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Wednesday, March 3, 2021

“Why Can’t I Lose Weight?” 8 Uncomfortable Truths Holding You Back


This lego wants to know why he can't lose weight.

“Why can’t I lose weight, Steve?”

This question breaks my heart every time I hear it. And I hear it multiple times per day from frustrated people like yourself.

Some of those people are our 1-on-1 coaching clients, who we work closely with to uncover the truth.

And that’s what we’re after: the truth on why weight loss is so tough to achieve.

Why “Eat less and move more” sounds nice in theory, but is insulting to those who KNOW this, try their best, and yet the scale just doesn’t budge.

We’ll tackle today’s topic with statistics, science, and plenty of Harry Potter analogies. This is Nerd Fitness after all.

We’ll go over:

Let’s jump in, Scuba Steve style, so you can start seeing results!

If you’re somebody that wants a Yoda in your corner to coach you through the ups and downs of your fitness journey, we’re here for you with our Online Coaching Program!

No shame or judgments – just a supportive person who works hard to help you succeed 🙂

Our Online Coaching Program changes lives

WHY THE NUTRITION INDUSTRY MAKES ME SO ANGRY

Hulk wants to smash all of the nutrition industry.

I took this picture walking around Manhattan last week:

This flatbelly tea ad drove me crazy!

There is some SERIOUS psychological warfare going on here, and it hurts my soul.

For starters, they advertise as “THE” flat belly tea.

This means there are many other companies selling similar products, which would ALSO lead me to believe this is a lucrative product to sell!

They list every fitness buzzword and term every marketer uses when it comes to selling health and fitness: gluten-free, “removes waste,” organic, “burn fat,”

Including some real head-scratchers.

“Strengthen your colon?”

How the hell do you strengthen your colon?!

This reminds me of the brilliant Saturday Night Live skit about “Colon Blow” cereal:

Gif on an old SNL sketch.

But I digest digress…

People are buying this stuff, even if they know it probably won’t work.

Like buying a lottery ticket even when we know the odds of winning are 0% –  what we’re really buying is “hope”:

  • Hope that this will actually work – unlike the last 10 attempts.
  • Hope we can overcome 20 years of bad choices with a beverage.
  • Hope that this product will give us the confidence and self-love we deserve.

Don’t get me wrong.

“Hope is a good thing, and no good thing ever dies.”

I just HATE when hope gets weaponized to sell you expensive snake oil and pretty-packaged fluff.

This is what we are rebelling against here in the NF Rebellion: marketers and companies who are crappy enough to prey on our hopes and fears and sell snake-oil in a bottle.

We’re also rebelling against that voice in our head that talks down to us, calls us failures for not getting in shape yet, and berates us every time we break down and eat a cookie.

I say no more.

Let’s fight fire with fire science.

How much exercise do I need to do to lose weight?

This lego is trying to pedal his way thin!

There are a few generally accepted truths when it comes to weight loss.

All of these come with baggage attached, and your results will vary depending on your

Setting all of that aside, I’m going to try and keep things simple just to prove my point.

Let’s go with an (understandably) oversimplified look at weight loss: a pound of fat equals around 3,500 calories.

This would mean you’ll need to either eat 3,500 fewer calories, or burn an extra 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound.

So…how long does it take to burn 3,500 additional calories per week?

Let me answer a question with another question:

…How many hours do you have?

Studies show you’ll burn an extra 100 calories when walking or running a mile.

So, you would need to be running/walking an additional 5 miles per day, 7 days a week, to lose one pound per week.

Batman has to fun whether he likes to or not...part of fighting crime means running 5Ks (ish).

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time to run an extra 5 miles a day.

Nor do I want to!

Not only that, but as you’ll see below – this idea of just burning an extra 500 calories per day to lose a pound a week only works early on.

You’ll quickly run into speed bumps and roadblocks – figurative ones, try to avoid the real ones on your run –  that slow down your progress significantly.

Simply put, exercising your way thin has been proven time and time again not to work.

Here are three such reports:

#1) Many people develop increased appetites as a result of exercise, which leads to no weight loss. Time Magazine got in trouble for pointing this out  – even though they were right!

#2) This 2011 study came to the conclusion:

In overweight and obese populations… our results show that isolated aerobic exercise is not an effective weight loss therapy.”

#3) Another study compared people who dieted vs people who only exercised:

Body weight decreased by 10% in the diet group and by 9% in the diet–exercise group, but did not decrease in the exercise group or the control group.

What I’m trying to say, and a lesson we try to deeply understand at Nerd Fitness: “you can’t outrun your fork”

…and the bad news isn’t done.

How our metabolism responds to a caloric deficit (our bodies ruin everything!)

This swimmer wants to know how to lose weight.

When you start to lose weight, your resting metabolism slows down.

You might think this is some sort of evil sorcery worthy of “He Who Must Not Be Named,” but unfortunately – it’s just 2nd-grade math.

When you start to lose weight, there is less of you that needs ‘fuel.’

Yep, the bigger you are, the more calories you need.

In other words: your metabolism doesn’t have to work as hard to fuel all of your bodily functions, has less weight to carry, and thus it will burn significantly fewer calories compared to when you were much bigger.

Here is the estimated daily resting calorie burn (“sit on your ass all day”) of a 35-year old male nerd at 3 very different weights – which you can learn from our Calorie Calculator:

  • 300 lbs: 2,600 calories.
  • 250 lbs: 2,300 calories.
  • 200 lbs: 2,000 calories.  

WHAT THIS MEANS: Unless you adjust your calorie intake as your weight decreases… your previous calorie intake amount becomes less and less effective at weight loss, until you hit an equilibrium.

Put a different way: this person could eat 2,300 calories per day and over time, lose 50 pounds (from 300 pounds to 250 pounds), but that’s where he’ll hit equilibrium: calories burned equals calories consumed.

In order for him to lose the next 50 pounds, he’ll need to decrease his caloric intake even more, and then STAY at that calorie consumption to keep the weight off.

And then it gets even worse!

There are buckets of anecdotal evidence of a bodily feature called “adaptive thermogenesis.”

Which has nothing to do with the band Genesis – though feel free to listen to “Invisible Touch” right now.

It might soften the blow while you learn about “adaptive thermogenesis.”

“Adaptive thermogenesis” refers to the process in which our bodies will adjust based on how many calories we burn – and do whatever it can to preserve the body fat we have.

Our bodies WANT to maintain the extra body fat we have (“I don’t know when I’ll need this, better save”), and are actively working in unison to preserve it – so even after a few pounds are lost from running, it’s going to be a persistent challenge to keep the weight off.

As pointed out in this article above:

“In long-term studies of weight-reduced children and adults, 80%-90% return to their previous weight percentiles, while studies of those successful at sustained weight loss indicate that the maintenance of a reduced degree of body fatness will probably require a lifetime of meticulous attention to energy intake and expenditure.”

This is why so many people can LOSE weight, but can’t seem to keep the weight off.

This is also not even factoring in all of the other issues around our bodies: environmental issues (you can smell Cinnabon minutes before you see it!), psychological challenges, menopause, various medication side effects, hormones, depression, anxiety, and other issues.

These things cause our bodies to crave food, to try and store food, and make it tough for us to keep our calorie intake under control, because chocolate cake.

To Recap:

  • You can’t exercise your way to weight loss.
  • Your metabolism slows down when you lose weight.
  • Your environment and food scientists are trying to get you to overeat.
  • Your body will try to keep its fat stores.
  • Even when you lose weight, your body wants to keep the fat it has.
  • If you lose weight, you have to keep working on it or you’ll put the weight back on.

This is all terrible, horrible, no good, very bad news.

And the toughest truth of all: Due to those factors above, it might not be your fault that you’re overweight…but it IS your responsibility to navigate!

Don't shoot the messenger on the truth of weight loss.

I know, I know.

However, there is HOPE!

And here at Nerd Fitness – and in the Star Wars universe – rebellions are built on hope.

We have thousands of success stories from people who thought they couldn’t lose weight…until they did.

How did Leslie transform? Strength training. with pull-ups

People HAVE lost weight, and kept it off.

People who are older, bigger, have more children, less money, more illnesses, and bigger hardships than you.

It’s a constant battle, but one that’s absolutely worth fighting.

And this means that you are not broken. You don’t have metabolic damage. You are not doomed.

Sure, you’re flawed.

But so are your heroes.

You might be playing life on “Legendary” difficulty, but people like you have succeeded.

It starts by using all of the tools at our disposal, because the forces working against us are doing the same.

Let’s get nerdy.

The Science of Fat Loss

This scientist is trying to discover the truth of weight loss.

YES, it would be awesome if you could drink a tea, or wrap yourself in plastic, and it would somehow magically make you lose weight or fat.

YES, it would be amazing if a 30-minute bootcamp class was enough to still allow you to eat junk food all day every day and not gain a pound.

YES, it would be amazing if you could take a magic pill that reversed the past decade of damage you’ve done to your body.

It would also be cool if superheroes were real and I could fly.

Aquaman looking silly.

Well, not like that.

Come on, Aquaman. People can see you.

We live in a world of science, physics, and thermodynamics.

This means we should ALWAYS look at life through the following lenses:

  1. Occam’s Razor: The simplest explanation is PROBABLY the correct one.
  2. Law of energy: Energy can’t be created or destroyed, only transformed.
  3. Reality: If it sounds TOO good to be true, it probably is.

Let’s apply this to our waistlines:

If we are overweight

It’s not because we have “toxins” in our body that need to be flushed out.

It’s not because we didn’t spend enough time in the “fat-burning” zone during our “muscle confusion” bootcamp.

It’s not because we picked the wrong ‘fat burning’ product tea.

These are all pseudoscience buzz terms to sell products, and have no truth to their claims.

Occam’s Razor dictates the simplest solution is PROBABLY the right one.

So what’s the simple explanation to why we’re overweight?

Every day, we consume food that gets transformed into energy.

This food has three options once it enters our body:

  1. Fuel our bodily functions: fuel our organs, regulate our body temperature, etc.
  2. Pass through as waste: pee and poop.
  3. Get stored as fat: saved for a rainy day.

If we are overweight, we are consuming more ‘energy’ than our bodies need every day. Because our body doesn’t need all of it, too much is being stored as fat.

This brings us to the main point of our nutritional focus:

If weight loss is our goal, we must consume FEWER calories than we burn on a consistent basis.

By doing so, our body HAS no choice but to dip into that “rainy day” fund of fat stores to still get all of its bodily tasks done each day.

Do this consistently, and that’s how we end up with a lower number on the scale and a smaller pants size.

“Steve I know I should eat less. It’s doing it consistently that’s the tough part. Have you tried CAKE?!”

Cake won't help weight loss.

Great point.

And yes, cake is awesome.

But we have to start somewhere!

And it starts here: we need to eat fewer calories, but it ALSO has to be sustainable and enjoyable, otherwise we’ll never stick with it.

And temporary changes produce temporary results. We want permanent weight loss!

Just saying “eat less” doesn’t factor the crazy biological, physiological, and/or emotional challenges we face every day:

We might eat when we’re stressed, depressed, or bored.

We might be on medication that is causing us to overeat without us realizing it.

We can’t eat just one potato chip without eating an entire bag.

We absentmindedly grab a handful of Peanut M&M’s when visiting Kevin in Accounting.

Chugging M&M's won't help with weight loss.

Not only that, but even when we pay attention to what we eat, studies show that we often underestimate our calorie consumption by 30+%.

Crap. This just keeps getting worse!

What’s a smart nerd like you supposed to do in this scenario!?

If we KNOW we overeat without realizing it, and we KNOW restricting calories is tough to stick with long term, then the only path forward is to attack the problem differently.

Not with fit tea.

Nor with body wraps.

Not with “muscle confusion.”

But with science, math, and psychology.

What to Eat For Weight Loss

A table set for dinner.

If weight loss is the goal, we need to shift our food choices to foods that give us more “bang for our buck” – healthy, filling, nutritious foods that fill us up and makes us less likely to overeat calorie-bomb foods.

These foods allow us to feel full, but still keep us under our calorie goal for the day:

  • Protein like meat, fish, eggs, and so on.  
  • Fruit like apples, bananas, berries.
  • Vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale.
  • Quinoa, legumes, oats, rice, and potatoes.

These are foods that take up a lot of space in our stomach and make us feel full.

If we do this consistently, regularly, and without being miserable, we have a long term chance at losing weight and keeping it off.

Compare this to foods that don’t fill us up, but are loaded with calories – thus making it very easy to overeat without realizing it.

  • High calorie, easy to overeat foods like bread, fries, pasta.
  • Soda and juices and sugary coffee beverages.
  • Candy, cookies, crackers, etc.

To really HAMMER this point home…

As we point out in “Can You Burn Fat and Build Muscle at the Same Time?” here’s what 200 calories look like, thanks to WiseGEEK.

Which ones do you think will make you feel full, and which ones will make you eat more than you realize?

2/3 of a bagel is 200 calories.This handful of pasta is 200 calories.

 

 

 

 

This handful of turkey is 200 calories.

This plate full of apples is 200 calories.

 

 

 

 

 

Can you get yourself to stop after 2/3rds of a bagel or a small handful of pasta?

Of course not!

One more example – here’s 200 calories of broccoli:

This plate of broccoli is 200 calories.

“Steve, that is an absurd amount of broccoli.”

Yup. It’s also the SAME number of calories as 2/3rds of a bagel (which doesn’t even include the calories from the cream cheese or butter).

Now, it’s insulting to say “You should eat more broccoli and less bagels. There’s yer problem.”

I’m merely pointing this out to emphasize the difference between energy (calories) and volume.

(Hate broccoli and vegetables? Read how to make vegetables taste good!)

Depending on what you eat, you could feel “OH SO FULL” after your meal or “Why am I already hungry again? NOM NOM NOM.”

Which means…

If you can start to make even SMALL changes, substituting nutrient-dense, calorically-light foods like protein, fruit, and veggies, for junk food – even occasionally, it’s going to shift the energy balance back in the right direction.

You’ll become more likely than not to eat fewer calories than you burn, moving you beneath your daily equilibrium.

Do that consistently, and you start to pull from those fat stores.

And we end up the holy grail:

Sustainable, non-miserable weight loss.

This is actually the secret sauce for ALL popular diets these days.

As we point out in our “What is the Perfect Diet” article, all the popular diets get you to eat more REAL food and less junk food.

They just all have their own unique marketing spin to sell cookbooks and courses and subscriptions. 

Let’s look at each of these diets in a nutshell:

  • Paleo: cut out grains and dairy. Consume only meat, veggies, fruits, and nuts.
  • Keto: cut out ALL carbs. Consume only meat, veggies, nuts, and fatty sauces.
  • Intermittent Fasting: cut out an entire MEAL every day.
  • Mediterranean Diet: focus on REAL foods, with whole grains. Cut out processed foods.
  • Carnivore Diet: Only eat meat. Remove everything else.
  • Military DietNevermind. Please don’t do this diet.

ANY of the diets above will result in temporary weight loss if you strictly follow the rules, but not for the reason you’d think.

It’s not because we’re designed to eat like cave people (though we are), or that our bodies function differently on a Ketogenic Diet (it does), or even that fasting has plenty of health benefits (it does!).

Those things are like 2% of the reason why they work for weight loss. [2% is a statistic I made up to emphasize the smaller importance of any ancillary benefit compared to the bigger picture]

The other 98%: they make us more likely than not to consume fewer calories on average than we usually eat, which will lead to weight loss in the long term… if you can stick with it.

And each diet has rules and guidelines that speak to the specifics of individual people.

If you’re freaking out about how to eat and which diet to pick and you’re worried if you’ll even be able to stick with it, you’re not alone.

It’s why we created our 1-on-1 Coaching Program!

To help people like you change their habits around food to start seeing permanent weight loss results without being miserable!

WHICH DIET SHOULD I PICK To Lose Weight?

This lego is nervous about which diet to pick.

Nearly EVERY diet will work in the short term, because they all lead to temporary calorie restriction. Every diet above will fail you too in the long term, because you need to do the diet permanently to get the results permanently!

So in my opinion, you should only follow a strict diet like those above IF you can see yourself sticking with it consistently for the next 10 years.

“Steve, that’s melodramatic. Come on.”

That’s what I was going for.

If a diet sounds too restrictive to stick with permanently, then it’s too restrictive for you to devote weeks or months of your life to!

After all, temporary changes equal temporary results.

You’re better off picking a diet that you confidently feel like you can stick with permanently. You should be thinking in terms of “days and years,” not “weeks and months!”

Here’s the end goal we’re working towards:

Sustainable weight loss, weight maintenance, and actually enjoying life.

Looking in the mirror and being happy with what you see, and knowing that the weight stays off.

And most importantly, “normal” behavior that allows us to enjoy life, have great meals with friends and family, but also reach our goals.

Not temporary changes, but rather permanent small adjustments that adjust over time as we start to see results and build momentum.

Sound good?

Let’s get back to basics and start learning about the food we’re putting into our bodies.

Cool? Cool.

A PRIMER ON STRENGTH TRAINING

Of course Batman Strength Trains.

Conservatively speaking, strength training is the greatest thing ever invented in the history of the galaxy.

Okay, so maybe it’s third after electricity and Nintendo.

But I say this to make a point.

There’s a huge difference between “exercise” and strength training when it comes to body composition.

We cover this in a very in-depth manner in our “Can I Lose Weight and Build Muscle?” article  – which is one giant Harry Potter allegory that you’ll love – but I’ll share the basics right here.

If your goal is consistent, permanent, healthy weight loss and weight management, 80-90% of the battle will be nutrition,

When it comes to exercise, you really only have TWO things to focus on:

  • What exercise do you love? Good. Do that.
  • Strength train as often as you have time for.

I’ll touch on the first one quickly.

When you do exercise you love, you’re giving your heart and body a good workout. You’re reminding yourself “I am living healthy” and THUS you should be more likely than not to stick with your healthy eating strategy.

Notice I said “exercise you love.”

If you hate running, never run a mile again.

Hate going to the gym? Never set foot in one.

Hate bootcamps? Me too. Don’t do them.

Instead, go rock climbing, or hiking, or do yoga, or swing dancing, or LARPing.

Really, anything that gets you off your ass and moving. Cool? Cool.

How Strength Training Assists Weight Loss

This fireman stays fit because of strength training.

Your body functions differently when you strength train, in all of the right ways.

We have a whole Strength Training 101 sequence that can you get you started, but I’ll whet your appetite with the nerdiest metaphor ever below.

You can find study after study after study that shows you the benefits of strength training for weight management when combined with “calorie restriction.”

Let me explain it here quickly, borrowing from Harry Potter:

(You know, the wizard.)

At the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, when each student arrives they put on the “Sorting Hat,” an actual hat that determines which House (group) that child will join for his time at Hogwarts.

The hat acts almost like a traffic director:

“Harry, you will go to Gryffindor! Draco, you will go to Slytherin!”

Your body is a lot like the Sorting Hat.

Your body operates in a VERY similar fashion: every day, it receives new calories (when you eat), and it needs to decide what to do with them!

For example:

You eat a large Hawaiian pizza and 20 ounces of Mountain Dew. Your body has to do SOMETHING with all those calories.

To keep things simple, let’s look at the 3 most common results.

It’ll sort those calories into one of three Houses:

A: Burn for Fuel.
B: Rebuild Muscle.
C: Store as Fat.

Your body sorts most of those calories into “Burn for Fuel.” There’s a number of calories your body burns each day just existing: to keep your liver functioning, your heart pumping, your brain operating, and so on – it burns a good chunk of calories just keeping the lights on.

Here are two quick examples (from our TDEE calculator!):

  • A 6’, 34-year old male weighing 250 pounds burns 2,300 calories a day just by existing.
  • A 5’5”, 40-year old female weighing 140 pounds burns 1,350 calories a day just by existing.

Now, if you don’t do any exercise, and you consume MORE calories than the rate you burn each day, the “Sorting Hat” in your body needs to put those calories somewhere!

Where do you think it’ll sort them?

“C: Store as Fat.”

Storing fat is not always good.

However, your body’s sorting behavior changes when you strength train.
Specifically, when you train in a way that really challenges your muscles. This is completely relative to where you are at in your life right now:

  • HEAVY weight training might be a 500 lb deadlift or a 5 pound dumbbell curl.
  • INTENSE bodyweight training might be a handstand push-up or a knee push-up.

When you strength train – by picking up something heavy – your muscles are “broken down” during the exercise itself, and then they rebuild themselves stronger over the next 24-48 hours.

Guess what happens during those 24-48 hours?

Your body will divert as many calories as possible to “Rebuild Muscle!”

It also diverts additional calories to “Burn as Fuel” to handle this increased “muscle rebuilding” activity.

This means two amazing things:

  • Your metabolism is revved up for this time period, burning more calories than normal.
  • Rebuilding muscle is a calorie taxing activity!

There are significantly fewer calories available for “Store as Fat.”

AND IT GETS BETTER.

When you consume fewer calories than your body burns each day, continuing to strength train will cause your body to get even more clever.

Let’s imagine a scenario where you’re eating fewer calories than you burn every day:

  • You strength train regularly, and your muscles break down and need to be rebuilt.
  • You don’t consume enough calories compared to how many calories your body needs to both rebuild muscle and fuel itself…
  • So does your body just shut down?

NOPE!

Your body has been preparing for this, by storing any excess calories over the years in the “Store as Fat” house.

This is the moment your body has been saving up for.

This means your body can pull from “Store as Fat” to make sure all the work still gets done, including your daily functions as a human, and rebuilding the muscle.

This is the Tri-wizard cup[1] of physical transformation victory:

  • You get stronger and keep the muscle you have.
  • You burn through the fat you’re trying to get rid of.
  • You’re decreasing your body fat percent and keeping your muscle = look good naked.

This would be a “win-win-win” according to Michael Scott, Regional Manager, Dunder Mifflin Scranton.

Want help learning how to strength train? You can absolutely build your own workout, or you can work with one of our coaches who can create a custom program that’s specific to your goals and lifestyle.

We’ll even make sure you’re doing the movements correctly via video, because we’re nice like that 🙂

BACK TO BASICS: How To Guarantee Successful Weight Loss

This lego is a winner, thanks to small changes.

If you’re still reading, then there is hope for you yet.

You can do this – but you have to be smart and diligent about it! Stop trying to exercise your way thin, and stop trying to find ‘get fit quick’ solutions.

Instead, take this one day at a time. We’re here for you!

We talk about proper nutrition in our big “Healthy Eaters” guide, and we go more in-depth into the specific foods that we recommend, but it starts here:

  • You have to eat fewer calories than you eat now to lose weight, and do so permanently.
  • The best way to do that is to substitute more protein and veggies onto your plate.
  • Strength training will supercharge your results, building muscle and burning extra fat.

Understand you’re overeating, and forgive yourself for doing so – most foods have been designed for you to overeat!

YOUR MISSIONS, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT THEM:

#1) Pledge to stop buying snake oil. If you’re not sure, ask yourself “Does this sound too good to be true?” and “What would Steve do?”

In addition: stop doing exercises you hate just to lose weight. Pick exercises you enjoy, and put all of your focus on slowly adjusting your nutrition instead!

Shun the Dark Side and come back to the Light!

#2) Be deliberate in your decisions. Every calorie counts. Every decision counts. So make ONE different decision as a result of you being more aware of what you put in your body.

Drinking water instead of soda or juice.

Swapping out a salad for fries once per week. It all counts, but make your decision deliberate.

You’re a smart person. You know what foods should be daily staples, and what foods should be occasional treats. It all counts. So make ONE decision differently to prove to yourself that you can change.

#3) Educate yourself on the serving size of ONE food that you eat regularly. Google it. Find out if what you THINK is a serving and what’s actually in a serving is anywhere close to accurate.

You might be surprised to find out:

  • A serving of pasta is HALF the size of what you normally eat with your meal.
  • How much peanut butter is considered a serving (hint: it ain’t much).
  • There are 2.5 servings in that one bottle of Green Machine Naked Juice.

I don’t want you to change the food or the portions yet. I just want you to educate yourself on what you’re eating, and compare it to how much you thought you were eating.

NEXT STEPS IF YOU WANT TO GO FARTHER! 

If you are looking for more hands-on guidance, we have three options for ya!

1) 1-on-1 Online Coaching ProgramIf that sounds like you, and you’re looking for nutritional guidance, custom strength training routines just for your situation, and expert accountability, we’d love to hear your story!

2) If you want a roadmap for sustainable weight loss, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Try your free trial right here:

3) Join the Rebellion! Join our free email list and community – I send out two fun emails a week – and I’ll send you our free 10-level Nutrition Guide along with a bunch of other free bonuses. Get them when you sign up in the box below:


#4) Do a strength training routine! We have so many awesome free options for you here on Nerd Fitness. Pick the ones that jump out at you!

“What is the biggest question you have around nutrition, strength training, and weight loss?”

Oh and please, go eat a vegetable 🙂

-Steve

PS: I know this HOPEFULLY goes without saying, but this is the internet: I totally get that this issue is very complicated to begin with. If you have a hormonal imbalance, PCOS, are on medication for any number of reasons, it could also be affecting your weight.

PLEASE speak with your doctor about your weight and any changes you are looking to make!

###

Photo source: A good Sunday to you, Can I have your bicycle, Speed!, Swimming pool, Pizza lab, Dinner is set, Happy monday!, Speed.

The post “Why Can’t I Lose Weight?” 8 Uncomfortable Truths Holding You Back first appeared on Nerd Fitness.



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10 Healthy Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes


Is your sweet tooth calling? I’ve rounded up 10 healthy gluten-free dessert recipes that will satisfy any craving. 

You all know it’s rare to have a day go by that I don’t treat myself to something sweet. I fill up on greens and protein, but I love a healthy dessert. Whether you’re looking for a celebratory recipe or just need something to satisfy your sweet tooth, I’ve rounded up 10 healthy gluten-free dessert recipes that are to die for.

From chocolate almond coconut bites to crunchy strawberry truffles and our go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, there is something for everyone. You’ll notice that all of these recipes contain chocolate… because let’s be real, what’s dessert without chocolate!? Enjoy!

10 Healthy Gluten-Free Desserts

1. Crunchy Almond Butter Chocolate Bars

These crunchy almond butter chocolate bars are a quick and healthy dessert or treat idea. They’re gluten-free, only take 10 minutes of active prep, and can be easily tweaked for my vegan friends.

Crunchy Almond Butter Chocolate Bars

2. Collagen Protein Brownies

These gluten-free and dairy-free brownies are packed with protein and healthy fats. They make an awesome healthy dessert, and have a fudgy texture. You’ll love them!

Collagen Protein Brownies

3. Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Cookie Cake

This healthy COOKIE CAKE has a bonus dose of protein and healthy fats. It’s gluten-free, low in sugar, and… it’s a cookie cake. So, you need this.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Cookie Cake

4. Crunchy Chocolate Strawberry Truffles

Everything about these truffles is perfect: they’re crunchy, sweet, and taste extremely decadent – even though they’re pretty low in sugar.

Crunchy Chocolate Strawberry Truffles

5. Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies with Avocado Oil

The avocado oil gave these cookies a light, beautiful texture (they’re perfectly soft and chewy), plus a dose of heart-healthy fats. These cookies take about 10 minutes to put together, and are kid-approved.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

6. 4-Ingredient Samoas via Eating Bird Food

Healthy and simple (but incredible!) 4-Ingredient Samoas that might just taste better than the real deal. Shh… don’t tell the Girl Scouts. Vegan, gluten-free and paleo-friendly.

4-Ingredient Samoas

7. Salted Almond Chocolate Bark via Kath Eats

Talk about an easy recipe! Simply use the microwave to melt chocolate, sprinkle with your toppings, and you’re good to go. Tip: cut the bark into big and small pieces so you have options when the chocolate craving hits.

8. Dark Chocolate Almond Coconut Bites via Making Thyme For Health

All you need is 8 ingredients to make these decadent chocolate bites that taste just like an Almond Joy!

9. Grain-Free Peanut Butter Cup Cookies via Ambitious Kitchen

The best grain free peanut butter cup cookies made with a mix of almond flour and coconut flour and topped with dark chocolate peanut butter cups. These healthy peanut butter cup cookies are naturally sweetened with coconut sugar and pack tons of amazing peanut butter flavor!

Grain-Free Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

10. Chocolate Chip Espresso Banana Bread Muffins via PaleOMG

Made with almond butter and coconut flour as the base, these banana bread muffins with espresso powder make for the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.

Chocolate Chip Espresso Banana Bread Muffins

What healthy treat recipe are you loving lately?

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Tuesday, March 2, 2021

HigherDOSE Sauna Blanket Review


Sharing my full review of the HigherDOSE sauna blanket and if I think it’s worth it. This post isn’t sponsored, but I use and love this thing SO MUCH. The company generously offered a discount code for you all if you’re interested in trying it! Use FITNESSISTA75 for $75 off at this link (<— affiliate link).

Hi friends! How’s the week going? I hope you’re having a good one so far. Both kids are at school at the same time (Liv is still mostly virtual) and I’m so excited to get some work accomplished and clean up a bit around here. I haven’t cleaned the girls’ closets since March of last year so their closets are packed with toys and clothes that are too small for them. (I used to sort everything quarterly but t’s impossible to donate anything while they’re around because they start digging through the “give away” pile.) I’m also looking forward to a yoga class!

For today’s post, I wanted to share a review of my beloved sauna blanket, the HigherDOSE. Every time I post about this magical wonder on Instagram stories, I’m flooded with questions. I did quite a bit of research before I finally decided to go for it, so I’m breaking it all down in this post.

HigherDOSE Sauna Blanket Review

What is the HigherDOSE sauna blanket and how does it work?

The HigherDOSE sauna blanket is an at-home and portable version of an infrared sauna. It uses infrared heat (which heats your body from the inside out, not the other way around), along with healing tourmaline, clay and charcoal (which generate negative ions). It’s made of nontoxic materials and is extremely low EMF, so it’s not emitting radiation throughout your body while you’re relaxing and sweating.

To set it up, you just unroll the blanket and plug it in! You can easily adjust the heat settings with the remote and I usually give it about 10 minutes or so to heat up.

Benefits of infrared sauna:

Sauna means “bath house” in Finnish and heat as therapy has been used for thousands of years. Infrared technology was born in the late 1800s. Over time, saunas have been used for so many things, including healing and preventing illness, for burial preparation, and for childbirth. (It was fascinating to read a bit about the history of saunas here!) It encompassed the circle of life and heat was thought to be a powerful protective and life-giving force.

Obviously technology has changed a ton since then, but today many people still use saunas for the health and restorative benefits. It can potentially help with aging, illness, detoxification, healthy skin, anxiety, muscle soreness, and mood. Not everyone is on board with the detoxification aspect (some say it’s a myth, but I’m a huge believer in the detoxifying power of a good sweat) and I notice that it makes my skin glow, my mood is improved, and I feel zen and relaxed when it’s a regular part of my routine.

(All wrapped up and sweating like a happy Chipotle burrito.)

Here are some pros and cons about the HigherDOSE option:

Pros:

 – It’s small and portable!! I would LOVE to have a full-sized infrared sauna in our house, but we have zero room here. It would be something weird I’d have to build into the closet. I also thought about a backyard option but when you live in AZ, the thought of a snake or scorpion making its way into the sauna is a very real fear. This gives you the same infrared benefits but it’s small, compact, and you can move it around easily. I typically use it on the floor of my office or in the living room.

– It feels AMAZING. I’m borderline addicted to how great it makes me feel and could use it every single day. (I usually have time to do it 3-4 times a week, usually after I get the crew to bed!) I love a serious sweat and it just fills me with endorphins. My skin looks brighter after I use it, I sleep like a baby, and I haven’t noticed any muscle soreness even though I’ve been pushing it with my strength workouts.

Cons:

– I’ve come back to this post three times and still can’t think of any. I’ve been extremely happy with it and haven’t found any issues or pain points.

Tips for using the HigherDOSE Sauna Blanket:

When you use the blanket be sure the read the instruction manual and guidelines, but these are just some of my tips:

– Plug it in and let it heat up for about 10 minutes. Make sure it’s on a flat, fireproof surface.

– Figure out your sauna outfit of choice. They recommend being fully clothed in the blanket with lightweight and breathable options. I wear lightweight cotton jogger pants, a tank with a long-sleeved tee over it, and full socks. I also put a washcloth under my tailbone or my booty gets too hot from pressing against the blanket on the tile.

– Find something to entertain you during your sauna time. It’s very hard to read a book because you don’t want to keep sliding your arms out to turn the page, but a TV show or movie, audiobook or podcast all work well.

– Sweat it out! You can play around with the heat settings and time to see what works best for you, and I recommend working your way up instead of starting too hot or too long. My sweet spot is 30 minutes at level 7. (I always set a timer on my phone so I don’t fall asleep!)

– After I get out of the blanket, I open it up to start drying, and hop in the shower. After I shower, the blanket has cooled down a bit so I can thoroughly clean it with one of these wipes. These are the same cleaning wipes I use for the Peloton!

– I let it dry completely before folding it and sliding it under my bed to store. (Make sure the cord isn’t wrapped or bundled when you store it. Try to keep it lightly looped.)

That’s it! If you decide to try it out, use the code FITNESSISTA75 here for $75 off.

So tell me friends: are you a sauna fan or not so much?

What’s your #1 fave way to unwind?

xo

Gina

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4 Ways to Maintain your Fitness Motivation


fitness motivation

Are you excited that it’s March, or is it just me? In Southern California, spring isn’t really a big deal since the weather is so chill all of the time. But I’m sooo excited for spring this year. It seriously feels like the world is coming back into bloom after a LONG winter. 

And that makes me so happy because it means summer is just around the corner, and I looove summer! It means time in the sun, super-long days when the sun doesn’t set forever, and plenty of cute outfits! Plus, swimsuit season, my girls. And that means it’s time to dial up your fitness motivation.

I know it can be hard, especially at first. But I’ve got some fitness motivation tips for you. Try them out and you’ll be ready for sweater weather to wrap up ASAP!

fitness motivation

#1: Keep your nutrition strong

With the Lots of Love Challenge finished, I really want to encourage you to keep treating your body right! Seriously, nutrition is the game-changer. Not only is it the absolute key to weight loss — it’s how I took off 45 pounds, babes! — but it makes a huge difference in your motivation to get moving. 

When you’re not giving your body what it needs, you feel sluggish. And that makes it SO much harder to get off the couch. So if you’re looking for a way to boost your fitness motivation, check in with what you’re eating. I swear, it’s probably twice as easy to start my workouts when my diet has been on point.

fitness motivation

And remember, I’m not talking about restricting what you eat or being hungry all the time. Not eating enough is a surefire way to sap your fitness motivation! I’m talking about eating plenty of meals filled with delicious food and balanced nutrients. 

You don’t have to figure this out on your own, girl. My Guiltless Nutrition Guide is literally designed to give your body what it needs while helping you reach or maintain your weight goals. Plus, I’ve designed all of the meals and snacks (yes, there are TONS of snacks and I totally encourage snacking!!) to power you up so you can crush your workout!

#2: Set a routine

Habits make it easier to stick with the good behavior we want in our life. So try to find a groove for yourself with your workouts. Once you’re in a routine of working out at the same times on the same days, you don’t need as much fitness motivation to get after it. Instead, it becomes just a part of what you do!

I’ll give you an example. I’m trying to work out before lunch every day. When I know I need to get my workout in before the midday mark, it’s easier for me to make time for it. And that way, I don’t find myself in that situation where it’s 5 and I should get moving but I’m tired from my day and I just don’t feel like it. 

fitness motivation

Find what works for you. Maybe there’s a yoga class you know you love on Tuesdays and Fridays. Then you do your LSF App workout every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and you go for a hike every weekend. With a consistent schedule, it’s just so much easier to make regular workouts a part of your life! 

#3: But don’t be afraid to mix it up

Okay, all that said, I will say that there can be such a thing as too much of a workout schedule. If you look at the calendar for the week ahead and your exercise plans sound like a drag, change it up! You’re the one who has to do those workouts so you might as well enjoy them!

If you run, try a new path. Ask your friends what they’re doing and try joining a class with them. Hit my YouTube page, close your eyes, and click a video at random. There are a ton of ways to keep your workouts feeling fresh. And when you’re interested in what you’re gonna be doing that day, it’s a whole lot easier to keep your fitness motivation up. Ive also been doing this 10 Minute Fat Burning Workout lately, it’s the perfect burn for when I don’t have much time!

#4: Get your girls involved! 

An accountability partner is literally proven to help you reach your fitness goals. And that sounds kinda major, but it seriously just means having a friend who checks in with you. And you can check in with her to keep her fitness motivation up, too!

If you don’t have a friend who has similar workout goals, we’ve got you covered! You just need to tap into our #TeamLSF community on Insta. Seriously, there are literally thousands of awesome women ready to cheer you on. We’re here to help each other make progress toward our goals, but without any judgment at all. It’s a positive, supportive space where you’ll find cheerleaders, plus girls with seriously impressive results to give you tons of inspo. 

fitness motivation

Alright, let’s recap. Get your fridge and pantry right, make time to plan healthy meals and snacks, and mark your calendar with your workouts. Then, check in with yourself and your friends. If you’re bored with your workouts, change it up! And remember to send an invite to your girls, too! 

Getting your fitness motivation on point now sets you up for a seriously awesome summer. It always feels hardest at first. But use these tips and you’ll need less and less fitness motivation every day, I promise. Once you’re in the groove of working out, you’ll feel and look better. And that will keep your fire fueled, girl! 

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Monday, March 1, 2021

February 2021 reads


Hi hey hello! Happy Monday! How was the weekend? Ours was great. We had a little dinner date with Liv while P was at a friend’s house, and also went to the desert museum. I hope you had a fun and relaxing weekend, too.

For today’s post, I’m sharing my February books recap! One of my big goals for New Years was to read at least three books per month: one fun/fiction, one personal development or nonfiction, and one that has to do with health or fitness. (Here’s what I read in January!)

Quite a few friends out there have asked me how the heck I make time to read (especially with the kids home from school all the time and a husband who travels frequently), so here are some of my hacks:

– Make it non-negotiable. I set aside at least 30 minutes per day to read, and it’s usually right before bed. It cuts into my limited late-night TV time, but I find that it’s the perfect way to wind down from the day. I also sit with each girl for 15 minutes or so after we read books together, so I sit at the base of their bed with my book and a tiny flashlight during those 15 minutes.

– Read when you’re around the kids. Like many of you, things are nonstop around here from the moment the kids wake up until they go to bed. While they’re playing together or watching a show, I’ll pick up my book and read for a bit. I think it’s good for them to see me reading, and while it’s a bit stressful when I’m surrounded by clutter and could be doing chores, I’ve been trying to let it go. No one sees our house right now, anyway.

– Embrace the one headphone life. While I’m doing chores or if we’re out on a walk, I have one headphone in playing an audiobook. (One headphone out so I can still hear what’s going on in the world around me and if the kiddos need me for anything.) I’ve preferred the audio format for the personal development and nonfiction books because it’s so enjoyable to hear the author speak. I think I get more out of it this way, and it’s become my favorite way to multitask.

Here’s what I read and listened to in February!

February 2021 reads

1. The Huntress by Kate Quinn

This was a book I started months ago that I would pick up and put down in spurts. I didn’t find it as compelling as The Alice Network (by the same author), but in the end, I really enjoyed it. It’s the type of book where you know what’s going to happen pretty much from the beginning, but the climax unfolds in a surprising way. While it was a bit slow, I loved the movement between eras and characters to comprise the entire story. If you’re a sucker for historical fiction, I’d recommend checking it out.

Here’s a synopsis from Amazon:

Bold and fearless, Nina Markova always dreamed of flying. When the Nazis attack the Soviet Union, she risks everything to join the legendary Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on the invading Germans. When she is stranded behind enemy lines, Nina becomes the prey of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, and only Nina’s bravery and cunning will keep her alive.

Transformed by the horrors he witnessed from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials, British war correspondent Ian Graham has become a Nazi hunter. Yet one target eludes him: a vicious predator known as the Huntress. To find her, the fierce, disciplined investigator joins forces with the only witness to escape the Huntress alive: the brazen, cocksure Nina. But a shared secret could derail their mission unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.

Growing up in post-war Boston, 17-year-old Jordan McBride is determined to become a photographer. When her long-widowed father unexpectedly comes home with a new fiancĂ©e, Jordan is thrilled. But there is something disconcerting about the soft-spoken German widow. Certain that danger is lurking, Jordan begins to delve into her new stepmother’s past – only to discover that there are mysteries buried deep in her family…secrets that may threaten all Jordan holds dear.

2. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

I had a feeling I was going to love this one, and it blew me away. I listened to it via Audible and highly, highly recommend the audio version. His voice is just a treat. (Let’s be real. Everything about Matthew McConaughey is a treat.)

This book is part memoir and autobiography, part personal development and motivation. The premise is based on the idea of greenlights: when we’re coasting through life and everything feels effortless and easy. Even when things are difficult, opportunities are slashed, or we’re hit with trauma or grief, it’s a red light, but we live with the hope and confidence in the fact that eventually it will turn green. He shares some of his green light and red light moments, including an insane yearlong trip to Australia, that one time his dad put his pet cockatiel in his mouth to revive him, how he became famous, glimpses into his marriage, poems and prescriptions for life, and so much more. I snickered to myself and giggled, swooned, and cried a little. SO many emotions in this book.

Here’s the synopsis from Amazon:

I’ve been in this life for 50 years, been trying to work out its riddle for 42, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last 35. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel, and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me.

Recently, I worked up the courage to sit down with those diaries. I found stories I experienced, lessons I learned and forgot, poems, prayers, prescriptions, beliefs about what matters, some great photographs, and a whole bunch of bumper stickers. I found a reliable theme, an approach to living that gave me more satisfaction, at the time, and still: If you know how, and when, to deal with life’s challenges – how to get relative with the inevitable – you can enjoy a state of success I call “catching greenlights”. So I took a one-way ticket to the desert and wrote this book: an album, a record, a story of my life so far. This is 50 years of my sights and seens, felts and figured-outs, cools and shamefuls. Graces, truths, and beauties of brutality. Getting away withs, getting caughts, and getting wets while trying to dance between the raindrops. Hopefully, it’s medicine that tastes good, a couple of aspirin instead of the infirmary, a spaceship to Mars without needing your pilot’s license, going to church without having to be born again, and laughing through the tears. It’s a love letter. To life. It’s also a guide to catching more greenlights – and to realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green, too. Good luck.


3. Eat Smarter by Shawn Stevenson

Shawn Stevenson is my #1 favorite podcast host, so I was obviously excited to read this one. It also far surpassed my expectations. As you can probably guess, I’ve read a lot of “diet” and health books in my life. Some have been cringeworthy to the max, while others have inspired me to make positive changes in my personal routine and share new knowledge with clients. This is one of those books! I love that he goes into the science and the WHY behind his recommendations, and shares tips and strategies for fueling for longevity and optimal health. I also appreciate the fact that many times he mentions that diets shouldn’t be one size fits all. It’s up to you to experiment with different strategies and find the methods that resonate best with your unique body.

With his funny one-liners and conversational way of explaining some intense science-y stuff, Shawn shares optimal foods and how they impact our sleep, hormones, longevity, and fat loss. The book also includes a 30-day sample meal plan and recipes. I only wish that the book had more recipes!

Here’s a bit more about Eat Smarter:

Food is complicated. It’s a key controller of our state of health or disease. It’s a social centerpiece for the most important moments of our lives. It’s the building block that creates our brain, enabling us to have thought, feeling, and emotion. It’s the very stuff that makes up our bodies and what we see looking back at us in the mirror. Food isn’t just food. It’s the thing that makes us who we are. So why does figuring out what to eat feel so overwhelming?

In Eat Smarter, nutritionist, bestselling author, and #1-ranked podcast host Shawn Stevenson breaks down the science of food with a 30-day program to help you lose weight, reboot your metabolism and hormones, and improve your brain function. Most importantly, he explains how changing what you eat can transform your life by affecting your ability to make money, sleep better, maintain relationships, and be happier. Eat Smarter will empower you and make you feel inspired about your food choices, not just because of the impact they have on your weight, but because the right foods can help make you the best version of yourself.

So, tell me, friends: what did you read in February? Anything you loved?? Do you tend to prefer physical books, audio, or digital (like Kindle)? I like audio and Kindle the most because I can take them anywhere on my phone, but really prefer the feel (and smell!) of a real, paper book.

Have a happy Monday and thanks for stopping by the blog today!

xo

Gina

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