Weight Loss Surgery: Lap Band Versus Gastric Bypass Haddonfield Personal Trainer Breaks It Down

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As a top Haddonfield personal trainer you might think I’m anti weight loss surgery.  But after working with several clients that have gone through weight loss surgery with great success, I’ve been forced to re-think my position.   Of course I’d prefer to have everyone lose weight the old school way by eating healthy and exercising, but when you have 75+ pounds to lose it can be a daunting psychological and physical task (Biggest Loser can only accept so many people each season).  So let’s break down your options so you can make an educated decision.  You have to 2 main options Lap Band vs. Gastric Bypass (each with its positive and negatives).  Lap band basically limits food intake by a small band placed around your stomach.  Gastric bypass actually reroutes your small intestine to your upper stomach.  

Lap Band Advantages

  • Simple and relatively safe procedure, low rate of major complication and mortality rate
  • Reversible and Adjustable
  • No removing or altering any part of the stomach or intestines
  • Short hospital stay, Quick recovery period
  • Low malnutrition risk
  • Slow and steady weight loss
  • Settles at final weight 3-4 years after surgery
  • Over 5 years similar results as Gastric Bypass

Lap Band Disadvantages

  • Slower weight loss than Gastric Bypass
  • Possibility of band slippage, band erosion, or port problems
  • Requires more patient effort for weight loss
  • Potential stomach obstruction
  • Band needs adjustments by doctor
  • Cannot drink fluids with meals
  • 800 calorie diet for 2-3 years then 1200 calories/day

Gastric By-Pass Advantages

  • Rapid weight loss in first 6 months
  • Greatly controls amount of food that can be eaten
  • Dumping Syndrome controls intake of sweets
  • Limits amount of calories absorbed by the body

Gastric By-Pass Disadvantages

  • Complex operation, high mortality rate 1 in 200 die.
  • Surgical risks including infection, leaks, and blood clots, ulcers, bowel obstruction, reflux
  • Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
  • Dumping Syndrome—vomiting, nausea,
  • 800 calorie diet for 1-2 years then 1200 cal/day
  • Cannot drink fluids with meals

I’m a proponent of safe, gradual weight loss and a 1 in 200 chance of dying with Gastric Bypass isn’t for me.  Lap Band is a much safer, adjustable solution.  Now if you are thinking about weight loss surgery I highly recommend that you attend the FREE Seminar by Dr. Adam Goldstein, I went a little while ago and it was extremely informative (Dr. Goldstein is a great presenter).   If interested in attending Dr. Goldstein’s private lecture, please call Eva, Dr. Goldstein’s Bariatric Coordinator, at 856-596-7440 extension 213, or email her at ebusch@surgicalspecialistsnj.org. 

Dr. Goldstein

Dr. Goldstein is also the areas leading Lap Band Specialist.  Dr. Adam S. Goldstein, DO, FACS, is the Director of Bariatric Surgery for Virtua Health and the Director of Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery for The Virtua Voorhees Hospital, in Voorhees, New Jersey. He is a Board Certified General, Bariatric, and Cosmetic Surgeon, fellowship trained in advanced laparoscopic surgery, licensed to practice medicine in both New Jersey and Illinois, and certified to use the DaVinci Robotic System to perform minimally invasive surgery. He is a member of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), American Society of Bariatric Surgeons (ASBS), International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO), Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS), Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), National Society of Cosmetic Physicians (NSCP), and Medical Society of New Jersey (MSNJ). He is also an Executive Committee Member of the Camden County Medical Society (CCMS), a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), and the founder of ScuLpt Cosmetic Surgery 

You can get a ton of really great info from Dr. Goldstein’s website www.drgoldstein.com .

Cherry Hill Personal Training Studio located just minutes from Haddonfield, NJ.

Drink This Not That Haddonfield Personal Trainer Tells All

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Changing what you drink just may be the magic weight loss bullet you’ve been looking for.

David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding sure think so. But then they did write the book on it: Drink This Not That. They’ve even gone so far as to claim that you could lose up to 32 pounds in a year just by changing what you drink.

What most people don’t know is that it’s a lot easier to drink extra calories than to eat it. So you really need to pay attention to what you’re sipping on.

Here is a sampling of what their book has to offer. The following are 5 of the worst things to drink, followed by 5 slimming alternatives.

Breakfast
While a cup of hot coffee or a glass of lowfat milk are both great ways to start your day, beware of the smoothie trap. More often than not smoothies are closer to milkshakes than protein shakes.

Worst beverage: Smoothie King Peanut Power Plus Grape (40oz)

  • 1,498 calories / 44g fat / 214g sugar

Drink This Instead: Smoothie King High Protein Banana (20oz)

  • 322 calories / 9g fat / 23g sugar

Lunch
A study done at Virginia Polytechnic Institute showed that people who drink 17oz of water before sitting down for a meal ended up eating 9 percent fewer calories. Those calories can really add up over time.

Worst beverage:

SoBe Green Tea (20oz)

  • 240 calories / 0g fat / 61g sugar

Drink This Instead: Honest Tea Organic Honey Green Tea (16oz)

  • 74 calories / 0g fat / 18g sugar

Afternoon
When the afternoon rolls around most of us are ready for a pick-me-up. Too often these caffeinated drinks are loaded with waist-expanding calories.

Worst beverage: Starbucks Venti Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with whipped cream

  • 660 calories / 22g fat / 95g sugar

Drink This Instead: Starbucks Venti Caramel Cappuccino

  • 170 calories / 6g fat / 18g sugar

Postworkout
There’s no good reason to follow up a great workout with a sugar-filled beverage, even if it makes claims for quick recovery and muscle growth. After exercise your body is in need of protein, carbohydrates and potassium, so choose a beverage filled with these three.

Worst beverage: Naked Protein Juice Smoothie (15.2oz)

  • 418 calories / 4g fat / 53g sugar

Drink This Instead: Horizon Organic Chocolate Reduced Fat Milk (8oz)

  • 180 calories / 5g fat / 27g sugar

Alcoholic beverages
There are known benefits to drinking alcohol in moderation (one or two drinks per day) such as raised HDL (good) cholesterol, boost in bloodflow, and improved sugar metabolism. A recent study in the journal BMC Public Health reported that people who have a daily drink were 54 percent less likely to be obese. However, it’s called a beer belly for good reason, since many alcoholic beverages are loaded with calories.

Worst beverage: Red Lobster Traditional Lobsterita

  • 890 calories / 183g carbohydrates

Drink This Instead: Red Lobster Classic Martini with Gin

  • 140 calories / 0g carbohydrates

Recent studies are reporting that most of us drink 21 percent of our daily calories. That adds up to an average of 460 calories each day. It’s easy to see how these calories quickly add up into unwanted pounds.

Pay extra attention to what you drink throughout each day. Make it a habit to pass on the calorie-packed drinks and to focus on drinking lots of water.

Remember that small changes to your lifestyle over time will make the difference.

I’m always available to help – call or reply to this email to set up your free consultation.

Top 5 Ways We Overeat Revealed by Voorhees Personal Trainer

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Each day you make well over 200 decisions about food, according to Brian Wansink, PH.D. in his book, Mindless Eating. Your weight is the sum total of your past food decisions.

According to Wansink, overeating can be greatly reduced simply by removing the cues in your environment that cause you to overeat. He goes on to explain the top 5 Diet Danger Zones and the solutions for each:

1. The Meal Stuffer: At mealtime you really stuff yourself. You clean everything off your plate, eat quickly and often go back for seconds. You consider yourself to have a “healthy appetite” and often feel uncomfortably full after eating.

  • Use the Half-Plate Rule: fill half of your plate with vegetables and the other half with protein and starch.
  • Use smaller plates and wait 20 minutes before deciding if you want seconds.
  • Eat slower so your appetite can catch up with what you’ve already eaten.
  • Don’t place serving dishes on the table. Pre-plate your food and then put the rest out of reach.
2. The Snack Grazer: You eat whatever food is within reach, and snack at least three times throughout the day. You can’t walk past a candy dish without dipping in. Your snacking is rarely done out of hunger.
  • Chew gum throughout your day to avoid mindless munching.
  • Keep tempting snack foods out of sight and out of mind.
  • Never eat directly from a package. Portion out your snack into a dish.
  • Don’t purchase tempting snack foods for future snacking. Keep a wide variety of fruits and vegetables on hand instead.
3. The Party Binger: Whenever you attend a social event where the main attraction is food, you eat without stopping. With all the distraction you quickly lose track of how much you’ve consumed and often stop only when it’s time to leave.
  • Stay more than an arm’s length away from the buffet or snack bowls.
  • Put only two food items on your plate during each trip to the table.
  • Make yourself feel full by eating the big healthy stuff first, like broccoli and carrots.
  • Remind yourself why you are at the party: first to socialize or to conduct business and secondarily to eat.
4. The Restaurant Indulger: You eat out at least three times a week and enjoy every minute of it. You love appetizers, large entrees and rich desserts. When you leave the table you are always stuffed.
  • Ask your waiter to remove the bread basket from the table.
  • Before you eat, ask your waiter to box half of your entrée to take home.
  • Decide to either share an appetizer or a dessert, never have both.
  • Skip the appetizer menu and instead start your meal with a side salad.
5. The Desktop (or Dashboard) Diner: You like to multi-task by eating at your desk or on the go. Your lightning-quick meals are grabbed on-the-go from fast food joints, vending machines and convenience stores. You don’t plan your meals ahead of time and end up eating whatever you can quickly find.
  • Pack a healthy lunch and bring it with you.
  • Stock your work area with healthy protein-filled snacks.
  • Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
  • Turn off the computer or pull your car over while you eat.
By making these healthy changes when it comes to your food decisions you will put yourself back on course and moving in the direction of healthy weight loss.

Would you like to expedite your fitness and weight loss results? Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will quickly transform your body.

Remember, while nutrition is vitally important for weight loss, true results are achieved through a combination of both nutrition and challenging, progressive exercise.

Mountain or Mole Hill Haddonfield Personal Trainer Reveals

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So you have a weight problem.

Pounds have added up over the years, slowly accumulating on your hips, thighs and belly.

When you look in the mirror you don’t like what you see. Yet you feel stuck.

You’re stuck because…

  • You’ve gained too much weight to ever lose it all.
  • You’re too old to make a change.
  • You’d be lost in a gym.
  • You simply don’t know where to start.

And so, if you are like most people, you give up on yourself before you ever shed a pound. The enormity of your goal paralyzes your ability to even begin.

I believe you can end this cycle of self destruction by simply focusing on the mole hills that make up the mountain – rather than focusing in on the mountain itself.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that weight loss can seem like an enormous task – especially when you have 20, 50 or even 100 pounds to lose.

However, rather than being discouraged by the mountain of fat you need to lose, conquer the mole hill of losing one single pound each week.

In fact, make it your weekly mole hill to drop one pound a week.

Doesn’t that sound easy? If you did this consistently for one year you would lose 50 pounds.

So how do you shed a pound a week? Simple. Just burn 3500 extra calories.

Create a 3500 calorie deficit each week by a combination of increased calorie exertion (exercise) and a decrease in calories consumed (eating less).

Take every opportunity to exert more calories by increasing your physical activity and to decrease your calorie consumption by eating fewer calories and by making healthier choices.

It helps to record your progress in a notebook and refer back to it. You will be surprised how encouraging it is to see your weekly progress written down on paper.

Remember, if you lose 500 calories a day you will drop a pound in a week.

Here are some practical ways to lose calories:

If you normally… Do this instead…
Drink a mocha Drink plain coffee or tea (250 calories lost)
Eat a snack from a vending machine Enjoy an apple (180 calories lost)
Hit the snooze button in the AM Jog for 30 minutes before work (150 calories lost)
Skip your workout See me for an invigorating workout (changes your life!)

Weight loss doesn’t have to be a mountain. Each molehill you conquer will take you one step closer to a healthier, fitter you.

Small changes to your lifestyle over time will make the difference.

I’m always available to help – call or reply to this email to set up your free consultation.

When Is the Best Time To Workout, Marlton Personal Trainer Breaks It Down

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Last week a new client asked me a great question “When is the best time to workout?”  He had read somewhere it’s best to workout first thing in the morning before you’ve eaten anything to burn the most amount of fat.  I thought you’d appreciate the answer.

It is true that when you workout in the morning you burn more fat, but it’s a little more complicated than that.  Early morning workouts do indeed use primarily fat as a fuel source, but it’s the fat in your blood stream not your adipose tissue (love handles).   Your blood has plenty of fat floating around (eg. Cholesterol) at any given time.  This floating blood fat doesn’t necessarily change into the jiggly bits around your belly or hips.  Fat in your blood can be utilized as energy, transformed into essential hormones, and many other necessary body functions.  What dictates if your body transforms the fat in your blood into fat in your butt or love handles is calories in versus calories out.  If you burn more calories than you take in you’ll lose weight and you’ll use the fat in your blood for energy.   If you take in more calories than you burn off than the extra blood fat will get stored in your adipose tissue (evil jiggly bits).  It’s also true if you have extra carbs or protein in your blood it also gets stored as fat in all of your favorite trouble areas.  Of course your metabolism and genetics play a role too, but that’s another conversation.

Personally I hate early morning workouts because I have absolutely no energy.  I fatigue much more quickly and I just don’t have the same endurance.  And that’s the major downside of exercising on a empty stomach.  You have no energy (blood sugar/glucose) in your system and the fat in your bloodstream isn’t very efficient at supplying energy right away.  You also run the possibility of getting hypoglycemia.  That’s a technical way of saying low blood sugar which can lead to lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, excessive sweating.  You’ll turn white as a ghost and feel like complete crap.  The lower energy can result in less total calories being burned because you’ll have less energy to workout intensely enough. 

One thing I do like about early morning workouts, is that once it’s done I’m free for the rest of the day.  A lot of things can sidetrack your workout when you exercise later in the day.  So from a lifestyle standpoint it’s better to workout in the AM to guarantee you get in your workouts before you get wiped at work, the kids need to go to practice, etc.  And a lot of our clients feel completely energized for the rest of the day with a workout first thing in the morning.

Mentally I’m most awake as soon as I wake up (which is why I’m emailing you at an ungodly hour in the morning), but physically I get the best strength workout a little later in the morning between 9-11AM a few hours after my breakfast.   Then I’ll walk/run through the city (Yep I live in Philly) later in the evening for my cardio (who said you have to exercise all at once).  But I’m a freak because I own a gym and I can sneak in a workout whenever I want.   The most important thing isn’t when you workout it’s simply that you get in your workout.  So stop overthinking it and just make sure to get in your workout.

Exercising later in the day when you’ve had something to eat burns primarily blood sugar/glucose or more commonly carbs.   You’ll have more energy so you can workout more intensely and burn more calories in less time.  So from a time efficiency standpoint it’s better to workout later in the day and some of you aren’t crazy like me and waking up at 4AM.  I’m a big fan of hitting it hard and get back to work as quickly as possible so later workouts fit best for my lifestyle.

What matters most isn’t whether you use fat or blood sugars as a fuel source, but how many calories you burn in total and how many calories you take in.  So it doesn’t matter if you run for 40 minutes and burn 400 calories in the morning or in the afternoon it’s total calories burned and how many you take in that matters

So use the whole burn more fat with early morning workouts with a grain of salt.  Just get in your workout when it fits your busy life.

The End of Food Temptation

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You start each morning with the promise to be “good” today.

You’ll refuse the baked goods at the office. You’ll speed past that fast food place at lunch. You’ll turn a blind eye to the vending machine in the mid-afternoon. And you’ll pass on the ice cream after dinner.

But… you hadn’t counted on the fact that a box of your favorite donuts would be sitting in the break room. Or that co-workers would invite you to join them for fast food place at lunch. Or that Girl Scouts would come through the office after school with boxes of thin mints. Or that your special someone would come home with a pint of Coffee Heath Bar Crunch.

And as you get into bed each night you tell yourself that tomorrow will be different.

Tomorrow you will conquer temptation.

But tomorrow comes with its own set of special circumstances and temptation gets the best of you once again.

Why Does Temptation Always Win?

We live in society where food temptations are everywhere.

  • Walk through a store and you’ll see the unhealthy food items displayed front and center.
  • Turn on the TV and you’ll be assaulted with commercials for fattening foods.
  • Open a magazine and you’ll notice glossy pin-ups of sugary snacks.
  • Go down the street and you’ll have restaurant signs clamoring for your attention.

In addition to the abundance of tempting edibles, you also have deeply ingrained positive associations with indulging.

  • You treat tempting food as a reward.
  • You turn to tempting food for comfort.
  • You rely on tempting food as stress relief.
  • You allow tempting food to become a habit.

It’s Your Turn to Win

Temptation doesn’t need to have the upper hand on you anymore. It’s time to fight back using your most powerful asset: your brain.

Your mind is an amazing thing. Once it is made up about something it is nearly impossible to change it.

A Matter of Perspective

Imagine for a moment that you’re peacefully floating down a river in an inner tube. The sun is out, the birds are chirping, and you are having a wonderful time. You feel great about the river because it is making you feel good.

Now imagine that you are in a plane flying over the river. Your eye is immediately drawn to an enormous rocky waterfall. You look up the river and just around the bend is a person floating in an inner tube, having a wonderful time, headed straight for the treacherous falls.

Do you think that after your plane ride you’d be happy to get an inner tube and float down the river? Of course you wouldn’t. You’ve seen that the river spells disaster.

You now have a negative association (watery death) with the river rather than your initial positive association (relaxing fun).

Overcoming temptation is all about building negative associations in place of existing positive ones. Use the 2 steps below to harness the power of your mind to become stronger than any temptation.

Step One: Create a Strong Negative Association with all the BAD STUFF

  • If cookies and chips and burgers are put on a pedestal in your mind as your favorite things to eat, then you will always eat unhealthy and will continue to gain weight.
  • What do you dislike about tempting food?
    • It makes you unhealthy.
    • It causes weight gain.
    • It drains your energy.
    • It kills your confidence.
    • It degrades your quality of life.
    • It hurts your love life.
  • Every time that you encounter tempting food items focus on your list of negatives. It’s time to kick those cookies off the pedestal and to put something healthy in its place.

Step Two: Create a Strong Positive Association with all the GOOD STUFF

  • Now that your mental pedestal has been cleared, put healthy food items on it. Juicy fresh fruit, crispy vegetables and savory lean meats are a great place to start.
  • What do you love about healthy food?
    • It makes you healthy.
    • It causes weight loss.
    • It boosts your energy.
    • It builds your confidence.
    • It improves your quality of life.
    • It enhances your love life.
  • Immerse yourself into the world of healthy food. Browse the aisles of a natural food store. Walk through a farmer’s market. Bring healthy snacks to work. Clear your kitchen of anything unhealthy.

Using the technique above, you will soon find that healthy food is your favorite food.

And temptation will become a thing of your past.

The Domino Effect

Regular exercise makes it easier to eat healthy. Just as healthy eating makes you more likely to exercise.

It’s the domino effect. When you begin to make a positive change in one area of your life other areas will soon follow.

Remember, while nutrition is vitally important for weight loss, true results are achieved through a combination of both nutrition and challenging, progressive exercise.

6 Vacation Tips to Keep You Fit

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With summer vacation quickly approaching, you’re probably planning your next getaway.

Whether you go on a cruise, an African safari or a low-key trip to the beach, warm summer days are the best time to get away from it all.

But wait – did you know that the average person gains almost a pound a day while on vacation?

Between missed workouts, extra large restaurant meals and indulgent snacks, lazy vacation days will quickly add inches to your waistline.

So before you pack your bags for your next adventure, read the following 6 Vacation Tips and come home fitter, not fatter.

Vacation Tip #1: Make a Decision

Before you leave home, make the decision that you will NOT gain weight while on your trip.

This is the easiest step to take to make sure that you avoid weight gain, but it is also the most overlooked. Instead of leaving things to chance, harness the power of creative visualization that has been proven time and time again by go-getters such as Michael Jordan, Einstein, Napoleon and Andrew Carnegie.

Visualize what it would be like to return home fitter than when you left. Take a moment to let yourself feel the excitement that you’d experience.

Remember what accomplishing your goal feels like – this will keep you motivated throughout your trip and will help pull you through the inevitable tempting situations that you’ll face.

Vacation Tip #2: Get Moving

It’s easy to spend vacation days sprawled out by the pool, but the inactivity will quickly add up to extra pounds.

Choose to be active and you’ll burn calories all day long while indulging in fewer unnecessary snacks. The following ideas will get you moving:

  • Go on a brisk walk each day of your trip. You’ll see new sights while burning off excess calories.
  • Always take the stairs rather than the elevator. Talk about bonus calorie burning!
  • Go on a jog in the mornings before your daily activities, or jog in the evening after the day winds down.
  • If your hotel has a pool, swim a few laps each day. Swimming is a fun way to get in a full body workout.
  • If your trip takes you to a place of natural beauty then go on a hike. Even while hiking at a slow or moderate pace you’ll burn plenty of calories.
  • Play some sports – beach volleyball, a game of hoops, Frisbee, or bike riding are all great ways to have fun while keeping fit.

Vacation Tip #3: Indulge with Portion Control

You have no choice but to eat out while on vacation. Whether you’re enjoying 5 star restaurants or fast food diners, you’ll be met with the same problem: huge portions.

While it is tempting to simply eat it all – you are on vacation after all – this will quickly lead to extra pounds. Use the following tips to keep your portions under control:

  • When you order your meal ask for a to-go box. Take half of your meal and place it into the box before you even begin to eat. This will force you to eat a healthy portion.
  • If you would rather not carry around a to-go box, ask that your entrée be made into a smaller portion. If it is dinnertime don’t be afraid to ask for the lunch-sized portion.
  • Pay more, and eat less. Take quality of food over quantity.
  • Eat meals. Cut out snacking, stick with structured meals.
  • Eat slowly, and eat foods that have been prepared slowly – that means no fast food.

Vacation Tip #4: Eat Natural Sweets

One of your biggest enemies when it comes to vacation weight gain is…sugar.

The average modern person consumes 46 teaspoons of sugar every day. The average person on vacation consumes even more than that.

Even though sugary calories taste great, the sweet pleasure comes at a high price. Here’s what I mean:

  • Sugar creates false hunger (as a result of the insulin rush and then ensuing plummet in blood sugar levels), which causes you overeat.
  • Sugar promotes aging (due to the advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, that occur when insulin levels are consistently elevated as a result of eating too much sugar). Sugar has even been dubbed the negative fountain of youth!
  • Sugar weakens your bones -making you vulnerable for osteoporosis, and weakens your teeth – making you vulnerable for cavities (both due to the calcium being pulled from your bones and teeth in order for your body to process sugar).
  • Sugar in excess is stored as fat (after your liver has no more room to store it, sugar is converted to fat and deposited on your belly, thighs, hips and the backs of your arms).

So instead of eating that ice cream cone or chocolate éclair, satiate your sweet tooth with a piece of juicy fruit.

Vacation Tip #5: Don’t Eat Fried Foods

While fast food restaurants are definitely convenient, with their low prices and quick service, it’s really not worth the additional pounds brought on by chips and fries. As you enjoy your vacation keep this in mind: don’t eat fried foods. While this is always a good plan to follow, it is even more important to abide by while traveling.

A gram of fat contains 9 calories as compared to the 4 calories that proteins and carbohydrates carry – so you can see that consuming fried foods will drastically increase your caloric intake.

Take an average potato, bake it and you have 110 calories and 0 grams of fat. Take that same potato, turn it into French fries and you have 380 calories and 18 grams of fat.

Frying food is the easiest way to dramatically increase the calorie and fat content. And you know that extra calories and fat end up as extra body fat.

Other disasters that fried foods increase your risk for include:

  • Heart Disease
  • Diabetes
  • Clogged Arteries
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Obesity
  • Acne

If I still haven’t convinced you to pass on the curly fries, keep in mind that heartburn and indigestion are not fun…especially while on vacation. Need I say more?

Vacation Tip #6: Do this Hotel Room Workout

If your hotel doesn’t have a gym, or if you’d simply prefer the privacy of your room, do this hotel room workout:

  • Body Weight Squats: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Lower down into a squat position. Make sure that your knees do not go past 90 degrees. Exhale as you straighten your legs and return to the starting position. Complete 12-15 repetitions.
  • Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30 seconds.
  • Body Weight Lunges: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Exhale as you lunge forward with your right leg. Make sure that your knee does not go past 90 degrees. Inhale as you return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Complete 12-15 repetitions.
  • Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30 seconds.
  • Push Ups: Get into the push up position (depending on your fitness level choose to go off your knees, push off of the wall, or assume the traditional position). Inhale as you lower your chest down. Exhale as you return to the starting position. Complete 12-15 repetitions.
  • Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30 seconds.
  • V-Ups: Sit on the edge of a chair or bed and lean back. Exhale as you drive your knees in toward your chest, squeezing your abdominal muscles. Inhale as you lower your knees back down with control. Complete 15-20 repetitions.
  • Do Jumping Jacks, High knees, or jog in place for 30 seconds.

Well, now you have 6 tips that will keep away the unwanted vacation pounds. You may even end up losing a pound or two while away.

But let’s be honest, you want to lose more than a pound or two. You want to lose all of those extra pounds.

You may feel that the secret to achieving weight loss is just that – a secret. A mystery. You try, and try, and try but your goals are never met. Your dream body continues to stay out of reach.

In my experience the people who are unable to lose weight aren’t failing due to laziness. In fact, those frustrated with their weight often put in a lot of effort – but on the wrong things. A fad diet. The latest exercise gizmo. An ineffective routine at the gym.

It’s not that you aren’t willing to put in the effort – you’re just doing the wrong thing.

Think about this for a moment…What if this was the summer that you took control of your body? The summer that you threw your fat clothes away…the summer that you were proud to put on a bathing suit…the summer that your doctor congratulated you on your improved health…the summer that your family and friends – and that special someone – showered you with compliments.

It’s possible. Even more possible than you think.

The thing is that you need to direct your effort in an effective way.

This is where I come in.

You see, for me weight loss isn’t a mystery. It’s my passion. I have a proven method that will dramatically transform your body into one that you are proud to be seen in.

However, I can’t promise that it will be easy. You’ll work hard, you’ll sweat and you’ll even feel sore. And before you know it you will be telling everyone you know about the amazing results you’ve achieved.

So as you plan your next vacation, why don’t you also give yourself the gift that you really want – a new body. A tighter body. A stronger body. A healthier body.

The Missing Link to Optimal Health

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Do you rarely get sick, have no need for prescription meds, and can’t remember the last time that you had to visit the doctor?

If you answered no to the above questions then you are likely suffering from nutritional deficiencies.

It’s hard to know exactly what to eat for optimal health, especially since everyone has a different opinion.

Even when you make every effort to eat healthy, your diet almost always lacks important nutrients.

In her book, Green For Life, Victoria Boutenko set out in search of the perfect human diet. She immersed herself in nutrition research and discovered a very interesting observation.

The Chimpanzee Connection: Chimpanzees and humans are more closely related than any other animal species. In fact, research shows that we share 99.4% of our DNA sequence with our chimpanzee friends.

Why is this significant? Chimpanzees are in far better physical shape than humans, and possess strong natural immunity to cancer and other fatal — and quite common — human illnesses.

Victoria’s research all pointed to the chimpanzee diet as the reason for their superior health. Chimps and humans have vastly different eating habits.

It’s All About The Greens: While humans enjoy pizza and hamburgers, chimps eat a diet extremely high in dark leafy greens — an item that hardly exists in the human world.

Victoria then turned her focus on dark leafy greens. What she discovered was a super-food packed with extremely high levels of nutrients. Here are 5 amazing facts about greens:

1. Greens are packed with amino acids…AKA protein.

I’ll bet you didn’t know that dark leafy greens are a legitimate source of protein. It’s true!

Protein molecules are made of a chain of amino acids. When you consume protein from chicken, you’re getting chains of amino acids that have already been assembled into a complex protein.

When you eat dark leafy greens you are getting a plethora of individual amino acids. Your body then takes these amino acids and assembles it into complex protein chains.

2. Greens give you lots of insoluble fiber…like a sponge.

You know fiber is important, but did you realize that fiber is needed to rid your body of toxins? Insoluble fiber is extra special, since it is built like tiny sponges that each absorbs several times more toxins than its own volume. Check out just a few of the many benefits of fiber:

  • Fiber reduces cholesterol
  • Fiber prevents and reduces the risk of cancer
  • Fiber lessens risk of diabetes and improves existing diabetes
  • Fiber helps shed unwanted pounds and prevents overeating

3. Greens promote bodily homeostasis…necessary for optimal health.

Homeostasis is the physiological process that regulates all substances in your body at ideal levels for optimal health. It is a very complex process, one that your body is constantly working towards.

In order for your body to achieve homeostasis it needs an abundance of vitamins, amino acids, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids and minerals. Greens are a super provider of all of the above.

4. Greens are alkaline…which promotes healthy cells.

In 1931 Dr. Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize for discovering the cause of cancer: weakened cell respiration due to lack of oxygen on the cellular level — this causes fermentation, which results in acidity, or low pH.

There is a close connection between the foods you eat and your pH balance. For example, Parmesan cheese is highly acid forming, -34; while spinach is an amazingly alkalizing food, +14.

When you get plenty of greens on a daily basis, you’re able to better maintain a good alkaline pH balance.

5. Greens are made of chlorophyll…liquid sun energy.

As amazing as it may seem, the molecule of chlorophyll is strikingly similar to the molecule of human blood. Chlorophyll heals and cleanses your organs while destroying harmful substances.

Here are just a few of the powers of chlorophyll:

  • Chlorophyll builds a high blood count
  • Chlorophyll helps prevent cancer
  • Chlorophyll counteracts toxins
  • Chlorophyll promotes an alkaline body
  • Chlorophyll helps sores heal faster
  • Chlorophyll improves varicose veins
  • Chlorophyll improves vision

Introducing The Green Smoothie: While the evidence for eating lots of greens continues to mount, who really wants to chomp through a pile of spinach everyday? The solution is as convenient as it is efficient: the green smoothie.

Victoria discovered that when she blended greens with fruit and water, the result was an easily absorbed, delicious smoothie. The key to reaping all the benefits from your green smoothies is to use a wide variety of greens and to drink it every day. Most enjoy it as a quick, nutrient-packed breakfast.
*See the recipe below*

Victoria did a study where people drank green smoothies everyday for a month. Most participants reported a noticeable increase in their energy levels after just the first week. This boost of energy may be just what you need to get into gear with your workouts.

Remember, regular challenging exercise is the key to achieving your ideal body.

Eating Out Survival Guide, Marlton Personal Trainer Must Read

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Eating out is like gambling with your health.  Only God knows what they are putting into our food; salt, fat, and calories are jam packed into even the healthiest of options.  Ignorance is not bliss, it’s completely sabotaging your weight loss efforts.   

Face it, if you want to lose weight and transform your body you have to learn to cook.  You don’t have to become Gordon Ramsay and become a contestant on Hell’s Kitchen.  You need to be in control of your food intake and learn the basics of cooking.   Click here for group and/or private cooking lessons

Click here to register for Healthy Weeknight Cooking Lesson in 20 Minutes or Less by personal chef Christina Dimacali on Tues. April 6th 7:15PM – 8:15PM.

I live in the real world and I know sometimes it’s just not possible to cook everything yourself and to be perfectly honest I love eating out, Christina has converted me into a complete foodie (Yes I watch the Food Network on a regular basis). 

Must Read Book:  Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenko

I created a Eating Out Survival Guide, to help keep you on track when you eat out.

1. Be a pain in the Butt. Don’t be a menu wimp, order your food the way you want it.  If an item is fried, ask for it grilled. If it comes with french fries, ask for a side of veggies or baked potato instead. Ask for a smaller portion of the meat and a larger portion of the salad.  Ask how the food is prepared, you’d be surprised how much butter and salt they add to kill all the healthy benefits of any food.  Fried, au gratin, crispy, escalloped, pan-fried, sautéed or stuffed foods are high in fat and calories. Instead, look for steamed, broiled, baked, grilled, poached or roasted foods.
2. Order from the “healthy, light, low fat” entrées on the menu. Most chains will even list the calories and nutritional content of such foods. Applebee’s, for instance, offers approved Weight Watchers options, Bennigan’s has its Health Club entrées (which it will serve in half portions), and Ruby Tuesday lists the nutritional information for its entire menu.

3. Hold the Salt:  High-sodium foods include those that are pickled, in cocktail sauce, smoked, in broth or au jus or in soy or teriyaki sauce.  Limit these items. Ask that your food be prepared without added salt or MSG

4. Try double appetizers. If there is a nice selection of seafood- and vegetable-based appetizers, consider skipping the entrée and having two appetizers for your meal. Often, that is more than enough food to fill you up.   If the appetizers aren’t lightin’ your fancy skip it, and just order your entree.  Throw tradition to wind, why waste the calories.

5.  Doggie bag anyone?  When your entree arrives split your meal in half and put half into a doggie bag or share it with someone.  Entrees can easily pack in over 1000 calories and 1000 mg of salt.  Buyer Beware!!

6. Go Green First. Scientists at Pennsylvania State University found that volunteers who ate a big veggie salad before the main course ate fewer calories overall than those who didn’t have a first-course salad.   Not all salads are created equally – choose a veggie salad avoid Caesar Salads.  Keep it tasty but healthy. That means avoiding anything in a creamy sauce (coleslaw, pasta salads, and potato salads), and skipping the bacon bits, cheese, and fried noodles. Instead, load up on the raw vegetables, treat yourself to a few well-drained marinated vegetables (artichoke hearts, red peppers, or mushrooms), and for a change, add in some fruit or nuts.
7. On the side Please!  Get your salad dressing and sauces on the side. Dip your empty fork into the dressing, then skewer a forkful of salad. You’ll be surprised at how this tastes just right, and how little dressing you’ll use. Plus, your lettuce won’t wilt and drown in a sea of crap.

8. Do your research. Most chains post their menus and nutritional info on their Web sites.  Do a little research before you get there.  You’d be surpised how many calories you can save yourself with a little research.  If you don’t see anything that’s healthy, pick another restaurant.

9. Read between the lines. Any menu description that uses the words creamy, breaded, crisp, sauced, or stuffed is likely loaded with hidden fats — much of it saturated or even trans fats. Other “beware of” words include: buttery, sautéed, pan-fried, au gratin, Thermidor, Newburg, Parmesan, cheese sauce, scalloped, and au lait, à la mode, or au fromage (with milk, ice cream, or cheese).

10. Ask the waiter to skip the bread basket.
11. I’m thirsty. If you must order an alcoholic drink, forget the margaritas, piña coladas, and other exotic mixed drinks. They include sugary additions that only add calories. Opt instead for a glass of wine, a light beer – I’m a big fan of Sam Adams Light & Amstel Light, a vodka and tonic or a simple martini (without the chocolate liquor, sour green apple schnapps, or triple sec).

12. Order fish. Just make sure it’s not fried. When evaluated food served at seafood chains and independent restaurants, researchers found low-fat and low-sodium options abounded. Plus, you can order seafood so many different ways — steamed, baked, broiled, sautéed, blackened, or grilled. Nix any sauces, or ask for them on the side.

13. Slow Down Flash Gordon!  Drink a few glasses of water throughout the meal. It will slow you down, help you enjoy the food more, and let the message get to your brain that you’re full — before your plate is empty.

14. What’s for dessert.  Don’t blow it now you’ve almost made it to the end.  You can always have some sorbet or gelato.  Better yet share it with a friend.  Always avoid the Triple Chocolate Meltdown or a mountain of ice cream topped by a second mountain of whipped cream.

15. Don’t Go Hungry!  If you go to any restaurant hungry guess what you’re going to overeat.  So have a small snack before you head out so your aren’t tempted to go hog wild when you place your order.  And don’t skip any meals in preparation for a night of gluttony at your favorite restaurant.  Slightly cut back on some of your other meals but never skip any meals. 

16. Sweat it Out!  Burn off those extra calories by adding a strength and cardio workout.  Cardio will burn the fat and strength exercises will build lean muscle and speed up your metabolism.

7 Reasons Why You Can’t Lose Weight

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There are few things more frustrating than not being able to lose weight.

You want to be slimmer and to tone your body, but your weight won’t budge.

Read the following 7 Weight Loss Blockers to discover what is standing in your way and how to quickly and easily begin your weight loss journey.

Blocker #1: Your Mind

Your mind is your number one ally when it comes to achieving your goals. However, until your mind has been programmed for success, it will do more to derail your efforts than to help you.

  • Take a few moments each day to visualize yourself at your ideal weight. Imagine how it feels to look the way you’ve always wanted.
  • Protect your mind from any negative self talk. If a negative thought comes to mind, immediately reject it.
  • You want to be thin and fit, and yet you think of yourself as out-of-shape and fat. Re-program your mind to think of yourself as fit and attractive, and you will be well on your way toward achieving your goal.
  • Give up the belief that you can’t achieve the body you’ve always dreamed of. See it first in your mind, and then in the mirror.

Blocker #2: Your Fear

Change makes most of us nervous – even if it is a change in the right direction. You may not be consciously aware of the fear you have of getting into shape. Until you conquer this fear, your weight loss efforts will be blocked by self sabotage.

Professional speaker and author, Anthony Robbins, has outlined three specific beliefs that you must have in order to conquer your fear and instantly create a lasting change.

  • Believe that something MUST change. You can’t be wishy-washy about it. You can’t be considering it. You can’t even be pretty sure about it. You’ve got to be rock solid.
  • Believe that YOU must change it. You can’t pass the buck of responsibility and expect to lose weight. It’s on your shoulders. Other people will prove to be great assets in your journey, but in the end you are the one who is going to make it happen. You have to want this weight loss enough to make it your personal mission.
  • Believe you CAN change it. You may have failed in the past, but that doesn’t matter. When you put your mind to it, you’re able to do amazing things. Do you believe that you are capable of losing weight? Once you own the belief that you can, you’ll be unstoppable.

Blocker #3: Your Excuses

Your excuses for being out-of-shape are getting old. An excuse takes less immediate effort than an action, but in the long run the action taker always has the advantage. Don’t allow excuses to ruin your life any longer.

  • Don’t skip out on your responsibilities with excuses, instead expect more from yourself.
  • Focus on the big reason why you are losing the weight. Make a list of the benefits you’ll enjoy once you achieve your goal, and read them first thing each morning.
  • Remember that you can only have two things in life: excuses or results. Which do you want?

Blocker #4: Your Commitment

How many times have you tried to lose weight, only to give up a week or two later? We live in a commitment-phobic world, so it’s no wonder that you routinely abandon your goals. If you truly want to lose weight then your commitment to the process is a must.

  • The margin between success and failure is bridged by your commitment. Don’t give up until your goal has been achieved.
  • Treat exercise with the same importance as a work meeting, and you’ll never skip it at the last minute. Find three available 60-minute time slots in your schedule and mark them (in pen) on your calendar. Now stick to your schedule.
  • If you don’t give up, then you’ll never fail.

Blocker #5: Your Diet

If you consistently eat the wrong food, then you’re weight loss efforts will all be in vain. To put it bluntly, you need to stop eating junk. Processed foods, refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup do not belong in your diet if you want to be in great shape. Cut these items out of your diet and replace them with real whole foods like lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and fruits.

  • Don’t eat processed foods. Even though processed foods are accepted by our society, they contain tons of chemicals and empty calories that will make you sick and fat.
  • Fat contains twice the caloric density of protein and carbohydrates, so make sure to limit the amount that you consume. Eat lots of lean proteins and wholesome carbohydrates from plants and whole grains.
  • Vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds are filled with fiber and antioxidants which are vital for healthy weight loss. Snack on these instead of packaged treats.

Blocker #6: Your Patience

It takes time to transform your body from fat to fit, even though you want it to happen overnight. Remind yourself that it took time to put the weight on, so it will take time to take the weight off. When you find your patience wavering, or when you encounter a frustrating plateau, do the following:

  • Review your goal. Is it specific and measurable? Is it small and attainable, rather than monumental? Focus on your goal when the going gets tough.
  • Make each workout a new experience. Challenge your body with different resistance, new exercises and a varied pace.
  • Remember that anyone can have one great workout, but that won’t get you the body you want. The only way to achieve your goal is by consistently exercising and eating right, plain and simple.

Blocker #7: Your Support

People who exercise alone are less challenged, less accountable and are more likely to fail. It makes sense. Who would rush to the gym if no one is was waiting for them? Who would push themselves if no one was paying attention? Exercising alone is a recipe for disaster.

  • Find a workout partner who is in better shape than you, or better yet, work with me, your local fitness expert, to guarantee your results.
  • I am passionate about seeing you achieve results – don’t waste your time, energy and effort on mistakes.
  • When you start a program with me, you suddenly have the upper hand on weight loss. I’ll be in your corner, coaching you each step of the way, keeping you accountable to workouts and giving you that dose of encouragement when you need it most.
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