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Diet Secrets
Bonnie Lefrak, former pro-natural bodybuilder, owner of Punch Kettlebell Gym Worcester and all around fitness/nutrition expert joins us today for the second installation of Art of Strength for Women. To coincide with our Month of Metabolic we’ve asked her to give us her thoughts on training and over-all myths and misconceptions that most women fall victim to when training. She’s come up with 22 pointers for everyone to live by when training and losing weight.
22 Diet Secrets
Secret #1 There are no secrets.
Hmmm.. How will I get you to read the rest? I am not trying to depress you, but bottom line…there is NO super special workout or diet that is THE ANSWER.
Generally there are a few factors that people need to address, to unlock the secret to their personal success.
Maybe you are not strength training? Maybe you eat processed foods?
Maybe you are not strength training? Maybe you eat processed foods?
Maybe your hormones are out of control? Maybe you are not getting enough sleep.
Often it is a few factors that can be addressed for ultimate success.
Secret #2 “Fat Burners” are generally money burners!
Sorry to say, there really is no magic pill that dissolves fat. The supplement industry is a billon dollar industry and growing. With the internet and magazines, these companies can appeal to us with their consistent advertising and false promises. Think about it. If a pill could melt fat, why is everyone struggling to lose weight, why is obesity at epidemic proportions?
If anything a fat burner will have caffeine (usually 200-300mg!) and therefore you may feel more energetic and perhaps work out harder. But you could also add more stress to your body and end up with a host of medical maladies, and still be fat.
Save your money. If you are a bit pooped and need a cup of coffee, ok get it- but beware you will build a tolerance to caffeine and need more and more and more.
This could give you problems when trying to fall asleep. Poor sleep will add to your problems.
If you already are very stressed out, adding “fat burners” could further tax your adrenal glands causing what is known as adrenal fatigue, which could lead to thyroid disorders as well.
Our bodily functions and systems do not operate in isolation. Even in terms of healthy weight loss our bodies will often make shifts and changes to protect us from what it perceives as famine or starvation!
In the end, save your money.
Secret #3 Whatever seems to be working now will stop working.
Our bodies are wicked cool! They adapt as part of our ability to survive. (As mentioned above in Secret #2, when losing weight the body fears famine!) So, when you start a new workout program or a new nutrition program you often see changes right away… and then as your body adapts (literally it figures out what you are up to!). The progress you were experiencing will slow down until it stops and you have reached the dreaded “plateau”.
Every 4-6 weeks it is a good idea to make at least one small change. You do not have to change drastically or EVERYTHING in order to keep your body guessing. If you are doing 3 strength workouts a week, see what happens if you add an extra day. Or if you have not been doing any cardio, add some…
But beware, we cannot keep adding and adding and adding to infinitum. There are only so many days in the week, so many hours in the day. You will also have to back off some weeks, and change the program up, rather than Add more work! (see Secret #4 for MORE…)
Check out our video and free workout on metabolic training