livebreatheinsanity:

Those bottoms. I WANT!

muffintop-less:

A lot of girls tell me their goal is to lose weight.  

The thing is, I assume most of you girls want to lose FAT, not just weight in general. Losing weight in general would mean also losing muscle. The reason I think you wouldn’t want to do that, is because if you lose muscle, you will wind up ‘skinny fat’ with little to no ‘tone’ and slow your metabolism so that it becomes FAR more likely you will gain back the weight PLUS more.
If you have ever met someone who has yo-yo dieted I’m sure they can vouch for this. Sure the weight comes off fast at first, but the reason for that is because these crash/yoyo/fad/starvation type diets cause a significant loss of water and muscle weight. Then once normal eating is resumed (as it is difficult to stay on those types of diets for a lifetime), the weight comes back.

Less muscle = slower metabolism = less calories burned in a day
More muscle = faster metabolism = more calories burned just by being ALIVE 

If you want to lose FAT, not just WEIGHT, the foods you choose are crucial. You can’t just eat chips and candy all day or you will just lose WEIGHT. Your body does not give up it’s fat stores so easily as they are your body’s safety blanket against starvation. You have to, in essence, TRICK your body into giving up the fat by feeding it the RIGHT foods. If you have noticed yourself losing weight, but that you are not ‘toning up’ this is probably partially the reason. These foods include lean proteins, complex carbs and healthy fats. 

Try to get a serving of lean protein at every meal. Complex carbs digest slowly, keeping insulin stable and giving you energy over a longer period of time. Healthy fats help you LOSE fat. Check out the grocery list and meal plan on my page for an example of these foods!

In addition to clean eating, it’s crucial that you start weight training if you haven’t already. Running will not make you ‘toned’, weight training WILL. And I’m not talking the baby beauty bells… I’m talking real weight that challenges you! =)

fitfad:

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muffintop-less:

Whey Helps You Get Lean

“I teach a college class in exercise physiology at a private university in south Florida. The questions I get are often quite illuminating. Perhaps the topic that engenders more falsehoods is dietary protein. When students realize that only protein and fat are essential (i.e. you need them in your diet because your body can’t make them), whereas carbohydrate is not, the incredulity on their young faces is apparent. And when I mention that protein can actually help them lose weight and bodyfat, a collective nod fills the room. Show me the beef!

A recent study shed light on the amazing effect of supplementing with protein. Scientists compared using a higher-protein supplement vs. a conventional carbohydrate on body composition and physical function in older women during weight loss. Thirty-one overweight or obese women were given a low-calorie diet (1,400 calories—15 percent protein, 65 percent carbs, 30 percent fat) along with either a 25-gram protein supplement or an isocaloric maltodextrin treatment twice a day for six months. Imagine finding out a half year later that, oh, by the way, you’ve been sucking down more sugar than a cotton candy festival.

Results: The protein group lost 8 percent of bodyweight while the carb group lost 4.1 percent. In terms of thigh volume changes, the protein group gained 5.8 percent more muscle and lost 3.8 percent more subcutaneous fat. The researchers concluded that “a higher protein intake during caloric restriction maintains muscle relative to weight lost, which in turn enhances physical function in older women.” That said, if you want data on which protein to use, whey is the one protein that all of us should eat. It clearly stimulates muscle protein synthesis, defends the body against oxidative stress, plays a role in the immune response and, of course, is instrumental in improving body composition.

A recent study found that whey protein supplementation reduced the amount of fat stored in the liver of obese women. In fact, the stuff is medicinal as well as performance-enhancing! A dose of 20 to 40 grams of whey immediately postworkout is what this doctor orders.” -  Editor’s note: Jose Antonio, Ph.D., is the CEO of the International Society of Sports Nutrition