thinspo – Page 4 – Nixie Dee

Day Dreams Made Into Reality

What makes you happy? What is your life goal? When you’re sitting there working super hard and daydreaming, what is that dream?

My dream is to be able to spend as much time with my family and friends, without worrying about bills to pay, laundry to do, and shelves to dust. I want to live a worry-free life, where I can help others who truly need it, rescue all the animals I see fit, and eat locally-sourced organic food.

What is yours?

To reach this goal, I will have to make a commitment, be in control, and have courage to go beyond the limits of normal.

I want to find my bliss and you should too. It’s not unrealistic. You can’t fail if you keep trying. So start today.

Start by being mindful of every moment you have. Are you wasting it? We all waste time, but why aren’t we using that time? Why aren’t we spending that time; after all, time is money. A lot of us know what we dream of, but don’t quite know how to get there. I fall privy to this very evil almost daily. I want so much, attempt to do the very thing I think will bring me to my bliss and don’t quite reach it. But I try, try again. Because at least if I’m trying, I’m not failing.

We must connect our mind, our will power, our inner strength to push our bodies to the place we want them to be. What will it take? Find that out, write it down, and start working on it.

Miracle Weight Loss Results

Miracle Weight Loss Results Do Not Exist. It takes time and hard work to lose weight, build muscle, and get the dream body you want. The health industry markets hundreds of thousands of pills, herbs, and supplements that make us believe we can lose weight faster by just taking that pill, drinking that shake, or sprinkling that powder. But when you read the fine print, it has an asterisk that says, “with proper diet and exercise.”

And guess what? It’s NOT the pill/supplement that you’re taking that is making you lose weight. It IS the diet and exercise you started! I admit, I’ll be honest. I’ve had weight issues my whole life. But the real way to lose weight and get fit is HARD- FREAKIN’- WORK!

I’ve done P90x, Insanity, Personal Training, Dance, TRX, Yoga, Kettle-bells, Spartacus, Kickboxing, HIIT, and so on. Exercise was my passion long before it was my job.

Guess what works the best? Eating fewer calories and working harder at the exercise. Choose which ever one you like, and do it to the max. For weight loss purposes, the higher the heart rate, the more calories you burn. Most of the time this is cardio-related, but you can turn weight-lifting into interval training and get the same calorie burn. Choose what interests you, is fun, and is exciting. Choose an exercise that you can look forward to, smile about, talk about, and share.

Some people are Yogis, kick-boxers, dancers, cross-fitters, and so on. They choose what they love, they do it almost daily, and they invite their friends and family.

Right now, my personal joy is weight lifting combined with some interval cardio. On rest days, I dance like nobody is watching. What type of exercise excites you? How often would you do it?

Are you trying to lose weight right now? Fitness and health is a lifestyle, not a destination. If you seriously want to look good, reduce risk of disease and illness, and live longer and happier, you need to change your mind about food. You need to change your outlook on life and your emotional connection with food. You became overweight for a reason. Find that reason and address it. Fix your mind, your psyche, and gain some courage to become the person you’ve always wanted.

You know, that person who gives more, works harder, smiles often, and laughs daily; that person you admire and say, “I wish I had that life.” Make that your life. Change your life today for all the tomorrows.

Trial Fast 101

It is easy to forget what true hunger feels like. You feel hungry every day, but is it physiological or psychological? Is the hunger coming from your body or is it coming from your head, hormones, or emotions?

Our bodies run on internal clocks. We psychologically get hungry at the time that we usually eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even if we have a larger than normal breakfast, we will still think we are hungry when lunch time rolls around; although, our bodies probably don’t need more calories yet. If fed more calories, it will just store them as FAT.

My solution to figure out the difference between these cravings and real, empty stomach hunger, is to do a Trial Fast.

Now let me tell you some facts right now:

You will not starve.
Your body will not eat your muscles.
And you won’t die.

You Will Figure out:

How to tell when you are truly in need of food.
Your triggers that make you crave food.
How much food should be in your meals.

It is essential to know what hunger feels like so you know not to freak out (and pig out) when ever you feel it. You know how to manage it, like any other issues in life. Hunger is a daily issue, you just have to decide if you want to handle it as an educated person or otherwise.

How To

This is very simple. All you have to do is not eat for 24 hours. I would choose a relaxing day where you have no work or errands, like Sunday. Eat a regular dinner on Saturday night. Brush your teeth after and do not eat anything during the day on Sunday. Just have a small snack (200 calories or less) and go to sleep. I suggest a piece of fruit or raw vegetable plate.

So lets say you finish dinner at 830pm on Saturday. Simply don’t eat again until 830pm on Sunday. Have a snack and go to bed. Simple as that.

During your day Sunday, relax, meditate, and learn about yourself. Try some yoga. Read up on clean eating, nutrition, and fitness. Stay busy, but relaxed. Do some crafts. Drink some green tea, yerba mate, or herbal tea, all plain. Focus on yourself and realize what you want out of your life and your body.

Do not overeat on Monday to “make up for” the calories you didn’t eat on Sunday. This is a lesson. Go back to your normal eating style. Or better yet, introduce the lessons you learned about yourself and implement them into your eating style. Maybe this means eating less, eating less often, or eating healthier choices.

Contact me if you have any questions! And comment below or on Facebook telling me how it went. I would love to know!

Fast Fact

Your body only “starves” after 72+ hours without food. This is when it will start to turn to proteins to keep a nitrogen balance in your blood.

Note: I am not a doctor, medical professional, or licensed dietician. I am an experienced and certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Always contact your physician before starting a new diet regimen. Do not attempt if you are a Type 1 Diabetic.

A Simple Answer to Protein Needs

Many people are clueless when it come to macronutrients needs. I’ll give you one simple sentence that will help you always remember how much protein you need:

Divide your weight in half and that’s how many grams of protein you need per day.

So if you are 100 pounds, you need 50 grams. If you are 150, you need 75 grams. Check nutrition labels to see how many grams are in each serving of your chosen food.

Tip: A 4-oz serving (little bigger than a deck of cards) of chicken provides 31 grams of protein, so 3 servings the size of your palm should suffice most people’s protein needs.

Gaining Muscle

If you’re an avid exerciser looking to build lean muscle, or body building, you will require about twice that. So just use your weight as your guideline for how much protein you need.

Facts for ALREADY LEAN PEOPLE looking to gain muscle:

Skeletal muscle is approximately 72% water, 22% protein, and 6% fat, glycogen, and minerals, and 1 pound of muscle tissue contains approximately 100 g of protein.
Theoretically, an athlete would have to ingest an extra 14 g of protein per day. Although, most experts believe the single most important factor in gaining lean mass (along with resistance training, of course) is consuming adequate calories.
Therefore, to ensure the body has sufﬁcient energy for lean mass accretion, consume an additional 200 to 400 calories daily above maintenance requirements in addition to consuming a little extra protein (approximately 2 ounces of lean meat).

Vegetarians/Vegans

As you can see from the image above (which I love), vegetarians can get plenty of protein from plant sources. Personally, I don’t eat meat and get my protein from various sources. (Although…I do eat sushi and partake in that once a month or so.) My favorites are quinoa, grilled tofu, lentils, almonds, tempeh, spirulina (shake), hemp seeds, black beans, hummus, kale, spinach, brown rice and seitan (wheat meat). Oh! And you can’t forget peanut butter. Mmm!

The Fat Burning Zone

The “Fat Burning Zone” theory encourages you to work at 55-65% of your max heart rate. The assumption is that your body is drawing its energy predominantly from fat calories. But this is WRONG! It is time to put this myth to rest.

When you want to lose fat, total calorie burn is what matters. Your body is either drawing on carbs, fat, or protein. When you are running and using a lot of oxygen, your body is using carbohydrates (sugar/glucose/glycogen) and fat to make you run. When you’re resting, like watching T.V, your body is using fat stores to help you survive. This is where the myth comes from. Yes it is true, at low-intensity you are using more fat to carbs in the ratio, but overall are burning LESS calories, which means burning LESS fat!

When you pump up to a High Intensity Workout you are using more carbs and more fat. This means you are burning MORE CALORIES overall, and burning MORE FAT overall, in turn means losing more weight. So throw that myth out of the window, burn more calories overall in your workouts, and lose weight faster. Please spread the word by using the share buttons below.

Easy Overnight Homemade Greek Yogurt

Greek Yogurt is all the craze right now. It’s less calories, more protein, and thicker. It’s easy to sub into recipes to make them have less fat and sugar. And best of all, you can make it at home with my cheap and easy solution.

All You Need

1 Container Regular Yogurt (I use soy since I’m lactose intolerant)
1 Big Pot
1 Strainer (that fits inside)
1 Coffee Filter
Plastic Wrap

What To Do

1. Place strainer inside pot. Place coffee filter flat on the bottom and push down.

2. Plop all the yogurt in.

3. Cover with plastic wrap.

4. Refrigerate over night. That’s it!

When you come back in the morning, use a big spoon to scoop the yogurt back into it’s original container. You’ll see you’ve got about half the amount that is 3x thicker! The water underneath the strainer is called the whey. It’s very nutritious so use it wisely. I like to use it make my morning oatmeal or smoothie. Since I use vanilla yogurt it’s sweet and has a vanilla taste. Enjoy!

Fitspiration Versus Thinspiration

After my post about intermittent fasting, I started searching for people who lived this way. After typing in the hash tag “Fasting” into twitter, I got a bunch of twitter accounts of girls with eating disorders. They post pictures of anorexic girls, tweet about how little they are eating, and post their low weights and BMI’s. It was pretty disturbing to see those images, but it’s the truth.

Because of the many forms of media that promote “thinness,” girls all over are constantly trying to be skinnier. I have to admit, when I was younger I wanted this too, but now I know better. There are websites devoted to thinspiration photos. And sometimes these two new words get confused. You’ll see fit girls on these sites, and then super skinny girls too.

Why isn’t there a media craze about being fit and strong?

Looking good is about being fit, strong, and sexy- not skinny, boney, and thin.

I can see why people relate fasting to anorexia; that is all they know and see. If you don’t eat, you’re starving yourself. You’re punishing yourself. You’re cleansing your sins. But really, you can fast for fitness. And that is what I’m now attempting to do.

You must be lean to see your sculpted muscles. You can lift all the weights you want and chug all the protein drinks down, but you’ll only be able to see the results if that fat layer is gone. And when it comes down to it, less calories equals weight loss, and weight loss equals less fat, and less fat equals visible muscles. So get out of the kitchen and focus on other things in life that bring you joy.

Fitspiration should be the only inspiration to young ladies. Girls on magazine covers should be healthy and fit, not skinny and boney. This is sending a negative and evil message to young girls. I was one of them! I know the feeling. When a woman is on tv or a magazine cover, we automatically think they are put there to be an idol, an example for what a lady should look like. They are praised for their looks and body, so we must make ours look similar.

I’m here to say, instead of actually starving- educate yourself. (This website is a great source to start.) Instead of wanting to be thin, want fitness. Exercise extends your life. Eating healthy extends your life. Enjoy your life, extend it, and live happier. Don’t torture yourself. Don’t fall for gimmicks. And don’t take diet pills. Just do what works for you and remember the science before trying the latest trend.

Sweet Tooth – Bitter Tooth

Confession#1: I have a huge sweet tooth.

Confession#2: I have a huge bitter tooth.

I crave sweets, candy, chocolate, sugar, pies, cake, whipped cream, ice cream, and well, you get the point. We all get cravings but they are just psychological. We can control them.

I crave spicy arugula, kale, brocoli, grape leaves, spinach, black coffee, and pretty much everything that goes in a salad.

Funny thing is, when you start to eat cleanly, you start to crave those healthy foods you are loading up on. I’ve recently discovered my “bitter tooth” to be quite helpful in my healthy eating. It’s not always “bitter” but just plain vegetables. Some are sweet like carrots and some are spicy like jalapenos. Altogether though, my body wants healthy food and yours will too, once you start to be consistent with your clean diet. If you’re interested in starting a clean lifestyle, contact me today. Why not right now?

When you consistently eat healthy, indulging in junk food or alcohol makes you sick. I can handle some organic baked goods or some tofu mousse, but having real, processed white bread or sugar makes me slow, nauseas, and full of headaches. On the other hand, fruit, which is technically sweet and sugary, does not make me sick. The sugar is natural, organic, and straight from nature. It’s full of nutrients and fiber. I love it. ^_^

Do you have a sweet or bitter tooth?

Metabolism Myths Busted And Intermittent Fasting

Hello Everyone!

I’ve just finished reading “Eat Stop Eat” (Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss) by Brad Pilon and have found some facts that I was surprised to see. I figured I should share the knowledge so you and your weight loss journey can benefit as well.

Myths

When you fast, your metabolism slows down.
When you fast, your body eats your muscles.
When you’re not eating constantly (5-6 small meals day), you go into starvation mode and your body holds onto all the fat it can.

Truths

The part of your metabolism that is “slowing down” is called the thermic effect of food. When you eat, your body has to use calories to digest food. (Very few at that) So in studies where people fasted, their metabolism was a VERY tiny percentage lower because they weren’t digesting food. If you’re not eating food, you won’t need to burn the calories to digest it. And then later burn the calories of the food itself. So if you’re just sitting on a couch all day, your body will still burn the same amount- food or not.
Your body doesn’t eat your muscle. When at rest, the human body uses FAT to stay energized. During high heart rate movements, your body will use the sugar (glycogen) stored in your liver. And your muscles will use the glycogen stored in them to move. Note: Which ever muscle has glycogen (energy/sugar/glucose) stored in it, has to use it. It can not break it down and send it to your brain or other muscles.
When people think of this myth, they think of anorexic people and their low muscle mass. That is because they have NO fat or glycogen left in their muscles or body, and they have been fasting for weeks and months without exercising their muscles to build them. So if you do some weight training or body-weight training, you can go more than a few+ hours without eating and have no issues. Technically, you can go 72+ hours without food and still not have your body eat your muscles. Of course you would never want to go this long!
As seen above, starvation mode isn’t after a few hours of not eating. It isn’t even after a few days of not eating. It happens after you’ve used ALL your fat and stored glycogen (sugar), and have been in bed rest or absolute no movement or doing anything that requires strength. Then your body finally realizes it is stressed out and needs energy from somewhere to survive. Only truly ill and anorexic people go through this. If you are too busy to eat all day, don’t worry. Your body is fine. Just get a meal when you can, and make sure it is healthy!

Some other facts about fasting:

It’s been going on since the dawn of history and religion. Many religions even fast once per week or month for a holiday or sabbath. Have you ever fasted for your religion, beliefs, or protest?
When your body is not digesting food, it can focus on healing, rebuilding, and restoring the broken cells and muscles. It can focus on your immune system to make you feel better and be better when you’re sick. (Ever wonder why you have no appetite when you have a flu? Your body is telling you to give it a rest from digestion so it can heal you faster! Ever heard the saying, “Starve a fever”?)
Fasting for 18-24 hours shows a 50%+ increase in growth hormone & fat burning. Growth hormone stimulates growth, cell reproductions, and regeneration in humans. That means if you worked out recently (the day/hours before) your body will focus on repairing and reBUILDing muscles. Score!

Conclusion
Overall, if you take in less calories – no matter if it’s spaced out through out the day, or if you fast 1-3 times per week for 18-24 hours, you are taking in less calories. Therefore burning more fat and losing weight. That’s what we all want, right?

Unnecessary Personal Tidbit: Most of the time I eat strictly and cleanly, but sometimes I get a sweet tooth or want to bake some yummy stuff – so I indulge. Then I’ll feel guilty (which isn’t necessary) and want to just not eat to make up for it. Some people may see this as unhealthy, but in a scientific weight loss perspective it makes sense. If you have a huge feast, you’re not going to want to eat for a while. Maybe even a day. Your body will have the energy stored and you can use it up while you live. When I found this site a while back I thought it was crazy. Then I realized I already do that pretty often in my life! If I have a long work shift, I won’t eat till around 9-11pm anyway, and that’s usually after a workout! Of course this is NOT suitable for all people, but if you can handle it, and don’t want to worry so much about that baked whoopie pie (me) then fasting after feasting is not a bad idea. As long as you don’t get all obsessive (which is what I always do) then you’ll be fine. Fast.Feast.Fast. Or eat healthy every day. Or do both. (Me) Have a Thanksgiving feast. Don’t eat again till the same time the next day. And then enjoy a faux-turkey, cranberry, and mashed potato sandwich. Yum! It’s all about balance. Do it your way.

Why People Hire A Personal Trainer

Most people hire a personal trainer for weight loss. Of course I have special cases where some are looking to improve their athletic performance or train for a marathon, but most people (including those) want to lose weight.

The one thing I can’t control as a personal trainer is what my client eats. And what grinds my gears the most is this very concept. The number one myth about personal training and getting your butt kicked 3+ times per week is that you can eat what ever you want and not worry, because you worked it off with your trainer. WRONG.

Here is the secret to being healthy. It’s not a 6 minute shake weight video. It’s not a HCG pill. And it’s not even a cleanse. Spoiler Alert…

It’s DIET AND EXERCISE. You see that “and” there. You can’t have one without the other. If you want to be thin, fit, healthy, you need to combine a healthy diet with daily exercise.

A high 90% of weight loss is due to changing your diet. And when I say diet, I don’t mean a 14-day salad meal plan. I mean the diet you eat every day for the rest of your life. You must change this to lose weight. And you can’t ever “go back to normal” because your “normal” got you where you are now – fat and probably sick.

Being overweight is connected to a plethora of diseases, including the number one killer: Coronary Heart Disease. By sticking to the Standard American Diet (SAD) you are killing yourself by every morsel you put into your mouth. So stop it!

When you eat food you have two choices: to shorten your life or to extend your life. With my help, you can extend your life, lower (or obliterate) your risk of disease and illness, and feel amazing. You will gain energy, clear your cloudy thoughts, and heal faster. You will get sick less often, diminish headaches, and pretty much everything else that is bugging you. Constipation, indigestion, heart burn, frequent colds – all of that can be cured by changing your diet.

Now I could be like one of those stupid commercials or video pop-ups you see everywhere on the internet that goes on and on about how they have the secret to help you lose weight but you have to buy their product first to see how.

Stop watching those videos, and listen right now. It is simple to lose weight. It is simple to get healthy. All you have to do is use your common sense. Eat food that your great grandmother would recognize as food.

No more genetically modified crap. No more factory-processed nonsense. Grow a garden to see where REAL food comes from. And start eating it.

Stop filling your body with pesticides, poisons, and medications that are only truly making you sicker. You think that high cholesterol med is helping you? Nope. It’s just putting a band-aid on something that is never going to heal unless you change today.

No more gimmicks. No more games. No more pills. Contact me today to change your life for the better. Stop dieting. Stop “trying everything out there” and not having it work. Stop it! And start email me.Right.Now. Check out my nutrition page and look at my services. Decide to become healthy today.

Do it for yourself. (You deserve it!) Do it for your family. Be a role model for your kids (or future kids). And let Me help You.

Best Health,

Nicole