This is a  foolproof plan to keep hunger from gnawing away at your weight-loss goals.  You’re driving along on your way to work, to the gym, or to pick up the kids and—bam—it hits you—that overwhelming gnawing hunger. The next thing you know, you’re pulling into a drive through and ordering up a storm. Here at Define Fitness Studio, we believe in news you can use to help you reach your goals!

Tips

• Eat on Time. Scientists say that failing to eat regularly scheduled meals can boost the body’s output of insulin, which can, in turn, increase appetite and slow calorie burn.
• Plan Ahead. Don’t wait until you’re starving to think about food: Tuck portable snacks like jerky, apples or almonds in your purse so you’ll be ready when hunger strikes.

Isn’t it fascinating (and frustrating) how the “I have to eat now!” feeling can hit even if you’ve been making good nutrition a top priority? Experts are discovering that when you eat, what your food tastes like, and even how much you drink can have a major impact on how often hunger pangs strike.

We asked leading nutritionists to share with us the five most common reasons you’re frequently famished, as well as their top tips for maximizing satisfaction and keeping hunger at bay.

1. You eat the right foods at the wrong times.
Eating at different times every day can make it difficult for you to tune in to your body’s hunger signals, says Cindy Moore, MS, RD, director of Nutrition Therapy at the Cleveland Clinic. Haphazard eating can hurt your metabolism as well. When British researchers asked women to eat meals at either the same time or at different times each day, those who followed a predictable pattern ate less and burned more calories than those who ate at a different time every day.

The Solution: Plan ahead.
Reviewing your nutrition journal helps you zero in on when you’re most likely to fall prey to eating at erratic times. (If you haven’t been tracking your food consistently, try doing so for a few days.) Then, says Moore, create a schedule that focuses on eating within 2 hours of waking up and every 3 to 5 hours after that for the rest of the day. If you tend to lose track of time, set your watch or cell phone to beep when you should eat.

2. You eat breakfast, just not the right kind.
Although any breakfast is better than none, the foods you choose can have a major impact on how satisfied you feel for the rest of the day. Take convenient foods like cereal, cereal bars, toast, lattes, commercial  juices and smoothies.  It might appear to be a healthy choice when you don’t have time for a sit-down meal, but its mega-dose of simple sugars and total carbohydrates may have you feeling ravenously hungry in an hour or two.

The Solution: Build a better balance of nutrients.
The key to making your breakfast hold your appetite at bay until lunch is building a morning meal that contains a balance of protein, fat and carbs. It’s important to combine adequate amounts of protein along with some carbohydrate high in fiber, and some healthy fats to provide sustained energy throughout the morning. Opt for quick easy healthy choices such as 10-15 raw unsalted almonds, 2 to 3 hard boiled eggs, and  1-2 cups of raw or steamed broccoli.  These foods are quick and easy to prepare, but if you are really in a time crunch in the mornings, prepare your breakfast the night before.

3. Your diet is clean but flavorless.
If grilled chicken and steamed veggies are staples on your dinner plate, you could be headed for trouble if you’re a hard core foodie, or if you just get bored eating the same thing all the time. We don’t want to give ourselves additional emotional or psychological road blocks to our healthy diet if we don’t have to. We need to remind ourselves sometimes that the purpose of food is to fuel our bodies, but there’s nothing wrong with looking for healthy ways to enjoy our fuel more and get some variety.

The Fix: Spice it up.
Getting creative in the kitchen will give your stand-by recipes new life—and keep you more satisfied in the long run. “Experiment with fresh, flavorful herbs, like basil, gingerroot, oregano, and mint. Also, adding acidity (a dash of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar) and sweetness (a teaspoon of honey or stevia) can make your staple dishes more complex in taste—and more satisfying. Texture is also key: Aim for combinations of creamy, crunchy, and chewy. Try tossing chopped walnuts on your greens or mix  macadamia nuts into your yogurt.

4. You stockpile your calories.
Do you often eat so sparingly during the day that by the time dinner rolls around you’re famished? That strategy can backfire, leading to uncontrollable overeating in the evening. When you skip meals it’s harder to think straight, so you’re less concerned with the implications of what you eat.

The Fix: Frontload those calories.
Eating earlier in the day and not skipping any snacks or meals is a better strategy for most people to head off disaster later on. Even if you’re not hungry, be sure to eat something. Treat yourself the way you’d treat your kids—you wouldn’t let them skip meals.

5. You drink your meals.
With the ever-increasing popularity of lattes for breakfast and smoothies for lunch, many of us are drinking our calories away. But drinking too many caloric beverages can ultimately leave you feeling unsatisfied. When researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, gave study participants 450 extra calories daily in the form of either fluid or solid food, those who ate the extra solids ate less later in the day whereas those who drank the extra fluids did not. The reasoning: Chewing causes the release of hormones that signal fullness, and solid food is digested more slowly than liquids.

The Fix: Rethink convenience.
Slurping down a meal might seem fast and easy, but in the time it takes to drive to the coffee shop, stand in line, and pay for that latte, you could have had something just as quick—and far more satisfying. Try some apple slices with peanut butter or a cup of greek yogurt with some berries. If it’s the comfort of a hot drink you crave, brew a cup of tea to go with your meal.  If you are going to use shakes or smoothies as a regular part of your nutrition routine, make sure they include an ingredient that contains lots of fiber, so that you will have more of a feeling of fullness. I like to add a tablespoon of almond or peanut butter, and some  fresh or frozen fruit to my shakes and smoothies. In other words, focus on food combinations that will get you through to your next meal—no starving required.

Go check out our new and updated website at http://definefitnessstudio.com DefineFitnessStudio

DefineFitnessStudio

If you answered no to the above questions then you are likely suffering from nutritional deficiencies.

It’s hard to know exactly what to eat for optimal health, especially since everyone has a different opinion.

Even when you make every effort to eat healthy, your diet almost always lacks important nutrients.

In her book, Green For Life, Victoria Boutenko set out in search of the perfect human diet. She immersed herself in nutrition research and discovered a very interesting observation.

The Chimpanzee Connection: Chimpanzees and humans are more closely related than any other animal species. In fact, research shows that we share 99.4% of our DNA sequence with our chimpanzee friends.

Why is this significant? Chimpanzees are in far better physical shape than humans, and possess strong natural immunity to cancer and other fatal — and quite common — human illnesses.

Victoria’s research all pointed to the chimpanzee diet as the reason for their superior health. Chimps and humans have vastly different eating habits.

It’s All About The Greens: While humans enjoy pizza and hamburgers, chimps eat a diet extremely high in dark leafy greens — an item that hardly exists in the human world.

Victoria then turned her focus on dark leafy greens. What she discovered was a super-food packed with extremely high levels of nutrients. Here are 5 amazing facts about greens:

1. Greens are packed with amino acids…AKA protein.

I’ll bet you didn’t know that dark leafy greens are a legitimate source of protein. It’s true!

Protein molecules are made of a chain of amino acids. When you consume protein from chicken, you’re getting chains of amino acids that have already been assembled into a complex protein.

When you eat dark leafy greens you are getting a plethora of individual amino acids. Your body then takes these amino acids and assembles it into complex protein chains.

2. Greens give you lots of insoluble fiber…like a sponge.

You know fiber is important, but did you realize that fiber is needed to rid your body of toxins? Insoluble fiber is extra special, since it is built like tiny sponges that each absorbs several times more toxins than its own volume. Check out just a few of the many benefits of fiber:

Fiber reduces cholesterol
Fiber prevents and reduces the risk of cancer
Fiber lessens risk of diabetes and improves existing diabetes
Fiber helps shed unwanted pounds and prevents overeating
3. Greens promote bodily homeostasis…necessary for optimal health.

Homeostasis is the physiological process that regulates all substances in your body at ideal levels for optimal health. It is a very complex process, one that your body is constantly working towards.

In order for your body to achieve homeostasis it needs an abundance of vitamins, amino acids, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids and minerals. Greens are a super provider of all of the above.

4. Greens are alkaline…which promotes healthy cells.

In 1931 Dr. Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize for discovering the cause of cancer: weakened cell respiration due to lack of oxygen on the cellular level — this causes fermentation, which results in acidity, or low pH.

There is a close connection between the foods you eat and your pH balance. For example, Parmesan cheese is highly acid forming, -34; while spinach is an amazingly alkalizing food, +14.

When you get plenty of greens on a daily basis, you’re able to better maintain a good alkaline pH balance.

5. Greens are made of chlorophyll…liquid sun energy.

As amazing as it may seem, the molecule of chlorophyll is strikingly similar to the molecule of human blood. Chlorophyll heals and cleanses your organs while destroying harmful substances.

Here are just a few of the powers of chlorophyll:

Chlorophyll builds a high blood count
Chlorophyll helps prevent cancer
Chlorophyll counteracts toxins
Chlorophyll promotes an alkaline body
Chlorophyll helps sores heal faster
Chlorophyll improves varicose veins
Chlorophyll improves vision
Introducing The Green Smoothie: While the evidence for eating lots of greens continues to mount, who really wants to chomp through a pile of spinach everyday? The solution is as convenient as it is efficient: the green smoothie.

Victoria discovered that when she blended greens with fruit and water, the result was an easily absorbed, delicious smoothie. The key to reaping all the benefits from your green smoothies is to use a wide variety of greens and to drink it every day. Most enjoy it as a quick, nutrient-packed breakfast.
*See the recipe below*

Victoria did a study where people drank green smoothies everyday for a month. Most participants reported a noticeable increase in their energy levels after just the first week. This boost of energy may be just what you need to get into gear with your workouts.

Remember, regular challenging exercise is the key to achieving your ideal body.

Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will get you to your best body quickly.

Rule # 1 – Eat food.

These days this is easier said than done, especially when seventeen thousand new products show up in the supermarket each year, all vying for your food dollar. But most of these items don’t deserve to be called food – I call them edible food-like substances. They’re highly processed concoctions designed by food scientists, consisting mostly of ingredients derived from corn and soy that no normal person keeps in the pantry, and they contain chemical additives with which the human body has not been long acquainted. Today much of the challenge of eating well comes down to choosing real food and avoiding these industrial novelties.

Janelle G. Miller
Fitness Guru | Personal Trainer | Nutrition Coach
janelle@definefitnessstudio.com
206.369.7216

“Fighting America’s Health & Obesity Epidemic One Person at a Time”

Scenario: “Selena” takes in only 1,200 calories a day. She’s 300 lb. and isn’t losing any weight.

What gives?

The answer: The calories Selena takes in are mostly processed and contain chemicals that constantly raise her insulin levels and encourage her body to store fat. Her consumption of artificial sweeteners only compounds the problem. Just because something has “0” calories doesn’t mean it has “0” affect on your waistline!

According to many experts, artificial sweeteners can create insulin spikes via signals between the taste buds and organs such as the pancreas and the brain. Furthermore, the body is wired in ways that allow some people to get insulin spikes just by looking at pictures of food.

In a similar twist, Selena might not need a strict low calorie regimen because carrying 300 lb. around all day is a hell of a workout and may require more fuel than you think. To prevent an average female from sending her body into “starvation” mode aka “fat storing machine”, the absolute least amount of calories she can have is 1,200 calories per day for many people trying to lose weight tracking calories is an all important tool. Weight loss is a simple equation: calories in and calories out. You must burn more calories than you take in to lose weight. The only way to know if you are successful is to keep a record of how many calories you eat and how many calories you burn in a given day.

The goal is to be able to eventually eat intuitively and not have to track anymore. You should get so used to what proper portions and proper levels of fullness feel like that you can eventually retire your food journal for good. This is easier said than done, and all too often people get trapped by counting each and every calorie that enters their mouths, and lose sight of all else.

The problem with counting calories is the focus is in the quantity, not the quality of the food you are eating. Often, when reviewing client’s nutrition journals, all they can focus on is the total at the end of the day. I review page after page of nutritionally bankrupt processed food items and have to re-educate my clients as to why they are not losing weight despite restricting calories and regular exercise. People look at me confused when I tell them that eating a large piece of cake for dinner, which has fewer calories than a well-balanced meal, is not a good choice. “But I ate less calories,” they say. Or my favorite is the rare occasion that I see they’ve eaten an entire pizza for dinner, justified by the fact that they ate nothing else all day. It’s no wonder so many Americans are overfed, yet malnourished!

Personally, I hate counting calories and find it to be tedious and time consuming. I have a little secret formula that, if followed, makes calorie counting obsolete in your quest for a slimmer, trimmer, healthier you. It all comes down to what I feel is one of the most important principles of nutrition: H = N/C

HEALTH = NUTRIENTS/CALORIES

Your waistline, not to mention your health, is predicted by your nutrient intake divided by your intake of calories.

Although I would love to claim the above formula as my own, it is actually from the book Eat to Live, by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I ask all my clients to read the book, as I have found that the compliance level usually directly correlates with the education and level of understanding each client has regarding the concepts. Then I ask that each client commit to a 4-6 week Eat to Live program. The weight loss and health benefits during this time are unprecedented.

To summarize, it is always a better choice to eat something dense in nutrients. It turns out that many of those foods are also low in calories. For example, an entire pound of broccoli is only 100 calories, but only 1 tablespoon of butter adds an additional 100 calories. Food is our way to provide our body with the vitamins and nutrients it needs to run our bodily functions properly. Without a proper diet, we cannot digest, heal, grow, think, function, move and yes, burn fat, properly. When you start approaching your food as fuel and a means to ultimate health, you will not only feel better, but losing weight can be an effortless byproduct.

Janelle G. Miller
Fitness Guru | Personal Trainer | Nutrition Coach
janelle@definefitnessstudio.com
206.369.7216

“Fighting America’s Health & Obesity Epidemic One Person at a Time”

It’s recommended that we eat 6-10 fruits and vegetables a day. Here in the States it is reported the actual average of fruits and veggies eaten each day is just 2.

Yup, just 2.

Now, I don’t know where you stand on this, but overall, it really is a sad state of nutritional affairs.

But do not despair! It’s not that tough to get more fruits and veggies in each day.

Here are some super simple tips to get you started:

1) Buy ‘em pre-chopped

Look, I can be lazy, too There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to go through the hassle of having to chop up fruits and veggies. If you want to buy them pre-chopped go ahead. It’s much better for you than not eating them.

2) Carry ‘em with you

Load up a plastic baggie with your pre-chopped veggies and bring them to work. Seriously, see how easy this can be!

3) Add real fruit to your yogurt

Have some yogurt for breakfast and add some fresh blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. It’s that simple!

Bonus tip: A great way to provide your body with the nutritional foundation you need each day is a Whole Foods based multi-vitamin. I’m a proud Prograde Nutrition partner and they have a terrific product called VGF 25+ that is made from 25 veggies, greens and fruits.

The best part is you can try Prograde’s VGF 25+ for FREE! (There’s just a small S & H charge)

http://definefitness.getprograde.com/vgf25-free-trial.html

I hope you have an awesome weekend. Be sure to use these tips and let me know how they help you out. Or send me some of your own!

Yours in health,

Darren Cobin
Certified Personal Trainer
Strength and Conditioning Coach

PS – You can see all the natural ingredients they use to make VGF 25+ at http://definefitness.getprograde.com/vgf25-free-trial.html

So today I don’t have very much time to write to you – at all. But as a proud Prograde Nutrition partner I had to let you know that their Whole Foods based multi – VGF 25 + -is now available on a trial basis.

Yes, it’s made from 25 veggies, greens and fruits. Hence the name, VGF!

It contains 7 nutrient classes:

Enzymes
Phytonutrients
Amino Acids
Essential Fatty Acids
Micro AND Macro Vitamins and Minerals

Again, what’s really cool is you can try Prograde’s VGF 25+ for FREE! (There’s just a small S & H charge)

http://definefitness.getprograde.com/vgf25-free-trial.html

Ok, gotta run. Talk to you soon.

Yours in health,

Darren Cobin
Certified Personal Trainer
Strength and Conditioning Coach

PS – You can see all the natural ingredients they use to make VGF 25+ at http://definefitness.getprograde.com/vgf25-free-trial.html

The holiday season reminds me a lot of the “Star Wars” movies. There’s a very good side to the season with all of the parties, gift giving and getting together with loved ones. But along with the good side is a “dark side” that we all visit at some point during the season.

Holiday eating isn’t all on the dark side, but you must admit that most of us consume excessive calories in the form of second or third trips to the buffet, baked goods and alcohol. Don’t get me wrong, there is great enjoyment in savoring all of the holiday flavors and cuisines, but there comes a day of reckoning. The indulgence in excessive eating comes with a price. We pay the price in added pounds that seem to find their way directly to our hips and waist.

Calories Add Up
The good news is it takes around 3,500 excess calories to add one pound of fat to your body. That’s a ton of calories! The bad news is that many holiday meals can total 3,000-4,000 per sitting and that doesn’t even factor in the alcohol, soda or sparkling cider. Unless you’re eating your dinner on an exercise bike, you could put on nearly a pound in just one meal!

Although the calorie content of holiday meals can be very high, they don’t have to spell disaster for your waistline. The key is to carefully manage your exercise levels during the holidays and the weeks leading up to extravagant meals and eat clean on all of the days you won’t be at a party. One of the best ways to manage your exercise levels and crank up the intensity is to hire a personal trainer and Define Fitness Studio of Bellevue is the place to do it. Our small group format makes training fun and affordable at around $25 per session. We’ll even help you manage your nutrition and hold you accountable during the holidays.

Damage Control Methods
There are two strategies to holiday damage control. One is preemptive and the other is reactive. If you want to keep the damage to a minimum or even make progress toward your weight loss goals, I would suggest using both methods.

Preemptive Damage Control
The key to preemptive damage control is planning ahead. If you fail to plan you plan to fail. During the holiday season, you should increase both the quality and quantity of your exercise. This can be like putting money or “burned calories” in the bank. If you are planning to eat a huge holiday meal in the 3,500 calorie range, try and increase your calorie burn by about 500 calories per day for 7 days leading up to your meal. You are in effect, losing the weight before you put it on. The net result will be zero weight gain and you’ll be able to enjoy a guilt free feeding frenzy.

Reactive Damage Control
The main holiday meals are not the only source of excess calories. What about the extra piece of pie or other late night snacks? Don’t forget about those glasses of eggnog or the chocolate chip cookies you munched on either. These are typical food items we all end up eating during the holidays. They’re hard to resist and we often eat them without even thinking about it. No worries! These unplanned “sneaky” calories can be taken care of after the fact. This is called “reactive damage control”. Utilize the help of the best Personal Trainers on the Eastside by asking for Personal Training for Christmas. At Define Fitness Studio, we offer single month gift certificates as well as discounted rates for 3,6 and 12 month packages.

The Exercise Equation
Sometimes knowing the calorie content in a food isn’t enough of a deterrent to keep us from eating them. However, learning how much we must exercise to burn them off can have more of an effect. Here’s the distance you must run to burn off some popular holiday fare.

Eight ounces of eggnog 3.25 miles
Three ounces of turkey 1.25 miles
One slice of pumpkin pie 3.00 miles
One slice of apple pie 3.75 miles
Three ounces roast beef 3.00 miles
One slice pecan pie 6.00 miles
One cup mashed potatoes 3.00 miles
One cup sweet potatoes 2.50 miles
One cup of bread stuffing 4.00 miles
Two rolls w/butter 3.00 miles
One cup of gravy 2.00 miles
One cup of cranberry sauce 4.00 miles

Janelle G. Miller
Fitness Guru | Personal Trainer | Nutrition Coach
janelle@definefitnessstudio.com
206.369.7216

“Fighting America’s Health & Obesity Epidemic One Person at a Time”

Dietary Sources of Iron

Iron is essential to all body cells. Iron functions primarily as a carrier of oxygen in the body, both as a part of hemoglobin in the blood and of myoglobin in the muscles. Iron deficiency anemia occurs when there is not enough iron in the red blood cells. This is a common problem often caused by pregnancy, blood loss, a diet low in iron or poor absorption of iron by the body. There are a variety of possible symptoms of iron deficiency including:

lack of energy or tiredness
extreme fatigue and feeling of weakness
pale skin
light headedness
headache
pale skin on the lining of the eyes, the inner mouth and the nails
rapid and forceful heartbeat
low blood pressure with position change from sitting to standing up
finger nails that become thin, brittle and white – they may grow abnormally and get a spoon-shaped appearance
tongue may become sore, smooth and reddened
decrease in appetite
shortness of breath during exercise
brittle hair
reduction in immunity and increased vulnerability to infection
a strong desire to eat nonfoods such as ice, paint or dirt (a condition called Pica)
disturbed sleep
abdominal pain
Because the typical symptoms of iron deficiency have many causes, diagnosis by a blood test is needed to confirm the presence of iron deficiency anemia.

If your blood iron level is low, your health care provider may refer you to a dietitian to discuss a dietary increase in iron-rich foods. He or she may also recommend a multivitamin pill or prescribe an iron supplement. Although iron is found in a variety of different foods and supplements, its availability to the body varies significantly. In general, iron is not readily absorbed by the body. Availability is partially determined by whether the iron is found in the form of HEME or NON-HEME iron.

HEME iron is found only in meat, fish and poultry and is absorbed much more easily than NON-HEME iron, which is found primarily in fruits, vegetables, dried beans, nuts and grain products.

The following factors will increase the iron absorption from non-heme foods:

A good source of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) – i.e., oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes, broccoli, and strawberries, eaten with a NON-HEME food
A HEME and NON-HEME food eaten together
A NON-HEME food cooked in an iron pot, such as a cast iron skillet
The following factors will decrease non-heme iron absorption:

Large amounts of tea or coffee consumed with a meal (the polyphenols bind the iron).
Excess consumption of high fiber foods or bran supplements (the phytates in such foods inhibit absorption).
High intake of calcium – take your calcium supplement at a different time from your iron supplement.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for iron for non-vegetarian pre-menopausal women is 18 mg/day. The RDA for non-vegetarian men and post-menopausal women is 8 mg/day. Because of iron absorption issues in a healthful, high-fiber vegetarian diet, the RDAs for vegetarians are higher – 14 mg/day for vegetarian men and 33 mg/day for vegetarian women. The upper level of intake should not exceed 45mg/day.

HEME IRON SOURCES

Food Source Serving Size (oz.) / Iron (mg)
Beef, liver 3.0 7.5
Beef, corned 3.0 2.5
Beef, lean ground; 10% fat 3.0 3.9
*Beef, round 3.0 4.6
*Beef, chuck 3.0 3.2
*Beef, flank 3.0 4.3
Chicken, breast w/out bone 3.0 0.9
Chicken, leg w/bone 2.0 0.7
Chicken, liver 3.0 7.3
Chicken, thigh w/ bone 2.3 1.2
Cod, broiled 3.0 0.8
Flounder, baked 3.0 1.2
*Pork, lean ham 3.0 1.9
*Pork, loin chop 3.0 3.5
Salmon, pink canned 3.0 0.7
Shrimp, 10 – 2 1/2 inch 1.1 0.5
Tuna, canned in water 3.5 1.0
Turkey, dark meat 3.0 2.0
Turkey, white meat 3.0 1.2

*Lean, trimmed of separable fat

NON-HEME FOOD SOURCES

Food Source Serving Size Iron (mg)
Almonds, raw 10 – 12 each 0.7
Apricots, dried, med.-size 10 each 1.7
Bagel 1 whole 1.5
Baked beans, canned 1/2 cup 2.0
Bread, white 2 slices 1.4
Bread, whole wheat 2 slices 1.7
Broccoli, cooked 1/2 cup 0.6
Broccoli, raw 1 stalk 1.1
Dates 10 each 1.6
Kidney beans 1/2 cup 3.0
Lima beans 1/2 cup 1.8
Macaroni, enriched, cooked 1 cup 1.9
Molasses, blackstrap 1 tbsp. 2.3
Peas, frozen and prepared 1/2 cup 1.3
Prune juice 1/2 cup 1.5
Raisins, not packed 1/4 cup 1.0
Rice, brown, cooked 1 cup 1.0
Rice, white enriched, cooked 1 cup 1.8
Spaghetti, enriched, cooked 1 cup 1.6
Spinach, cooked 1/2 cup 2.0
Vitamin supplements varies varies