Tuesday, August 19, 2008

A Real Client Post From Our Social Site

Well . . . I did it! I officially admitted to another live human being that I am NOT happy with my current state of health AND that I don't seem to be able to do anything about it by myself! As I drove to my appointment with Total Health & Fitness consultant Rick Plenert, I felt as if I was going to my own execution!

But I wasn't prepared for what actually did happen. Rick sat and talked to me about my current health (please note: I said "health" not "weight"!). Next he weighed and measured me, and believe it or not I wasn't embarrassed or ashamed! Don't get me wrong . . . it was a REAL reckoning to see my statistics IN black & white, ON paper. But as I sat there with Rick looking at numbers that seemed gargantuan to me, I noticed a smile on Rick's face.

No, it wasn't a smirk! It wasn't a put-down! Rick was smiling because, as he explained, my "current condition" happens to be something that can be dealt with and managed with real, positive results. As he explained, most people see their current weight or health as something depressing and defeating. But by working with Rick and THF on a health program designed just for me, I will begin to learn the skills and information to put myself in my best possible condition! Suddenly, I noticed something I hadn't felt for a long, long time . . . HOPE!

So I'm sitting here with my 0.5 cup of cottage cheese and my 1 sm tomato (which happens to be one of my favorite treats!) and a binder that contains the beginnings of a new life for me. I REALLY want this. I'm going to give it everything I've got. And if you don't mind checking in from time to time to laugh and cry with me . . . and giggle along the way, I'd love to have you see how it works for me. Let me know how it is working for you, or if you'd like to see how THF could work for you!

You know, this doesn't feel like an execution after all . . . it may even be the beginning!
~Tracy

View Tracy's Page - click here

Friday, August 15, 2008

Egg whites or whole eggs?


Both. The yolk contains some fat, but fat is not the enemy - fat has a stigma attached to it from the decades of "low fat" advice that basically allowed the obesity and overweight levels in the U.S. climb so you can see how effective that advice was. Eggs are often hailed for their high quality of protein, but few people realize that these tests are with the whole egg. It actually loses value when you only eat the yolk. The yolk contains nearly half the protein, fats, and healthy antioxidants such as Vitamin E. Eggs from free range or grain-fed chickens are superior in quality.

Traditionally, the yolk was shunned for cholesterol diet, another old myth that is dying hard - for more information on why you needn't worry about the cholesterol in egg yolks, read this:

Harvard Article

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

How do I lose fat without losing lean mass and still gain strength?


There is often some confusion about lean mass. Most people look to lean mass religiously as muscle mass, which it is not. It is everything that is not fat, and this includes water and other items. Fat cells are composed of some water, so if you lose a large amount of fat, you will lose lean mass - but not muscle, as most would think, simply water weight.

I'm sure all of you are focused on muscle mass. Provided you stimulate the muscles through resistance training and don't lose weight too quickly, you can retain or even gain muscle tissue. The issue comes when people are impatient and want to lose at some marathon pace ... your body can only process so much fat per week, so when you push the limit beyond about 1 - 2 percent of your weight each week, you risk losing muscle mass in the process.