorite stuff like Paleo ice cream and sweet potato nachos). But, since this one was in such high demand and everyone who tries it totally loves it, I thought I’d be a nice girl and put it up here for everybody!
I’m a big fan of Chipotle Mexican Grill. When I go there, I usually get a salad with chicken. I found that sometimes I want something more substantial (salads don’t usually fill me up, I need cruciferous veggies for the satiety factor) so I was determined to make a version of a Chipotle burrito bowl but with cauliflower rice. I gotta say: I think I did it. I made a super quick video of the cauli rice process, too, since that sometimes confuses people. Here’s the recipe – I hope you love it! Definitely let me know!
What you’ll need to get at the grocery:
1 head of cauliflower
Coconut oil
Fresh lime
Cilantro
Coconut milk
Salt
Chicken thighs (you can use breasts but thighs are more moist)
Chilis in adobo (canned)
Green chilis (canned)
Red onion
Garlic (fresh)
Cumin
Extra virgin olive oil
The first thing you need to do is create the marinade for your chicken. I marinated mine for about 6 hours but nex time I’ll do it overnight for even more intense flavor. So, minimum: 6 hours. Maximum: overnight.
To create your marinade, put the following ingredients in your food processor or high powered blender:
1 can of chilis in adobo
1 small can of green chilis
1/2 raw red onion (I sliced it a few times before adding it in)
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
Blend well. Once it is blended, add to the mixture 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil and blend again.
Place your chicken in a baking dish (or you can use a gallon size ziploc bag) and add the marinade. Let sit for AT LEAST 6 hours while refrigerated.
Alright – before chow time you need to make your cauliflower rice. Add your raw cauliflower florets to a food processor and pulse until it is shredded to a small, rice-like size (you can also use a cheese grater if you don’t have a food processor but be prepared for a mess).
In a large saute pan, add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. When the oil is melted and the pan is hot, add your riced cauliflower. Let that sit over medium heat, stirring occassionally for about 3-5 minutes. Then add:
The juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup coconut milk
Cover and let cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occassionally over medium/low heat.
While your cauliflower rice is cooking, remove your chicken from the marinate and chop it into bite-sized pieces (sometimes I’ll bake the thighs whole. Just depends on my mood). Heat 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan and add the chicken, cooking thoroughly.
Top the cauliflower rice with your chicken, some of the sauce from the pan and garnish with avocado or guacamole! Enjoy the heck out of it! I certainly did! (If you need more direction on the cauliflower rice, I made a video of how to make it which is up on the facebook page)
We have a special guest today! It’s Keri Mantie from Keri Mantie Personal Training! Keri and I recently launched a fat loss habit implementation course together and though we’re totally loving it, we’re hearing a few common struggles and challenges from the folks in the group. These are common issues we also hear from tons of people outside of our course so we wanted to talk through these challenges and talk about some practical ways to overcome them.
So many of us fall into the trap of the “all or nothing” mindset to weight loss. We’re either “on” or “off” and we can rarely sustain our progress that way. Keri and I talk about our own personal struggles with this mindset, how we work to overcome it and how we help our clients navigate the major mindset obstacles that hold them back including judging yourself for making poor choices and making excuses.
If you aren’t getting the results you want it’s time to evaluate what is holding you back. Keri and I are finding some real commonalities in thought processes that hold people back from reaching their goals, believing in themselves and making true progress. In this episode we’re talking about how to overcome things like:
The “all or nothing” mindset
Not knowing how to find your own fat loss formula and feeling lost without a food list or meal plan
Judging yourself for making a less-than-stellar choice and using it as an excuse to throw in the towel for the day, weekend or week
Valuing “new” information over action/implementation and continually seeking the next magic bullet
My fave quote from the episode: “A loss is not a failure until you make an excuse” ~ Michael Jordan
In today’s episode we are talking about ketosis. We answer the common question “what is ketosis”, how it works, the major myths & misconceptions and common ways people mess it up. We go into detail on how you can find your sweet spot with the right amount of protein and carbs for your body to get in and stay in ketosis. We’ll cover the advantages and disadvantages as well as the types of people who probably shouldn’t try it.
There’s no question that carbohydrates are one of the big rocks of fat loss but that does not mean you need to go no carb or even low carb to burn fat. It truly is about smart carb strategies. If you have questions about carbs & fat loss I think it would really help you out to read about the carbs & fat loss course. This course teaches effective and sustainable carb strategies for fat loss without extremes like ketosis.
The Myths:
Many people believe that a low carb diet is a ketogenic diet or that paleo and primal diets are ketogenic. That is not true. There are 4 things you need in order to get your body into ketosis:
Calorie deficit
Very low carb (20-70g/day) and that INCLUDES carbs coming from any vegetable (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, etc)
Moderate/low protein – a ketogenic diet is not a high protein diet
High fat (a ketogenic diet is not a low calorie diet. That would be starvation)
REPEAT: it is not a low calorie diet. In fact, its often the opposite. When people count calories here they tend to really throw themselves off. You can eat a much higher calorie diet and still be in a calorie deficit with ketosis because your body is efficiently burning high octane fuel.
Your body has a very, very different response when you crash diet and cut carbs AND calories versus when you cut carbs, keep calories high enough and create hormonal balance. Let me explain that a bit so none of you get the idea to cut carbs & protein without significantly increasing your fat intake.
If your body gets alarmed that fuel is too scarce, it will break down muscle tissue for glucose and resist burning fat because it wants to conserve that very high energy fuel reserve. If you create a mild calorie deficit and consume a moderate amount of protein that the body can use for gluconeogenesis without having to tap into your muscle for that protein, your body will generate ketones from fat you eat and stored fat without burning your precious, metabolically active muscle tissue.
Another major myth is that ketosis is dangerous. For most people that is not true. This myth comes from two major misconceptions:
That ketosis is a low calorie starvation diet
That ketosis is the same as, or leads to, ketoacidosis which is totally not true at all
Let’s talk for a second about what ketoacidosis is and why it is isn’t even a remote concern for most of us.
When diabetics don’t get enough insulin, their bodies think they are starving. The body thinks there is no glucose available (there is, it just can’t get to the cells because of the lack of insulin or lack of response to insulin) so they burn fat instead. Ketone production goes into overdrive . Here’s the problem: they aren’t low on glucose. They actually have an excess of glucose. It just can’t get out of the blood stream. But the body can’t stop making ketones. When the blood ketones reach about 20 millimolars, the patient can get very sick and go into a coma. Ketoacidosis. It is very dangerous but it is really only applicable to type 1 diabetics and insulin dependent type 2 diabetics and is very rare even in both of those.
Ketoacidosis is not possible in other people because as we produce insulin, the body can’t over produce ketones. Insulin turns off ketone production.
The Facts:
Some cells in your body require glucose to function but I want you to understand that does not mean you need to eat sugar for health. Our bodies, being incredibly efficient, can manufacture glucose from protein. Why do we have this ability? Because our paleo ancestors didn’t routinely have access to carbs (only seasonal fruits). The body manufactures glucose from protein with the help of fat. Fat helps to fuel a process in the liver called gluconeogenesis – or generating glucose by breaking down protein
Ketosis looks different for everyone. Your total amount of carbs to get you into ketosis will vary. The more insulin resistant or metabolically imbalanced you are, the fewer carbs you can eat and get into ketosis. The same is true of protein. If you are more insulin resistant, you’ll have to eat less protein to get into ketosis. Everyone will be different. Some will find they can only eat 20-30g carbs to get and stay in ketosis while others will be able to eat 60-100g. Protein is the same way. Some will find they can only eat 6-8 oz protein per day. Others will find they can eat 8-12 oz and be in ketosis. People who have struggled with their weight or struggled with carb sensitivity will be on the lower end of both spectrums. And just to give you an idea of what 20g of carbs per day looks like – that’s 2 cups of Brussels sprouts and 4 cherry tomatoes. Seriously.
Common reasons people can’t get in ketosis:
Too many carbs
Too much protein
Too many calories
Not enough fat
Too few calories
Practical Implementation:
Don’t adopt any strategy that (for you) is a short term strategy
Make sure you are eating foods you love
If you want to give ketosis a try, work to identify your carb tolerance by starting at 20g per day total. This includes carbs coming from non-starchy vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower. Use the same process to identify your protein tolerance. Make sure to eat ample fat! Do not go on a starvation diet!
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