Tips from my Nutritionist -I wasn't losing anymore!! EEK!!

Thanks for the tips! I have been frozen in my weight loss for the longest time even though I feel I'm doing everything right! If one thing in your suggestions stood out for me it was varying my workouts. I have some physical problems that limit me in the gym, so I often find myself doing the same old treadmill routine 4-5 days a week, an hour every time, the same inclines, speeds, same calorie burn (600 or so). Do you suppose I could apply the same suggestion of varying the workout but still with the treadmill? I am unable to do the stationary bike or the eliptical, unfortunately. I do manage the stairmaster once or twice a week for 15 minutes without any trouble, and I have recently started a program working out my upper body. Any suggestions? You sound so knowledgeable!

Throwing my two cents in here...

You can DEFINITELY accomplish the same on a treadmill by varying your inclines and speeds. I'm also a nutritionist and have had the fortune of working with hundreds of clients. This advice about varying your workouts holds true for just about everyone!

A simple solution that many clients use with success is this (and it applies to treadmills, stairmasters, etc, etc.):
-warm up
-speed up as fast as you can, for as long as you can (30 seconds is a good starting place if you need to watch the clock)
-slow back down to your original (or usual) pace until you catch your breath
-speed back up, and continue to repeat this process for the duration of your workout
-cool down

One cool way I like to use a treadmill is to turn it OFF! Yep, turn it off, THEN push the conveyor belt and get it going as fast as you can. Great workout!

To the OP: sounds like you've got a good nutritionist!

Thought I'd share and get my $50 worth on here. When we pay it forward, it always comes back...enjoy

I hit my plateau a couple of weeks ago and was just holding! I decided to meet w/ a professional to tweek my workouts and food! Going 5 times a week, including 2-hour salsa classes, I knew something wasn't right!

-My nutritionist suggestion varying my workouts.... maybe try doing light weights and high reps. 1st and then your cardio. She showed me an example of how she would run the same course each day and her body was so use to the same 'hill', same 'building' she ran around...so she decided to run that route the opposite way...It's a form of muscle confusion!

-Try to find your target heart rate for fat burning....A formula I found was this: Take the number 220, minus your age, multipy by 70% to show your max fat burn target heart rate. Mine was 129 BPM (beat per minute)which seemed so slooowww for me , but got more out of my workouts this way. Stay in this zone for 20-30 minutes.

*Our bodies get use to our workouts and wont allow you to get the most out of them after awhile, so you have to do the 'shock factor'.
-Vary the order of workouts and maybe do 2-3 different cardio machines during your workout . Also, try 'circuit training' at the gym....good variety of weights and cardio. Your body will 'trip out' (so to speak) w/the change and will let you burn more!

-Also try to stick to higher protein in morning and eat your complex carbs (veggie and fruits) throughout the day and avoid carbs like starchy stuff (white rice, white bread, etc.) and watch sugars like grapes, pineapple and even bananas! Also avoid junk food and processed foods (high salt and extra additives).

-Eat 5 times a day, breakfast, lunch ,dinner and 2 snacks. Eat all the calories MFP suggests dn you'll be good. Keep your water up too and avoid sodas and sugary drinks.

I learned that I was doing a lot right, but the key was to vary my workouts and the order of my workouts and also stick to higher protein meals in the morning. Even though my stomach says: "I'm not awake yet" before I hit the gym. She suggested even taking half a protein shake or protein bar and after workout have my fav high protein meal (egg whites, turkey bacon and Natures Own Double Fiber Wheat bread w/sugar free jelly) .... this girl loves her carbs. But good carbs are necessary!

-Also, eat balanced 3 meals /day and 2 snacks.. keep that bodys metabolism up and it will work for you and not against you! It will become a natural furnace and burn around the clock.

*I also bought a Timex HRM (Heart rate monitor) to get an accurate calorie burn during my workouts. I was shocked how 'off' the machines at my gym! I was also able to wear during my Salsa class and got a great idea of calorie burn there too! It was about $80 , but soooo worth it! I also changed gyms that offered some fitness classes, this way I can vary my workouts--change it up!

Good luck! Hope this helps if you have peeked out!

Bless u

so if you do a workout and your normal heart rate during it is around 140-170, but your target heart rate is 129, is your trainer essentially telling you to slow down during the workout to stay within that range?

Thought I'd share and get my $50 worth on here. When we pay it forward, it always comes back...enjoy

I hit my plateau a couple of weeks ago and was just holding! I decided to meet w/ a professional to tweek my workouts and food! Going 5 times a week, including 2-hour salsa classes, I knew something wasn't right!

-My nutritionist suggestion varying my workouts.... maybe try doing light weights and high reps. 1st and then your cardio. She showed me an example of how she would run the same course each day and her body was so use to the same 'hill', same 'building' she ran around...so she decided to run that route the opposite way...It's a form of muscle confusion!

-Try to find your target heart rate for fat burning....A formula I found was this: Take the number 220, minus your age, multipy by 70% to show your max fat burn target heart rate. Mine was 129 BPM (beat per minute)which seemed so slooowww for me , but got more out of my workouts this way. Stay in this zone for 20-30 minutes.

*Our bodies get use to our workouts and wont allow you to get the most out of them after awhile, so you have to do the 'shock factor'.
-Vary the order of workouts and maybe do 2-3 different cardio machines during your workout . Also, try 'circuit training' at the gym....good variety of weights and cardio. Your body will 'trip out' (so to speak) w/the change and will let you burn more!

-Also try to stick to higher protein in morning and eat your complex carbs (veggie and fruits) throughout the day and avoid carbs like starchy stuff (white rice, white bread, etc.) and watch sugars like grapes, pineapple and even bananas! Also avoid junk food and processed foods (high salt and extra additives).

-Eat 5 times a day, breakfast, lunch ,dinner and 2 snacks. Eat all the calories MFP suggests dn you'll be good. Keep your water up too and avoid sodas and sugary drinks.

I learned that I was doing a lot right, but the key was to vary my workouts and the order of my workouts and also stick to higher protein meals in the morning. Even though my stomach says: "I'm not awake yet" before I hit the gym. She suggested even taking half a protein shake or protein bar and after workout have my fav high protein meal (egg whites, turkey bacon and Natures Own Double Fiber Wheat bread w/sugar free jelly) .... this girl loves her carbs. But good carbs are necessary!

-Also, eat balanced 3 meals /day and 2 snacks.. keep that bodys metabolism up and it will work for you and not against you! It will become a natural furnace and burn around the clock.

*I also bought a Timex HRM (Heart rate monitor) to get an accurate calorie burn during my workouts. I was shocked how 'off' the machines at my gym! I was also able to wear during my Salsa class and got a great idea of calorie burn there too! It was about $80 , but soooo worth it! I also changed gyms that offered some fitness classes, this way I can vary my workouts--change it up!

Good luck! Hope this helps if you have peeked out!

Bless u

Really no reason to vary workouts other then to alleviate boredom, as you became more efficient at a workout increase duration/intensity/weight etc

Fat burning zone is a myth

Increased meal frequency has no metabolic advantage

Starchy carbs and sugars in and of themselves do not hinder or stop weight loss

Interesting you should ask....I found a post on here and one guy found a formal to adjust to the high calorie count. Because the Timex I have doesnt ask for gender, just weight and age. So I've been adjusting to count for the high count. I have been watching what the cardio machines at the gym say vs. what my HRM says....SOMETIMES they are close, and other times off. Any suggestions? I have a feeling the Polar is more accurate.

The Polar is. But that cheap Timex has more training options than the cheaper several models of Polar.

So ya, just take your workout's AHR to here for a better estimate than the Timex will give you.

http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm