Real Life Fitness – Getting Fit With Brent

I’m going to write something that may be a bit controversial.  In fact, it may seem contradictory to my association with Beachbody, considering they sell supplements.  But it’s the truth, and everyone knows it whether they want to admit it or not (and most times, they will not admit it due to the financial gain they lose…more on that later).

So here it is:

It is NOT the supplement you are taking, drinking, whatever that is causing you to lose weight!

No, it’s not.

Supplements are named “supplements” for that very reason:  They are there to supplement some other change you are making in order to reach the desired effect.

To make my point:  If you started taking a supplement that promises weight loss, but you continue to eat like a pig, you may lose a couple of pounds (depending on what the supplement does), but you will not have any real long term success.

However, if you “supplement” a good diet, healthy habits like exercise, rest, etc, then the supplement MAY help.

No supplement is a miracle, though.  You will not magically lose weight unless you have already made drastic changes away from the standard American diet (SAD) and are eating how your body needs to be fed for the results you are wanting to do.

Yes, Shakeology is a supplement.  It is also usable as a meal replacement.  It is a GREAT product, but it is not a miracle product.  If you want long term results, use it to supplement a otherwise healthy diet.  You cannot drink a shake each day and then eat tons of other calories, sugars, bad fats, junk food, etc, and expect to look like Tony Horton or Shaun T.  It’s not happening.

So what brings this rant on?

There are so many companies out there in the direct sales industry that believe their supplements are miracles.  They truly believe that by just adding that supplement to their life that they have magically lost all of this weight.  And for a majority of them, that is simply NOT true.

The real truth is this:  They were approached by a product that could help them lose weight (so they were told), and they were given a plan to take the product, change how they eat to a cleaner, more wholesome diet, do some exercise, and they lost weight.  They made a lifestyle change that was supplemented with a supplement.

Who knew that eating healthy foods and exercise would help you lose weight?  (no sarcasm at all, I know)

But these people will never, ever admit that is the case.  Doing so would hurt their paycheck.  It would hurt their credibility.

When I first started P90X in 2009, I took no supplements.  I ate according to the guide.  I did my workouts every day.  I lost a LOT of fat.  Eating well, exercising, getting results…a novel concept, I know!

I did not add Shakeology until sometime in 2010 after my second round of P90X.  At that point I was taking the P90X multivitamin.  But again, it was there to support my lifestyle change I had already made.

You’re probably asking yourself, just as I have asked myself:  Why do you still use Shakeology then, Brent?

Because Shakeology to me has nothing to do with weight loss and everything to do with solid nutrition.  I’m not taking it as a miracle drink to help me shed pounds.  I am taking it, though, to make good nutrition convenient.  I credit the shake with helping me eat healthy, not lose weight (although by adding it in as a lower calorie meal option, with all natural products, toxin flushing ingredients, etc, it may aide in weight loss).

So please…quit trying to convince me that your product made you lose weight.  No….making the decision to change your life by eating better, exercising, and then supplementing your lifestyle with your supplement is what caused you to lose weight, plain and simple.

Brent Nutrition And Diet, Shakeology diet, exercise, nutrition, Shakeology, supplements

The biggest thing I have learned from my weight loss journey is the more prepared I am, the better I do. I am starting to use part of my Sundays to get setup for my entire week.

Trust me, when I am unprepared, then junk comes. And it usually comes in the form of fast food.

So here is what I am doiing this week:

Breakfast: Paleo muffins. See picture above.

1 pound breakfast sausage
onion
bell pepper
baby spinach
eggs
coconut oil

Coat silicone muffin cups with coconut oil. Brown sausage. Fill cups with sausage, leaving grease in pan. Cut onion, bell pepper, and baby spinach into small pieces and sauté in rest of grease. Spoon into cups. Then whisk as many eggs as needed to fill all the cups.

Makes approx 20

Lunch: Roasted chicken and veggies in coconut oil

All of these are prepped and ready to go for the entire week. This will take all of the guesswork out.

After this week I will start adding back in Shakeology. I want to spend this week riding my body of excess carbs. But even then I will use no additional fruit, just coconut milk and almond butter….because it is yum.

2 days in, almost 4 pounds down.

Brent Nutrition And Diet, Primal/Paleo Eating diet, food prep, nutrition, paleo, primal

Goodbye 2012! You were a fun, yet difficult year for me when it comes to fitness.

2012 never really got going for me with exercise. Starting the year with shoulder pain and ending it with shoulder surgery made upper body resistance impossible. I managed a round of Insanity, attempted to start another round, hit burn out, had to quit P90X2 due to shoulders, and things went downhill from there.

I did learn a bit about myself and something I need to work on. I obviously suffer from a seasonal depression called S.A.D. It is nothing that I think I will need major intervention but something that I am going to have to adjust around. It affects how I eat, how I feel, motivation to exercise, and other things that have typically caused weight gain in the fall.

So I start 2013 like this:

I’m back to a state with my body that is not pretty. I have a lot of fat to lose. I feel bloated from around 2 weeks of extremely poor eating

I am rehabbing from a labrum repair. This has kept me from doing much exercise

I am having another surgery sometime in the next 1-2 months.

I have a lot of obstacles to overcome to get to where I want to go. I am in a very positive mental state to get there though. I am restarting a paleo/primal diet. I am going to use a local facility for cardio and and leg training. My goal is to quickly de-bloat and start the fat burning process.

My goal is to be back down in the 160′s as quickly as possible. Last year when I did this I got down to 175 (from 190) in a matter of 2 weeks. I have a bit more to lose this year but know I can do it.

When fall rolls around I have to be prepared to fight the depression. I hope by then to be back into P90X workouts and be fully rehabbed on both shoulders.

I also plan to use a few of Beachbody’s supplements. I am starting out with not using Shakeology everyday. I will go the first 3-5 days without it to allow my body to start coming off of the large amounts of sugar I have consumed. My first 3-5 days will be hard. I will be focusing on LISS cardio. I will incorporate strength training in once I feel I am past the sugar detox phase.

Here’s to 2013!

Brent Nutrition And Diet, Primal/Paleo Eating, Shoulder Surgery diet, paleo diet, primal diet, reflections, weight loss

Let’s face it:  We all need to exercise.  My dad and I were talking the other day about a new “study” that came out that linked NOT exercising to an increase risk of cancer.  While I never really buy into these studies, it does bring up a great question:

What can I expect from eating clean and regular exercise?

Let’s take weight loss/fat loss out of the equation.  We all know these are the biggest reasons why people start a diet and begin to exercise.  I don’t want to discount weight/fat loss (everyone who reads this blog knows my story or can read more about it), but there are more benefits to it than just getting skinny.

I’m going to outline benefits I’ve noticed as well as others I’ve read about:

1.  More Energy

This one is the most obvious to me.  I work an office job.  I sit in front of a computer every day.  It is easy to want to eat junk, but when I did, I felt tired, lethargic, not as sharp, etc.  But when I’m really focused on nutrition and regular exercise (like my Insanity + Shakeology routine I’m on now), I feel steady energy all day.  I never feel like I’m crashing.  I can focus better.

Outside of work, I have more energy to play with my kids and do things with them.  I can exercise more than once a day a few extra times a week, burn some more calories, and not feel out of it.

2.  Better Sleep

True story:  During the fall, I get on a sugar kick.  Usually the sugar kick starts around 8:30-9pm at night and last until I go to bed.  When I do this, my stomach does not feel as good and I do not sleep as well.  During this past fall, due to the shoulder issue being a bit of a bummer, I quit exercising outside of physical therapy.  And I didn’t rest as well, had a hard time wanting to wake up each morning, etc.

Just a few days into what I’m doing now and I’m resting better than ever before.  I’m going to sleep faster, waking up refreshed, even if I only get 6-7 hours of sleep.  And getting better sleep leads back to my first point:  More energy!

3.  Improved Self-Confidence and Image

I’m proving to myself that I CAN do something with I eat clean and exercise daily.  I show myself that I can focus, be consistent, and accomplish goals.  Combining that with the fat loss (that yes, after one week, I can notice a bit of), makes me feel better about myself.

4.  Less Irritable

I’m a lot nicer person to be around after an Insanity workout.  Just ask my wife.

5.  Increased Libido

I’m neither going to confirm/deny this (I don’t “kiss and tell”), but I get emails from Men’s Health magazine and have read some various diet books that boast this.  And it make sense.  For a male, eating certain foods and exercising seems to give a boost in natural testosterone.  And it produces sweat, which they say is a pheromone.  And pheromones seems to turn women on.  Or something like that…

For women, there’s actually been ladies reporting climaxing while exercising!  If that isn’t libido increasing I do not know what is!  Along with that, though, having better self image (#3) and a less irritable husband (#4) seem to help this happen a lot…umm…..easier (that’s a good word for it).

Don’t believe me?  Google it.

6.  Stronger Bones

I’ll admit I don’t know the science behind this, but it has been reported that strength and resistance works actually helps with bone density.  My mom is living proof of this:  Combined with some calcium treatments, she has moved her bone density away from a dangerously low level by lifting weights.

7.  Better Health/Quality of Life

This is probably the most important, although many people simply overlook it.

Sure, do all of the above, but the best thing is what happens on the inside.  The better you eat, and the more you keep toxic foods and fat off and out of your body, the better your health is.  Eating foods that prevent chronic inflammation and producing mild exercise-induced inflammation is good for you.  People can move away from being diabetic by doing these things.  They can reduce their chances of stroke and heart attack.  They can reduce their cancer risks and other things simply by eating clean and working out.

So from these reasons, which ones do you want to have happen to you?  To your spouse?  Let’s discuss this in the comments section!

Brent Fitness Tips, Nutrition And Diet diet, exercise, health, insanity, libido, nutrition, Shakeology, sleep

This will be a short post, but I hope it helps some of you keep your eyes on the big prize in health and fitness.

Today, I ate a bacon cheeseburger.  And some onion rings.  And it was good.  REALLY good, actually.  No, it was nowhere near what I’m supposed to eat on my diet.  No, I did not concern myself with healthy fats, whole grain carbs, lean meats, or low fat cheeses.  I simply ordered and consumed.  I enjoyed every bite of that (oh yeah, did I mention a couple of sips of my wife’s chocolate milkshake?).

Before I’m labeled a nutritional hypocrite, let me explain:  I believe in the cheat meal.  I believe in a reasonable cheat meal.

Nutrition isn’t about eating 100% perfect all the time.  It’s about eating near perfect a large majority of the time.  I strive for 6 days of near perfect eating, and I eat clean around the cheat meal.  But as long as I don’t consume a Turbacon Epic (you’ll love it, or be grossed out by it, one of the two), there is nothing wrong from eating off of your strict nutrition plan.

Now, a few warnings about the cheat meal:

1.  Eat what you want, not what you think you need.  Today, I opted for a cheeseburger.

2.  Never overeat purposely just because it’s your cheat meal.  It’s not an excuse to eat 2 days worth of calories.

3.  Get ready to feel like crap afterwards.  If you are used to eating clean, there’s a good chance you won’t feel great after eating something greasy, loaded with fats, or real sweet with refined sugars.

Now, if you are just starting out on something like P90X, and you have a lot of weight to lose, avoiding the cheat meal may not be a bad idea.  My first round of P90X, I limited myself to a cheat every 2 weeks (and generally, that cheat was pizza).  But that’s for you to decide.

So don’t think you have to completely give up on all the foods you love(d).  Enjoy them once a week, within reason, and eat well the rest of the time.

Brent Nutrition And Diet cheat meal, diet, healthy eating, nutrition, P90X

There’s no one nutrition plan for all people.  And there’s no one nutrition plan for whatever type of exercising you are doing, depending on your goals.  So to say this is what I’m going to do and stick with it no matter what could be affecting your results.  In fact, I can almost guarantee that it will.

Let’s look at some examples:

This is me.  I’m working hard to burn fat as best I can.  I started out at around 1800 calories this year and have been increasing up to 2,400.  I’m going to hang out at 2,400 for a bit longer and see if results kick in on the second month of Insanity.

But, I’ve had to adjust how I eat.  At first it was eating on The Abs Diet, and it produced good results at first.  But as my body composition changed, I had to adjust a few things.  Nothing wrong with that, just knew that I had to make some changes.

Now, I’m making even more changes.  I’m cutting out dairy and getting calcium from other sources.  I’m decreasing the amount of processed starches (i.e. breads, pastas, etc) and working towards more whole food sources for my main meals.  And I’m reducing my carbs at night with the goal of cutting them out completely when I hit the Insanity – Asylum nutrition plan.

And this may not be the ultimate answer.  I may have to eat more.  I may have to eat less (which I’ll be a bit under when I do Asylum).

Now, later this year, I plan on working on adding muscle size, which means more calories.  I’ll go from 2,400 where I am now to around 3,000 or so, depending on how well I burn.  I’ll work on more carb and proteins for most of this.

When I get back into playing tennis, I’ll increase more carbs than I will protein sources.

It all depends on what my goal is at that time.  For now, with the goal being a good fat burn, I have to focus on a healthy deficit with the goal to slowly close that up.

So what am I saying through all of this?  Don’t be afraid to tinker with your nutrition.  Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.  Do what you think is the right thing for you.  And if it is wrong, adjust.

Brent Nutrition And Diet adjustin calories, diet, nutrition

Standard disclaimer:  I’m not a nutritionist.  This blog post is not about giving nutrition advice.  This is just an editorial on how sometimes you have to evaluate your goals, step back, and decide what needs to change.

With that out of the way, here’s my thought:

Everyone eats for different reasons.  Some eat because they like it.  Some eat because they want to burn more fat.  Some eat because they need to fuel themselves for athletic performance.

For me, right now, eating is about burning fat while maintaining my energy level.  But sometimes if we are not paying attention our macronutrients (carbs, fats, proteins) can get out of balance with our goals.  For instance, to slim, my carb content needs to drop some.  Now, I’m burning fat at a good rate, but I think I can increase it just slightly.

So after posting a sample daily meal schedule on my P90X thread, one of the more experienced diet/P90X guys made a mention of my carb content being a little too high.

So I evaluated:

2.5 pieces of fruit a day – This is high.  This can come down.
Snack needs more protein – Easy fix
Starchy carb too high – Time to replace

So I’m taking a small step back and evaluating what I can change to get the most out of my body, keeping it fueled, but giving it more potent foods towards fat burning.

Here are some thoughts on modification, and some of these may be helpful for you too.

Pre-workout snack – Not sure if the whole wheat bread here really helps.  So instead, I’m going to do slightly more banana, same peanut butter, but no bread.  I may change this a bit as I figure out what works.

Lunch – Simply not enough protein.  My goal is to move away from deli meats, which are expensive when you compare to the actual calories you get, and move more into other lean meats, such as chicken breast tenderloins or canned chicken (or meat leftovers from the night before).  Also going to cut out the fruit here and replace those carbs with protein and vegetables.

Supper – This is the tricky part.  The only carb I consume is starchy.  I may take in a bit more protein and reduce the amount of starchy carb ever so slightly.  I may only do this for a short period of time.  Instead I need to focus more on replacing that starch with a vegetable source.

In my case, for slimming, I need to reduce fructose and starch and increase fiber and protein.  For lunches, I may go back to preparing veggies, chicken, and rice ahead of time and just mixing them real briefly in the microwave.

The goal will be to keep in the 2000 – 2200 calorie range for the next 5 pounds loss, and then evaluate whether to edge that up or not.

So that’s my case.  Now, your’s may be different.  If you’re fueling for something else, you may learn you need more carbs.  If you are wanting to pack on muscle, you may need to just eat more calories.

Brent Nutrition And Diet diet, nutrition

P90x Day 51 was Core Synergistics, my favorite workout in the entire P90X collection.

If you are looking for a workout that will make you sweat and feel exhausted by the end (the good kind of exhausted), then Core Synergistics is for you.   I had completely soaked my shirt.

Since I have adjusted back to the low carb/high protein diet, I attempted to bonk but would not let myself go there.  I took a break, got the heart rate back in line, and picked back up.

Speaking of the diet, stepping down to Level 2 (phase 1) has been interesting.  I think my body is adjusting well to it and now I believe that it was a mistake going to Level 3 at the start (my burn rate should be nowhere near 20%).  So I think Level 2 is a good fit for me.  I’m going to stick with it on Phase 1 for as long as I can, but probably go to Phase 2 the last couple of weeks.

I’m at a good spot right now in my inches lost overall.   Most of the clothes I have are way too big.  Polo’s for work, jeans, shorts, you name it, they are baggy now.  I told my wife I was going to Old Navy this weekend just to try on clothes to see what fits!

Brent P90X core synergistics, diet, P90X, p90x core synergistics, P90X-Diet

P90X day 43 was a rough CST and Ab Ripper workout.  This weekend was extremely tiring.  I decided to sleep in around 30 minutes and get started late and I’m glad I did.  I had a rough time getting going but pushed hard.  I’m typing this with very, very tired shoulders and chest.   Ab Ripper X was also rough this morning as my energy was very, very low by the end (did not eat as much or as well as I should have on Sunday).

Physically, I took measurements this weekend on neck, chest, and waist as well as weight.  I have dropped 2 lbs, .5″ on chest, and nothing on waist.  I suspected that I may be in starvation mode, so I’ve changed the diet to get more food in as well as upping protein foods as snacks and getting less carbs in on those.  I could not find turkey jerkey, but I did find some 97% fat free beef jerkey with 15g of proteins per serving (30g in a snack).  Finally found a protein bar that I can stomach, the Pure Protein Chewy Chocolate Chip.  I’m going to be strict for the next two weeks and see if I can get waistline to start shrinking again as well as dropping more weight.

Going to bed and going to crush Plyo X in the morning.

Brent P90X ab ripper x, diet, P90X, p90x chest shoulders and triceps, p90x cst, P90X-Diet, pure protein bars