I came across this article over the weekend. It is outlining some discoveries into the role exercise plays in weight loss.

As I always say, changing your eating habits is the key to real weight loss and what they have found in this article is that exercise should play the role of maintaining weight once you have lost the weight through diet and regular exercise. In other words, don’t rely on exercise alone for your weight loss.

The article is far more in depth and interesting than that and definitely worth reading all the way through! The sections on hormones and appetite and how both can change when you exercise regularly are very interesting.

Weighing the Evidence on Exercise -
www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/magazine/18exercise-t.html?ref=exercise>

Enjoy!

Although it was a little chilly this morning, this was an awesome workout to start the week. Well done guys!

Before I start, I must warn you guys, I am reaching breaking point!

It has been over 2 weeks now since we had our eating for fat loss seminar and almost all of you are not sticking with the plan for various reasons and this frustrates me to no end. I am here for you guys, I want you to ask me any questions you have. There is no such thing as a stupid question, so don’t keep guessing at what is right and wrong. The only thing I ask is that you write it on the forum so that when I answer, everyone can benefit from it.

Firstly I want to clarify things and tell you what I am and am not not on a few subjects;

The am not’s

• My desire to help you: I am not Bored and just write these blogs because I have nothing better to do believe me!
• My Motives: I am not making money off my blog or forum, they are simply there as tools to help you and they took me a lot of work to create.
• Protein supplements: I am not affiliated with any protein powder company. When you go online to buy the powder it has nothing to do with me, I have simply found the cheap websites to save you money.
• Junk food: I am not some sort a freak of nature who only desires to eat healthy food, I love junk food just as much as the next person, but I know it is a sometimes food.

The am’s

• My desire to help you: I am very busy and have a lot going on in my life, just like all of you, but I truly care about you and whether you lose weight. In fact, I think I care more than you do yourself. Just ask my wife Hannah, she is the one who has to listen to me whinge bout you all the time.
• My motives: I write these blogs and create these forums so that you can learn and be motivated and hopefully hear what other people are also experiencing which may help to motivate you on your journey.
• Protein supplements: I have tried to find you the most natural protein supplements at the cheapest prices, but If you would prefer to not use the links to the natural protein powders I have supplied, then please feel free to go to the shop, pay more and buy an inferior product. I have found a protein bar that is all natural and tastes great and I am supplying them to my clients at a price cheaper than you can get anywhere else, but once again, if you would prefer to pay more and get an inferior product, please feel free to go to the shop.
• Junk food: I am just like you, I love naughty food too, but I understand it has to be in moderation. so please don’t look at me when I tell you not to eat something like I am just talking for the sake of talking and I don’t understand how it feels to go without. Far from it.

Now that you understand I have only your best intentions at heart, please listen to me and heed my advice, you will succeed if you follow my guidance, but if you keep making it up in your own little world, according to what you think is right, then don’t expect the results you could otherwise get.

Now as the title suggests, you are all making it too hard. Keep it simple!

Don’t waste hours on planning menus, planning meals, searching the internet for more advice. It is unnecessary, time consuming and downright confusing!

This is not a diet, it is changing the way you eat for life. “If you cannot stick to a simple way of eating for life, then it is a diet and when you go off the diet, you will fail”

Think about what you want to eat for dinner. I will give you an example for an average female. I would like chicken stir fry – ok then, cut up 90g chicken, add as much good veggies as you like, add a dash of soy or oyster sauce and sesame oil. Done! Was that hard? Did I need to search the internet for that? Would you normally search the internet for what you are going to eat for dinner?

Please write to me on the forum and tell me what you want for lunch or dinner and I will simplify it for you.

How about a lunch for an average male. I think I will have ham and salad sandwich – ok then, buy 150g ham, spread avocado onto two slices of multigrain bread, throw on the ham, put in some salad from the good list and you’re done. Was that hard! Did that require hours of thinking?

Go and buy some digital kitchen scales. Please guys go and buy them, please. They cost about $30 and you leave them on your kitchen counter. Can you tell me how you know the weight of your meat if you are not weighing it? Can you please tell me how long it takes to weight a piece of meat? If it is an individual serve of meat, put a plate on the scales and before you cook it, put it on the plate on the scales to get it to the correct weight. If it is a roast or taco meat etc, as you are serving, put your plate on the scales then put the meat on the plate, get the correct amount then sit down and eat. A very easy way to do it with chicken breast etc is to cut it into the correct weighted portions then freeze it in those portions. After a while, you will be able to eye fairly well what your portion size should look like. If not, no harm in weighing when you are at home.

Don’t bash the protein supplements! I am so over hearing you all tell me what you had for morning tea or afternoon tea. Can you guess the most common thing? Nothing, yes, that’s right, nothing. No time apparently. No time to unwrap a protein bar  eat on it’s own or mix up a shake and put it with an apple and nuts. No time and then when asked why they don’t have a shake, I get 2 answers. Firstly, I don’t like the taste of them. Well, suck it up and make a sacrifice so you can lose some weight for once. Not only that, I am sure you haven’t tried either of the 2 that I have recommended. Secondly, I don’t want a processed product. Well, stop eating bread, stop eating yogurt, stop eating half the shit you eat. Whey protein is the protein removed from dairy, yogurt is also a product made from dairy, believe it or not, cows don’t squeeze out yogurt, especially strawberry yogurt. Milk itself does not come out pastuerised, homogenised and bastardized either, it too is processed. Don’t even worry about the bread, if you eat bread and not protein powder for this non-processed reason, then…

Yes, protein shake is sustainable for life, the healthy ones anyway. There is a massive market of protein shakes out there for a reason, and that is because of convenience. No-one wants to eat that much meat. Go to a gym and spend some time with some fit looking people and ask them if they use a protein supplement. Don’t ask them which one they use as I am sure it is one full of artificial everything. Please don’t come to me and tell me about the powder you got from where ever, I only know of 3 all natural powders on the market and I have told you about 2 of them.

Remember the bad carbs on those lists earned their own reputation but how they rate on the glycemic index, not because I hate them. Also remember that they are on that list and so is their proportions, so if you want to eat them, then eat them, they’re on their for a reason, just stick to the proportion.

So now I would like you all to go away and when I ask you next week about what you ate, I want to hear simple balanced meals, nothing too different from what you used to eat except that it has the correct portion size and proportions.

I would also like you to get on the forum and give feedback and ask questions. I set you all up on their to make it easy for you, not so I could waste an hour of my time.

I can’t help you unless you want to help yourself, but for everyday that you don’t kick into action, their is someone else who is losing weight and heading to their goal and it could just as easily be you!

Post all comments etc etc etc to the forum here.

The PureFit protein bars have arrived, I just took delivery of 13 boxes, I have got chocolate brownie, granola crunch, peanut butter crunch and almond crunch.

No longer do you have to eat protein bars that taste like chalk and are filled with more chemicals than a school science lab.

These bars taste so good, you think you are eating something naughty, but take a look at the label and see that they are;

• All natural
• No wheat
• No gluten
• No dairy
• Non GMO soy
• Low Glycemic
• Vegan
• Kosher
• No transfatty acids
• No artificial sweeteners
• Will not melt

And best of all, they are a 40:30:30 ratio of carbs:protein:fat. They are a perfect 2 block snack for when you are on the go, stuck in a meeting, out and about or just haven’t got time to prepare your snacks or if you feel like something sweet, they are great for those people who are finding it hard to kick the after dinner sweet treat.

Second best of all, they are cheaper than almost any protein bar you will find in any shop

If you want to order, just drop me an email and I will get you a box. The boxes are 15 bars for $50 (clients only). RRP $55

I will do you a box with any combo of flavours you like, so you can taste them all to see which you prefer.

Click images to enlarge

On Saturday, Adam, Damian, Darrin, Nelius and Myself headed down to Cataract Park at Appin for some training for the Tough Bloke challenge coming up in 2 weeks. The course was fun, the water was cold and the spirits were high!

To view all of the photos from the day, click here to go through to our facebook page. You don’t have to be on facebook to view the Fitta Bodies page, it is just viewed like any other webpage, you just won’t be able to interact, only view.

Let’s all get behind Tori and sponsor her to run her first full marathon!

Hello All

Well, that exciting time of year is fast approaching – June 30, tax time! In case you’re feeling like you haven’t quite got enough deduction receipts to present to your accountant, or you’d just like to test the scientific research that says that our brains benefit from altruistic deeds*, I thought I’d give you the opportunity to contribute to my marathon effort.

I know many of you support multiple charities, or are embarking on fundraising efforts of your own – but if you can spare any amount in the run-up to the end of the FY, please consider a donation to Can Too.

To sponsor me for the September Marathon:

(1) Go to https://www.cantoo.org.au/sponsorshipform.aspx?PageID=18

(2) Enter “Tori” or “Edwards” – then tick the box next to my name; and

(3) Sponsor away!

All money goes to Cure Cancer Australia Foundation, which funds fellowships for young Australian cancer researchers. http://www.cure.org.au/

In the meantime – we’re well into training, and have been out pounding the pavement in all types of weather.  As Sydney-siders will appreciate, the recent flooding rains haven’t really made training that much fun, but as the attached shows, we’ve been out there rain, hail or shine!

Thanks so much for your support.

Cheers,

Tori

Following this recipe will give you a balanced 16 block frittata. Portion it to your meals accordingly.

Ingredients;
6 eggs
2oz cheese
8oz lean eye bacon

2 zuccinis
1 large onion
3/4 cup self raising flour

5 teaspoons olive oil

Method;
1) Chop and saute the onion and bacon in 1 teaspoon of the oil.
2) Beat the eggs, add the cheese, add the grated zuccinis, add the olive oil, add the cooked onion and bacon and finally add the flour. Mixing well each time an ingredient is added.
3) Place into a greased round cake tin, preferably a springform tin that the sides will release easily.
4) Bake at 180 degrees for approximately 45 mins or until springy to the touch.

Great with salad for lunch or on it’s own for breakfast.

YUM!

Post any questions or comments to the forum

Last night’s seminar “Eating for fat loss – The balancing act” was a huge success. Thank you to everyone who attended!

Although I originally capped numbers at 12, I eventually ended up having 15 clients and 2 trainers attend. My apologies to those who missed out, I will have another one in a few weeks, so please register your interest in the comments section or via email directly to me.

I know we went a little long on time, wrapping up in just under 3 hours, there is still more I could have gone through, so what I will do is go over some of the important things.

What is stopping you from reaching your goals?

When I walked in this morning, up on the whiteboard was the list of reasons everyone gave for not achieving their goals, so I want to make that list here so you can be aware of what is holding you back and focus on changing it.

I am creating the list in the order you said it and the way you said it;

• Too many carbs
• Meal sizes
• Skipping meals
• Not being organised
• Drinking alcohol
• Inconsistency
• Laziness
• Boredom
• Escapism
• Socialising

So taking a look at that list, I can see that a lot of them relate to each other.

Why are you eating too many carbs, eating meals that are too big and skipping meals? Because you are not organised, lazy and inconsistent!

Why do you drink too much alcohol? Because of escapism and socialising!

If you are eating because of boredom then get a hobby!

These are all easy things to fix, you just need to put half as much effort into your own health as what you do into making your boss rich!

Insulin and fat gain.

Remember that when you eat just carbs, you will spike your blood sugars and release insulin. While this insulin is circulating, you will not use fat as a fuel. Balance your meals with carbs, protein and fat to moderate the effects on blood sugar levels.

The Glycemic index

Carbohydrates aren’t categorised into good carbs and bad carbs because I have something against them. I am merely the messenger, they ruined their own reputation when they were tested on the glycemic index, they have no-one to blame for their poor social stigma other than themselves and what they do to your blood sugar levels.

Food charts

Use those food charts wisely. At last there is a precise way to say what a portion should really look like. No more guessing and wondering why you are not losing weight. They are really easy to use, it may just take you a week or two to get used to it, but if you want me to go back to the work example, when you first started your current job, did you know what to do and find it easy on day 1? or day 2? No, like anything in life, it takes a bit of time to adjust to it and learn how to use it properly to get the full benefit from it!

Supplements

If you are trying to get a portion of protein at every meal without using a supplement, you are setting yourself up for failure.

How often do I hear things like;

• I missed morning tea because I was in a meeting or I was too busy.
• I didn’t have any protein at breakfast because I just didn’t have time to cook eggs.
• I had to just have [insert garbage food from foodcourt here] because I was at the shopping centre.
• I don’t normally get drive through, it was just because I was on the road a lot today.
• What protein can I possibly have with fruit?
• I’m sick of eating tuna.

I think you get the message.

There are a lot of products out there and most of them are so full of chemicals, you would be better off eating the box they come in, but I have combed the internet and health food shops and here are my pick of products;

Optimum Nutrition 100% why protein Natural, order at www.vitaminking.com.au/100-natural-whey-protein-by-optimum

Phyto Protein 100% Pea protein isolate, order at www.vitaminking.com.au/phyto-protein-pea-protein-isolate-by-logical-nutrition-pty-ltd-vital-greens

PureFit all natural protein bars, check them out at www.purefitaus.com/about-purefit-bars and order them with me directly and you won’t have to pay the $10 postage. Clients only.

Forum

The best way to move forward with the information that you have is to talk to others when you have a question. This is why I have set up this forum, so that any questions you have I can answer and at the same time, I am probably answering for 10 other people who also had the same question. So please post any comments about last night or any questions you have about your eating to the forum.

Well I survived my 19 days recovery without exercise. Following on from my intial entry “Everyday the cells in our body change, my beard will prove it” I am sure you will assume that not much can happen to your body if you don’t exercise for nearly 3 weeks.

I have a nice photo here of how my face looked after those 19 days.

Now tell me, if not much can happen in your body in 3 weeks, how did all that hair grow on my face?

If all that hair grew on my face, what happened inside my body at that time?

Did I lose muscle mass? Did my aerobic capacity decrease? Yes, I definitely noticed changes in my body!

So the purpose of this little example is to prove to you that what you do to your body everyday matters. What you eat and drink will be used to manufacture new cells for your body as they regenerate everyday. So if you want to be healthy, eat and drink healthy. It isn’t possible to create healthy cells with unhealthy food!

If you want to be fit, you have to be consistent with your training. Taking days or even weeks off regularly is only going to send you backwards and will make your journey towards a fitter body seem like a long trip with no end in sight.

But it doesn’t have to be this hard guys, eat healthy 90% of the time and exercise 5 – 6 days per week and you could be living in your best body ever!

Please feel free to give me your feedback at the Forum, you know I love to hear what you have to say!