Phit-N-Phat...Making Fitness and Weightloss a Lifestyle

Advice on Staying In Shape to Have a Baby

2009-07-02T06:25:00-07:00

A reader recently wrote to me...

Hi I am an avid follower of Phit-N-Phat. I truly enjoy reading your blog. My question for you is this...if you could give advice to a woman embarking on pregnancy and wanted to keep in shape and not blow up like a balloon (keep healthy weight gain) what would the advice/blog be? I am a active adult women with two prior pregnancies (two active children now) and would like to have a 3rd. I lost 30 pounds last year however, I am not at my goal weight (still want to loose about 15 pounds) and want to get it off quick after. So Im looking at how many calories would be good and any other advice you may have =)Thanks from a big fan!

I typically take 10 times your current bodyweight as the amount you eat on days you exercise less than 45 min. If you train for more than 45 min. bump it to 11 or 12. Keep the foods as healthy as possible like fruits, veggies, lean proteins, healthy fats, and unprocessed carbs.

The key is to train your body for a baby. For a healthy pregnancy you need to train your taste buds, cravings, heart, and muscles to cope with nine months. The healthier those nine months are the easier it is to lose the weight. We all gain weight and you are going to gain what you gain. It's the kind of fat and type of habits you develop that make all the difference in the world.

Think of it this way: burgers and fries are harder to burn off because once the baby comes you still want burger and fries. Fruits and veggies burn off fast post-baby because you are conditioned to eat foods that give healthy energy.

The first four months are HARD. No one wants to go into diet mode when they are sleep deprived and stressed out. You will continue the habits you establish while pregnant. If Blizzards and cheeseburgers are your habit then they will be when the baby arrives. If healthy foods and an occassional treat is the norm, weight will come off so much easier.

Start baby Bootcamp before baby is made!!! If you need help with a menu or easy plan to follow with kids, try my Treadmill Bootcamp. It's loaded with great routines that combine strength and cardio for a busy mom. It also has a good, solid menu that builds healthy habits.

Hope that helps.

PNP...It's a Lifestyle

2009-06-30T08:47:16-07:00

We just wrapped up our first retreat and it was AMAZING. I sit here in astonishment at what wonderful women find their way to me, join our site, and then come together to make ourselves stronger and healthier. Trust me, it's a true measure of the quality of people you have in your life when you can get 30 women together and all they do is get along, laugh, cry, and celebrate having the chance to grow themselves.

Pictures will be coming soon but today I wanted to blog some of my thoughts from camp to help all my readers who love to learn through the PNP girls experiences.

Lesson One: PNP, losing weight, and getting fit really is about a lifestyle.
Getting healthy is not a program or today's hottest eating plan. It's about finding how you can be the healthiest person you can be while juggling family, friends, work, hobbies, and a world of other commitments. Sometimes that is eating clean and other days it means having two slices of pizza versus a whole. Basically - being the healthiest person you can be is not black and white and limited to what some trainer or nutritionist said to eat. It is evaluating and making honest choices given each time you go to the gym and put a piece of food in your mouth.

Lesson Two: It takes work.
Life isn't easy. It takes planning, prepping, scheduling, moving around, juggling, and doing things VERY OFTEN that you need to do versus you want to do. The same goes for you health. Eating better and moving more often takes a little planning, prepping, thinking, and juggling to get it done.

I have saying, "If you are out of shape it's because you are taking the easy way out somewhere." Find out where that is and get to work.

Lesson Three: Lifestyle means being mindful of what you do.
I talked all weekend about two ideas: work to YOUR OWN potential and make the best choice you can. Do you know which girls I worry about the most on my site? It's the ones who don't think before they skip exercise or shove a big mac in their mouth. Those girls have no awareness, they have no chance to do a little better, and they go to bed each night feeling guilty and ashamed of their choices.

If I could offer one piece of advice to anyone who wants to lose weight and be a healthier person it is to simply make a choice every time you exercise and eat. Some days a walk is all you got in you. That's fine. It's better than doing nothing because what you know you can do isn't on the "schedule". Other days, life is coming at you like a hail storm. Your old self would just go to the local pizza buffet for dinner and eat until happy. What if you decided ordering pizza, thin crust, and just enough for the family? Having pizza isn't the best choice but it damn sure is the BETTER choice.

And, that is the lesson in the end. We all have to strive to be BETTER than we were yesterday. Some days you will be on fire and other days a slow burn is better than fizzling out.

I am having surgery tomorrow and you will see some surgery blogs coming up as I intend to chronicle the journey. I hope you all enjoy it and thanks for being such a supporter of PNP.

Mammy Goes Out of Town

2009-06-24T04:49:51-07:00

Mammy went to Louisville this weekend to pick up my niece from some summer vacation. She stayed at a hotel and did a great job. She's lost 37 lbs now and is going to my women's retreat and fitness camp this weekend. We've worked HARD getting her ready and making exercises she can do to work around her shoulder and ankle injuries. I'm so excited to be able to show off my mom at camp as my next big success story. If Mammy can do it....SO CAN YOU!

Click here to see a message from Mammy!

Here's what Mammy had to say about her weekend.

I did well on the weekend. On the way, we stopped at Arby's and I just ate a snack that I brought in my purse (no sugar applesauce with a handful of walnuts). We got to the hotel, and there was a Subway within walking distance. I unpacked, and walked to Subway. I got a chicken sandwich with no mayo or cheese, but all the veggies I like (lettuce, tomato, onion, bell pepper, cucumber, and pickles) with spicy mustard, oregano, and black pepper.
The convenience store next to Subway I decided to pick up some Slim Fast, water, pretzels. I ate 1/2 of the sandwich for supper and the other half for lunch on Saturday. I drank the Slim Fast after my workout in their gym. I actually got on a treadmill and walked 30 minutes. I could have gone longer but it was so hot in there. The AC was set and locked on 85 degrees. I was sweating like no other.
There was a Cracker Barrel a little further down the road. I walked to it for breakfast both mornings and had two Poached eggs, plain grits, grilled chicken, dry whole wheat toast. The only "treat" was I got hash brown casserole. Like you, I love the potato!
On Saturday night we went to a Hibachi place and I got the Sirloin and Lobster entree (where the cook it in front of you) and instead of fried rice, I got the plain steamed rice and ate my veggies: mushrooms, onion, zucchini. Orange for dessert. After dinner, everyone wanted to go to Dairy Queen. They all had ice cream but me.
The other exercise I did was swimming. I swam Friday night after supper and most of the day on Saturday. I was puffy this morning I guess from the long car ride or sodium rich foods but I still lost 0.6 lbs. Not much but it's a loss and not a gain.

Here's a recipe from Mammy that she included in her menu this week.

Penne Pasta with Shrimp and Asparagus

Ingredients:

3/4 Package of Whole Wheat Penne Pasta
Drizzle of olive oil
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 bunches of asparagus (cut into bite size pieces)
Fresh basil chopped
2 TB of minced garlic (more or less depending on your taste)
1/8 Teaspoon of Cayennne Pepper (more or less you decide)
1 TB of Italian seasoning
1/4 cup white white (can substitute chicken broth)
2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 pound of peeled, deveined shrimp
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta 8 to 10 minutes (al dente; drain).

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat, stir in onion, garlic, asparagus, basil, red pepper, Italian seasoning until veggies are just tender. Mix in wine and tomatoes, and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix shrimp into the skillet and cook 5 minutes or until shrimp is opaque. Toss with pasta and top with Parmesan cheese.

Makes 6 servings and is about 450 calories per serving

I hope to have a few videos and pictures of her progress after this weekend. She's been doing an excellent job and this weekend will be a first for her. Wish her good luck!

Bill...A Real Weightloss Success Story

2009-06-22T05:06:17-07:00

We often talk about all the reasons we hold ourselves back on this site. Today I want to share a few thoughts on my friend and original PNP client, Bill, who has lived a life of obesity and is now a two-time body building competitor.

This weekend he competed at the HUB City Classic in Jackson, TN. He did it this year for one reason: he wanted his two little girls see why Daddy works so hard in the gym and why he has to eat so much fish. All of it paid off because he looked fabulous.

The morning of the competition we met for his pancake with REAL syrup meal before going on stage. It was interesting because whenever I am around anyone it seems to lend itself to some pretty deep thoughts on the subject of being fat.

Both of us have this "issue" and that is we will always be a fat girl or fat boy. We believe this person never dies in you even when you don't LOOK the part any longer.

Bill likens it to an alcoholic. When you are no longer drinking it doesn't mean you are "cured." You just aren't drinking at the time but the drunk is still on the inside of you.

The same goes with people who have been overweight; particularly those who have a lifetime of significant fat to draw upon. Once you have lost the weight it doesn't mean you aren't still a "fat person". You are just an outwardly thin person with an inner fat person.

Most of us who need to lose weight, especially significant weight, do so because we really like food. We like the bad stuff A LOT. If we didn't, losing weight would be easy and we probably wouldn't be fat to begin with. I like healthy food NOW and will eat it but, seriously, if I thought I could look just as good eating pancakes and peanut butter for breakfast, a burger and fries for lunch washed down with a shake, and then go out every night to a new Mexican restaurant for margaritas and nachos I WOULD! See, I know how to roll LARGE.

What was I talking about? Oh yes, alcoholism. I will always be the fat girl just like a drunk is a drunk. Every day I have to choose to eat what is good for me versus what gives me pleasure. I have to make time to exercise when TV is tempting. I have to stop eating before I feel round and full and I have to say no to going out or parties sometimes because I just can't fit it into my weekly plan.

Do I like healthy food? Absolutely. Do I like junk food? Absolutely. I'm proud to be on the road to recovery. I call it maintenance and while I maintain I am sober. You know what? It's OK, too. I don't mind it being hard, "unfair", or anything like that. Rather than wallow in the unfairness I choose acceptance so I can be successful.

Bill is like me. He has every reason to be a fat guy - bad history, genes, habits, etc. - but he chooses to accept his demons and live his life to the fullest. Enjoy this video of his competition. He worked hard and made everyone proud.

Hub City

What's So Great About Asparagus?

2009-06-18T04:02:27-07:00

You see asparagus in competitor diets for several reasons: it's a mild diuretic, low in calories (24 calories per cup or raw), and provides some electrolyte balance since you sweat your tail off hours a day with cardio!

Runner's World sent an email today with even more information about asparagus...things I didn't even know. I'm definitely putting it into my post-surgery menu. Now to just teach Chris how to bake it for me. Hmmmm...does this guy look like a cook?

From Runner's World...

GOOD: As a side dish
One cup of asparagus spears supplies 115 percent of your Daily Value for vitamin K, which is vital for bone health, and 65 percent of your Daily Value for folate, a B vitamin that promotes healthy blood cells and helps prevent birth defects.
GET IT: Steam asparagus spears for about five minutes, or until tender. Drizzle with olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

BETTER: In a salad
Many runners--especially those who avoid meat--don't get enough iron; that's because nonmeat sources of the mineral, such as vegetables and grains, are not as readily absorbed. But eating foods high in vitamin C, like asparagus, increases iron absorption from nonmeat foods.
GET IT: Add raw asparagus tips to a salad of spinach, arugula, and radicchio to get the most benefit from the iron in the greens.

GREAT: With your dinner
Asparagus is loaded not only with folate but also vitamin B6. When combined with vitamin B12, this trio works together to lower circulating levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that wreaks havoc on artery walls, leading to heart disease.
GET IT: Stir-fry one-inch pieces of chicken or lean beef, which are high in vitamin B12, with 1 1/2-inch pieces of asparagus spears. Serve over brown rice for additional B vitamins.

I also like to to take fresh asparagus and stir fry in PAM a little bit but keep a lot of the crunchiness. I then dip it in spicy brown mustard and add salt to it. Yummy!

Workouts Aren't a Cure All

2009-06-17T08:49:55-07:00

I got a newsletter today with a great quote for all of us to think about...

YOU CAN'T OUT TRAIN A BAD DIET. PERIOD.

We've talked several times about making the most out of your workouts, kicking it with intensity, and putting the time in that your body DESERVES.

Many of us, though, who find the light bulb for exercise fail to flip our diet switch. We think tough workouts, endless cardio, running marathons, and any other athletic thing you can think of is going to erase a ding-dong here, a cup cake there, and a few drinks this weekend.

It won't. Trust me. This is the voice of experience talking.

Last year I competed. I worked out less than I did earlier this year. Last year I did almost an hour of weights five days a week and anywhere from 30-60 min. of cardio a day.

This year from January to June I put a ton of time in each and every day doing weights like a figure athlete, running like a marathoner, and cardio for tris. I truly worked out 2-3 hours a day.

Last year at this time I weighed 135-138 lbs. This year I weigh 145-148 lbs while exercising double! What's the real difference? Diet.

Last year the diet was tight and on target. I didn't eat out but one meal a week and stuck religiously to 1500 calories a day of lean protein, tons of veggies, healthy fats, limited carbs.

This year I eat a well-balanced diet BUT I sneak a protein bar in here and there instead of real food, have ice cream a couple of times a week, drink on Saturday night, and eat out once or twice a week whatever I want.

Don't get me wrong. I like where I am now. 145 is still sexy. It's not hard, defined, and such. I like that 135 Corinne, too. But I like the living a little Corinne. This Corinne means she can have a meal out with Mammy, drinks with Daddy, and ice cream with Loggie without having to rearrange a week's worth of plans.

The point is that I like to eat and I enjoy having some treats. That means sacrificing some of the definition and look I love. To be able to eat, though, I can't and you can't expect to make progress - NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU EXERCISE. None of us can workout enough to erase all the food we sneak in during the week.

What I am saying is if you don't like how you look you gotta change something. Most of the time it's your food intensity; not your workout intensity. Just adding some cardio or another day of workouts isn't going to fix what ails you. Fix the problem not what's working.

Mammy Update

2009-06-16T07:35:56-07:00

Mammy is still going super strong! The last couple of weeks we have gone out to eat TWICE and both times she automatically looked for the best option to make her feel good and healthy. Not one time did she even consider getting something "good" meaning wanting to eat a bunch of junk. She's dropped the attitude that working out and eating healthy DESERVES a meal full of fat.

Since January she's lost 45lbs and 35lbs of that working with me in the last four months. As I have said over and over again...we haven't counted a calorie, macro, or done anything fancy. What we have done is instituted a basic lifestyle she can live.

Is giving up hamburgers, fries, and a steady stream of crap easy? No. But what Mammy has learned is that she must balance a menu filled with the foods she likes with some things she simply should be eating. Let me go through her plan right now.

1. Eat 4-6 times a day.

Corrected Behavior: For years she ate once or twice a day. Most of the time she didn't even eat more than 2500 calories a day and others she ate only 1500 in one junky meal. Her body would go long periods without food, ingest a bunch of crap, and then hold it all as fat. That's how she gained over 100lbs. No overeating junk all day. It was under eating all day and then eating some poop.

2. Move. She walks daily, takes a bike ride, swims several times a week, and does BASIC strength training once a week. Nothing is in extreme ranges. She just makes sure she is exercising to some extent daily. Shouldn't we all?

We don't do any real structured workouts. I give her a basic outline but if she didn't follow it she would still be losing because in the end you just need to move.

Corrected Behavior: Mammy didn't exercise, she didn't walk, she did nothing but watch TV and ache. After her knee replacements she started walking. Her attitude prior to surgery was moving felt bad so she made excuses like being tired, busy, etc. She also used to say, "I don't know what to do." Everyone knows how to walk. How many of you don't walk each day because it wouldn't be the perfect exercise and then do nothing?

3. Plan. She makes a plan each week. She figures out what she would like to eat, cooks it up, and then considers her schedule so she can move a swim or bike ride around.

Corrected Behavior: Mammy used to just go through life waiting for starvation to hit. No food in the house, worked late, heading home, enter drive thru, and watch TV until she fell asleep. That was the usual plan.

Here is a little excerpt from an email she sent me this week updating things. We did a "hood workout" with modifications for her ankle and shoulder issues. My hamstrings and calves are so sore from the workout. It is very similar to the workouts in my Treadmill Bootcamp.

My ankle was pretty sore today and the back of my thighs, otherwise I'm ok today. I walked a lot yesterday at various times hoping I wouldn't get too sore. I also drank a lot of water.
Joe called and asked me to come over last night to see his garden. We walked into the backyard and he patted my stomach and butt and said "you are really losing weight!" I was so tickled. I told him about me doing that workout with you. I can't stop thinking about how well I did exercising with you.
Anyway, I wanted to tell you about my soreness and I have an appointment Thursday to get my ankle looked at.

Mammy thinks she might be able to shoot some cortisone in her ankle to make it better. She wants to DO MORE exciting exercise!

Aren't you proud of her? I sure am.

Can Thinking Make You Fat

2009-06-13T02:27:29-07:00

If found this article on the internet and wanted to share it with all of you.

By Sheri O. Zampelli, M.S., CCH

What if your thinking creates your body?

Take the example of Daisy. She always felt like she'd look better if she lost 5 or 10pounds. From the time she was 16-years-old, she said things like, "I'd like to go swimming but I'm too fat to wear a bathing suit." Or, "What guy would want to date a fatty like me?"

At age 31, after 15 years of referring to herself as "fat" she finally became "fat." Now she looks at pictures from high school in astonishment. "How could I ever have thought of myself as fat? I only wish I were that "fat" now!" She says.

The truth is, our thoughts have a powerful impact on our behavior.
Consider the following example:

Original Thought: "I'll never lose weight."

Reaction: I might as well eat this cake. What's the point of going to the gym?

Result: You eat the cake, skip the gym and prove yourself right!

Perhaps you have a thought such as "I am fat". Just because you think it, doesn't mean it's true. You need evidence to support your statement, so you glance down at one of your problem areas or stare at a roll of fat over your jeans.

Now, you have "proof".

You react.

Maybe you react on a subconscious or biological level, (i.e. you feel bad). Your body is reacting on a chemical/cellular level. The longer you hold the thought, "I am fat" and stare at the accompanying "proof" the more real and intense your belief becomes.

Sometimes you feel so fat and miserable that you decide, "what's the point?" and reach for high-fat, high-sugar comfort food to feel better. Or, you starve yourself and wreak havoc on your metabolism and set yourself up for future overeating. If you continue this cycle, you are in the process of creating a weight problem.

Here's how the scenario might play out if you choose to be in control of your mind/body reaction.

You have a thought: "I am fat" but his time you are aware of the power of your thoughts. You refuse to look in the mirror or feel your fat rolls to "prove it".

Instead, you tell yourself, "I accept my body as it is now and allow it to become thinner" or you tell yourself, "no, that's a lie, I am actually beautiful, strong and capable."

Now you are in the process of creating a new self-fulfilling prophecy and you will feel drawn to "prove" your new beliefs.

Some of us feel "fat" because we are comparing ourselves to a thinner person. In that case we can say to ourselves statements like: "I am doing my best" and "I maintain the right to determine what is attractive by my own standards."

Other times, the "fat" feeling is triggered by temporary bloating. In that case say, "I am temporarily bloated but that's not the same as fat."

Some of us have a very distorted body image. Many women I've worked with have noted that they feel fat or see themselves as fat even after they've reached a goal they thought would make them feel great. We can take the power out of "I am fat" by stating the facts such as: "I am at my goal weight" or "I'm at the size that's right for me."

Choosing these new perspectives over the old, automatic reactions will cause your body to have an entirely different response. You will have stopped the chain of events that probably triggered overeating or feelings of defeat in the past. Therefore, slowly but surely you begin creating a new reality. You no longer fall prey to the old, automatic reactions of beating yourself up or overeating.

If you continue to take charge of your thinking, your setbacks will be smaller, shorter and farther in between. Gradually, you will gain control of your mind and body so you can find a weight that's comfortable for you. It begins with awareness and a choice.

We are all capable of becoming more aware and making positive choices.

________________________________

I LOVED READING THIS! I would love to hear thoughts and perspectives from people on the ideas stated above. Since I lost all of my weight, I KNOW I have been at every single stage. Even I need to work on talking about being at a good weight for me. I AM NOT FAT! I have earned the right to say I am healthy, fit, and good body size.

Lose Weight CHEAP

2009-06-10T08:48:31-07:00

No one take this personally but I get so out done when people make this harder than it needs to be. Again, let's go over some basic rules of eating cheap.

It's only expensive to go on a diet if you buy all the pre-packaged goodies, buy healthy stuff and throw it out each week after not eating what you didn't prep, and (my favorite) have plenty of money for the vending machine but not enough for a box of oatmeal.

You can lose weight eating only these things if you are broke.

1. Eggs - 3 of them are great cooked with frozen GENERIC red peppers and onions. Pair it with a Kroger Carb Master yogurt (5 for $2 most weeks) and you have breakfast for less than a dollar a day.

2. Oatmeal - 1/2 cup mixed with 1 tbsp of PB and a cup of skim milk and WOOT WOOT you got a breakfast or a snack. Hell, have it for dinner if you like.

3. Chicken Breast - buy some breasts (they are cheap, cheap, cheap compared to those frozen dinners, vending machines, convenience stores, and Subway stops you make a few times a week), cook in crockpot with a jar of Ragu, and mix with brown rice. If you want to get crazy add in a bag of frozen spinach (dirt butt cheap) to boost the veggie content. You now have dinner for a week. Want to get super crazy and dump the rice for a baked potato and use the chicken to top the tater. Nummy.

4. Nothing like you buying a big bag of generic pretzels, bagging it up into single servings and enjoying with some peanuts. They are cheap and if PB is good for you then I'm sure peanuts are, too. You don't have to buy the most expensive nut in the bunch.

5. Lettuce...get you a couple of heads, wash and chop and toss into a big bowl. I like to chop a few things of celery and green onions for flavor and they are really cheap. Get a lowfat generic dressing and eat a big salad with lunch and dinner.

6. Stew Meat - it's cheap. I cook mine in generic beef broth and half a white onion for flavor in the crock pot. I then bag it into 4 oz servings and throw it on top of a salad.

7. Cottage Cheese - cheap protein that gives you dairy and can be made into a lot. I like to cut up tomatoes, cukes, green onions and mix it with a little lite Miracle Whip. Snack time! You can also blend it with some ice, water and sugar free pudding mix for dessert. Booyah - you are on your way to putting money in the bank to buy new clothes when you lose weight.

8. Vegetables - I've named a few but green beans in the can are cheap, beans can be a quick side item, and a baked sweet potato is great as a morning snack.

9. Last but not least - FRUIT - bananas, apples, and oranges are cheap almost year round. Buy a few and eat a piece each day.

Hey, this ain't fancy but if you are broke and overweight you gotta put up with not being fancy. I just gave you CHEAP ways to eat every meal, spend next to nothing at the store, spend minimal time prepping food, and getting in a healthy diet.

Besides, if you are really broke you should have time to prep a little to save money because you can't go out and shouldn't have cable. Right?

Now, park far away from the grocery store and get to shopping. I just gave you a bonus workout.

Details Versus Big Picture

2009-06-09T17:43:21-07:00

Balance is key to many aspects of life. You need it for stronger lifts, a good core, and a happy family.

Often my clients have a lack of balance in many areas of life.

They eat like a champ - hate exercise.
They exercise all the time - binge at night or BLT the day away without journaling it all.
Run every day - lift rarely.
Get nuts with weights - forget cardio is key to fatloss.

It's important for us all to remember that the more balance you strike in life the better your life will be. The average person looking to lose weight doesn't need workouts over an hour a day...and they don't need to eat just 1000 calories either. The best way to lose weight is to stay focused on what's important: finding a lifestyle of fitness and eating that allows you to find the process of losing weight easy.

Say what Corinne? Losing weight isn't easy. It CAN be if you do it the right way. The right way means staying away from making it complicated.

Details - Yep, The Devil is In the Details
Let's say you exercise hard but never seem to lose weight. You feel like you are doing the right things and constantly frustrated the scale or your clothes don't really change.

What's missing? DETAILS. Feeling like you are doing the right things means you are doing the right things MOST OF THE TIME but not enough. If so, you would GET RESULTS.

Rather than trying to find a new workout, a few more minutes to do cardio, or look for a better way to calculate your resting metabolic rate...try honestly doing these things:

1. Measure your foods - ALL of them.

2. Write down what you eat - even the licks off the spoon of your kids beenie weenies.

3. Record your workouts - the weights. Make sure you are increasing your weights every few weeks or do something new. You don't need a new workout if you can lift more. You just need to make sure you are pushing yourself.

Big Picture
Some of us get so caught up in the details we miss the big picture. You read everything you can about losing weight, the best foods, the best workouts, and what supplements do magic. Next thing you know you are so consumed in trying to find the perfect plan that you are switching plans left and right and forgetting the goal is simple: move, eat better, keep out of junk. Your weight stalls, you stress out, and then read more STUFF about the next best thing while eating away your misery.

Balance
We all need to realize it doesn't take 40 spreadsheets to do this. It also doesn't mean you just go and do whatever strikes your fancy each day. You need a basic plan, you need to start changing some of your worst food habits, and you need to create a weekly plan of when you will do what and what you will eat. It doesn't need to be fancy, it doesn't need to be perfect, but it needs enough thought to be implemented. It needs balance with your lifestyle.