Archive for the ‘Dieting and Weight loss’ Category

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The Top 5 Miracle Weight Loss Foods

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Wondering what you should eat? Which foods are the best for weight loss? Have you seen articles and products that claim to be the answer for almost magical weight loss? Without further ado, here is the answer: there are no magical weight loss foods. It is all a pile of nonsense and really, you should know better than to think otherwise. I wish there were secret foods and tricks; it would allow me to maintain a better physique with less work. But you and I are in the same boat; we need to make smart food choices and make the decision to move some everyday.almonds

I have been in the business of fitness since 1991. During that time I have helped thousands of people lose weight, build muscle, feel better and be healthier. Also during that time I tried to help thousands more, but with no or limited success. Why did the others fail? Because they were shopping for a solution that did not include making wiser food choices and making activity a part of their life. Some were stubborn, others simply misinformed, others still- ignorant, even when faced with the facts. Ask any trainer how often they hear people who are unhappy with their looks and energy say that they eat right, even healthy. Nonsense! If you did, we would not be having the conversation.

There is no denying or avoiding the fact: calories in and calories out determine our weight. From a purely economical and efficiency perspective, there is no simpler way to change or control your weight than by regulating your calories eaten. There are simply not enough hours in the day to undo chronic poor food choices. You must find a way to balance the calories you eat with the calories you burn, period. No other option. No “yeah, buts…”. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. None!

So do I have any answers for you? Yes. Try this:

  1. Don’t eat fried foods or junk food: Don’t like that, do you? Eating fried food and junk usually adds extra calories, and quickly, to a calorie intake that may already be more than you need. Can you make room for them? Sure, but while losing weight when your daily calorie allowance is reduced, it can be difficult to squeeze in enough activity to offset the extra calories.
  2. Don’t drink beverages with calories. This includes soda, juice, sweet tea and coffee drinks. Try water or unsweetened tea/coffee.
  3. Eat less of what you do now. Try eating a third less per serving and see what happens.
  4. Consider eating pre-portioned meals — Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, Smart Ones…there are many options. These meals have gotten much better and healthier over the years. Most are 300 calories or fewer per meal, making them the perfect size. They are also a good way to get used to portion sizes and calorie vs meal size comparisons.
  5. I know you have heard it before, but try to get several servings (3-5) of fresh fruit and vegetables each day. These are not only good for you, but they generally have fewer calories per serving size than other foods, so they can fill you up and keep you full longer.
  6. Find an activity you like and try to do it most days of the week. Shoot for 30-90 minutes. And yes, getting a 10-minute bout of exercise three times a day counts as 30 minutes!

There it is, a few simple tips to help you maintain or lose weight. No super-secret tricks, just common sense. If you constantly seek out a quick fix you will be doomed to fail or suffer in the process. Take it step-by-step and day-by-day and at some point down the road you will be pleasantly surprised with how far you’ve come.

-Scott

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The hCG Diet

Friday, August 20th, 2010


You may have noticed medical facilities offering hCG injections or drops under the tongue as the “secret no one wants you to know about” solution to your weight loss battle. As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer, I’m all for solutions – as long as they’re safe, you understand how and why they work, and you’re willing to live with the consequences.  So let’s dig into how this diet works, the available science and why people who go on this particular diet experience results.

  • hCG is an acronym for human chorionic gonadotrophin. This hormone is produced in pregnant females and its presence in urine results in a positive pregnancy test. hCG is used as a drug to treat infertility among women and to help increase sperm count among men.  In the 1950s a British doctor claimed hCG injections would help obese patients lose weight more comfortably.
  • The hCG protocol includes regular injections or oral drops and a strict 500 calorie per day diet for 26-45 days. The diet typically consists of
    • Coffee for breakfast, no sugar
    • A small portion of lean meat, one type of vegetable, one breadstick or melba toast and one type of fruit with lunch and dinner
    • Two liters of water daily
    • Exercise, especially weight training, is not allowed due to the very low calorie and nutrient intake  (this is a red flag, as exercise is an essential part of healthy weight management)
    • After the initial 26-45 days, you cannot eat any sugar or starches for three weeks
    • The original diet called for no medicines or cosmetics other than lipstick, eyebrow pencil and powder may be used without special permission
    • The current cost of this diet ranges from approximately $150 to $400 per month.
  • According to the scientific research , there is no evidence that hCG is effective for weight loss. The reason people lose weight on this diet is NOT because of the hCG. It’s because the requirement for going on this diet is eating approximately 500 calories per day. To put this in perspective, my body requires approximately 1,200 calories per day just to fuel my brain, heart, lungs and basic metabolic functions. When I’m active, I require more – closer to 2200 calories per day. So eating 500 calories per day would essentially allow me to lose half a pound a day, or 3 pounds per week. Again, it’s NOT because of the hCG. It’s basic human physiology – when you eat drastically fewer calories than you burn, your body will use its energy stores for fuel and your body weight drops.
  • The hCG diet is considered a very low calorie diet, or more commonly, a starvation diet. That means your body will not only burn your fat stores to fuel your brain, heart, lungs and other organs, but it will also burn muscle. When you return to your normal eating habits, you will gain only fat back. In essence, you end up lowering your metabolism, which means you gain weight more easily.
  • The only proven method for losing weight is burning more calories than you take in. There are many ways to go about this, as evidenced by the array of diet books on the market. However, when you take a closer look at all of these diet books, they all cut calories. Low carb/high protein diets cut calories by cutting carbs, low fat diets cut calories by cutting fat and cleansing diets cut calories by cutting, well, food.  The hCG diet is no different, except you also take a drug, which purportedly reduces hunger. Although there are many claims that this is the case, there’s no hard-nosed science to back it up.
  • Approximately 90% of those who attempt dieting fail in the long run. Why? Because it’s very difficult to go on a diet forever. Losing weight is NOT the issue for most people – keeping it off is. The hCG diet allows people to eat only whole, unprocessed foods, which is a good thing, but you must continue to eat this way in order to sustain the results. However, eating 500 calories a day is not recommended because you won’t be getting enough essential nutrients. Plus, rapid weight loss typically results in weight rebound.
  • There are side effects to taking this drug and it’s not FDA approved for weight loss. Noted side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain and swelling, severe pelvic pain, shortness of breath and weight gain.

If you’re looking to lose weight AND keep it off, burn more calories than you take in by making adjustments to your food choices and activity level that you can stick to. It will take longer to lose those unwanted pounds, but it’s safer, much cheaper and you’re more likely to maintain your success.  There is no magic cure for weight loss. Here’s the formula for success: Good choices +Consistency + Time. It’s probably not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth, and you know what they say about the truth…

Until next week,
Kat


References

  1. Simeons ATW. The action of chorionic gonadotrophin in the obese. Lancet 2:946-947, 1954.
  2. Lijesen GK and others. The effect of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) in the treatment of obesity by means of the Simeons therapy: a criteria-based meta-analysis. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 49:237–243, 1995.
  3. Bosch B, Venter I, Stewart RI, Bertram SR. Human chorionic gonadotrophin and weight loss. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. S Afr Med J. 1990 Feb 17;77(4):185-9.

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Who needs motivation to lose weight?

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

There are only two parts to successful weight loss. First, making the calorie connection, which is realizing that weight loss is a matter of eating fewer calories than you burn, and that weight maintenance means eating as many calories as you burn. (The minute you say it’s not just about calories, you’re doomed and there’s no reason to go to the next part!) The 2nd part is motivation to do it. In other words, if you come to accept that weight management is only about eating versus moving, and you find a good reason to be fit, you will be successful!

Motivation is the tough one.  To prove it, all we have to do is look at the temporarily successful weight losers — most of these are people getting ready for big events like weddings, high school reunions, beach holidays or basically anything that brings old friends together, or requires that you expose your body in such a way that it should look its best. In fact, the most successful losers of all are people who are experiencing divorce. Anytime I see one of my old friends or acquaintances and they are way down in weight, I NEVER ask about their spouse because I know the answer. The relationship is either on the skids or over, and they are searching for the new mate. Anyway, you get my point about motivation.  I’d hate to see everyone who needs to lose weight in order to live a longer more productive life leave their mate in order to be successful.

The first part of the equation is simple, calories in, calories out – period! Ok, so how do we get that to work so we can lower the motivation threshold? In other words, how do you make it easier to lose the weight, now that we indisputably know how, so it takes very little motivation?

Making the calorie connection come to life creates the motivation.
The answer is simple: make it a game, see the fat leaving the body by the minute, by the step, by the hour, by the day, etc., and you won’t need to be highly motivated to succeed.

The ability to virtually see body fat coming and going in real time, anytime, anywhere is possible when you connect the digital display to your exerspy. You now have the ultimate on-command motivation through its ability to communicate to you in real time, wherever you are, without your having to connect to a computer. Imagine looking at your watch and knowing that X amount of body fat has just left your body. Now that’s motivation to keep going. Or, picture yourself at anytime during the day peeking at your display and seeing that your calorie intake at that point is going to be above your burn if you decide to “eat the whole thing”. That’s all you need to push away from the table a little sooner or get moving so you can eat the whole thing! There’s nothing like freedom and motivation once you have the facts and the tools.

Games you win so you can lose

The calories-per-minute game
You can run your entire day by viewing calories burned per minute on your display.

Example: the average person is awake about 1000 min/day. If you kept your calorie burn at 2cals/min, you know you’ll burn 2,000 not including the calories you burn when you sleep, which would add extra 500cals for a 150LB person (more if you’re heavier). Your daily total burn will be 2500cals. In this case, eat your 2000 and you’re on your way to losing 1LB per week by simply glancing at your display device and keeping your burn at 2cals/min. Anytime the number dips below, you’ll be motivated to move, which can be as simple as fidgeting, pacing or performing an activity standing rather than sitting such as talking on the phone.

The daily steps game
Set your daily steps target at a number you know will earn enough of a burn that you won’t be able to eat more than your output. Example: I know that if I get 12,000steps/day I will never be able to eat more than I burn. Therefore I find ways to hit that number. Keep in mind that any movement does two things: burns many more calories per minute than sitting, and generally any activity restricts the ability to eat.

Share it with your partner
It is very fun and motivating to compete with your partner on steps, burn rate, total calories, moderate and vigorous physical activity, which can all be immediately viewed on the display. And there are lots of other things you can do together using your display device to keep you motivated (wink, wink). You know what I am going to say next, yes, it’s always fun to see how many calories the extracurricular activities performed in bed burn. You will find yourselves there more often and trying to outdo your last performance.

Now tell me, isn’t that much better than having to break up to get in shape? It’s a heck of a lot more fun, and certainly cheaper!

–Neal

PS — Get your display at www.dotFIT.com or at a dotFIT gym near you – note that the display must be used with the exerspy armband and dotFIT Me program.

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Exercising to lose weight? Here’s why it may not be the BEST strategy.

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

In a classic study on weight loss, researchers discovered after six months:

  1. People who exercised 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week and did NOT change their diet lost two pounds. fit woman running
  2. People who reduced calories below their daily burn lost nearly 20 pounds.
  3. People who exercised AND reduced calories lost 23 pounds.

Why is that the case? Basic human physiology. To lose weight, your body must be forced to use its stored energy (meaning fat). This ONLY happens if you burn more calories than you consume. At my weight, 30 minutes of brisk walking burns about 150 calories. (The more you weigh, the more you burn.) If I do this 5 days a week without changing the number of calories I eat, it will take approximately 23 days to lose one pound. Here’s the math:

  • 3,500 calories are contained in one pound of body fat.  (Approximately 10% of fat tissue is water)
  • 3,500 calories per pound divided by 150 calories per day = 23.3 days.

If you’ve been gaining weight slowly over time, you may not lose anything but you may stop that creeping waistline. To lose one pound a week by just exercising, you’d have to walk for 2 hours, 7 days a week. (Yeah, you have time for that, right?) Compare this to shaving 500 calories from your diet each day. Do this and you’ll lose a pound every week. Add exercise and you’ll lose more, feel better, and get a myriad of other benefits. Bottom line, it’s time consuming to burn a considerable amount of calories through exercise.

If you don’t know how many calories your body burns, how do you know how much to eat? It turns out that most people don’t know. Surveys have shown that fewer than 2 out of 10 people don’t know how many calories they should eat to maintain their weight. And if we judge by results, most people are mismanaging their weight. (Seven out of 10 Americans are overweight or obese.) For the modern lifestyle of sedentary jobs and plentiful food, managing your weight is just like your balancing checkbook. You have to know what’s going in and out in order to avoid overdrafts and bounced checks. If you track your spending and deposit more than you spend, you save money. In the human body, when you put more in compared to what’s going out, you save calories, which turns into fat yet no one intends to become fat. For most people, it happens gradually over time. So to lose those extra pounds, reduce the calories you’re taking in, add exercise to speed up the process and to keep the weight off once you reach your goal. To find out how many calories you burn, take the Free Fitness Profile here www.dotfit.com. Tune in for next week’s blog where I share practical tips for reducing calories WITHOUT feeling hungry or deprived. Yes, it IS possible to lose weight without suffering.  YAY!

– Kat

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Want to lose weight? STOP DIETING!!!

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer, I absolutely HATE diets. I hate when people go on them and I hate it EVEN MORE when people go off of them and gain the weight back (and more in many cases).  I’ve seen it happen so many times and we’ve got to find a way to stop the madness for the betterment of all humankind. Diets equal deprivation; diets mean giving up food I love (like salt & vinegar chips); diets equal hunger. So why do people do them? I believe it’s because we’re sold on the fantasy that losing weight can be quick and simple if only we do one thing – cut carbs, drink a magic potion, do a cleanse, cut sugar.  NOT! The reason they don’t work in the long run is because people can’t stick to them so they go back to old habits. It’s kind of like paying off all your credit card debt only to run it up again because you haven’t changed your spending habits.

So what does it take to lose weight and keep it off? Simple adjustments that you can live with. Adjustments that don’t leave you feeling deprived. Adjustments you can build into your daily routine just like brushing your teeth. Burn 100 more calories a day by taking 2,000 extra steps and lose 10 lbs in a year. Cut out a regular soda and lose another 10. (All this assuming you don’t eat more.) Make better food choices. Have an apple for your PM snack instead of those chips. Yes, it’s true. An apple a day can keep the doctor away. You’ll get more fiber and you’ll feel better. How do people get overweight in the first place? Poor choices repeated over time. So to lose the weight, reverse the process.

Start by waking up – you can’t change something you’re not aware of.  Get conscious of what and how much you’re putting into your mouth by tracking what you eat. Research shows you’ll lose weight by doing that alone. Once you’re conscious of your food choices, make better choices and repeat them over time. Find out how many calories your body burns so you know how much to eat. With our sedentary jobs, huge portions and great tasting food available whenever we want it, we have no choice but to pay attention and get educated about our body, food and calories. Is it a fast and sexy way to lose weight? NOPE. Not even close. If you want quick and easy weight loss, then go on the latest and greatest diet and you’ll have to live with the weight rebound that inevitably follows. If you want to finally be rid of diets for the rest of your life, pay attention, make better choices and repeat. Again and again and again. Slow and steady wins the race, and I want YOU to win.

-Kat

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AMAZING Weight Loss Story Unfolding Before My Eyes

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Meet Allan Hoffman, 35 years old, starting weight 555 lbs, uses a wheelchair to get around, has a fractured vertebrae in his lower back and it’s fair to say he had a very difficult childhood. He’s struggled with his weight forever, battles depression and over the past 10 years his weight has gone from 305 to 555 lbs. Talk about having to overcome some challenges! His doctor said he should have gastric bypass surgery to lose the weight. Enter the exerspy and the dotFIT team.

It must have been fate because Allan reunited with a half-brother he never knew he had, who happens to be one of dotFIT’s team members.  Allan gets an exerspy, a few phone coaching sessions and starts using the dotFIT Me program to shed the weight. With his physical limitations, we had to start slow. Fast forward three months and he’s dropped 62 pounds. Here’s the strategy we used:

  1. Identify WHY you want to lose so you stick to the process. Allan’s motivation was twofold – 1) meet his biological father face-to-face for the first time this summer and 2) see his 6 year old son graduate from high school. He keeps a picture of his son on his computer to keep him focused.
  2. Set realistic and achievable goals. Allan’s ultimate goal is to weigh 210 lbs so we set him up to lose 2-3 pounds a week.
  3. Give him visible targets to hit daily so he sees progress every day.  Using the dotFIT Me program an exerspy – his daily calorie burn target was approximately 4300 calories (remember, the heavier you are, the more you burn). His daily calorie intake goal was about 2800 calories. When he hits those targets, he loses weight. Period.
  4. Log everything you eat. Becoming conscious of what goes in your mouth is the first step towards making better decisions and Allan was prone to mindlessly eat.
  5. Increase physical activity. Do upper body exercises using cans for hand weights and leg lifts as he sits in his wheelchair. Work up to 5 minutes of physical activity per day. The exerspy tracks this so he knows whether he reaches this daily goal.
  6. Eat more fiber-rich foods. Get 25 grams a day to start and track in using the online food log.

As you can see – a few simple adjustments repeated over time has produced AMAZING results. No diets. No drastic workouts or magic cleanses. Just practical changes anyone can do and a bit of encouragement and guidance along the way. To follow Allan’s story go to our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/fitnesshealth and check this blog for updates.

–Kat Barefield, MS, RD
Registered Dietitian for dotFIT

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Transformation of a Figure Competitor — Final Week!

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

Ok, everyone….this is it, my final week. I actually have just 3 days and things are so crazy with my prep and getting things ready. My time is stretched for sure.  Besides my practice for the presentation, I am in the middle of helping 7 to 10 others with theirs. Two of clients I will even be applying their show tan this Friday for them.

My nerves and excitement are off the charts and I have found it difficult to fall asleep as I go through everything over and over in my mind.

My final workout was today and it is so revitalizing to know that all the hard work is done. Now I let the diet and my body do the rest. The transformation that will begin over the next few days is going to be amazing. I’m not sure what will happen yet with my diet or depletion. That will depend on what I look like 2 days out. Warren will lead the way. Depending on how much water I am holding will be what adjusts the diet / sodium intake.

All of this hard work is about to pay off in a matter of days. All the blood, sweat and tears is so worth it to reach this achievement.

So, wish me luck!!!!!! The next time you hear from me I will have the results and hopefully the prize in my hand!!!! Then its margarita time!!!!!!!

Jodi

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Transformation of a Figure Competitor – Week 8

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Now less than 7 weeks to go, I feel as if time is passing too quickly and I’m running out of time.  I always do this to myself, the worrying I mean.  Warren is never worried but I worry enough for the both of us.

Jodi Braun & Janet Fox

Jodi Braun & Janet Fox

That’s where my feelings are right now.  I know I am doing everything that I am supposed to and we can only control so much.  The rest is up to the body to cooperate.  So, I just keep moving along, taking one day at a time and one moment at a time.  This is why I consider every competition prep a journey because every time there are differences that take place.  The way your body adjusts, diet, workouts and don’t forget the mental aspect that can really start playing with your head.  With all of this going on I push through and still have other girls that I’m helping get ready for the same show I’m preparing for.  Like I have said before, helping out these women and being able to see everyone’s personality’s shine through is very exciting and it keeps me motivated!

I know for them it’s good to be able to discuss different aspects of this whole prep with someone like me who understands all of the physical and emotional aspects that take place.  They can vent and I can provide feedback , trying to keep their worries from taking over.

Cardio has increased to 45 min per day and workouts are becoming more intense as well.  Not sure what you all imagine as intense but an example would be flipping a 200-pund tire over,  40 times!  Ha! My arms felt the intensity for 3 days after! lol All of the box jumping and leaping jump squats seem to be effecting the soreness in my hip flexors (wow!) but it’s all worth it in the end right? I know it is and this is why I like pushing myself to the limit.

It’s an adrenaline rush for me and I always feel awesome when the workout is complete.

I am eating chicken now 4 times per day but I don’t mind.  I really like chicken anyway and even in my off season, chicken and fish are staples in my regimen.  At 11.9 % body fat, I am still holding my weight at 130 lbs.  This is the longest I have been able to hold it this high.

I keep crossing my fingers it will remain there.

Just so you can see the level at which all can be inspired by, the picture included this week is of myself and client Janet Fox.  About to turn 64, this coming April will be her 2nd figure show she is getting ready for.  I am truly inspired by her and feel blessed that I can train and prepare her once again.  She is also part of the dotFIT nutrition regimen with Warren’s expertise.

-Jodi

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Transformation of a Figure Competitor – Week 6

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

So, with another week passing comes many more exciting events to follow.  We began our filming of my prep for the next 9 weeks.  It started Friday with a leg workout.  I thought at first that I may be silly knowing there was a camera right there but the fear of what kind of pain Warren was about to put me through took any giggles away. LOL

So from here on in we will be taping more workouts, posing practice, diet information and anything Anthony Fiore will catch on film.  This should be very interesting.  As a little girl I had always wanted “The Jodi Show” and I guess I now have it!

Jodi Braun, 9 weeks from showtime

Coming in March I will be hosting a figure workshop in Premier Fitness in New York.  It will be a 3-hour workshop where I will supply all figure girls with information on posing, suit choice, hair, make-up, tanning and stage walks.  I will also be able to supply information on dieting and the use and benefit of dotFIT products.  It should be a fun, exciting afternoon with a lot of wonderful knowledge to share.  So, c’mon future figure girls, it’s time to get started!

My progression is going quite well.  With the start of plyometrics after the weight training workouts this week, I seem to be burning an extra 150- 200 calories depending on the duration of the workout. This week could be the start or incorporating plyos in between sets of weight training.  This is where the serious calorie burn is about to begin and as we progress further and closer to the show, I am expecting that things will begin to sky rocket.  I always look forward to my next meal even though sometimes only an hour has passed.  This lets me know my body is picking up the pace.  My rest between sets will only be 30 seconds and duration of plyos will be 20-30 seconds.  My after workout plyometrics have been including everything from sled pulling to sprinting to box jumping, with only 30 second rests.  Next week I will give a sample of a typical day workout.  You already know about my dead lifting on a leg day.  The leg day is the only day no plyos are incorporated.  Too exhausting on the legs to be able to get a strong leg workout.  After dead lifting, it’s followed by box squats, leg presses and hyperextensions.

I will begin practicing my posing within the next week or so and I have to start thinking about my routine and what music I am going to use to get me going on the stage.  There is so much to think about (on top of the grueling workouts) that’s going to get me there.  Right now I am doing sessions with women in helping them learn posing and perfecting their stage walks.  Although at times it’s hard to stay focused and give these women everything you have to make them succeed, it also is what keeps me motivated to do my best.  I really never

realize how much of a role model I can be for someone else.  Many clients I have watched reach their goal with my help and it is so rewarding.

Now we go into week 7 and have approached almost the halfway mark.  I am so ready for what the next 9 weeks will bring.  I know for sure intensity and determination are what the next weeks are all about. It’s crunch time!

If anyone is interested in information on the figure workshop, you can contact me yummy76@optonline.net. I will be able to not only assist in your pre-contest prep but share with you how effective great nutrition and dotFIT supplements are to achieving your goals.

The picture attached is me 9 weeks out from showtime.  Let the transformation begin!!!!

-Jodi

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Transformation of a Figure Competitor – Week 5

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

We are 10 weeks out from show time and everything is getting more intense physically as well as emotionally.  I’m starting to feel more hunger and cravings then I had prior but all is good.  My energy is still good and I broke my own record in my dead lift this week which was 225 lbs for 5 reps!!!!!!! I was so happy that not only did I achieve it but being able to achieve it at 14 % body fat.  I still weigh 131 pounds.  Let’s all hope my weight remains high as I continue to trim down.
Jodi Braun, back shot
An apple was eliminated from my lunch but at least my cardio has not increased more than 35 minutes.  The plyometrics have begun to be incorporated into my workout.  This is going to speed up my fat burn. My little exerspy will let me know of changes as I record the data.  The plyos are a killer and as much as I could shed a tear as I do them, I know the benefit and the reward at the end.  No pain, no gain right?  As I tell myself, “suck it up, Jodi!”

This week we are going to begin a weekly recorded documentary with the wonderful help of Anthony Fiore of Ocean Rock Studios.  We are going to document one workout per week leading up to the show.  This is a very exciting project getting under way, especially after just having my picture in this issue of Fitness & Physique.  Many wonderful things are happening and I am just planning on soaking it all in.

Along with all of my prep for the competition I am helping other women get ready for the show as well.  I hold figure workshops for women at all levels who want to either perfect their routines or women just beginning.  In these workshops I discuss not only presentation and posing but suit choice, hair, make-up, workouts and tanning.  I leave the diet to dotFIT and Warren’s guidance and between the both of us, a woman’s determination, goal and dream come true.  It’s a wonderful for me to be a part of someone else’s journey.  The best feeling is to watch your client grow not just physically but mentally as well and watching their confidence grow.  To have a part in it and become their role model is one reason I absolutely love my job. It does make you feel like you made a difference.

I practice what I preach and because I live the lifestyle it keeps my clients motivated.  Motivation can pick you up and take you further than you ever dreamed to go.  So keep your expectations higher than you can imagine.  A healthy lifestyle mixed with determination and desire will take you further than you ever thought possible.  Believe me, I know, I’m living it.

-Jodi

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