Charli Cohen2013-05-23T07:37:27-04:00Charli Cohenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=charli-cohenCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Charli CohenGood old fashioned elbow grease.Why Your Diet Isn't Working: Part Twotag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.32157232013-05-07T19:00:00-04:002013-05-07T11:54:13-04:00Charli Cohenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/charli-cohen/perfectly for weeks, but I'm STILL not seeing any progress. What's wrong with me?"
Sound familiar? It certainly does to me, ranking high in my top ten questions I'm asked on a daily basis. Nine times out of ten, this is down to one significant issue with said 'perfect' diet: you are eating more than you think you are.
Let's look at the top three offenders for accidentally overeating...
1. 'Eating Healthy'
The first Eating Healthy conundrum is the number of 'health foods' that, although rich in fibre and vitamins, are (1) packing a massive calorie and sugar punch and (2) not providing either of the macronutrients essential for fat loss (i.e. protein and fat). By the time you've breakfasted on a bowl of muesli with yoghurt and a banana, you've likely hit around a third of the total daily calorie maximum you require for fat loss, without having even touched upon your optimal protein and fat intake. Follow that up with a mid-morning fruit smoothie and you're now at half your calorie needs, still having consumed only trace amounts of protein and fat. A tasty couscous salad for lunch. A late-afternoon rice cake or two. Vegetables and wholewheat pasta for dinner, followed by a virtuous fruit dessert. Individually, you have indeed made some healthy choices...but what about the big diet picture? Calories are now at, if not more than what you require to maintain your current weight. Sugar is though the roof. Protein is a foreign concept and those essential fatty acids didn't get a look in. All of these factors will result in a fat loss plateau, if not weight gain.
The other popular eating healthy issue is for those fat-savvy folk who KNOW they need to fill up the good stuff. The kitchen is always stocked with nuts, avocados, olive oil and mackerel and every meal is a staunch homage to omega 3. This is great for physical, mental and hormonal health. However, a problem arises when the necessary moderation for these super calorie-dense foods is not carefully adhered to. It's all too easy to overeat when every tablespoon of oil clocks in at over 100 calories, every handful of nuts brings in another few hundred and every avocado tops that still. Once again, we are faced with the inescapable science of calories in versus calories out.
When unmonitored, eating healthy can easily set you on a path to gaining weight rather than losing it. Eat your fats, eat your fibre and antioxidant rich foods, but be aware that too much is too much, whatever it consists of.
2. Nibbling
Here's a problem that most of us are guilty of - those extra 'bits' we all eat and never count. Do you nibble at ingredients whilst you're cooking? Try 'just a bite' of what others are eating? How about the splash of milk in your coffee or the drizzle of oil to grease the pan? In isolation, these additional calories are usually fairly negligible, but in combination, they can add up very quickly. It doesn't take much to nibble yourself out of a calorie deficit, once again resulting in a mysterious lack of progress.
3. Guesstimating
Even for someone as data obsessed as me, weighing and measuring everything that passes one's lips is tedious. However, if you're stuck in a weight loss rut and are serious about getting out of it, you need to suck it up. Crack out the electronic scales, the measuring jug and the spoon measures and ensure those portion sizes you've been 'eye-balling' all this time are accurate. Because I can 95% guarantee that they aren't.
To sum up...
If you're stuck in a fat loss plateau and can relate to any of the above, make the proactive decision to be 100% aware of everything you're consuming. Take the guesswork out and keep yourself accountable with a (completely honest) food diary or online nutrition tracking software. This doesn't have to be forever - just until you know where you stand with your diet and what you need to adjust to get things moving. Use it when you need it - if things start to slide again later on, revert to tracking until you're back on the wagon. I have a detailed article on estimating your nutrition requirements along with recommended online tracking resources here.
So that wraps up part two of the Why Your Diet Isn't Working series! Keep an eye out for part three and if you didn't catch part one, you can check it out here.]]>Why Your Diet Isn't Working: Part Onetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.30928862013-04-17T19:00:00-04:002013-04-17T12:37:19-04:00Charli Cohenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/charli-cohen/
In this instalment, I'm going to explore an issue that almost all of us are guilty of, me included.
Impatience.
In our culture of instant gratification, we all want immediate results, instant 'proof' that what we're doing is working. Logic and science go out the window as we ponder why, after a whole day of being 'good', we still haven't dropped a dress size by the following morning. Okay, an extreme example but you get the gist.
Poor comparisons are certainly an issue, not helped by shows like The Biggest Loser, which encourage expectations of abnormal (and potentially unsafe) weight loss. For those who are very overweight, progress will become apparent more quickly, simply because there's more to lose - both in terms of fat and lean body mass*. Those who are already close to their goal weight (or, as a more accurate measure of progress, goal bodyfat percentage) have significantly less fat to lose and need to maintain (if not increase) lean body mass. So as far as scale numbers go, it stands to reason that the leaner individual is going to see far less significant progress.
*Note: Lean body mass is the percentage of your overall weight that isn't bodyfat, i.e. muscle, bone, organs, water etc.
Everyone responds differently to diet and exercise programs. Comparing your progress to someone else's is (excuse the idiom) like comparing apples to oranges - it's completely irrelevant. The only way to find out what works for you personally is by giving it a proper chance before changing it and the only real bench-mark for gauging progress is your own 'before' photo.
This leads me to the issue of 'weight loss' versus 'fat loss' - they are not one and the same. This is particularly evident in no-carb diets, where the dieter will often see a dramatic loss in the first couple of weeks as they drop water weight. Despite a much more dramatic weight loss through cutting out carbs, the dieter will likely not have dropped much (if any) more fat than if they were on a more moderate diet. As soon as they reintroduce carbs into their diet, they'll gain all the water weight back. Suffice to say that for most dieters, that will feel like they're either making no progress or worse, that they're regressing (and so begins a phobia of carbs, but that's for another article). In short, using scale weight to gauge whether you're progressing or plateauing is a fairly useless and highly frustrating measure (other than for very overweight individuals). I write in detail about accurately gauging progress in my blog article, The Anti-Scales Campaign.
The impatient dieter will jump from one diet to the next, allowing each only a few weeks (if that) to prove its worth, whilst giving none any realistic chance of taking effect and feeling increasingly demoralised that 'nothing will work' for them.
A realistic expectation of weight loss is an average loss of 1-2 lbs per week (the leaner you are already, the smaller the number). This number is a good indication that it is fat you're losing, rather than lean body mass. Let me reiterate that fat loss is what matters - this is the permanent change and the change that will result in inch loss, dropping dress sizes and looking lean and defined.
Also note the term 'average loss'. Neither weight loss, nor fat loss is a linear process. It is common, especially in the already quite lean, to go for several weeks with absolutely no apparent change before experiencing a sudden drop in weight or rapid improvement in visible leanness. I will be coming back to this phenomenon throughout the Why Your Diet Isn't Working series, but in short, this is due both to hormonal factors and to an increase in lean body mass (water, muscle glycogen and sometimes muscle) masking a drop in bodyfat.
In my experience, impatience is the ultimate diet saboteur. Combat it by distracting yourself with goals that aren't physique based: getting stronger, having more energy, devoting more time to your own wellbeing, experimenting with recipes to keep your diet varied and exciting. Don't be your own worst enemy - focus on the process and the results will come!
To take a look inside my book on setting yourself up with a solid nutrition and training plan from the outset, visit charli-cohen.com/bookshop.
Stay tuned for Why Your Diet Isn't Working: Part Two, within which I'll be exploring how we self-sabotage without even realising it!]]>What's Your Diet Personality?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.29385182013-03-24T19:00:00-04:002013-03-24T19:59:44-04:00Charli Cohenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/charli-cohen/ The Controller
Pros: You have the drive and motivation to achieve whatever goal you set your mind to. You're efficient, organised and have a great deal of will power and self-discipline. You have a strong work ethic and will always strive to be the very best at what you do.
Cons: You can get too focused on a certain goal, to point of obsession. You panic about any loss of control and you find it difficult to multi-task or take a flexible approach to your goal. You are very hard on yourself and the smallest 'slip-up' can feel like a huge failure.
Tip for Controllers: It's important to harness your drive and dedication in a healthy, balanced way. Spontaneity is never going to feel comfortable, so the work-around is to make 'flexibility' an integral part of your diet plan. Schedule rest days, plan 'treat' meals and allocate a certain number of free calories per day or week, so that 'off plan' eating becomes 'on plan'.
The Competitor
Pros: You are driven by a determination to be the best and you pull out all the stops to make it happen.
Cons: Competition is your key motivation, so once that's taken out of the equation, you can find it a struggle to push yourself. You're either at full speed or a complete stop, with nowhere in between. You are prone to yo-yo dieting.
Tip for Competitors: There's nothing wrong with having competition as your driving force, but it's important to recognise this and ensure that there's always a competitive element to your goals. Participate in group transformation challenges, sign up for fitness events and compete against people who are currently closer to your goal than you are, to give you that extra push.
The Creator
Pros: You're so inventive with food that you never feel deprived on your diet. Your meals are varied and nutritious and you set a great example to everyone about how fun and easy dieting can be.
Cons: You get bored easily, so when life gets in the way and you're too busy to experiment in the kitchen, you struggle with diet motivation.
Tip for Creators: When you know you're going to be extra busy, set aside a few hours each week to bulk cook or pre-prepare a variety of meal components. You can throw these together in different combinations over the course of the week to keep your meals varied and interesting, whilst remaining consistent and time-effective.
The Craver
Pros: When on track, you're good at maintaining a healthy balance between your diet and the rest of your life. When you fall off the diet wagon, you normally jump back on pretty quickly. Of all the diet personalities, you have the most natural propensity to maintain a healthy, flexible diet long-term.
Cons: You struggle with cravings and don't always have the self-control to moderate how you act on these. This slows your progress and can leave you feeling frustrated and disappointed.
Tip for Cravers: Take a leaf out of the creators' book and either find or create healthier versions of the foods you crave. Keep emergency supplies on hand for when those cravings hit - ensure that there's always a pre-prepared healthy snack to grab and put together a 'fitspo pack' of aspirational photos, motivational quotes and your own progress photos - a flick through this will usually make you think twice about finishing that entire box of choccies. Cravings can also be a result of diet imbalances - deficiencies in omega 3, zinc and magnesium are some common culprits - so ensure you're meeting all your nutrient requirements.
The Coulda Woulda Shouda
Pros: You know what you want to achieve and you put time into researching how you're going to get there.
Cons: You don't put the above into action. You tend to procrastinate and there's always a reason not to start today, or to give up shortly after you have started. You seek a quick and easy solution, so struggle with the patience and perseverance involved in an effective diet plan.
Tip for CWSs: Don't intimidate yourself with a huge goal - instead, take it one small step at a time. Give yourself something small and achievable to do towards your goal each day. Plan one week at a time, but take a nonsense-approach to the planning: schedule your workouts and food prep time in the diary. Tell people at home, at work and in your social circle exactly what you're doing to remain accountable to them and keep a food diary to remain accountable to yourself.
The Diagnosis
Like me, you'll probably find your diet personality is a combination of these. I'd say I'm 40% Controller, 30% Craver, 15% Creator and 15% Competitor, so I apply the aforementioned advice for each of these to my nutrition plan and keep an eye out for any of the associated negative tendencies. Identify and embrace your own personal diet style and who knows... you may just find yourself with the winning formula to a successful and sustainable diet!
So over to you: what's YOUR diet personality?]]>How 'Clean' Is Your Diet?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.28442812013-03-11T19:00:00-04:002013-05-11T05:12:01-04:00Charli Cohenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/charli-cohen/'eating clean'.
Firstly, before the abuse starts streaming in, I appreciate there are those people who genuinely love to adhere to 100% natural, unprocessed, organic diet and have gladly adapted their lifestyle to accommodate it. If you're one of this minority, good for you! There's no denying this is a very healthy existence, IF you genuinely enjoy it and your primary motivations for eating that way are health- and longevity-based.
Secondly, healthy eating is of course something I promote and encourage wholeheartedly - I am not in any way suggesting that said natural, unprocessed, organic foods are bad. That would be silly. No, it's the term 'clean' that I take issue with.
I can't stand it when a specific, rigid way of eating is preached as the best and only way of eating; the unnecessary pressure this puts on those for whom this level of inflexibility is unrealistic; when it's viewed as inadequate, undedicated, if one's fridge contents aren't entirely organic, grass-fed, raw, or whatever else the fanaticism of the moment requires. Privately educated and lovingly reared by unicorns. The list is ever-growing.
I digress...
Define 'Clean'?
First of all, let's address the term itself. 'Clean'. What does this actually mean? It would seem the answer to that depends wholly on who you ask. Some will say a 'clean' diet is one that's based around wholesome, natural foods. Others consider dairy a 'dirty' food, despite it fitting the aforementioned criteria, or include protein powder as a 'clean' food, despite it usually being full of chemicals. Some view wholegrains as 'clean', whilst others perceive them as an abomination against the diet of our caveman forefathers. Often, a 'clean' diet incorporates a weekly 'cheat meal', or as the common man may refer to it, a weekly junk food binge. 'Clean' is dubious, often contrived to mean whatever the dieter wants it to mean at the time and will never have a universally agreed definition.
Stress
One of my biggest gripes with restrictive diets is the level of stress they generate for (most) people. The hormonal and psychological response to consistent, high levels of stress is the antithesis of fitness and wellbeing. I'm not going to venture into the impact of prolonged cortisol elevation here, but I will address this in a later article. In short, it's going to screw up both your health and physique goals to a far greater extent than affording yourself the occasional Hobnob.
Extreme Comparisons
At one end of the spectrum, you have those who will only eat unprocessed, organic foods, along with a selection of other 'rules' - the more challenging to adhere to the better. Anything that flouts the rules is described as 'cheating'. The opposite extreme are those completely unaware of what they put into their mouths and, frankly, don't really care - anything goes. Often, the obsessively 'clean' dieter will try to rationalise by comparing these extremes like they're the only two options available. "Oh right, so I should forgo the broccoli and have a doughnut then?" There is a flagrant denial of any sort of healthy middle-ground.
Disordered Eating Behaviour
Let's list some examples of the behaviour obsessive 'clean' eating can encourage:
Labelling foods as 'good' and 'bad' (or 'clean' and 'cheating')
Scheduled 'cheat' meals leading to binges
Compensating for the binges with excessive exercise
Having a guilt complex around food
Cutting out entire food groups
Having a rigid set of rules around food
Avoiding social situations that could interfere with these rules
Extreme anxiety when anything happens that could interfere with these rules
These don't necessarily add up to an eating disorder but they can easily go that way. Take it from someone who lost most of her teenage years to anorexia - once you develop that mind-set, it's incredibly difficult to re-establish a healthy relationship with food. I'll leave it at that - this is something else that requires its own dedicated article.
In summary...
The 'perfect diet' is personal - it depends on a variety of physiological, hormonal, activity and lifestyle factors and it changes as these factors change for the individual. There are no fundamentally 'good' or 'bad' foods (except for maybe trans fats, but again, one for another post!), just a good diet plan or a bad diet plan. A diet of mostly nutrition-void junk food choices is a bad diet plan. A diet rigidly based around someone's definition of 'clean' could also be a bad diet plan, IF that 'clean' diet is having a detrimental impact psychologically and hormonally.
A starting point for establishing a good diet plan is to find a comfortable place somewhere in the middle of these extremes and to think of your eating as being 'on plan' or 'off plan', rather than 'clean' or 'cheating'.
For full guidance on setting up your own flexible diet plan, view my ebook here.]]>The Truth About 'Toning Up'tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.27646172013-02-27T19:00:00-05:002013-04-29T05:12:01-04:00Charli Cohenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/charli-cohen/How do I lose my belly fat? How can I tone up my arms? Which exercise will shrink my thighs?
These questions, or variations thereof, clog up my inbox on a daily basis. And this is fair enough - there are so many ridiculous products on the market claiming to magically achieve just these things, who can blame the poor folk led to believe a targeted solution exists? But here's the thing...it doesn't.
The sad truth of the matter is, whether you want to get rid of that annoying lower ab pudge, firm up those pesky bingo wings or attain the elusive 'thigh gap', the answer is always the same:
1. A solid nutrition plan (i.e. one that involves fewer calories than you burn, within which you're getting enough protein, healthy fats and fibre) combined with a smart training plan (i.e. one that prioritises heavy, full-body resistance training and includes sufficient rest/recovery time) is the only way to sustainably reduce body fat.
2. You can't choose where the fat comes off first, but you can pretty much guarantee it's not going to be in the areas that you want it to.
Now we've cleared that up, let's tackle the two myths responsible for these misguided questions...
The Spot Reduction Myth
Fat loss, in short, comes down to eating less and moving more. And that goes for fat loss anywhere on your body. Crunches will NOT burn your belly fat. Tricep kickbacks won't melt off bingo wings, nor will the abductor machine slim your inner thighs. Losing fat, be it belly fat, upper arm fat or any other sort of fat, comes down to burning calories.
An effective training programme is one that works all the major muscle groups of both the upper and lower body.
The more muscles you employ in your workout, the more calories you'll burn.
The larger the muscles you're working are, the more calories you'll burn.
The more muscles used in a specific exercise, the more calories that exercise will burn.
See where I'm going with this?
Achieving the lean body part you want means getting all those muscles moving and accepting that you'll need to be in it for the long haul to start seeing improvements in 'stubborn' areas.
The 'T' Word
Scientifically, muscle tone actually refers to the degree of tension in a muscle, which is part of the way it functions. Whether or not you like the way you look, you already have muscle tone.
When people say they want "toned" muscles, they mean they want to see the shape of the muscle more so than they do now. You can't change the shape of a muscle, but you can give definition to the shape.
Definition or 'tone' is created by:
1. Building or preserving muscle.
2. Lowering body fat.
Lowering body fat comes down to diet and being in a calorie deficit. Building or preserving muscle, is down to a good training routine of heavy resistance. (NB: when you get really lean - usually <8% bodyfat for males and <17% for females - hormone manipulation comes into play as well, but that's for another article!)
High reps - generally categorised as anything more than 12 - do not encourage your body to hold on to muscle, let alone make the muscle bigger, stronger or more defined. If you are doing high reps, the weight is too light to challenge your muscles. Sure, you may 'feel the burn', but that is not a sign of burning fat. You're feeling the burn because of lactic acid building up inside the muscle.
Don't get me wrong - high reps have their place. They are excellent for muscular endurance, cardio circuit training and sports performance. However, in terms of looking lean, defined and promoting fat loss over muscle loss, soley doing high reps is completely counter-productive to 'toning up'.
So there we have it - you CAN lose fat anywhere you like, you just can't choose the sequence in which your body leans out. Don't get discouraged because it's not happening as quickly as you'd like - when you have the right nutrition and training plan in place, patience, perseverence and consistancy will get you those all-important results as quickly as they can possibly happen!
If you'd like to learn more about my bespoke fat loss and toning plans, click here for full details.]]>Should You Work Out When You're Ill?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.27012492013-02-19T19:00:00-05:002013-04-21T05:12:02-04:00Charli Cohenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/charli-cohen/'To train, or not to train?'
This is the question we regular exercisers agonise over when lurgy strikes.
Those unconvinced of the joy of exercise will struggle to comprehend why it is we WANT to train though the illness - why not take the opportunity to 'pull a sickie' on our fitness regimen. Those people will always say, "Your body obviously needs a break. Rest."
Conversely, the exercise-obsessed, the training sadomasochists amongst us will insist that we should "Suck it up! Sweat it out!"
So the question remains, who's right?
In fact, both recommendations are good, but it depends on the circumstances and the symptoms.
If you have 'above the neck' symptoms i.e. headache, runny nose, sore throat but DON'T have a fever, then you can work out as planned, just notch the intensity down from high to moderate. As soon as these symptoms disappear, you can resume high intensity training.
If you have 'below the neck' symptoms i.e. muscle aches (non workout-related!), a chesty cough, swollen lymph glands, vomiting, diarrhoea, extreme tiredness, then either rest, or keep workout intensity low. You can increase to moderate intensity once the symptoms start to subside, but give it a good two weeks before increasing back up to high intensity workouts.
Do NOT exercise if you have a fever. A temperature indicates your body is trying to fight something, so adding stress by working out is going to inhibit this process, at best prolonging the illness and at worst, causing it to develop into something much more serious.
Do NOT work out at the gym whilst you're contagious. You might feel up to it, but the other gym users at risk of being infected will be less than appreciative. Don't be selfish - stick to home or outdoor training.
Do NOT give up altogether. Use your downtime to focus on general well-being - meditative yoga and short walks are both great options when training is out of the question.
Do NOT immediately try to make up for lost time. Once you're able to resume workouts, don't attempt to start from where you left off: instead, gradually work back up to your usual training intensity. Doing too much too soon could potentially trigger another bout of illness - your immune system will be weakened and you'll be extra susceptible. Apply common sense and listen to your body. If you start to feel dizzy or nauseous, slow down.
Finally, if you're unsure of your symptoms and what you can or can't do, consult your GP. Better safe than sorry!
What are your experiences of training (or abstaining) when unwell?]]>Valentine's Day Dining, Caveman Style!tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.26445662013-02-08T07:20:33-05:002013-04-10T05:12:01-04:00Charli Cohenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/charli-cohen/Paleo Diet.
Whilst I don't subscribe to Paleo as such, the premise on which it's based is fairly sound - high in protein, fibre and healthy fats and championing fresh and unprocessed foods i.e. quality foods that would have been available for our Stone Age predecessors to hunt and gather. Though I prefer and advocate a more flexible approach to dieting (I'm not giving up dairy or peanut butter for anyone), on the whole, Paleo is significantly less faddy than many 'Diets' on the market.
So with Paleo-mania ever on the rise, it seemed possible that upcoming Valentine's celebrations may present an issue for those who don't wish to deviate from their Primal plan. Fear not, dear Dieters, for I am here to help.
Behold, my Romantic Meal for Two - Caveman Style...
Appetiser
Impressive to look at, yet deceptively simple to prepare, scallops always make an excellent starter.
Sauteed Scallops with Basil (2 servings)
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped
10 scallops, rinsed and patted dry
1 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 lemon + 2 lemon wedges
Extra basil to serve
Directions:
Heat oil in wok or frying pan over medium-high heat.
Add garlic and chopped basil and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add scallops.
Season with salt and pepper and squeeze 1/4 lemon over scallops.
Cook for 2-3 minutes, flipping scallops and stirring frequently.
Top with fresh basil leaves and add a lemon wedge to serve.
Romance Bonus: Basil is a well known aphrodisiac, as are shellfish.
Entrée
A classic sharing dish, paella is a perfect meal for two. For the main course, we give this classic a Caveman twist. My recipe calls for chicken and shrimp, but feel free to substitute these with the meat and/or seafood of your choosing!
Paleo Paella (2 servings)
Ingredients:
300g cauliflower, riced (see below)
100g shrimp
150g skinless chicken breast, chopped
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large red pepper, chopped
150g mushrooms, chopped
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1.5 cups chicken stock
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 170C.
Heat oil in frying pan over medium-high heat.
Add garlic and onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, until caramelised.
Add chicken and cook until browned.
Add peppers and mushrooms and saute for 10 minutes.
Add tomato and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add 2/3 cup of stock and cook until mostly reduced.
Add seasonings.
Add riced cauliflower rice and shrimp, saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add remaining stock and cook until half the liquid is reduced.
Put in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.
Romance Bonus: This recipe is chock full of testosterone-boosting zinc.
Extra note: How to rice cauliflower:
Using a food processor, process fresh cauliflower until it is the size of rice grains, either using the plain steel blade or the shredder blade. Alternatively, you can shred it with a hand-held grater.
Steam or microwave in a covered dish for 8-10 minutes. Don't add water- just let the moisture in the cauliflower do the work.
Dessert
There's little need to explain why chocolate is a good idea, so straight to the recipe...
Using a high speed blender or food processor, blend chocolate, egg and vanilla at high speed.
Heat coconut milk in a saucepan over a medium heat until steaming but not simmering.
Gradually add coconut milk to egg mixture, blending as you go.
Divide raspberries into two ramekins, leaving a few aside to garnish.
Pour chocolate mixture over.
Cover and chill in the fridge for at least two hours.
Garnish with extra raspberries.
Romance Bonus: It's chocolate!
P.S. Romance aside, this is a pretty tasty menu for the Singletons amongst us too! Coupled up or not and Paleo-ing or not, give these recipes a try for a fun, fabulous and fat-loss-friendly Valentine's Day!
P.P.S. What's your take on the Paleo diet? Have you tried it, heard of it, been a long-time follower of it?]]>How to Break the Fitness and Fat Loss Motivation Ruttag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.25988642013-02-01T19:00:00-05:002013-04-03T05:12:01-04:00Charli Cohenhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/charli-cohen/
Motivation is tricky to address, as it really is a case of different strokes for different folks. Like most matters of the brain, we all respond differently to different stimuli - one person's motivational epiphany can be another's undoing. Case in point: the dreaded scales. An undesired number could fuel you to train and diet your socks off for the next month, or it could knock you flying off the wagon into a 'why do I bother' downward spiral.
That said, there are two factors that are key for almost anyone: proper goal setting and regular progress tracking. If motivation issues are holding you back, but you really want progress (not just to think about it, not just to moan about it, but truly, genuinely WANT it), I challenge you to get proactive right now. Set aside an hour and do these three things TODAY:
1. Set SMART goals
I'm sure you've heard the saying "Failure to plan is planning to fail". Having a clear and realistic plan is enough to make or break your success. When you set goals, it helps to use the SMART acronym...
S = Specific
No blanket statements allowed here - get right down into the small print of what you want to achieve: this should include the numbers, the physical changes and the psychological benefits.
M = Measurable
How you can measure your progress towards each aspect of your goal? For body goals, this could be taking tape measurements every 2-4 weeks, trying on those jeans monthly and taking progress photos. To measure fitness, you can do time and distance tests, flexibility tests, strength tests and endurance tests. Health-wise, you can check blood pressure and resting pulse rate, or you can visit your GP regularly for any relevant blood tests etc.
A = Agreed
Is this what you truly want for yourself? Are you willing to do everything possible to achieve it?
R = Realistic
Are these goals physically achievable? If there's a celebrity body you'd like to have, are you the same height and build as that celebrity? If not, then find an inspirational body that is feasible based on your own genetics. Have you selected realistic fitness goals, based on your current ability and the timeframe in which to train? You need to be entirely honest with yourself here. If your goals aren't realistic, then your journey is going to be incredibly frustrating, and you'll likely become too discouraged to see your goals through. Be 100% that you can do it, and you will!
T = Time-framed
Having taken all the other points into account, you can now set yourself a date by which you'd like to achieve your ultimate goal. Break this down into dates by which you'd like to have achieved smaller goals. These should coincide with when you measure your progress. If you're taking monthly tape measurements, what inch loss would like to see each month? If you're doing endurance tests, how many more push-ups do you want to be able to do each time?
It's SMART to be Adaptable
Once you've set and mapped out your long- and short-term SMART goals, make sure that they're written down, and that you refer to them regularly. If your goals change, or you realise that some of the things you've set yourself aren't quite as realistic as you thought, don't be afraid to reassess and change your goals. It's all about adapting the process to you, and ultimately, that's what's going to ensure your success.
2. Establish your 'Before'.
For body goals: Take full-body front/back/side photos in underwear or swimwear. If you can't or won't get someone to take these for you, do it yourself in a full length mirror. If you don't have a full length mirror, go to a clothes shop and commandeer the changing room. No sucking in, no carefully flattering angles, no 'upper body only' and no excuses - you'll thank me later when you need to have an accurate comparison to gauge all the incredible progress you're going to make. Every 4 weeks from now on, take photos in the same poses, similar clothing and (if possible) the same lighting.
For fitness goals: Complete a relevant time, strength or distance trial in your chosen sport. No cheating, no 'rounding up', no using your Personal Best from three years ago. Record the details and use this as your baseline for improvement. A fitness trial may take a bit of setting up, so if you can't do it today, organise it and schedule it into the diary today. Every four weeks, repeat the trial and record your numbers.
3. Get accountable.
Leave a comment below, or tweet me @TrainWithCharli with hashtag #MOTIVATED to tell me you've completed steps 1 and 2!
