- The Authors
Jeff Thiboutot
Matt Schoeneberger
What should you do to get the best weight loss results?
Jeff and I continue to coach people one-on-one and in small groups at our weight loss clinic in Mesa, AZ. It’s something we enjoy very much and we feel privileged to have the opportunity to affect people’s lives so greatly.
It’s through this experience that we see our research proven correct time and time again. When we wrote S.P.E.E.D., we found that nutrition is more important than any other variable, including genetics, when it comes to getting weight loss results. We found that exercise, while important, had its importance greatly inflated. We also found other variables that are not often addressed which are very important, hence our Psychology, Sleep and Environment chapters.
If you have our book, you know how this all fits together. If you don’t, you might not be aware of our approach or what it is that our book can help you with. Here’s the basic idea.
Your diet will determine about 80% of your results. Without meticulous attention to what is going in your mouth (both solid and liquid), you’re spinning your wheels. In fact, if you had to choose one thing to focus on, we would advise you choose nutrition before exercise. Our diet chapter, although the last in the S.P.E.E.D. acronym, is the most important part of the book and the chapter we spent the most time detailing.
Everything else, Psychology, Environment, Exercise and Sleep all help you stick to the Diet. You see, you can’t just will yourself to stick to a diet. It just doesn’t work for 99.95% of the population. (that’s not from research, I made that figure up) But setting up your environment, getting proper sleep and having a proper mindset increases your ability to stick to an eating plan dramatically!
This is what we see come true in our work with clients at LEAN. We see people come in and work their butts off during our workouts and lose no weight after a few weeks. Why? Because they haven’t properly addressed the other variables and are not sticking to an eating plan. Once they start focusing on their eating, it all falls into place. Then, they start realizing that it takes a lot less will power to stick to that eating plan if they get some sleep, modify their environment, and start programming their mind for success.
Jeff and I know the hours we spent researching and writing S.P.E.E.D. were spent with one goal in mind; make the most comprehensive, easy-to-read, science-backed weight loss book on the market. We accomplished that. When we see people put it to use, it works. Every time.
Filed under: weight loss — Tags: diet, environment, Exercise, nutrition, sleep, weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 12:40 pm
Chipotle Burrito Bowl – a great weight loss meal!
First I’d like to point Chipotle fans to www.chipotlefan.com. You want to know what Chipotle has to offer and how it will fit into your diet? This is the place to go.
On to the point… I’m sitting here eating a Chipotle burrito bowl with these ingredients:
black beans
guacamole
sour cream
steak
lettuce
cheese
tomato salsa
According to Chipotlefan.com, this burrito bowl breaks down like this:
| Nutrition Facts |
|||||||||||
| Amount Per Serving | |||||||||||
| Calories 705 | Cal from Fat 360 | ||||||||||
| % Daily Value* | |||||||||||
| Total Fat 39g | 60% | ||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Cholesterol 135mg | 45% | ||||||||||
| Sodium 1440mg | 60% | ||||||||||
| Total Carbs 39g | 13% | ||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Protein 50g | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| INGREDIENTS: Tomato Salsa,Black Beans,Cheese,Sour Cream,Guacamole (4oz),Lettuce,Steak (4oz) | |||||||||||
For many of you, this would count as two meals. Cut this in half and you’ve got about 11 net grams of carbohydrates (total minus fiber). This is also a near perfect breakdown of protein/carbohydrate/fat ratio for a S.P.E.E.D. plan:
Fat: 50%
Carbohydrates: 22%
Protein 28%
This is a perfect example of the fact that you don’t have to eat boring, bland food to lose weight. This is a great-tasting meal and it’s perfect for weight loss.
-Matt
P.S. – we have no affiliation with Chipotle, we just think they’re a pretty cool business that is doing some great things. Support them.
Filed under: diet, weight loss — Tags: burrito bowl, chipotle, weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 12:49 pm
If you are following a low carb diet then you should be eating a high amount of fat, relative to the other two macronutrients. Fat should make up 40-60% of your calories. The amount will vary depending on the carb intake you are shooting for. Here is an example;
- Total calorie intake 1,500
- Carbs @ 20% = 75 grams
- Protein @ 30% = 112 grams
- Fats @ 50%, which is the balanced left over = 83 grams
I think the following helps to visualize the relative macronutrient intakes. Protein should stay about the same while the carbs and fats vary. In fact, you should figure out your protein needs first. A protein intake of about 1.5g/kg (.7g/lb) is a good place to start. As carbs or fats go up the other one should go down.
Here is a low carb view
Here is a high carb view
If you are eating a low carb diet make sure you are eating some good fats, such as whole eggs, dark meats, nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut, and olives. You still need to be aware of the amounts, but these foods should be part of your regular diet. These foods not only have some good fats and taste good but are also loaded with many health promoting nutrients. Bon appetit.
Filed under: Uncategorized, diet, weight loss — Jeff Thiboutot M.S. @ 2:43 pm
Recently Jimmy Moore of livinlavidalowcarb.com interviewed Matt and I for one of his weekly podcasts. It is now available. Click below to listen.
Filed under: Uncategorized, weight loss — Tags: weight loss — Jeff Thiboutot M.S. @ 9:26 am
Losing body fat and getting toned
Just a little more about what it means to “get toned” and what that really means – losing body fat
Filed under: weight loss — Tags: body fat, toned muscles, weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 9:07 am
We don’t like using the word toned, and I explain why in the video above. Let’s all try to avoid this word and say more specifically what we mean.
Filed under: Uncategorized, weight loss — Tags: weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 9:27 am
Do I use my HR monitor or the elliptical to tell how many calories I’m burning?
We received this question from one of our readers:
So today I have been on the Elliptical machine for 30 minutes and according to the machine, I burnt 310 calories. According to my HRM, I burnt 384 calories.
Which one is the most accurate?
Is the HRM alone more accurate because it takes into account sitting Heart Rate?
Is the Heart Rate Monitor with the HRM ready cardio machine more accurate because it takes into account your Heart Rate plus actual speeds and levels worked?
Working out on LifeStride Ellipticals.
Good question. I’m assuming your goal is weight loss, since you’re counting calories, so I’ll answer the question from a weight loss perspective.
The difference between the two different readings you have is 74 calories, about as much as one of those little yogurts that are supposedly great for weight loss (they’re not). The difference is pretty much negligible and here’s why:
Let’s say you’re burning 350 calories in a workout like this and let’s assume you need to burn 3500 calories to lose 1 pound of fat. It would take you ten workouts like this to burn 1 pound of fat, all other things being equal. If you use the numbers you provided, it would take you about 11 and 9 workouts to burn 3500 calories for the 310 and 384 calorie workouts, respectively.
“But Matt, that’s not negligible at all! I’d need to do 2 extra workouts to lose 1 pound of fat!”
True, but you must keep in mind that those 74 calories can be blasted by a few extra nuts, one more bite of steak, a tablespoon more cream in your coffee… you get the idea. The amount of calories you burn during exercise is not something that is worth focusing on as an absolute measurement. However, I do feel that if you pick one method of measurement and use that as a tool of progress, it may be productive. In other words, if you choose the HRM and you burned 384 today, try to burn 400 tomorrow, and 415 the day after, and so on, regardless of what the absolute number is.
Overall, I think the HRM compatible machine will probably give you a more accurate number, but caloric estimations are not all that accurate even in tightly controlled settings. It’s a great question and sometimes these number games are fun to focus on because they increase motivation. Unfortunately, the calories in/calories out equation is so complex, I don’t feel a 74 calorie difference is worth sweating over. Remember, exercise to maintain muscle while dieting and then to reap the overall health benefits. If weight loss is your goal, focus on counting the calories that are going in… they’re far more important.
Filed under: Exercise, weight loss — Tags: calories, heart rate, weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 10:27 am
A compelling vision for weight loss goals
Having a compelling vision is vital to success in any endeavor. Spend time with your vision by deciding what you really want to become and visualizing that in great detail.
Don’t be mistaken, this is not “The Secret” or some law of attraction mumbo-jumbo. Actually achieving what you see in your vision is going to take hard work and follow-through. Having a vision and using it often is just one more way to keep yourself motivated and on the right track.
Filed under: weight loss — Tags: goals, motivation, weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 10:39 am
Sometimes, a little white lie is good for everybody!
Filed under: diet, weight loss — Tags: Low-carb, weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 11:19 am
