How Does Weight Loss Happen?

It is no secret that weight loss is one of the biggest struggles people have. There is so much information out there, but it can be overwhelming especially when it feels like your body is not doing what you need it to do. So to help ease the process, I'm going to tell you the basics of how weight loss happens. Ready?

First off, every person's body is different in structure, mass, length, processing of calories, etc. and your weight goals should be heavily dependent on what your own body is like. So for example, a man that is 6ft tall will probably never be 120lbs and shouldn't be. So look into what is right for you from a health perspective before you begin to compare to other people. One great way to do that is to find out what weight range is healthy for your height: Ideal Weight Calculator. It is important to recognize that weight alone is not a good factor for analyzing your health or goals.

Why do you put on weight?

At a high level, when you consume food, your body converts that food into energy so you can use it for everyday activities from walking to sleeping (yes, you need energy to sleep). More physical activities usually require more energy so walking requires more energy that sitting. If you consume more energy that your body needs, it converts that into fat. And then you become "fatter". However, you can lose the excess weight by eating less and moving more, and the fat loss happens through the metabolic process. A process you would rather I didn't get into...

But why is it so hard?

It sounds easy, right? Then why is it so hard to lose weight? One big reason is that people overestimate the calories they burn when they work out and underestimate how much they eat. Another reason is that lots of people are actually pretty sedentary throughout the day and think that going to the gym for a half hour is more important that consistent motion throughout the day. Plus, let's be honest, we eat rubbish.

What can I do now?

I truly believe nutrition is more important than exercise, and consistent motion throughout the day is more important than a quick half hour in the gym in the morning. To start to lose weight, begin with basic movement like taking the stairs, parking a little way away from the store, standing up for a stroll every hour, and controlling your food portions. You'd be surprised how much of an impact these little things can have. And then depending on what your goals are, you can begin to add more exercise and look at the content of the food itself.

Obviously, this is basic and if your goals are to put on muscle or become stronger, you will need to add in more strength training and adjust your nutrition accordingly. But now that you understand the basic process, what are you going to do about it?

Cheers Eights & Weights!

They Get You With the Add-Ons

We know add-ons by so many names, but what we know is that we don't want to eat our sandwich, chicken, or moi-moi alone. Pairing up foods with sides can work in our favor as it can help us balance out our nutrients, but more often than not, it actually works against us. I'll explain.

Creating a Diet That Can Help You Pedal Easier

Today, we have a guest writer (Shelly Stinson) who is an avid cyclist with a huge focus on nutrition. I am so glad she has been able to share some knowledge to readers about how to make sure your diet is appropriate for the energy levels you need to cycle. Enjoy!

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Learning to Make Greens More Delicious

I hear you read that topic and go "Yea, right"! Can greens actually be delicious without bathing them in blue cheese? Recently, I have been exploring a lot more with vegetables, and I have come to the conclusion that you can make greens delicious. 

Eights & Weights Recipe: Sauteed Tofu and Wild Rice

Tofu requires great strategy to cook correctly. There are many different levels of firmness, but unless you are making soup, I always suggest you go for the Extra Firm tofu. This is because you don't want it all broken up in your meal, but solid and ready to absorb whatever it is cooked in.

Even with the extra firmness, tofu can still be pretty soft and brittle if it is not cooked properly. For this reason, some people choose to fry their tofu. However, because that usually involves a lot of oil, I choose to grill mine. That way, I keep the texture, but still keep it clean and healthy.

For this simple meal, let's take a look at what you will need (it serves 4). Please note that you need a grill (I use an indoor electric grill). If you do not have a grill, you can try broiling this in the oven.

My Diet Tips

Last night, a friend asked me about my diet, and I remember saying something like I eat normally. I woke up thinking about this, and I realized that I lied terribly. And what's worse is that I hate people that do that when they talk about food. 

May Fitness Basics: No Calories?

People make a common mistake with food: think "low ---" or "organic" means we can eat however much we want. But words like "organic" just mean it is better for your body because artificial fertilizers and hormones were not used to grow, feed, or produce it. They still contain calories and we still have to watch our portions. Portion control is always key.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

FDA Changes to Nutrition Labels

The US Food and Drug Administration is proposing that nutrition labels be overhauled (the left picture above is the old way and the right is the new proposed way). For some perspective, food labels have not really changed in the last 20 years. The premise for the change is that the real information people need should be highlighted to emphasize calories and added sugars. The FDA is also trying to make sure that serving sizes reflect how people really eat or drink, not random sizes to sometimes drive the calories down like what we see today. So a full bag of chips would reflect the calories on the full bag.

Great news! The jury is still out on whether it would really change the way people eat though.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

What do Calories Mean to Your Waistline?

The body is a very complex machine, but its laws are pretty simple when it comes to weight loss and weight gain. You pretty much consume food to help provide you energy and help your body function. If you consume more than your body needs, it converts it into fat and stores it for a rainy day. This leads to "weight gain".

My Gluten Free Trial Month

In November, I decided to go gluten-free for a month. Let me preface this analysis of my gluten-free trial by saying that a lot of people do this as a fad just like with many other diets. Some people do it because it makes them seem fancy, and some do it because people around them are doing it. But what does it really mean to live a gluten-free life? What is gluten?

NutriCrystal Wireless Smart Food Scale Review

Okay, so I'm sure you've read the nutrition information of some food online, and have found it really difficult to translate the information to practical every day life. I mean, who the hell knows what 200g of chicken breast looks like, huh? But sometimes, especially if you are on a strict calorie program, it is easy to veer away from the right track because estimates can be grossly wrong. So of course, when I got the opportunity to review a food scale, I was pretty excited. 

Spicing Up Your Salad

Iceberg lettuce is not my favorite thing; it's bland and tastes pretty much like water. And when I think of a lettuce salad, it usually depresses me. I kind of see why people like to eat Caesar salads and pour all that creamy stuff on it. But as I started to take control of my health, I realized that salads don't have to be that bland. It is about finding the ingredients that work for you.

See that salad up there? It contained arugula, goat cheese, walnuts, chicken, and balsamic vinaigrette. No lettuce. And I cleaned up my bowl.

Silk Fruity and Creamy Soy Yogurt

I like Silk products in general. Their soy milk and almond milk are pivotal to my existence. You will probably see that I have reviewed a couple of soy products on here, and in general, I'm not a big fan of reviewing products I'm neutral on. So when I got the opportunity to receive and review this Silk Fruity and Creamy soy yogurt, I jumped at it.

Healthy Facts About Chickpeas

Excerpt from article by Natalie Stein on SFGate.com

Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans, are central to some Middle Eastern dishes, such as hummus, and Indian dishes, such as some kinds of curry. These beans are delicious and easy to prepare, and they also provide several potential health benefits.

You Can't Out Exercise a Bad Diet? :(

Excerpt from article by Jodi on ChickSwagger

“I just ran for 3 miles, now I can have anything I want to eat!”

Hmm, I think we have all felt at one point that we “deserved” a treat because we workout. But…you can’t out-exercise a bad diet.

April Challenge Comes to an End

Well, the April 'Abs are Made in the Kitchen' Challenge is over tonight. I can't help but feel a little sad because though there were days when it was difficult, it was also fun to know a ton of people were going through the same challenges and making healthy diet choices this month.

April Challenge Week 1

Well, it is April 1st in a few hours, and we are embarking on this April Challenge train. This week, the challenge is to not eat any fried foods. So anything fried in oil is out of reach this week, including eggs fried in oil, stew or sauces fried in oil, chicken and meats fried in oil, etc.

Of course there are substitutes you can use for all these foods. Adura, the health blogger, has posted a great substitute stew (Nigerian tomato sauce) recipe where you use chicken stock as the base for the stew. Check out her recipe here. You can also use coconut oil. 

Why are we doing this? This week's challenge is meant to help us think of healthier subsitutes for some of the foods we eat every day. Let me know your progress on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Get Ready for the April Challenge!

We've been trudging through March getting in those squats day by day. April is around the corner though, and as we continue to make healthy choices, I thought it would be great to focus on nutrition next month. April's challenge is called "Abs are Made in the Kitchen". See the picture above for what the April Challenge looks like. We will be breaking it up week by week. 

These challenges are meant to help us make healthy life choices, and see the way our bodies react to these choices. As we eat cleaner, we bring ourselves several steps closer to meeting our weight loss goals. So get our home ready, buy the food you need to, start looking at restaurant menu items you'd be able to order, etc.

If you tweet or Instagram the challenge next month, don't forget to include the tag "#Aprilchallenge" or "#Absaremadeinthekitchen" so we can follow your progress!

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Post-Workout Nutrition

Experts are always arguing about what and when to eat after intense exercise. One thing is clear: your body needs replenishment when you've just expended almost all the energy you have and ridiculously torn down those muscles. The question is what and when.

E&W Recipe: Spicy Baked Chicken Breast and Pasta

We love food here. But healthy tasty food is even better. And healthy tasty spicy food is much much better. I could keep going but I'll just get to the recipe :)