Lose Five Pounds Fast

The title got your attention didn't it? We are a culture obsessed with losing weight and doing it quickly. These quick fixes generally result in gaining most of the weight back we lost plus some. I can't tell you the numerous friends I have that are on a consistent "diet" of some sort. It usually entails some kind of extreme calorie restriction-even fasting. I do not endorse or agree with these types of programs. I do believe fasting is good for the body on occasion and not for longer than 12-24 hours. Other than that, I believe clean eating is the way to go.

The idea of eating 'clean' seems to be a buzz word these days. Clean eating is very simple and straightforward. Clean means no mess and I think it is easy to apply the thought of clean into your diet. Food that is clean contains no pesticides and it is not pre-made. It is not processed and does not come in a meal- in -a -box. Clean eating is fresh ingredients and mostly home prepared.

Instinctively most people know what it takes to eat well. When I ask my clients how they should be eating, all of them respond with the correct answers. They all say: less sugar, less dairy, no processed foods, no snack foods like chips and cookies, no soda pop, lean proteins, more water, more fruit, more fiber, and more veggies. See, it is not brain science.

I can help you lose five pounds before Thanksgiving. Eat Clean. No processed foods at all! Cut out soda and sugary drinks. Eat less flour, sugar, and dairy. Eat more vegetables and lean protein. Eat regularly throughout the day. Sounds simple doesn't it? I have found most people want a plan. They want a step-by-step process that details a plan of action. Tosca Reno has this plan. Her Eat-Clean Diet is a comprehensive series of books and recipes to assist anyone in eating clean. There is also a website that outlines the whole plan and is very user friendly.

Tosca does not count calories on this eating plan. So that should take some worry away. Try it out for a week or two. I would bet that you will drop five pounds before Thanksgiving if you start tomorrow. Eating clean for two weeks before the 'Big Day' shouldn't be too difficult. You will find that since you have been eating clean, you won't be able to gorge as much on turkey day- your body won't allow it.

Yes, I Admit it- I like Bodybuilding.com

The girl above is Jamie Eason. She is a fitness model, spokesperson, and columnist. She is the reason I admit- I like Bodybuilding.com. A fellow trainer introduced me to her workout program a few months ago. Even though I haven't been following the program diligently it has given me a new appreciation for workout splits.

I have always trained my clients for total body conditioning. Working every major muscle group each time we meet. I still love this type of training and feel like it is very beneficial as long as you are changing your workouts up frequently. You can change workout frequency (how often), intensity (how hard), time (how long), and type (of exercise). An acronym used for this principle is F.I.T.T. People do not change their exercise protocols very often and this is one reason plateau's happen. A plateau is when little or no changes take place in the body after a period of progress.

I decided to try bits and pieces of Jamie Eason's 12-week program. I have trainer friends who are following this program quite diligently and have seen some amazing results like a flatter belly, reduced body fat percentage, and an increase in muscle mass. I don't mean man muscle, I mean very lean, strong,defined muscle- on a woman. I have not been following the diet plan at all. It is way to strict for me right now. Basically you are cutting out sugar and simple carbohydrates, eating little starches and almost a dozen egg whites a day. NO THANK YOU. I am also not taking any supplements. So I didn't expect the results to be phenomenal.

The workouts are FREE. She maps it all out for you day- by- day. There are even workout logs and recipes for food. It is a very comprehensive plan, one that you don't run by very often unless it costs you major dollar bills. She is appealing to the female population and doing a very good job. I have only known men that look at bodybuilding.com. She has me looking at the website at least three times a week. Of course they are hoping that you buy the supplements that go along with the program, but I am not interested and I don't pitch supplements to my clients either. I have found the workouts to be very straight forward and easy to follow. She starts you off with a four week base building plan then progresses you up to harder and longer workouts over 12 weeks.

I really have come to enjoy workout splits because of this program. Workout splits are when you break the body up into muscle groupings and train only those muscles on certain days. For example, working the chest and back one day and the arms and abs the next. The goal is to fatigue the muscles so greatly that only one dedicated workout day to that muscle group is needed per week. Most of these programs involve lifting between four and six days per week. That is a lot of gym time! I prefer the four day splits and I enjoy pushing myself more and more. I have gotten stronger and have never lifted this much in my life. I know that if I cleaned up my diet I would see some amazing results.

Don't take my word for it, try it out. You could pay 30-40 dollars and hour for a personal trainer or download these workouts for FREE. It is up to you.