Meal Plan: Week 6

Diet. To some people this word can be perfectly normal and not associated with a constant rollercoaster ride of weight changes and emotions. However for Michelle it is a word that comes with emotion. It will be a significant change for Michelle when she no longer thinks that a diet may be the answer and she can just eat. I think that she is on her way, even though she may not realize it. She has maintained the heart and determination to stick with a healthy eating plan (again, not a diet) for many months now and eventually that will lead to a permanent lifestyle change.

Trainer Notes: Week 6

This week we’re preparing for a switch to a new training cycle for Michelle. She is at a point where her body needs a change of stimulus. We started with adaptation and muscle growth, which to Michelle means muscle tone and not muscle bulk. She has enough lean muscle now to create a significant boost to her metabolism. One pound of muscle burns about fifty calories more per day than one pound of fat. This may not sound like a lot if you are looking at the number of calories your treadmill told you that you burned in 30 minutes of cardio, but combining the right mix of exercise with good nutrition will make this daily caloric expenditure accelerate. We will move Michelle into more high-repetition, high-intensity training next.

Michelle Video Blog: Week 5

Meal Plan: Week 5

Michelle has been motivated and therefore easy to discipline concerning her eating habits. Not many people understand that your eating habits can actually speed up your metabolism if you do it correctly. Most people think of food as just a number of calories that make it harder to lose weight. Michelle has mastered the style of eating that helps a person lose weight.

She has controlled her portion size and meal structure so that she has the right balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat. Fat contains over twice as many calories per gram as protein and carbohydrates, so Michelle mostly sticks to lean proteins such as fish and chicken. That way, she can eat a filling portion since there is less fat and calories in those proteins.

Trainer Notes: Week 5

This week we will retest Michelle’s body composition to see how much she’s improved in the past 6 weeks. She has proven that diligent exercise and good nutrition habits will get results. It sounds like an obvious solution, but so many people don’t get all the pieces put together for success. The correct balance of strength training, moderate cardiovascular training, and proper nutrition is the key.

Keep up the good work Michelle!

Michelle Video Blog: Week 4

Meal Plan: Week Four

We’ve talked about Michelle’s changes she has been successful in making so far with her nutrition. She has eliminated bad choices such as fast food, too much sugar or sodium, and large quantities of food. As mentioned before, our fear was she was too close to replicating a crash diet. We didn’t want her to snap and completely give up and go back to her old ways. So, we implemented cheat meals, which is a fun and not necessarily healthy meal for her to enjoy once a week. Michelle is at the stage of change that is fun: researching new healthy options and broadening horizons.