The 90-Day Challenge

I'm starting a new program I’m calling The 90-Day Challenge. You asked for it, here it is!

The Challenge is in 3 phases, 30 days for each phase. Before Phase 1, we’ll weigh, measure, determine your body fat percentage, and take ‘before’ photos. Together we’ll determine your weight loss goals, and your daily caloric value to accomplish those goals.

You will then log daily exercise with a minimal requirement of 30 minutes of sustained activity. You will also log whether you stayed within your daily calorie goals.

At the end of Phase 1 we’ll re-weigh, re-measure, take new photos and re-calculate body fat. We’ll repeat this at the end of Phase 2, and at the end of Phase 3 we’ll get your final weight, photos and body fat lost.

At the end of the challenge you’ll get an A2 FitChicks t-shirt to be worn around A2!

Groups should get together once a month for discussions of aches, pains and what’s working, ideas to help with what’s working and perhaps what isn’t working. You can form your own group with family, friends, co-workers, etc. create your own name and I will come to your work location or wherever your group will meet (within 25 miles of Ann Arbor). The cost for each participant is $100.

Ladies, you asked for this, now commit to get fit with A2 FitChicks!


For more information, or to schedule your Phase 1 start, email debra at a2fitchicks dot com. I look forward to working with all of you!

Combating Weight Re-Gain

Plenty of previous research has concluded without a shred of doubt that high levels of exercise are one of the keys to keeping fat off and maintaining your ideal weigh. A new study at Wake Forest University just published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found proof that the drop in physical activity that happens automatically during calorie restriction is directly correlated to weight regain. We’ve known for some time that when you restrict calories, your level of non exercise physical activity (non exercise activity thermogenesis or NEAT), drops spontaneously, even if you don’t realize it’s happening. Your physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) also tends to drop when you restrict calories. Basically, when you cut calories, you get sluggish, you move your body less, you don’t feel like exercising and if you do exercise, you do it with with less “gusto.” This means that unless you intentionally counter this tendency by pushing yourself to keep active and keep up the intensity, despite your low calorie intake, your weight loss will slow down automatically as you continue with caloric restriction. (can you say, “fat loss plateau?”) The new twist to this story is that in this latest study the researchers followed up on the subjects through the maintenance period - with 6 month and 12 month checkups. This is significant, because most fat loss “success stories” are reported immediately after the weight loss phase, but you never know what happened to them afterwards. Not surprisingly, it wasn’t much of a “maintanence” period… almost everyone regained most of the weight. The surprise was WHY they regained back the weight and WHO regained the most… The drop in physical activity during the diet was directly related to the weight regain after the diet! The researchers wrote, “The greater the decrease in physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) during the energy deficit, the greater the weight gain during the follow up.” “That won’t happen to me,” you say? Think again. That drop in activity usually happens unconsciously. It’s part of the “starvation response” (or “weight-regulating mechanism” if you prefer). Your body tricks you in countless ways, in order to restore energy balance and stabilize your weight. If you believe that diet alone is the answer or that you can skimp on the training, you are shooting yourself in the foot and thinking short-term. When you extend out your time frame to a year or longer, you get a whole new perspective.

Bottom line: If you want to MAXIMIZE your fat loss, and keep fat off permanently, it is imperative not only to keep up a high level of energy expenditure (BURN calories not just cut them), but also to make a conscious effort to make sure your activity level does not drop as you lose weight during the calorie deficit.

SparkPeople website

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• Personalized diet & fitness plan
• Calorie counter & exercise tracker
• Fitness demonstrations & videos
• Over 100,000 articles, recipes, & tips

It does sound too good to be true, but it really is free, and it really is useful. The site says that the creators were early eBay employees and are using their earnings to make the world a healthier place.

Weights for your waist and your heart

There has been yet another study with results the same as I've been telling my clients for years. The new study results suggest that adding strength training to your exercise routine looks like the best way to slash fat and strengthen the heart. In the study, one group of volunteers walked or jogged five times a week, while the other replaced two workouts with strength sessions (three sets of each resistance move). Those who strength-trained did 30 percent less aerobic exercise - yet performed 7 percent better on tests of maximum aerobic capacity. They also lost 2 percent of their body fat; the volunteers who simply walked or jogged lost none.

Strength training increases muscle mass, which burns fat faster - and the pudge it melted was mostly the heart-risky abdominal kind. What this means: If you add some basic strength training, you can ease up on the cardio yet wind up more fit - and your body will look better too.

Katie's Journey

One of the most satisfying things of my job is to see real, life-changing results in my clients. As well, stories like Katie's help others like her realize that real results are possible. Here is Katie's story in her own words.

"Well, my story begins with a motorcycle accident on July 16th, 2006. A guy cut off my husband's motorcycle (I was riding on the back) trying to hit the exit ramp he just missed. I suffered from lots of road rash, a broken right radius, a badly sprained left knee and ankle, as well as a partially torn rotator cuff. (My husband also suffered from lots of road rash, a displaced bone in his hand and a broken scapula - shoulder bone.) Luckily I only had to have surgery on my broken radius, as the rotator cuff was only a partial tear. However, little did I know that I had just over 6 months of physical therapy ahead of me. At the hospital, I weighed a whopping 317 lbs and said that it was probably because of all the swelling and trauma that I weighed that much. My husband and I were in the hospital for four days and off of work for just over three months. During this time, I came to the realization that God had given me a second chance at life and I needed to take every opportunity that I could. It also brought up a lot of questions for me in regards to my weight - would my injuries have been this severe if I had been a smaller size? If I would've already been exercising would my body have recouped quicker, assuming the same injuries? All these questions lead me to believe that weighing less and being healthier would make my life better and that if God blessed me with this chance to better myself then I had to do something about it. so I decided it was time to start an exercise regimen.

In January 2007 (not a resolution, just a coincidence), I started working out at Gold's Gym. On the first day, I weighed 322 lbs - I was shocked and it almost brought me to tears! I had to push on and thought that it was a good thing I was there. I started by just walking on the treadmill, using the elliptical machine and using a few weight machines to help with my physical therapy homework. I was super self-conscious and felt like everyone was looking at me and saying, "WOW - she is huge." I was never one to be as self-conscious as I was when I first started working out. I just kept to myself and did my own thing, which is extremely out of character for me.

I met Debra Clark one day while I was doing my radius stretches (more physical therapy homework) after my workout and before her Aerobic Dance class. She invited me to join her class and I said I couldn't because I lived in Toledo and only worked here in Ann Arbor and needed to get home. She continued to say 'Hi' and invite me to join her class and said I would really like it. I eventually tried it and Debra was right - I did love it! It gave me something different to do other than the treadmill and the elliptical.

I started working with Debra after she gave me my "free" workout and we completely hit it off. At my first official weigh-in and measurements on 4/10/07, I weighed 316 lbs with a body fat % of 43.1%. I signed up for a training package with Debra that allowed me to workout with her once a week. Not only did she kill me with a lot of different cardio, she introduced weight training into my program. Within two months, I was down to 307 lbs and 41.6% body fat. The biggest change was my actual measurements - I had lost 14.5"! I have continued to work with Debra since last April and I have now lost a total of 40 lbs and 27" overall with a body fat % of 37.2% (a loss of 5.9%).

Since I first started working out, my outlook has changed on a lot of things! I came to realize that if people are looking at me, they are hopefully saying something to the affect of, "Good for her, she is here trying to make a difference in her life." I have also come to realize that everyone is there for the same reason, no matter what their size; everyone is there to be the healthiest they can be in one way or another. I have also learned that weight training is pivotal to any workout regimen. I never would've gotten where I am today without lifting weights. I have also realized that although my progress is much slower than I would like to see and I have a long way to go before I can go to the "maintenance phase", I am doing this the smart and healthy way - exercise and portion control while being conscious of what I am eating but not necessarily restricting myself to any one particular diet. Besides, this is not a diet but rather a life change and if I am going to stick with it; it has to be a slow change. I love my new lifestyle and wouldn't give up my workout times for anything!"

Why Weight Training?

The Ann Arbor News interviewed me for their BE Healthy monthly magazine back in March. In that article, I outlined 10 Benefits of Strength Training. Here they are again.

10 Benefits of Strength Training
1. Increase your metabolic rate to burn more calories all day
2. Increase and restore bone density
3. Increase muscle mass, strength and endurance
4. Improve balance, flexibility and mobility
5. Prevent injuries
6. Foster rehabilitation and recovery after an injury
7. Decrease risk of coronary disease
8. Boost performance in sports and exercise
9. Maintain strength and fitness as you age
10. Feel better and look better

Those are 10 great reasons to incorporate strength training in your workout! Let me know if you need tips, pointers, or a workout designed especially for you.

Why the Scale Lies

It is so easy to get frustrated with the scale when eating right, and exercising, and doing everything you know should work. Truth is, the scale lies! I came across an excellent article on why you should not put too much stock in the number on the scale and I've pasted it in below in its entirety for your reading pleasure.

"We’ve been told over an over again that daily weighing is unnecessary, yet many of us can’t resist peeking at that number every morning. If you just can’t bring yourself to toss the scale in the trash, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the factors that influence it’s readings. From water retention to glycogen storage and changes in lean body mass, daily weight fluctuations are normal. They are not indicators of your success or failure. Once you understand how these mechanisms work, you can free yourself from the daily battle with the bathroom scale.

Water makes up about 60% of total body mass. Normal fluctuations in the body’s water content can send scale-watchers into a tailspin if they don’t understand what’s happening. Two factors influencing water retention are water consumption and salt intake. Strange as it sounds, the less water you drink, the more of it your body retains. If you are even slightly dehydrated your body will hang onto it’s water supplies with a vengeance, possibly causing the number on the scale to inch upward. The solution is to drink plenty of water.

Excess salt (sodium) can also play a big role in water retention. A single teaspoon of salt contains over 2,000 mg of sodium. Generally, we should only eat between 1,000 and 3,000 mg of sodium a day, so it’s easy to go overboard. Sodium is a sneaky substance. You would expect it to be most highly concentrated in salty chips, nuts, and crackers. However, a food doesn’t have to taste salty to be loaded with sodium. A half cup of instant pudding actually contains nearly four times as much sodium as an ounce of salted nuts, 460 mg in the pudding versus 123 mg in the nuts. The more highly processed a food is, the more likely it is to have a high sodium content. That’s why, when it comes to eating, it’s wise to stick mainly to the basics: fruits, vegetables, lean meat, beans, and whole grains. Be sure to read the labels on canned foods, boxed mixes, and frozen dinners.

Women may also retain several pounds of water prior to menstruation. This is very common and the weight will likely disappear as quickly as it arrives. Pre-menstrual water-weight gain can be minimized by drinking plenty of water, maintaining an exercise program, and keeping high-sodium processed foods to a minimum.

Another factor that can influence the scale is glycogen. Think of glycogen as a fuel tank full of stored carbohydrate. Some glycogen is stored in the liver and some is stored the muscles themselves. This energy reserve weighs more than a pound and it’s packaged with 3-4 pounds of water when it’s stored. Your glycogen supply will shrink during the day if you fail to take in enough carbohydrates. As the glycogen supply shrinks you will experience a small imperceptible increase in appetite and your body will restore this fuel reserve along with it’s associated water. It’s normal to experience glycogen and water weight shifts of up to 2 pounds per day even with no changes in your calorie intake or activity level. These fluctuations have nothing to do with fat loss, although they can make for some unnecessarily dramatic weigh-ins if you’re prone to obsessing over the number on the scale.

Otherwise rational people also tend to forget about the actual weight of the food they eat. For this reason, it’s wise to weigh yourself first thing in the morning before you’ve had anything to eat or drink. Swallowing a bunch of food before you step on the scale is no different than putting a bunch of rocks in your pocket. The 5 pounds that you gain right after a huge dinner is not fat. It’s the actual weight of everything you’ve had to eat and drink. The added weight of the meal will be gone several hours later when you’ve finished digesting it.

Exercise physiologists tell us that in order to store one pound of fat, you need to eat 3,500 calories more than your body is able to burn. In other words, to actually store the above dinner as 5 pounds of fat, it would have to contain a whopping 17,500 calories. This is not likely, in fact it’s not humanly possible. So when the scale goes up 3 or 4 pounds overnight, rest easy, it’s likely to be water, glycogen, and the weight of your dinner. Keep in mind that the 3,500 calorie rule works in reverse also. In order to lose one pound of fat you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in. Generally, it’s only possible to lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week. When you follow a very low calorie diet that causes your weight to drop 10 pounds in 7 days, it’s physically impossible for all of that to be fat. What you’re really losing is water, glycogen, and muscle.

This brings us to the scale’s sneakiest attribute. It doesn’t just weigh fat. It weighs muscle, bone, water, internal organs and all. When you lose "weight," that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve lost fat. In fact, the scale has no way of telling you what you’ve lost (or gained). Losing muscle is nothing to celebrate. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue. The more muscle you have the more calories your body burns, even when you’re just sitting around. That’s one reason why a fit, active person is able to eat considerably more food than the dieter who is unwittingly destroying muscle tissue.

Robin Landis, author of "Body Fueling," compares fat and muscles to feathers and gold. One pound of fat is like a big fluffy, lumpy bunch of feathers, and one pound of muscle is small and valuable like a piece of gold. Obviously, you want to lose the dumpy, bulky feathers and keep the sleek beautiful gold. The problem with the scale is that it doesn’t differentiate between the two. It can’t tell you how much of your total body weight is lean tissue and how much is fat. There are several other measuring techniques that can accomplish this, although they vary in convenience, accuracy, and cost. Skin-fold calipers pinch and measure fat folds at various locations on the body, hydrostatic (or underwater) weighing involves exhaling all of the air from your lungs before being lowered into a tank of water, and bioelectrical impedance measures the degree to which your body fat impedes a mild electrical current.

If the thought of being pinched, dunked, or gently zapped just doesn’t appeal to you, don’t worry. The best measurement tool of all turns out to be your very own eyes. How do you look? How do you feel? How do your clothes fit? Are your rings looser? Do your muscles feel firmer? These are the true measurements of success. If you are exercising and eating right, don’t be discouraged by a small gain on the scale. Fluctuations are perfectly normal. Expect them to happen and take them in stride. It’s a matter of mind over scale."

Here's the site that this great article came from