.

A couple weeks back I wrote a post in the benefits of writing action plans to implement small behavior changes to bring about long term results.  Frankly, I think that this is the best way to overcome stumbling blocks in getting started with an exercise or nutrition program for the beginner and for reaching new levels of achievement for advanced trainees.

.

As a result of that post, I’ve had a few questions and I figured that today would be as good a day as any to one of them.

.

Question: If I successfully implemented a behavior last week, do I have to change it or increase it this week?

.

Answer: Definitely not.  If last week you decided you were going to exercise 3 times for 30 minutes and you achieved that goal, there is no reason to expect that this week you should attempt to do 4 days per week or increase the time to 45 minutes.  However, the aim of an action plan is to make regular small steps forward in ANY behavior the leads you towards your goal.  So this week you could very well maintain your previous exercise goal and address another behavior instead.

.

For example, if your long term goal is weight loss and last week you began exercising as was discussed above, perhaps this week you can begin to address another simple habit like sleep as this can also effect weight management.  If you regularly go to bed late and get up early for work you might set an action plan to go to bed by 9:30 at least one night this week and build on that in later action plans.

.

Ultimately, the when thinking about action planning it helps to take a look at what the ideal situation would look like for you to achieve your goal.  For fat loss you’d likely be exercising a few times per week, lifting weights, eating less junk food, maintaining a moderate calorie deficit, eating plenty of veggies and fruit, consuming adequate protein, drinking mostly water and few calorie containing beverages, sleeping 7-8 hours per night, and so on.  Doing all that at once is easily a recipe for failure (which is why most people that try this do not actually succeed in the long term), but breaking it down into very small managable actions will make it possible to implement this over a very long time line and make it more likely that you’ll be able to maintain it.

.

So you select the easiest possible remaining behavior that needs to be changed and start working on it in the simplest possible way for you whether it be only one meal per week or one day per week.  Over time, new habits will form and the results will come.  They key is patience and consistency.  If you can accept that it will take time, the wait will pay off and you’ll eventually leave all those trying more severe programs in the dust as they struggle to maintain their new habits and eventually regain the weight they lost.

.

And for those who are more advanced, the same thing appliles.  You may have already implemented behaviors that have set you on the path to your goals.  The key now is to identify which ones still lie between you and your intended outcome, pick the easiest one to change…and get after it.

.

In the end, it is nice to read this stuff, but unless you’re actually doing it, you might as well have not wasted your time.   What is your action plan this week?  If I get enough people sharing theirs I’ll share my own next week.

.

PS: If this post has helped you or you think it might be helpful to someone you know, please don’t hesitate to share it.

.

Facebook Arguments - This is How I Roll

.

So Sunday I sent out an email to my newsletter subscribers and, as I usually do at the bottom, I invited my subscribers to join me on Facebook to connect and share in the discussions on my wall.  More specifically, this time I mentioned that my Facebook is indeed the place to be to enjoy the rants, arguments, and tirades that take place on my statuses from time to time.

.

Interestingly, despite having invited people to add me many times before, it seems that you are all more excited to chat it up if you think there is going to be disagreement and rage filled rants.  In short, ya’ll are sick!    Of course, this is good news because I am also one for such discussions.  For the rest of you who have yet to connect and participate in said discussions (shame on you), please feel free to add me HERE.  I know you’re just as sick as the rest of us.

.

While you’re at it, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and subscribe on YouTube as well.

.

Down to Business

..

Okay…enough chatter.  Time to get to work.

.

Last week I wrote a little bit about the state of the research on refeeds, but I was very careful not to say that they don’t work because the truth of the matter is that just because there isn’t any research to help us determine one way or the other in well designed weight loss studies in humans.  As you could probably tell from the tone of my post, I’m not totally convinced at this point and I don’t often use structured refeeds with my clients.

.

.

That said, I know that there are many very smart folks who do use refeeds with their clients and I think it is only fair to consider their opinions as well.  I feel that many fitness professionals – myself included - can sometimes become a little too dogmatic about their own methods so I wanted to ask my good friend Erik Ledin (who has worked with many high level bodybuilding, fitness, and physique competitors) to share his perspective on how to use refeeds and when they are most effective.

..

*Note – To be clear here, we’re talking about structured higher calorie and higher carb meals.  Refeeds are not the typical “cheat meal” where a bodybuilder will go out to a restaurant and kill a steak, a pizza, and a plate of pasta washed down with a couple Cokes.*

.

Here’s what I asked Erik

.

“At what point do you feel refeeds become important? Do people at any percentage of body fat benefit from them? In other words, are they valuable for everyone who is trying to lose fat?”

.

Erik’s response

.

“You could really draw an answer out but just to keep it short, when progress stalls, or when a person is lean.
.
Fatter people don’t need refeeds since body fat is protective to the regulatory hormones; it’s when someone gets lean and is further and further away from their metabolic set point that things tend to get all jacked up.
.
People can argue this all they want, but the reality of actual PEOPLE going through this is hard to ignore.
.
I don’t know what body fat percentage that would be as I could bet it would differ from person to person again based on how far they’ve come from where their bodies want to naturally gravitate towards. Those who have come from further probably will benefit sooner and vice versa.
.
So I’ll look at progress, gym performance as well and a general assessment based on what they’re looking like.  Sometimes I’ll put one in, only to pull it back out because maybe my application of it wasn’t timed right.
.

My Thoughts

.

As most of you know, I like to wait until the dust settles in terms of research before I make a definite conclusions about whether something works or doesn’t work.  However, I am not against trying things in the interm provided that the theory is sound and there is practical evidence suggesting that it works in the applied setting.

.

In this case, it appears that if you’re going to try refeeds, you at least need to have hit a standstill in terms of weight loss that can’t be explained by overconsumption of calories or too little activity and likely be relatively lean.  If you’re just starting to follow a nutrition plan and you’re trying to justify using refeeds as a way to over eat on the weekend because you need to maintain your leptin levels you’re probably deluding yourself.  A more moderate calorie deficit is probably the key to success and if you’re going to use refeeds, you should probably wait until they are truly warranted.

.

I should also note here, that while we are talking about the effects of leptin on hunger and metabolism, we shouldn’t forget that other hormones like ghrelin and PYY have effects on hunger as well and none of these hormones operate in isolation.  In fact, some of them are actually effected just be THINKING that something is more filling.  So we can’t ignore the possibility that other hormones as well as social and psychological factors can play a role in fat loss.  While refeeds may indeed work, there is still so much more we can learn.

.

.

In my post yesterday I brought up the idea that perhaps the ”refeeds” that some are recommending to prevent the metabolic slowdown associated with dieting may not be as effective as we’ve come to believe.  But then again, I also stated that research has yet to test this theory so it may turn out the be effective after all.

.

However, one theme that did arise in the comments on the article, on Facebook, and in emails that I received afterwards was that even if refeeds aren’t physiologically effective, they do provide psychological benefits for some people that are on intense competition style diets or even just dieting to look good on the beach.  The psychological break from strict calorie control is a relief for some and it really helps them to stick with their plan.

.

Of course, there are those who go totally out of control with their refeeds and they can do more harm than good psychologically.  For these people, I think that a more evenly spaced calorie controlled plan would probably work better than a severe deprivation during the week with a larger calorie day on the weekend because the psychological guilt associated with feeling like they may have eaten too much is enough to throw some people completely off plan.

.

I guess what I’m getting at here is that pscyhology plays a BIG role in whether we follow our nutrition and training plans and we have to really pay attention to that aspect as opposed to just looking at food and exercise as the sole predictors of success.  With that in mind, I want to get to the main topic of today’s post which is falling off the wagon after being successful before and not being able to get back on.  Truth be told, this could very well apply to anyone who has NEVER been on a plan as well.

.

The way I see it, the outcomes we achieve (think fat loss, muscle gain, etc) are a direct result of the actions/behaviors that we perform consistently over time.  And if you repeat those behaviors enough times they’ll essentially become habits so it pretty much becomes second nature to maintain them and the outcomes that come with them.

.

This explains why those who seem to be successfully following a plan are most able to stick to it and why those who aren’t following one are having trouble starting one (because they’ve already got their own set of repeated actions…just not those bringing them closer to their goals).  Where I think we go wrong though, is by convincing someone who is about to start a program that they have to change all of their behaviours at once.  Is it really that easy to start training 3-4 days per week, reduce calories, increase protein, and cut carbs when your default behaviour for the last several years has been going to work, sitting on the couch, and eating pizza with little regard for activity or proper nutrition?  Heck to the No!  It is really hard.  And I think this explains why a lot of people don’t start at all or start a plan and fall off after only a few weeks because they try to do too many things at once.

.

So what is the answer?

.

I’m glad you asked…because the answer is ACTION PLANS.

.

Instead of just thinking about the results you’d like to see from your actions, you need to start planning out which actual actions you’re going to take and introduce them in a very slow and painless way such that they become integrated into your life.  As you do this, you’ll feel the confidence to do more and more and eventually the results will come about as a result of the new habits you’ve formed.

.

Of course, if you’re looking for a quick fix, this isn’t it.  This is a slow as hell fix…but it is also easy and permanent.  So there you have it – fast, difficult, and transient or slow, easy, and permanent.  And before you get your knickers in a knot, there are some who are able to pull of the really intensive changes and make it stick (in fact, some people do this very well), but they are a minority…and if you’re struggling to make a plan stick you probably aren’t one of them.

.

So here’s what you need to do

.

1.  Pick ONE specific action that you’re going to implement over the following 7 days and make it stick.  It should be stated in an “I will” sentence and it should be as specific as possible (i.e., I will go to the gym on Tuesday and Thursday at 5PM for one hour).

.

2.  Rate your confidence level that you’ll be able to succeed with that action over the next week on a scale of 1 to 10 (with one being no confidence and 10 being absolutely positive).

.

3.  If your score is lower than a 7 adjust your action plan such that you are able to achieve at least a 7 out of 10.

.

4.  Follow through with the action for 7 days and review the outcome.  In almost every single instance, you should be successful.  If you’re not, you need to adjust your program such that you are able to succeed and this will build more confidence in the future.  Don’t be afraid to start small…even if it seems to small to be relevent.  You’ll be changing your action plan every week and small changes over many weeks will amount to big changes, new habits, and the body you’ve been hoping for.

.

Here’s an example:

.

Me: “What action could you start this week that would put you on the path to your goals?”

.

Friend: “I could start walking…is that enough?”

.

Me: “Sure.  It is a start.  You’ll be able to add more habits later in terms of diet, resistance training, and so on.  The journey starts with one step.  No action is too small as long as it is in the right direction.”

.

Friend: “Okay, I’m going to walk for 30 minutes every day this week.”

.

Me: “What is your confidence level you can achieve that?”

.

Friend: “Probably about a 4.”

.

Me: “What could be do to increase that confidence number to a 7 or higher?”

.

Friend: “I think that every day is a lot.  I’m not doing anything right now.  I could probably do 3.  That might bring it up to a 7.”

.

Me: “Would 2 days pretty much guarantee you’d get it done?”

.

Friend: “Heck yeah.  That is pretty much a 10.”

.

Me:  “Good.  Let’s do that.  Being specific now, which days are you going to walk on, and at what times?”

.

Friend: “Looking at my work schedule I’d have to say Monday and Thursday at around 5PM would probably be best.”

.

Me: “Okay…let’s pull it all together in an action plan statement for the week.”

.

Friend: “You are starting to sound like Dr. Phil.  But okay…I will walk for thirty minutes on Monday and Thursday at 5PM this week.”

.

And that’s how it goes…but if you’re more advanced…

.

If you’re more advanced and already on a plan, this can apply to you as well because we all have improvements to make.  Imagine you’ve been training for years, you’ve got a base of strength, you’ve got the muscle mass, but you’ve never been able to really dial in your nutrition for long enough to get lean…or at least stay that way.  You can use the same idea.

.

Here’s an example:

.

Me: “What is ONE specific action could you take this week to put you on the path towards your goal of getting lean?”

.

Chubby Muscle Guy: “I could probably cut out junk food.  That would be a start.”

.

Me: “Do you eat junk food every day now?  What is your confidence level on that?”

.

Chubby Muscle Guy: “Yeah…I pretty much eat at least one junk food item per day…and I love pizza.  I usually eat that and have a few beers on Friday night with the boyz.  I guess my confidence level on doing that every day is low.  Maybe a 5.”

.

Me: “What if you were just going to avoid junk on 1 day this week?  Is that doable?”

.

Chubby Muscle Guy: “Yeah.  I could probably really make it two.  My confidence on that would be about an 8.”

.

Me: “Cool.  Which days?”

.

Chubby Muscle Guy: ” I’d say Monday would be easiest…and probably Wednesday.  In other words…I will avoid eating junk food on Monday and Wednesday of this week”

.

And that is how it is done

.

The next week he could address the same habit by cutting out more junk or he could maintain the two no junk days and work on adding veggies at least one or two days per week.  The key is small steps towards the goal at a time when you are ready and confident you can achieve them.

.

In the end, actions, become habits, which become outcomes!

.

So what is your action plan this week?  What single behavior could you change right now to set you on the path to long term success?  Let me know in the comments below!

.

.

In my post last week I talked a little bit about how weight gain (and specifically staying at a certain weight) can increase the amount of a hormone called leptin required to prevent hunger and slowing down of the metabolism with subsequent weight loss.

.

To reiterate, leptin is a hormone that historically would have protected us from starving to death in periods of famine.  When our body fat levels fall, leptin also falls which slows our metabolism and makes us hungry so losing more weight will be harder and we’ll possibly eat more to bring our weight back up to where it was previously.  In the context of the discussion from last week, gaining weight and maintaining it for some time would make it so we need more leptin (i.e., need to gain more weight or eat more) to restore leptin levels to normal and make us stop being so hungry.

.

However, one proposed mechanism to deal with falling leptin levels when calories are restricted is the use of “refeed days”.  In most cases, it is suggested that the refeed consist largely of carbohydrates and that it is actually a full day of refeeding instead of the popular cheat meal that was originally quite common with bodybuilders.

.

 The premise here is that insulin increases leptin and carbohydrates increase insulin so logically a high calorie day including plenty of carbs would increase leptin and offset the metabolic slowdown associated with low leptin and low body fat levels.  And since a single meal doesn’t necessarily have this effect, a whole day is typically suggested.

.

I think this practice has actually grown increasingly popular with dieters, but the point I want to drive home is that while this is the logical extension of the current research looking at the hormones involved, I’m not sure that there have been any more lengthy studies looking at whether this method actually produces changes in metabolism or, more importantly, allows people to go on to lose more weight/fat than they otherwise would have lost.

.

Does this mean that refeeds don’t work?

.

Not necessarily.  What it means is that there is just not any research yet (that I am aware of) examining whether this is method is actually effective for staving off metabolic slow down.  There IS research suggesting that leptin injections can help with weight maintenance in those who have already lost weight.  However, the reseach on leptin injections also shows that they NOT effective in promoting weight loss at all (except in those born with a leptin deficiency).

.

So where does this leave us?

.

Generally speaking, I think that as long as you’re in negative calorie balance (calories in are less than calories out) you’re going to lose weight.  This can be accomplished with an even calorie deficit throughout the whole week or a more severe calorie deficit during the week so you can have a “refeed” on the weekend amounting to the same total calorie deficit.  I also think that the leaner you get, the harder it is going to be to lose more weight/fat regardless of whether or not you do refeeds.

.

I think refeeds or cheats CAN be good psychologically for some people, whereas they can lead to all out binges and unhealthy eating patterns on others.  The secret is just to acknowledge which of these types you are.  For now though, I think the research on refeeds is still incomplete and more definitely needs to be done before we can confidently tell people that they are maintaining their metabolic rate (and will thereby lose more weight) by using them.

.

If they work for you by enabling you to stick to your plan then that is all that really matters.  However, I’m not sure (based on available research) that their effects on leptin are the cause.  If you have research to the contrary, I’d be happy to be wrong here…so send it my way.

.

What are your thoughts on refeeds?  Do you use them?  Do you feel they are effective?  Or is it all about calories?  Drop me a comment below.

.

.

So here’s the deal…I recently connected with one of my long time fitness idols Tom Venuto. If you don’t know Tom, he’s a really down to earth guy, evidence based (you know I love this), and he’s been around in this industry so long that I think the first time he wrote down his thoughts on training and nutriton they were probably carved on stone tablets. Okay…I’m exaggerating a bit here, but Tom’s book Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle was first released almost a decade ago so you know that computers weren’t quite what they are today.

.

In short, when it comes to body compostion change, Tom has seen the trends come and go and his program still stands as one of the best and most popular on the internet.
.
As a result of our recent email discussions I cracked open Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle again and was honestly as impressed as I was a few years ago when I read it for the first time. Perhaps even more so because it is a stark contrast to a lot of what I’m seeing on the internet these days.
.
In recent years, I feel that training just to look good has taken a back seat to being “functional” (whatever that means) and we’ve been made to feel guilty about just wanting to look good naked. I think that reading Tom’s book again made me realize that this IS okay. In fact, it is normal. We all want to look and feel good and we shouldn’t have to feel bad about it. Heck, isn’t that why most of us started training in the first place?!?
.
I guess what I liked most about Tom’s program is that it is scientifically supported AND it has been battle tested for over a decade on thousands of people in over 100 countries! In short, it freaking works!
.
So if I read it and liked it so much why didn’t I tell you about it sooner?

.
Because during my conversations with Tom he mentioned that he was in the midst of putting together an absolutely epic transformation contest where those with the best results over the course of 14 weeks would get to go on an all expense paid vacation to the beautiful white sand beachies of Maui and I didn’t want to mention anything about it until I knew all the details.

.

In addition, he’s informed me that there are other prizes like cash, iPods, and Kindles which is pretty friggin’ awesome!  Oh…and you don’t even have to win to score this stuff.  If you sign up to be a member of the Burn the Fat Inner Circle you can win prizes for just being the most supportive member!  How cool is that?!?

.

So basically, if you purchase Tom’s ultimate body composition changing program Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle or a membership to his “Inner Circle” you are automatically elligable to enter this 98 day summer challenge for a trip to Maui and all sorts of other awesome stuff.

.

So here you go…you can learn more about the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle book and start looking the best you’ve ever looked here:

.

 Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

.

But let’s be honest, you want to know where you’re going and you want to see pictures and video of the resort right?  Yeah…I did too.  You can check out the contest deets, the resort, and info on the ultra supportive and motivating Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle Inner Circle here:

.

Contest Details, Resort Photos, and Videos

.

So that’s it.  Get the product, enter the contest, look great naked, and show off your hard earned body on the beach in Maui.

.

But there is only one catch

.

While you can most certainly pick up your copy of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle at any time, the ability to enter this contest ends at the end of the day on Wednesday, May 25th.  In other words, if you don’t act fast, you may get lean, but you sure aren’t going to Maui…not for free anyway.  This isn’t one of those times when you can think about it forever.  If you want to make a change, the time is right now…or you’ll miss out.  And like I said, you don’t want to miss out on this:

.

Contest Details, Resort Photos, and Videos

.

Full Disclosure

.

I should note that if you purchase through one of the links on this page I do make a commission on the sale that I will use to fund this blog as well as support my family and do generally awesome stuff.  However, I would NEVER recommend a product I don’t believe in because:

.

A) This is morally wrong.  I’m just one of those guys that wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if he was scamming people out of their hard earned money all the time.  Being that I’m in the fitness industry, this trait is a giant pain in the ass as I could most certainly make more money otherwise.  But the fact remains that I can’t bring myself to be anything but honest with my readers.

.

B) If I break your trust, I lose my readership.  Frankly, I know that a lot of people have been duped by crazy fitness products and I know it would be easy to convince some people to spend money once.  But the fact of the matter is, if the product I recommend sucks, that person is probably not going to trust me again and they’ll never purchase anything I recommend again (thereby eliminating any future chance of making commissions or selling them a product of my own).

.

C) If you return the product, I actually LOSE money.  Basically, if you purchase a product I might make a few bucks, but if you return the product I lose my commission and I pay a small fee for having had a return.  If I recommended crappy products I’d have tons of returns AND I’d be paying out of my pocket.  In the end, I could actually risk losing money on a promotion which is NOT GOOD.  So I only promote stuff I know works and I know you’re going to love because I want you to be successful and I want to not go broke in the process.

.

So that’s it.  This recommendation for Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is totally legit!  It is a great product and from now until next Wednesday you have a chance to pick it up, get shredded, AND enter a contest to spend the end of your summer on a beautiful tropical beach in Maui.

.

So go pick up Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle here:

.

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

.

Or go check out the details for this incredible contest here:

.

Contest Details, Resort Photos, and Videos

.

Either way, the key here is to take action and to make this your leanest summer yet!  Get at it!

.