Does stress make you fat?

Does stress make you fat?

Say no to Cort-i-sol !

Does stress make you fat? Yes and no, its not the stress that makes you fat its what stress does to your hormones that make you fat! Let me explain, when your stressed your body releases a natural, stress-related hormone called cortisol. 

Excess cortisol causes your metabolism to slow down. This could mean that even if you don't consume more calories than usual, you could gain weight. Though usually this isn't the case as most people get stressed, feel sorry for themselves and then grab a box of cookies to chow down to ‘make them feel better’.

Though I must admit high levels of cortisol is usually the cause of these cravings for foods high in fat and sugar, which lead to weight gain. High levels of cortisol can also cause high blood sugar, high blood pressure, increased abdominal fat, and loss of muscle tissue.

So eating more calories and having a slower metabolism usual equals disaster zone for weight maintenance. To make it worse receptors for cortisol are located in your abdomen, which triggers fat storage right there!

The connection, then, between stress, cortisol and body fat is that stress releases cortisol, which can cause some individuals to overeat in response to that stress. Studies haven't yet showed exactly how cortisol may affect eating behaviors or appetite directly, but research is still going on.

Whatever the cause, the tendency to eat those high-fat foods mentioned earlier may actually cause a vicious cycle of poor food choices.

Oh and to make it worse cortisol also decreases bone density, depresses immune function, 

changes your detoxification system, and leads to inflammation.

Since cortisol levels increase with stress, the best way to maintain a healthy level of cortisol is to.... reduce stress! Trying to avoid stress completely isn't possible, though we can reduce the amount of stress we put on the body. Stress is an important part of life as it promotes positive adaptations and growth. It's when the stress becomes continuous, and causes high levels of cortisol, then we have a problem.

So how do I decrease stress?

Get regular exercise! I think everyone should agree that regular physical activity is one of the most effective ways to deal with stress. It helps to regulate cortisol levels, it can helps with depression, and it will help you get a better night’s sleep.

Relaxation exercises, such as yoga, pilates and meditation will ease your stress without food. It also will help you become social which might brighten your spirits and take your mind off things that might wind you up through the day.

Count some sheep and get some sleep! If you don’t sleep very well you can increase stress on your body, as it can’t fully repair and grow properly. It can also decrease your energy levels, which means you might not be able to function properly physically or mentally throughout your day which will increase stress on your body. So make sure you get your 6-8 hours a night!

Caffeine can also aggravates stress, including physical, mental, and emotional stress, which can affect your mood and can elevate cortisol levels in the body.  If you ingest high levels of caffeine, you may feel your mood soar and plummet, leaving you craving more caffeine to make it soar again, causing you to lose sleep, suffer health consequences and, of course, feel more stress. However, small to moderate amounts of caffeine can lift your mood and give you a boost. Caffeine is best ingested before exercise that way your performance is enhanced and the stress-management benefits of exercise can keep you healthy and feeling less stressed throughout the day. So enjoy in moderation!

Be positive! If you can’t change the situation, change the way you think about it.

Don’t be upset/angry/depressed about situations you can’t change. You are wasting your time and your energy. If you are upset today about a situation that is out of your control or has already happened you are wasting your day and you will never get it back. Being upset isn’t going to change the situation or make it any better, its just going to ruin your day. Focus on the good things about your life and yourself. Nobody's perfect. Learn to enjoy the "little things" that make you happy. Count your blessings. Every day, write down one thing you are grateful for, even if it's just a sunny day, a friend's phone call, or the fact that you have a hot dinner for the night as people around the world don’t even get that!  Be grateful for what you have and don’t let trivial things bring you down!

Life will always throw rocks in the your path, 

its whether you build a wall or build a bridge!

Kristy 

What, when and how of eating a balanced diet

2 fruits, 5 veges, 5 grain? or is it 4 grain?! How much protein? and what about fat?!

Eating healthy doesn't have to be so hard and/or confusing! So I thought I would help by writing up a basic guidelines for you to follow so you can achieve a healthy balanced diet!

To start we want to get you eating small meals often. This keeps your body burning fat and makes sure you use more calories for energy, rather than storage. The mission is to keep your metabolic rate as high as possible, which is the rate at which your body burns off calories. 

The faster it's running, the closer easier it will be to lose weight and keep it off. 

So make sure you eat every 2-3 hours, consuming 5-6 high quality meals throughout the day. 

Plan your meals ahead of time so you know exactly what and when you'll eat.  If you fail to plan, you plan to fail! 

 Lean protein should be eaten with each and every meal you consume, as it's responsible for tissue growth and repair. Good choices include grilled chicken or turkey, lean beef, egg whites, tuna fish or salmon, cottage cheese and protein shakes. For best results, shoot for one gram of protein per pound (kgs x 2.2) of body weight each and every day.

Carbohydrates are also important, but the type is critical. These should come from complex sources like whole grains, wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, oats, vegetables, brown rice, sweet potatoes. Stop listening to all that no-carb talk you might hear. Carbohydrates are important to fuel your muscles and shouldn't be cut out entirely. Carefully chosen, yes. Removed completely, never. 

Stay away from refined sources like white bread, chocolates, lollies.  All they do is give you a quick-me-up, not lasting energy.

Finally, you have your fats. Fat's are important for growth and will keep your muscle-building hormones at a healthy level. Don't make the mistake that many guys do trying to avoid all fats in order to cut fat. Make sure you take in good fats daily, which are crucial for great health and best results. Not all fats are created equal, and to lose fat you need healthy fat in your diet. Make sure you take in fats like a tablespoon of olive oil, almonds, fish, or peanut butter a few times a day. Avoid foods with a ton of saturated or trans-fats. They're packed with calories, yet provide few nutrients.  

Here is a usually break down of how your days meals should be planned out. Below explains the macronutrient splits throughout your day. 

 Breakfast: Protein/Carbohydrates/Fats

 Mid Morning Snack: Protein + Fruit/Veggies

 Lunch: Protein/Carbohydrates/Fats + Veggies

 Mid afternoon Snack: Protein/Fats + Fruit

 Dinner: Protein/Fats + Veggies

 Dessert: Slow digested Protein/Fats e.g. Yoghurt with slivered almonds

When you train eat its a little different. 

Nutrition around your workout needs to be priority to make the most out of your workouts. 

So here is a good guideline to follow when working out.

 Breakfast: Protein/Carbohydrates/Fats/Fruit

-WORKOUT-

Post Workout: Protein + carbs

 Lunch: Protein/Carbohydrates/Fats + Veggies

 Mid afternoon Snack: Protein/Fats + Fruit/Veges

 Dinner: Protein/Fats + Veggies

 Before bed: Slow digested Protein/Fats e.g. Yoghurt with slivered almonds

 If you train in the afternoon-

 Breakfast: Protein/Carbohydrates/Fats/Fruit

 Mid afternoon Snack: Protein/Fats + Fruit

 Lunch: Protein/Carbohydrates/Fats + Veggies

-WORKOUT-

Post Workout: Protein + Carbs

 Dinner: Protein/Fats + Veggies

 Dessert: Slow digested Protein/Fats e.g. Yoghurt with slivered almonds

So how much is each serving?

Here is some examples -

Protein

· 80-100 grams cooked lean beef

· 65-100gm cooked meat or chicken

·  (eg 1/2 cup mince, 2 small chops or 2 slices roast meat)

· 2/3 cup cooked beans or lentils

· 2 eggs

· 80-120g cooked fish fillet,

· 1 cup (250ml) milk

· 2 slices (40g) cheese

· 1 tub (200g) yoghurt

·         Scoop of Protein Powder

Fruit

· 1 medium apple, orange, banana, etc (150g)

· 2 small apricots, plums, etc (150g)

· ½ cup (125mL) fruit juice             

· Dried fruit eg 4 dried apricots

· 1 1/2 tablespoons sultanas

· About 20 grapes or cherries

· About 8 strawberries

Vegetables

· ½ cup (75g) cooked vegetables

· 1 cup salad vegetables

Carbs

· 2 slices (30g) multigrain bread

· ½ cup or 80g cooked brown pasta/rice

· 1 bowl (45g) breakfast cereal

· 1/2 cup muesli

· 1 cup Sweet potato

· 1/2 cup  Barley

· 1/2 cup Quinoa

Fats

· Avocado 1 TBS

· Almonds 15g (dry roasted) (~8 pieces)

· Cashews 1 tbsp or 9.65g

· Enova oil 1 Tsp or 4.5g

· Flax oil 1 Tsp or 4.5g

· Mayonnaise (Light, reduced-fat) 1 Tbsp or 15g

· Oil (olive or canola0 1 tsp 

· 4.5g Peanuts 1/3 oz or 9.36g

· Peanut/Almond butter (smooth or crunchy) 2 tsp

· Pecans or 1 tbsp or 7.44g

·  Salad dressing (Light, reduced-fat) 2 Tbsp or 30g

·  Sesame seeds 1Tbsp or 9.4g

What your plate should look like - 

The End :)

Bigger snacks mean bigger slacks!

You are what you eat!

As I said in an earlier blog nutrition  makes up 70% of your results. I shall repeat my favourite saying..

YOU CANNOT OUT TRAIN A BAD DIET!!

Okay so now I have that off my chest lets get down to the nitty gritty!

I can sit here and type for hours about what to eat and why but I do 

want you to be finished reading this by next week!

So I have decided to give you some guidelines!

Guidelines to Healthy Eating

Swap processed carbs for good quality carbs

I don't want you to read that and think ok great I got to cut carbs and become Dr Atkins. Think again because that is not what I’m saying. To get lean you have to cut the crap! This crap I am talking about is foods with sugar & white flour! These danger foods are causing health & obesity problems around the world. When we eat sugar or processed foods we quickly get a “splash” of sugar into our bloodstreams causing our blood sugar levels to spike. When this happens your poor pancreas releases insulin to bring you back down but will inevitably cause you to crash. Researchers found insulin makes us  store fat & cause us to actually crave more carbs.

Sugar & processed grains can also effect your adrenal glands causing an increase in fat storage especially in the hips, thighs & waist. The adrenal glands then release cortisol into the body causing more insulin to be released.  So my advice is eat fruit and veges whenever you want for a good source of carbs and only eat whole grain carbs such as grainy bread, barley, brown rice/pasta etc after a workout and for breakfast! Because your deserves it and your body will tolerate carbs more after exercise. For the rest of the day eat your lean protein and a delicious selection of fruits and veggies.

In conclusion—STOP EATING FOODS WITH SUGAR & WHITE FLOUR. I want you to focus on getting your carbs from eating quality complex carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains!

P.s. Instead go with sugar in your coffee etc, replace it with Stevia and try Rye or Ezekiel bread for your sandwiches after your workout or for breakfast.

Be a tiger for me baby grrr ! 

Proteins are what make up our skin, muscles, hair, and nails, neurotransmitters, enzymes, and hormones. Studies show that a diet with great sources of protein, complex carbs and good fats suppresses appetites and speeds up weight loss more effectively than mixed or high‐carbohydrate diets. They have also proven to be much more effective for long‐term weight control than any other intake method over 6‐months. As I said earlier this doesn't mean you have to say good bye to carbs! All carbs are not equal. Your body processes carbs differently depending on what it is and how it effects your blood sugar levels. More info about that in the previous guideline. Anyway back to protein, what we’re looking for is found in lean meats (chicken, turkey & fish), eggs, etc. The majority of our carb intake should be fruits, vegetable and grains. Grains should be eaten after a workout and for breakfast.  Every meal you eat in a day should have some protein in it. Good sources of protein include fish, fowl, meat, eggs, and shellfish. Protein is the building blocks of our bodies, we simply will not survive without it! In conclusion– an increase in protein in your diet can lead to a better health profile, an increased metabolism, improved body composition, and an improved training response.

Find the Nemo in you...

AND DRINK SOME WATER! Do I reallllyyyy need to explain why water is so important when it comes to.. Well anything.! Weight loss, muscle gain, living a healthy life… SURVIVING! If you want to do any of these things I just mentioned your going to have to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day. Often times when we are thirsty we mistake it for being hungry, so next time your hungry grab a glass of water! I usually tell my clients if you have one glass of water at each meal (6 meals a day) you will get a minimum of 6 glasses already before you go and drink randomly throughout the day. Also stay far away from juices & soft drinks because they’re  loaded with sugars, salt & BAD carbs.  If you do want a bit of flavour I am a fan of flavoured diet mineral water, diet cordial or even diet coke (in moderation). You can also make low calorie ice blocks out of these drinks so you have something to munch on in between meals.. Just put it in a mould and freeze!

You have to EAT fat to LOSE fat... go figure

There are 3 types of fat – saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated.

Forget about that old saying “eating fat makes you fat”. Eating these healthy fats can dramatically improve  your health, and even help you lose fat.  A big mistake people make when trying to lose belly fat is to completely stop taking in fats but you really want to keep taking in the right fats.  Some examples of foods with the right fats are raw nuts, seeds, avocados, extra virgin olive oil, coconut, natural peanut butter, fish and fish oils.

Tho AVOID high levels of saturated fat and trans fats as they ‘bad’ LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol in your body  This puts you at risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. So limit your intake of high sat fat foods such as take-aways,  fatty meats, deli meats and fried foods. Also foods such as  pies, pastries, chocolate, lollies biscuits and cakes.

90/10 Rule

If you stick to a healthy diet 90 per cent of your intake of food, then the remaining 10 per cent of occasional treats won’t detriment  your efforts. Just don’t go overboard! The cheat day is the one day a week you’re allowed to eat whatever you want.  This will not only improve you motivation to adhering to the diet but it’ll also allow low hormone levels to boost back up to “fat burning levels.”

But you can’t sprinkle in the cheat meals throughout the week, it just doesn’t work like that.  Six out of the seven days of the week you should be on your dieting program 100% and then you’ll be rewarded with the cheat meal once or maybe twice a week.

Eat smart

Eating 3 meals with snacks in between is the best way to maintain both energy levels and a healthy weight. You are more likely to choose foods that are not as healthy when you skip meals and are over-hungry. A study conducted on the 'frequency of meals and its effect on metabolism' found that a group eating 6 meals per day lost more fat than a group eating 2 meals per day…despite their calories being equal.

Take foods with you or know where you can go to buy something healthy and satisfying.  Make sure your snacks include protein, veges and fruit!

FOR GOODNESS SAKE NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST! Breakfast boosts your metabolism for the day and stops you from eating excess calories in your later meals. Hence the name, you eat breakfast to 'BREAK' the 'FAST'. Eating a healthy breakfast is one of the most important things you can do for yourself in your fat loss journey.  You’ll have more energy in the day and eating a healthy breakfast will lead you to eat healthy for the rest of the day. It will also cause you from overeating at lunch & thus at dinner. Make sure your healthy breakfast foods have a lot of protein and carbohydrates in them e.g. Yogurt with oats  + fruit sliced into it, Egg omelet with avocado, mushroom and spinach, Allbran with skim milk and banana, or a Protein shake made from yoghurt, flax seeds, banana, scoop of protein powder (my fav is Bsc) ...Just quietly.

The final thing i have to tell you about is vitamins and minerals. If your body is deficient in a variety of vitamins and minerals your mind, your brain, will basically be screaming to your stomach saying, “Eat, we need more vitamins and minerals. We’re dying over here.” You’ll go to eat, and if you’re eating the typical American diet you’ll eat foods that are completely void of the vitamins and minerals that your body is demanding, so you keep eating and eating because you’re never giving your body truly what it needs, so your body keeps sending starving craving signals to your stomach.

That is all for now!

Catch you next time :)

Now go to a round of Tabata!

Kristy 

Have your brownie, and eat it too!

26 Calorie Brownies!

Eating healthy is not about depriving yourself of your favourite desserts! Its about being smart about your ingredients. So check out this recipe transformation and take note of what we substituted the not-so-healthy ingredients for!

Ingredients

2/3 Cup Stevia* 

1/3 Cup cocoa

1/3 Cup unsweetened applesauce 

1/3 Cup whole wheat flour 

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/4 Cup low fat yoghurt

Directions

 Beat stevia and applesauce until smooth. 

Mix in egg, yoghurt, and vanilla. 

Mix cocoa, flour and baking powder in a separate bowl and add to wet ingredients. 

Mix until just blended. 

Bake in an 8x8 baking pan at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. 

Makes 16 small brownies. 

Number of Servings: 16 small pieces or 8 big pieces

Nutritional Info

· Servings Per Recipe: 16

(Double amounts if serving 8)

· Amount Per Serving

· Calories: 26.5 

· Total Fat: 0.7 g

· Cholesterol: 13.5 mg

· Sodium: 37.5 mg

· Total Carbs: 5.0 g

· Dietary Fiber: 0.9 g

· Protein: 1.3 g

*(natural sweetener found in 

most grocery stored in 

the sugar/sweeteners section)

Time To Get The Ball Rolling.. And Keep it Rolling

Motivation– ‘being emotionally moved to take action,’

Motivation is fuel to the fire when it comes to sticking to your healthy eating and exercise regime.

It’s the key to all success. There are many factors in life that determine the amount of motivation we have at any given time. It is a reflection of how much we desire to have something or some situation. Desire and determination has the ability to spark our motivation into a particular path. How do we spark this motivation to eat healthy and exercise regularly? 

Before I go into that let me just share this quote with you-

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar.

So today I am going to help you with tips and tricks to help you stay motivated and on track!

1) Pro’s and pro’s

This is a great way to motivate yourself, and you can use this technique for many different excuses!

Today ill give you an example on using it when it comes to exercise adherence. First you will go through the pro’s of NOT exercising then the pro’s of exercise. Still with me ? I’ll explain below...

E.g. 

Pro’s of NOT exercising                                       

Staying warm

Not getting sweaty

Watching TV

Relax on the couch

Pro’s OF exercising

 Increase metabolism

Weight loss

Mood enhancement

Increased confidence

Increased sense of well being

Increased bone strength

Increased fitness level 

Increased joint range of motion or flexibility

Improved sense of well being;

Increased muscular strength;

Improved glucose regulation 

Decreased blood pressure

Improved sleep patterns and levels of anxiety.

Combats chronic diseases 

Feel a sense of accomplishment 

Increased energy

Stress relief

… and I could keep going if you like?

Having those two comparisons in front of you, you can see why getting out and exercising is definitely worth you getting a little sweaty! You can also use this for sticking to your healthy eating regime or anything you find hard to stay motivated to do!

2) Visualize, visualize and more visualizing!

Staying motivated means keeping your goals in visual sight and I mean literally.

So now I’ll use the power of visualization! Bom bom booooom!

So now I want you to think about an event that your looking forward to. An event where you want to be at your goal weight or looking great at.

Now I want you to answer these questions and visualize yourself there.

· How much weight would you like to lose for it?

· Where do you see the weight coming off?

· What will you be wearing?

· How will your outfit look?

· How will you be feeling in this outfit at your goal weight?

· Would you feel proud and accomplished?

· What would people be saying about the new you?

· What emotions are you feeling knowing that people have noticed your transformation?

Now I want you to STOP.

Now I want you to do the same, answer all the questions and visualize yourself but this time you are 3-5 kilos heavier.

You still there? Little scary isn’t it. But it will make you stop and think about it. You have what it takes to start to take action towards your goal right now! Don’t wait until Monday. By Monday you could be that much closer to your goals. So instead of feeling regret at that event that you didn’t start earlier, you will be proud to be in your own skin rocking your outfit and improved confidence!

3) STOP technique

Ok so someone passes you a piece of chocolate cake. You look at it and think ‘awww its only one piece, I know I’m trying to lose weight to feel better and increase my health but I cant resist...I want some cake!”

Ahhh but then the guilt sets in… ‘why did I have that cake! Now I have to do an extra gym session, I feel like crap and guilty!’

Sound familiar! Well I have the perfect solution to help you out when you facing one of these situations.

S– STOP! Before you put it in your mouth!

T– THINK! I have choices here

O– OVERVIEW! Ask yourself-

How will I feel after I eat this? Regret? Guilt?

Am I REALLY that hungry? Or am I bored? Stressed?

How will it affect my weight loss?

Is it really worth it?

P– PICK! Whether to eat the food, not eat the food, or just have a little bit and enjoy!

You can even you it for when you can’t be bothered to exercise!

STOP!– Before you lay on the couch

THINK!– I can persuade myself

OVERVIEW!– Ask yourself-

How will I feel after I exercise?

Do I want to be one step closer to my goal?

What are the pro’s of exercise?

How will I feel 1 kilos lighter by next week?

PICK!– whether to be lazy on the couch or to get up, BE ACTIVE and be one step closer to your goal!

4) GOALLLLLL!!!! and the crowd goes wild!!!

Goal setting is a great technique to keep motivated!

Now I want you to list all the reasons why you want to lose weight and add more reasons to that list as they come to mind. Make it a habit to read this list every time you wake up so you keep your focus on these reasons.

Ok next step is make short term and long term goals to get you there!

Baby steps is the key! Every week right down a few short goals to achieve and how you will feel once you achieve those goals.

E.g. Goals-

1. Exercise 5 times this week -
2. Metobolic Conditioning- Mon, Wed ,Fri 
3. Interval sprints– Tues and Thurs
4. Drink 8 glasses of water
5. Stop drinking coke

Once Achieved- 

• Accomplished
• Proud
• Healthy
• Fit

Mark them off as you go and each week if you accomplish these few goals you will be one step closer to the long term goal.

Steps to goal settings-

Set Specific Goals- Research shows that specific goals are the most motivating.

Set Measurable Goals- Simply saying that you want to get faster is not enough detail. You need to be able to chart and document progress toward your goal.

Set Realistic Goals- Start where you are, and increase your goals accordingly.

Reward Yourself- Give yourself something to look forward to!

Time Frame- Your goal should have a completion date

Have a plan of attack!- Write up or get a professional to write you up a healthy eating plan and exercise regime to stick to.

Each week make sure you have you plan of attack written out for out goals for that week!

E.g. Metobolic Conditioning- Mon, Wed ,Fri

Interval sprints– Tues and Thurs

This is an EXAMPLE. So adjust yours to your goals and ’plan of attack’ !

For help on how to train to achieve results check out this blog-

It's time to say sayonara to hours of BORING cardio!

Okay that’s all for now! Hope this has helped…

I will leave you with this..

"The pain of discipline is 

NOTHING like the pain 

of disappointment!"




Kristy :)