Happy new year! If you’re anything like me fat loss has slowed dramatically over the holiday season. If you need a good kick in the pants to get back on track, a good reality check is this new calculator which tells you not only how many calories you should be consuming to lose fat, but also how much protein and fat you should be consuming to retain muscle. It’s formulated especially for low-carb dieters and is based on reputable science and established formulas.
I personally found that the calories I need to be keeping to fat loss are lower than I thought they were, which could explain my frustratingly slow fat loss in these past few months (only 2 pounds or one kilo per month). I am going to attempt to decrease my calorie intake to the prescribed amount (around 1500 calories from 1900 or so) and see if this stokes the engine!
I’ll keep you posted on my progress. In the meantime give the calculator a try and see how you fare.
I have a daily battle with exercise. I know I NEED to do it, but I don’t really WANT to do it.
My best friend just wrote me an email informing me she just did a 5 mile fundraising run with her work colleagues… no biggie. While I dearly wish I was like that, I’m really not. I’ve had to find fun and easy ways to get my cardio in and speed up my fat loss. Here are my top 3:
1) Dance, Rummy!
If you’re anything like me you often wake up not exactly rearing to go, and exercise isn’t even on the menu. [click to continue...]
“But would it hurt to indulge this once? This guy’s birthday? Well, you like him well enough, and the cake is a lemon cream after all. And it’s the end of the work day. Seriously, it’s not like you’ll suddenly burst into flame and melt in a fiery, torturous death, leaving nothing but a smoldering spot on the carpet. You’re disciplined. You can more than make up for this later. The worst that can happen is a sugar rush, and you spent half your time at summer camp walking (well, running) around in that state. Those were good times. Oh what the heck, gimme a slice. Yeah, sure, a little ice cream too.
So, what will happen? To your body, we mean. Once the plastic fork (with its spongy contents) hits your mouth. What goes on in there anyway?”
Well, if you read the article you’ll see that the results aren’t pretty. I always felt pretty crummy after a carb binge, but since reading this post I now know exactly what’s happening to my body and it’s well… scary. If you want to swear off carb binges for life go read the full post here!
So it’s 10pm and you know you aren’t hungry… and yet you are being lured closer to the fridge with every passing moment. What to do?
First, make sure you actually have eaten enough. There’s no point skimping on calories if you’re hungry (especially if you’re a low carber like me)!
If you’ve ruled out true hunger and know you’re just being greedy? Go brush your teeth!
I know it sounds almost too simple, but this has saved me from the snack monster more times than I can count. Brush your teeth for a good long time! Then gargle with mouthwash if you have any and floss. Make your dentist proud. At the end of it your mouth will feel fresh and clean, and even if you still want to eat something it will taste terrible anyway.
If you try this one out next time you have a snack attack be sure to let us know how it goes in the comments!
Okay, I’m going to get a little new-agey on you now but bear with me. I promise that if you do this activity you will enjoy it and find it inspiring and motivating!
I picked up a book called Life’s Missing Instruction Manual by Joe Vitale at a second-hand bookstore last week for $3 (bargain). The book is a compilation of his life wisdom, everything he wishes he’d been taught right from the beginning of his life. A lot of it is common sense stuff that we often forget, but some of it has been entirely new to me. I have been surprised by how useful some of the “instructions” really are.
I did one of the activities he suggests over the weekend and really found it super inspiring. All you need is 10 minutes and a pen and paper. [click to continue...]
NB. Sadly I DO NOT look like the woman in the photo… YET!
Last week I wrote that my fatloss had stalled for (gulp) eight weeks, despite sticking to my low-carb plan. I decided to go back to induction levels of carbs (20g or less) and cut out dairy as I suspected that might be causing me problems.
I am delighted to report that a week later I have lost 3kg (6.6 lb) and 10.2cm (4 in) from my measurements – equivalent to losing 3.5% of my body mass IN A WEEK. I have NEVER lost that much fat in one week before, and I attribute this result to three changes to my diet:
Unfortunately most individuals who lose a lot of fat will fall victim to the yo-yo dieter mentality at some point. Everything is going great, then little subversive thoughts sneak their way into your mind, and before you know if you’re stuffing KFC into your mouth with abandon!
So how do you know when you are in the fat loss “danger zone”? If you have any of the following thoughts you know you need to regroup and renew your efforts right now!
I love Chinese food! In fact, I spent three months in Hong Kong at one stage and never ever got sick of the local cuisine. However, recently I have heard more and more about the perils of monosodium glutamate (MSG). The problem is that these days MSG is in almost every processed food, not just in Chinese food, and it has a host of associated health problems which will hinder your fat loss.
MSG is a flavour enhancer – so basically it makes food taste better. It is produced by fermenting starch, sugar beets, sugar cane, or molasses (as you can see already sounding pretty bad for your average low carb diet).
After some research I can tell you I’m not going near MSG with a 10 foot pole. Here are the top 4 reasons you need to eliminate MSG from your diet for fat loss: [click to continue...]
There is nothing that revs me up more than success stories from others. Here are the six best I’ve found recently. I hope you enjoy them and find them inspiring!
1. This girl went from 348lb to 148lb and she’s just gorgeous!
Last week I was in a rut. Not for long, but I could just tell that I wasn’t in the right place mentally to make the choices I need to make to be thin, hot and healthy. This has happened before, so I’ve come up with some easy ways to snap myself out of it super fast so I can get back on track to meeting my goals. Here are my top 6 ways to get out of a diet rut:
1) Look hot 24/7
So many women I know (myself included) will make an effort to look good when they go out, but lounge around like a hobo at home. I’m talking bare skin, dirty hair, and a stretched/faded/ripped/stained tee. I’m not judging those that do this (I too have been guilty), but I think we can agree that this certainly is NOT a confidence booster. If you want to feel dynamic and ready to lose fat, then you need to look the part. Make sure you always look great, indoors or out and about. You’ll feel better, and your significant other will probably appreciate it too!
Personally, I know that when I’m in a rut the last thing I want to do is dress up and strut my stuff. Which is why it is vitally important that I do exactly at. So I make sure I do my makeup and hair beautifully, put on a nice outfit and wear those heels. I have never done this and not felt at least marginally better. [click to continue...]
Happy new year! If you’re anything like me fat loss has slowed dramatically over the holiday season. If you need a good kick in the pants to get back on track, a good reality check is this new calculator which tells you not only how many calories you should be consuming to lose fat, but also how much protein and fat you should be consuming to retain muscle. It’s formulated especially for low-carb dieters and is based on reputable science and established formulas.
I have a daily battle with exercise. I know I NEED to do it, but I don’t really WANT to do it. 
If you ever feel the urge to carb binge, 
So it’s 10pm and you know you aren’t hungry… and yet you are being lured closer to the fridge with every passing moment. What to do?
Okay, I’m going to get a little new-agey on you now but bear with me. I promise that if you do this activity you will enjoy it and find it inspiring and motivating!
by Joe Vitale at a second-hand bookstore last week for $3 (bargain). The book is a compilation of his life wisdom, everything he wishes he’d been taught right from the beginning of his life. A lot of it is common sense stuff that we often forget, but some of it has been entirely new to me. I have been surprised by how useful some of the “instructions” really are.
NB. Sadly I DO NOT look like the woman in the photo… YET! 
Unfortunately most individuals who lose a lot of fat will fall victim to the yo-yo dieter mentality at some point. Everything is going great, then little subversive thoughts sneak their way into your mind, and before you know if you’re stuffing KFC into your mouth with abandon!
I love Chinese food! In fact, I spent three months in Hong Kong at one stage and never ever got sick of the local cuisine. However, recently I have heard more and more about the perils of monosodium glutamate (MSG). The problem is that these days MSG is in almost every processed food, not just in Chinese food, and it has a host of associated health problems which will hinder your fat loss. 
Last week I was in a rut. Not for long, but I could just tell that I wasn’t in the right place mentally to make the choices I need to make to be thin, hot and healthy. This has happened before, so I’ve come up with some easy ways to snap myself out of it super fast so I can get back on track to meeting my goals. Here are my top 6 ways to get out of a diet rut: