Reinvent Weightloss

Lets talk Fat Burn.

Posted by Jan Friday, January 22, 2010 0 comments

Fat Burn. This is one the biggest Google search criteria when it comes to weight loss. Guilty, I coded the site with "fat burn" as a keyword simply because I write about weight loss and it would help drive traffic. Now as part of the Reivent Flab to Ab project that me and friend are working on, its a huge part. To get definition of any kind you need to lower your body fat. Its actually a subject Ill be posting about regularly. So today Ill talk about my process, then Ill bring in some research on the subject into later posts.

So what am I doing? I need to mention I'm a healthy fit, male in my mid 20's so anyone looking at my training regime and nutrition plan looking to replicate it, a word of warning. It took several months to bring my training to this intensity and also to control sugar/fat cravings took time and practice.

My Exercise. I'm in the gym 6 times a week. Simply, I want to test the exercise regime I put to together to see how well I target my goal of dropping my body fat down 6%. I have 2 gym cycles. Day 1 is weight lifting and interval cardio. Day is interval cardio and leg work. I'll go into further detail what type of exercises Im doing on each day in a down loadable PDF to come. But its a bit of work training this much, and working a full time job, but I'm committed to the goal. :)

My Nutrition. Each morning, a protein shake comprised of a low carb protein powder, hemp protein, high fiber powder supplement. Then I eat whole grain bagel, some fruit and small bowl of fiber cereal. So what the importance of this morning cocktail? Well it provides me energy for the day, regulates my blood sugar, provides protein for muscle building and help keep sugar/fat cravings down. Yum. I never skip my breakfast, that really an important rule for anyone losing weight. Later in the day I have another shake, usually with lunch with is a salad and some fruit. Dinner is another shake, I should mention these are small shakes, I spread them throughout the day to really benefit from the intake. With my dinner shake usually, whole wheat pasta with some lean meat and a salad. After Dinner no snacking, usually massive amounts of water.

Progress: Well, Ive already stripped a good 4 pounds last week purely in fat, my legs have toned up and my stomach is showing a little more detail. I'm also adding approximately 1 pound of lean muscle a week so I'm getting a body fat analysis during my regime to keep track more accurately, but those results will come later.

Word of Wisdom. Don't follow this routine. I'm still trying it out and as I mentioned I'm a fit male in his mid 20's. But I got like this over time, it took 6 months to drop 60 pounds and an additional 4 months of training to bring my fitness level up. Patience is a virtue. Please consult your doctor before attempting weight loss.

"Bodybuilding is much like any other sport. To be successful, you must dedicate yourself 100% to your training, diet and mental approach." - Arnold Schwarzenegger

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5 Health Foods I should have been Eating. Well I see them now.

Posted by Jan Tuesday, January 12, 2010 0 comments

When in search of better nutrition, better supplementation, I tend to do a lot of reading. I came across several articles pointing at several foods that promised the world with nutritional quality and health benefits. They weren't bluffing. So what are they?

1) Celery. Has been shown to reduce blood pressure and muscle tension. Secondary benefit, its fills you up, hardly any calories, and well on the calorie front, your body expends more caloric energy digesting celery than it receives. I just wish it tasted like chocolate.. (im kidding)

2)Seaweed- One of the top sources of plant calcium available. Also its loaded with potassium which is important in muscle recovery, low levels of potasuim can lead to cramping. Ouch.

3)Hemp Seeds- Despite the association with cannabis, the nutritional benefits of hemp are amazing. Loaded with omega 3 fatty acids and by weight 50% of hemp is protein. That alone makes it an amazing post workout addition. I take a combination hemp protein and whey shake after my workouts that comes close to 100 gram protein hit. The results are great. :)

4)Scallops - Being an avid chef, I love cooking scallops. Here's the alternative to those who don't eat red meat. These little mollusks are packed with protein. A 3 ounce portion contains 20 grams of protein and only 90 calories. Cooking wise, I suggest searing them. Use virgin olive oil.

5) Lentils - For every cup of lentils, there is a good 16 grams of belly filling fiber. Lentils have 27% more fiber than spinach. If you eat black, orange or red lentils they also contain antioxidants.

This isn't a finite list, I'll be adding several more great post on other amazing foods. Including a guide to food swapping to start off your weight loss.

"The wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings. Let food be your medicine." ~ Hippocrates

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Swim to Save your Life. - Quick Tips

Posted by Jan Sunday, January 10, 2010 0 comments

1) Maximize the free speed you get following a dive or push off the wall by stream lining your body as much as possible. Put one hand over the other and squeeze your biceps over your ears.

2)Lifthing your head causes your hips to take a dive, so your know moving through the water like a plow.

3)Instead of brute forcing your way through the water. Splashing adn thrashing is a sign your wasting energy.Cencentrate on being quite and staying smooth & slippery.

4)When you kick, keep your knee's bent slightly, point your toes and keep your legs within your slip stream. Ankle flexibility determines the kick speed, so if yours are tight, you can loosen them by training with fins.

We swim because we are too sexy for a sport that requires clothes. ~Author Unknown

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Swim to Save your Life.

Posted by Jan 0 comments

Swimming - Not only is this great activity a chance to wear that great bathing suit, the fitness benefits are amazing. Its one of the best all season workouts for building muscle, burning fat and avoiding injuries. Taking a quick dip on a regular basis, you'll be drying off stronger, fitter and healthier.

I first started swimming as a kid. My parents enrolled me in classes on a regular basis so that I could swim on my own and be safe about it. In my teen years, I injured my back, so the physiotherapist told me to grab my swim trunks and go on a regular basis. Today, I'm looking for a good facilty to go to on a regular basis.

Building Muscle - Very few sports engage more muscles than swimming does. Upper, Lower and Core muscles all receive a healthy dose of pushing and pulling. The key to swimmers power is actually steaming from the core region, were rotations in the trunk generating a great deal of energy transfer

Burning Fat- The resistance in the water. Simple scientific fat, Water is 800 times more dense than air. Imagine being on treadmill recieving high levels of resistance not only from your legs, but your arms and mid section. Kinda hard to build a sweat underwater, but trust me your getting a serious cardio work out.

Injure Yourself Less- One of swimming undeniable attractive features is the injury rate. Less the 5%. By supporting your body weight, water natural reduce the effect of gravity on your joints, in comparison to eh cumulative trauma that comes with pounding the pavement.

If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do all the rest have to drown too? ~Steven Wright

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Swiss Ball. One of my new faveriote pieces of Equipement!

Posted by Jan Saturday, January 9, 2010 0 comments

I recently bought a Swiss ball to enhance my home work out routine and its amazing addition. anyone looking to get fit at home and do it cheaply, the swiz ball adds a new level of resistance. I found these great swiss ball video's on you tube that I want to post so you guys can see the variety of resistance / movement exercises available.

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Creatine Monohydrate - Supplements Baddie

Posted by Jan Friday, January 8, 2010 0 comments

Today with what I know now, I don't support the use of Creatine. But let me outline what Ive read about it, so that you can make your decision on it.

What is Creatine?

Creatine is a dietary supplement frequently used by athletes who believe it will help "bulk up" their muscles and improve performance. Not much is known about the side effects of creatine in athletes at this time, a main cause of concern is the long term effect.

Known Side Effects:

-It causes water retention and weight gain, which could slow down performance in athletes participating in aerobic sports such as swimming, cycling, running, etc.

-Because of swelling from water retention, there may be a higher risk of injury to muscles and tendons leading to sprains.

-Creatine has a plateau effect, which means that after a certain dose it is excreted in the kidneys and wasted.

-Creatine supplementation may be bad for the kidneys, especially in people at risk of having kidney disease.

-There are reports of other side effects of creatine including dizziness, abnormal heart rhythm, rash and migraine headaches.

Personally, I dambled in creatine for about two weeks several months back. I wasn't as educated about it and I wanted to see if any results were possible. It did increase my workout intensity and my arms grew significantly faster on creatine. After two weeks I tossed the bottle away, I felt bloated and retained alot of water weight. The gains in my arm went away.

Recently I came across an article, research done on hydration and creatine levels (your body produces a natural form of it) found that under sufficient hydration the body retained the muscle mass equally as well as a control group taking creatine. Simply, If you have enough water in your body, your arm will grow due to the natural creatine your body produces.

I'm going to write several post on protein powders, the ones I take, since I believe good protein supplementation is important in muscle gain and weight loss. Also cautionary notes to those of you currently taking protien powder, some brands a spiked with creatine.

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Chicken Romaine Salad - The Muscle Building Salad

Posted by Jan Thursday, January 7, 2010 0 comments

One of many recipes coming to Reinvent Weightloss.

What you'll need.

1 Chicken Breast
3-4 Plum Tomatoes
1 small clove of garlic
1 Chopped head of romaine
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinagrette
1 tbsp Virign Olive Oil
1/2 Tea Spoon of Hot Mustard
1/4 cup chopped Almonds
Optional: Top with Flax seeds

Prep:

Preheat a grill pan on medium high. Lightly season both sides of the chicken breast and cook for about 7 minutes on each side. Remove the breast, and let it rest for 3-5 minutes and then slice it into thin strips. In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, garlic (chopped), drizzle with olive oil, then in a small nesting bowl mix the mustard with the balsamic vinaigrette will make our dressing. Add the chicken to the salad, then our dressing. Add chopped almonds. Serve on plate, sprinkle with flax seeds and there we go.

Side it with a great protein shake, with some banana in it, and this is the one best post work out meals!

Protein - Fiber - Good Fats

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Chew it, to Pack on the Muscle!

Posted by Jan Wednesday, January 6, 2010 0 comments

A quick list of foods that pack on the muscle. A subject matter that I'm deeply in love with. I really like the idea of working out and then having a great source of protein afterwords almost like I'm pumping it directly in my muscles. Enough about me kissing my biceps, lets have the list. I think printing this guy up on your fridge is a good idea.

1) Eggs- Eggs are an awesome source of protein, calorie for calorie you need less protein from eggs than you do from other sources to achieve the same body building results.

2)Almonds- Almonds are a great source of alphatocopherol vitamin e (that's a mouthful). The important bit is that its a potent antioxidant that helps prevent damage after heavy workouts, in turn your muscle recover faster.

3)Salmon - It's drenched in high quality protein and omega 3 fatty acids. Omega-3's can decrease muscle-protein breakdown after your work out improving recovery.

4) Olive Oil - Mono-saturated Fat in olive oil (virgin olive oil is best) acts as a anticatabolic nutrient which in turn helps reduce muscle wasting and weakness.

5) Water- This is a duh moment. Your muscle is 80% water. A drop in your body water as little as 1% can impair exercise performance and adversely effect recovery. The more water in your body the slower your body uses protein to build muscle.

“We all have great inner power. The power is self-faith. There's really an attitude to winning. You have to see yourself winning before you win. And you have to be hungry. You have to want to conquer.” ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger

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