The Vlog

Many people think that if food is healthy, it can’t taste great. Well, I’m going to recommend a few of my favorite products which are both healthy and delicious.

1. Grateful Harvest Beef Jerky – This jerky contains no nitrites or nitrates and has great flavor. It makes for a nice, portable snack with no refrigeration required. Location: Coop.

2. Sahale Soledad Almonds – Wonderful snack, amazing taste. Each serving has 3 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, and 9 grams of fat, along with a pretty amazing nutrient profile and taste to match. Location: Coop.

3. Turtle Mountain So Delicious Coconut Milk – Traditional skim milk that contains 84 calories per 8-ounce glass. Each serving has 50 calories and is great for individuals looking to lose weight. Location: Target or Coop.

4. Fage 0% Greek Yogurt – In 1 cup you will get 20 grams of protein, 9 grams of carbohydrates, and healthy digestive bacteria all for only 120 calories. Need I say more? Location: Most large retail grocery stores and Target.

5. French Meadow Bakery Hemp Bread – This bread offers a whopping 6.5 grams of protein per slice as well as only 12 net carbs including 2.5 grams of fiber. Although this bread is expensive, it has tons of nutritious ingredients including organic wheat flour and flax meal. Location: Twin Cities Coops or French Meadow Bakery (in Minneapolis).

Trying new foods is risky. You risk spending money for something you might not like. Some may argue, “What if I spend all this money and don’t even like it?” My thinking is, “What if you never buy this and miss out for the rest of your life?” I have to admit, I was skeptical of all of the above-mentioned foods. But now, I feel great in knowing that I have many different healthy and great tasting food items to enjoy.

How many women do you personally know who have a six-pack? I haven’t seen many and there are many reasons why fewer women have six-packs than men.

One of the biggest differences has to do with body fat levels. Men traditionally have less body fat than women. This makes it more challenging for women to lose that last bit of body fat around the midsection. Contributing to this problem is the regular consumption of alcohol.

A small minority of women however do manage to lose a significant amount of fat around the midsection to achieve that flat look. So why don’t women have the kind of abdominal size and definition that creates the six-pack appearance? (Ironically, many women probably do work hard enought to get ab size and definition).

One of the biggest obstacles is that women simply do not lift heavy enough or intensely enough for ab hypertrophy to occur. Many women I observe still do cardio followed up by crunches, -ups, and knee raises. If you want a classic six-pack, this is not going to cut it. Take the example of some men who have six-packs (and along with that, a great diet). They will usually perform heavy exercises for the abs including weighted planks, heavy sit-ups with dumbbells, heavy squats, the ab wheel from the feet, and chin-ups.

Also, without proper nutrition to get a flat look, a six-pack is impossible.

Aside from these factors, I believe more women (and many men) can lern from individuals who have six-packs. Performing heavier and more intense exercises may be the last key for those women who want to go beyond a flat belly to a well-defined six-pack.

There are a couple of strategies I share with clients concerning holiday eating if their goal is to lose weight. These strategies assume you have a calorie goal in place.

Although it goes against many nutritionists’ recommendations, I strongly encourage either skipping meals or reducing the amount of a meal outside of the “big” meal. Why? Because at the end of the day, calories really do matter. However, this doesn’t mean it’s a free for all. For some of my clients, if their caloric goal is 1,200, they could quite easily consume more than this amount with just one meal. It’s still a great idea to keep count when you are consuming appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and alcohol.

Another strategy I encourage my clients to use is to eat less for the rest of the week if they greatly overdo it on one day. Let’s say for example that a client goes over their caloric goal by 500 calories. For the next 5 days, that client may wish to reduce their daily caloric goal by 100 calories to “average” it out.

I’ve seen clients consistently lose weight using these principles even after attending birthday parties, family events, and traditional holidays. While they might not fit within the framework of an ideal weight loss plan, they do work. If you have any questions on how to structure your holiday eating so as to remain in compliance with a realistic weight loss plan, please contact me at von@vongillette.com.

One of my goals as a nutrition coach is to help individuals develop and enjoy healthy eating patterns. I’ll be honest, weight loss itself is pretty simple. Control how much you eat, exercise, and the weight will come off. However, keeping it off for longer than one year is the tough part. That’s why you need to develop new long-term eating habits.

Here are five strategies to make sure you keep weight off over the long haul:

1. Keep a food log detailing what you eat, how much you eat, and your calorie amount for six months – seriously!
2. Follow a nutritional plan and adjust it as needed. Remember, the plan should serve you. If you need help, contact a professional.
3. Share your results, problems, and successes with a group, friends, your nutritionist, trainer, etc.
4. Follow these guidelines for at least six months.
5. Get back on the diet if you fall off after incurring an injury, a holiday binge, hospital stay, etc.

Good luck!