What the heck are Net Effective Carbs?: A new theory that could change your life

So I've been hearing a lot lately about net effective carbs or effective carb count. This is the number of carbs you're left with after subtracting fiber. Some people subtract other things like sugar alcohols and such, but that could get pretty complicated. One other interesting note is that hydrogenated starch (the stuff that's in Jello Pudding) is actually able to be subtracted according to this theory since it does not raise blood sugar.

In short, one part of this theory is about fiber. A carbohydrate is only "effective" if it can be utilized by the body for energy. Since fiber is a carb that passes through the body undigested, it can be subtracted from the total carb count. An example would be a bowl of veggies, which has 8 grams of carbs and 4 grams of fiber. So this theory says that the veggies actually have 4 grams of effective carbs.

Another part of this theory deals with foods that raise blood sugar (or glucose) levels. Since the goal of a low carb diet is to eat in a way that doesn't raise blood sugar levels, this theory says that you can subtract certain sugar alcohols and other products that don't result in effecting blood glucose levels. This is where you get into subtracting counts for sugar alcohols and all that mess.

For sanity's sake, I think I'll stick with the fiber subtraction method. Might as well get on board since I've noticed that Net Effective Carbs are actually being put on food labels of products that I buy in Walmart!

For now until it's definitely decided upon that it's real, I think I'll just stick to my number of carbs I want. And feel good about being possibly lower. I think this could easily just become an excuse for me to eat more carbs. But it is interesting.

:)

Skinny Jeans

So I've got a question....does the trail of skinny jeans ever end??

Recently, after doing a 20-day eating challenge, I lost 6 pounds :)))

There are a ton of clothes under my bed that I wore back in 2003-2004. These clothes were always my ultimate goal. I always felt like "when I fit back into these clothes, I'll know I've done something."

Well that glorious moment happened this past weekend. In need of jeans for the upcoming fall since my pair that I wear quite often is too big now, I decided to rummage through the tubs under the bed where all my "goal clothes" are to see if by chance I fit into any of the multiple pairs of jeans in there. To my surprise, I fit back into about 85 percent of those clothes. Some were even a little roomy! And wow, my old shorts fit wonderfully! I haven't liked myself in shorts in YEARS! It was a crazy moment. I'd finally reached this goal and fit back into my skinny jeans. But now what?? I still had stuff to do and more to improve! These skinny jeans were not a stopping point for me. So I put all the goal clothes away in the closet for next spring/summer, put on a pair of jeans for the fall day I was about to embark on, and then pondered what to do next.

And then I knew. Go on to the next size down. I looked at my size 8 clothes I had recently inherited from a friend who had lost weight. I had not been a size 8 since the 9th/10th grade. So I picked out a pair of size 8 jeans and thought alright, these are my new skinny jeans. When I fit into these, I will know I've done something huge. To my surprise, I could get them up and buttoned but they were a little too tight to wear in public. Just enough of a goal to motivate myself and perhaps get some new clothes in the future. I'm sure on the day I fit into these skinny jeans though, I will pick up a new smaller pair and decide on those as my new goal.

Forget men -- Behind every good woman is a trail of skinny jeans!

Good luck to you all and remember, change is a process - one pair of skinny jeans at a time :)

Re"Form"ed

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the long hiatus - completely unintended!

 I injured my knee back in May doing backward lunges. Found out that I had a quadriceps tendon strain and that I would need to take some time off from working out. Up until then, I had thought I would just "work it out" and it would go away. However, I apparently irritated it to the point where it hurt to walk. I was given a plan to follow and was told nothing but yoga - no lunges, no turning the knee, no squats. So I decided to just wait and really let it heal since when I get back to it, I plan on doing p90 and some Burn It Up!

The moral of this story is - Always use good form! And modify the pace and/or the exercise if you feel that you're not being absolutely perfect in form. It's worth it!

Has your train derailed? The benefits of getting it back on track...

Everyone has days when their workout mojo (or mojo in general) is depleted. Sometimes this can turn into a couple of days, or a week, or a month, or maybe even a few months. The thought of working out is enough to zap your energy.

So the question is: how can you push your own reset button and get your train back on track? Here are some tips.

1) Make a list of your goals and the way you feel when you work out. Like Chalean says, most people who don't achieve their goals fail because they don't write them down. Or at the very least, say them out loud. Think about all the positive feelings you get from working out - feeling powerful, feeling sexy, feeling skinny...do something with those.

2) Make a promise to yourself that you will work out for the next however many days in a row. It's okay to start small. Don't overwhelm yourself when you're getting back into the swing of things or you might burn out again. Treat yourself to something small - a lunch at your favorite place, a $5 shopping trip at Dollar General, a movie rental - for making it.

3) Set your alarm for half an hour earlier than you want to wake up. This will allow you to push Snooze a lot and feel like you're getting more sleep in. Or you may surprise yourself and get out of bed earlier which means you finish earlier! As soon as you get moving, you will usually have energy to work out. It's the getting out of bed part that's hard.

4) Plan out healthy meal options for the next day in advance. Don't try to wing it. If you're coming off an eating binge, it's probably going to be harder than you think to get back to healthy ways.

5) Look at a before picture of yourself. Or a recent picture if that will induce disgust. Enough disgust to get your butt moving. Tape it to your night table. Somewhere that you'll see it. Maybe if you wake up in the morning and see what you used to look like or what you want to improve, that will be enough to get you out of bed. Or tape a picture of a model instead. Seeing a fit, sculpted, toned bathing suit model is usually enough to do it for me. I think "Dang, I gotta get on it!"

6) Ask yourself if you're worth it. More than likely, the answer is yes. If you say no, we've got more work to do.

7) Look at how far you've come. I know for me personally, I started out in December 2007 with 43 pounds to lose. It felt like it would NEVER come. Now I have surpassed that goal and am looking at less than 10 to reach my goal weight!  Look at your own personal journey. Each step forward is one step closer to the finish line!!! Why throw it all away now for an extra 45 minutes of sleep? Or a slice of pizza?

8) If you really need it, a 2-day juicing or shake fast. Sometimes it's easier to remove yourself from EVERYTHING instead of just bits and pieces and then add healthy food back in. The fast will rejuvenate you and make you feel leaner and smaller. And the discipline will teach you that you CAN eat right and make healthy choices. If I can stay away from all the junk for two or three days, then I know I can be selective when it's over.

So do it today. Make a conscious effort. It's okay to take baby steps, as long as they will eventually grow into leaps and bounds!! Get re-started today!!

Are you looking to lose weight QUICKLY yet SAFELY?

Hey guys,

Lately I have been INUNDATED with messages about weight loss. Yes I have lost 29 pounds in 7 months and you can do it too! If I can do it, you can certainly do it.

Here is my advice. PLEASE TRY SLIM IN 6. This was the first program I ever did. I never had a workout regimen a day in my life. But I needed a long-term solution to my weight problem when I realized I was 173 in Fall of 2007. It came on one of those infomercials late at night and I decided that I needed this. It provided structure, cardio, resistance training, everything I needed in one workout. Not to mention a short 6-week timeframe! So I bought it.

7 weeks later (I skipped a few workouts due to HATING exercise...I look back now and can't believe how far I've come), I had lost 13 pounds. And I hadn't even tried to eat healthier. I have since done another round of Slim in 6 and lost 8 pounds. So it accounts for 20 of my 29 pounds. And I still use Start It Up and Burn It Up (2 of the workouts) in my workout schedule. I SWEAR by this program! PLEASE go to my web site and check it out for yourself! If you order it from me, I will be assigned as your FREE coach and I can track your shipments and help you out with stuff if you need it! :)

A comparison...between who I was then...and who I am now

2007-2009

• Ate whatever I wanted, mostly all processed/packaged/fast foods
  
• Worked out sporadically
• HATED working out
• Didn't know much about nutrition or anything
• Although I had completed Slim in 6 (or for me, Slim in 7 since I took so many days off) and was doing Turbo Jam, I'd have to say I was not what you would call loyal and dedicated to fitness

February 2009 - Present

• Started COOKING! Never cooked a day in my life!...alright. ONE day in my life. One day it just hit me. I read that results are 80% from the kitchen. Having reached a plateau, I thought that my time had come. It was time to not only bring it with my workouts, but bring it in the kitchen as well. I collected recipes that I thought were doable, asked for advice from people who cooked on how long to cook things, went out and bought my first 2 weeks worth of healthy groceries and have not looked back.
  
• I love working out! I feel crappy when I miss my workout
• I wake up at ungodly hours of the morning to work out. I love/crave that feeling of knowing my workout is done and the whole rest of the day is mine!!!
• Learned about nutrition and fitness - currently seeking my Nutrition and Wellness Consultant and Personal Trainer certifications!
• Eliminated white carbs from my diet entirely
• Stopped drinking soda except for once per week if we go out to eat. And its even been a few weeks since I did that! I will grab a few sips of Joe's and order water :)
• Paid attention to my food journaling...not so much to count calories but to see what the sources of my nutrition were and what I could tweak to make food work for me. Found out I was eating about 300g of carbs per day and tweaked it to 170g carbs or less per day...usually take in about 140-150g.
• Introduced a lot of veggies! I love Steamfresh!
• Found smart snacks
• Started experimenting with new foods - cous cous, fish, egg whites, quinoa, kale

It is the difference of a lifetime! I heart fitness and nutrition!

Sacrifice now to reap later!!!!

This is my new official motto. It came to me one day after I realized I had about 200 calories of wiggle room left in my food bank for the day. It was after lunch and I was hungry. I am NOT by any means a pleasure delayer. I am often rather impatient and want everything yesterday. So I thought about having another sandwich. Then this wonderful phrase popped into my head. And I thought to myself...If I don't have another sandwich, I'll be able to have some Smartpop after dinner as a snack.

Once this phrase entered my mind, it didn't leave. And I realized that it applied so well to the overall fitness picture. Sacrifice now - your time, your energy, your cravings, your idealistic images of who you want to be - to reap later! If you put the time and the energy in TODAY, one day when you reach your goals you won't have to work so hard as you'll be in maintenance phase. If you eat healthy TODAY, one day when you reach your goals you can have that treat and won't have to stress so much about it undoing your results. If you put aside the ideal pictures and the pressure TODAY, you can really embrace the present and the process and one day when you reach your goals, you will match or exceed those ideals. Not saying that when you reach your goals, you stop taking care of yourself. But you can enter the sought-after maintenance phase where you can relax a little bit knowing that you've crossed the finish line. I love this phrase so much that it has a place on my workout calendar. I find myself saying it when I go grocery shopping, when I don't want to get out of bed in the morning or I want to watch tv at night.

Say it with me:

SACRIFICE NOW TO REAP LATER!

A deeper look at carbs...

http://www.sheerbalance.com/carbohydrates.html

Provides a really nice breakdown of the different types of carbs and a chart outlining which foods are which :)

Chocolate almonds???????????

Not so much a diet as a new perspective on eating and being healthy, on being practical and sensible and knowledgeable when it comes to my food choices!!

I've realized through my carb-lowering and sodium-splitting endeavors that there is not really any good low-carb, low-sodium snacks. String cheese, sure. But who is trying add dairy into their snacks 100 percent of the time? Not me. Plus, some cheeses have high sodium content.

So I went looking in Food Lion yesterday and after like what seemed an eternity, I found a low-carb, low-sodium snack!! Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds!! And not only that, but they come in 100-calorie packs!!!



They are low-sodium, a good source of iron and protein and healthy fat. They're baked with dark chocolate powder so they're not messy. They have no more calories than regular almonds, so why not bring on the chocolate???

:)

Pure awesomeness

Good vs. bad carbs

Good Carbs Vs Bad Carbs!

Should I do more than one workout a day?

As I started working out and getting involved with others who were doing the same program, I noticed a lot of people mentioned they were "doing doubles", which essentially means two workouts per day. I know off hand it sounds like a great idea and a guaranteed successful results producer, but I wanted to check it out. Essentially, they say to either split up ONE workout or do two workouts per day and give the next day as a rest. So really, it is NOT recommended to work out twice a day. The number one reason being rest and burnout. The other reason being it may actually backfire unless you also tweak your diet and food intake to account for the second workout you are doing. So here is the article I decided summed it up best.

The Benefits of Working Out Twice a Day
When you exercise twice a day, you may actually get more fat burning benefits and faster results. Here's why.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1008074/the_benefits_of_working_out_twice_a.html

When to work out?

So as you read in my story, I struggled with this question A LOT!!! I found out through various research and of course, this lovely article, that working out in the morning is the most efficient and effective time to work out. Whenever I need motivation to get myself out of bed, I refer back to this lovely piece of information!!!

Fat-Burning Morning Workouts

If you're exercising without results, here's another reason to wake up early: morning workouts burn more fat. Rise and shine!

By Ian Lee, Fitness Specialist, Askmen.com

Page 1: Morning workouts

reader's question

Dear Ian,

A colleague of mine started working out early in the morning before coming in to work nearly a year ago. Since then, he lost a lot of weight and feels fully energized all day long. I personally prefer training later at night after work, but I'm now considering switching to a morning routine instead.

I simply need to be convinced. So tell me, what are the benefits of training in the morning?

Paolo
Portugal

start your day on the right track

Rise and shine, my friend, because training in the morning definitely has its benefits. Let's start with the obvious ones.

First of all, training in the morning will free up the rest of your day, allowing you to focus on work and enjoy your evening activities.

By completing your workout early in the morning, you're also guaranteeing that you'll actually do it. My point is, after a long painful day at work, it's easier to make excuses or other plans in order to skip a workout. In the morning, your body and mind are fresh and ready to rock 'n' roll. Just remember that being disciplined is the key to staying fit, so start losing your snoozing habits.

As you may know, exercise increases mental acuity. By training in the morning, you'll wake up faster and be mentally alert at the crack of dawn. It'll also give you time to plan your day effectively before getting to work.

In addition, a good morning workout provides that rush of adrenaline and a sense of accomplishment that will stick with you throughout the day.

Finally, have you ever noticed how healthy you feel after a workout? And how you become turned off by greasy, unhealthy food? That said, training in the morning will force you to start watching what you eat from the first meal of the day. It will help regulate your appetite and set a "healthy mindset."

So do morning workouts burn more fat?

Page 2: Morning

burn more fat

Enough fluff already. I know that all you really care about is whether morning training will help you shed pounds quicker. The answer is "yes," morning training has been proven efficient for weight loss.

The reason is simple: Training in the morning will help "jump-start" your metabolism and keep it elevated for up to 24 hours, thus burning more calories throughout the day.

Again, don't expect miracles. Training in the morning alone won't make you thin overnight. You'll need to carry out a good training routine, maintain a healthy, low-fat diet, and acquire good sleeping habits.

More specifically, the key to losing weight is to carry out a cardiovascular routine first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. If you're feeling a little weak, sip a small cup of black coffee or a glass of orange juice. It will help you get started.

say good-bye, blubber

Now, here's why cardio training in the morning is a great way to blast fat:

Your levels of muscle and liver glycogen (also called stored carbohydrates) are normally very low when you wake up first thing in the morning. With depleted glycogen and lower blood sugar, you'll give your body the perfect environment to burn fat instead of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates or glycogen are your body's primary and preferred source of energy. When they're low, your body will tap into your secondary energy reserve, which is your body fat. The idea here is similar to when the engine taps into the car's reserve tank because it's low on fuel.

Obviously, your body is way more complex than your car's gas tank. It always burns up a combination of carbohydrates and fat. However, the less carbohydrates you have, the more fat your body will burn.

Are you convinced yet? If so, great -- but expect an adjustment period. The same way you're jet-lagged after an overseas trip or drowsy when you suddenly have to switch from the graveyard shift to a regular 9 to 5 shift, training in the morning will require some lag time.

Normally, it should take approximately three weeks for your body to fully adjust to the time change. You'll start feeling fully energized; you'll wake up more easily and will generally be more alert.

Now all you need is a louder alarm clock to help you get up those first few weeks. Before you know it, you'll be a lean, mean, morning machine. Good luck and keep on pumpin'.

My story

In Fall of 2007, I was 173, the heaviest I have ever been. I felt like a big, unattractive, lazy, motivation-less slob. It took a toll on everything. I was so self-conscious all the time. How I looked was ALWAYS on my mind! I hated myself in pictures. It was awful! I was so depressed and trying EVERYTHING I could do! I even bought an elliptical machine! I was devastated when I didn't see results. I didn't have time to go to a gym and I REALLY didn't want to be seen working out in public. I needed a personal trainer - someone to tell me exactly what to do and how many of this and that.

In November of 2007, I was up one night and saw one of those infomercials on TV. It was for Slim in 6 - a 6-week structured program which guaranteed results. Ordinarily, I would never order from an infomercial but I really thought this was something I could do. And there was a money-back guarantee. I asked Joe if he thought it would be a good idea and he agreed that it seemed legit and if I really thought I would do it, I should order it. So I did. And with that fateful purchase, my life would change.

The program came in the mail about a week later and I was so excited to start. But man, it was no joke. It was a really challenging program. At least for me, who up until that point, had never worked out a day in my life. I was so frustrated and would cry through the workouts because it was so hard for me. I was out of shape and unfit and could think of a million things better to do with my time than to spend it sweating and huffing and puffing.I HATED working out! Joe would have to kick me out of bed (literally). He used to put different gifts in envelopes with different weights on them to bribe me to work out. Even that stopped working after a while. But 6 weeks later, that all changed when I had dropped 13 pounds and I took my after photos and saw the ENORMOUS change in my body. Slim in 6 completely reshaped my lower half!

I moved on with renewed energy to Slim Series and Turbo Jam. I lost another 5 pounds, down to 155 in early April 2008. Then, I found out I was pregnant. But I ate mostly healthy and walked when I could. At one month post-baby, I weighed 147. Over the next year, I gained A LOT of confidence and dropped down to a size 8. I even started doing P90X! I was down to 137 and I was on top of the world! In October 2010, I got pregnant with my second child. I did not make the same smart choices and I didn't work out at all. In July 2011, my son was born and in September 2011, I returned with full force weighing 143. Over the next year and a half, I've stepped outside my comfort zone. I adopted strength training through Chris Freytag, an inspirational person beyond words. I joined an AWESOME fitness group without which I would not have my sanity. I have seen muscles develop I never even knew I had.

As of today, January 31, 2013, I weigh around 130.

Welcome!

Hi all! Welcome to my blog! I decided to create this spot to use for fitness-related information since there's so much out there!! Please join me on my fitness journey and let me know what you think!! I would like this to be a source of helpful knowledge and powerful tools to help you along on your own personal wellness endeavors!!

:)