Avoiding Fad Diets and Yo-Yo Dieting

There is always going to be a diet and exercise program out there that promises you an easier softer way.  Regardless of how much "research" shows it works, these fad diets can not only be BS, but dangerous for your health.

We all should know by now that if we burn more calories than we take in, we lose weight.  This is called negative energy balance.  If we consume more calories than we are burning each day, this is called positive energy balance.  As simple as that.  So many things affect how many calories we burn day to day:  our BMR (basal metabolic rate), our energy expenditure, how much we eat, and WHAT we eat.  If you are eating calorie dense foods, like cookies and cake, white breads, etc all day long, chances are that you don't get filled up quickly and are consuming mass quantities of calories that you don't need.  Nutrient dense foods on the other hand allows you to eat more quality foods and fills you up without the 1000 calorie consumption.  Too many calorie dense foods in the north americans diet is a leading cause in being overweight.

I hear time in and time out from people of all walks of life succumbing to different forms of diets.  If those work for you and you can keep the weight off, my hat goes off to you.  But how do you actually feel?  As a nutrition professional, I just shake my head when I hear some of these methods that people use to lose weight.  Let me be clear on something, every single human body is different.  So if one thing worked for your friend, it doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you.  But like I said, anything that creates a negative energy balance will cause you to shed pounds, but what are you actually losing?  Quality lean muscle mass or fat?

Magazine quality physiques are not made with minimal efforts…unless you have kickass genetics, and even then, some work is involved.  I can give you a meal plan that makes you lose 20 pounds in a few weeks easily, but I will not be that person who helps you destroy your metabolism and body.

A quality lifting plan and meal plan should not only help you lose fat, but gain lean muscle.  If you see that first initial drop, but the scale is not moving down fast enough after that, perhaps you are building lean muscle.  If I solely went off of what the scale said, I would drive myself crazy.  In my competition offseason, I am currently sitting around 140 pounds at 16% body fat at 5'6".  I know that number will go up as I put on more muscle mass, and I am 100% ok with that.  Get it out of your head that the scale means everything.

If you have a coach or trainer, communication is EVERYTHING!!!  If you have concerns or questions about anything, ask them!!!  I know I cannot make revisions to meal plans or lifting plans if there is no communication.  For online clients, check ins are where we see where you are at!  If you are not sending in measurements and check in photos, I have absolutely no way to track your progress.  Perhaps the scale isn't moving, but you are losing an inch or two a week…I'd say that is pretty freakin amazing!

In a nutshell:
Low calorie diets:  Anything less than 10 calories per pound of bodyweight is not recommended, and even 10 calories per pound of bodyweight should only be administered and closely monitored by a professional.  With low calorie diets, your body likely lacks the right amount of vitamins and minerals being taken in.  You need the proper energy to have energy. You need energy to have the organs in the body to function properly.

Low fat diets:  First of all, what kinds of fat do you normally eat?  If you are eating a jar of peanut butter a day, then cut that in half, you will most likely lose fat.  But cutting out fats from the diet completely is foolish.  You need fat to lose fat.  Of course, definitely stay away from trans fat.  But limiting the good fats, like avocado, olive oil, nut butters, seeds, etc can result in poor body system function and elevated LDL (bad cholesterol) in the body.  Fat carries fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) to different organs.  Cut these out, those organs are not going to be too happy.

Low carb diets:  Been there, done that.  For whatever reason, society thinks that carbs are the enemy.  In some cases, this is true.  But just like fat, all carbohydrates are not made the same.  You got your refined and unrefined.  Fill your diet up with refined, high glycemic index carbs, heck yea those will make you fat and feel like crap.  Fill your diet up with low-glycemic, unrefined carbs like brown rice and sweet potatoes, chances are you will not only feel better, but look better as well.  Most fad diets cut out carbohydrates.  That is foolish.  You need vital carbohydrates to function your body.  The fuel for the brain and CNS is, in fact, carbohydrates.  "But I get my carbs from vegetables."  Cool, do that only for 2 weeks and tell me how you in fact feel.  (Note:  for medical purposes, some may in fact do this, please take note that this excludes you :))  Vegetables are what we call trace carbs.  You need more.

Low protein diets:  For whatever reason, society has told women that protein is bad.  I used to think that.  "oh this protein powder will make me fat."  Newsflash, anything you eat in excess can make you fat.  Protein is where our cells come from.  Protein is used for tissue and muscle growth.  Why on earth would you limit this?

What to look for in a meal plan:
Are you receiving at least 0.8-1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day?
Are you eating carbs coming from whole grains, brown rice, sweet potatoes?
What is your fat intake?  What kinds of fat?
Can you train hard on this diet?
How are your energy levels?
Is it something that can be sustained for your whole life?

Yo-Yo dieting
If you are a yo-yo dieter, chances are you have tried all these variety of diets.  You see some weight loss, but you can't sustain it, go off the diet, and gain it all back.  This is a major contributing factor to people throwing in the towel to healthy lifestyles.  Quit this yo-yo dieting madness!  You are killing the metabolism and doing more harm to the body than you think!

The best bet is to turn this into a lifestyle.  Most people will quit before the real magic happens.  Like I said, if you don't want to do any work, our diet and training programs are not for you.  You are investing in the only body you will have for your whole life.  Learn the healthy habits and slowly make the changes.


Mooremethod.fit@gmail.com for online coaching inquiries.

Let's Put This Myth to Rest

WOMEN:  It's time to put those cute pink dumbbells that weigh less than your purse down and start lifting heavy objects.  Enough is enough.  I hear it time and time again from a countless number of women who are afraid to lift weights in fear that they will start to look big, bulky, and manly.  I get it!  I used to be one of those women who feared the weight room because I didn't want to look like the stereotypical female bodybuilder.  So, I would spend hours a day doing cardio and lifting minimally with light weights…because everyone always said "use light weights with high reps."  Needless to say, I never got the results I wanted.  BUT WHY???  I soon started lifting heavy with my husband, and he showed me a whole new realm in the fitness world.  I was soon convinced that lifting heavy was the way to attain the goals I was pursuing…the mirror doesn't lie!  Well, let's put this myth to rest once and for all.  Women, you will not look like a man if you lift heavy.  And men…don't think your off the hook with this post…you contribute to this myth every bit as much as women out there do.

First of all,  lifting heavy weights helps build and maintain bone density and helps fight off osteoporosis.  I like to think of it as adding to my savings account for years from now.  What I do now will ultimately help me when I get older.  You hear about all the drugs that companies are trying to sell you regarding bone health…go lift some heavy weights and you most likely will be just fine.

Now let's get this out of the way right now…men and women both have testosterone and estrogen in their bodies.  Yes, women, you have testosterone circulating in your body, and men have estrogen.  Whats different though are the levels we have.  Men naturally have higher testosterone levels than women…so naturally, they are stronger, leaner, and more muscular.  Women have about 5-10% the amount of testosterone than what men have.  Naturally, it is impossible for a woman to get big and bulky, unless of course you are eating like crap and dumping calorie dense food foods down your throat.  Let's not forget that you can also stay fat by not eating…your body goes into survival mode and stores fat.  As women train, their testosterone levels rise…but so do their estrogen levels, making you a much more healthy and well balanced woman -- physically and psychologically.  Not to mention that the rise in testosterone levels helps repair muscles.

Even though women's testosterone levels rise while training, it still does not rise high enough to get big and bulky like a man.  It is physically impossible.  There are those rare women, however, perhaps about 1% that are just genetically gifted and build muscle quicker.  My hat goes off to you if you are one of the 1%, chances are you are not.  Most women are just not that genetically gifted.   The problem is your PERCEPTION.  The pump is a real thing.  You train a muscle group, and boom, after your train, you are a little more muscular than normal.  Its called "the pump".  Its not just something that guys talk about on Instagram.  Pretend you do a bicep curl, or a tricep dip…blood rushes to that muscle, and the muscle looks bigger and feels fuller.  However, you do not stayed "pumped" 24/7…that would be extremely uncomfortable.  So even though you feel bigger and bulkier that moment, it will go away.

"But I just want to get toned…"  That "toned" look that women are craving essentially means lower body fat and muscle definition.  The way you get muscle definition is through building bigger muscles.  The way you build bigger muscles is through lifting heavy weights.  If you are new to the weight room, try a couple light sets of the exercise to feel what the movement should feel like and to perfect form.   Then increase your weight.  You want to always maintain proper form regardless of how heavy you lift.  Essentially, muscle takes more calories to maintain than fat does.  So the more lean muscle mass you build, the more fat you burn.  The body becomes more efficient and burning fat and losing fat becomes much easier. In fact, lifting heavy burns twice as many calories post workout than lifting light weight.  It increases metabolic rate.  In addition, being a cardio bunny and spending hours a day on the treadmill tends to eat up muscle mass for energy to carry you through the workout.

Photos don't lie.  Left picture is after completing my second half marathon November 2013.  Eating 1000 calories on average per day, binging on food a couple times per week, and hours of cardio every day.  Right picture is from a week ago, February 2015.  No cardio, eating over 2000 calories per day, and lifting heavy 5-6 days per week.  Left picture 110 pounds, right picture 138 pounds.  Now I am completely aware that all women do not want to look like me, but it is a great example of how you train affects your body composition.

Which leads me to my next point…a lot of the female competitors on instagram, whether they are in the bikini, figure, physique, or bodybuilding category, have put an insane amount of time and effort into their training.  Blood, sweat and tears.  Battled emotional and physical pain.  So the pictures you see of them on contest prep, generally they have low body fat…between 8-13% body fat.  Female athletes generally stay around 14-20%.   Start cutting body fat, the body fat goes away and muscles naturally look bigger.  They might look huge in the pictures, but up close and personal, they look like very fit and healthy women.

So women, lifting heavy will not make you look like a female version of the Incredible Hulk.  Not unless you pump a large amount of performance enhancing drugs through you.  Even so, what other women do is none of your concern.  Its their bodies and they are entitled to do as they wish with it. Either way, countless amounts of dedication and discipline in training, diets, and everyday life are a necessity.  

Diet.  I see and hear a lot of things regarding diet while talking to women about their gym routine.  Either they don't eat enough, or eat too much.  So check it out…if you start lifting heavy, but your diet is crappy, of course you will feel bulkier.  The fat blanket that covers the muscles doesn't just go away from lifting if you consciously or subconsciously eat more.  So as you build muscle, that fat blanket will usually remain unless you do something about your diet.  Everyones dietary needs are different depending on body type, weight and goal.  I am a certified fitness nutrition specialist and hear time and time again about the horrid diets that people go on to lose fat or gain mass.  Find a coach that is certified, like me, who can guide you and educate you on your nutrition needs.  

Now as for men, why psych a woman out when they say they are weight lifting and tell them to "be careful not to get big and bulky"?  Not saying that all men do this, but it happens more than you think.  I remember when I was training my sister earlier last year, she told a male friend of hers that she was training with me.  Lifting in the weight room.  He said "don't get too big or bulky" and she ultimately freaked out about that statement.  Either those that say that to women are uneducated on the topic and should just keep their mouths shut, or they are afraid of a woman passing them up in the weight room.  Not sorry for saying that, ITS THE TRUTH.  Best just be supportive and happy that they are doing something to improve their health.

So women…don't be afraid to set foot in the weight room.  If you are intimidated by it, so was I.  Just remember that you pay your dues at your gym just like everyone else does.  Don't let people push you around!!!  If you are a woman and see another woman in the weight room lifting heavy, go say hi!  Introduce yourself! Ask for help!

Get a trainer…and if you have one…what does your trainer look like?  In this business, the business card is the trainers' physique.  Does he/she look like you want to look like? Are they in it just for the money, or are they solely committed to helping people?  Is this their part time job, or is this their profession?  Keep in contact with your coach and ASK QUESTIONS.  Remember that people are constantly trying to reinvent the wheel, but what worked for Arnold 30+ years ago still works today.  The women we train get results FAST.  There is no magic pill or goofy training routine involved.  My husband pushes our clients to their limit without injuring them. 

Our client Michelle has been training with us for a couple weeks now and her gains are amazing!!!!  She is killing it and getting amazing results!!!  We couldn't be more proud!!!

I'm finally getting up there in weight, 50 lb incline dumbbell presses.  Took some time, but nothing out weighs hard work and dedication.

Email us at mooremethod.fit@gmail.com and let us be your coach!  Women, lift heavy, your body will thank you later.  

That accomplishment tho...

No criticism please regarding the choices I've made in the past.  I am sharing this because there is hope for anyone to do anything they whole heartedly set their mind out to do.  Nobody is perfect, we all have our imperfections.  But overcoming our fears to put one foot in front of the other to accomplish what we want to achieve is the objective of this post.

So in high school, I got good grades.  I applied and got accepted into just about all of the colleges I applied to in California and Arizona…except that one school…and I was stoked, right?  But of course I decided it was in the best interest of myself to take a semester off to give myself a break from schooling.  And that was in 2007 when I graduated from high school.

So instead of packing my bags and heading straight to college after high school, I took that one semester off.  January 2008, I enrolled in junior college, and made it a month and a half before I dropped out for personal reasons.  Life happened, and I had to take care of me.  

In the meantime, my alcoholism and addictions really started to take off.  I worked as a waitress and made great money, money that was hard to walk away from.  And I was good at it.  So that motivation to just stop making money and go to school was nonexistent.  My life revolved around working and partying.  But I knew I needed to get my degree.  November '08, I was talking about going back to school in the new year, and bammm…another personal reason I could not go back.

This went on for quite sometime.  Always that promise to go make something of my life, and never keeping true to that promise to myself.  Until September 2012, when I said enough is enough and enrolled back in school.  And I stuck around for half the semester before dropping out again.  My alcoholism was OUT OF CONTROL.  My life was out of control.  I was OUT OF CONTROL.  Sure I was getting A's in my classes, but school was not a priority to me.

Fast forward to February 19, 2013, I decided to surrender, turn my will and my life over to God, and walk through life sober.  I started exercising again inside and outside of the gym, cleaned up my diet, and fell in love with the feeling of "healthy."  Going back to school was a long standing battle I had been losing at for years, and it most definitely was a trigger for me to drink and to use.  So with that in mind, and knowing drinking and using was a death sentence for me, one battle to fight was enough for me.  When the time was right, and my spirituality was where it needed to be, I would figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

I knew I loved to be healthy, I knew I loved the fitness lifestyle, I knew I loved food and eating healthy, why not go down that career path.  My husband and I decided we wanted to start a business helping others achieve their fitness dreams.  I knew I wanted to learn about the body and nutrition, so I enrolled in an ISSA Fitness Nutrition course to attain my certification in October 2014.  When I started this course, I made a promise to myself that this time I WOULD FINISH WHAT I STARTED.  And that I did.  Sure I took longer to complete the course than I would have liked…but dude, I'm prepping for my first figure contest, working 5 nights a week, and the holiday season was in full swing at the restaurant.  But right after the madness at work calmed down, I submitted my final exam, and I passed with flying colors.

What an accomplishment FOR ME.  I put my mind to it, and I did it.  Will I go back to school for my degree one day? Perhaps.  But today, I am officially a Certified Specialist in Fitness Nutrition, and I could not be more proud of myself.  

I fully admire those who have gotten their degree.  I think that is absolutely amazing.  But just because I don't have a degree does not mean that I am "dumb" or "not up to par" in any way, shape or form.  Obstacles happen in life, and life happens.  Did I "choose" to be an alcoholic?  NO.  Do I use that as an excuse? NO.  It just is what it is.  Today I have knowledge I never knew before, and today I am stronger than I was before.  I have this overwhelming sense of accomplishment that is completely intoxicating to me.  I want more now.

So if you are reading my ramble and think this is "no big deal" or "dumb"…remember that everyone has a different path that they walk through in life.  This might seem like a small deal to you, but it is a big deal for me considering my past experiences.  My only hope is this:  that if you have a challenge that you are hoping to overcome, put one step in front of the other and make that change.  Find support, get a coach, read motivational books, do whatever you have to do to accomplish your goals.  The world is at your fingertips!

Clean Gingerbread Men Cookies

Let me just tell you, I love me some gingerbread men.  They are tasty, cute, and a fun holiday treat.  So I tried making them "clean" and healthy.  Trial and error, thats all I have to say…the first batch I made last week was good, but they needed to be sweeter.  So sweeter I made them…all I can say is NAILED IT this time around.  

Makes about 30 cookies

Dry Ingredients:

4 C almond flour

1 C coconut flour

1 Tbsp ginger powder

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cloves

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

1/4 C maple syrup (sugar free works too) + 1 Tbsp for dates

24 dates, pitted

6 Tbsp water

1/2 C egg whites

1/2 C softened coconut oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 drops liquid stevia

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl 

2. Make date paste:  In microwave safe bowl, add dates and 3 Tbsp water. put in microwave for 30 seconds.  Take out bowl and mash dates together.  Add another 3 Tbsp water and sat in microwave for 30 more seconds.  Take out bowl and mash some more.  Add 1 Tbsp maple syrup and mix well. The consistency should be pasty and smooth.

3.  Add all wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl.  Use hand blender and mix everything well.

4.  SLOWLY add dry ingredients and mix with hand blender. Blend until everything is well mixed with each other.

5.  Place cookie mixture on a piece of wax paper, wrap up, and place in freezer for 2 hours.

6.  Once cookie batter is cold, take out of freezer and flour surface with coconut flour and roll out with a rolling pin.  NOTE:  batter as it gets warm becomes difficult to work with, so using a little at a time and keeping in refrigerator until needed helps.

7.  Use cookie cover to cut, place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 17 minutes.

8. Take out and let cool before icing.

Icing:

1 scoop protein powder

1 tsp cream of tartar

almond milk

Mix ingredients together and add almond milk until at preferred consistency.  Add stevia if needed.

Add food coloring for different colors.  Or if you don't mind a little sugar, grab icing at the grocery store and decorate!

Thai Inspired Coconut Soup

It has been forever since my last blog post…between training, studying, starting a business, and working full time at the restaurant, life has been busy busy busy! But that's ok, because I'm getting stuff done. Almost done with my final exam for fitness nutrition...just in time for the holiday madness at work, and training harder than ever. We started bulking last month, and man has my body loved it.  More carbs = happy Rachel.  

It's no surprise that the weather in Southern California has been rather odd the last couple years...unseasonably warm in the winter, and real hot in the summer.  But…it's FINALLY cooling down a bit.  Starting to actually feel like fall now.  And since it's getting a bit cool at night now, all I want is soup.  Pho is one of our favorites, and we have been going to this little tiny Thai place down the street…where I am obsessed with the coconut soup.  Totally fattening, but so worth it.  But sadly, can't eat it every night…even while on the bulk.  So I decided to try to make some at home, a lighter and healthier version…SO FREAKIN GOOD.  Sure it's not as creamy as the real thing, but it is good enough for me. 

THAI INSPIRED COCONUT SOUP

8 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 can LIGHT coconut milk
1 box brown rice noodles (I prefer the thicker pad thai noodles)
1 pound peeled shrimp
1 stalk ginger, peeled roughly chopped
12 kaffir lime leaves
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 can waterchest nuts, drained
15 baby bok choy
juice from 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp red curry paste (optional if you want it spicy)

1. Pour the chicken broth into a large pot and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes to reduce down.  
2.  In a separate pot, cook the box of brown rice noodles for about 3 minutes so they are al dente.  Strain and run under cold water.  Put aside on a plate for later use.
3.  Once the chicken broth is reduced, add the chopped ginger and the kaffir lime leaves. NOTE: tear the leaves down the middle to bring out the fragrance. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, pour soup through a strainer, and into another large pot.  
4.  Put pot back on medium heat, and stir in the can of light coconut milk and red curry paste. Add the shrimp, red cabbage, bok choy, waterchest nuts, and brown rice noodles. Wait until shrimp cooks in the broth. Add the juice from 1 lime, and some salt to taste. 
5.  Pour into a soup bowl and enjoy. 

Diet vs. Lifestyle Change

Once upon a time, when I was in high school, I wanted so desperately to be that thin girl that fit into size 0-1 jeans.  I envied the girls that were stick thin and could pretty much wear whatever they wanted.  You see, high school was some of my most awkward years, and although i was never "fat" per say, I was definitely carrying a lot more body fat with less muscle mass.  

That being said, I tried a ton of different diets.  Did you know that there are literally hundreds of different diets? No carb, low fat, under 1000 calories, cabbage diet, diuretics, Paleo, Slimfast…the list goes on.  And how long did I stay on each diet? Not very long.  I fell off the diet train time and time again.  I was depriving my body of nutrients it needed.  I would say to myself "I had a sandwich for lunch today…too much bread, I can't eat anything else for the rest of the day."  Thats not very healthy at all.  We hear so often that when we don't eat, our body goes into starvation mode.  Our bodies don't know we are on a diet, so it slows down metabolic function, brain function, and more.  

Diets are not sustainable for any long period of time.  If you have been able to sustain a diet for years…my hat goes off to you.  But that leads me to 'Lifestyle change'.  Perhaps slowing down your carb intake and cutting out sugars has worked for you and you lead your life making healthy decisions.  That is more of a lifestyle change.  It's funny, looking back to a year ago, I was a distance runner, trying to keep up with a paleo diet.  My  desired results hadn't been realized .   Then I started lifting heavy.  I was eating nothing before training, a cup of coffee after training, a salad for lunch, and veggies and a protein for dinner.  I was expelling too much energy for the amount of food I was eating.  What happened?  Same thing, I was working so hard at the gym, yet saw minimal, if any, results.

I was fed up that I was putting in so much work and seeing no results.  So I started to do what Robert had told me to do all along, I started food prepping and eating 5-6 smaller meals a day.  I gave my body the veggies, protein, fruit, and carbs it needed and the results I've seen have been far beyond anything I could imagine. I stopped looking at it as dieting, and started making healthy choices to keep my body's energy balanced.  

Real quick, this cracks me up so much I had to share it…this woman comes into my work sometimes.  She orders a side of meatballs, looks at me and says "I'm on a diet…this is my first meal."  NOOOOO!!!! Its 6pm.  I shake my head.  It drives me crazy. I would be crazy if that's all I had to eat all day.  My desire is to help people, like this woman, figure out the importance of when and what you eat.  It's just as important ingesting proper nutrients and calories upon waking, and spreading meals throughout the day. Eat more nutrient dense food, with proper exercise, lose more fat, be happier.  It worked for me, there is no reason why it can't work for you.  The end.

Vanilla Protein Waffles

So I get a text message from a friend the other day saying they saw a picture of me on Facebook and is really worried that I am not eating.  I couldn't help but giggle at that.  Sure the camera angle and lighting sucked and did not work in my favor, but the dang picture was one my husband took of me with a big plate of waffles in front of me.  

I love seeing the look on peoples faces when I tell them I have pancakes and waffles for breakfast on the weekends. They are like "what the…" like how do I eat this stuff and stay fit.  They all say "you must have to work out extra after eating that." Nah not really.  You cannot work out extra and eat like crap and expect results.  And you certainly cannot work out hard and eat like a bird.  Nutrition is everything…but eating clean does NOT have to be boring.  So on Saturdays and Sundays, Robert and I usually like to have some waffles or pancakes.  You see, my taste buds and body think I'm indulging in a succulent treat.  But my mind knows its all clean ingredients… so I don't feel guilty after.  

Vanilla Protein Waffles (serves 2)

3/4 cup oat flour (blend oats in blender until they have a flour consistency)

2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I use Cellucor)

3 Tbsp coconut flour

2 tsp baking podwer

1 cup almond milk

1/2 cup liquid egg whites

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together with a hand blender.  Spray waffle maker with coconut oil spray.  Cook, then top with desired fruit.  I used bananas and strawberries today with sugar free maple syrup.

Per serving (without toppings):

331 calories

6.4 g fat

30.2 g carbs

8.2 g fiber

2.8 g sugar

38 g protein