Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/

Reading food labels can be tricky.

Today, more than ever before, the general public is health conscious and scrutinizing the food they purchase.

Food manufacturers and marketers know this.

So you come across a snack that says “light” or “multigrain,” and you assume the product in it is healthy.

Why would they lie?

There’s nothing worse than finding out your favorite protein bar is actually just a sugar filled candy bar with deceiving packaging.

That’s why today we are dedicating an article to seeing through this deceptive marketing.

We’ll do this by showing you how to read a nutrition information panel, as well as what packaging claims you can dismiss as bogus.

We’ll also give you some tips on shifting your diet to a more healthy way of eating in general.

If you are trying to watch what you eat to lose weight, make sure you grab our healthy eating guide: 10 Levels to Change Your Life.

It’s a level up system, with each step shifting you towards improved nutrition strategies. We take it slow and work with your own pace, so the changes you make will be sustainable and permanent.

You can download our 10-Level Nutrition Guide when you sign up in the box right here:

IGNORE THE FRONT OF THE PACKAGE

Food manufacturers are not required to place any nutritional information on the front of the package.

Because of this lack of regulation, what’s included on the front of the package is what the manufacturers want you to see.

In other words, sales propaganda.

Let’s take a look:

“Real Fruit Bites” is the product and the company is Nothing But The Fruit.

From the looks of this, I would assume these “bites” are mostly made of strawberry? Because what else would you put in them?

The verdict: the number one ingredient in this is “apple puree concentrate.”

I’ll devote an entire section to bogus health terms marketers use to fool us shortly. I bring up the front of the package now, to tell you it’s not where the real info is.

If you want to know exactly what you are eating, you need to look at the Nutrition Label and Ingredients List.

That’s where food marketers have to tell the truth (sort of).

WHERE THE REAL HEALTH CLAIMS OF A FOOD LABEL CAN BE READ

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires most packaged food to include a label.

Many other countries around the world have a similar agency regulating food.

This is key for us nerds because organizations like the FDA force companies to disclose exactly what’s in the food they’re selling.

They do this with a Nutrition Label and an Ingredients List.

A Nutrition Label identifies the nutrients found in a portion of food, like calories, protein, and vitamins. It’ll look like something like this:

An Ingredients list tells you what they placed into the product to get those nutrients.

It might look like this:

Both are important to analyze.

You want to know how many calories you’re getting out of your meal, which can be found in the Nutrition Label.

You also want to know what foods they are using to make up those calories, which can be found in the Ingredients List.

HOW DO I READ A NUTRITION LABEL

Let’s look at another Nutrition Label:

This is taken from a Spiced Pumpkin Pie Cliff Bar.

Let’s analyze:

Serving Size. This is somewhat self-explanatory: serving size is the amount of food, by volume or weight, that is considered one “serving.” New FDA regulations require this size should be typically what someone would eat in a single serving. Which matches what we see here, with “1 Bar.”

However, double check this. Your serving might not match what the manufacturer has in mind. For example, a bag of Doritos has about 10 servings in it.

Do you really only eat a tenth of bag of Doritos at a time? Look at the Nutrition Label.

Calories. This is the energy you’ll get from food.^[1]

This will be one of the most critical pieces of information on the food package. Which is why it’s right under the serving size on the label.

Going back to our Cliff Bar example, we can see that one bar is roughly 250 calories.

I want to talk about that word “roughly.” The FDA allows a 20% leeway in either direction for food manufacturers. That means, legally, that Cliff Bar might have 200 calories…or 300 calories.

%DV. Have you ever wondered what that “%DV” stands for? It means “Daily Value” and the percent will range from 0 to 100.

%DV is an estimate of how much of a particular nutrient you are eating with one serving of food. For example, if you ate that Spice Pumpkin Pie protein bar, you would be getting around 8% of the potassium required for a healthy diet.

However, we need to explain come caveats: it’s based on a 2,000 calorie a day diet, whereas the average person needs more than this (calculate your calorie needs here).

Also, this is the FDA’s estimate of how many vitamins and minerals you need. Do you really trust Big Brother? Use %DV as a starting point only.

Here’s some rough guidelines:

–Less than 5% DV isn’t that much.

–More than 20% DV is a lot.

You’ll notice that some things, like Trans Fat, Protein, and Sugar don’t have %DV. The FDA doesn’t require this information, so most food sellers don’t include them.

Don’t overlook the Nutrition Label. Yes, they are estimates. But an estimate of the number of calories in a meal is better than no estimate, especially if your goal is weight loss.

A message I really strike home in our “Why Can’t I Lose Weight?” article is having a good estimate of calories in and calories out. While there is plenty of nuisance, weight loss really does come down to calories eaten and expended.

That’s why reading the Nutrition Label can be so critical –  it helps you with the first part of this equation.

If you have no idea how many calories you need to eat in a day to reach your goals, I have a couple of resources for you.

The first is our article “How Many Calories Should I Eat Every Day?” It includes a calculator to give you an estimate of your individual calorie requirements, plus tips on what to do with this info.

And the second is for people who are looking for more specific, guided accountability, our uber-popular 1-on-1 Coaching Program. We take all the guesswork out of a weight loss plan and help you start to make better food choices.

We’ll tell you exactly what you need to do to get in shape, by changing your nutrition strategy, creating an exercise program, and offering personal accountability. Many Rebels have turned their lives around by becoming a client, and we’d be happy to talk with you to see if we could be a good fit for each other.

Click on the big image below to learn more:

WHAT NUTRIENTS DO I WANT MORE OF? WHAT NUTRIENTS DO I WANT LESS OF?

Let’s chat quicky about some of the nutrients identified on the label.

We’ll first talk about dietary fat: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The terms “saturated” or “unsaturated” refers to the bonding of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms in a fat molecule. When every carbon molecule is bound to the maximum number of hydrogen atoms, the fat is “saturated.” If some carbon molecules are double-bonded to each other (and bonded to fewer hydrogen atoms), the fat is “unsaturated.”

Let’s chat about why this matters.

The good: unsaturated fat. This is the “healthy” type of fat. There are two types, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (don’t worry too much about the difference, it has to do with the number of carbon double-bonds in the molecule). Unsaturated fat is typically liquid at room temperature, and you find it in plant-based products (like nuts, avocados, coconut, etc). When people talk about “healthy fats,” unsaturated is generally what they are referring to.

What about saturated fat? There’s a lot of conflicting studies out there on saturated fat, and it’s been vilified by marketing companies for years. So what’s the truth?  Personally, I believe that saturated fat is an important nutrient that we need in our system. You can check out this article for an interesting debate on the subject.^[2]

The bad: trans fat. There has been a good deal of hype about trans fat in recent years.  So what’s the deal? Trans fat is technically an unsaturated fat, but the fat molecule has a different type of carbon double-bond that gets created when oil is “partially hydrogenated.” Hydrogenation is a process used in food production to increase shelf life, which is why it’s often found in processed food like frozen pizza and doughnuts. Why does all this matter? The “trans” type double bond causes the fat to behave differently in the body, and NOT in a good way. Trans fat can contribute to atherosclerosis, which could lead to a heart attack. Keep your intake of trans fat as low as possible.^[3]

It should also be noted, that if food has less than 0.5g of trans fat per serving, the FDA allows food manufacturers to round down – meaning “0.” So even if the packaging says “Zero Trans Fat,” it might actually still have some.^[4]

We’ll end this article by talking about ways to avoid this concern, by sticking to “real food.”

Cholesterol is the next big player on the list. Cholesterol is an important building block in cell membranes. We get some from food, and some is made in our liver. Cholesterol is mainly found in animal products, just like saturated fat. In my opinion, cholesterol is not the villain it’s made out to be!

Sodium, and often Potassium, are also listed in this part of the Nutrition Facts label. These are electrolytes. Should you avoid sodium, because of a possible increase in blood pressure? Eh, the findings on this are mixed.^[5] A little bit of salt on your food (or in your food) should be fine.

Carbohydrates include simple carbs (sugars, like glucose, fructose, dextrose) and complex carbs (fiber and polysaccharides).

Dietary fiber is great stuff! There are two types: Soluble fiber is digestible and gets absorbed by your body. This type of fiber helps keep your blood sugar levels stable.

Insoluble fiber is not digestible, so it stays in your GI tract and helps “keep things moving.” Trust me, this is a good thing.

Prioritize fiber in the foods you eat.

Sugar is a simple carbohydrate. It can be absorbed by your gut very quickly because it doesn’t need to be broken down by enzymes first. Sugar is not necessarily bad for you, but consuming large amounts of sugar can cause your blood sugar levels to become unstable.

Other Carbohydrates generally refers to complex (large) carbohydrates in food, such as starch. These large molecules are broken down by enzymes into sugar, but the process takes a while. Complex carbohydrates keep your blood sugar levels more stable than do simple carbohydrates.

Protein is one of the main building blocks for muscle and other body tissues. There is normally not a %DV for protein because the amount of protein that each person needs is quite variable. You can check out this article for an idea of how much protein you should be eating.

At the bottom of the Nutrition Label, you’ll also see a breakdown of micronutrients.

Let’s go over some of these key players:

Calcium: needed to build bones. This is especially important for women, because bone mass decreases after menopause, so build your bones strong while you are young!

Vitamin D: needed to aid the absorption of calcium. Some of this comes from food, and some is made by your body when you are exposed to sunlight.

Iron: needed to make hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying substance in blood cells. Women are more at-risk for being iron deficient, while men are more at-risk for being iron overloaded.

You may notice that some labels list more micronutrients than others. If a micronutrient is missing from a label, that means there is not any of it in the food product.

Let’s look at the Nutrition Facts for a can of soda.

See any micronutrients on there? That’s why soda is referred to as “empty calories.”

HOW DO I READ AN INGREDIENTS LIST?

Let’s take another look at our Cliff Bar, but this time, looking at the Ingredients List:

All the ingredients are listed in order of quantity by weight, so the first few ingredients make up most of the product.

For example, the Spice Pumpkin Pie Cliff Bar is mostly brown rice syrup (sugar), oats, and cane syrup (more sugar), in that order. The 4th ingredient, “soy protein isolate” is where this protein bar starts to get some of its protein.

I know. Perhaps “Carbohydrate Bar” would be more appropriate than “Protein Bar.”

The first few ingredients will give you an idea of what you’re actually eating. So this Cliff Bar is sugar, oats, and protein from soy.

Pay attention to the ingredients list. This tells you exactly what you’re eating.

Because again, the front of the package can’t be trusted.

BOGUS CLAIMS ON FOOD LABELS TO WATCH OUT FOR

Marketers love the front of food packages.

It’s where they get to use all their fun terms that sound healthy.

Let’s go over some:

“Light.” When you see “light” or “lite” on a package, it means it’s been processed to reduce calories or fat. However, when fat is reduced sugar is often increased to compensate. Check the ingredients list to find out for sure.

“Made with whole grains.” What does “made” mean? It means it contains “some.” Check the ingredients list to see just how much. Is a whole grain in the top three? If not, it’s mostly not whole grains.

“Natural.” This has to be good right? Natural, i.e nature, means good for you?

Eh, it just means that at some point, the ingredients came from a natural source like apples. Going back to our example above, you could argue that the protein bar contained “natural” ingredients because brown rice syrup is derived from rice.

However, a protein bar doesn’t resemble anything grown from a plant. And brown rice syrup really doesn’t have much in common with actual brown rice.

For the most part, the more ingredients on a list, the less natural it is.

“No added sugar.” This sounds good, until you realize that some foods like dried fruit are just naturally high in sugar. Double check the ingredients to find out.

Want some other clever food labels to be on the lookout for? We have a whole article right here diving into the subject.

FOOD WITHOUT LABELS

Want to know how to avoid worrying about Nutrition Labels and Ingredients Lists?

Stick to the outer rim of your grocery store.

You’ll find a lot of the following there:

• Meat
• Eggs
• Fish
• Nuts
• Vegetables
• Fruits

Do you know what most of this doesn’t have? Food labels.

A banana won’t have manufacturer disclosed information, because no one manufactured it.

It’s a banana.

It’s what we here at Nerd Fitness call “real food.”

We discuss this in great detail in our Healthy Eating Guide.

Food that grew in the ground, on a tree, ran on the land, swam in the sea or flew through the air, would fall into this category.  Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts are all great examples of REAL food.

Most of this food is found on the outer rim of the grocery store. And there aren’t too many food labels here, besides a barcode.

If you want to start eating better, buy whole foods that don’t have food labels on them. They’ll generally have more nutrients and fewer calories, which is an ideal recipe for weight loss.

Then you don’t have to worry about food manufacturers deceiving or trying to hide ingredients.

The banana is a banana.

However, while eating “real food” is a key component of a successful weight loss strategy, it can still be useful to have an idea on the amount of calories in foods such as bananas.

Calories in and calories out is the central component of weight loss (thermodynamics for ya), so having a rough idea of calories you’re consuming is key. Even in “real food.”

Maybe one day we’ll get robot vision to analyze the calories in everything we look at.

For now, you can Google ‘[food] + calories” or check MyFitnessPal to educate yourself!

Alright, I think that about does it for today’s article on reading a Nutrition Label.

Did I miss anything?

Do you have any tips or tricks on deciphering a Nutrition Label or Ingredients List?

Do you have any other examples of foods that claim to be one thing, but whose ingredient list proves it’s another?

Let me know in the comments!

-Steve

PS: If you’re reading a Nutrition Label to try and lose weight, you’re on the right track! As we state in our Rules of the Rebellion, “You can’t outrun your fork!” Keep at it and keep asking questions!

PPS: If you want more 1-on-1 help to lose weight or shift your nutrition strategy, I’ll again remind you of our Online Coaching Program! We work with busy people just like you to develop and execute plans to level up their lives! Click right here to learn if we are a good fit for each other.

###

All photo sources can be read right here.^[6]

http://www.thealternativedaily.com/

Taking a moment to stop and actually think about what you’re putting into your body may trigger your gag reflex as you discover some of the dark secrets behind your favorite foods. It is important to realize that you have no idea where your food is coming from, and unless you buy whole foods straight […]

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

One of the most complex biological processes that human biology is privy to is inflammation. Given how important muscle is for our health, wellbeing, longevity, and quality of life, it’s impressive that inflammation was initially a background concern for people in the health, nutrition, and bodybuilding industry.

read more

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering three questions from readers. First, what’s the deal with exercise-induced asthma? Is there anything we can do to lessen its impact and incidence? Second, is CBD oil helpful for diabetics? And finally, do bodyweight exercises always require warm-ups? What about workouts in general—do you need to warm-up before every single session?

Let’s find out:

The first question comes from Caue Cavallaro:

since you are the go-to person when it’s about health, for me, do you have any material related to exercise induced asthma? I had it every now and then but since I started training for triathlon it’s happening more often. Thank you!

This is a classic response. When I was doing triathlon (and training others in the sport), exercise-induced asthma was incredibly common. These were some of the fittest people on the planet, and yet they were wheezing and coughing like they were completely out of shape.

The common denominator was inflammation and oxidative stress. Back then, most of us didn’t know anything about either—and we were loading our bodies with tons of both. Anything you can do to reduce excess inflammation and oxidative stress in a healthy, sustainable manner will help.

First and foremost, how are you training? I’d really consider getting your hands on Primal Endurance or reading this post. The quick and dirty version is that to train the aerobic pathway, you have to go easier and slower than you think. Take 180 and subtract your age. That’s your target heart rate. Stay under it to remain aerobic. You’ll go so slow and so easy that it won’t even feel like you’re training. This will increase how fast you can go while remaining in the aerobic fat-burning zone, and it will limit your tendency to overtrain. Overtraining is the primary reason for exercise-induced asthma because when you overtrain, you’re heaping excessive inflammation and oxidative stress on your system. And you’re doing it every single time you train.

This “easier” style of endurance training is totally applicable to triathlon. Spend a good month or so (longer for most, but you’re probably reasonably fit and ahead of the game) focusing on that for the bulk of your training, building that aerobic base. Pepper in some more intense stuff, some “race pace” running/swimming/biking, some strength training and sprints.

How are you eating? Too many seed oils high in omega-6 fats and too many refined carbohydrates (to support the overtraining, of course) will tilt the balance toward inflammation and oxidative stress. Switch over to more saturated and monounsaturated fat sources, like butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, and olive oil. Be sure to eat fatty fish or take fish oil to balance out your omega-3:omega-6 ratio. Eat fewer carbs, and even consider going keto to enhance your fat-adaptation. The low carb approach goes hand in hand with training easier in the aerobic zone, as it demands less carbohydrate.

You’ll want to support your glutathione production with whey protein, raw dairy, and NAC supplements. Glutathione is the body’s premier in-house antioxidant. We most famously use it to detoxify harmful substances like alcohol and reduce oxidative stress, but glutathione also combines with nitric oxide to become a potent bronchodilator called nitrosoglutathione. Bronchodilators open up the airways and facilitate air flow. Having inadequate glutathione can impair your production of nitrosoglutathione and make your asthma worse—or trigger it.

Choline can help. Studies have shown that getting some extra choline reduces the airway inflammation and oxidative stress in people with asthma. You can take a choline supplement or eat a few egg yolks each day.

Good luck!

Regarding CBD/hemp oil, Carmen asked:

Is there oil for diabetics??

They’ve actually looked at CBD for diabetics. In animal studies, it reduces the incidence of diabetes and shows promise against diabetic complications like high glucose-induced endothelial dysfunction.

But the only human study was a bit of a dud. It compared CBD alone, CBD with THC, and THC alone in people with type 2 diabetes. Only the THC alone improved blood sugar, pancreatic beta cell function, and lipid numbers. CBD was ineffective, if harmless.

When you say, as soon as you wake up, do a quick superset of pushups – doesn’t it require a warm-up session beforehand? Can you really do them right away, as soon as you get out of bed? Is a warm-up not always essential?

I mean, you don’t have to do them right away. I can definitely see an argument for brushing the teeth and having some coffee first. For waking up a bit to get the most out of your workout. But if you work out on a regular basis and have a good base level of strength—which our commenter seems to have—you should be able to do basic bodyweight exercises without much of a warm-up.

If pushups are a major effort for a particular person, then a warm-up is a good idea.

As for the essentiality of warm-ups in general? Warm-ups become necessary when we stop moving for most of the day and do a big workout a few times a week. Warm-ups are necessary when we sit for 10 hours a day, using terrible posture the entire time. Warm-ups are important if you’re going really hard, really intense, and really heavy (think a big CrossFit WOD, a set of heavy deadlifts, or something similar). Warm-ups aren’t as essential if you make your entire lifestyle a movement session.

Thanks for reading, everyone. If you have any comments, input, or questions, leave it down below!

Take care.

References:

Mehta AK, Singh BP, Arora N, Gaur SN. Choline attenuates immune inflammation and suppresses oxidative stress in patients with asthma. Immunobiology. 2010;215(7):527-34.

Weiss L, Zeira M, Reich S, et al. Cannabidiol arrests onset of autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice. Neuropharmacology. 2008;54(1):244-9.

Rajesh M, Mukhopadhyay P, Bátkai S, et al. Cannabidiol attenuates high glucose-induced endothelial cell inflammatory response and barrier disruption. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2007;293(1):H610-9.

Jadoon KA, Ratcliffe SH, Barrett DA, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Cannabidiol and Tetrahydrocannabivarin on Glycemic and Lipid Parameters in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel Group Pilot Study. Diabetes Care. 2016;39(10):1777-86.

The post Dear Mark: Exercise-Induced Asthma, CBD for Diabetes, Warm-ups In the Morning appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/

I bet you weighed yourself this morning.

Did you like the number you saw, or were you expecting something lower?

Did you get overly excited if it was low or unreasonably depressed if it was too high?

We’ve all been there, so don’t beat yourself up too much.

Seriously, quit hitting yourself!

Whenever somebody tells me that he or she is going to get in shape, it’s always something like: “I’m going to lose 50 pounds,” or “If I can just get down to 200, I’ll be good.”

I’m here to tell you that you should reconsider stepping on that scale anytime soon.

Why?

Because although picking an arbitrary number for weight loss is a decent starting point (and it’s definitely good to set goals), your scale certainly doesn’t tell the whole story and can send you on an unnecessary roller coaster of emotions.

Yes I do realize most roller coasters are amazing – the emotional ones kind of suck though.

Today we explain why the scale is only one piece of the puzzle.

A quick note before we jump in: I bet you’re reading this because you’re struggling to get the scale to move in the direction you want. Believe it or not, 90% of the equation is your diet! 

I know how tough it can be to stick with a nutritional plan, and that most people abandon a diet after a few weeks! Plus, dieting stinks. We took this into account and created a 10-Level system that allows you to slowly change your diet to get in shape the right way, and change your physique permanently. Pick a level, follow the instructions, level up when you’re ready. Done!

Grab our free NF Diet strategy guide when you sign up in the box below, and then keep reading this article about why scales suck!

1) Your weight will fluctuate more than the stock market

The human body is one incredibly complex piece of machinery. There are things going in, coming out, transforming, and dissolving all of the time. As a result, your weight can fluctuate wildly over the course of a 24-48 hour period, by up to five to six pounds.^[1]

Let’s chat about some variables that can change by the hour:

What did you eat or drink today? All food and water have weight to them. An eight-ounce glass of water will add weight to you, because it itself has some weight (half a pound). Even eating a salad will affect your weight, since vegetables are heavier than air.

How much sodium did you have today? Consuming salt will make you retain water.^[2] The more water you are holding, the more you will weigh.

Did you eat any carbs today? Speaking of water weight, eating carbohydrates can make you hold onto water.^[3] Refined carbohydrates in particular, like bread and pasta, cause a high insulin response. When insulin is high, you hold onto more sodium, meaning more water.^[4] Which is why people often lose a lot of water weight when following a low-carb or ketogenic diet.

Additionally, carbohydrates are stored in your muscles as glycogen. What’s attached with the glycogen? More water.

What time of the month is it? Following along on our trend of water weight, a menstrual cycle will also cause water retention, meaning more overall weight.

Have you, ah, been hitting up the bathroom today? I’ll just say it: urine and feces weigh something. You do the math.

When did you work out last? Exercising will cause you to sweat, which means less water. But you’ll also likely drink more water in response, which will have an impact on the scale too.

If you’re trying to lose weight the healthy way (a pound a week is a good goal to shoot for), your successful weight loss could be hidden by any number of circumstances that falsify your statistics.

That means you could be down three pounds since last week, but because you ate Chinese food last night (oh hey sodium), drank water this morning, and didn’t get to weigh yourself til the afternoon (while wearing jeans), the scale could show a GAIN of one pound. After working so hard, this “weight gain” can instantly demoralize you, sending you to the kitchen for some pity rocky-road ice cream and then over to the couch for a Game of Thrones marathon.

It’s just a number, and it can vary widely over a short period of time.

2) Your weight does NOT tell the whole story

The scale alone often won’t demonstrate fitness progress.

I have two pictures from my past to as an example, taken about four years apart.

Want to know something crazy?  I weighed the EXACT SAME AMOUNT in both pictures.

While my body weight in the two photos may be identical, it’s clear to see I packed on more muscle for the photo on the right.

What’s going on?

Let’s discuss a couple changes the scale might not be capturing:

Yes, it’s true that muscle weighs more than fat. Although if you want to be technical about it, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. That’s what “pounds” mean. However, a pound of fat takes up about twice the space as a pound of muscle, since muscle is about twice as dense as fat. That’s why people typically lean out as they drop their body fat percentage.

Strength training will increase bone density. On average, bones make up about 15% of body weight. And strength training will increase bone density, meaning they’ll weigh more.^[5] After some time strength training, your bones might literally drive the scale up.

That’s why – although I weighed the same – I likely had more muscle, denser bones, and less body fat over the four year period.

All good things in my book.^[6]

3) The scale does not define you

If you set out to lose 100 pounds in a year – an incredibly ambitious goal – and you only manage to lose 85, you might consider yourself a failure. After all, you set a goal and failed to achieve it, right?

YOU STILL LOST 85 freaking pounds, something you might have been struggling to do for years. I bet you’ve had to buy a whole new wardrobe and get all kinds of “holy crap you’ve lost a lot of weight!” comments.

Not bad for a failure, huh?

Don’t get caught up in the numbers game, and instead be proud of what you have accomplished instead.

I had a friend who wanted to get down to 199 pounds badly. He went from 235 pounds down to 202 pounds, and got stuck there for weeks. I remember trying to get him out of his funk: he saw himself as a failure for not losing those three pounds, when in reality he had lost 30+ pounds, completely redesigned his body and his diet, and was in better shape than he had been in years.

You’re not a statistic.

You’re not a number.

If you’re reading this, it means you’re part of the Rebellion.

I want you to know that if you’re like my friend, frustrated by missing your goal, you’re not alone.

We constantly receive emails from Rebels, letting us know they are struggling to hit their fitness goals. It’s actually the reason we decided to create our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program, so we could offer specific guidance tailored to their individual needs.

Here’s how it works: we get to learn your goals, lifestyle, challenges, and situation: Kids? An old injury? A job that requires travel? All the above? We got you covered.

We’ll then pair you with a coach from Team Nerd Fitness that fits your personality and situation. They’ll work with you to build custom workouts and nutrition guidance to meet any goal you might have. Unless that goal is ruthless world domination. Use your powers for good, okay?

Want to see if we are a good fit for each other? Click on the button below to schedule a free call. We’d love to talk to you, no matter what!

How to keep track of your success instead

I will admit that the scale can have its uses. If you’re just getting started, a few big changes in the first few weeks can really help you see progress and build momentum.

Also, over long periods of time, it’s a good way to tell if you’re headed in the right direction or not.

However, a scale can also cause all kinds of mental issues that bring you down quickly, and becomes less and less important as you get closer to your goals.

Here’s how you can stay strong and motivated without stepping on a scale regularly:

Remember that your journey to a healthier life is a marathon, not a sprint. Changes from day to day are practically meaningless and incredibly difficult to quantify, so go with changes over a longer period of time. Weigh yourself once a month or every other week to make sure you’re trending in the right direction. If it’s weekly, make sure you weigh yourself at the same time of the day, wearing the same type of clothing. Remove as many of the variables as possible to make your reading accurate. And even then, don’t put too much stock into it.

Look at your body composition rather than your weight. I try to take a picture of myself every month or so, giving me the chance to compare how I look.  You can also buy a body fat caliper (I use this one) or tape measure to keep track how your body is adjusting. Just make sure you’re taking your measurements in the same places on your body at the same time of day. If you’re taking photos, take a straight-on photo and a profile photo.

Set goals that are not weight-oriented. Say you want to do 15 push-ups, run a half marathon, and/or do a pull-up. With your mind focused on a strength building or endurance goal, you won’t have to worry so much about a dumb scale. If you can only do 5 push ups now but next month you can do 15, you definitely got stronger, but you probably also lost some fat.

Keep a journal. I know plenty of 170-pound people who are out of shape and 250-pound folks who are incredibly healthy. How do you FEEL this month compared to last month? Maybe you can now run around the track without stopping, you don’t get winded going up and down stairs, and you can give your kids a piggy back ride without being out of commission for days afterward. Keep track of your energy levels, your conditioning, and your overall well-being. Screw the scale.

If you’re interested in other ways to track your fitness progress, I’d encourage you to check out our post “How to Properly Track Your Progress.” We cover the tips above, plus much more.

As the saying goes, “You have to track the problem to crack the problem.” Make sure you look into ways of tracking besides a single scale.

What say you?

Are you a scale junkie?

I’m a recovering one. However, over the years I’ve learned my overall health, strength, and happiness are far better indicators of how I’m doing.

Moral of the story – if the scale is working for you and you’re seeing results, stick with it. If that number on the scale constantly screws with your mind, maybe it’s time to take a break.

So how about you?

Have you had success with stepping a scale daily? Had some rough weeks because of what the scale said? How about skipping the scale entirely and seeing great results?

Let’s hear some scale-related stories from the Rebellion!

-Steve

PS: Ready to change your physique the right way? Want to have an actual plan to follow? Grab our NF Diet Strategy Guide and our Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know free when you join the Rebellion and sign up in the box below:

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All photo sources can be found right here.^[7]

https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/

I love hiking and yet I haven’t always. I grew up watching TV and eating microwave meals. I was raised by a single mom who worked long hours just to make sure I could have warm clothes to wear and our heat would turn on in the winter months.

Little did I know, we lived in one of the greatest places in the world to explore on foot, the Pacific Northwest. I did not know this until four years ago.

I decided I wanted to learn more about hiking and adventuring. I looked around a little bit for some insight as to how someone like me — with zero outdoor experience, new to exercise, and kind of a nerd — would go about getting started.

I found tons of useful information, tons of not-so-useful information, and learned many lessons along the way. The more time I spent outside the more I wanted to create a hiking group in my community focused on inclusivity and body respect.

My area has no shortage of hiking groups for folks who are already comfortable being in the outdoors, fellow mountaineers, even beginners who are already athletic in other arenas.

What I wanted to start was a group for folks like me and my friends: people with little to no exercise experience, who need some support to get started and build confidence being outside. And so I did!

1. Be Safe & Be Prepared

The most important to be aware of when starting out is making sure that you are safe. With this in mind, the main things to consider are:

• Having enough food and water.
• Knowing where you’re going.

In regards to water, always bring more than you’ll need if there isn’t a water source on the trail. Dehydration is no joke and something that can be easily avoided by planning ahead.

Before heading out, read as much as you can online about the trail. Download maps, directions and any apps you might need to navigate your trip before leaving the house. Bring your smartphone fully charged too because even if you’re out of cell range, your GPS will still work! And you can take some stunning photos!

2. Dress Smart (It Doesn’t Mean Fancy)

When I started, every time I looked at pictures of people hiking, they always had super fancy gear. Being new to the whole idea of the outdoors, I thought that must be required, that there must be something really special about this stuff, and I couldn’t go out unless I had stuff that costs a lot of money.

This is not true! Over the years I’ve slowly accumulated gear that works for me, some costly, but I certainly didn’t start with anything high end.

Remember that safety is number one, followed by comfort. Depending on your climate, you may only need a few key items to be safe.

You can spend a lot of money on layers or you can just make sure you are not wearing cotton. It’s really that simple. I typically wear a synthetic base layer (think long sleeve athletic shirt), something a little thicker for a middle layer and then a coat or outer layer that will keep me dry. Boom.

3. Know That You Belong

Although it’s changing, the dominant image of outdoor culture is white, thin, cisgender, able-bodied hikers.

Just because you don’t see yourself represented in outdoor culture, doesn’t mean you don’t belong.

Many folks are part of a movement to change the way diversity is represented in outdoor culture. It still might be a while before you see someone like you represented in books and digital advertising. Don’t let that stop you!

Know that you belong wherever you are. You belong in your body, you belong on the trail and you deserve to be here.

4. Find the Right Folks

In my experience leading group hikes over the past four years, I’ve heard numerous stories of folks express their trepidation hiking with others because of a fear of being left behind or feeling intimidated by expertise or fitness level.

Hike with people who are supportive and patient, who are interested in sticking with you, or agree to convene regularly on the trail.

That said, if you enjoy time alone, don’t shy away from hiking solo. Spending your precious trail time trying to keep up with people and missing out on the beauty of the journey is a major bummer. I often hike alone with my pup for this very reason. I love the solitude and I love being able to go at my own pace and stop and enjoy the scenery anytime I want.

5. Be in Service to the Land

If you’ve spent any time at all familiarizing yourself with outdoor recreation you’ve probably heard one of the more recited guidelines for outdoor adventuring: Leave no trace.

Leave no trace is summarized in seven principles:

1. Plan ahead and prepare.
2. Stay on the trails and camp on durable surfaces.
3. Pack out your trash and pick up any other trash you find.
4. Leave everything as you find it.
5. Be careful with fire.
6. Respect wildlife.
7. Be considerate of other visitors.

These seven principles are instructions for how to respect the land. I like thinking about “being in service” rather than respect because it helps me relate to the environment like the living breathing being that it is.

I often think the land is disrespected when we forget that the outdoors isn’t an object for us to consume. It’s truly alive and constantly evolving and changing just like us. It responds to the conditions it’s under.

If it’s abused with littering and meadow stomping, it will deteriorate. If it’s respected and left the way we find it, it will have more opportunity to flourish.

Another way I’m learning it’s important to respect the land is by bringing consciousness to the indigenous peoples who live and have lived here since time immemorial. Prior to white settlement, the land we currently live on and consider our national forests or parks was a thriving and sustainable ecosystem in which indigenous people lived in reciprocity with the land.

There’s so much more to say about this but for now, I’d love to encourage you to learn about the history of the land you’re on. Read and listen to the stories of indigenous peoples. Spend a few minutes on your hike imagining what the land may have been like 200 years ago and what impact settlement has had on this precious impermanent planet.

6. Don’t Rush & Enjoy the Journey

Even though I often seek out time in nature to calm my anxiety, I still forget to slow down and take it all in. This is one of my greatest lessons of all: there’s no rush to the top.

I sometimes meet my self-criticism gremlins when hiking, especially when I’m on a popular trail on a weekend and I’m being passed constantly by other hikers. It’s not uncommon for me to encounter hikers jogging up a mountain when I am panting like a sweaty pug on spring break.

Even when my self-talk isn’t kind, the trail is always kind to me. I try to use each step as an opportunity to make friends with whatever criticism I might be enduring.

At the end of a switchback, pause and take as many loud breaths as you need. Look how far you’ve come. You can literally look down from your climb and see your progress in a very tangible way.

In our day to day, our little anxieties and troubles can feel so all-encompassing. Nature is always there to remind us how small we truly are. No matter how important you think you are, you can look anywhere and see yourself dwarfed by trees or rocks. Relish in the magic of it all.

Resources

The following smartphone apps can enhance your hiking experience:

• Alltrails
• Avena Maps
• Native Land
• Google Maps

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The post 6 Important Tips to Help You Get Started With Hiking (and Enjoy It!) appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

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http://chriskresser.com/

Intermittent fasting (IF) can lead to weight loss, an improved metabolism, and a lower risk of chronic disease. Find out why IF works—and when it’s a good choice for your health.

The post Intermittent Fasting: The Science Behind the Trend appeared first on Chris Kresser.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

I wanted to send an update since my last success story that you shared. But for the sake of the success stories (and first-time readers), I’ll give a little background info as well.

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease back in 2000 at the young age of 13. For many years, I had many health-related ups and downs, and I was constantly in and out of remission. Not only did I suffer from painful gut-related issues, but I suffered from many other side-effects as well such as liver issues, extreme migraines, depression, thyroid nodules, rashes, and fragile hair and nails.

Since the day I was diagnosed, my GI doctor had me on pharmaceuticals which he would increase or change when I got flare-ups. I spent my youth in and out of doctor’s offices, hospitals, and urgent care centers getting poked at, screened and examined. I usually left in tears, hopeless, told that I would always have to be on medications.

Fast forward to the beginning of 2017 when I met my Holistic Nutritionist. She introduced me to Functional Medicine. She immediately recommended a change in diet—something NO doctor had even mentioned to me before! And she added specific supplements to my protocol, supplements in which my body was lacking and completely depleted of because my gut wasn’t absorbing nutrients.

She started me on the path of Holistic Health: eating right and natural methods to take care of my body and ailments. Within the first couple of months I started feeling better, and after 6 months I was in remission.

One of the first things I changed was my diet. I started on a Paleo/Autoimmune Protocol, and things continued getting better from there. I started doing my own research, and that’s when I discovered Mark Sisson, the Primal Blueprint and Mark’s Daily Apple!

Mark’s recipes and informative articles helped me a lot. He’s a huge inspiration to me. Not only is going Primal one of the better health decisions I’ve made, but his recipes are deliciously amazing as well. I truly enjoy being in the kitchen…something I used to dread!

Since following the Primal Lifestyle, I’ve become healthier than ever before. I stay active, eat right and nourish my body with HEALTHY choices, get outdoors, and try to maintain a positive mentality.

I’m no longer depressed, sick, or thin—in fact, I can’t even remember the last time I was “stay-at-home-in-bed” sick! I’ve been off ALL pharmaceuticals for 17 months! I have energy all day long and I’ve been able to travel abroad without any issues; this past summer I spent 1 month volunteering on an organic herbal farm in Portugal, afterwards I went to the Austrian Alps, and then flew across continents to meet my husband in Cartagena, Colombia to visit his family. I traveled all summer without a single Crohn’s flare-up or getting sick. Traveling like that is something I’d never been able to do before switching my lifestyle.

The knowledge I’ve learned—and continue to learn—helps me maintain my current health, and I’m incredibly thankful to all my health “teachers” out there, including you, Mark!

Because I’m a true believer in Holistic/Functional Health, I started a collaborative health blog called Honor Thy Gut to get the word out that holistic healing does work. I like to share uplifting stories, tips and advice that has helped me heal. I encourage my readers to add to the conversation as well! My articles are often inspired by Mark Sisson, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr Axe, John Douillard, among many others.

Happy Healing to you all!

Larissa Nowak-Lobo

The readers featured in our success stories share their experiences in their own words. The Primal Blueprint and Keto Reset diets are not intended as medical intervention or diagnosis. Nor are they replacements for working with a qualified healthcare practitioner. It’s important to speak with your doctor before beginning any new dietary or lifestyle program, and please consult your physician before making any changes to medication or treatment protocols. Each individual’s results may vary.

The post After Six Months I Was In Remission appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

http://www.thealternativedaily.com/

Though we can say with certainty that Finding Nemo didn’t exactly have all of the facts on the nature of toilet plumbing, and all drains, do not, in fact lead to the ocean, there are still some really weird things that have been found in toilets, even if they didn’t come up from the depths […]