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As I had predicted, Esther did not lose any weight this week. This just goes to show that your weight doesn’t always correlate with how you did on your eating plan. For example, 2 weeks ago, she didn’t have one of her best weeks. I would have actually thought her weight would have stayed the same - or even gone up a pound -however she lost 3 pounds. This week, she did quite well with her eating plan and yet didn’t see a drop on the scale. Her weight is stable at 139. So the lesson learned here is not to get frustrated with plateaus in your weight loss. If you stay on track with your eating and exercise plan, your weight will eventually drop. Check out my previous post on Plateaus. 

My interview with Esther:
Martha: So you are entering in week 8. Still as motivated?
Esther: I’m definitely still in the mindset to keep going,  it’s more difficult when I am in a social situation

Martha: What type of problem situations, if any, did you encounter last week?
Esther: Going to the Fancy Food Show on Sunday was the most difficult.  It is a trade show for people that own restaurants and gourmet stores for them to sample all the different vendors of everything from fresh cheeses, meats, and desserts.  I stayed away from the sweets and tried to concentrate more on the cheeses, only tasted one tiny martini cocktail and took a lot of mini samples home so that if I have a craving it is only one bite of something. 

Martha: How about this upcoming week?
Esther: This week I have a family BBQ for my brother’s birthday on Saturday, but I am sure I will be watched by my brother & niece and won’t even consider cheating. (Pic is of Esther’s Dad, Mom, Esther, my niece Lizzy, and my brother the “hawk”)

Martha: I noticed you did a lot of dog walking( Esther was dog sitting Zoe, her friends dog). Do you think that helped to increase your activity?
Esther: Walking to and from my home to Zoe’s (the dog) home added at least two miles of walking per day.  Now that her parents are home I have to find another way to add that activity into my day.

Martha: Are you doing less socializing because of  your eating and drinking goals?
Esther: A little bit,  I usually eat out a couple of times a week and have cut it down to once a week.  I also have been bringing lunch to work 4 out of 5 days to make sure I eat right.
Martha: You are probably saving lot’s of money! You can use it to buy new clothes after you’ve lost more weight.

Martha: I remember you said that you joined a Weight Loss Challenge at your health club, Equinox. Any news on that?
Esther: The Equinox challenge is over today so I am getting the “official” weigh in either today or tomorrow.

Thursday June 26 
Breakfast  
iced coffee  
1 egg w/ light mayo & pickle  
Lunch  
1/4 lb boiled shrimp  
romaine w/ olive oil, vinegar  
sm piece feta cheese  
Dinner  
grilled salmon  
steamed brocoli w/ lemon & olive oil  

Sunday June 29
Breakfast:
iced coffee  
fancy food show at Jacob Javitts  
tastes of cheese, salami,   
ate a bite of most of the tastes and  
through the rest out.  Hard to judge   
calories, prob about 700?  
Dinner  
1 piece chicken breast w/egg white  
& panko crust cooked in pam  
20 pistacio nuts  

Saturday June 28
Breakfast
coffee
kashi go lean almond granola bar
Lunch
1 slice pizza
diet coke
Dinner
Sushi:
eel cucumber h/roll NO RICE
salmon/tuna/avocado h/roll NO RICE
spicy tune h/roll NO RICE
1 piece bonito sashimi
1 piece ikura sashimi
1 piece spicy scallop sushi
100 calorie pudding

My comments on Esther’s food records:
1. She averaged 1300 calories. Excellent!
2. Once again, she had really low calorie days to help offset the higher calorie days.
3. I noticed you are skipping breakfast often. I would recommend that you try to eat  breakfast - even if it is somehing light like a fruit or an egg or a yogurt. Eating breakfast helps to get your metabolism moving.
4. I think you handled the “fancy food show” well. It could have been a lot worse than 700 calories!
5. Your intake of fruits and vegetables were a little low this week

Esther’s goals for this week:
1. Continue 1300-1400 calories
2. Continue with 2 alcoholic drinks a week
3. Be very careful at the BBQ (and take lots of pics!)
4. Try to have 1-2 fruits a day
5. Increase your intake of veggies at night
6. Find a way to increase your walking now that Zoie went home!
7. Continue with the 3-4 cardio sessions, 2 peronal training session and one pilates session a week
8. If you’re not taking a multivitamin and a calcium supplement, you should do so.

Keep up the great work and happy July 4th!

Related posts

• Make it Through Your BBQ without Bloating Out! (0)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #4 (0)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #2 (1)
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• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey Progress Report #5 (0)

You’re in a rush - no time to stop to eat a salad or wait in line for a sandwich. But you pass the pizza shop and see the slices ready to go. You have probably wondered at times - how bad is pizza? It turns out, not so bad - as long as you don’t get the slices loaded with pepperoni or sausage. An average slice of NYC style pizza has approximately 500 calories. The thinner crust slices would have less (I haven’t figures these calories exactly yet!).

For a woman watching her weight, I usually suggest a 400 calorie lunch. Go ahead and have your slice … if you can keep it to one! It wouldn’t be a bad idea to add a salad to help fill yourself up. Avoid the slices with pepperoni or sausage as they will add another 200 calories or so. If available, choose a whole wheat slice or one with vegetables.

For guys, I usually recommend a 500-600 calorie lunch.  Your best bet would be to try to stick to one slice with a salad. If you NEED to have 2 slices, just make the other meal a bit lighter.

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Esther made it through a trip to the Hampton’s and a Greek brunch this week… and still lost 3 pounds!  Current weight is 139 pounds - for a total loss of 8 pounds.

Esther said she had a more difficult time this week sticking to her goals. I noticed a little more alcohol and a little less exercise. Last week she identified two potential problem situations - going to the Hamptons with her friend Nadine and meeting her family for a Greek brunch on Sunday. She felt she handled the Hamptons trip well (with the support of Nadine). The brunch proved to be a little problematic. See her food record below. However she felt that she handled it better than she would have if she weren’t on CGB.   Esther said that her “brother was like a hawk. He wouldn’t let me have another mini meatbaIl that I was eyeing - and then had me do 20 minuntes on his elipitical machine after the brunch since I wasn’t getting to the gym that day !!”   Way to go Esther’s brother! (We’d like a pic of you!)  (Pic is of Esther dogsitting Zoie in the Hamptons)

Did Esther meet her goals from last week?

Four days of Esther’s food records: 

Wednesday June 18 
Breakfast   
coffee   
banana   
Lunch   
Turkey burger, oil, vinegar   
salad w/ whole wheat pita bread   
Dinner   
1 glass red wine   
terra chips   
carrots, celery, humus, babaganoush   
pretzels   

 
Thursday June 19  
Breakfast  
coffee  
1 hard boiled egg  
4% cottage cheese 4 ounces  
Lunch  
boiled shrimp  
greens w/ feta, olive oil & lemon  
tzakiki sauce w/ carrots & celery  
Dinner  
1 bloody mary  
1 glass white wine  
steamers w/ butter  
1/4 piece bread  
4 raw oysters  
3 fried oysters
1/2 grilled flounder
grilled asparagus, 1/4 cup rice
1 ear of corn boiled
20 almonds

Monday June 16 
Breakfast   
1 vita muffin w/ 1 tsp jam 
coffee   
Lunch   
salad w/ grilled chicken oil & vinegar
watermelon  
Dinner   
steamed string beans, asparagus, broccoli,
w/ chicken, shrimp, ginger sauce on the side
1 cup brown rice  
1 fortune cookie  

Sunday June 22  
Breakfast:  
kashi cereal  
w/berries & milk  
Lunch/Dinner:  
2 glasses white wine  
greek spreads  
1 piece sm toast  
2 mini spinach pies  
2 small meat balls  
serving fried calamari  
3 baby lamb chops  
greek salad serving  
tasting of dessert  

My comments on Esther’s food records:
1. It was difficult to calculate your calories this week because you ate out so much. I am estimating that you ate an average of 1500-1600 calories this week.
2. I know this was a difficult week for you as you had several social occasions. Your alcohol intake was a bit high (5 drinks) - but I know this is substantially better than it had been in the past!
3. Your are eating much less sushi than what I have witnessed in the past - good job.
4. Once again, you had some really low calorie days that helped to offset the days where you ate more. This is a good tactic - assuming you don’t take on a binge/starve mentality.

Esther’s goals for this week:
1. Continue to aim for 1300-1400 calories
2. 2 alcoholic drinks this week
3. You are doing great with the trainer and pilates. Work on upping the cardio to 3-4 intense sessions this week (Pic is of Jill, Esther’s pilates instructor)
4. Try to limit the dressings/dips/spreads in restaurants this week
5. Have some lunches or dinners without carbs 

Keep in mind that while you did lose 3 pounds this week while not being 100% on the plan,  it doesn’t mean that you can stray each week and expect to lose this amount of weight. It is quite possible that because you lost so much last week, the scale may not drop at all this week. If that happens, don’t get frustrated!

Keep up the great work!

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Week 4 has come to an end and Esther has lost another 2 pounds! Her weight is now 142. She even made it through her family’s Greek BBQ with flying colors. She was carefully watched by her family who is aware of her weight loss attempts.

Interview with Esther:
Martha: Did you encounter any barriers this week when it came to your weight loss plan?
Esther: Several things. I had PMS -which makes me really tired and crave sweets. Getting to the gym was a struggle on some days (but I still did it!). In addition, you’ll see on my food log that I gave in to my sweets craving several times. I had a couple nights where I ate out. Eating out is always difficult for me.  I felt like I handled them quite well.

Martha: So how did you handle the BBQ? Did my tips help you at all?
Esther: Your tips definitely helped. I enlisted the support of  my family. My cousin Esther is also watching her weight so we watched each other. (Martha - the two “dieting Esthers”!) I started to waiver when the fresh apple pie came out with three different kinds of ice cream. It got to the point that I was staring at my cousin Robert’s 2 mini marshmallows left on his plate from his Rocky Road ice cream. He did me the favor an ate them before I could!!  My brother then got firm and told me to stop obessing ( I was staring at the pie considering trying to take the uneven piece staring at me). My cousin Steve came to the rescue and took me for a walk down the block !!!  (Pic is of Esther at the BBQ)

Martha: Do you see any potentional problem situations for the upcoming week?
Esther: I’m going to the Hamptons with a friend, Nadine,  from Wed night until Friday night.
We are going to bring healthy food and are only going to dinner one night so that will be the one cheat. I am also having lunch with my family at a Greek Restaurant on Sunday so will have to stay away from some of my favorites or only get tastes and eat a healthy course.

Did Esther meet her goals from last week?:

Four days from Esther’s food records:

Friday June 13 (out with friends)
Breakfast
coffee
raisin bread w/ tsp peanut butter tsp fresh jam
Lunch:
Special K cereal 140 cal
bare naked cereal 180 cal
fresh berries
skim milk
Dinner:
2 glasses white wine
fresh carrots, radishes
olives (plain sm green)
1/2 pita bread w/ cheese
salad with very little dressing
1 1/2 stuffed grape leaves 
1 lamb skewer grilled 
2 oreo cookies 
2 snackwell cookies 

Sunday, June 14 (at BBQ)
Breakfast:
iced coffee
half a bialy with nova and a tbspoon of cream cheese
one small cheese w/ egg greek thing ( no breading )
some fruit salad !
BBQ
perrier with lime ( NO ALCOHOL)
3 pieces of cheese
4 Israeli pickles
mixed salad w/ oil & vinegar
2 lamb shish kebob skewers
one spoon pasta salad ( sm spoon)
one spoon orzo salad ( sm spoon)
one piece greek meats ( inards ) grilled
plate of fruit salad

Monday June 9
Breakfast
coffee   
2% cottage cheese 4 oz   
1/2 banana   
Lunch:
cucumber, tomato olive oil & vinegar   
3 pieces turkey
Dinner:   
homemade coleslaw, light mayo, white vinegar   
1/4 roasted chicken   
watermelon   

Wednesday June 11  
Breakfast
iced coffee    
2% cottage cheese 4 oz  
Lunch  
homemade coleslaw lite mayo, white vinegar    
1 piece chicken thigh + drumstick    
water   
Dinner: 
1/2 portion seaweed salad    
4 pieces sashimi    
1 piece eel sushi    
1 piece spicy scallop sushi, 1 piece sp tuna sashimi    
6 pieces sashimi roll w/cucumber
1 oreo cookie    PMS
1 snackwells cookie PMS
3 prunes
130 calories of part skim milk

My comments on Esther’s food records:
1. It was difficult to estimate some of your calories as I am not sure of the portion sizes nor am I aware of the ingredients. But I would estimate that you averaged 1500-1600 calories.
2. I noticed that you had several really low calorie days (~ 700 calories). While I generally don’t recommend really low calorie days, it is a way to help offset those days where you eat a little too much. However you don’t want to get in the habit of feasting and then starving. But I think what you did this week was fine. Check out my previous post on recovery days.
3. I see that you had PMS cravings as you had more sweets this week. But to your credit, you kept your portion sizes of sweets really small. Good job! Check out my previous post on PMS cravings.
4. I didn’t see too many healthy afternoon snacks…
5. That diet coleslaw you made is a great idea - low cal and filling!

Esthers goals for this week:
1. Once again, aim for 1300 - 1400 calories
2. 2 personal training sessions, one pilates, 3 cardio and as much walking as possible
3. 2 alcoholic beverages this week
4. Continue to be very careful with eating out
5. Plan healthy afternoon snacks
6. You have identified 2 potentional problem situations for the upcoming week. Continue to enlist your family’s support for the Sunday brunch. It sounds like you and your friend Nadine already have a good plan for the Hamptons.

Keep up the great work!

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We’ve all heard that you can slow your metabolism by eating too few calories. But at what point does this “slow down” in your metabolism happen? I recently got asked an excellent question from a CGB reader regarding this subject.

Question from Dax: Hey, I really like your website . . . and I’m a guy, is that okay?  I understand the science behind the slower metabolism on a restricted diet.  Your body becomes more efficient, which sounds like a good thing, but actually means that you run on few calories and, therefore, more calories would become fat.

However, I get confused by the numerous examples of the opposite.  Why did Christian Bale in the Machinist get so thin!  He claims he lost 63 pounds by eating nothing other than a can of tuna and an apple per day.  Why didn’t his metabolism keep him from losing the weight? (Pic is of Christian Bale before and after his weight loss)

Also, what is the fewest calories a man can eat without going too low?

Answer from Martha: First, I think it’s great that you enjoy my blog! I actually have a lot of male readers. I try to make many of my posts of interest to both guys and girls. Second, you asked an excellent question that I have actually wondered myself.  While I don’t have a scientific answer for you, here are my thoughts…

Studies have demonstrated that the metabolism does slow when the caloric intake has been decreased to a very low level, especially when this restriction has been ongoing AND a fair amount of weight loss has occured. The act of losing weight in itself will slow the metabolism. In addition, the new lower body weight will require fewer calories that the initial higher body weight. So this is a double whammy so to speak.

But you have raised a good point. How can some people, such as Christian Bale or anorexics, get to such a low body weight if their metabolisms slow down? My answer would be that they consume SO FEW calories that they still lose weight despite the slow down in metabolism. Many anorexics consume only 400 calories a day and may exercise for several hours a day. Christian Bale’s diet doesn’t sound far off from 400 calories.  BTW - check out this link for more info on Christian Bale’s 63 pound weight loss for the movie The Machinist. Another example would be liquid diets. I worked with these medically supervised fasts, such as Optifast, for many years when they were popular. The participants generally started out obese and ate only 500-800 calories a day (in the form of shakes) for months at a time. If they stuck to the diet, the majority of them lost a large amount of weight.  So despite the slow down in their metabolic rate, they were still able to lose weight.  But here is the problem -  when they start to eat even somewhat normally … their weight skyrocketed back up - usually rapidly. This is because their metabolism had slowed down and even small increases in caloric intake caused rapid weight gain.

So to summarize, weight loss can still occur in many people if very low calorie diets are adhered to. However this is not recommended as very low calorie diets are inadequate in nutrients and will make weight regain likely once the low cal diet is discontinued. The best way to lose weight is a moderate reduced calorie diet and regular weight training and cardio.

To answer your second question - I can not tell you exactly how low you can go with your calories before your metabolism will start to slow. This really depends upon your age, weight, activity level and your own metabolism. But I can tell you that you should not consume fewer calories than your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Check out this link to find out your BMR.

Hope this answered your question Daz and thanks for reading CGB!

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The BBQ season is here - which can spell diet disaster! Lately, I have been seeing BBQ overindulgences on my clients food records. This Sunday is Father’s day and I would bet that many of you will be attending a family cookout. Esther (who’s weight loss journey we have been following on CGB) has asked us for some support on how to handle her family’s Big Greek BBQ this Sunday on Father’s day. (Pic on the right is NOT of Esther’s family). Esther’s family likes to eat and it is pretty much a sure bet that the food will be overflowing.  

Question from Esther:
Martha, I need some guidance.  Tomorrow is Friday night and I am supposed to meet some friends for drinks.  I normally would use up my two drinks for the week BUT on Sunday I am going to my cousins house for a family BBQ Greek style which means three times the amount of food of a regular BBQ.  Any tips so I could stay on track?

Answer from Martha: You have a couple potential troublesome issues ahead - however I want to focus on the BBQ. BBQ’s can spell trouble for anyone watching their weight. It sounds like your Greek BBQ could be especially problematic! However, with some careful planning and willpower, you’ll be able to get through it without overindulging.  

Potential problems at BBQ’s

1. You are often there for many hours. The longer you are there, the more food will likely be consumed.
2. A lot of food may be served. Since the grilling can go on for hours, you may feel tempted to have a little “taste” of everything. A burger here, a hot dog 15 minutes later, then some ribs. A hour or so later, the steak goes on the grill, so why not have a little piece? And this is not even counting the side dishes. I actually see this on my clients food logs (for those who are brave - or honest - enough to record it!)
3. With the hot weather, the beers or vodka and lemonades can go down very quickly. The calories add up quickly too!
4. With increased alcohol, your discipline can fall by the wayside.
5. Often times, fatty meats such as ribs will be served, along with high calorie side dishes such as pasta or potato salad.

Tips to stay on track at your next BBQ
1. First, don’t go to the BBQ hungry. Low blood sugar will only lead to overeating. Make sure you have a light meal several hours before the event or a snack right before.
2. Drink A LOT of water during the BBQ. For 3 reasons - it will help you to stay hydrated in the hot weather, it will give you something to drink instead of alcohol and it can help make you feel fuller so you can eat less food.
3. If possible, find out what will be served ahead of time. This can help you prepare mentally what you will eat in advance. If most of the food choices seem on the heavier side, offer to bring a green salad or sliced vegetables ready to be grilled.
4. Once you get to the BBQ, take notice of what the food options are. Plan in your mind what you will eat instead of starting in on the food frenzy. You don’t have to have one of everything that is served. Wait for what you really want - even if it something fattening like ribs. It would be better to have a smaller portion of ribs than to load up on burgers, hot dogs and steak - without feeling satisfied.
5. I would definitely suggest you limit yourself to 2 small portions of a protein food - but take one without the bun. For example, maybe take a small burger on a bun and then a plain hot dog without a bun. Now if there are side dishes that you want such as pasta salad, I would recommend you avoid the bun.
6. BBQ’s can be quite healthy. You can grill fish, skinless poultry, veggies and fruit with a side green salad.
7. You can always take your relatives to a computer in the house to show them your journey on CGB! Knowing that others are watching you may curtail your urge to splurge!
8. Try to include a physical activity at the BBQ to do something besides eat. Maybe a game of frisbee!

Esther, from what I understand about your family, I would imagine there will be quite a lot of food served. Your best bet is to fill your plate with salad and take smaller portions of the foods you really want. Eat very slow and drink a lot of water.  Try not to have several plates of food - stick to one. You mentioned that your brother is aware of your weight loss attempts and will be watching you. That is great! The more support, the better. Remember, you will be writing everything down and reporting to us. Some pictures would be nice too!

With regards to your 2 allowed alcoholic beverages, I would recommend that you choose when you really want them the most. Maybe tonight with your friends - that way the alcohol won’t decrease your willpower for staying on track at the cookout.

Good luck at the BBQ!

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Here’s a great way to start your Sunday off - attend  Boot Camp taught by Julia Derek in Central Park.  You all know Julia as she a frequent contributer to CGB. Not only is Julia an excellent teacher (and I know because I have taken her classes …ouch!) with many years of experience, she is also entertaining. Other potential perks: the possibility of  meeting other city girls and city guys!

Fit & The City Sunday Boot Camp in Central Park will include:

High intensity workout for all ages and all fitness levels in the heart of Central Park taught by experienced fitness instructor Julia Derek. Gain strength, lose inches, and have fun doing it!  Email julia@adrenalinefitnessny.com to reserve your spot and find out details about this event.

When: Sundays (first class June 15) at 9:30 am (lasts for an hour).
Where: Great Lawn, Central Park
Cost: $15

For more info about Julia, go to www.adrenalinefitnessny.com

Fit & The City Saturday Yoga Class in Central Park

If you’re in town during the weekends , please join us for a Vinyasa Yoga class in Central Park! Destress, strengthen your body, gain flexibility. Class is aimed at intermediates and is taught by Vinyasa/Hatha instructor and Integral Yoga Institute graduate Alex Starodubstev. All you need is a yoga mat and 15 dollars! Please email julia@adrenalinefitnessny.com for more information and to reserve your spot today.

When: Saturdays (first class June 14) at 9am (one hour).
Where: Sheep’s Meadow, Central Park.
Cost: $15

For more info about Alex, go to www.adrenalinefitnessny.com

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Esther is down 2 more pounds for a total of 4 pounds weight loss! Her current weight is 144 pounds. Congrats Esther! She has told CGB that taking her weight loss journey public has really helped her as she feels more “accountable”. After all, who would want to report that they ate 1/2 pound of cheese with 4 glass of wine in a night! This past week was especially diifficult as Esther ate dinner out 4 times. And eating out usually means more drinks… however Esther met her goal of only 2 alcoholic beverages. 

Did Esther meet her goals for last week?

Here are 3 days of her food records:

Friday June 6   
Breakfast   
iced coffee   
2 eggs with humus   
Lunch   
cosi sandwich (1/2 bread, grilled chicken)   
Dinner   
Japanese Hibachi dinner: clear soup, salad   
grilled, steak, shrimp & vegatables.   
pellegrino water   
vita muffin   

Tuesday June 3   
Breakfast   
1/2 banana   
hard boiled egg   
iced coffee   
Lunch   
Kashi entree   
chicken florentine   
iced coffee   
Dinner   
6 sm veg dumplings   
9 steamed shrimp   
1 tps of lite tarama   
1 tps of olive hummus   
mixed nuts: sunflower, pumpik, almonds   

Thursday June 5
Breakfast
1/2 banana
2 oz peak protein bear naked
iced coffee
Lunch
1 popeye’s chicken wing
3 slices of turkey, 2pc string cheese mustard
water
Dinner
mixed greens w/ olive oil & lemon
steak ( on George Forman grill)
dried apricots ( 4)

My comments on her week:
1. She averaged 1300 calories. Keep in mind that my calories are estimations as I don’t know exactly what her portion sizes were in restaurants nor do I know how the food was prepared.
2. Esther handled her restaurant dining extremely well! She had more “plainer” types of food such as grilled fish, steamed shrimp, etc. versus food prepared with more fat (i.e. pita and dips). Eating out 4 times this week and still losing 2 pounds is quite an accomplishment.
3. My guess is that her decreased alcohol intake is contributing to her better restaurant choices. Most people tend to have less willpower around food after they have had a few cocktails!

Esthers goals for this week:
1. Beware of the PMS cravings and low energy levels. Esther reports she is already having to really push herself to get to the gym due to fatigue/PMS. I guess this 95 degree weather doesn’t help much!
2. Be careful at Father’s day cookout. We will discuss this later in the week.
3. 2 alcoholic beverages this week
4. Continue to be careful with choices in restaurants
5. I am curious as to what Esther’s portion sizes are with her protein at home. Please weigh your protein 1-2 times.
6. Calories in your nut mix can really add up. Can you weigh the total mix of nuts (sunflower, pumpkin, almonds) once and tell me what it is ? You also might want to look around for the 100 calorie packs of almonds.   
7. Continue with personal training twice a week, one pilates, and 3 cardio sessions (maybe 2 spin classes and 30 minutes on treadmill or eliptical).

Keep up the good work!

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So you’ve  finally gotten serious with your exercise program. You’re exercising more days a week and have increased the intensity and duration of your sessions.  But you’re gaining weight!  What is happening? One of the reasons you increased your exercise program was to lose weight - not gain weight!

In my private practice, I’ve seen some of my clients gain weight as they increase their exercise. (Luckily they are seeing me … so I can reverse this problem!). There are several reasons as to why this weight gain can occur.

Reasons for weight gain while exercising:
1. Certain forms of exercise build muscle mass. Muscle weighs more than fat, which can show up as weight gain on the scale. If this is the case, you are likely losing body fat while gaining muscle. How do you know if you are gaining muscle and losing fat? You should see a change in the way your clothes fit despite the scale not budging or even going up. Your jeans may become loser around the hips or your skirt may zip easier.

 2. The second reason for weight gain is that you have increased your calories - either consciously or unconsciously. Exercise can actually make you hungrier or you may feel you “deserve” a little extra food since you have increased your exercise.

Overestimating calories burned in exercise 
Keep in mind that your exercise session is probably not burning as many calories as you think. Have you ever checked out what the cardio machines at your gym say you burn when you exercise? (Make sure you plug your weight into the gym machine) It is probably less than what you might have thought you would have burned off. In addition, these machines often times overestimate what you burn (especially the eliptical machine). More on this at another post!

Let’s say you burn 300 calories in your 45 minute treadmill session. Since you started your exercise program, you’ve added a 200 calorie energy bar (which you weren’t eating before) prior to exercising to boost your energy levels for your workout. In addition, you drink 100 calories of gatorade at the gym. And then after dinner, allow yourself a cookie (for 100 calories) because after all - you exercised and deserve a little treat. So while you burned off 300 calories in exercise, you increased your caloric intake by 400. There is a net increase of 100 calories. An extra 100 calories a day can promote a 10 pound weight gain a year!   

Tips to combat weight gain from exercising:
1.  If you are trying to lose weight, really try to stop the mentality of “I exercised, so I deserve a little treat”. Remember, the goal is to have a caloric deficit in order to lose weight.
2. Make sure you consume adequate protein at your meals. Focus on lean protein such as fish, skinless poultry, lean meats, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese and yogurt (the Greek yogurt is especially high in protein), and soy products.  Consuming adequate protein will help to control hunger.
3. If you find exercise increases your hunger, fill up on more veggies rather than carbs (or large portions of protein).
4. Make sure you are hydrated. Sometimes we think we are hungry when we are really thirsty.
5. If you exercising for 60 minutes or less, water is the ideal fluid replacement. Save a sports drink for exercising 60-9o minutes or more. You don’t need the extra calories.
6. Use your calories wisely. I usually recommend a pre-exercise snack(100-150 calories depending upon your caloric needs) to raise blood sugar levels if it has been 4 hours or more since your last meal. This may mean adding in a snack that you usually didn’t have.  Therefore, you will need to take the calories for this snack away from something else in the day. Suggestions: cut back on a glass of wine, piece of bread, slice of cheese in your sandwich, use low cal salad dressing, etc.  Keep in mind that this 100-150 calorie snack is for someone who will be performing moderate exercise. If you plan on running 8 miles or going for a 2 hour fast bike ride, you will need more calories. More on this in a later post.
7. Keeping a food record will really help to make you aware of everything you eat and drink.

Related posts

• Will Eating Late at Night Make Me Gain Weight? (0)
• Will Diet Foods Contribute Towards Making Your Child Obese? (1)
• When it’s No Longer a Diet (0)
• Week 5 New Hampshire Biggest Loser Progress Report (0)
• We No Longer Need to Exercise to Control Our Weight??? (0)

Everywhere city girls are planning when they will see the  Sex in the City movie. And of course, a pre or post movie party is a must. I met friends last night at The Smith in NYC (across the street from the movie theater)  for a pre- movie party.  I haven’t have a cosmo in years, but managed to get in the spirit of the movie with a cosmo in hand, as did my friends. (Pic is of city girl pre-movie party)

Guess who was there???  ESTHER!  I observed her  and must say,  I was extremely impressed with her eating and drinking. I have seen her in action in the past and it is not always so good!

The potential problems at pre-movie party:
1. Lots of tempting fattening goodies on the menu (pic is of Alba, event planner, eating fried hushpuppies with mayo sauce - trying to tempt Esther)

2. Getting caught up talking with friends and losing track of cocktail intake… one city girl (who shall remain nameless) was observed consuming 4 cosmo’s in 40 minutes (Pic is of Martha and Esther)3. Multiple appetizers were ordered instead of entrees. This can add up to more calories as you tend to pick more and forget about the quantity of food you are eating (versus ordering grilled fish and veggies where you know exactly what is on your plate)

How Esther handled the potiential problem situation:
1. She ordered her own tuna tartare appetizer and stayed away from the other tempting appetizers  (Pic is of