Learning From The "Biggest Losers" Who Couldn't Maintain Weight Loss

If you’re like me, and have been overweight in your lifetime, you know all too well what a struggle it is to keep the weight off. Losing the weight is the easy part. Keeping the weight off is a whole new metabolic boosting ball game.

There has been a lot of controversy about the "Biggest Losers" not being able to maintain their weight loss. I’m going to help separate fact from media hype, so this doesn’t happen to you. I'm going to fill you in on what the stories don't say that you need to know if you’re serious about losing weight and keeping it off for good.

Rule #1 is don’t believe everything you read or see on television. For the most part, just about everything you read or see on television is paid for by a sponsor who wants to sell you the alternative methods that are most likely medical procedures you need to keep the weight off.

I’ve struggled and have all the metabolic disadvantages possible; from hypothyroid to being menopausal, combined with the fact that I love food and live to eat (I think I'm the world’s biggest food addict). All this made losing weight and keeping it off difficult, but not impossible. I was depressed and stuck in every area of my life, but I found that when my food is in order, my whole life falls into order.

There are simple all-natural, highly effective and convenient solutions that anyone can do to lose weight, and if they continue, will keep it off. These simple solutions are a lot less expensive than living overweight, not to mention the emotional price.

The toughest part is dealing with denial. Denial will keep you stuck, allowing faulty thinking and fear to kick in, keeping you stuck exactly where you are. Bear in mind that whatever takes the weight off is also what keeps the weight off for good. Whatever weight loss method you choose needs to be sustainable for life.

Don't let that last sentence scare you. I remember hearing that and thinking, "how long do I need to drink these shakes, take these supplements, and eat like this?" A funny thing happened, however; once I reached my goal weight. For the first time in my life I didn’t want to go back to my old ways of eating. I not only surpassed my goal weight (I was 40 pounds heavier) but also felt better emotionally and had more energy, so I got off the couch. What you see today is a by-product of that weight loss.

Below is what you need to know when reading media reports when it comes to exercise and the "Biggest Losers." I have worked closely with a few "Biggest Loser" contestants, and I can tell you firsthand they struggled because they didn’t have a livable, reliable, sustainable lifestyle in place.

DILEMMA: "Biggest Losers" relied mostly on excessive, joint-damaging exercise every day that is not practical in real life.

The "Biggest Loser" contestants worked out for at least five hours daily, allowing them to eat more calories without slowing their metabolism down. In real life when you have family and a full-time job you can’t work out for five hours. Even if you could, it's damaging to your joints and you shouldn’t. Everything is about balance, starting with eating enough of the right foods.

As a weight loss specialist, I specifically suggest metabolic boosting foods to offset your dead metabolism instead of eating whatever you want. Often the foods you insist on eating are the very foods that initially caused you to gain weight. There are also the health halo foods that cause weight gain. For instance, did you know that if you have hypothyroidism, kale can inhibit your thyroid, making it even harder to lose weight? People are adding kale to their diets, juicing excessive amounts, and even adding it to their protein shakes because the media says to do so.

The bottom line is that things aren’t always as they seem. For the "Biggest Losers", it's not that losing weight affected their ability to keep it off. It's more the reality that they could not continue doing the unrealistic steps that the show had them doing to take the weight off.

DILEMMA: "Biggest Losers" ate more calories than most of us can because they were over-exercising.

In a perfect world this would work fine—eat what you want and exercise it off in the gym. In the real world, it’s just not realistic.

I’ve suffered from this issue. As a trainer and bodybuilder, I ate super healthy yet didn’t lose an ounce. Looking in the rearview mirror, I can be honest and say I was an exercise addict, and this will not work when you're trying to lose weight or maintain weight loss. At some point, your joints can’t take the stress from that excessive amount of exercise, so you have to cut back to a normal, more realistic amount. When this happens, it must also be remembered to cut back on the eating as well.

I don’t know about you, but the days I don’t exercise are the days that I tend to eat the worst, making this the perfect set up for weight gain. It’s not the weight loss that was the problem for the "Biggest Losers", it’s faulty thinking that stops them from achieving their sustainable goals and living a leaner lifestyle.

There are five facts you need to know to lose weight (1 pound a day) and keep it off for life.

    • Fact: If you have been, or are overweight, your metabolism is negatively affected and slower.
    • Fact: If you go back to your old ways of eating and drinking you will gain the weight back.
    • Fact: If you are over 40, have diabetes, or are hypothyroid (it’s even worse if you're female), losing weight is harder for you due to your metabolism being slower.
    • Fact: If you can pinch more than an inch of belly fat, losing weight will be difficult for you and will require an aggressive approach vs. the old-fashioned, outdated methods of losing weight slowly.
    • Fact: You can’t starve yourself or exercise the weight away, or rely on surgical procedures such as LAP BAND® or gastric bypass to fix the problem.

The bottom line is you’ve got to set yourself up for lasting weight loss success by living a leaner lifestyle.

There are some foolproof ways that are backed by science that will help keep your metabolism running at an optimal speed, so you lose 1 pound a day and keep it off for life if you continue to do what it takes. Just because you lose weight doesn’t mean your metabolism is fixed. It simply means you found the right way of eating to make it work. So why would you ever consider stopping?

Think of it this way: If you found a way to make money, and it began working and changed your life, why would you stop? If you stopped working at that job you would also stop making money. Weight loss is no different.

It's a very emotional journey, and this is what the media conveniently leaves out. One of my favorite sayings from Overeaters Anonymous is, "It works if you continue to work it.” As a metabolic expert, I can tell you that in 25+ years I've never met a person whose body would not let them lose weight, no matter what they were dealing with.

The real question is will that person do what it takes? It’s not a case of "will it work?" It's a case of are they willing to do it and how badly do they want it. I wish someone had told me that while I was overweight and struggling. It would have saved me a lot of frustration and despair. I missed a lot of my life because I hated myself and my body. That’s why I created the Metabolic Boosting Lose 1 Pound Per Day Kit. I want to be the change you seek, and I want to make losing weight faster, easier, and permanent!

There's more hope than you think, and here's why.....

Step One on the LynFit System is to drink a LynFit Complete Protein Shake to boost your metabolism by 25 percent. This offsets the slow metabolism issues most of us struggle with. It's what makes the LynFit Complete Protein Shake different from all the rest. It tastes unbelievably delicious while most of the other shakes you find on store shelves are yucky tasting, so you don’t want to drink them. The high quality of whey used in LynFit shakes (LynFit uses a minimum of 80 percent whey compared to other shakes that use 25 percent or less) makes it metabolic boosting while blocking cortisol (a hormone that's secreted when you are under stress). This is something that vegan shakes or lower quality shakes will never do.

You do need to cut calories to successfully lose weight, and this calorie-cutting can slow your metabolism. However, every time you drink a LynFit metabolic boosting Complete Protein Shake or eat a LynFit Lean Bar you trick your body into thinking you've just eaten a big meal. In turn, your metabolism speeds up, keeping you from regaining the weight you've lost. When it comes to your metabolism and weight loss, you have to boost it to lose it. Keep in mind however that not all shakes will do what a LynFit shake does. LynFit Shakes and Lean Bars are specifically designed for this very purpose.

I couldn’t lose weight easily, no matter how hard or how much I worked out. I learned from the pros how to take it a step further since I live in the real world and can’t live five hours a day in the gym. I learned that the smart use of safe supplements to naturally boost my metabolism was another bullet in my leaner lifestyle holster. You too can follow the steps below to further enhance your weight loss or weight maintenance.

STEP #1: Drink a LynFit Complete Protein Shake 12 hours after your last meal, and take (1) LynFit Accelerator with Raspberry Ketones to trick your body into acting like a thin person. This will help force your body to burn fat, basically accelerating the entire process. If needed, you can take another LynFit Accelerator at lunch as well. For rapid results, blend it right into your LynFit Complete Protein Shake.

STEP #2: Kill cravings and lower blood sugar with LynFit Carb Edge. Balancing blood sugar is the secret to losing weight and keeping cravings away. Have you ever noticed the more you eat, the more you want to? LynFit Carb Edge kills these cravings within 30 minutes or less of taking it. This is especially important if you have belly fat, diabetes, or high blood sugar (pre-diabetes). I suggest taking (1) LynFit Carb Edge mid-morning and another one mid-afternoon.

STEP #3: Force your body to burn fat, helping reduce hunger. When your body is burning fat for fuel, it won’t ask you to feed it. This also helps reduce belly fat, which makes losing weight harder because it secretes hormones that cause your body to store fat instead of burning it. To offset this, I suggest taking (3) LynFit Cutting Edge daily. Take one with your LynFit Complete Protein Shake for breakfast and another at lunch and mid-afternoon. Taking LynFit Cutting Edge helps reduce cholesterol and triglycerides, which play a role in metabolic syndrome, so your doctor will be happy.

Complete details on LynFit safe supplementing and metabolic boosting meal plans can be found in the LynFit Quick Start Guide and Advanced Metabolic Boosting Meal Plan.

There are more ways to make sure your metabolic engine stays running at an optimal pace 24 hours a day. Of course, food is 90 percent of your weight loss success, so if you're not losing you’re not eating the right food for your metabolic engine. Be sure to read more on thermogenic eating and what foods are thermogenic, as well as irresistibly delicious thermogenic recipes in The Metabolism Solution.

If you’re serious about reshaping your body and boosting your metabolism with the right kind of exercise, be sure to check out my metabolic boosting workouts while you’re reading. They are only 30 minutes in length and can be broken up into shorter sessions to suit your lifestyle. You’ll not only transform your body; you will keep getting better, even as you age.

Are you ready to lose that weight for good? Thousands, just like you, already have. They've not only lost the weight, but they've kept it off while living a normal life.

Real people like Lisa, Sam, Vanessa, and Teresa below. You can do it!

Believe. Begin. Become.

Fast, Healthy Weight Loss

 

Are you getting ready for the beach, graduation, prom or a wedding but can’t stay on your diet and fitness plan? This can be overwhelming for anyone.

The good news is that anyone can boost their metabolism by doing these two things:

    • Working out first thing in the morning at home, on an empty stomach to boost metabolism and endorphins.
    • When we feel better we eat better it’s that simple. Not to mention metabolic exercise reshapes your body without bulking and boosts metabolism which helps you lose weight and see results within the first week.

Intense exercise increases cortisol levels temporarily, but metabolic and lower intensity exercise seems to reduce them. University of California researchers say that metabolic exercise may blunt some of the negative effects of stress. Not to mention the increase in endorphins you feel that decrease appetite and increase a feeling of well-being. It's important to note that not all exercise is created equal. Metabolic exercise is the perfect combination of moves without overdoing it, which creates more stress in the body and higher cortisol levels.

Your morning meal sets the stage for the rest of your day, so start if off right. This step “offsets” calories you eat so if you're not so perfect you still lose weight—guaranteed.

Boost at breakfast by drinking a metabolic boosting whey protein shake. Whey is full of amino acids that nourish the body, improve mood and boost immunity, while providing lasting energy. Drinking a whey protein shake blocks cortisol to flip the hunger switch back to off.  Whey Protein boosts metabolism 25% and provides natural energy so you feel better fast. It provides the right nutrients your body needs to combat stress, which kills cravings for fast weight loss. Repeat this step for lunch as well.

You can expect to fall off your diet, so plan for it ahead of time. We are all human and that’s exactly why you drank the shake for breakfast. Most plans don’t allow for this and that's why they fail. It's not your fault but the plan that’s faulty.

What makes the metabolic boosting strategy so successful (by the way, everyone loses weight on this plan) is that you need your metabolism boosted and running at optimal speed, so when you cheat you don’t gain an ounce. This also makes room for the human things we do.

Here are a few examples of the “cheats” most people do that stop them from losing weight. Most of the time people will say: “I only ate a little”. Sadly that’s all it takes to stop weight loss.

    • Excess fats: nuts, avocados and cheese  
    • Excessive protein of the wrong kind: Chicken, salmon – more than 3 ounces  
    • Excessive carb intake: fruit, wraps, protein bars , drinks and smoothies

For more information about these tips and other metabolic boosting steps, refer to "The Metabolism Solution".

Could Those 2 Glasses Of Wine Be Affecting My Weight Loss?

Could Those 2 Glasses of Wine Be Affecting My Weight Loss?In short - yes those 2 glasses of wine could be stopping your weight loss dead in its tracks; especially if you're a female and over 40. If it's a slimmer waistline you're after it's either wine or your waistline. And with us now being in the middle of the holiday season there's not even an excuse needed to drink it. It's almost as if it's expected of you at the various holiday parties.

But it's not just the holiday parties that impact us when it comes to alcohol consumption. I meet so many people all throughout the year who defend their nightly glass of Merlot and refuse to take it out of their diet all the while ranting about how they just can't lose those last pounds or get rid of that spare tire around their middle. They argue that wine has nutritional value and contains minerals and antioxidants. So do vegetables - and a lot more of them. 

Wine is a big factor when it comes to belly fat. Why is that? Because wine has almost double the amount of carbs as sugars. Wine is a glass full of liquid calories that goes straight to your waistline. A single glass of wine can contain from 9 to 19 grams of carbs per serving. Flavored wines can have even more. And who follows those serving sizes anyway when pouring a glass. In fact, do you even know what the serving size is? 

In some cases a slightly sweet and low-alcohol wine may have fewer calories than a dry, high-alcohol wine. But you'd be hard pressed to know for sure since wine doesn't come with nutritional labels. For that matter, neither do other alcohol products. No calorie counts, no grams of carbohydrates, not even serving size suggestions. Guess why - because wine and liquors are not considered part of a daily diet. They are not required to by law. Perhaps labels should be required. Oh you can dig around the internet to find some calorie and "nutritional" information, but wouldn't it be much easier if it were right there on the bottle?

When it comes to a glass of wine, which is a 6 ounce serving, calories can range anywhere from just over 100 (for a sweet, low alcohol wine) to almost 300 for a sweet dessert wine. Popular types like Merlot and Chardonnay tend to fall in the 150-200 calorie range per glass. So I have to ask you: When it comes to your daily calories, would you rather eat a salad loaded with vegetables that will fill you up or have a glass of wine that will leave you hungry? 

It's simple. We all cheat at times. We just have to decide what we're going to cheat with when we do. If it's with that glass of wine, then stay away from the bread and the dessert. And above all else, make sure you take your LynFit Carb Edge!

Wishing everyone a Merry Fitness and a Healthy New Year!

Are You a Carb Addict?

Ditch Food Cravings in 24 Hours in 3 Steps!

A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that drug addicts and carb junkies have a lot in common when it comes to cravings. 

Did you know that findings show that the quick spike and subsequent crash in blood sugar that comes after eating highly processed carbs activates the reward and addiction center of the brain much like the cravings a drug addict would experience?  The study suggests avoiding refined carbohydrates as a good weight-loss strategy to offset strong cravings that carbs induce. 

But how easy is it for a carb junkie to go cold turkey?It can be extraordinarily difficult to just cut carbs out of your life and I find it’s one of the biggest obstacles most of my clients have to achieving their weight loss goals!  When it comes to carbs you have to have an intervention of sorts to really shock your body and brain into a new way of thinking.  Of course, not all carbs are bad! For example, whole grains and carbohydrates in vegetables take a long time to break down, raising the blood sugar slowly, whereas, refined carbs are the real culprits (such as sugar, corn syrup and white flour) that cause sharp spikes in the blood sugar. And it’s the refined carbs that most of us find ourselves struggling with that causes the brain to crave even more food as a reward. 

Here are three refined carb intervention techniques that you can use to recalibrate your mind and ultimately your body, from unwanted food cravings within 24 hours! 

Intervention Technique #1:  A Green Apple A Day – You can effectively shut off your hunger hormone having a green apple mid-morning, as shown in the LynFit meal plans. Green apples are a low-calorie snack that contain no fat or cholesterol and has less fructose than a red apple. They are effective at shutting down your hunger hormone because they have the ability to lift blood sugar to just the right level. Plus, the antioxidants in green apples may help prevent metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by excess belly fat or an "apple shape." 

Intervention Technique #2: Control the Slip Ups with Supplementation: In any intervention there will be an occasional slip up; someone in the office will order pizza or if you don’t have that slice of birthday cake you’ll offend someone. Sometimes it’s impossible to go through the day and not expect that we will encounter a carb dilemma which is why I recommend taking the LynFit Carb Edge (link to LynFit Carb Edge) which has white kidney bean extract called Phase 2 that literally paralyzes the enzymes that digest starch so carbs cannot be broken down into sugar. The Phase 2 white kidney bean extract has been clinically shown to reduce starch digestion and promote weight loss. It works by temporarily binding with the enzyme that digests starch, preventing a portion of the carbohydrates from being broken down into sugar and stored as fat. One capsule before a meal can block up to 65 percent of unwanted carbs without causing gastric distress according to a study published in Nutrition Business Journal. 

Intervention Technique #3: Make Your Own Dunkin’ – Dessert drinks and ice cream are some of today’s most tempting fast food pick-me-ups.  Turn any Dunkin’ Donuts dessert drink into a protein based treat that will not only kill food cravings but can also help boost your metabolism!  To fight against the urge, a home-made Metabolic Boosting Mocha Protein Latte (link to Protein Shake Recipes) can give you the satisfaction of a frothy dessert without hijacking your brain into addiction mode.

Whey Protein (link to Complete Protein Shakes and Lean Bars) is also known for halting the stress hormone known as cortisol (which increases blood sugar and depresses the immune system) and keeping it from rising.

For more tips, visit: LynFit's Facebook Page