Keep Those Unwanted Pounds Off All the Way to Christmas

Tis the Season to not become a weight gain statistic. What do I mean by this? Well according to the "experts", the average person only gains a pound during the holiday season. On the other hand, overweight and obese individuals gain about 5 lbs. However, I find this information to be false because of the years I have spent taking meticulous records of my clients' progress during training people for the last 12 years as a personal trainer and 8 years as a competition prep coach. 

I used to weigh my clients every 4 weeks, but I found that this wouldn't really help them. Most of them didn't get serious until I gave them a heads up that their weigh-in was in a week. So, I decided to weigh them every Monday or every week. I have found that in my gym the average weight gain for clients during the holidays that are average and active is about 10 lbs. Overweight and obese clients usually gain about 15 - 25 pounds. I have had both fit, overweight and obese clients gain 5 - 7 lbs. in one week. So now imagine when we multiply that by 8 weeks (4 weeks of November and 4 from December). This equals to about 40 - 56 lbs of potential weight gain if you are not careful with your level of activity and food intake. In addition, this is when MOST of my clients stop training to save up for Christmas and traveling. 

I assume that when people read the "experts" statistics and it gives them to "go ahead" and "enjoy yourself" during the holidays, drink like fish and quit working out because they believe they will only gain 1 - 5 pounds. However, this behavior will only help you gain a whole bunch of fat that will take 10 times as hard to loose. Just because it is the holidays should not be a reason to throw away all the effort you have put into working out and getting healthy. If you have not even started a workout regime this year, then you are only making it harder for yourself once you get into the "New Year New Me" season. Gaining fat is easy but losing fat is super hard. It takes 3500 calories to lose 1 POUND of FAT!!! It is even harder if you are a woman. So why put yourself through this? It will only get you depressed after the parties, socials, and festivals end. 

After you read this post make the right decision for your health. You can save the unhealthy food for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas with your immediate family. There is no reason to pig out at every Thanksgiving and Christmas party. You can have an enjoyable time without eating a whole bunch of crap that will make you feel depressed later. I teach my clients how to eat a healthy meal before they  go to a holiday parties. Try this next time, it will help you stay full and only be able to try out some of the hor d'oeurvres. Keep on working out and do not let excuses get in the way. 

Think smart, eat smart and train smart!

Candace

A Weekend of Messing Around With Your Diet Will Ruin a Whole 2 Weeks of Work

Barbell Squat

Nutrition is 80% of the Equation at All Times!!!

I hear it all the time, "I workout to be able to eat" but, are you really making a or any deficit in order to cheat the way you want to? Having clients over the years, I have done everything I can to help them understand that what they put in their mouth can make or break all the hard work they did during the week and month! Most of them never understand what I am talking about until I weigh them after the weekend or a vacation. The research that I have done with my clients over the years have shown me that an average weight gain from 2 cheat days is from 6 - 10 lbs. Average weight gain from a vacation is up to 20 lbs. It takes a week to lose 1- 2 lbs. depending on how compliant the client was to keeping track of their intake and staying active.

Image Credits Shen Therapies

The main thing is that the food and drinks really are that bad! Serving sizes at restaurants are 2 - 4x larger than what you need to eat. A meal (regular food) can be 800 - 3,000 calories in one sitting. Now, imagine adding the drinks and dessert! It takes 3500 calories to gain 1lb. or to lose it. So, now are you still surprised when you don’t keep track of your food, drinks and don’t exercise that you will gain weight? 

Image Credits: Nutra Carina

You have to remember that you are a living organism that grows or shrinks continuously depending on what your lifestyle is like: sendentary, active or athletic. We are not made of plastic. So, gorging yourself over the weekend or vacation instead of doing the standard 1 - 2 cheat meals a week and not staying active will mess up all the hard work you have done. You will have to start all over. Why do this to yourself? You don’t have to eat or drink what your friends, family or etc. to have a good time. Stop looking at your food as fun and look at it like fuel! You won’t be laughing and having fun once you step on the scale. 

Keeping Up with Contest Preparation While Traveling on the Road

Today, I am traveling to Houston, Texas. I'm a part of a book that's coming out called Latinas Rising" Volume 1. I am one of the authors and luckily I was chosen out of four women from the RGV and the state of Texas to share my story. Tonight I'll be one of the panelists reliving my past once again to help so many people who are lost. I think it will be easier this time because this is already my second time being a panelist.

I am in competition prep so I got to make sure I'm eating right even on the road. So I made myself some tofu stir-fry with spinach, red bell and orange pepper, and mushrooms. It was delicious!

Experimenting with tofu has so far been an interesting adventure! Adding it to different types of meals has been great! Before, I had only used it with my flourless protein brownies. I never really used it to replace protein in my normal meals but, I definitely see myself eating more tofu as I keep on living a healthy lifestyle which will be forever!

The key with any type of healthy cooking is to make it taste good. Healthy cooking does not have to taste bland. It doesn't have to be without seasoning. All you have to do is just monitor your sodium levels and fats depending on what your fitness goals are. In addition, you don't want synthetic types of dats to be used in your food the more natural you can have it the best!

Keeping Track and Responsible for Your Actions to Reach Your Fitness Goals

Being in the fitness business for about 10 going on 11 years now, I have noticed the some of the biggest problems for people to lose weight or meet any fitness goal is to make a plan (journal), stay on track (meal prep), and be responsible for your own actions. Losing weight or any type of fitness goal is not something that you can wish off. Maybe when you were younger the pounds would just come off, but now that you are older your hormones are not as strong and it is harder to lose the weight. 

Make a Journal for your Food Intake, Resistance and Cardio Training

Image Credits: Make Over Fitness

Eating mindlessly will not help. I have met so many people over the years that tell me, "Oh, I eat healthy". "I don't need any help with that part". However, I always wonder do they eat too much healthy food because most of them fall into the obese or morbidly obese category. It is a great to eat healthy, but still eat too much were you will not lose weight and maintain your current weight or gain. It is like the old saying goes, "You can eat 100 lbs. of lettuce and still gain fat". It is all about portion control! I have gone out to eat with some of these people and they can easily eat an entire plate at a restaurant not realizing that they are eating 3 - 4 servings. In order to lose weight, you have to make a deficit, but how would you know if you are not tracking what and the amounts you are eating? Writing down what you eat per day will open your eyes on whether you are eating too much are not enough depending on your goals. 

The same thing goes for working out. I have met so many people that tell me they workout, but I look at them everyday for years and they always look the same or are getting bigger. I have watched these people around in the gym and most of the time it looks like they are lost or messing around. Some do workout, but are not doing the exercises correctly. It pretty much looks like those videos of people doing all the machines in the wrong way. None of them are writing down what they do per day or change up their routines. So how do you know if you are making gains or loses when you are not writing anything down? 

Just like when you went to college or worked up towards your career you had to study for it, right? You had to know what to do and how to do it write everything down. Then, you would get tested to see if you know what you are talking about in order to receive your degree, associates or gain that promotion, correct? Well, just like you had to be tedious with you studies for your career it is the same for fitness. If you do not know what you are doing and you need a plan then, ask for help. That is what I am here for. I have tips here on my blog, but if you know that you are not able to make a plan for yourself I can help you online for a fee. With my training, I have made some impressive physiques. However, these people listened to what I said and practiced what I preached. 

Single Leg Barbell Curls

Standing on one leg, barbell in hand, tighten your stomach and curl the bar 

all the way up to your chest and bring it all the way down to your thighs. Make

sure you are not swinging the barbell, but keeping the motion as fluid as 

possible. Finish your set amount of reps and when you come back to this

exercise, make sure to switch to the leg that you were holding up in the 

first set.

People Who Say Training is Too Expensive Buy an iPhone X

Image credits: Mac Rumors

Being in the industry for about 11 years now, I always find it outstanding and highly hypocritical when people tell me that they have no time for training or it is too expensive to afford a trainer. However, when the newest game console or the newest smart phone comes out they are more than willing to camp out for days and spend $1,000 for a item that they can't afford when they are on a "fixed income". 

Having the latest technology is great, but how does it help with your health? The older phones do the same things as the older smart phones. The only difference is the speed and the ridiculous cost. All a game console will do is keep you inactive. The cost of an iPhone can at least get you about 24 sessions of personal training depending on where you go. If you are willing to camp out for a phone, then you can make time to train and work on your health. With those sessions you can lose 24 - 36 lbs. in weight (2 - 3 lbs. a week), along with following a proper nutrition plan and cardiovascular training.

Now, results depends on how much you listen and follow the program and how much your trainer wants you to get there. I always try to get updates from my clients weekly or bi-weekly to keep them on track. A client of mine recently found out how bad a cheat weekend was. She hung out with a childhood friend, had decadent food, drank mimosas and even though she did yoga (which only burns 130 calories per hour which equals a mismosa), she gained 6 lbs. That whole week that she trained with me (2 days a week) and did her other fitness activities were ruined with that one weekend. 

For general health, weight-loss and toning up the average person only needs at least 2 - 3 days of weight training and cardio. 80% is what you eat so you HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF WHAT YOU EAT! You can also eat too much healthy food WHICH WILL KEEP YOU FROM LOSING WEIGHT. You have to make a deficit by eating only small serving sizes and physical fitness activities. If you know you can not do this by yourself then, get help with a great local trainer or contact me. 

Concentration Curls

Concentration Curls

Place your elbow on the inside of your thigh with weight in hand. Squeeze your bicep in order to curl the dumbbell all the way up and down. Then, after your set amount of reps, switch to the other arm. Great way to isolate the bicep muscle and can also be done with a hammer grip too!

How to Eat Out When You are Focused on a Fitness Goal

During contest prep or just losing weight, your business interactions don't stop just because you cannot eat outside of your macros.

I was at a BOD meeting with the Hispanic Women's Networking of Texas-RGV women organizing our upcoming events for the rest of this year and the new year coming up. The meeting was set up at a local Mexican restaurant called the Palanque Grill.

I didn't want to be a prude and bring my own food, scaring them away from living a healthy lifestyle because competition prep is way different than regular weight-loss. So instead, I had their Ensalada Palanque. I cut the chicken serving in half, ate all the veggies, only had 2 slices of avocado and enjoyed 2 tablespoons of the cilantro dressing. I put the rest of the chicken and avocado in a doggy bag. To drink, I had a Topachico club soda with a little bit of lime juice to taste almost like a sprite. I'm so used to not drinking soda that this tastes great for me.

Just because you are focused on certain fitness goals doesn't mean socializing and networking has to stop or be dull. Learn how to eat strategically and life will be so much better for you without feeling bad for eating the wrong way.

Best to Take Your Prepped Food Where Ever You Go!

Meal prep is essential when trying to reach a fitness goal whether it is losing weight or getting ready for a competition. I am currently prepping for the WNBF World Championships in Boston on November 18th. So, I have to make sure I am meeting my macros, losing the body fat and maintaining as much muscle as possible. Eating very low carb you tend to get hungry right on the dot of every 3 - 4 hours. You do not want to be caught without your food because then you are more prone to indulging on food that isn't on your program.

The picture included in this post was taken at my friend and my hair color specialist, Rose Gonzalez, Crossway Salon & Spa!

Tofu Steak with Fresh Ginger Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:  Makes 1 serving

3  ounces		Silk Reduced Fat Tofu
1  teaspoon		Ginger Root - Fresh, Minced
1/2  tablespoon		Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce
1/4  tablespoon		Peanut Oil
1  tablespoon		Mirin Wine

Directions:  

1

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat.

2

Sauté tofu steaks for 2 minutes per side, or until golden.

3

Combine grated ginger, wine and soy sauce.

4

Pour wine mixture over tofu, cover pan and simmer another 3 minutes.

5

Serve tofu with sauce left in pan.

Nutrition Facts

Tofu Steak with Fresh Ginger

Amount Per Serving

Calories 154.52

Calories from Fat  70

% Daily ValueTotal Fat 7.26g11%   Saturated Fat 0.63g3%   Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg0%Sodium 292.44mg 12%Total Carbohydrate 9.29g3%   Dietary Fiber 1.91g8%   Sugars 4.72g Protein 9.98g 20%Vitamin A (IU) 00%Vitamin C 0.1mg0%Calcium 38.98mg4%Iron 1.38mg8%

Introduction of My Brand New Blog!

Hi there! If you don't know who I am, my name is Candace M. Foxx. The owner of Fit Science LLC and original creator of the Fit Science LLC Blog. I had to open up a new blog because my main email for Fit Science LLC was hacked by an ex-employee a couple years back and I have never been able to gain full control over it thanks to Google. I have sent them many messages to prove my identity, but they still have not done anything to fix the situation. Even though both emails used for my original blog has my pictures on both! So I can post on my older blog, but I can't do extra things like add authors, other advertisements or change the set up. On the bright side, I decided to start this one called Foxx Fitness Fanatic which is what I am. I love fitness, eating healthy and helping my clients reach their fitness goals.

I'm also a community leader in my local city, McAllen, Tx. I network with many women's and business networking groups. Here are a few I am associated with: Hispanic Women's Networking Group of the RGV (HWNT Membership Chair), FemCity RGV (Business Member), Mission Chamber of Commerce (Business Member), Rio Grande Chamber of Commerce (Member), NHPO-RGV (past Marketing Chair [2 years] and IT Chair [4 months] Member). I organize 2 5ks a year to help my community learn to be more aware of why it is important to live a healthy lifestyle throughout your life. Spring into Fitness is going on its 2nd year and the Fall into Fitness has been going for 5 years now. Each 5k raises partial funds to donate to local nonprofits in my local community.  

I also compete as a Professional Figure and Fit Body Competitor with the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation (WNBF) and Naturally Fit Federation (NFF). I will soon be opening up my opportunities in the competition world by competing in other pro natural federations and competing internationally! These federations are lie detector and drug tested federations. I do not believe in using steroids, human growth hormone or any other substances banned by these federations and WADA. I personally feel I would be a hypocrite telling people who to be healthy while I am doing or promoting illegal substances that ruin the body and organs.   

Bodybuilding saved me from many evils like depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and bulimia. So why would I save my life from destruction only to go back and destroy all that I have worked for? 

I hope you like and follow this blog! I and my co-bloggers will be adding important information to help you reach your goals as well! Remember to follow my blog and follow my on Facebook, Instagram, Periscope and Twitter!