Fitness, Personal Training, Health and Weight Loss Blog

Stella’s Fitness Progress Report
Stella’s results illustrate the importance of incorporating a well designed strength training program. Notice that Stella “only” lost 3.4 pounds but her efforts resulted in an astounding loss of 9 inches and 1.7% body fat in ten weeks. Her lean muscle mass increased as well as evidenced by her ability to do 14 more pushups than when she started her program.

Had Stella not been working with someone who was tracking her progress she might have felt disappointed with the results she saw on the scale. 3.4 pounds doesn’t seem like much weight to lose for all her dieting and exercise effort. It is important to understand that muscle weighs more than fat and strength training increases valuable muscle.  If you have been working out with weights and watching what you eat, the number on the scale may stay the same or even go up. So the scale may not be a good indicator of success with a program. Body fat loss, inches lost and strength increases are better indicators of success than the scale. Frequent retesting can help maintain motivation.

Update: As of the date I am posting this blog 11-12-11 I am happy to report that Stella has lost an additional 4 pounds and is wearing jeans that she hasn’t worn in over 7 years!

Results in 2.5 months:

Decreased body fat: 1.7%

Decreased weight: 3.4#

Decreased inches:  9 inches

Increased pushup strength 200%

In an effort to lose weight and excess fat, Americans spent billions of dollars for diet books, services and products. Yet, efforts such as these to achieve thinness are often based on misunderstandings about body weight and body composition.

Being thin does not necessarily reduce one’s health risk. Thinness simply refers to weighing less than the recommended values in age-height-weight tables. Leanness, on the other hand, refers to the muscle, bone, and fat composition of your body weight. Muscular people with relatively low body fat may be overweight according to weight charts. But because they are lean, this decreases their risk for health problems associated with being over fat.

Success of your weight loss and exercise program is defined as achieving and maintaining a healthy body composition.

Body composition refers to the proportion of fat and fat-free mass in the body. Those with a higher proportion of lean mass to a lower proportion of body fat have a healthy body composition.

This is a better indicator of your overall level of health and success than number on the scale. How much of a person’s weight is actually body fat is one of the most significant factors in evaluating health. Your ideal weight is really a range of weights that is considered healthy, as long as your body fat is in the “healthy range.

As we age our body fat tends to increase, and there is a loss of muscle mass. If you don’t do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose, you’ll increase the percentage of fat in your body.

Muscle weighs more than fat and strength training increases muscle. So the scale may not be a good indicator of your success with your program. If you have been working out with weights and watching what you eat, the number on the scale may stay the same or even go up. But there is no need to worry about this. The goal is to lose fat and maintain muscle and even build muscle. A more muscular body burns more calories per day, helping you manage your weight.

So body composition is a better indicator of your body’s health and fitness.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is an assessment generally used by physicians and health experts to determine if a person is underweight, overweight or within a healthy weight range. Note that the BMI does not take into consideration body type or muscle mass. If you are a very muscular person, your BMI may be in the overweight range, but your risk for health problems may be low.

A Body Mass Index between 19 and 25 is ideal. People with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 are overweight and a BMI greater than 30 indicates obesity. A BMI less than 17.5 could indicate anorexia, and less than 19.1 is considered underweight. A 5’6, 120 pounds and 25 years old’s BMI is 19.4. This is ideal.

For a 5’6, 120 pounds and 25 years old woman, 118-155 pounds in the recommendation for weight based on a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) range of 19-25.

For a woman 5’6, 120 pounds and 25 years old, 121 pounds is the average weight that other people of that age, height, weight and gender would describe as their ideal weight.

To tone anywhere on the body requires increasing the muscle tissue and decreasing the amount of body fat covering the muscles. This allows you to see the definition and shape of the muscles. To get rid of body fat, you have to burn more calories than you consume, and that means cardio. So that means determining your caloric requirements and tracking your food intact and activity level to create a deficit (if that is needed).

How much of a person’s weight is actually body fat is one of the most significant factors in evaluating weight. I would suggest a body fat test to assess if body fat is in the desired goal range.

A person’s total body weight is made up of lean body mass (LBM) and fat. LBM consists of bone and muscle while fat is stored all over the body and makes up some parts of vital organs. A body fat test is a useful tool because it distinguishes between the weight of fat and that of your lean body mass (muscle). At 5’6 115-120 pounds I wouldn’t suspect that it is too high. However, a person can be at a normal weight but still carry too much body fat.(I call that skinny fat!)

Here are the total calorie require to MAINTAIN the weight of a 5’6 inches 115 pound 25 year old woman. (For a 45 year old, eat 100 calories less per day). A person’s caloric requirements are dependent on activity level, gender, height, weight, and age.

PICK WISELY:
Stick with hard candies, lollipops, taffy, licorice, and sugarless gum, which are generally lower in fat. Best candies are snack size Dum Dum lollipops, York Peppermint Patties, Peeps Marshmallows Pumpkins, Brach Candy Corn and Starburst. The worst are snack size candies are Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Almond Joy, Mounds and Kit Kat.

CHOOSE HEALTHIER:
Prepackaged bags of trail mix, dried fruit, pretzels, cheese and cracker packages, raisins and low-fat granola bars make healthier, more nutritious snacks.

MAKE EXERCISE A TRICK:
Instead of driving your kids around the neighborhood, walk them from house to house. You could burn 324 calories in an hour.

ENTERTAIN WELL:
If you’re hosting a spooky bash, dunk for apples–and feel free to eat your prize. Serve fresh roasted pumpkin seeds instead of oily mixed nuts.

BUY LATE, BUY LESS:
The longer the candy is in plain view, the more tempting it is. Buy the candy just a day before. When you do shop, buy less than you did last year so you will have fewer leftovers. So what if you run out of candy during the Halloween onslaught? Toss a few dimes and quarters into the children’s sack.

BUY WHAT YOU DON’T LIKE:
Buy only the stuff that turns you off. The quickest way to kill the urge to nibble is to take away the enjoyment.

GIVE CANDY THE FREEZE:
Pop your stash of chocolate in the freezer. You’ll have to let it thaw out to enjoy it, which can prevent impulse eating.

PULL A DISAPPEARING ACT:
Store candy on a high shelf or behind the heavy cans in the pantry. Out of sight is out of mind.

NIBBLE LIKE A BUNNY:
Keep a constant stock of raw vegetables and fruits handy. As you dole out the candy bars, chomp down on a carrot stick. Yes, I know it isn’t like eating a chocolate bar but your hips will show the difference.

REMEMBER MODERATION:
The world won’t come to an end if you eat three chocolate kisses. But remember to balance the rest of your day’s diet by eliminating the fat and calories from another part of your day’s menu.

Maria Faires, Registered Dietitian, Certified Personal Trainer

From Jennifer:

Before I started working with Maria, I was a stay at home mother of two boys (both under 3 years old!) who felt like I had no time to exercise and no desire to eat healthy. As a stress eater, I felt like it was totally impossible to leave behind my junk food! How would I cope with my stress?! And exercise? No way, I had a toddler and a baby, and I could barely keep up as it is.

As a young mom who is a former athlete and dancer, I hated the way I looked as a 5’9″ 167 pound woman, but felt powerless to do anything about it. My husband was always sweet and said he loved my post-baby body, but I hated every last jiggle and pound! I wanted it gone, but felt helpless about where to start.

When I met Maria, she said the one incredibly motivating phrase I would repeat to myself for the entirety of my weight loss journey, “Jennifer, in 12 weeks, you could have a brand new body!” Maria was completely correct. With her help, I went from not being able to run or lift anything heavier than my kids, to now! I now run a 9 minute mile, can bench press 50lbs, squat press 145, and I’m slimmer and healthier than before I had my kids! I’m a slender, healthy and energetic 145 pounds, and back in my size 6 jeans!

I’m not saying it was always easy. I over-ate things that were bad for me when I got stressed, until Maria gave me alternate suggestions on how to cope. The best part of having Maria as my trainer was when I needed help, she was there. I never had to wait to get to see her, she was always quick with the responses and it was such a relief to know she had a solid education and a ton of research backing up her suggestions. I wanted my weight loss to last, and fad diets never work. Likewise, I wanted a trainer who knew what she was doing, because as a mom I couldn’t risk sloppy training that would leave me injured. Maria was my peace of mind that what I was doing would be safe, AND effective.

I realized on my weight loss journey that with the right help, motivation and training, you can achieve any goal you set for yourself. Maria was a constant source of encouragement and assistance, and you know the interesting part? I never set foot in a gym with her! Can you believe it? She helped me over the phone and through email because I live in Missouri! Now, if I can get all this done with Maria’s help just over my computer, imagine what you can get accomplished! I know I sound over the moon about her, but I mean every word. My body is proof that she knows what she’s doing! From a size 14 to a size 6? In just over 3 months? Amazing, right?!

Only you can make the decision to change your life, but if you’re really lucky, you’ll have Maria by your side cheering you on and helping you strategize your nutrition and training. After all, 12 weeks to a brand new body? That’s no time at all!

~ Jennifer James

Before, Week 1:Weight: 167 pounds Bust: 39″ Waist: 33″ Hips: 42″ Thighs: 24″ Dress Size: 12 Pant size: 14	Jennifer 167 pounds
After, Week 17:Weight: 145 pounds Bust: 31″ Waist: 26″ Hips: 34″ Thighs: 21″ Dress size: 6 Pants size: 6
Total Loss:- 21.8 pounds - 8″ off bust - 7″ off waist - 8″ off hips - Down 4 pants sizes - Down 3 dress sizes

From Maria: Jennifer started my program in January 2011, weighing 167 pounds. She came to me frustrated about her previous lack of success in losing weight.

Jennifer has followed my recommendations and when things got tough communicated with me so that I could help her. She has had many challenges as a busy stay at home mom of a 2 year old and an infant: an strong desire to “reward” herself at night with food after the kids went to bed, little time to exercise as often as she would like, fatigue, weight loss plateaus, minor injuries, and a transition from stay at home mom to full time working mom. Then to make it worse, her new work environment was full of tempting junk food. Despite challenges and temporary setbacks, she has been successful and has learned an “easy to live with” strategies that will help her keep the weight off and live a healthy lifestyle…forever!

My hope is that everyone reading this will be encouraged by Jennifer’s success story.

Jennifer wrote regularly in a blog that chronicled her journey, posted pictures of herself and detailed her progress. www.justeastofwest.wordpress.com For even more inspiration and entertaining reading, visit her blog and select weight loss under “categories”.