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Portion Size — Nutrition Tips from Douglasville Personal Trainer Dave Hansey

wendy — Mon, 19 May 2008 00:42:49 +0000

Nutrition is a HUGE part of weight loss and as a Douglasville personal trainer, I try to make my clients understand that weight loss and fitness require a balance in all parts of your life. Working out, lifting weights, doing cardio, getting enough sleep, eating well…….

Portion control is one of the most critical things when it comes to weight loss and weight control. This is made even more difficult by giant restaurant portions.

If you follow the USDA portions, you need to understand the SIZE of those portions. While 6 servings of grains may sound great, remember that one serving is 1/2 cup of cooked pasta or rice. So if you look at a regular restaurant size as usually more than 5 cups — WOW — you just blew your whole day and some of tomorrow. A half a bagel — gives you more than 2 servings of grain. Eat the whole thinng and you are almost done with grains for the day! Pancakes ? A serving is ONE pancake — eat a stack of them at IHOP and bye bye your whole grain allotment for the day. While sometimes you may decide to do that — it should be a CONSCIOUS decision — so you know to watch it for the rest of the day.

Working Out, Nutrition and RESULTS

wendy — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:44:13 +0000

I have lots of people tell me almost daily that they are doing EVERYTHING but are just not getting results. Now, to me — this means you are not DOING EVERYTHING

And I do not mean that in a cruel way. Sometimes — actually MOST OF THE TIME – these people believe they are really stepping it up and not getting there. Well, here are some things that can trick you into thinking you are doing it all — and these things all mess with your fitness and weight loss results.

1 — Liquid calories — are you drinking a lot of juice, soda, iced tea, coffee drinks — these all contain hidden calories and can add up to hundreds of calories a day.

2 — Cardio — are you doing all the cardio that your personal trainer has told you that you need. Remember 45 minutes does not include the time you took to stop and talk to someone, the time you spent getting started, etc. And if you are using an elliptical — are you working out INTENSELY enough? It is too easy to just go through the motions so if you are not sure, change to the treadmill for a week and see if you notice the difference.

3 — Strength training — do you do a strength training workout? A fitness class, even one with weights is not strength training. You need to lift weights regardless of your age to build not only bone density but muscle density which burns calories even when you are not working out.

4 – PORTIONS — this is perhaps the BIGGEST issue for a lot of people. How much is a cup? Take out a cup and actually measure a cup of cereal. Put 2 cups of salad onto a plate. It is very difficult to get a hold of your portions if you don’t. You end up eating too much of things your should limit and too little of fruits and vegetables.

5 – Restaurant Meals — It really does not matter what you eat in a restaurant — it is rarely healthy. Even “grilled vegetables” are usually brushed with butter so they look better. So really, try to learn to eat at least a few of your meals at home. You will be healthier, more in control of your diet and you will save money. If you are not sure of what to cook, I have a whole site dedicated to that very topic with tons of healthy recipes and new ones added every day so if in doubt, have a look at Douglasville Weight Loss

6 — Are you actually hungry. Addicts are told to be careful of what they call HALTT — hungry, angry, lonely, tired or thirsty. Well, some people are addicted to food and to their eating habits. So ask yourself this same list of questions. Are you ACTUALLY THIRSTY?? Are you just bored and lonely and watching TV? Are you eating more from habit and less from need?

I hope these help you get control on some of the things that can be sending you off the rails. If you still do not see results, I would suggest at least a handful of personal training sessions to get you back on track because there is more going on.

Working out is PART of a healthy lifestyle — Advise from Dave, the 4fitbodies Personal Trainer

wendy — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 00:34:53 +0000

I know I tell you to work out to get healthy. And working out will get you healthy. But it is only a part of a healthy lifestyle. You can work out like a demon but if you eat junk food, fried food, processed food, etc. Then you will not be fueling your body correctly and in return, your body will respond with problems. Whether it is just being run down or not losing the weight you are expecting or feeling winded during your cardio.

Your body is like a vehicle and responds only to the correct fuel. So you need to put the correct fuel in. I am not trying to limit your enjoyment. There are many ways to prepare and enjoy healthy food that is delicious and wonderful. It usually takes a bit more time than pulling through a drive through window but you will love it.

The taste of the food will thrill you, the results and how your body feels will thrill you and keeping your weight under control will thrill you.

Not sure if you know where to start for your healthy eating plan. Then check out my site at www.douglasvilleweightloss.com

Not sure if your diet is the problem? Keep a diary for a week or two and record everything you keep in your mouth. Here is a great free diary. FREE DIARY FROM MY SITE

Remember, if you have questions about this or about your personal training or how to get fit, you can always e-mail me or give me a call.

You are unique!

wendy — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:27:23 +0000

I have been training a lot of clients lately who have been seasoned gym goers. They have been able to adjust their routines dramatically and not only improve their routine, but reduce the time they spend in the gym. While I enjoy seeing all of you, I don’t enjoy seeing any of you frustrated by your routine.
Let me share something with you that I share with these clients. It is my own workout routine. I work out every morning at the gym prior to starting work. I do three days of strength training and two days of cardio at the gym. I do an additional cardio routine on the weekend by going for a run. This program works for me. I am thinner with better muscle development, better balance and better abs than I had when I was in the military. WHY?
My current workout is balanced and when I work out, I work hard. I keep it fresh by changing it often. I have an advantage because I know the proper tempo and form for the exercises that work. If you are not sure of your form or you don’t have a tempo, let’s talk!
Tempo is INDIVIDUAL! Did you know that if you have hypertension, you can get HURT if you don’t understand tempo. You cannot have an isometric phase if you have hypertension as it is stressful for your body.
Form is what makes the exercise work. If you are performing the move without proper form, you are not only minimizing the result, you are risking hurting yourself!
We are all UNIQUE and what I hope you take away from this is how you need to build a unique approach to your workout that suits your special needs. WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING! Whether it is a bad knee or you just had a baby (or you want to!), there is something unique for all of us that our workout should HELP us with. I wish you good health!!

Basic Nutrition

wendy — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 03:40:30 +0000

Basic nutrition seems to be common sense, but so many people struggle with it. Part of the struggle is temptation. Part of the struggle is that we don’t have a lot of time to plan and prepare nutritious, delicious meals. And yet, another part of the struggle is that we don’t know how to make nutrition delicious.
To have your meal plan evaluated, you need to visit a Registered Dietician. There are lots of nutrition programs out there, but only a registered dietician has the training to design a program for you. So, if you need serious help, don’t hesitate, get a referral from your doctor.
For some basic ideas, there are a few simple, easy things that work for pretty much everyone. They are:
- eat less processed food.
- Eat more fruit and vegetables
- Watch your portions
- Drink water
Processed foods are convenient and often very tasty. They are also usually loaded with calories and the serving size may not be enough to satisfy you. Try reducing the amount of these that you have in the house.
Once you have unloaded the processed food, you can replace it with filling vegetables and fruit. By making wiser choices, you can lower your caloric intake and still enjoy what you eat. Take breakfast for example. Would you rather have a bagel and cream cheese or scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, rye toast with jam and fresh pineapple? It might surprise you that the egg breakfast has fewer calories (see details below)
Now, it is time to look at your portions. This is a tough thing for a lot of people to do. You need to read the label. Is one serving 6 potato chips? Are you only going to eat 6 chips? If you are, put the 6 in a bowl and walk away. Or, choose an alternate that will satisfy you. Maybe instead of the chips, you would be happier with vegetables and dip (again, put the portion of dip in a bowl and walk away!)
Drink more water should be my mantra. I say it all day long. I feel better when I drink more water. Have a look at your water intake and decide if you need to drink more. Water is a better drink for your body than a lot of the drinks that we love (juice, sweet tea, soda) because it is just water. Have a look at it and see if you should consider drinking more.
I wish you the best of health!