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10 Healthy Habits That’ll Help You Lose (And Keep Off) Weight

In my nearly two decades of experience in the weight-loss world, I’ve found one thing to be true: There’s so much more to losing weight—and keeping it off—than printing out a meal plan and signing up for a gym membership. Ultimately, it’s all about habits, and seemingly tiny behavior modifications are more impactful than any fad diet in the book.

Why Habits Matter

As someone who works with clients every single day (and who has lost weight myself), I know it’s our behaviors, not certain foods themselves, that hold power over our weight. Otherwise, I’d be able to hand any client a meal plan and they’d follow it flawlessly, no problem.

However, many of us start our weight-loss journeys with the baggage of long-established habits and thought patterns. These patterns affect our relationships with food and our bodies—and ultimately our overall health.

What many of us don’t realize, though, is that these patterns are simply the results of a repeated of triggers and rewards.

For example, an ice cream commercial we saw on TV one night after dinner may trigger us to grab dessert. The sugar boosts ‘happy’ chemicals like serotonin and dopamine, and before we know it, we find ourselves mindlessly eating ice cream on the couch every night.

Though these small, seemingly simple habits can be tricky to unravel, rewiring them makes a massive difference in our weight-loss long-term.

Focus On The Triggers

So, if you want to lose weight, I suggest you think not about the foods that trip you up, but the behaviors that sabotage you.

If you sacrifice sleep to watch Netflix, hit snooze every morning, or lack an outlet for managing stress, you put yourself in a position to make some pretty questionable food choices. From there, it’s all downhill.

So, if you eat ice cream every night, don’t focus on the ice cream itself, but why you eat the ice cream. When you consider the ice cream commercial and ‘happy’ chemicals that have essentially hijacked you, everything changes. Suddenly, you can see your nightly ice cream as a trigger-related habit, not a reflection of crummy willpower.

And once you understand the why behind these behaviors, you can start to break them down.

If hitting the couch after dinner makes you feel like you need a bowl of ice cream, skip the couch altogether and go for a walk or read a book. Or, make yourself a cup of tea, instead.

Address the trigger, change the behavior!

My Top 10 Habits For Successful Weight Loss

Though we all have unique goals, schedules, and relationships with food and exercise, there are a few basic, healthy habits we can pretty much all benefit from. Here are 10 to start working on.

1. Add Fruits & Veggies To Every Meal

Every time you eat—whether it’s just a snack or a full meal—make sure to include a fruit or vegetable. Produce is high in fiber and water, takes time to eat, and fills us up. Plus, by adding produce to every meal, we leave less room on our plate for not-so-healthy foods.

2. Incorporate Healthy Fats

In addition to fruits and veggies, start adding healthy fats—like avocados, nuts, nut butters, hard-boiled eggs, pre-portioned guacamole cups, or chia seeds—to your snacks and meals. Though old school diet culture told us to fear fat, it’s vital for our brains and bodies—and also helps us feel full and satisfied.

3. Switch To Smaller Plates

Research shows we tend to fill up our plate—and finish our helping—regardless of the size plate we use. Switching to smaller plates means you’ll automatically cut down portions—and still feel satisfied that you got to eat everything on the plate!

4. Order From The App Menu

Given the outrageous size of certain restaurant portions, I often encourage clients to stick to the appetizer menu when eating out. Often, you’ll be served enough to be satisfied, but not over-stuffed. Side dishes and the kid’s menu are fair game, too!

5. Consider Grocery Shopping Online

If you find yourself easily-tempted at the grocery store—and end up loading your cart with sandwich cookies and the like—try ordering your groceries online. It might help you avoid the impulse buys we often make when strolling up and down the aisles.

6. Drink Water Before Meals

Most of us walk around dehydrated, a sensation we often mistake for hunger. To address the issue (and avoid unnecessary snacking), pre-game each of your meals with a tall glass of water.

7. Make An “After Dinner” Rule

If you eat a healthy, balanced dinner that includes vegetables, healthy fats, and quality protein, you should feel satisfied enough to make it ‘til bedtime without a snack. In my experience, most of the calories we consume after dinner are simply reactions to triggers like commercials or habits. Usually, they’re mindless and empty. If you find yourself wanting to eat out of boredom, get up off the couch and do something else.

8. Incorporate Sprints

Most of my clients totally phone in their workouts, falling into the habit of jogging or working out at a generally slow, steady pace. By adding one-minute surges to your workouts (I recommend at least two or three of them), you’ll elevate your heart rate and force your body to work harder. In the long run, this extra demand only increases your results.

9. Walk And Talk

To cut down on the time you spend sitting each day, make a habit of standing and walking around when you talk on the phone. Get yourself a headset or a pair of headphones, and every time the phone rings, get up! Stand or pace until you hang up. Every bit of extra movement helps.

10. Try A Meditation App

This habit works double-duty by helping us become more aware of our thoughts and habits! Plus, meditation also helps us manage stress, which is often a trigger for emotional eating. Start with just five minutes of meditation per day. Soon, you’ll feel better able to observe and understand your relationship with food, triggers, and more.

Making Healthy Habits Stick

Just like the not-so-healthy habits we develop, healthy behaviors need to be triggered into action until they become part of our routine.

Where to start? First, make a list of habits that might be holding you back—like eating in front of the TV or running to the vending machine mid-afternoon. Then, identify a healthier habit that addresses it.

Once you choose which of these healthy habits to focus on first, set up a system of reminders to help you make them happen. Set reminders or alarms in your phone to fill up your water bottle throughout the day or put a post-it notes on your snack cabinet that ask if you’re truly hungry.

With the help of these positive triggers, you’ll be on your way to drinking more water, cutting out unnecessary nighttime snacks, and more in no time.

Diggin’ What’s Good? For more essential health facts, tips, and inspiration, join our Facebook communities, Eating Healthy, Staying Fit, and Keeping It Keto today!

Liz Josefsberg is a weight loss and wellness expert with over 15 years in the industry, as well as a member of The Vitamin Shoppe’s Wellness Council. A mom, author, fitness enthusiast, and weight loss success story herself (65 pounds lost!), Liz consults all over the world. She loves testing every diet, exercise regimen, device, and piece of gear she can get her hands on.

April 19, 2019April 22, 2019

Liz Josefsberg, C.P.T., N.E.S.

6 Reasons Why You’re Not Seeing Results On Keto

With keto ‘before-and-after’ photos and success stories flooding social media, the temptation to hop on the high-fat bandwagon—and reap the benefits—has never been more real.

Equally real, though, is the frustration of going keto and not seeing those highly-sought-after results.

If you’re on the keto train but not seeing the results you want, one (or more) of the following roadblocks may be to blame.

1. You’re Dehydrated

All too often, we misinterpret dehydration for cravings or hunger and end up eating more than we really need. And considering the affect a keto diet has on hydration, it’s an easy trap for high-fat eaters to fall into.

You see, the keto diet depletes glycogen, a form of sugar we store in our muscles and liver. And since every molecule of glycogen we store also stores several molecules of water, as we shed glycogen, we shed water, too, says Suzanne Dixon, R.D.

In this sense, we end up ‘dry’ on keto, meaning our body tissues hold less water overall. This alone makes keto eaters generally feel thirstier.

Since the water in our body also stores electrolytes, going keto can mess with our levels of these important minerals. This, in turn, further affects our hydration—along with our overall health and performance.

Whether you’re mistaking thirst for hunger and overeating or just feel generally ‘blah’ on keto, chances are you need more good ol’ H2O. To ensure optimal hydration, Dixon recommends drinking enough water to keep your urine pale yellow.

To give hydration and electrolyte balance an extra boost, add a serving of an electrolyte powder to your water daily. (We like True Athlete’s natural Balanced Hydration powder in Lemon Lime or Fruit Punch.)

2. You’re Eating Too Much

Difficult as it may be to overeat satiating fat—especially once your body has adjusted to a keto diet—it is possible. And considering fat packs nine calories per gram (twice as much as protein and carbs), those extra calories add up quick.

As with any other diet style, it’s crucial that you tune into—and listen to—your body’s hunger cues when following keto. Excess calories are still excess calories, even if they’re sugar-free.

3. You’re Overdoing The Keto Treats

Tempting as keto-friendly brownies and fudgy fat bombs may be, the fact that they’re technically keto doesn’t mean they should be daily staples.

“Don’t allow treats to replace meals you’ve prepared using whole foods,” says Julie Stefanski, R.D., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics. “It’s important to prioritize as many low-carb vegetables as possible to support your overall health.”

Since low-carb veggies also tend to be low-calorie, they’ll add bulk to your meals and nourish you without racking up the calories. Stefanski recommends loading up on vegetables like broccoli, celery, and Brussels sprouts—and thinking of keto treats as just that: treats.

Not only does this approach set you up for greater fat loss success, but for better health and well-being in the long run.

4. You’re Eating The Wrong Types Of Fats

Though there’s certainly a place for high-quality butter and bacon in a healthy keto diet, going overboard on certain types of fats can impact how you feel on the high-fat diet.

“Butter and bacon are high in certain saturated fats and some meats are often processed,” says Dixon. Over time, over-consumption of these foods has been linked to increased risk of weight gain and disease.

In fact, the World Health Organization has processed meats as ‘group one’ carcinogens, meaning scientific evidence confirms their danger to human health.

Plus, filling your plate with fats like butter and bacon means you’re likely not getting your fill of healthy, plant-based fats like avocado, nuts, and olive oil. These fatty foods, many of which contain unsaturated fats, are rich in a variety of nutrients and have been shown to support health long-term.

5. You’re Eating Too Much Protein

When you deprive your body of glucose (from carbs and sugar) on a keto diet, you force it to search for fuel elsewhere—ideally from fat.

However, if you eat too much protein while severely restricting carbs, your body can turn to that protein for fuel.

In a process called gluconeogenesis, the body converts protein’s amino acids into glucose, effectively shifting you back to burning sugar—and kicking you out of ketosis.

“That’s why protein must be strictly limited in order to achieve a fully effective ketogenic diet,” Dixon says. However, most people focus just on slashing carbs and increasing fat, without paying much attention to protein.

Often, these people dip in and out of ‘light’ ketosis, meaning they start to produce modest amounts of ketones, but don’t shift into a truly ketogenic state. Without entering ‘deep’ ketosis, you may miss out on the full potential of keto’s benefits, including increased satiety, fewer cravings, and weight loss.

To keep your protein intake keto-friendly, limit the macro to 15 percent of your daily calories, says Dixon. (On a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s 300 calories, or 75 grams of protein per day.) Split your intake up evenly throughout the day.

6. You’re Not Working Out

If you’re on a keto diet to support your overall health and well-being, there’s no getting around it: You’ve got to move your body.

Though you likely won’t have much energy for exercise as your body adapts to using fat for energy the first few weeks on keto, you should be able to get back in the game once you’ve adapted, says Dixon.

Once that initial ‘keto flu’ transition phase passes, prioritize moderate exercise—like cycling, jogging, yoga, or light weightlifting—regularly. (Just keep in mind that since keto depletes carb stores, HIIT workouts and heavy lifting might feel a little meh.)

Not only is staying active crucial to your mental, emotional, and physical wellness, but it’ll also help ensure you see any weight-loss results you’re hoping to get out of keto.

Pin this handy infographic for quick reference:

Diggin’ What’s Good? For more essential health facts, tips, and inspiration, join our Facebook communities, Eating Healthy, Staying Fit, and Keeping It Keto today!

March 27, 2019March 29, 2019

Isadora Baum

How To Strength Train To Lose Weight

Sure, cardio makes you sweat—but despite decades of advice telling us we had to cardio our way to weight loss, there’s actually a better way. It’s called strength training. Here’s what you need to know to get your mind, workouts, and waistline right.

Why Not Cardio?

Cardiovascular training produces a sense of instant gratification because our apps, wearables, and fitness equipment tell us we’re burning lots of calories, says Eric Johnson, C.S.C.S., strength coach and the co-founder of Homage Fitness. But all that ‘sweat equity’ you put in isn’t really all that efficient in the end. While cardio gives you that satisfying short-term burn, strength training better supports weight loss long-term.

How Strength Training Boosts Weight Loss

Though the process takes time, regular strength training signals your body to build muscle. Ultimately, muscle is the golden ticket for weight loss—and cardio just doesn’t stimulate muscle growth the way strength training does.

Why does muscle matter? Muscle tissue is ‘metabolically active,’ meaning it requires energy to maintain. Fat? Not so much. So, the more muscle mass and density you build, the more your metabolism rises—and the more calories your body automatically churns through every single day.

Sure, you can burn extra calories every day by slogging away on a cardio machine. However, if you build enough muscle, you’ll burn extra calories every day even if you don’t leave the couch!

In fact, one study published in Current Sports Medicine Reports shows that resistance training can increase metabolic rate by seven percent.

Plus, you’ll still burn calories while hitting the weights, too. A 170-pound man burns about 462 calories per hour of strength training, while a 120-pound woman burns about 324.

The Best Way To Strength Train To Shed Fat

If you want to lose weight (and keep it off), Johnson recommends starting with three 45-minute strength-training workouts per week. Just make sure to schedule your sessions at least 24 hours apart to allow your muscles ample time for recovery and regeneration.

For best results, each workout should light up all of your major muscle groups (yes, upper and lower body) to maximize muscle-building and calorie-burn, says Devon Levesque, personal trainer at Performix House in New York City.

The Right Moves

To get there, focus your workout on big lifts that work multiple muscle groups at once.

“Bench pressing, squatting, and deadlifting are all excellent functional, compound moves,” says LA-based personal trainer Seth Broadstreet, C.P.T. These exercises stimulate the most muscle tissue and require the most energy to perform, so they’ll best boost your workout’s immediate calorie-burn and support maximum gains in muscle mass over time.

Make sure every workout starts with two or three of these big, compound exercises.

Then, follow those up with three or four isolation moves (like bicep curls or lateral raises) to show specific muscle groups some extra love. Just think of these as accessories—not the main event.

The Right Reps And Sets

While you’ll use fewer reps and heavier weights to build pure strength, go for a higher rep range for fat-loss, says Broadstreet, who recommends sets of 10 to 15 reps. Use weight heavy enough that you’re exhausted—but don’t break proper form—by the end of each set.

This particular rep range provides the ideal stimulus for hypertrophy, or muscular growth—and successful weight loss means building as much muscle as possible.

Using bodyweight moves? Mix things up by setting a timer for 60 seconds and doing as many reps as possible in that period, suggests Levesque.

To keep your heart rate—and calorie-burn—high, limit rest periods to 90 seconds or less, says Johnson. Give yourself enough time to catch your breath and get going again.

The Place For Cardio

Of course, in addition to a solid strength-training routine, the right cardio can help you shed fat while building muscle.

If you want to incorporate some cardio between lifting sessions, Broadstreet recommends two to three sessions per week.

If you’re newer to exercise or need to recover from a tough lifting workout, stick to lower-intensity steady-state cardio, like walking or jogging.

To kick things up a notch, sprinkle in high-intensity interval training, like sprints or plyometrics. Even just 30 to 40 minutes per session can go a long way in supporting your goals.

Diggin’ What’s Good? For more essential health facts, tips, and inspiration, join our Facebook communities, Eating Healthy, Staying Fit, and Keeping It Keto today!

February 26, 2019March 5, 2019

Mike Simone

4 Eating Habits That Sabotage Your Metabolism

Though we may pray for most things in life to slow down, there’s one thing we always want to keep moving as fast as possible: our metabolism. And while we might think exercise is our best bet for keeping our metabolism humming, our diet also has a big impact.

Why Your Metabolism Matters

Often referred to as our ‘inner engine,’ our metabolism really encompasses all of the processes our body performs to keep us alive and functioning—from breaking down food for energy, to building muscle and other tissues, to ridding our body of waste products.

In everyday terms, we think of our metabolism as all of the calories we burn throughout the day. Our body requires a certain number of calories just to keep our heart beating and lungs breathing—and extra energy so we can move around, work out, and, well, do pretty much anything else.

So if we want to work, move, and live at our best, we need all of the processes involved in our metabolism to be as healthy—and efficient—as possible.

The Diet-Metabolism Connection

Though exercise (notably strength training) can boost our metabolic health, our diet also plays a key role. “Think about your body as a car,” says dietitian Joelle Mazo, R.D., C.D.E., C.D.N. “When you put gas in a car, it uses that fuel in order to move. Your body functions similarly using calories from food to move, breathe, and function properly.”

Also like a car, the quality of your fuel profoundly affects your performance. To keep your metabolism healthy, avoid these common diet mistakes.

1. You Skip Meals

When you’re rushing out the front door in the morning or stuck in a midday meeting, it’s easy to skip a meal here and there. Thing is, while going long periods of time without eating may seem like a good move for your waistline, that may not be the case.

“I often compare it to money,” says dietitian Kathryn Riner, R.D., M.S., L.D., owner of Healthy Kids Nutrition, LLC. “If you don’t know when you’ll get paid again, you spend money more slowly and cautiously. If our body doesn’t know when it is going to be fed again, it conserves energy.” And that means a slower metabolism.

In fact, one Ohio State University study linked skipping meals to abdominal weight gain. Why? According to German research, breakfast skippers may experience higher glucose concentrations, markers of inflammation, and insulin resistance later on in the day. In the long run, these contribute to “metabolic impairment,” which may raise risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The fix: Seek out a breakfast include a source of protein and fiber, to provide lasting energy, suggests Riner. Consider a quick egg with whole wheat toast or a glass of milk and piece of fresh fruit.

2. You Don’t Eat Enough Calories

Regardless of what you eat and when you eat it, if you don’t eat enough, you leave your body without ample supply of the nutrients it needs to keep your metabolism humming.

As a result, your body may turn to unusual sources for fuel. While it considers some fat necessary to insulate your organs, the body sees muscle as dispensable during periods of starvation, and may break down muscle tissue to use its proteins for fuel.

Over time, you may lose muscle mass—a major problem if having a fast metabolism is a priority for you. You see, muscle burns more calories than fat (even at rest). So, the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism is. When you lose muscle, though, your body needs fewer calories, so your metabolism—and any desired weight loss—slows down, says Mazo.

The fix: If you’re dieting or watching your calories, work with a dietitian to prevent any guesswork. With a little expert help, you’ll be able to lose fat rather than muscle.

3. You Don’t Drink Enough Water

Though water may not contain calories, it’s involved in almost every biological function in the body. Should you fail to drink enough or become dehydrated, your metabolism can’t run as efficiently.

Take your muscles, for example: “Over 70 percent of your muscle is water, so when muscles are not fully hydrated their ability to generate energy is severely inhibited,” says Mazo.

The fix: Ideally, thirst will guide how much water you drink during the day, but drinking enough that your pee is consistently very pale is another good guideline. If necessary, jazz up your regular sips by adding sliced fruit, mint, or other herbs. You’re more likely to stay hydrated if you genuinely enjoy what’s in your glass.

4. You Go Overboard On Refined Sugar

When it comes to what we eat and the impact that food has on our metabolism, one major enemy stands out: sugar. In fact, research shows that consuming added sugars ultimately destroys our body’s ability to process that sugar and increases risk of obesity and metabolic disease.

Issue is, even if we’re not eating chocolate chip pancakes topped with high-fructose corn syrup every day, many of the foods in our regular rotations, like yogurts and sauces, include more sugar than we think.

The fix: Stick to a diet made up of whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible, advises Mazo. “Think lean meats, healthy fats, whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, and legumes like lentils” she says. Avoid sweetened beverages and opt for tea or black coffee, instead. Eating this way provides the body with the macronutrients and micronutrients (like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants) it needs to function properly—metabolism included.

Pin this handy infographic for quick reference:

Diggin’ What’s Good? For more essential health facts, tips, and inspiration, join our Facebook communities, Eating Healthy and Staying Fit, today!

February 6, 2019February 7, 2019

Emily Abbate, C.P.T.

6 Tips For Sticking To A Weight-Loss Resolution

It’s that time of year: After a long holiday season of parties, cookies of all shapes and sizes, and one too many glasses of eggnog, many of us are ready to kick off the New Year and reclaim our healthy lifestyles (and our physiques).

Reports suggest the average person gains up to seven pounds during the holiday season. In my 17 years in the weight-loss industry, I’ve seen many weight-loss resolutions fail. Here are my six top tips for kick-starting your New Year in a healthy, sustainable, non-painful way.

1. Do Your Homework

Taking the time to do a little research and prep work prior to getting started on any New Year’s resolution will seriously impact your results. That’s why I recommend spending January 1^st researching.

Sure, the current it diet might be everywhere—but what do you think is the right approach for you? Get clear on your goal and make sure it can sustainably fit into your lifestyle. Then, consider what you’ll need to do to prepare and get started. Do you need to do a serious fridge clean-out or make a trip to the supermarket to get the right food in the house?

I think you can learn a lot from immersing yourself in forums, exploring Instagram hashtags, and following the right influencers and experts. Doing this helps you get a feel for other people’s experiences with losing weight or getting fit, and provides inspiration and expert input that can motivate and help you along the way.

Once you have a clear picture of your goals and necessary next steps, spend some time planning out meals and printing out workouts. If you need a little guidance, find a clean grocery list online, highlight the foods you enjoy eating, and plan a few simple meals from there.

2. Focus On Habits

Often it’s not our lack of knowledge, but our habits, that get in the way of us making healthier choices. After all, we all know a veggie-packed salad is a more nutritious meal than a cheeseburger and fries.

So, when you’re thinking about your goals and what you’ll need to do to get there, be honest with yourself about the habits that might sabotage your long-term progress. For example, do rushed mornings leave you without time to have a healthy breakfast (and lead you to grab a bagel later)? Addressing your snooze button habit will set you up for a healthier morning. Commit to getting up just 15 minutes earlier every day for a week to make breakfast. By the end of that week, your new morning schedule will start to stick—and it won’t be so hard to make that healthy breakfast happen!

To get into this mindset, I encourage you to think about three small behaviors that could be standing between you and your goals. Write them down and brainstorm small fixes for each. Once you’ve overhauled and mastered a few new habits and routines, you can layer in more.

3. Hydrate Like Crazy

If you’re coming off two months of eating lots of sugar, drinking alcohol more often than usual, and not getting your usual steps in, you’re probably going to feel tired, crabby, and maybe even flu-like in the first few days of cleaning up your act.

Hydrating as much as possible is incredibly important during this time. Drinking plenty of water those first few days—and beyond—will move the toxins out of your body and diminish cravings, helping you feel better faster. Aim for 100 ounces of water a day!

4. Find Your Support System

Having a sense of community around you makes any goal feel more attainable. Make gym dates with friends, invite family over for a healthy potluck—whatever unites like-minded goal-getters and makes the process fun.

Though social media may not always have positive impacts on our well-being, it can be an incredibly helpful tool on a weight-loss journey.

Feel free to message other social media users who share your goals, or people you follow who inspire you. Find out if any friends or family members are working on their health in fitness in the New Year and create a group chat to encourage daily support. Share tips, recipes, and successes along the way—and seek the help you need when you feel your feet dragging. Just limit these circles to people who make you feel great about yourself and who you know will truly support you.

5. Measure More Than Your Weight

If your New Year’s resolution is to make major changes to your physique and body composition, there are plenty of measurements and other data you can use to track your progress.

That first week, take all of your basic measurements and consider investing in a scale that measures more than just your weight. Many scales today can estimate body fat percentage, bone density, and even hydration.

Should changes in your weight stall—as they often do—these other measures can continue to reveal your progress. For example, if your weight hasn’t changed but your measurements have, you may be losing body fat while building muscle. And that’s a major win!

Think of your journey as a real-life science project. The more you investigate, research, and consider a number of insights, the more likely you are to succeed.

6. Take It One Week At A Time

Ready to feel and look better, many New Year’s resolutioners try to change their entire lives overnight. But completely cutting out alcohol, or vowing to work out twice a day, often leads to burnout and disappointment.

By focusing only on our end goal, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and tempted to throw in the towel. Visualizing months and months of hard work casts a shadow of negativity on what can be an enjoyable process.

I’m a firm believer in focusing on the present moment and what you need to do to succeed right now. When I sit with my clients, we think only about the next week. What challenges might arise this week, and how can we prepare for them? What meals can we plan and prep? Focus on small, weekly goals that center around one or two smart changes. Doing so yields results, motivates you, and sets you up for success week by week.

For example, if you haven’t been eating well or exercising, it’s a lot easier to focus on eating healthier meals for one week than to think about all the meals and workouts it’ll take to lose those 20 pounds. Focus on the steps right in front of you, not the top of the mountain.

And when negative, overwhelming thoughts and feeling do arise (it’s natural!), stop and think about three things you are grateful for that day. This simple act shifts your mood back to the here and now, and helps you concentrate on the tasks at hand.

Liz Josefsberg is a weight loss and wellness expert with over 15 years in the industry. A mom, author, fitness enthusiast, and weight loss success story herself (65 pounds lost!), Liz consults all over the world and is a member of The Vitamin Shoppe’s Wellness Council. She loves testing every diet, exercise regimen, device, and piece of gear she can get her hands on.

Diggin’ What’s Good? For more essential health facts, tips, and inspiration, join our Facebook communities, Eating Healthy and Staying Fit, today!

December 28, 2018March 13, 2019

Liz Josefsberg, C.P.T., N.E.S.

Kris Gethin’s Guide To Making Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick

By January 15^th, more than 90 percent of New Year’s resolutions have already been abandoned. But that doesn’t have to be your fate.

With my video trainers, books, articles, gyms, supplements, and seminars, I’ve helped millions of people worldwide make life-changing transformations. Even if your goal for the New Year is physique-based, I believe that implementing and sustaining better habits is a cornerstone of success.

With consistency, a solid work ethic, and the following four tips, you’re sure to be in that 10 percent of New Year’s success stories.

1. Start With Goal-Setting

Many people set New Year’s resolutions without having a detailed goal in mind, which dooms them to fail from the very beginning. Having a comprehensive plan in place helps you work towards your end goal more smoothly, so I always recommend putting the necessary time into this process before you even get started.

Spend some time in a quiet, relaxing place where you can think clearly, and put some serious thought into your goal. Beyond identifying your desired end goal, consider why that end goal is important to you. Then, write everything down. The act of physically writing down your goals is psychologically binding. Plus, it allows you to post them on your fridge as a constant reminder!

It may also be helpful to write down any potential issues or barriers you anticipate encountering on the way to your goal, and how you plan to overcome them. Being aware of any adversity you may face will help you feel prepared for the journey ahead, which is critical to your success.

2. Make A Vision Board

Too often, people neglect their goals—or forget them altogether—because life gets busy. Having a visual representation of your goal, though, keeps it top-of-mind. Looking at a vision board every day forces you to visualize your goal. This provides an extremely powerful boost in motivation to reach that desired outcome.

Include a collage of images that inspire you. (They may include an athlete you look up to or a reward you’re going to give yourself when you complete your goal). You can also include brief descriptions of your goals and the deadlines you set to accomplish them by. Last year, my vision board included words and images focused on taking a vacation, completing an IRONMAN, purchasing a home, and completing a book. With its help, I accomplished all of those goals.

Spend at least five minutes every day looking at it and envisioning yourself progressing towards your goal. This practice becomes even more beneficial when you face challenges, or when emotions try to get the best of you. Having a picture of the physique you’re working towards, for example, reminds you of your journey when you struggle to find motivation. I keep my own vision boards leaning against a wall in my office, right behind my computer. This way, I look at them constantly.

3. Break Long-Term Goals Into Smaller Milestones

When first set, your end goal will always seem like a significant, almost insurmountable destination. In fact, it may seem like such an undertaking that you give up before you can even see progress.

Using the simple strategy of breaking your bigger goal into smaller, short-term goals exponentially increases your chances of success. As you complete your short-term goals, you’ll feel a boost in confidence and renewed motivation to keep moving forward.

An example: If your long-term goal is to lose 30 pounds of fat, set a weekly goal to lose one or two pounds. Replacing one overwhelming task with a series of smaller wins makes progress feel far more attainable. In about 15 weeks of consistently following an effective program, you’ll meet your long-term goal.

4. Create Accountability

Accountability is the glue of any successful transformation because it prevents excuses or obstacles from derailing your progress. In my experience, I’ve learned that without accountability, your chances of success are limited.

Luckily, there are many ways to generate accountability. You can publicly state your goal and the date you plan on achieving it (perhaps on a social media account), book and pay for a photo shoot in advance, or sign up for a sporting event that’ll require you to be fully prepared by a specific date.

Many people take another approach and enlist the help of a coach or mentor, whom they’ll check in with—and detail their progress to—regularly.

A natural pro bodybuilder, IRONMAN competitor, and ultra-marathoner, Kris Gethin is widely known across the health and fitness space as one of the leading experts and body transformation specialists in the world. As the CEO of Kaged Muscle supplements, former editor-in-chief of BodyBuilding.com, author of the best-selling book Body by Design, co-founder of Kris Gethin Gyms, and member of The Vitamin Shoppe Wellness Council, Gethin has helped educate and change the lives of millions of people.

Diggin’ What’s Good? For more essential health facts, tips, and inspiration, join our Facebook communities, Eating Healthy and Staying Fit, today!

December 27, 2018January 10, 2019

Kris Gethin

How Your Bedtime Affects Your Metabolism

If you want to boost your metabolic health, you’ve got plenty of tried-and-true methods, such as eating more protein, strength training regularly, and sipping on green tea. But there’s something else you may want to factor in: regular sleep.

Recent research suggests that all of your metabolism-boosting efforts go to waste if you’re not getting in your zzzs. In fact, according to a recent study in Scientific Reports, sticking to a proper bedtime may be crucial for your metabolic health.

Your Bedtime & Your Metabolism

According to the researchers behind the Scientific Reports study, having a regular bedtime boosts your metabolic health, both in the short and long term.

“Many patients and physicians already know that getting enough sleep is important to heart and metabolic health,” says study co-author, clinical psychologist, and professor Jessica Lunsford-Avery, Ph.D. However, we usually only think about sleep in terms of duration, or hours of sleep logged.

This study aimed to take a broader look at sleep and metabolic health. “Our study shows that healthy sleep is determined not only by how long you sleep, but also by the timing of your sleep, the continuity of your sleep, and the effect of going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day,” says Lunsford-Avery.

The results? The researchers linked all of these factors (described as ‘sleep irregularity’) with metabolic problems like weight gain, unruly blood sugar, and cardiovascular issues.

The Science

To reach these conclusions, the researchers analyzed the sleeping patterns, physical health, and mental health of 1,978 American adults. Participants wore a physical activity- and ambient light-measuring wrist device and kept a sleep journal for seven days.

Throughout the week, the participants reported their daytime sleepiness. Meanwhile, the scientists evaluated their cardiovascular disease risk based on markers such as blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes status, and obesity. They also surveyed participants’ mental health.

The researchers found that irregular sleepers (who went to bed and woke up at different times on different days) weighed more, had higher blood sugar, higher blood pressure, and a higher projected risk of having a heart attack or stroke within 10 years than those who slept and woke at the same times every day,” says Lundsford-Avery. They were also more likely to report stress and depression, both of which can impact cardiometabolic health.

The Takeaway

Though this study only observed patterns, it still paints a convincing picture about the importance of sleep for our health. It also suggests that simply getting the recommend 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night may not be enough.

According to Chris Winter, M.D., author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep is Broken and How to Fix It and medical director of the Sleep Medicine Center at Virginia’s Martha Jefferson Hospital, this study supports a growing body of research that highlights the importance of regular sleep and wake times. It reinforces that sleep sets the stage for the body’s schedule, and both short- and long-term health.

Luckily, adopting more regular sleep-and-wake patterns is pretty straightforward. “Our recommendation is simple,” says Lundsford-Avery. “Set your alarm clock for the same time each day, even on weekends. From there, set a regular bedtime and stick to it as best you can.”

November 20, 2018

Gabrielle Kassel

The Top 5 Weight Loss Mistakes Women Make

The decades-long journey that led me to become the fitness, nutrition, and weight-loss expert (and healthy, happy human being) I am today was just that: a journey.

For years, I searched for the next quick-fix diet or miracle workout. I tried just about every hokey weight-loss trick in the book. But it wasn’t until I made balanced, sustainable lifestyle changes that I lost the weight, got strong, and started feeling like the woman I was meant to be.

Still, plenty of the women I work with today are tempted by the same mistakes and fads that tempted me. These are the five weight-loss mistakes I see most often.

Mistake #1: Juicing

With new brands continuing to pop up on grocery store shelves across the country, juicing is clearly still hot. But although juicing has been advertised as a weight-loss tool, I assure you, it’s not.

Sure, if you shun solid foods and drink all of your calories, you likely will lose some weight. However, you’ll likely incredibly cranky and low on energy—and that weight loss won’t last.

When you juice fruits and veggies, you take out all of the tummy-filling fiber that helps keep you full and satisfied. Plus, you concentrate all of the sugar! Even just eight ounces of OJ contains more than 20 grams of sugar. If you’re guzzling fruit-based juices all day, you could take in more than 100 grams of sugar.

Not to mention, juice doesn’t contain protein. On a juice cleanse, you’ll fall far short on protein and potentially lose muscle mass as a result. (More on that later.)

If you haven’t been eating enough solid fruits and veggies, juice can be a delicious way to get in some vitamins and minerals. However, they should be a carefully limited addition to your healthy eating plan, not your entire eating plan.

Mistake #2: Expecting Weight Loss To Be Linear

Many women I work with have a ‘good’ first week and calculate how quickly they’ll reach their goals based on that.

Thing is, weight loss is a delicate dance of many different factors. At first, extra motivation and water weight contribute to fast success. As time goes on, though, motivation to stick to the plan 100 percent can slip and weight loss often slows.

By looking ahead and projecting their expected progress, women set themselves up for disappointment. Their thinking becomes, well, since I’m not reaching my goals, I’ll just throw in the towel and have the cookies, and they sabotage their progress.

Remember: While anyone can go will power crazy or follow a strict eating plan for a short period of time, long-term success requires changing the core of your behaviors. Learning to understand what hunger truly feels like, eat more mindfully, and prep and pack lunch for work takes time, patience, and dedication!

My advice: Make a commitment not to project or plan your future progress. Focusing on the current moment helps you appreciate the progress you’ve already made and become more aware of the behaviors that need more work.

Mistake #3: Not Sleeping Enough

Aside from eating well and exercising, one of the greatest things you can do for your weight loss is to go to bed.

Sleep governs many of the hormones that govern hunger and cravings (like ghrelin and leptin), as well as insulin, which regulates our blood sugar. In fact, research shows that when you don’t sleep enough, you have higher levels of those hunger hormones and decreased sensitivity to insulin the next day. Plus, you’ll likely eat more to try to boost your low energy.

On another note, your body recovers from exercise while you sleep. So if shaping up is a part of your weight-loss plan, you have to make sleep a priority.

Set aside seven to eight hours a day (no exceptions!) to get some shut-eye. Turn off electronics and dim the lights and hour or two before getting into bed, and try a natural supplement like melatonin or magnesium if you have trouble drifting off.

Mistake #4: Too Many BLTs

‘BLTs’ are what I call the unaccounted for Bites, Licks and Tastes you take throughout the day but don’t think much about.

It seems harmless to have a few licks of your child’s ice cream cone or a couple sips of your boyfriend’s beer, but mindless munching can really add up. Here’s how I prove it to my clients: For one week, I ask them to carry around a small plastic bag filled with little slips of paper. Each time they’re tempted to take a BLT, they write down the food and estimated calories. At the end of the week, they add up the calories. Most have at least several hundred written down!

Not only does this make people more aware of how often they reach for extra food, but it also drives home how many extra calories they consume in doing so.

Try this exercise for yourself and add up the approximate calories on your slips of paper at the end of the week. Are you surprised by how much those little bites, licks, and tastes add up to? How do those extra calories fit into your larger plan? Could they be standing in the way of your success?

Something else to consider: Had these BLT foods not magically appeared in front of you, would you have chosen to eat them? Probably not. So why are you so tempted by them? Well, perhaps you’re not satisfied with the meals you are choosing to eat. By making sure you truly enjoy the foods in your meal plan and feel nourished, you eliminate the appeal of those BLTs.

Mistake #5: Forgoing Strength Training

So many women are still guilty of only doing cardio exercise—and it’s true self-sabotage! Why? If you’re watching what you eat and doing lots of cardio, but aren’t strength training, chances are you’re losing muscle.

When it comes to weight loss (and general health), muscle is precious. Because muscle tissue burns more calories than fat, building muscle boosts your metabolism. The more muscle you have, the more calories you can consume while still losing or maintaining your weight. Lose muscle, though, and you’ll have to eat fewer and fewer calories. Not ideal if you want to get lean for good!

Not to mention, muscle makes doing daily tasks easier, transforms your physique, and does wonders for confidence.

Though some women still fear that strength training will make them ‘bulky,’ remember: Women just don’t have the hormones necessary to radically increase muscle size that men have. End of story.

We naturally lose muscle as we get older, making strength training even more important for our weight and our health as we age. The same goes for women who have had children, since pregnancy often accelerates muscle loss.

Ultimately, I believe that building and maintaining muscle is the most important thing you can do to shed fat and keep it off. Start slowly with two to three sessions of bodyweight exercises per week and add resistance as you get stronger.

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October 29, 2018March 13, 2019

Liz Josefsberg, C.P.T., N.E.S.

What To Eat To Boost Your Metabolism

If you truly want to win big in the fat-loss game, you’ve got to boost your metabolism. Burn more calories each and every day—whether you’re crushing it in the gym or chilling on your tush—and fat loss is pretty much guaranteed. But how does your diet tie in? We asked the experts to break down what to eat to rev your inner calorie-burning engine.

Metabolism 101

Metabolism, put most simply, is the process by which our bodies convert what we eat into the energy we need to survive and function, explains dietitian Jim White, R.D., owner Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios. Our basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories our body needs to maintain basic functions (like keeping our organs running). It accounts for the bulk of our total metabolism. From there, exercise, digestion, and any movement we do outside of the gym also contribute to our total calories burned. (This total is called ‘total daily energy expenditure.’)

If you want to significantly increase your total daily energy expenditure, you’ve got to increase your BMR. Sure, burning more calories during your workouts and getting more steps in helps, but boosting your BMR has a much bigger impact on the bottom line. And one major way to do that: protein.

Protein: A Metabolism Unicorn

Before we get into metabolism-boosting superfoods, there’s one food you should focus on if you want to burn more calories: protein. Not only do you burn extra calories just digesting the nutrient, but it can also help you increase your basal metabolic rate over time.

The Thermic Effect Of Protein

The calories you burn digesting your food—called the thermic effect of food (TEF)—account for about 10 percent of the total calories you burn in a given day. (That’s twice as much as the average workout.)

Thing is, different macronutrients have different thermic effects, White explains. Your body uses up to five percent of the calories in fat you eat, and up to 15 percent of the calories in carbs you eat just to digest them. But protein? Your body uses a whopping 20 to 35 percent of its calories during digestion! “For example, if you consume 200 calories of protein, your body will use between 40 and 70 of them just to digest it,” White says.

One 2015 Journal of Science & Medicine in Sport study of active women found that they experienced 30 percent greater TEF after eating a high-protein meal (45 percent calories from protein) than after eating a low-protein meal (15 percent calories from protein). Burn more calories every time you eat? Yes, please.

Protein And Basal Metabolic Rate

Even more significant than protein’s immediate effect on calorie-burning, though, is its ability to help increase basal metabolic rate over time.

“The key to boosting metabolism is to build muscle,” says Toronto-based dietitian and nutrition counselor Abby Langer, R.D. In fact, lean body mass is the number one determinant of metabolic rate. While every pound of fat burns two calories per day at rest, every pound of muscle burns roughly six. The more muscle you have, the more calories you automatically burn every single day.

Plus, not only does having more muscle boost your baseline calorie burn, but it also enables you to work out harder and longer, so you burn more calories during exercise, too.

Since your muscles are literally made of protein, you have to get ample protein from your diet (and strength train) if you want them to grow.

How Much Protein To Eat

“Without a sufficient supply of amino acids from dietary protein, the body begins to break down muscle and metabolic rate decreases,” White says.

For optimal muscle gain, one 2018 Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition study recommends eating 0.4 to 0.55 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight at least four times per day. If you weigh 180 pounds, that means putting back 132 to 180 grams of total protein per day.

What About Metabolism-Boosting Superfoods?

When it comes to boosting your metabolism through food, protein definitely takes the cake. Still, researchers and dieters alike are constantly hunting for other metabolism magic bullets.

In the lab, many of these metabolism-friendly foods (think green tea, ACV, and hot peppers) yield significant results, says Langer. Thing is, that doesn’t necessarily mean they work wonders in the real world.

Take green tea, which stimulates metabolism through an antioxidant called ECGC and its caffeine content, for example. According to one review published in Advances in Nutrition, you would have to drink roughly nine eight-ounce cups of green tea per day to increase your total daily energy expenditure by just four percent. (That’s about 80 extra calories if you normally burn 2,000.)

Of course, green tea is still worthy of your mug; its antioxidants fight free radical damage and have been linked to a lower risk of multiple forms of cancer. Just don’t expect it to make the fat melt off your body.

Spicy foods share a similar story. “Capsaicin [a compound found in chili peppers] speeds up the rate at which the body turns calories into heat to use for fuel, called thermogenesis,” White says. “However, the effect is slight.”

One study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who consumed an oil containing capsinoid extract (capsaicin is a capsinoid) daily for 12 weeks didn’t see any bump in resting metabolic rate. However, their levels of abdominal fat decreased by 1.11 percent.

While concentrated amounts of capsinoids may offer some fat-loss benefit, eating mouthfuls of chili peppers will likely just leave you with a burnt mouth.

The Bottom Line

If you want to add a spicy kick to your foods or sip jumbo mugs of tea, go for it! It certainly won’t hurt your metabolism-revving efforts. Just remember to focus primarily on incorporating high-protein foods—like poultry, fish, eggs, and beans—into all snacks and meals.

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October 24, 2018November 7, 2018

K. Aleisha Fetters, C.S.C.S.

5 Signs You’re Losing Muscle, Not Fat

A solid weight-loss plan supports the loss of fat, not muscle. After all, muscle mass is incredibly important for our overall health and body composition. Still, many of us end up sacrificing precious muscle on our quest to shed pounds. This guide highlights the tell-tale signs your weight loss is coming from the wrong place.

Why Muscle Matters

“Muscle is functional,” says Guillem Lomas, M.D., sports medicine orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone Health. “It helps us lift things, go up stairs, swim, run, the whole nine yards. And when you have more of it, you can lift heavier objects, run faster, and jump higher.”

Plus, unlike fat, muscle is metabolically active, meaning it burns calories. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate and the more calories you burn doing everything from sitting on the couch watching Netflix to walking down the street.

Not to mention, muscle helps us stay healthy and strong as we age. “The older we get, the less efficiently we use protein,” says Brian Sterling-Vete, Ph.D., author of The Isometric Bible. “So by maintaining as high a level of muscle mass as possible, you’ll be better prepared for any rough rides ahead.” Plus, having stronger muscles also decreases your risk for developing osteoporosis.

Is Your Weight Loss Coming From Muscle?

Now that you know just how important muscle is, you probably don’t want it to account for any poundage you lose, right?

Look out for the following signs that you’re shedding muscle instead of fat.

1. You’re Losing Weight At A Rapid Rate

Though many of us see changes in the scale quickly after majorly shifting our diet and/or workouts, the rate at which we lose weight tends to slow over time. However, if you continue to see a drastic decline week over week, look out.

“Unless you’re super-dehydrated, a large, rapid decrease in pounds after the first couple weeks of weight loss indicates that you are losing muscle mass,” says Lomas. Most experts agree that the average person can lose just about one pound of fat per week sustainably. If your calorie-cutting and exercise efforts are too extreme, your body may break down muscle tissue to fuel other organs and body functions.

2. You Can Barely Make It Up The Stairs

If extra workouts and fewer calories force your body to use muscle for fuel, everyday activities like taking the stairs or walking to the supermarket may suddenly feel difficult. In short: You’ll feel like a sloth.

You’re especially likely to lose muscle and feel all-around exhausted if in addition to slashing calories and working out more, you also aren’t eating enough protein or getting enough sleep.

These factors are crucial for muscle and recovery health, and can allow for muscle loss—and feelings of fatigue—if not in balance.

3. You Feel Foggy

Not only does a struggle to scrounge up energy leave your body generally wiped out, but it also affects your brain power. After all, your brain requires roughly 20 percent of your daily recommended caloric intake to function.

If your body is in enough of a caloric deficit that it has to break down muscle tissue for energy, your brain feels the effects, too. “Your body is incredibly efficient, and it’s going to want to preserve the most important thing when there’s a caloric deficit—which is the brain,” says Lomas.

When your brain relies on scrap fuel from your muscles, its metabolic rate slows down and you may experience brain fog (think trouble focusing and processing information), Lomas explains.

4. Your Gains Are Suffering

We all have days that we just don’t quite nail our workouts—but if your fitness seems to be taking steps backwards, it may be because you don’t have as much muscle to power you as you used to.

When you work out, you create small tears in your muscle tissue. In order to grow stronger and lift more, those tissues have to repair themselves. If they don’t have the opportunity to recover, though, your progress eventually takes a hit. “If you’re going to the gym and notice you can’t lift as much weight as usual, it could be more than just an off day,” says Lomas. Plateaued—or even lost progress—in the gym could indicate that you’re losing muscle mass.

Check in on your one-rep max for big lifts like squats or pay close attention to how you feel in the final sets and reps of your usual exercises. Can’t meet your usual benchmarks or feel gassed halfway through your sets? Consider it a red flag.

5. You Dread The Gym

Whether your performance is suffering or not, look out for whether your general exhaustion has lead you to loathe the idea of working out. If you feel completely unmotivated for more than a couple of days, consider it your body’s cry for help (in the form of more nutrients and time to support healthy muscle recovery and growth).

“If you feel less energetic, you’re less likely to associate going to the gym with a positive experience,” says Lomas. “And then, chances are that you won’t go back.” Not what you want if you’re trying to shape up.

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October 17, 2018October 29, 2018

Emily Abbate, C.P.T.