The problem with meal plans (and what to do instead.)

New fat loss or nutrition coaching clients often ask me to write them a meal plan.

I actually have a blanket policy against writing meal plans and I want to share why.

Meal plans can actually do more harm than good. Keep reading to find out why and learn what I think you should be looking for instead.

A meal plan prescribes an exact diet. They’re usually very precise – every last bite of food is to be weighed and accounted for and eaten at a specific time.

At 7am, eat 3 egg whites and 1 whole medium egg cooked in 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil with a 5oz apple.
At 12pm, eat 6oz plain grilled chicken breast with 1/2 cup steamed broccoli.
At 3pm eat a snack of 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese with 3oz berries.

You get the idea.

There is a time and a place for meal plans. For example, registered dietitians who are certified to provide medical nutrition therapy can use meal plans to help clients manage illness or chronic conditions.

If you fall into this group, you should absolutely seek the help of a licensed professional. Personal trainers are not qualified (or legally allowed) to write meal plans to address medical problems.

A-list actors, elite bodybuilders, and professional athletes regularly use meal plans to get in amazing shape and perform at the highest level.

Here’s the thing: you don’t live the life of a pro athlete or Hollywood star.

I work primarily with busy urban professionals. My clients work long hours, care for young kids and older parents, and enjoy active social lives and traveling (at least they did before recent events).

They don’t have private chefs and their lives and livelihoods don’t center around their bodies.

This is the first reason why I don’t write meal plans: they are completely unrealistic in real life.

If you try to follow a restrictive meal plan that doesn’t allow for the unpredictability of life, you are setting yourself up to fail.

What to do instead: Develop flexible frameworks that guide your eating in any situation.

For example, if you’re someone who eats out a lot but still wants to lose weight, you can use your hand size to eyeball portions instead of relying on a food scale.

Ask yourself: What are the most challenging nutritional situations I find myself in on a regular basis? What skills can I build to help me navigate these situations in a way that will move me toward my goals?

The second reason I don’t like meal plans is that they ignore individual differences.

Meal plans are heavily biased toward the preferences and experience of the person writing the plan. They fail to account for differences in:

Physiology. One of my biggest pet peeves in the nutrition world is that many coaches act as if there is only one way to eat for optimal health. Everyone’s body is unique and responds differently to different foods. I may be able to easily digest foods that tear you up, and vice versa.
Personal preferences. Many meal plan staples are bland, boring and tasteless. If your meal plan is full of foods you don’t really like, you’re not going to stick with it for long.
Cultural heritage. The foods I learned to eat growing up in a Jewish household are very different than those eaten by my Indian and Latinx friends. You can still lose weight or improve your health eating the foods that are meaningful to you. Just say no to whitewashed meal plans.
Food availability. What’s in season where you live? What foods can you actually buy at the grocery store where you shop? Your meal plan won’t do you any good if you can’t find the foods on it, or if they’re super expensive because they’re out of season.

What do do instead: The unsexy truth is that everyone needs to experiment to find a way of eating that works for their unique situation.

Some people can eat grains and dairy, others should avoid them. Some people prefer to eat big meals, other prefer smaller meals and snacks. Some people eat a lot of meat, others remove it from their diets entirely.

You need to make these decisions for yourself, not rely on a piece of paper to make them for you.

This brings me to the last problem with meal plans: they prevent you from building the skills you need to think and make decisions for yourself.

“If only I had someone to tell me exactly what to eat, then I’d finally achieve my goals.”

I’ve heard the above statement more times than I can count. Unfortunately, this is wishful thinking that isn’t rooted in reality.

People actually do best when they feel they have autonomy in their lives.

This means decisions you make for yourself are much more powerful and will have a much bigger impact on your actions than decisions a coach makes for you.

My clients who’ve experienced the most success over the years are the ones who took the most ownership over the process. They got curious about themselves and experimented to find their own unique path.

Failure is part of this process, because you often have to weed out the things that don’t work to find those that do.

Although I encourage you to ditch the meal plans, you don’t have to go through this process all by yourself. You can hire a coach who listens to you and helps you build habits and skills as opposed to just telling you what to do all the time.

If you’re interested in my online coaching program, you can learn more here.

May 28, 2020October 15, 2020

What’s more important, diet or exercise?

I am a true believer in the power of exercise.

No matter who you are or what goals you have, I guarantee you can benefit from moving your body on a regular basis.

One reason why exercise is so powerful is that it is a keystone habit. In his book The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg defines a keystone habit as a super habit that causes you to adopt additional positive habits.

Think of it as the first domino in a habit chain reaction. During the process of implementing the keystone habit, many people consciously or unconsciously build other helpful habits to support their efforts.

When we start working out, we tend to adopt other healthy behaviors.

We might go to bed earlier so we can perform better in the next day’s training session.

Maybe we start eating more protein so we can see faster progress from our workouts.

Before we know it, we’re looking, feeling, and performing better as a result of all the changes we’ve made to support our new exercise habit.

Working out on a regular basis can be an incredibly powerful catalyst for change in many areas of your life. And let’s be honest – most people feel it’s easier to start exercising than to clean up their nutrition.

For these reasons, I usually encourage people to start their fitness journey with exercise. Move often in ways that feel good and occasionally challenge your body in safe, productive ways.

Exercise is amazing, but it’s not always enough.

Unfortunately, despite its propensity to be a keystone habit, exercise by itself is not enough to get most people all the way to the finish line.

This is especially true if you have a body composition goal like losing weight. If your diet isn’t in line with your body size, goals, and activity levels, you will not see the progress you’re hoping for with exercise alone.

This misalignment is the reason why some people who hit the gym religiously can’t seem to get the scale or their measurements to budge.

In these cases, diet becomes more important than exercise.

Why is this the case?

Fat loss occurs when we consume fewer calories than our bodies use over a prolonged period of time.

Although our energy balance mechanisms are actually a lot more complicated, it’s helpful to think of this in terms of exercise (calories out) and diet (calories in).

There is only so much exercise you can do before you run out of time, burn out, or hurt yourself. We also tend to burn a lot fewer calories working out than we think (the number your wearable tells you is likely inaccurate).

Eating, on the other hand, happens multiple times every day. Most of us are bad at estimating how many calories we consume, and the world around us is filled with tempting, tasting, high calorie foods.

It’s criminally easy to wipe out any calorie burn from exercise with a big meal, a few drinks, or a post-workout treat.

Even “healthy” foods can contribute to this problem. If you burn 200 calories during a hard workout and then drink a 400 calorie smoothie on the way out of the gym, you’ve wiped out all your efforts and then some.

This is why paying attention to portion sizes through calorie counting or some other method is an essential element of successful fat loss.

Read more: All about food logging

Ultimately, you have a lot more chances to control the calories going in to your body than you do over the calories coming out.

So what’s more important, diet or exercise?

Both diet and exercise are essential elements of building a fit body and living a healthy life.

However, if you’re trying to lose weight, diet is ultimately more important than exercise.

If your weight isn’t moving in the direction you’d like despite regular exercise, perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at your diet and nutrition.

Do you want to ditch the overly restrictive fad diets and lose weight in a sane and sustainable way? Join the waitlist for the next round of my Sane and Simple Fat Loss group coaching program.

In this signature six week program, I teach clients the basic principles they need to follow to lose weight without losing their minds.

May 21, 2020October 15, 2020

How to accept and deal with hunger

Let me be the first to admit I’ve always struggled with hunger.

I rarely get a growling stomach like most people. Instead, I get very edgy, irritable, and short tempered. I like to think I’m a pretty laid back person, but watch out if I’m hungry. On more than one occasion, I’ve done or said something I regretted because I wasn’t thinking straight and didn’t realize it until after I’d eaten.

Over the years, I learned to attack my hunger as soon as it appeared to avoid these undesirable side effects.

I’d snack and overeat all day long because I was more comfortable with being overfull than feeling even the slightest hint of hunger.

I also spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself. Why did I always get so hungry? Why did hunger seem to affect me more than other people? If only I didn’t feel so hungry or if it wasn’t so uncomfortable, then I’d be able to finally lose weight.

I’ll never forget my first experience working with my long-time coach Bryan Krahn years ago. I complained to Bryan because I was feeling pretty hungry during the day in between meals. He was pleased and told me that feeling the hunger was a good sign!

Although hunger was still uncomfortable for me, I began to see it in a different light. I begrudgingly made friends with my hunger because I realized it was indicating that I was heading in the right direction with my fat loss goals.

Hunger is not an emergency.

Here’s the thing: some hunger is not a bad thing. If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s an inevitable and necessary part of your journey.

When I stopped my personal pity party and accepted this, I was able to focus my energy in a more productive direction, namely learning to get more comfortable with discomfort in the name of my bigger goals.

I realized that my hunger was not an emergency (even through it felt like one) and that I could survive to my next meal without snacking.

Perhaps you’ve heard that you should never feel hungry. There are a lot of misconceptions about hunger and what it means.

Like anything, hunger exists on a continuum. It’s normal to experience some hunger in between meals. In fact, if you’re not hungry at all, you probably shouldn’t eat much (even if it’s supposed to be meal time). This is true for everyone except people who are actively trying to gain weight.

Those who are trying to losing weight will likely experience higher levels of hunger. This hunger may start sooner after meals or be more intense than if you’re eating at maintenance.

However, if you take it too far and chase hunger for its own sake or try to see how little you can eat, then you’re starting to enter the realm of disordered eating.

I am in no way telling you to starve yourself or that the hungrier you feel, the better your results will be. But I do encourage you to get honest with yourself about your relationship with hunger.

These days, I still struggle with the way hunger affects my mood and energy levels. The difference is that I no longer delude myself into thinking I’ll be free of hunger if I want to get and stay lean.

Some tips for reducing and managing hunger

Routine is a very powerful tool to help you manage hunger. If you can eat your meals at the same times, your body will adapt and you may start to experience less random hunger throughout the day.

On a related note, sometimes changing your meal timing can help with hunger. For example, if you aren’t hungry when you wake up but feel extremely hungry later, try fasting in the morning and pushing your regular meals later in the day.

A diet that consists of mostly whole foods will fill you up a lot more than a diet filled with processed foods. Protein, fiber, and healthy fats can be particularly satiating. Solid foods are also more filling than liquid foods like shakes and smoothies.

Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Aim for half your bodyweight in ounces every day. In a pinch, black coffee or tea can also help dull hunger pangs.

When you do eat, practice eating slowly and mindfully. Chew your food and pay attention to the experience of eating. Don’t wolf down your meals because that often leads to feelings of dissatisfaction and false hunger after meals.

Practice sitting with hunger when it arises. Set a timer for 20 minutes and do something else before deciding if you want to eat. Hunger comes in waves, and many times you may find you can wait longer to eat.

Start asking yourself if you’re really hungry or just craving something. One mental test I use on myself is to ask if I’m hungry enough to eat a plate of plain chicken and broccoli. If I say no, then I know I’m experiencing a craving.

Have some perspective. It may seem preachy, but it’s helpful to me to remember that choosing to go without food in the name of fat loss is a luxury. Many people in the world – including in my own city and country – are regularly forced to go without food for extended periods of time. This stops me from feeling so sorry for myself.

I know talking about hunger is not very sexy, but I strongly believe getting more comfortable with hunger is one of the most powerful tools you can use in your efforts to lose weight or maintain your weight.

May 7, 2020October 15, 2020

Four Foods You Should Never Eat

Anyone who’s ever been on the internet has seen clickbait articles sharing foods to avoid. These usually feature arbitrary lists of specific foods supported by cherry-picked “research” and dubious-looking doctors.

During the early days of your fitness journey, you may fall prey to these lists. I know I did. In time, however, most of us learn that very little about food and nutrition is so black and white.

As a general rule, I’m not a fan of restrictive behavior around food.

I don’t believe foods are inherently good or bad; so much depends on the individual person, circumstances, and environment.

However, this doesn’t mean I don’t use food rules with myself or my clients. It’s still up to us to figure out which foods work for us and which do not.

Having a little bit of structure can help us make good choices and not feel so lost in a sea of options. The four categories below can help guide you as you decide which foods to eat and which to skip (at least most of the time).

Foods that don’t agree with you

Although some scoff at the preponderance of food allergies these days, the struggle is real for many people.

I’ve worked with dozens of clients who experience physical distress in response to certain foods. This distress can present as stomach or digestive troubles, acne, joint pain, asthma, or an uptick in allergies. Some people have only mild symptoms, others suffer severe discomfort.

In order to feel their best, these clients need to remove certain foods from their regular meals.

Through a combination of food logging and experimentation, you can identify which foods are making you feel bad and gradually replace them with other things.

If you suspect you may have a food allergy or intolerance, it’s best to consult a nutritionist or doctor who can help guide you through the process of identifying problem foods.

Foods you don’t like

Many people have a lot of outdated ideas about what it means to diet or eat healthy.

If I had to eat nothing but bland baked chicken breast and soggy steamed veggies, I never would have stuck with healthy eating over the long term.

You can improve your eating habits without sacrificing flavor, taste, or diversity.

This is why learning how to cook can be so helpful for those trying to lose weight; not only do you have more control over the calorie content of your meals, you learn what it takes to make delicious food.

Your meals should taste good and make you feel good. It is possible to have both.

Foods you can’t stop eating

Some people excel with a moderation-based approach to food. If they completely remove trigger foods (like chips, ice cream, peanut butter, pastries, etc.), they feel deprived and are more likely to overeat those foods later. These people do better when they eat small amounts of treats on a regular basis.

Other people, myself included, do better with an abstinence-based approach to trigger foods. If there’s a food you can’t stop eating, it’s easier to stop yourself before you take the first bite.

I’m willing to bet you already know if this is you. You plan to have a small amount of a food, but it only triggers you to want more and more. Before you know it you’ve eaten way more than you intended and you feel physically and mentally gross.

If this sounds like you, removing these foods from your house or not ordering them can be a helpful first step in your journey to combat stress or binge eating.

By the way, this can change over time. With increased self-awareness, some people will be able to reintroduce certain foods to their diet in moderate amounts.

The important thing is to be honest with yourself about what will help you feel your best.

Foods you don’t want to eat

Have you ever had a well-meaning friend or family member pressure you into eating a certain food?

This is one of the biggest challenges of losing weight or getting in shape, one that’s not talked about nearly enough.

So much of our history, culture, identity, and emotions can be tied up in food.

Other people may feel resentful, confused, left out, or just oblivious when you’re eating in a new and different way. This leads them to consciously or unconsciously pressure you to eat certain foods or eat more than you’d like.

If you don’t want to eat something – for any reason – it’s okay to say no. It’s not always easy to do, but learning to say no can improve both your fitness outcomes and your relationships.

I hope this gives you some things to consider. Whenever possible, eat foods that taste great, make your brain and body feel good, and support your long-term goals.

Would you like some help figuring out the best nutritional and dietary approach for your unique goals, personality, and lifestyle? Apply for my online training program and I can help.

April 16, 2020October 15, 2020

Five tips to help you stop stress eating

Even before coronavirus quarantine, stress and emotional eating were the biggest nutritional challenges faced by my clients.

Stress eating is even more widespread now, as everyone tries to navigate an uncertain and upsetting situation while being confined to their homes.

It’s not easy to overcome these challenges, but it is absolutely possible. If you’re tired of feeling trapped in the emotional eating cycle, try using one or more of the tips below.

By slowing down, gaining awareness, experimenting with your actions and environment, and being kind to yourself, you can break free of stress eating.

Get curious and pay attention.

Stress eating happens so fast that it seems to come out of the blue. Before you even know what’s happening, you’re finished with a pint of ice cream or are working on your second sleeve of girl scout cookies. We’ve all been there!

Although it seems automatic, stress eating is always preceded by a cue. Some event, emotion, interaction, or other stimulus triggers you to dive into the familiar cycle. These can be negative cues, like wanting to avoid an unpleasant emotional state, or positive cues, like associating a certain food with happy memories of a place or person.

If you’re not sure what your cues are – and there could be many of them – the fist step is to pay more attention. Take notes after you stress eat. What were you doing before? How did you feel? What were you thinking about? Who were you with? What time of day was it?

It’s helpful to write this stuff down in a journal or on a note on your phone so you can review it and look for patterns. In time, you will start to identify specific cues and build greater awareness around your behavior.

Give yourself other options.

So you’ve identified your stress eating cues – now what?

You need other tasks that you can turn to when a craving strikes. Ideally, these other tasks will help you address the real need you’re trying to solve through food.

Are you feeling anxious or stressed? Try going for a walk, journaling for a few minutes, or sitting quietly and following your breath.

Are you lonely? Call or facetime a friend.

Are you bored? Go for a walk, read a good book, play a game, or start tackling a household chore.

Are you actually hungry? Try reaching for a healthy snack like fresh fruit, veggies, or protein.

I made a list on my phone of all the things I can do instead of stress eating. Create your own list and reference it when you feel the urge to reach for food. Most of the things on your list should be easy to do or you run the risk of ignoring them.

Make it easier/make it harder.

Our environment has a huge influence on our actions. If you’re struggling with stress eating, you can rearrange your kitchen and pantry to make it easier to eat healthy foods and harder to eat junk food. Some ideas:

Keep a bowl of fresh fruits out on the counter in plain sight.
Keep treat foods packaged and out of sight if possible, such as in a pantry with a closed door.
Keep chopped veggies or other healthy snacks in the front of your fridge.
If you know you have a hard time resisting certain treat foods, don’t buy them and don’t let others bring them into the house.

Plate it and savor it.

Sometimes, you’re going to indulge in treats. If you’ve followed the steps above and consciously decided you really want to eat something, do your best to enjoy the experience.

Plate your food by removing it from the container, placing however much you plan to eat on a plate or in a bowl, and sitting down at the table to eat it.

Savor your treat by eating slowly and minimizing distractions. You may be surprised at how much more satisfying eating can be when you’re mentally present.

Practice self compassion.

When I was knee-deep in my eating disorder, I lived in a constant state of shame. I felt terrible about myself for the way I was eating, which only made me want to give myself the middle finger and eat more. It was incredibly tough to break free from this vicious cycle.

Many of us think we can motivate ourselves to change by shaming and berating ourselves. In reality, this only feeds the bad habit cycle.

The answer is not to punish or talk down to yourself, but to be kind and gentle. When you overindulge, forgive yourself and try to learn from the experience. Understand that you’re not alone (especially these days) and you’re not broken beyond repair.

The goal of self compassion is not to give yourself an excuse to stress eat, but rather to rid you of toxic feelings of guilt and shame which keep you trapped.

Overeating doesn’t make you a bad person and it doesn’t mean you’ll never achieve your health and fitness goals. It’s just one more obstacle to overcome so you can grow and live your happiest, healthiest life.

If you want more help with this, I’m here for you. Fill out an application for my online coaching program for personal support, accountability, and compassion from a coach who personally knows how hard it is to combat stress eating.

November 13, 2019November 13, 2019

Not seeing gym results? You’re probably making this mistake.

People usually fall into one of three groups when they come to the gym:

They show up with no plan or only a vague idea of what they want to work on that day. They wander around the gym using whatever equipment is available, hitting their favorite exercises, and copying what they see others doing.
They complete a random workout from an influencer’s plan or app. Although they’re following a prescribed workout, each session doesn’t necessarily build on the others.
They do the same workout(s) they’ve been doing for years, with the exact same exercises, sets, reps, and weights they always use.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing what you want at the gym. Everyone trains for different reasons, and if you’re just trying to move your body and fit some activity into your day then it really doesn’t matter what you do.

However, if you have specific goals you’d like to achieve, such as getting stronger, losing weight, building muscle, or moving with less pain, I strongly recommend you take a different approach.

Changing your body in any meaningful way requires consistency, effort, and building specific skills over time. If you come to the gym with a random plan (or worse, no plan), you’re wasting valuable time and leaving potential progress on the table. And if you always do the same things, your body will eventually stop responding. We must strike a balance between too much new stuff and not enough new stuff to consistently move forward.

I’m a true believer in long-term workout programs built around core movements and progressive overload. If you’re tired of wasting time at the gym or aren’t sure why you’re not seeing results, maybe it’s time to change the way you work out.

The Novelty Trap

Everyone wants to have a good time when they come to the gym. Since it’s often hard to find the motivation to train, it makes sense that we’d like to have fun while we’re there. This becomes a problem, however, when we derive all our enjoyment from novelty or are afraid we’ll get bored if we don’t constantly try new things.

Social media exacerbates our exercise ADD. We scroll through our instagram feeds for inspiration and see all kinds of new and crazy exercises. Our favorite celebrity is doing one thing, a pro athlete we admire is doing another, an old classmate is promoting a new exercise system, and a fitness model we follow is doing something entirely different. It’s tempting to pick and choose a little bit of everything we see. This results in random workouts that may be fun but do very little to advance us toward our goals.

Too much novelty leaves us trapped in learning mode. Each time we go to the gym, we devote tons of time and energy to figuring out how to perform new exercises. If you’ve ever tried to learn a new movement, you know it’s tough to push yourself on your first few tries. This is because your brain is not initially efficient at telling your muscles when and how to move. If we don’t give our nervous system time to adapt, we’re never truly able to drive desired adaptations like fat loss, muscle gain, or increased strength. We need time and practice to be able to push our bodies to improve.

You know what I think is entertaining? Getting results. Repeating workouts (with smart progression over time) will always give you more bang-for-your-buck than reinventing the wheel each time you hit the gym.

But don’t I need to confuse my muscles and keep my body guessing?

The idea that you can trick your body into making progress by constantly switching up your workouts was popularized by workout programs like P90X. Muscle confusion is one of those appealing myths that seems like it could be true but isn’t actually rooted in science.

You need fewer changes than you might think to continue progressing over time. I often have my clients work on the same three or four basic strength exercises for several months. I add variety by changing the number of sets and reps performed each month. When the reps are lower, the client will be lifting heavier weights. If I then bump the reps up again and the client can still lift the heavier weight, we’ll know we are making good progress. Even a slight change in sets and reps can also totally change the demands and feel of an exercise. I’m happy because my client is improving through repeated practice, and my client is happy because they feel engaged in the training process.

Another benefit to keeping your workouts simple is that you’ll have exercises and training techniques in reserve for when progress slows or you want a total change of pace. If you’re constantly performing every exercise you know, you’ll be stuck when you hit an inevitable plateau. There’s nothing for you to change and no new direction you can go. You’re more likely to injure yourself and less likely to get really good at anything.

Finally, understand that underneath all the flashy instagram workouts or new products they’re promoting, every person with a great body is performing (or did perform for many years) primarily boring workouts filled with basic exercises that everybody knows. This is true for bodybuilders, pro athletes, crossfitters, and fitness models. I guarantee that 80-90% of their time at the gym is spent doing simple things you probably already know how to do. You just don’t see this stuff online because it’s not as sexy and it doesn’t sell new workout programs.

Want better results? Get back to basics and push yourself.

Only a few things truly matter at the gym if you want to build a lean, strong, and healthy body. You will always be leaving results on the table if you ignore these principles in favor of exotic exercises, flashy workout techniques, and too much novelty.

No matter what goals you’re chasing, you should train all of the foundational human movement patterns every week. Everyone needs to perform some variation of a squat, hip hinge, lunge (or other appropriate single leg exercise), upper body push, upper body pull, and loaded carry. Pick exercises that are appropriately challenging and don’t bang up your joints.

When in doubt, simplify. You can get a lot of mileage out of seemingly basic exercises like goblet squats, dumbbell Romanian deadlifts, pushups, rows, and farmer carries.

You need to train with intensity if you want to see results. Your workouts should push your physical and mental limits while still allowing you to recover. Challenge yourself with heavy loads, more sets, less rest, or intensity techniques.

Repeating workouts several times helps you find your groove and generate more intensity. In my experience, the sweet spot of most programs occurs in the third or fourth week. This is when people feel most comfortable with the exercises and can lift the most weight or perform the most sets.

Focus on progressive overload. Over time, you should see your gym performance improve. This could mean lifting more weight, doing more sets and/or reps, taking less rest, using better form, being more explosive, or progressing to more challenging exercise variations (eg progressing from a kettlebell deadlift to a trap bar deadlift). If you’re not getting better in measurable ways over the long term, you need to take an honest look at your workouts and/or your effort.

If you’re serious about your results, you need to commit to a long-term workout program. I write four-month training blocks for most of my clients. I’ve found this is an ideal amount of time to build essential skills and see noticeable progress toward a goal. Even if you don’t follow a three or four month program, I strongly recommend repeating one set of workouts for four to six weeks before switching things up.

Finally, trust the process and be consistent. Getting stronger, losing weight, building muscle, or rehabbing an injury all take time, focus, and hard work. If you keep showing up and appreciate all the little moments along the way, you’ll have a much better chance to achieve lasting success.

Have I convinced you that your workouts need an upgrade? Here are two ways to move forward:

Sign up for online coaching. I design 100% customized, structured, long-term workout plans based on your unique needs. I also offer nutrition and lifestyle coaching and accountability check-ins to support you with your goals.

Purchase Full45, a done-for-you three month training program designed for busy professionals who want to get stronger and leaner. Train your entire body twice a week for 45 minutes using these client-tested workouts.

September 25, 2019October 14, 2019

Why popular diets don’t work (and what to do instead)

My fat loss journey began in August 2011. Just before my sophomore year of college, I went to my doctor for a routine check up and was shocked to learn I was prediabetic. I was only 19 years old, far too young to be teetering on the precipice of a serious, chronic and preventable disease. I knew I needed to make a serious effort to change if I wanted to stop heading down the scary path I was on.

Initially, my approach was simple. I counted calories and logged my food. I focused on eating protein and vegetables. I went to the gym five or six times a week. I slowly built a new routine around grocery shopping, cooking and regular exercise.

My results were impressive. I lost around 60 pounds in six months of dieting. However, this was not the end of my story. In fact, this is the point where I started to run into trouble.

Me before and after 60lbs weight loss. What you don't see is that in the after picture, I was also struggling with disordered eating. — Left: August 2011, the same trip I learned I was prediabetic.
Right: September 2012, 60lbs lighter but deep in a spiral of disordered eating

Unsatisfied with my progress thus far, I decided I needed to resort to more extreme measures to lose the last 10 pounds to get to my (arbitrary) goal weight. I was intrigued by the promises of intermittent fasting, the paleo diet, Whole30, the keto diet and others. I believed if I reduced my eating window, engaged in lengthy 24-hour fasts and removed certain food groups from my diet, I could trick my body into shedding those last 10 pounds. These diets appealed to my inner perfectionist and need for control.

I severely restricted what and when I ate. I refused to eat at certain restaurants or outside of my eating window, and I would freak out if I didn’t have diet-friendly options. I was legitimately terrified that eating off-plan would result in a cascade of negative health effects and instant weight gain.

Following a period of restriction, I would inevitably reach a breaking point and binge on off-plan foods. Afterwards I was filled with anxiety, shame and self-loathing. I vowed to be even more restrictive moving forward. Unfortunately, I always ended up stuck in the same cycle. Ultimately, I gained a lot of weight back and nearly destroyed my relationship with food.

I’ve spent years repairing the damage caused by my failed experiments with fad diets. Today, a central part of my mission as a coach is to help my clients avoid the same mistakes. In the rest of this article, I explain why fad diets are a bad fit for most people and share my strategies for healthy, sustainable weight loss.

The problem with fad diets

I define a fad diet as any popular diet that promises impressive results if you follow a restrictive eating plan. These diets usually claim they alone have the secret to fast fat loss, health and longevity. They may lean on scare tactics or fear mongering to convince you of their validity.

Many people experience some initial success following fad diets. All diets work by creating a caloric deficit. If you remove entire food groups or eat in a limited window, chances are good you’ll be consuming fewer calories than you were before. You may also experience a rapid initial weight loss due to decreased water retention. It’s normal to feel encouraged by these great initial results and think you’ve stumbled upon a real secret.

Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to stick with a fad diet long term. Problems arise once the diet is finished, or when life gets complicated and you can no longer stick to the diet.

Here are a few reasons people struggle:

Fad diets are too restrictive. If you are a competitive athlete or bodybuilder, controlling your body is your number one priority and you can build your entire world around it. For the rest of us, some degree of flexibility is essential.

Many fad diets place so many restrictions on what you can eat that it’s difficult to travel, go out with friends or enjoy a holiday meal with family. If your diet isn’t adaptable to the rest of your life, you won’t be able to stick to it long term.

As a result of prolonged restriction, many people experience a strong pendulum swing after their diet. They binge on everything in sight (especially foods that were “off limits”), stop going to the gym, and/or drink to excess. The more deprived you felt on the diet, the more extreme your reaction tends to be when you’re finished.

Many fad diets are built upon questionable science. Be wary of any diet guru who promises one solution for everyone and shit talks other styles of eating. Different styles of eating work for different people, and most don’t need gimmicks, expensive supplements or weird tricks to look, feel and perform better.

Fad diets tend to focus on small details and miss the big picture. In my experience, fad diets rarely address the things actually standing in our way. We usually need to zoom out – not in – to get to the heart of our problems.

Are you eating in a caloric deficit for an extended period of time? Are you focusing on foods that help you feel satisfied, nourished and energized within your deficit? Are you getting enough sleep and managing stress? Are you engaging in regular exercise?

Unless you answered yes to all of those questions, you don’t need a fancy or specific diet. You just need to get honest with yourself about what’s holding you back, and then decide if you are ready, willing and able to tackle those things.

A sane and sustainable approach to fat loss

I want all my clients to develop their own framework for healthy eating. This requires more effort than following a fad diet because you don’t have someone else telling you what to do; YOU need to figure out your own best practices. But if you’re serious abodut losing weight and keeping it off while still enjoying life and keeping a healthy relationship with food, you have to do the work

Only a few things have a big impact on diet results. I refer to these as “big rocks,” and they’re where I try to focus my clients’ attention. Moving the big rocks means creating simple and sustainable daily habits my clients can seamlessly integrate into their lives.

Here are a few examples of big rocks for fat loss:

Eat fewer calories than your body needs This is the biggest rock of all.
Eat mostly whole foods, but allow some room for occasional treats.
Get enough sleep.
Move your body every day.
Practice patience and self-compassion.

Changing your body, habits and lifestyle is hard work. There will be many ups and downs, and I guarantee the process will take longer than you expect. Following a fad diet won’t speed up your success, and may actually cause more harm than good in the long run.

Do you want to learn the exact method I recommend for simple, sane and sustainable fat loss? Sign up for Sane and Simple Fat Loss, a six-week group coaching program help you learn this system and discover the best fat loss approach for your unique body and lifestyle. Learn more and join us here.

September 11, 2019October 14, 2019

Make this change to feel less hungry and more satisfied

Have you ever felt restless and “hungry” immediately after eating a full meal? This used to happen to me almost every day. I’d speed through my meals in 10 minutes or less, scrolling on my phone and paying very little attention to my food.

When I finished eating, I felt extremely unsatisfied. Because I ate so fast and wasn’t mentally present, it felt like I hadn’t eaten at all. I was much more likely to experience strong cravings or obsess over when I could eat my next meal. Sometimes, I would eat more food and end up feeling stuffed 30 minutes later.

I first realized I was a fast eater several years ago. When I started dating my boyfriend, I frequently went out to eat with him and his parents. All three of them ate significantly slower than me. It was awkward and embarrassing to wolf down my food only to notice that they still had more than half their meals remaining.

When I started paying attention to my eating speed, I made some interesting observations. Most of the people I knew who were overweight were fast eaters just like me. On the flip side, the people who ate the slowest also tended to be the slimmest.

When I questioned my weight loss clients, I found that almost everyone who was struggling to see results admitted to being a fast eater. Many of them had experienced the same feelings of dissatisfaction, cravings, and lingering “hunger” after meals.

Around the same time, I also completed my Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification. Slow eating is extremely important to PN; it’s the first habit they teach their nutrition clients, even before they talk about what foods to eat. I was intrigued by the idea that changing how we eat could have such an outsize impact on our health, body size, and wellbeing.

Armed with these experiences, I began my own quest to become a slow eater. The benefits I’ve experienced cannot be overstated. Slow eating revolutionized my understanding of hunger and fullness and dramatically increased the satisfaction factor of my meals.

I strongly believe slowing down is one of the biggest bang-for-your-buck changes anyone can make to improve their nutrition, build a leaner body, and heal their relationship with food. Below, I share some of the benefits of slow eating and my favorite strategies to help you get started.

The benefits of slow eating

There is a lot of research and anecdotal evidence supporting the value of slow eating. Some benefits are physiological, others are psychological.

Slow eating helps us get more in touch with our natural hunger and fullness cues. It takes time for our guts to tell our brains we’ve had enough to eat. If we eat too fast, it’s easy to eat more than we need before we even notice we’re full. For this reason, slow eating can help us eat less food and effectively manage portions and calories. It’s one of the best ways to reduce feelings of restriction and deprivation during a diet. When you eat slowly, you feel more satisfied with less food.
Slowing down and chewing our food can aid in digestion and improve the nutrient absorption of our food. This is a game changer for anyone who regularly struggles with gastrointestinal issues.
Slow eating dramatically increases the satisfaction factor of our meals. When we slow down, we’re forced to be more mindful as we eat. It’s easier to appreciate the flavors and textures of our food. We slowly notice ourselves getting full and can pick up on subtle signals from our body. When the meal is finished, we feel more fulfilled and are less likely to reach for extra food or snacks.
Slowing down and removing distractions turns meals into a relaxing experience. Like many of you, I spend much of the day plugged in to my phone and frequently distracted. I have a bad habit of reaching for my phone any time there’s a lull in my day. Forcing myself to put my phone away and focus on eating slowly creates much-needed mental space. I look forward to my meals as an opportunity to relax and recharge.

Slow eating makes your meals much more enjoyable.

Slow eating strategies

I have been practicing slow eating for several years. I don’t always get it right, but slower eating is becoming more and more natural for me. Below are some of the strategies that have been most helpful for me and my clients. Not every strategy will work for every person, so experiment and try them out one at a time.

Food in mouth, fork on plate. One of the simplest changes I made was also one of the most powerful. In the past, I was busy loading up my next bite of food on my fork before I finished the one in my mouth. Now, I always put my utensil down until I’m completely done with each bite.
Actually chew your food. Naturally fast eaters have a tendency to wolf down their food without fully chewing it. You will digest your meals much better if you chew your food into a paste before swallowing. This also allows you to truly taste flavors and experience food textures.
Enjoy the moments between bites. When you eat slowly, there will be more empty space between bites. I use this time to sip water, relax with a deep breath, or engage in conversation if I’m sharing my meal with others. I’ll also check in with my hunger levels by asking if I’m still hungry and still enjoying the meal. If I’m not, I know it’s time to stop eating.
Remove distractions. I used to mindlessly scroll on my phone during meals. Because I wasn’t present, I never felt satisfied and was more likely to experience strong cravings or overeat later. Now, I put my phone away when I eat for most meals. Your distraction of choice could be something else, such as eating in front of the tv or computer or in your car. Whenever possible, do one thing at a time. Eat, and then get on with the rest of your day.
Use a meal timer app. Eating slowly doesn’t come naturally to me, so I use the Eat Slowly app to hold myself accountable to a slower pace. I try to take at least 15-20 minutes to eat all my main meals and at least 10 minutes to eat any smaller meals or snacks.

Most meals should take around 20 minutes to eat.

What to do now

If you want to lose weight, make healthier food choices, or simply get a grip on hunger and cravings, try eating slower.

My challenge to you:

For the next two weeks, focus on eating slowly for at least one meal per day. Pick just one strategy from the list to try. Sit down to eat without distractions. Take one bite at a time and pause before you keep eating. Enjoy your food and reconnect with your bodily sensations. Use a timer to hold yourself accountable.

Then, pay attention to how you feel. I think you will be amazed at how much more you enjoy your meals and how much more satisfied you feel when finished.

Looking for a sane and sustainable approach to fat loss that doesn’t rely on fad diets or gimmicks and isn’t overly restrictive? My habit-based, holistic approach to coaching helps you focus on the few things that matter and ignore the rest. I’m currently accepting new clients, and you can apply to learn more at this link.

June 25, 2019June 25, 2019

Four Lessons From Four Years at FFC

Last week, I celebrated my four year work anniversary at Fitness Formula Clubs. For those of you who don’t know, FFC is the gym in downtown Chicago where I train my in-person clients. I spent the week reflecting on all the lessons I’ve learned from my wonderful clients and coworkers.

When I first moved back to Chicago, I wasn’t sure if I would stay in the fitness industry. My life was in a state of enormous upheaval after leaving the classical music world, quitting grad school, and moving cross country for the third time in five years. I knew I loved fitness, but I didn’t know if I could build a lasting career in the field. However, I decided to continue training while I figured things out.

I interviewed at nearly every gym in the city, but the vibe was different at FFC. I could tell the management team was truly invested in the well-being and education of the training team. The facilities were great (and they’ve only gotten better over the last four years) and the atmosphere felt right. After considering a few other offers, I started work at FFC Union Station on June 18, 2015.

Despite my good first impression, the first six months on the job were rough. Although I had coaching experience, I had very little business experience. I probably wouldn’t have stuck it out past the end of 2015 if it weren’t for the support and mentorship of some of my coworkers and managers.

Eventually, I began to find my stride. Constantly learning new things made me a more effective coach and helped my clients obtain better results. As time passed, I also built deep relationships with many of these clients. I ultimately chose to abandon plans to pursue another career and devote myself 100% to a life of coaching. Years later, I still feel this was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

In honor of my work-iversary, I want to share four lessons I’ve learned over the last four years. These are insights I’ve gained by observing my clients’ hard work as they travel the difficult path of lifestyle change. Success leaves clues, and after working with hundreds of people, I’ve observed some key similarities between those clients doing the best.

There’s more to getting in shape than eating right and exercising.

All my clients (and probably everyone reading this) know they need to eat healthy food and regularly hit the gym to achieve their goals. However, if you’re serious about getting and staying in shape, there are other factors which are arguably even more important.

One thing that sets my most successful clients apart from the rest is their understanding that true health is multifaceted. It involves looking after your body, mind, emotions, and sense of purpose and connection. To truly look, feel, and perform your best, you need all of these:

Consistent training
A balanced and sane approach to nutrition
Plenty of sleep
Physical activity outside the gym
Mental and physical self-care
Stress management
Connection and support
A sense of purpose

It’s relatively simple to follow a strict eating and exercise plan for a few months when you don’t have a lot going on. But what happens when life gets in the way? In my experience, clients who pay attention to the second half of the list are much more resilient and better able to take care of themselves even with limited resources or an influx of additional stress.

No one nails this entire list on a daily basis (I certainly don’t). However, if you’re serious about achieving your health and fitness goals, you will have to address all of these issues in time. I’ve seen clients make some truly amazing progress when they start looking beyond the obvious things and get to the root of what’s standing in their way.

Consistency wins.

My most successful clients are also my most consistent clients. Clients who attend all their scheduled sessions make significantly more progress than clients who frequently miss workouts. Clients who dutifully perform their physical therapy exercises and pay attention to mobility recover faster from injuries and are much more resilient in their daily lives. And clients who follow an eating plan six or seven days per week see much faster results than clients who indulge a little too much on the weekends.

Consistency is the closest thing to a magic bullet when it comes to achieving any health and fitness goal. Do yourself a favor and find a way to do the important things on a more regular basis.

Everyone needs support.

All my clients are smart, successful people. I’m in awe of what some of them do on a daily basis and I would never tell them how to do their jobs or take care of their families.

However, nobody can be an expert in everything. Hiring a trainer is one of the best ways to jump-start progress and bust through plateaus. It’s incredibly helpful to hand over your workouts to someone else you will ensure you make the most of limited time and push yourself in a safe and structured way. This is a lesson I really took to heart a few years ago when I began working with trainers of my own. I’ve seen such great progress that I hope to never write my own workouts or nutrition plans ever again.

Even if you never hire a trainer, you’ll enjoy more success if you have direct support for your fitness goals. Many of my long term clients have built strong friendships with other gym regulars. It’s been fun for me to watch these members interact and support each other in many different areas of their lives. It’s always easier to come to the gym if you know you get to hang out with your friends.

We also need support beyond the gym. It’s important to discuss your efforts with your family or partner to ensure everyone is on the same page. My most successful clients have honest conversations with the people in their lives about why they want to change and what they need to make it happen. Even if family members don’t need or want to make the same choices as my clients at first, they are often inspired to get in shape themselves once they see the results.

The journey is the destination.

Most people join a gym or hire a trainer because they have specific goals. They want to lose 20 pounds, complete their first marathon, or learn how to train safely after an injury. It’s always fun for me to create the first training program for a new client and help them crush these goals.

However, my most successful clients are the ones who realize that getting and staying in shape is a lifelong process that doesn’t end once you achieve your initial goal. It’s vitally important – and often much more challenging – to sustain your results for weeks, months, and years after you hit your goal. You have to continually recommit to the process and find ways to incorporate your new healthy habits into a lifestyle that’s enjoyable, meaningful, and sustainable.

In some cases, clients I’ve had for years are still chipping away at their first goal. What helps these clients stave off frustration and keep them coming back? First, 100 percent of the time they experience benefits they weren’t necessarily expecting such as increased energy, more strength, fewer aches and pains, and more confidence in their daily lives.

Second, they find fulfillment in the act of showing up and doing their best. They like working out, being active outside the gym, and learning to cook healthy meals at home. Rather than obsessing over their destination, they learn to enjoy the journey.

It takes much longer than we’d like to achieve many fitness goals. While we can control our actions and behaviors, we can’t control our outcomes. It’s vital to learn to love the process if you want long-term success.

happy group of runners enjoying the benefits of a healthy lifestyle — What will you be able to do when you are consistent, patient, and dedicated to your health and fitness goals?

I’m taking time this week to reflect and be grateful. My job has difficult aspects like everyone’s, but I’m so lucky to be able to come to work at a great gym every day. Thank you to all the clients who’ve trusted me with your health over the years. I’ve learned as much from training and getting to know you as you’ve hopefully learned from me. I couldn’t ask for a cooler group of people with which to spend my days.

Interested in working with me in Chicago? Send me a message here and I’ll help you set up a complimentary consultation at FFC. If you don’t live in Chicago, you can apply for my online training program here.

May 1, 2019April 6, 2021

To weigh or not to weigh? The many ways to measure fat loss progress

Let’s say you want to lose some weight. You started watching what you eat and hitting the gym on a regular basis. You feel good about the changes you made and decide to buy a scale to monitor your progress. However, after a couple of weeks the number of the scale barely budged. What gives? Are you really not making any progress? Or are you simply looking at the wrong things?

Changing your body is a long process. Often, the mental game trips us up more than anything else. It’s crucial to be patient and kind to yourself while building new habits. If you rely too much on the scale, it’s easy to get frustrated and miss all the other evidence that you’re moving in the right direction.

Below, I discuss several ways to measure changes to your body. If you’re feeling frustrated with your apparent lack of progress, or simply want a more effective and honest way to measure progress, you may benefit from looking beyond just the scale.

All about the scale

Bodyweight is the most obvious metric to track if you want to lose weight. I’m not going to tell you bodyweight doesn’t matter or that you shouldn’t pay attention to it. However, it’s important to understand what your scale is telling you and put this number in a broader context. Bodyweight by itself can be very misleading.

Unfortunately, bodyweight is often the only progress metric people track. Sometimes this causes people to abandon plans that could lead to great results if only they were more patient. Others step on the scale and let whatever number they see dictate their mood – or worse, their sense of self worth – for the rest of the day. This can fuel body image issues, trigger obsessive behavior, and even contribute to disordered eating.

If you have a poor relationship with the scale, I strongly encourage you to throw yours away and measure progress with some of the alternative metrics discussed below. You are worth so much more than the number on the scale!

How to use the scale and keep your sanity

Scale weight fluctuates based on many factors: what and when you last ate, hydration, salt intake, when you last exercised, stress levels, menstrual cycle, etc.

I’ve seen my own weight fluctuate more than five pounds in a day. Does this mean I gained five pounds of body fat? Absolutely not. The changes in weight were due to water and glycogen manipulations. True weight gain and loss happens much more gradually.

For this reason, I never want my clients to weigh themselves just once per week. It’s too difficult to get an accurate of picture of what’s going on. Instead, I recommend weighing yourself 3-7 times per week. It’s best to weigh yourself first thing in the morning just after using the bathroom. Record your weight in a journal or on your phone. At the end of each week, take an average of your daily weights.

Your weekly average is what matters as you monitor your progress. Are your averages trending down? You’re probably losing body fat. Trending up? You’re most likely gaining weight.

I love the Happy Scale app for tracking weight. This app smooths out the daily ups and downs to give you an accurate average weight. It also shows you whether your weigh ins are trending up or down. This takes some of the anxiety out of daily weigh ins because you’ll know you’re heading in the right direction, even if your daily weight fluctuates.

Keep in mind fat loss takes a long time. For most people, losing one pound per week is an excellent rate of progress. You may also drop more weight initially and then experience slower progress, which is totally normal.

using the scale is one way to measure fat loss — The scale does not give you a complete picture of your fat loss progress.

Beyond the scale: other ways to measure progress

One of the easiest ways to tell you’re making progress is to pay attention to how your clothes fit. If you’re trying to lose weight, baggy pants, looser waists, and moving in a notch on your belt are all signs you’re heading in the right direction. Lots of progress here may necessitate a wardrobe update, which can be a fun way to treat yourself and celebrate your success.

If you hear someone talking about how many inches they’ve lost, they’re referring to the total of body measurements they’re tracking. I often have clients take body measurements as a way to quantify the changes happening to different parts of their bodies. Body measurements should be taken using a cloth measuring tape once or twice per month. Waist measurements (just above the belly button) are particularly valuable to measure fat loss. If the scale isn’t budging but you’ve lost inches around your waist, you’re still making progress. You may also choose to measure your neck, shoulders, chest, bicep, hips, thigh, and calf. Be sure to take the measurements from the same place every time.

Changes in body fat percentage provide another way to measure fat loss. If your primary goal is fat loss, you want to see this number decrease. If the scale stays the same but your body fat percentage goes down, you’re still losing fat and likely building some muscle.

Unfortunately, body fat percentage is difficult to track. Accurate methods like a DEXA scan are costly and usually require you to visit a specialized facility. Tracking with calipers is somewhat accurate, but you’ll need another person (like a trainer) to take these measurements for you. You may still see big discrepancies depending on the person taking the measurements and the calipers used. The easiest methods, handheld body fat scanners or scales that measure body fat, are also the least accurate. If you decide to track your body fat percentage despite these challenges, use the same tracking method every time.

Progress photos are perhaps the best way to measure body change. Many of us chase an “ideal weight,” but what we are truly after is changing the way we look and feel. Sometimes the numbers we want to hit date all the way back to high school and simply aren’t realistic or appropriate for our adult bodies. It won’t matter if you never hit your goal weight if you love the way your body looks and feels.

I recommend taking progress photos once a month. Wear the same form-fitting clothes or bathing suit each time. Take one photo each of your front, side (profile), and back. Take the photos in the same place with the same lighting if possible. You can take mirror selfies or set your phone to countdown if you’re not comfortable asking someone else to help you.

Comparing these photos side by side over the course of many months can be a very eye-opening and inspiring experience. Often we don’t notice the amazing progress we’ve made because we spend every day living in our bodies.

Progress photos from a diet I did a couple of years ago. Taking photos kept me motivated even when I didn’t necessary see changes in bodyweight.

Beyond your body: even more progress measures

Sometimes it’s helpful to forget about the way your body looks and instead focus on all the amazing things it can do. There are many ways to track this kind of progress in and out of the gym. Here are some of my favorites:

Increased energy levels. This was the very first benefit I enjoyed when I started working out. Before I started working out, I needed multiple cups of coffee at lunch just to stay awake during my afternoon classes. After, I had tons of energy throughout the day and was able to focus for extended periods of time. Are you experiencing similar benefits from your workouts? This is an early sign your body is changing and making positive adaptations.
Increased performance at the gym. Are you adding weight to your exercises on a consistent basis? Has your endurance improved during your cardio sessions? Are you completing more workouts during the week? These are all indications that you’re getting stronger and fitter. Although exercise is only one piece of the puzzle (especially if your primary goal is fat loss), it can dramatically improve your quality of life.
Fewer aches and pains. One of the unfortunate realities of being overweight or out of shape is that you’re at an increased risk of pain in your muscles and joints. Getting active, improving your movement quality, and strengthening your body can all help reduce this discomfort.
Getting through the day with greater ease. Are you walking up the stairs without getting winded? Can you sprint to catch a bus or train? Are you able to carry all your grocery bags in one trip? Can you comfortably bend over to tie your shoes? Sometimes progress is most noticeable in the mundane things we do everyday.

It takes time, patience, and perspective to change your body. Looking at more than one measure of progress is a powerful tool to keep you motivated and on track during the journey.

Looking for additional help achieving your fat loss goals?

The only 3 things you need to lose fat

3 mindset shifts that helped me lose 70+ lbs and keep it off

Or apply for my online coaching program here.