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Losing Weight Is More Than Limiting Calories

Kim Miller — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 21:38:23 +0000

Since the New Year, many people have been implementing cleanses as a sort of a jump-start to feeling good and losing weight. I advocate periodic cleanses, but as you will see, not for the usual superficial reason of calorie restriction.

Many people still view calorie restriction as king when it comes to weight loss. No doubt calories are very important. They are our body’s fuel, and there will probably never be a way to over consume those calories and not put extra fuel into the storage “fat tank.”

But when it comes to losing weight successfully and quickly, it’s about a lot more than simple calorie restriction, and the difference between weight loss programs that work and those that only provide extra frustration always comes down to more than the calorie.

A properly designed weight loss approach is not just the result of taking calories out of your budget. One needs to also incorporate a food elimination program to the mix to some degree.

There are three major ways that this extra step supports fast weight loss and helps you overcome weight loss resistance:

1: Reduces inflammation.
2: Reduces glycemic load
3: Allows better control of two very important hormones.

Reducing Inflammation Makes Weight Loss Easier
Most people realize that having excess fat is not good, but many don’t realize that excess fat is actually characterized as a chronic state of low-grade inflammation. Inflammation makes it hard for our body to lose weight because it fights some of the natural hormonal responses we have to food and hunger, such as through increasing levels of IL-6 and TNF, two inflammatory cytokins which decrease insulin sensitivity signaling. Cytokins are types of signaling regulators produced throughout the body.

These cytokines make your insulin less effective, and you are more likely to store excess fuel as fat as a result.
Many common foods today contain proteins which people are often sensitive to, but not outright allergic to. These sensitivities can go undetected for years because they do not cause the same debilitating symptoms an acute allergy would, but may still undermine one’s health by increasing inflammation within the body.

For example, eliminating certain foods that doctor’s patient’s are sensitive to has been shown to be effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease with strong connections to chronic inflammation.

Even if your body does not suffer from an overt form of inflammation, chances are that increased inflammation is still adversely affecting your health and weight loss goals. My increasingly popular cabbage soup cleanse eliminates all of the common foods which provoke common inflammatory responses in the body. For many people this is the missing step standing between them and their goals.

In a few days I will expand on the cleanse I offer to my newsletter readers and go into the details for those of you that may be interested. For now it is important to understand that weight loss is about more than just calories in and calories out.

Insulin Tells Your Body To Either Use Energy Or Store It
Foods, which are high in easily digested starches and sugars, also known as high glycemic foods, cause our body to release more insulin. Insulin is not a bad hormone in and of itself–it does exactly what it is supposed to do, which is help our body get rid of excess sugar in our blood.

The problem is that the modern diet, with its highly-processed and rapidly-digested ‘foods’, causes an undue amount of sugar to be unloaded upon our blood all at once. When our blood sugar gets too high (hyperglycemia), our body releases extra insulin to counter it.

The first thing insulin wants to do is get our muscles to take that sugar up and use it for energy, but the unfortunate truth is that the highly-processed diet we eat often goes hand-in-hand with a sedentary lifestyle.

If the muscles can’t use the sugar, then insulin tells your body to store it as fat, long-term storage designed for a time when food might be scarce. For most, this time will thankfully never come, but we still have to live with the results of a diet which spikes our blood sugar and insulin levels.

Keeping insulin levels low also means our body is focusing less on storing fat and focusing more on releasing it. Why? Because…

Glucagon Tells Your Body To Take Energy Back Out Of Storage!
Insulin may be the most well-known hormone which controls blood sugar, but there is another hormone which is just as important: glucagon. Glucagon is a pancreatic hormone that raises blood sugar by promoting conversion of glycogen to glucose in the liver. Whereas insulin acts to keep your blood sugar from running too high, glucagon works to keep your blood sugar from running too low.

Where insulin tells your body to store extra energy as fat, glucagon tells your body to release extra energy from that fat. This is one reason people feel better when starting a cleanse.

Do Not Do This When Trying To Lose Weight
A myth which has been ingrained in our beliefs is that blood sugar is inherently unstable, and we need a constant stream of calories to ensure it never dips or spikes. Now people are running out to buy little snack packs and trying to eat exactly 100 calories every hour to make sure their blood sugar remains stable.

This is actually one of the worst things you can do for blood sugar stability, and worse still is that this will actually fight your ability to lose weight.

If insulin is the storage hormone, then glucagon is the “take from storage” hormone. The problem is that insulin responds rapidly to the increase in blood sugar that eating causes, allowing us to store excess energy readily, but glucagon has a much slower response which only happens after we have gone through that fuel, a process which can take up to four hours!

If you attempt to control blood sugar by eating often, the only metabolic change you are likely to make is that your body will be releasing more insulin and less glucagon. By actively suppressing glucagon secretion, your body is less likely to take energy back out of storage, and weight loss will be slow.

When you allow healthy intervals between your meals, your body gets the chance to use its own natural blood sugar stabilizer, the hormone glucagon. The result is your body spends more time in “take from storage mode” and you lose weight more readily!

Just as what you eat during a cleanse is important, a smart cleanse plan addresses the timing of when you eat allowing your hormones to work exactly as they were intended to and allowing you to experience better results.

Weight Loss Success Is Not Just About Cutting Calories
If you are only focused on reducing how many calories you are consuming, then you are missing a big piece of the puzzle! Cutting calories can only take you so far before you hit a weight-loss wall, and it’s no wonder so many programs just don’t provide long-term results.

Cutting calories is only effective if your body is capable of picking up the slack. Reducing inflammation and better regulating your blood sugar-controlling hormones allow your body to actually burn the fat it has been storing, not just reduce your overall energy levels. When these additional goals are met, weight loss occurs naturally, and you’ll actually feel great while doing it! If you are like me, feeling better is secondary to losing weight. However, a well designed jump start such as a smartly designed cleanse that address inflammation reduction, a lowered glycemic load, and the ability to control insulin and glucagon has the capacity to not only make us feel better but to lose weight as well.

My cleansing clients lose 4 – 11 pounds on a 4 day cleanse, and 6 – 14 on a week-long cleanse. This is typical, but I am not into gimmicks. I am into helping people feel good and lose weight. It’s important they know what to expect in the long run after the cleanse. Gaining half of the weight back is typical when they go back to their regular diets. But maintaining three quarters of the weight off is highly possible if they simple adhere to making a couple dietary change afterwards on a fairly consistent basis. This change can be as simple as eating protein, fiber and good fat for breakfast, and committing to a non starchy lighter than typical dinner a few days of the week.

In a few days I will provide information on the increasingly popular cabbage soup weight loss jump start plan that I have been offering to clients. I will type on the subject line, Cabbage Soup Jump Start Information, so that only those of you that have an interest will open and read. And by the way, this jump start cleanse includes protein – a necessary component to fighting inflammation and ridding toxins in the body.

Principles of Smart and Quick Weight Loss for People Over 35 Years of Age.

Kim Miller — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 23:17:03 +0000

(Nutrient density explored and why it is absolutely necessary for losing weight.)

Today, unlike several years ago, the common theory on losing weight was considered simple, consume fewer calories than you expend in energy and you will lose fat. Unfortunately, for most people over thirty-five, that simple calculation does not hold true. Sure, it still holds true for those who are younger. It even holds true for a few over thirty-five. Unfortunately, those over approximately thirty-five who manage to lose weight primarily by reducing portion sizes, stop losing weight and come to a standstill after losing 5, 10, maybe 15 lbs. Why is that? The short answer to this question is that bodies adapt to the reduced calories and the dieters find it difficult to sustain the reduced portion sizes when nutrient density is lacking in their daily diet. Let me explain by illustrating what the scientists are saying regarding losing fat in our 30’s, 40’s and beyond.

Nutrient Density
We all know that calories are still important in losing weight, but what is not so well known and that demands our attention is that what we eat is even more important in weight loss.

A nutrient dense diet is something that helps you adhere to a diet. They say any diet will work if you stick with it. We are told to burn more calories than we consume, and that this is the fundamental science of weight loss.

Yet every single one of us who has followed this approach inevitably experiences a period where it is literally impossible to stay on this path. To make matters worse, we then feel badly about ourselves. Nutrient density is a key part of ending this cycle.

We have all been on diets and failed. In fact, people that I come in contact with in my practice are openly admitting to the notion that “diets do not work.” Yet, there are elements of dieting which I have seen in training and coaching people that really work well. For example, portion control remains an important part of the weight loss process. However, my clients realize that one must combine “nutrient density” with portion control, to get on a path to sustained weight loss.

What Is Nutrient Density?
Nutrient density is a concept pioneered by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. It is simply the measurement of the concentration of micronutrients in food. Some foods, like green vegetables have very high nutrient density measurements. Processed foods have very low nutrient density measurements. Foods that are nutrient dense are associated with greater health, increased energy and weight loss.

According to Dr. Fuhrman, if you can’t stick to a diet, you cannot achieve permanent weight loss and health. If a diet does not provide the nutrients you need, then your body will demand more food and it will be nearly impossible to maintain a proper weight. From his perspective and research in this area, this is the key to permanent weight loss. It can be made part of any diet strategy.

Part of my core coaching practice utilizes the concept of nutrient density. For example, I often see that when people increase the high nutrient foods (see the chart below) and combine them with common portion control diets, weight loss becomes easier. I have seen this with people wanting to lose a little weight and also with people who have lost a lot of weight – upwards of 25 lbs.

The Science Behind Nutrient Density
It is now believed that people feel hungry on a diet because their body is not getting the nutrients it needs. More and more evidence has revealed that eating more high nutrient food is a key way to lose weight permanently. Learning how to incorporate this into your life and the diet you have chosen to follow is the secret to controlling food cravings and overeating.

Here is the formula for nutrient density:
H= N/C or Health = Nutrients Over Calories.

The scientific principle represented in this formula is known as “Nutrient Density”. It is the measure of the nutrients provided per calorie of food, or the ratio of nutrients to calories (energy).

An apple, for example, is a better choice than a bag of chips for weight loss even though both have roughly the same number of calories. The apple is a great source of fiber, vitamin C, potassium and hundreds of other beneficial phytochemicals. Therefore, the apple has a higher nutrient density. By eating the apple, you will feel fuller, have more energy, and over time, will help you lose more weight.

With more nutrient-dense food consumed, the more you will be satisfied with fewer calories, and the less you will crave fat and high-calorie foods. One of the huge benefits to high nutrient eating is that people lose their food cravings, hypoglycemic symptoms and other sensations that drive people to overeat. They are put back in touch with their body’s natural instinctive signals to eat- when food is really needed.

These natural, true hunger signals will help direct you to your true ideal body weight. You will simply desire less food. If you choose foods based on nutrient density, you will essentially be choosing foods based on their overall quality and their ability to have a positive influence on your body and overall health.

Foods That Score Highest in Nutrient Density
Which foods offer the most nutrients, and which offer the least nutrients per calorie? Most of the foods on the following chart will be of no surprise.

Vegetables, fruits, and beans score the best, by far. However, some surprises may change the way you eat forever. With Kale scoring the highest nutrient density of all 20,000 foods tested, it has the highest score of all – 1000! If a product scores 500, it offers half the nutrients of Kale.

· Strawberries, the #1 fruit, only offer one/fourth the nutrients of Kale.
· An Apple is only one/third as valuable as Strawberries.
· Apple Juice is one/fifth as nutritious as an Apple per Calorie.

This information is vital to any dieter trying to stay healthy and lose weight.

It is now estimated that less than 10% of adults and only 2% of children get the minimum daily requirement of vital nutrients their body needs to seek its ideal weight or ward off chronic illnesses. The chronic illnesses that develop as a result of poor eating have become so serious that in 2006 the Center For Disease Control and Prevention announced that this generation of children may be the first not to live as long as their parents.

Incorporate Nutrient Density for Fat Lose
My experience in the training and coaching fields has been that people quickly see the value of adding more nutrient dense foods into the diet when they experiment with foods and see the changes in their pant sizes and body weights on the scale. Inevitably, as results become obvious the motivation increases. As motivation increases, the weight continues to come off, not just temporarily, but for a lifetime.

Here is the question. Where do YOU start now that you are armed with information that when applied smartly and consistently reduces body fat?

As I sit here and write, a text has just come in from a personal training and coaching client. She sends me her picture of dinner out on her boat.

By the way, what may appear as big fat white potatoes are actually mushrooms! Not that white potatoes are bad, but when one is in the process of losing weight-and she is, and doing a great job I might add, we need to skip them!

She has lost 8 lbs in 20 days, has done nothing extreme, and sees that her middle section, hips, and inner thigh are feeling tighter and leaner. When I ask her how confident she is in maintaining and or continuing to lose weight, she indicates she is very confident. She continues by explaining that she is never hungry, has huge amounts of energy, and has a lifestyle she can easily maintain.

This is what I love to hear. And it’s happening. People are eating like they mean it. It’s out of vogue to deny hunger and it’s in vogue to be healthy. When we are eating healthy, we eat lots of high-density foods that bring nutrients to our bodies. Then we layer them with a moderate amount of good fats and proteins, and we lose fat.

Look at the picture of what my boater friend is eating. Then ask yourself if you can be that healthy person?

I had this client apply two principles of fat loss:

1. Nutrient density on a daily basis – as is discussed in this article.

2. Fighting stubborn fat with protein, fat, and fiber for quick and sustainable weight loss.

This second principle of weight loss will be the topic of my next newsletter. If you are motivated to lose weight and keep it off, and want to get a jump-start into the holiday season, then call or e mail me and I will be happy to discuss how you can be feeling good, looking good, and having enormous amounts of energy this holiday season. It will be simply. You will lose weight. You will have a huge amount of energy.

Stayed tuned. In two weeks I will discuss ways to beat stubborn fat with high quality protein, an abundance of fibrous foods, and believe it or not, fat!

Keeping With The Times

Kim Miller — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:35:08 +0000

Several ago, I had a friend who relentlessly pumped me for information on diet and exercise. She wanted to lose weight very badly. She would constantly ask, “Please just tell me what to eat and drink and I will do it. Tell me what exercises to do and I will do them.” She was obviously desperate. I knew she had been on every diet plan out there and that she did lose weight on each plan. I also knew she always gained it back. I knew I could get her to lose weight, but I also knew that if we did it the way she wanted me to do it, by telling her what to eat without understanding the why’s of what to eat for weight loss and optimal health, she would gain it back. Her pleas were not pretty. Desperation never is.

Years later, I saw her at an event in town. She looked great. I mentally recalled how she had siphoned information from me. I decided to use her old technique to learn of her success. I asked her what she is doing specifically to look so good. I asked her what specific exercises she did and how many sets and reps of each. I asked her how much time she was spending exercising every day and how often and at what time of day. I asked her to be specific about what she is eating and how much she is drinking as well at what time of day she is doing her eating and drinking. In short, I was reminding her of when her highly focused attention to often senseless detail camouflaged the big picture.

I was happy for her but I wanted to magnify the point made years earlier that there is not one specific plan that is going to work for all people. Yes, many diet plans do work. Many are sensible. What tends to happen however is that once the structure of being told what to eat, without having your brain involved in the process, is weight gain. She confided to me that our conversations had made a difference in her life and that one day while alone in the confines of her own thoughts, it finally ‘hit her like a rock in the head’, her words not mine. Once she realized she had to get real, use her brain, and stop looking for the magic bullet of a special food or particular exercise, things began to take shape in her own mind.

You see, what this friend had done was combine many of the principals of the time instead of just one or two gimmicks. She instituted daily exercise adherence, portion control for all meals, protein at each meal, more water, less sugar, less alcohol and a few other time tested principals for weight loss at that time.

That was several years ago. Several years ago, science was not as advanced on best practices for losing weight as it is today. Fortunately, she lost the weight – but it took a long time because much of the then current information called for difficult behavior changes such as reducing portion sizes, and eliminating much. Today we know better. Losing weight is less about portion control and more about what we eat.

Congratulations to my friend for hanging in there and smartly combining all the principals of the time to lose the added weight and most importantly keep the weight off. She was one of the savvy ones who used the difficult to implement behavioral practices of the time to lose weight.

Luckily, today science has advanced considerably in what we know about the body and how it utilizes fat best. Fortunately for me, I have many more ways in which to help clients become healthy fit and lean. Thankfully we no longer have to embrace only difficult behavior changes like my friend did, that is, the hard way – a rock smack right to the head – knocking sense into her and giving her a will of iron. Weight loss advances now offer more than simple practices of exercise and eating behavioral adherence. Science has told us much over the last few years. And that’s good news for those aiming to lose weight quicker.

In my next post, we’ll take a look at some of the advances in science and see how you can quickly and easily implement those changes into your own weight reducing routine. One final thought. Weight loss is not about denial of foods, but in finding the foods you may eat in abundance! I like to call this “Eating Like You Mean It!”

Stay connected as I review common practices that keep people from losing weight. And guess what, they are not what you may think!

Are You Successful in Life, But Wonder Why You are Not Successful in Getting Fit and Losing Weight?

Kim Miller — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 01:10:16 +0000

Are You Successful in Life, But Wonder Why You are Not Successful in Getting Fit and Losing Weight? Look at the image to the left. Healthy carefree competent, confident, fit people engaging in life. We see imagery in the media often used to stimulate our imagination and desire for a product or service. However, once the images and articles are out of sight, it is easy to dismiss their intended points. Is this to suggest there is no point in reading various health articles,health blogs,health books etc? Or in watching inspirational films or You Tube videos? Absolutely not! Reading can stimulate awareness and the desire for healthy change. Films and videos likewise stimulate increased awareness and thoughtful reflection which often lead to a desire for change. However, what often occurs because of the multitude of health information we consume, is that in our desire to pursue health and weight loss rarely take on the cause of becoming healthier and leaner.

What does this have to do with being successful in one’s life, yet not being successful in leading a more robustful, high energy, and lean – body life that we all desire? Everything. Viktor Frankl in Man’s Search for Meaning writes, “Don’t aim at success – the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success,like happiness,cannot be pursued; it must ensue,and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause. Happiness must happen,and the same holds true for success:you have to let it happen by not caring about it. Then you will live to see that in the long run – (in the long run, I say!) – success will follow you precisely because you have forgotten to think about it.”

And what about you? How many months, years, or even decades have you been wishing – aspiring – hoping to become fit and lean? If it has not occurred then why? Is it because you are still pursuing healthy living instead of letting it ensue you? Why have you been so successful in life yet fail to be successful at healthy living and weight loss? Can it be that your success in life is a result of your personal dedication to work, family, and/or other ideals rather than to the pursuit of the trappings of success?

Can you cease pursuing the trappings of healthy living and weight loss? Rather, can you imagine health as your dedication?

Lifestyles – Get Your Mind Straight To Lose Weight!

Kim Miller — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 23:43:52 +0000

Today many people are savvy and realize that living well and losing weight must be done in the context of progressive behavior change. This article will help” get your mind straight” on what it takes to achieve a lifestyle change. You can begin today to lose weight and be more healthful by following the 4 steps outlined in this article.

When I was a competitive runner, my friends and I would “carbohydrate load” the night before an important race.

A carbohydrate loading diet also called carbo-loading diet is a strategy to increase the amount of fuel stored in the muscles to improve athletic performance in sports where endurance needs to be optimal. It involves increasing the amount of carbohydrates one consumes several days before an athletic endurance event while simultaneously decreasing energy output.

My friends and I would implement a modified carbo-loading diet for most races, which consisted of eating – “loading up” on many foods that today are considered taboo for a healthy lifestyle. If we were racing under 15 miles, we would implement a simple night before the race carbo-loading dinner. The night before the race we would have dinner at my house since my mom, being Italian, knew how to naturally carbohydrate load! She would serve us Rigatoni with red sauce, white-hot, fresh-from-the-oven bread, and vanilla ice cream drenched in chocolate sauce. All the foods were obviously high in carbohydrates! As endurance athletes running upwards of 60 – 80 miles weekly, we burned these calories immediately. I would like to tell you that I only ate this way prior to a race, but the fact is that I grew up in a family that celebrated everything that could be celebrated with food, drink, and pasta-craving friends and family.

People often believe I am “naturally thin.” This assumption negates much of the hard effort that went into changing lifestyle habits created by growing up in an Italian pasta and white bread eating family. I do not care to imagine what I would feel like had I continued eating pasta and white bread every night! In defense of our family eating habits, I will say, thank goodness my mom always made an abundance of greens and salads for “dessert” instead of the ice cream I would have with my friends on the night prior to a big race!

Why I tell this Story
I tell this story because I believe it can help you. In my coaching practice, I have observed that some client’s eating practices of the past are detrimentally affecting who they are and how they feel about themselves today. The lifestyles and eating practices learned as children are still haunting many people today. Notably, yet troubling, researchers continue to confirm, that unless we take focused action in changing many of our adverse lifestyle habits, we may live long due to continuing supply of pharmaceuticals, but we will not live well. In talking with people in my coaching practice, quality of life trumps longevity.

Why Is It Important to Know Our History?
It is important to know our history of eating patterns because the awareness it brings is necessary for change to occur. For example, I have one gentleman that I coach who was brought up with nightly bedtime desserts. He is in his early 50’s. And when asked to estimate how many times he has not had dessert in his lifetime before bedtime, he held up three fingers! Did it ever occur to him that this family lifestyle habit would be a problem? Of course not! Until we chatted about it and he reflected on the seemingly normalcy of it, he did not realize that it was a lifestyle problem that contributed to his pre-diabetic condition. This sounds ridiculous, I realize. Certainly, anyone who reads knows that nightly desserts are off-limits as part of a healthy lifestyle. What is important to understand is that until we confront the behavior, and bring it to the forefront of our awareness, we will not make any lifestyle change.

How Can this Help You?
Did you ever just wonder: How did that person lose so much weight? He has been overweight ever since I have known him! Now he is slim and muscular looking. What did he do?
I see this all the time. Here is what is going on. People are getting realistic. They have stopped duping themselves and ceased using every diet potion out there. In short, they have found their motivation and are dealing with the root cause – behavior. If you are at this point in your life too, and you want to get started now, read below. This little seemingly simplistic 4-step plan is apt to be snubbed by those who feel they need more packaging, more bells and more whistles, but do not be fooled. It works!

1. Tell a spouse or friend who cares. Tell them what you want to change and why.

2. Ask them to hold you accountable each day in the beginning, and then less often as your success grows in changing the behavior.

3. Focus only on one behavior change Do not try to change multiple behaviors. Stick with one.

4. Reward yourself immediately after accomplishing the task. Aim to reward yourself less often as the behavior gets easier.

Upshot: Do not think you are too smart for this kind of training!

It is a little known fact in the world of science that top CEO’s are rewarding their managers with paper gold stars! These updated thinking business people are reading the brain literature and applying it aptly. Hokey? Perhaps. Effective? Yes! ( To get the names of CEOs who are doing this – go to Scientific American Mind!)

What This Looks Like In Real Life. Tom Is Our Man
1. Tom to wife – “I need to lose 16 pounds. I cannot play golf as well as I did and I feel more tired than usual. I could use your help. Will you agree to me getting rid of all the junk in the pantry and in the refrigerator so that I am not inclined to eat junk after dinner?”
Wife – “Yes. Happy to do so. I will even help you get rid of things that are hurting your health. I need to lose a few pounds myself anyways.”

2. Wife to Tom – “Did you finish day one of not eating junk after dinner?
Tom– “Yes. I had 3 strawberries and some yogurt instead.”
Wife – “Nice work. I am feeling like I should do the same. Let’s resolve to do this daily and celebrate by going to the movies at the end of the week!”

3. Tom to wife – “I want to stay really focused on this one change because I’ve already lost 3 pounds in just 7 days! I know that if I try to change too many things at once, I will lose focus and not do anything at all. I am already feeling like I want to move more and be active. I’ll plan on walking more but will stay focused on the night time change.”

4. Tom to wife after 5 weeks – “My yogurt night time routine is really easy to do now. I enjoy the treat and I do not crave the chips and ice cream that I used to have. I have lost 9 lbs in 5 weeks and it is easy now. Best part is that I have more energy and I feel like I want to get even healthier. My energy is great!”

5. Wife to Tom – I feel good too. I lost the 4 pounds, and all in my stomach! Let’s pick another change and see if we can get to the point where it seems easy. Just like the yogurt and berries seems easy. You know, I do not miss any of the junk at night, and I feel like I have the confidence to continue getting healthier! I cannot believe that all these years of trying to lose weight and this is all we had to do! We made things so complex. It really doesn’t have to be like that. I’m ready to feel even better.”

6. Tom – “Me too! Let’s celebrate and go on a long weekend vacation!”

For those of you that need a nudge or do not have the support of a spouse or understanding friend, see me for my one behavior change program that is focused on you! Effective and economical, it is a great way to see much success and weight loss in 5 simple weeks!

Taking applications now
but only for those who
dare. Call 904 501 6002
5 weeks of telling you what to do!

Is this You? I Just Can’t Get Started Losing Weight and Getting Fit!

Kim Miller — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 22:00:50 +0000

Look at this guy! He’s sinking in mud! Too often people aiming to get lean and fit wait for the perfect moment that will spur them into action and motivate them to new heights.

Getting started on weight loss and fitnes is not always just about basic exercise and healthy eating skills. It’s about about motivation of course. Starting is about making the decision to move from desire to action. Many people get stuck in the “I want to lose weight and get healthy but now is not the time phase.” The thought of getting organized, beginning an exercise program, and eating healthy every single day is often overwhelming This phase can last weeks, months, and even years.

If you are experiencing the “I just can’t get started blues” with weight loss and healthy living practices, then ponder the points below to help get you jump started in a smart weight loss direction.

1. I’ll Just Wait Until The Time is Right. I often hear people say that they plan to do something about their weight and fitness levels when they have more time and less stress in their lives. “I will try to lose weight in the Fall because I’ll be less busy then and the weather will be cooler for exercise.” The problem with life is that we never really are less busy or have less stress later. The problem with the waiting game is that days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, and months turn into years. The convenient time to make a big life change often never comes. And if it does come by chance, a delayed start delays your outcome. You deprive yourself of something that is important to you so why wait? Busy times and stressors will inevitably return just like bad weather.

Truly changing your lifestyle means living a different life under any and all circumstances, not just when you have free time and no stress. Why not go for it now? The minute you do, you’ll see that not only are you closer to your destination, but you are closer to having a clear head that isn’t always thinking about what you should and should not be doing. Ironically, people who make the decision to improve their lives and adhere to a start date actually reduce the stress in their lives immediately. There’s no right time. Make the decision and set a start date!

2. The One Day Experiment. We talk so much about how losing weight requires a lifestyle change–and it does, but lifestyle change sounds so daunting. The overwhelming part is the commitment of changing behavior for life, so it may be necessary to remove the commitment aspect to take some pressure off. By removing the commitment, you will get an accurate assessment of just how challenging the behavior changes really are.

But how do you remove the “commitment” from something that seems to inherently require one?! Try a “one-day experiment.” This is where you commit to only one single day of change. For that one day, toe the line: make the healthy choices, and workout. The next day go back to your normal routine. If you feel like trying another healthy day, then do so, if not, try another one the following week. Add a second day when you feel ready. The objective is to get some momentum going by accomplishing at least one day and only progressing further as you feel comfortable.

Making a lifestyle change is not an all-or-nothing venture. Work your way towards it and appreciate that even though the goal is to live a healthy life, it is a gradual journey that is built one day at a time.

3. 5 Minute Challenge. The 5 minute challenge follows along similar lines but is specifically for someone who is having trouble getting an exercise program started. If you are having difficulty getting exercise started then commit to a single 5 minute workout. Climb on a machine or go for a walk, pick any activity of your choice, but commit only to 5 minutes. If you end up doing more than 5 minutes— great, but the goal is just to accomplish the 5 minutes.

Once you have accomplished it, try another a few days later. Then begin to add a minute to the workout each week. Even though 5 minutes may sound like nothing, you are using this tactic to overcome the biggest barrier to healthy living of all—getting started.

For those of you that are the “all or nothing A personality types” then see me so I may plant a seed in that overly cognitive high energy head. For reasons unknown to me 90% of my cliental are the “all or nothing types.” Not sure why that is, unless they have sniffed out that I used to be an A personality myself. Take the Challenge and get started.

4. Forget The A-Ha Moment Fallacy. When I encounter people who have lost large amounts of weight I often ask if they had an A-Ha! moment that precipitated their change. Usually people will say yes, but interestingly these moments are rarely major things like heart attacks, being diagnosed with diabetes, or having some other serious health problem.

In fact, serious events like these are not always effective at creating a sea change of motivation but instead can result in demoralization. After a serious medical event I have heard people say, “It is too late to change now, the damage is done.” More often A-Ha moments are day-to-day instances such as a belt or pair of pants no longer fitting, feeling sick after a day of overeating, or catching a glance of oneself in a mirror. Are these really A-Ha moments?

Why is putting the belt on one day so much more meaningful than it was the day before? Who knows, but there might be no such thing as a magical moment of readiness— where everything seems clear and all doubts and fears have vanished. Even many of the people I train and coach have expressed doubts about whether they could do it, but they moved forward in spite of the doubts. The only way to dissolve doubts is through action. Motivation does not stimulate action, it is created by action. You will feel more motivated once you see the first signs of progress and that motivation will propel you to achieve a little more, and so on.

Don’t wait for motivation to arrive at your front door. The best way to lose weight and get fit is to put it into action. Don’t wait. Put healthy living into action today!

Stop Going Through the Motions

Kim Miller — Sun, 20 May 2012 16:08:54 +0000

For many people trying to lose weight and get fit is a love hate relationship. You love the way it makes you feel after you workout, but absolutely hate the act of working out. You have the routine. You drag yourself through it. You feel pretty good once it’s over, but then have to build up the drive to get back to it the next day. You pick an activity that you don’t completely hate… be it walking, the gym, biking, or a class, and then stick with that routine with very little variation. You drag your way through the monotony because you feel like you have to. If you didn’t have to do it you would quit tomorrow.

If this describes you, your exercise regimen may be one of going through the motions. Going through the motions is an autopilot setting we put ourselves on when we are just trying to get through something that brings us very little joy. We all do it at some point in life, but when you it becomes a way of life, you have to admit, it’s a pretty lousy way to spend time.

As with anything in life, just going through the motions rarely leads to great endeavors. Going through the motions prevents you from feeling engaged and empowered. In fact, lack of engagement numbs the body, mind, and soul. And ironically, it’s the exact opposite of what we are aiming to accomplish with exercise and healthy living lifestyles.

Here’s a challenge for you as we launch into the summertime season. I dare you to challenge yourself to the absolute biggest project you ever launched with your exercise routine. Here’s how.

1. Don’t Exercise. TRAIN. One way to snap out of going through the motions is to give your exercise meaning and purpose. Convert your exercise to “training.” Training is a goal-oriented way of exercising. Your workouts are laid out before you on a schedule of increasing duration and intensity, typically with a future event of some kind in mind. If you are just starting off, consider a Couch to 5k walk or run plan. If you have already accomplished that, try a 10K plan or a bike walk run plan. You can Google training plans for any activity, including walking, running, biking, or swimming. You may want to consider my movement is life plan designed to get you moving in the right direction and motivated over a 10 week period of time. Not to worry, it’s all done on your own. It’s simply slipped into your e mail box weekly and there you have it! It is individualized for you and ready to be followed. Go to http://bodysmartinc.com/?page_id=1281

Even if you don’t have an event planned, training schedules are a great way to structure your exercise and achieve increased endurance, conditioning and strength. Training also has built in milestones that once accomplished will give your workouts purpose and a sense of accomplishment.

2. Challenge yourself: Regularly. Every year I challenge you to plan a physical accomplishment you think you aren’t capable of doing. To really discover your physical capabilities, give yourself the opportunity to wow yourself. I guarantee you can do far more than you can imagine right now. You might consider hiking a mountain trail. A race event. A long bike ride. Anything. If you haven’t selected anything yet this year, consider selecting an activity for this summer. This gives you 3-4 months to get working on it. The feeling of accomplishing something you didn’t think possible is one of the greatest highs in life.

3. Cross train. We have a tendency to get comfortable with our go-to exercise but any single exercise only allows us to condition some muscles and will neglect others. Crosstraining is important to get a more comprehensive workout and also break up the monotony of your routine. I recently had an injury that forced me to take up easy walking, an exercise I have never much embraced unless I could crank it up with a few mountains to climb. Being in Florida, mountains are non existant, so I was shocked that by being forced to do it for several weeks, I built up a liking for it. I have even planned it in my regular exercise routine and walk routinely for an hour a day with my husband. If you told me before I was going to look forward to walking easy for an hour , I would never have believed you! Just by doing something over and over again can cause you to like it more, so don’t worry if you don’t like a new activity now. A new activity will allow you to work new muscles and also burn more calories. Our bodies get used to the same old workout and over time burn fewer and fewer calories doing it over and over again. Work in at least 2 different types of exercises each week (e.g., at least 1 day of a second exercise) to properly cross train
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4. Set goals. Goals are a great way to have a purpose. Why are you exercising? What are you striving for? I realize most people have a weight loss goal but I find very few people have an exercise goal. Consider your current exercise regimen and each month set a new goal for yourself in terms of mileage, duration, and/or frequency. Beware of the “one goal wonder,” which is the act of setting a single goal and none other. I had a client who had a goal in mind to run a 5k race. She had set the goal in spring and the race was to be in autumn. With no goal following the race, guess what happened? She stopped exercising. The week you accomplish your goal, set a new one. Avoid ever having a time when you do NOT have an exercise goal in mind (even if you are in weight maintenance). Your goals don’t have to be huge, just a little more than what you are doing now.

5. Get a coach/trainer. Higher a coach/trainer. Years ago, many people regarded the hiring of trainers as mainly a way to be accountable to an exercise program. Today’s mindset is much different. People want a trainer that challenges them not just on the gym but in other part of their lives. Today’s coach/trainer combinations are much more sophisticated. A good coach/trainer helps clients build their healthy lives in a much more meaningful way beyond the gym setting. If you are hesitant to spend much money, you can get quite a bit out of even 2-3 sessions. The coach or trainer can help you set goals and devise a training plan. If you have a medical condition and can get exercise physiology or physical therapy visits covered by your health insurance, I highly recommend asking your physical therapist or exercise physiologist for help with a training plan.

You will know when you have truly achieved a healthy lifestyle when the pieces of it (healthy eating AND exercise), are things that you just can’t imagine living without. This is when you know you have arrived at a lifestyle change! If you are dragging your way through exercise or engaging in a love- hate relationship with your exercise routine then it is time to get engaged and give it purpose, direction, and meaning! Let me know how it goes. I love to be in the know

Are You Better Today? Health Coaching Results

Kim Miller — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:24:35 +0000

Everyone is asking me. “How’s that year long weight loss program going with such and such. Is he losing weight? How much?” Since I don’t offer specifics about particular clients, my comments appear vague leaving the impression they may not be doing so well! This is frustrating of course because I want people to know how the healthy living weight loss program is actually working.

What I can do is offer you a compiled tracking thus far of the 10 clients who are enrolled in the year long weight loss program.

Different Weight Loss Mindset
Before I go into the specifics, take note that the people enrolled began the program with a mindset different than the average dieter. My clients had no interest in being coached to lose 20 lbs in 20 days, or even 30 days! They already recognognized that drastic meausures do not work in the long run. (Sure they work for periods of time, but people gain weight back when they go back to their old habits –of which they almost always do!)

Lastly, my clients were savvy. They understood that health coaching was not about me telling them what to eat and how much. They realized the importance of using their own brain power in change. All in all, the people I was attracting were the doers and thinkers; the ones wary of single sided approaches to weight loss. I wanted those people who desired a life change that encompassed all facets of being a healthy individual, and not just those who wanted to lose weight!

I recruited the people who wanted more! More guidance on how to weight train effectively for increased metabolism and lean body structure – more guidance on increasing flexibility for better enjoyment of daily living tasks, more guidance on better food choices and information on nutrition- more guidance on the nuances of weight loss – I wanted those people who realized the importance of details such as how to have a good time at a party, enjoy eating, but be in control without feeling horrible the next day and punishing themselves by walking 10 miles. This is old thinking. I wanted fresh thinking clients; those whom I did not have to convince that my approach is the most comprehensive and effective means for lifelong weight loss and health benefits.

I am happy to say, I got what I was asking for! The information below is a compilation thus far of my client’s progress, but only in the weight department. There were other goals such as exercise hours per week which were often broken up into strength training, cardio and flexibility as well as daily living enjoyment goals and stress reduction goals etc., but these are not included for no other reason than it is too encompassing for a brief newsletter.

It’s important to have non weight reduction goals as losing weight is best done in the context of the each client’s current lifestyle. It’s important to note the goals of each individual in the first 3 month period as some clients wanted to lose more quickly and some a little more slowly. These goals, it should be noted were not my goals for them, but their goals for themselves. All clients were savvy enough to set realistic goals based on their current weight and motivation levels. What you cannot see are the weekly individualized nuanced goals that are so important in bringing healthy living into action. Without these weekly strategy and support sessions, it’s far too likely that the weight loss losers would be unsuccessful.

Client One
Three Month Goal – 20 lb loss.
Achieved – 21 lb loss in 3 months.

Client Two
Three month goal – 10 lb loss
Achieved – 12 lb loss in 3 months.

Client Three
Three month goal – 16 lb down
Achieved – 15 lbs in three months

Client Four
Three Month Goal – 6 lb loss
Achieved – 5 lb loss after 8 weeks. This client and following clients started later so they are still in process of achieving 3 month goals.

Client Five
Three Month Goal – 9 pound loss.
Achieved – 6 lb loss after 6 weeks.

Client Six
Three Month Goal – 10 lb loss
Achieved – 4 lbs after 5 weeks.

Client Seven
Three Month Goal – 18 lb. loss
Achieved – 9 lb loss after 6 weeks.

Client Eight
Three Month Goal – 10 lb loss
Achieved – 3 lb loss after 6 weeks.

Client Nine
Three Month Goal – 14 lb loss
Achieved – 8 lbs loss after 6 weeks.

Client Ten
Three Month Weight Goal – 15 lb loss.
Achieved – 9 lb loss after 8 weeks.

If you are thinking the above accomplishments are minimal – then I challenge you to reconsider. Most dieters are on schedule to accomplish reasonable weight loss goals in addition to other healthy living goals.

Too often we are looking for the Biggest Loser style weight losses. The sooner dieters get out of the Biggest Loser mentality especially in the area of exercise intensity then the more likely success becomes. Rarely does the biggest loser style weight loss system work for the average dieter. It’s too drastic and difficult to implement and maintain even for a short period of time.

Where does the insanity of year after year, month after month, week after week, and day after day of feeling badly about our eating behaviors and exercise habits cease? For many people it’s been an ongoing lifelong battle; never feeling completely happy about their way of life, and always making haphazard attempts at becoming more thin and fit. This cycle gets wearing on the mind, body, and soul.

What occurs with people being coached is that they are able to make sense of how to be smart about dieting, exercising, sleeping, health issues, stress reduction, goal planning, meal planning, eating out, high risk eating/drinking situations, and countless other situations. It’s all part of living a healthy life. The goal is to practice now so it becomes automatic. This doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen. It happens gradually-with patience- with connections – with grace – with confidence – with knowledge- and with the right partnerships. When all is said and done these yearlong clients will get better with age!

Ask yourself, “Am I better today weight wise and health wise than I was last year at this same time?”

We may all be aging, but it doesn’t have to be faster than it should be.

A note to clients who are readers – No pressure! Ha ha. Hope you don’t mind the article!

Change One Health Behavior – A Video

Kim Miller — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 01:13:49 +0000

This is a video I like. The reason I like it is not so much because of the information regarding how changing one thing about us can alter many areas of our health, but because of the manner in which it is presented. Typically, health writers, health presenters and those in the health field in general, relentlessly tell us what to do and what not to do.

The 10 minute video is refreshing because the presenter’s approach is non judgmental in narrative. The researched facts are outlined and disseminated in a “class act manner” that allows the viewer to determine what he is ready to do or not do with the material being presented. I like this.

It’s no secret among weight loss/health coaches that people change most effectively and long lastingly when they are fully supported non judgmentally by knowledgeable professionals that offer them smart structure for change rather than random actions they must institute to weigh less or be more healthy. Rarely do diets work in the long run. Sadly, too often people believe they can jump right in, skip all the important lifestyle steps and be on their way to a healthy lean new body. Ironically they continue to repeat this process throughout life. It’s a vicious cycle that eventually breaks down the spirit of the person.

Watch this video. Put no pressure on yourself but to listen. After the video, if you find that you are thinking about any kind of lifestyle change at all, from exercising more, to eating less, to trying to feel more energized in life then give me a call.

This is what I have been doing for over 11 years now. Get out of your mind the traditional personal trainer. Yes I do this. But more to the point is that I take people from where they are at health wise and weight wise, to where they need to be to excel. As a side note, if you think health coaching is for the weak willed and that personal training is for the strong willed, then I challenge you to contact my long list of high achievers who are walking the walk with me. The list includes both men and women, and varies in ages from 42 to 66. They include physicians, CEO’s, retired educators, vice presidents, retired marketers, business managers, magazine editors, and various other professionals that have figured out that the real work for change is done one on one with me as their health coach.

This is not a promotional for me by any means. But it is a promotional for you. I’m promoting you to ask yourself if you are ready to change yet. And if you are, then call me. If not, that’s ok; one must be ready and committed. If you are ready and committed then I am available to pay attention to the details of what you want your life to look like, and to have you fully reach your potential! 904 501 6002.

Click here for the 10 minute video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo&feature=player_embedded#

If video does not link, simply copy the entire link to a compose e mail by pasting it. Double click and watch.

Is Dietary Timing Important in Weight Loss?

Kim Miller — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:45:08 +0000

The letter below is from an email I received recently from a client who trains with me at the Serenata Beach Club.
I think you will find it interesting.

Hi Kim,
Daughter Barbara from NM was visiting and left yesterday. She asked me to ask you this question.
Barbara goes to Jazzercise classes. Her young instructor makes statements like if you are going to eat a double cheeseburger best to do it at noontime so you can burn off the calories during Jazzercise. Barbara thinks it does not matter when you eat the excess calories. Is theJazzercise kid correct?

Hi Bob,

I’ll start with other research that may be of interest to you and Barbara.
The research I am familiar with in regards to exercising after a high fat meal is that, exercise aids significantly in returning your arteries back to normal. In other words, after a high fat meal those that exercise can reverse the ill affects of clogging up the arteries as in atherosclerosis. I’d hesitate to exercise vigorously after a high fat meal however as the body can be put in a stressful situation trying to do many things at once.

Example: using blood to digest the high fat food in the digestive organs while trying to get enough blood to the working muscles of the legs during an exercise program. We can get away with eating and exercising immediately when younger, but not a good idea when we are older. As a reference point, I am almost in the latter group! Ha ha! The research suggest 30 minutes of easy walking to be enough to return arteries to normal. I would not engage in more vigorous exercise such as jazzercise shortly after a high fat meal such as the burger mentioned.

More to Barbara’s point. It used to be thought that a calorie is a calorie and if there is a calorie deficit we will lose weight. Now it’s known that blood sugar stabilization is an added benefit to losing weight more efficiently and above and beyond calories. However, most people will lose weight when they have a calorie deficit totaling 3500 calories. They can also lose weight by expending 3500 calories in vigorous activity. I always suggest doing a combination unless someone is severely overweight. There are some people who have a metabolism that has been abused through various dieting techniques, and consequently it may take a while to get the body back in balance, and losing the necessary weight.

In fact I am seeing this more and more and it interests me greatly. Best plan of attack to lose weight is to spread out your calories throughout the day so that you may reap the advantage that a stabilized blood sugar gives you in weigh loss. Case in point. With all being equal with two people including activity, weight, height gender,calorie deficit and etc, the one who stabilizes the blood sugar through three meals and perhaps a snack or two will tend to lose more weight.