The Key To Smaller Meals

Calorie cutting isn't easy, but we often make it harder than it needs to be by believing in obstacles that don't exist.  For example, many Americans believe that by eating a smaller meal than usual, they'll be inclined to overeat in the next meal, due to increased hunger. 

Is it really that simple? Not so, according to a study present in the journal Appetite. Many factors play into our sense of hunger, but simply shortening one meal is not necessarily going to make a person want to overeat in the next. In fact, a study showed that if people cut back on only one meal and maintained their caloric consumption for the other meals, that overall satiety would likely be maintained throughout the day while still cutting calories and, therefore, burning bodyfat through the creation of this caloric deficit. Ultimately, we see that minor changes can, very thankfully, reap major benefits.

If you're wrestling with fat loss, then work with your Perfect Personal Trainer to blend this into your process for calorie-cutting.  Choose just one meal per day, strategically, and cut out the calories that don't need to be there -- the ones that you're already getting in appropriate supply.  It also never hurts to drink a bit more water before, during, and after the meal to help to fill you up, also!

It is important to keep in mind that you should never reduce your calories below 1200 per day.  Roughly 1200-1700 calories per day is, generally, an appropriate amount to sustain some fat reduction without depriving your body and brain of what they need for proper function.  Dropping your intake to fewer than 1200 daily calories is unsafe, and is likely to cause problems such as ketosis and metabolic damage.

Another important point to keep in mind is that a meal isn't a "meal" if it doesn't contain proteins, carbs, and dietary fats.  Having a banana or an apple will deliver great anti-oxidants, but will fail to substantially sustain muscle tissue or metabolism because of the lack of protein and dietary fat.  Build combinations so that you're giving your body what it needs with each meal to not only fuel your activities, but to keep your body burning up calories throughout the day and night.  Your Perfect Personal Trainer will help you to craft these kinds of meals -- just right for you -- in a way that you'll enjoy!

Questions?  Please post below or simply call us at (877)698-3648 - our team of nutritionists and exercise scientists are always here to help!  Happy holidays!

5 Great Ways to Mitigate Thanksgiving Weight Gain

Thanksgiving can really pack on the calories in a short amount of time, can't it?

Evening out the holiday weight gain can certainly take more time and effort than one might think, but if the right plan and understanding are in place, it can actually take nothing more than a week's worth of determination and fun, challenging exercise in relatively short bouts.
FACT: the Average American gains an entire pound of bodyfat during the holiday season, and doesn't burn it off afterward.

If that figure sounds unbelievable then reflect on these numbers for a moment:

There are only 3500 calories in a pound of fat. So, consuming just 3500 more calories than you normally would, over any given period of time, will equate to an extra pound of weight on your body if you're not countering it with a caloric loss elsewhere.

Alcoholic beverages range from 100 to 1000 calories each.

Missing a 30-minute exercise session can easily mean keeping on an extra 200 to 300 calories that you'd have burned off.

Just one dessert can be as high as 1000 calories, easily.

Given those figures above, gaining an extra pound over the holidays doesn't seem so unlikely, does it?  Then, think about all the sitting, and the missed workouts, during the holidays as well...

So, how do we turn the weight gain around quickly and effectively?  How can we get our bodies back to where they were before all the excess, but without overtraining our joints and heart?

We've put together the top five ways to burn off the extra fat and get back to your pre-Thanksgiving physique!
#5. Walking! Walking burns approximately three to six calories per minute, depending upon your pace, cardiovascular health, and bodyweight. In general, an hourlong walk will burn about 300 calories. Twelve walks like this should burn approximately one pound of fat from your body.
#4. The elliptical machine: At a moderate to high intensity, you can usually expect to burn about 500 calories per hour. Commit to just one hour per day for one week, and you'll burn off about a pounf of bodyfat without any additional effort!
#3. Jogging: While Perfect Personal Training generally doesn't recommend jogging (because of its hard nature against lower-extremity joints), it is noteworthy that just thirty minutes of jogging often burn between 400 and 500 calories (again, dependent upon speed, bodyweight, and individual fitness levels). Around eight of these 30-minute jogs will reduce your bodyfat by about a pound.

#2: Circuit Training is another
great way to burn 5 to 15 calories per minute. And, you'll get the added benefit of increasing muscle mass, which boosts metabolism more than the aforementioned forms of cardiovascular conditioning. It won't take long to burn a pound of bodyfat if your circuit training program is updated to reflect your current levels of muscular and metabolic health.

#1: Caloric control! Here it is, friends: as important as it may be to eat "HEALTHY" foods, the real challenge when it comes to weight management is to consume the same amount of calories each day that you're expending. So, hypothetically, if you get into the routine of burning 2000 and consuming 2250, then you're likely going to gain about two pounds per month while that trend continues. On the other hand, by consuming less than you utilize, you can turn those figures around and create a caloric defecit, even without exercise! The trick is to know how much you're consuming, and stick to a plan for fat loss until you can reach a stage of maintenance.
For more information on Perfect Personal Training's personalized, structured, progressive programs, please visit http://perfectpersonaltraining.com or call 877-698-3648.  Our top degreed and certified wellness coaches and weight management consultants come right to your home, and bring eveything needed for your health & fitness success!!